•^•v 
 
 LIBR A.RY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N.J. 
 
 — -- \ 
 
 BS 413 .B58 V.32 
 Rosenmeuller, Ernst 
 
 Friedrich Karl, 1768-1835. 
 Annotations on some of the 
 
 Mp-ssianir- P^ialm^;- from th^ 
 
 N 
 
ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ON SOME OF THE 
 
 MESSIANIC PSALMS; 
 
 FROM THE COMMENTARY 
 
 / OF 
 
 v 
 ROSENMULLER; 
 
 AVITH THE LATIN VERSION AND NOTES OF DATHE. 
 
 TRANSLATED BV 
 
 ROBERT JOHNSTON 
 
 TO -W^HICH IS PREFIXED 
 
 AN INTRODL.CTION AND PREFACE. 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 THOMAS CLARK, 38. GEORGE STREET. 
 MDCCCXLI. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 Translator's Preface, .... i to xvii 
 
 Hengstenberg's Introduction to the Book of 
 
 Psalms, xvii to cxxiv 
 
 General Introduction to the Book of Psalms, 
 
 Psalm ii. 
 
 Psalm xvi. ,...,. 
 
 Psalm xlv. ..... 
 
 Psalm lxxii. • 
 
 Psalm ex. 
 
 1 
 57 
 123 
 181 
 230 
 250 
 
 Jlosenmiilleri Versio Latina cum Notis, . . . 285 
 
 Dathii Versio Latina cum Notis, . . . .291 
 
 • From Hengstenberg's Introduction the reader will perceive 
 that Psalms xxii. and xl. are not, in Rosenmliller's opinion, 
 of a Messianic character, and therefore are not included in 
 the present collection ; but he will find important illustra- 
 tions of these Psalms in the Introduction referred to. 
 

 
 r^r^'-^^^^^ 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The general design of the series to which this volume 
 belongs, is the promoting of bibhcal learning : the par- 
 ticular object of the volume is to present the reader 
 with a specimen of learned, laborious criticism, applied 
 to a small, but important portion of the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 If we reflect upon the distinguishing pecuharities of 
 the Hebrew language, particularly its antiquity and 
 sacred character, we may perceive that it possesses 
 many strong claims on our attention. We may not 
 believe, or at least may think it not capable of proof, 
 that it was the language of paradise ; — the medium of 
 communication betwixt the Divine Being and the pa- 
 rents of mankind ; — the language in which the latter 
 were taught to communicate their thoughts to each 
 other, and to their offspring. But though we may 
 doubt this, we cannot doubt that it was one of the 
 earliest written languages ; and we have good grounds 
 for inferring that it was a spoken language at a still 
 earlier period. The genuineness of the books of Moses 
 is satisfactorily established; and there are no other 
 well authenticated writings known to exist, of equal 
 antiquity. Now the language in which Moses wrote 
 
11 PREFACE. 
 
 was that spoken by his brethren, the Hebrew people, 
 and as we may reasonably conclude, substantially the 
 same as that spoken by their patriarchal progenitors, 
 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham, if we may 
 trust to the correctness of the chronology, was born 
 before the death of Noah ; in whose days " the whole 
 earth," it is said, " was of one language, and of one 
 speech." It is warrantable to suppose, therefore, that 
 there has been transmitted to us, embodied in the He- 
 brew, no inconsiderable portion of the primitive lan- 
 guage of mankind. 
 
 We hare naturally a respect for ancient things. We 
 look with reverence on the everlasting hills, and on 
 the rocks that have retained their position and form 
 since the first ages of the world. The pillar, with its 
 sculptured figures and characters, that was looked upon 
 by men who lived several thousand years ago, cannot 
 be regarded without feelings of deep and solemn in- 
 terest. We are affected in somewhat of the same 
 manner by the language of ancient times. When we 
 read the narrative of Abraham's interview with the 
 strangers who visited him in the plain of Mamre, " as 
 he sat in the tent door, in the heat of the day," the 
 impression is strengthened by reflecting that we have 
 before us, probably, the express words that were used 
 on the occasion. When we read the testimony of 
 Jacob, " I have waited for thy salvation, O Jehovah," 
 immediately before he " gathered up his feet into the 
 bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto 
 his people," it seems in his own words^ to have all the 
 authority of an autograph deed. Or, if we wish to 
 hear, as it were, the voice of the Son of God, we have 
 
PREFACE. HI 
 
 in the prophet, the words precisely that were uttered 
 by him when lie read, in the synagogue of Nazareth, 
 of his mission " to preach the gospel to the poor/' — 
 " to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 
 
 These, it maybe said, are merely pleasures of the ima- 
 gination. Be it so : they are, nevertheless, as real, and 
 as rational as those derived from the use of classic writers 
 " in the original tongues ;" and which are understood 
 amply to repay the labour of learning the classical lan- 
 guages. It is not indeed to be expected that Hebrew 
 should take the place of French, Italian, or German, 
 as a subject of polite and fashionable study. Neither 
 is it likely ever to interfere with the study of Greek 
 and Latin in our schools and universities ; although, 
 at the same time, it offers to the man of letters no 
 contemptible advantages, considered merely as a de- 
 partment of general learning. We may be permitted 
 to mention here, the use to which it ma}'^ be turned 
 in the study of philology ; — a study in which every 
 scholar finds a source both of pleasure and improve- 
 ment. In tracing the progress and relations of lan- 
 guage, much light is cast on the origin and history of 
 nations, on the migrations, and divisions of the great 
 human family. Truths are thus discovered, by other 
 means perhaps inaccessible. As an instance of this, 
 Casaubon mentions it, as his settled conviction, that 
 there is scarcely to be found a genuine Anglo-Saxon 
 word, — those excepted which are derived from the 
 Latin, — that, if skilfully and diligently examined, might 
 not be traced to a Greek original.^ This proves that 
 
 ^ Ut libere dicaui quod sentio, pauca, puto, vera et genu- 
 na Anglica sive Saxonica vetera verba reperiri, quae (iis ex- 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 the Greeks and the Anglo-Saxon nations were families 
 of the same race. Here the Hebrew language pre- 
 sents a field for inquiry, by no means hitherto exhaust- 
 ed. The number of Hebrew words retained in the 
 Greek and Latin tongues, is much greater than is ge- 
 nerally believed ; — so great, as to afford clear evidence 
 of one common, though remote origin. — It may be 
 remarked, by the way, that philological discoveries 
 have all along tended to confirm the truth of Scripture 
 history, with regard to the region of the earth where 
 man was at first placed, the period of time at which 
 his history commenced, and the propagation of all the 
 different branches, into which the race is divided, from 
 one parent stock. 
 
 But there are persons by whom the study of He- 
 brew ought to be considered not as a matter of choice, 
 but of duty ; not as a. study to which they may apply 
 themselves for the gratification of literary curiosity, or 
 the enjoyment of intellectual pleasure, but as a study 
 indispensably necessary for their respectability and 
 usefulness. Teachers of Christianity are here referred 
 to. The Hebrew Scriptures are, in themselves, high- 
 ly important and valuable ; they form a large portion 
 of the sacred records, and contain much of the truth 
 that must be believed and obeyed. "When viewed in 
 connexion with the New Testament writings, their 
 value and importance is incalculably increased. Men- 
 delssohn, a learned Jew, and an excellent man, re- 
 
 ceptlsqnaeLatinae sunt originis) si rite et diligenter expendun- 
 tur, non possint ad Graecos foutes revocari " — Casaubon de 
 quatuor Unguis. 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 marks, " that the Founder of Christianity was born a 
 Jew, and educated in the Jewish religion. I nowhere 
 find that Christ represented the religion of his people 
 as false, in regard to its fundamental principles. He 
 laboured, on the contrary, to purify it from error and 
 superstition ; to destroy noxious prejudices, correct 
 false opinions, and exhibit that religion in the light of 
 its primitive purity." To understand the doctrine of 
 Christ, it is necessary to understand the Hebrew Scrip- 
 tures. His Apostles, and the other writers of the New 
 Testament were also Jews ; their ideas, feelings, and 
 expressions were powerfully influenced, — modified by 
 the religion of their forefathers, and the sacred writings 
 on which that religion was founded. They wrote in- 
 deed in Greek, but they thought in Hebrew. Their 
 Greek terms have a Hebrew meaning : their Greek 
 phrases have a Hebrew construction. From this it is 
 obvious, that without a competent knowledge of the 
 language of the Old Testament, the language of the 
 New cannot be thoroughly understood, or soundly in- 
 terpreted. 
 
 It is gratifying to know that the study of Hebrew, 
 by the clergymen of this country, is meeting with in- 
 creased attention. It was long overlooked : its im- 
 portance was, at least, not fully understood. The 
 smallest possible knowledge of it sufficed as a preli- 
 minary qualification for oflice. This, of itself, alto- 
 gether insufficient for being turned to any good ac- 
 count, was rarely improved in after life, in most cases, 
 indeed, quietly forgotten. It may appear to be an 
 ungracious statement, but its truth will scarcely be 
 denied, that, at one time, there might have been 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 found in this country, hundreds of persons in holy 
 office, — professionally expositors of the Scriptures, — 
 not one of whom had ever examined a single passage 
 of the Old Testament in the original, with a view to 
 ascertain its true meaning, or was conscious of pos- 
 sessing the knowledge necessary for such examina- 
 tion. In such circumstances, it must have been found 
 equally necessary and convenient to rest satisfied with 
 information obtained at second hand ; — to make 
 choice of some expositor of good name, not as a friend 
 to be consulted, but as a guide to be implicitly and 
 unhesitatingly followed. Trusting to the judgment 
 and honesty of such expositors, it was the general 
 practice to make use of the results, or -what were un- 
 derstood to be the results, of their learning and indus- 
 try. This did not require much biblical knowledge ; 
 — little more than that knowledge of arithmetic neces- 
 sary in using a Eeady Reckoner, or that knowledge 
 of astronomy v»hich may enable a person to read the 
 ephemerides of an Almanac. 
 
 Taking, however, certain circumstances into ac- 
 count, it is not wonderful that Hebrew learning should 
 long have been comparatively neglected. At the be- 
 ginning of the sixteenth century, — the period imme- 
 diately preceding the reformation from Popery, — the 
 state of general learning, all over Europe, was sunk 
 exceedingly low. The knowledge of Hebrew, which 
 had never been extensive among the Christians of the 
 West, — was then almost extinct ; — confined exclu- 
 sively to the Jews, a despised, hated, persecuted race, 
 with whom it was held infamous for a Christian to 
 hold the intercourse even of civil life. It may natu- 
 
PREFACE. VII 
 
 rally be supposed tliat the sacred language of this 
 people, and their peculiar knowledge of it, could not 
 be considered as deserving of attention or respect, 
 while they themselves were objects of contempt. 
 But as the light of truth, after a long night of intel- 
 lectual darkness, began again to dawn on the Christian 
 world, prejudices began gradually to give way. Scrip- 
 tural truth and scriptural learning were diligently 
 sought after : Christian Doctors condescended to 
 learn Hebrew from Jewish teachers, and, in doing so, 
 must have experienced painful mortifications. By the 
 perverted labours of many ages, the Jewish Rabbis 
 had degraded, as far as it was possible, the religion of 
 their people, and whatever was connected with it. 
 Measuring the moral attributes of the Divinity by the 
 standard of their own circumscribed intellects and 
 depraved affections, they had lost, in a gi'eat measure, 
 the knowledge of the true God. Their religious wor- 
 ship consisted in an endless routine of senseless, su- 
 perstitious ceremonies : the unchangeable laws of 
 justice and mercy were made, by their sophistries, to 
 tolerate, if not to enjoin, the indulgence of every evil 
 passion and vicious habit : their Holy Scripture they 
 had converted into a text -book of cabalism and ab- 
 surdity. 
 
 Instead of subjecting the Scriptures to the laws of 
 rational criticism, the Jewish Doctors held, and taught 
 it as a fundamental principle, that the Hebrew text, 
 such as they exhibited it. was absolutely perfect. 
 This species of perfection or infallibility was extended 
 even to the Masoretic punctuation and accents. They 
 admitted, indeed, various readings, distinguished by 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 the terms Keri and Chetib, — the one followed in the 
 service of the synagogue, the other in the writing of 
 the text. As to these readings, the matter of inquiry- 
 was not which of them, in any particular passage, 
 was genuine, — both were to be held equally good and 
 equally genuine ; — but the matter to be inquired into 
 was the design of the Divine Spirit in causing the 
 variation. The different readings had proceeded 
 either from Moses and the other inspired writers, or, 
 which was reckoned authority at least equally good, 
 had been transmitted by tradition, and sanctioned 
 by the men of the Great Synagogue. In both cases 
 they were of Divine authority, and were entitled to 
 peculiar reverence, as affording sure indication that 
 under them some profound mystery lay concealed. 
 '^ There is not," they were accustomed to say, " a 
 single letter in the Holy Books, upon which great 
 mountains do not depend." There were mysterious 
 reasons for particular letters being found in certain 
 places, such as in the beginning, middle, or end of 
 sections or sentences. Even the form of the Hebrew 
 characters contained, they said, profound mysteries,^ 
 
 ' As a specimen of what was esteemed learning and wisdom 
 by the Jewish teachers^ we may select a part of their comments 
 upon the word H^lL'X'll, the first word of the book of Genesis. 
 To the question, Why is i beth the first letter of the Holy 
 Scriptures? they give the following answers. Because this 
 letter is open only in front, and shut up on all the other sides ; 
 by which we are taught that we are not at liberty to inquire, 
 by looking either backward, upward, or downward, as to any 
 thing that preceded the creation of the world, but must attend 
 only to what took place after that period, by looking in a 
 straight-forward direction. Then again, the letter ^ heih was 
 
PREFACE. IX 
 
 the discovering of which displayed the extent of rab- 
 binical learning and wisdom. 
 
 The puerile and superstitious fancies of the Jews 
 are scarcely deserving of notice, if they had not exer- 
 cised an injurious influence in bringing Hebrew learn- 
 ing into general discredit and contempt. It may 
 seem strange, but it was certainly true, that on the 
 revival of learning, many who applied themselves to 
 the study of Hebrew, became deeply infected with the 
 foolish notions of their Jewish teachers. From this it 
 was inferred that a Hebrew scholar was necessarily a 
 person of weak and distempered intellect, and that 
 there was truth in the often quoted sarcasm of the 
 poet : — 
 
 preferred to the letter X aleph, as being a letter of good omen^ 
 the first letter of the word n3"nij which signifies blessing : 
 whereas N aleph is the first letter of the word ^'^'''^^^, malediC' 
 Hon or cursing. Besides, it was usual to write it in a larger 
 size than the other letters, to commemorate the magnitude and 
 sublimity of the work of creation. In fine, by transposing the 
 letters which compose the first word of the Pentateuch, they 
 formed '•'H^m 'K, the first day of the month Tisri, (the Hebrew 
 month corresponding, in part, to our month of September) ; 
 and they from this concluded it as proved that the world was 
 created, or that the work of creation was begun on that day. 
 How faithfully this mode of interpretation was imitated, may 
 appear from Drisenius, a learned Hebraist of the last century, 
 who accounts for tD mem final being used in a particular word, 
 (n^'lQb, Isa. ix. 6,) instead of )2 mem medial, by saying that 
 the form of the letter indicates the entire coherence, the com- 
 pleteness, the perfection, the uninterruptedness, of the govern- 
 ment and peace predicted by the prop hQt.-^Frommanni Opus- 
 cula. 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 " For Hebrew roots, although they're found 
 To flourish most in barren ground, 
 He had suth plenty, as suftic'd 
 To make some think him circnmcis'd." 
 
 In these lines Butler expressed the feeling of con- 
 tempt for Hebrew learning, at the time generally, and 
 from the circumstances already mentioned, but too 
 justly entertained. Of our own countrymen, Henry 
 Ainsw^orth, and Hugh Broughton, may be mentioned 
 in particular, as persons whose minds seem, by their 
 Hebrew studies, to have become tainted with Jewish 
 prejudices ; nor have we, perhaps, even at the present 
 day, got entirely rid of the evil. It discovers itself, if 
 we mistake not, in Hutchinsonianism ; and in the va- 
 rious other allegorizing and mystifying modes of in- 
 terpreting Scripture, to which devout men, of more 
 fancy than judgment, are fondly attached. It is not 
 necessary, hoAvever, in order to the acquiring of He- 
 brew knowledge, or to the making a proper use of it, 
 to renounce reason and common sense. The con- 
 nection of Jewish prejudices and superstitions with 
 true Hebrew learning, is like that of the unintel- 
 ligible jargon of the Schoolmen with sound logic and 
 philosophy : the influence of the connection, in both 
 cases, was also considerably similar, and might be 
 pointed out in a variety of particulars ; but such a 
 speculation would here be out of place. Suffice it to 
 say, that what Bacon had the honour of performing on 
 behalf of general knowledge, has been done also on 
 behalf of Hebrew learning, by various learned men, 
 whose labours entitled them to respect and gratitude. 
 Ludovicus Capellus, professor of theology and philo- 
 
PREFACE 
 
 logy at Saumur, reduced the ^Masoretic punctuation 
 and accents to their true value, and opened the way 
 for the application of sound criticism to the Hebrew 
 text. (Critica sacra, &c. 1650. Commentaria et 
 Notae criticae in Yetus Testaraentum, 1689.) John 
 Buxtorf, his son, Carpzovius, Le Clerc, and other con- 
 tinental scholars, contributed much to the right inter- 
 pretation of the Hebrew Scriptures ; and we have to 
 reflect with pleasure on the eminently useful services, 
 in the same cause, of our countrymen, Kennicott and 
 Lowth. The Collation of Kennicott overturned from 
 the foundation the superstitious notions long prevalent 
 respecting the absolute integrity of the Masoretic text, 
 and, in point of utility, will continue of high value : 
 of Lowth, it has been said with justice,— and it would 
 be difficult to imagine higher praise, — that he was 
 worthy of translating and illustrating the prophecies 
 of Isaiah. 
 
 During the course of the last hundred years, He- 
 brew learning has been assiduously cultivated in Ger- 
 many. Immense stores of general learning and know- 
 ledge have, in that country, been employed in the 
 critical illustration of the Hebrew Scriptures ; but, in 
 many cases, it must be regretted, not under the direc- 
 tion and influence of sound Christian principles. By 
 the operation of laws and established customs, free- 
 dom of inquiry among the Germans had long been 
 fettered ; and unnatural restraints, whether moral or 
 physical, are usually followed by dangerous eruptions. 
 Stillness and storm, slavery and anarchy, superstition 
 and infidelity, are, respectively, causes and consequen- 
 ces. Assuming a form suited to the circumstances of 
 
 a2 
 
Xll PREFACE. 
 
 the country and the habits of the people, the infidelity 
 of France made its appearance in Germany. In 
 France revealed religion was attacked openly and 
 without disguise ; in Germany, under the mask of 
 alliance and friendship : in both countries, the object 
 of attack was the same, — the overturning of the 
 Christian faith. What Voltaire attempted by means 
 of buffoonery and ridicule, Emanuel Kant tried to 
 effect by the subtleties of metaphysical philosophy. 
 From the year 1770, till near the end of the century, 
 Kant was professor of logic and metaphysics in the 
 university of Konigsberg. His general principles of 
 philosophy are satisfactorily exhibited in an article in 
 the first volume of the Edinburgh Review, by the 
 late Sir James Macintosh ; his religious opinions, in 
 so far as it is here necessary to state them, vt'.aj be 
 gathered from his own writings, from which we may 
 take the liberty of giving a few brief extracts. 
 
 In his treatise, entitled Religion innerhalh der Gren- 
 zen der blossen Vernunft. — " Religion within the 
 bounds of reason," are found the following passages : 
 " That religion in which I must know that any thing 
 is a divine command, in order to acknowledge it as 
 my duty, is a r-evealed religion, or one which needs a 
 revelation. On the contrary, that in which I must 
 first know that any thing is my duty, before I can ac- 
 knov.'ledge a divine command, is natural religion. He 
 who holds only natural religion to be morally necessary, 
 that is, to be duty, may be called a Rationalist. If he 
 denies the reality of all supernatural divine revela- 
 tion, he may be called a Naturalist. If he admits the 
 possibility of a revelation, but asserts, that to be ac- 
 
PREFACE. Xlll 
 
 quainted with it, and to adopt it as real, is not neces- 
 sary to religion, he may be called a pure RationalisL 
 If, however, he holds a belief in a revelation to be 
 necessary to religion in general, he may be termed a 
 pure SupernaturaUst. The Rationalist, by virtue of his 
 very name, must^ of course, confine himself within 
 the limits of human knowledge. These he will never, 
 as naturalist, deny nor call in question, either the in- 
 trinsic possibility of revelation in general, nor the ne- 
 cessity of a revelation as a divine means for the in- 
 troduction of pure religion ; for on such points no one 
 can decide any thing by reason. Consequently, the 
 question in dispute can only be as to the mutual claims 
 of the pure Rationalist and the Supernatur^ilist ; or, it 
 can concern only that which the one looks upon as 
 necessary and sufficient for the only true religion, 
 while the other regards it as only accidental." — '' The 
 constitution of every church always arises out of some 
 historical, — revealed, — system of belief, which may be 
 called the ecclesiastical faith ; and this is best found- 
 ed upon sacred records. Since, then, it is now not to 
 be avoided, that an authoritative ecclesiastical faith 
 should thus be connected with a pure religious belief, 
 as the vehicle and means of publicly uniting men for 
 the advancement of the latter; it must also be con- 
 ceded, that the permanent support of this eccle- 
 siastical faith, the gradual and general spread of 
 it, and even the proper respect for the revelation in- 
 corporated in it, can hardly be sufficiently provided 
 for by tradition, but only by written documents ; and 
 these again, must, as a revelation, be an object of re- 
 verence both to contemporaries and to posterity. This 
 
XIV PREFACE. 
 
 is necessary for mankind^ in order that they may have 
 some certainty in regard to their religious duties. 
 A holy book acquires for itself the highest respect 
 ■with those — and with such indeed most of all — who 
 cannot read it, or at least cannot gain from it any con- 
 nected idea of religion ; and no reasoning can effect 
 any thing against the decisive reply, which vanquishes 
 all objection. It is this written : — 
 
 " A pure religious belief is the highest interpreter of 
 the ecclesiastical faith^ that is, of revelation. In order 
 to connect with such an empirical faith, — which, as it 
 would seem, accident has played into our hands, — the 
 basis of a moral belief, either as object or as auxiliary, 
 it is necessary that the revelation which has thus come 
 into our hands should receive a particular interpreta- 
 tion, that is, be explained throughout in a se?ise tvhich 
 shall coincide with the general practical rules of a reli- 
 gion of pure reason. For that which is theoretical in 
 the ecclesiastical faith, cannot inte]-est us in a moral 
 view, unless it influence to the fulfilment of all human 
 duties, as being divine commands, — which indeed 
 constitutes the essential part of all religion. This 
 mode of interpretation may often appear, even to 
 ourselves, to be forced, as it regards the mere text ; 
 often it may really be so ; but still, if the text can 
 possibly be made to bear it,' this interpretation must 
 be preferred to such a literal one, as either contains in 
 itself nothing favourable to morality, or even goes so 
 far as to operate against it. It Avill also be found, 
 that the same course has been adopted in regard to 
 all ancient and modern forms of belief, which have 
 been in part consigned to sacred books ; and that ju- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 dicious and reflecting teachers have interpreted these 
 books, until they brought them by degrees to coificide, 
 as to their essential contents, 7vith the principles of a 
 moral belief. The moral philosophers among the 
 Greeks, and afterwards among the Romans, did the 
 same thing with their fabulous systems of mythology. 
 They at last found out a mode of explaining the 
 grossest polytheism, as being the mere symbolical re- 
 presentation of the attributes of the one Divine being, 
 and of imparting a mystical sense to many a profligate 
 action, and even to the \\dld, but beautiful dreams of 
 their poets ; and thus they converted, in a measure, 
 a mass of popular superstition — which it would have 
 been unwise to have subverted, because it might 
 have been succeeded by an atheism still more dan- 
 gerous to the State — into a system of moral pre- 
 cepts, intelligible, and profitable to all men. The 
 later Judaism^ and even Christianity, is made up of 
 similar interpretations ; some of which are exceedingly 
 forced ; but in both, this is done for purposes unques- 
 tionably good and essential to all mankind. The Ma- 
 hommetans, (as Reland shows,) know how to give to 
 the description of their sensual paradise a spiritual 
 sense ; and the same is done by the Hindus in the in- 
 terpretation of their Vedas ; at least for the enlightened 
 part of the people." 
 
 " Nor can this mode of interpretation be charged with 
 any want of honesty or good faith ; provided we do 
 not assert that the sense which we thus give to the 
 symbols of popular belief, or to the sacred books, is 
 precisely that which they were intended to convey ; 
 but leave this undetermined^ and assume only the pos- 
 
XVI PREFACE. 
 
 sibility of understanding tlie authors of them in this 
 manner. . . . This can be done without even offend- 
 ing too much the literal sense of popular belief; from 
 the circumstance that long before the existence of this 
 latter, the tendency to a moral religion lay hid in the 
 reason of man. Of this tendency, however, the Jirst 
 rude manifestations had reference only to external re- 
 ligious observances ; and, for the furtherance of these, 
 gave occasion to those professed revdations ; so that, 
 in this way, they imparted even to these inventions, 
 (Dichtungen,) although unintentionally, something of 
 the character of their own spiritual origin. . . . It is a 
 necessary consequence both of the physical and moral 
 tendencies of our nature, — which last are the founda- 
 tion as well as the interpreters of all religion, — that 
 religion should at last be gradually freed from all em- 
 pirical motives, from all ordinances which rest mere- 
 ly upon history for their support ; and which, by 
 means of an ecclesiastical faith, unite men, for the 
 time, for the promotion of good, and that thus the re- 
 ligion of pure reason should come at last to rule over 
 all, that so God may he all in all. The envelopes in 
 which the embryo is first formed into man, must be 
 thrown off W'hen he is about to enter into the light of 
 day. The leading strings of holy tradition, with their 
 appendages of statutes and observances, which did good 
 service in their time, become by degrees no longer in- 
 dispensable ; yea, they become at lengtli shackles, 
 when the infant grows up into youth. So long as he 
 (mankind) ivas a child, he was wise as a child, and 
 was able to connect with ordinances, which were laid 
 upon him without his knowledge or assent, a degree 
 
PREFACE. *X1 
 
 of learning, and even of philosophy, that was useful ; 
 hut now that he is a tnan, he puts a7vay childish 
 things." These, and other extracts from the writings 
 of Kant, may he found in an American publication, 
 ''The Biblical Repository/' No. I. January, 1831. 
 
 To any person who reads these passages, it can 
 scarcely be necessary to say that Kant, — the father of 
 German Ratioiialism^ or Neology^ — was himself an in- 
 fidel ; and designed, by his doctrines, the subversion 
 of Christianity, as a divinely revealed religion. Yet 
 it is somewhat singular his system was regarded gene- 
 rally, both by friend and foes, as tending to establish 
 the orthodox faith. By the new and inoffensive term 
 Rationalism, and under the cover of an unquestioning 
 acquiescence in the doctrines and observances of Chris- 
 tianity, his disciples were taught to conceal their 
 philosophic indifference and absolute unbelief. By 
 multitudes of the German literati, the religious 
 opinions of Kant were adopted in their full extent ; by 
 many also, — especially in later times, -^ they have been 
 held under various modifications. But as the essence 
 of Rationalism consists in doubting or unbelief with 
 regard to divine revelation, so we find it wherever it 
 exists, even in its more modified forms, producing a 
 looseness and ambiguity both of sentiment and expres- 
 sion, if the subject treated of is revealed truth, or its 
 communication by inspired writers. From this 
 kind of ambiguity the Scriptural criticism of Rosen > 
 mviller is by no means entirely free : neither can it be 
 said that his leanings towards rationalism have in no 
 case had an influence upon his critical decisions. In- 
 deed, it might not be difficult to point out instances in 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 which his judgment, as a critic, seems to have been 
 biassed by preconceived opinions. His interpretation 
 of the word DHSi^, (Ps. xvi. 10), for example, is, on 
 
 — T 
 
 critical grounds, certainly indefensible; and his no- 
 tion, — plainly enough insinuated, (p. 167)5 — that the 
 Psalmist David was ignorant of the soul's immortality, 
 is as certainly unphilosophical. 
 
 To say nothing of a future state as a subject of al- 
 most universal belief in all ages, and among all na- 
 tions, or as an established principle in the religious 
 faith of the ancient Egyptians, and thus familiar to 
 the Hebrew law- giver, we may remark that the doc- 
 trine, in itself, seems to have an intimate and neces- 
 sary connection with just ideas concerning the being, 
 the providence, and moral attributes of the Deity; 
 and such ideas were fundamental principles in the re- 
 ligion of the Hebrews. The doctrine of the " Ens 
 summura, optimum, maximum," — of the one, eternal, 
 infinite, all-good spirit, was not among that people, as 
 among Pagan nations, a doctrine communicated only 
 to the initiated few ; it was a doctrine of common 
 knowledge and belief. We find, consequently, that 
 pious persons of that nation lived under an impres- 
 sion that they were passing their days in the imme- 
 diate presence of the Divinity, and were the objects of 
 his constant protection and kindness. They walked 
 with God : their spirits lived in communion with the 
 Father of Spirits ; and they not unfrequently died ex- 
 pressing a sublime joy, and confidence in Jehovah. 
 Nosv, we may ask, if it is reconcileable with the known 
 feelings of human nature, that persons could have 
 
■PREFACE. ^Xlli 
 
 lived in that manner, without the faith of an after 
 life, or could have died as they died, if they had he- 
 iieved death to he. the termination of their existence ? 
 The supposition seems to be altogether unphilosophi- 
 cal and irreconcileahle with the general experience of 
 mankind. But it may be asked, on the other hand, if 
 the Hebrews had the knowledge of a future state, how 
 comes it that it is not frequently and plainly referred 
 to in their sacred writings ? To this it may be answ^ered, 
 that the realitij of a future state might be, — and pro- 
 l)ably was, — universally admitted among the Hebrew 
 people, and therefore did not require to be either 
 affirmed or proved. But, with regard to particulars 
 Telating to the state of departed spirits, they certainly 
 had no information ; it was leserved for the revelation 
 of the Son of God to " enlighten life and immortality.** 
 But as the sacred writers of the Hebrews had a pro- 
 found veneration for divine authority, they must have 
 been deterred from indulging, like writers among 
 the Pagan nations, in fanciful pictures of the unseen 
 world : they dared not to say what was not revealed to 
 them, and therefore, with regird to what they knew 
 not, of the future state, they were necessarily silent. 
 
 To any improper impression that might be produc- 
 ed by the peculiar views of Rosenm idler, Dathe's 
 notes, and Hengstenbf rg's introduction to the Mes- 
 sianic Psalms, will furnish a sufficient antidote. He 
 may be felt to be a wearisome writer, Robinson, 
 Theological Professor at Andover, says, his multitu- 
 dinous volumes are not adapted to the taste of Ame- 
 rican students, from the lengthiiiess of the discussions, 
 — -their interminable prolixity. There is one respect, 
 a3 
 
-"XIV TRFFACE. 
 
 however, in wliicli his critical writings may appear to 
 be defective, in the want, apparently, of any thing 
 like religious feeling. This, without being excused, 
 may be accounted for ; it seems to arise from the 
 author's notions of a commentator's province and duty, 
 namely, to ascertain, as far as it may be possible, in the 
 first place, what the author to be illustrated, really 
 wrote, and, in the second place, what he meant to ex- 
 press by what he wrote. For gaining both these ob- 
 jects, Rosenmiiller, by his learning and industry, was 
 eminently qualified : although he seems to have 
 thought it becoming in a Biblical critic to avoid the ex- 
 pression of religious affection, — to write commentaries 
 on the scriptures, in the same frame of mind as we 
 may suppose he would have discovered in illustrating 
 the historical writings of Herodotus, or the Lyrics of 
 Horace. There are two faults, — besetting sins of 
 later German Biblical critics, — a fondness for unne- 
 cessary emendations of the text ; and for significations 
 of words, drawn from the cognate languages, especially 
 the Arabic. In guarding against both these errors, 
 Rosenmiiller sets an example well deserving of imita- 
 tion. From the short specimen of the author's learned 
 labours here exhibited, the reader may perceive in 
 what manner biblical knowledge is to be attained, and 
 may be induced to seek for it at the proper sources. 
 
 We shall conclude with an extract from Gesenius. 
 " Rosenmiiller's Commentary on the Psalms," says he, 
 " contains many genuine lexicographical articles. His 
 Scholia, which are a model in this, (the avoiding of 
 rash criticisms,) as well as in other respects, give a 
 beautiful example how true it is, that in the interpre- 
 
PREFACE. ^Xy 
 
 tation of the Hebrew text, an accurate, profound, and 
 delicate acquaintance with the idiom of the language, 
 is more necessary than a restless eagerness for new 
 divisions of words, changes in the punctuation, and 
 other alterations of the text. Among modern critics, 
 I name Rosenmiiller with particular gratitude. His 
 exegetical writings, especially the Scholia on Job, the 
 Psalms, and Ezekiel, prove themselves to be classical, 
 as well by the learned use and critical sifting of all 
 the aids in interpreting the Scriptures, which are ex- 
 tant, as by their most just, critical, and hermeneutic 
 principles, and purified taste." (Preface to Hebrew 
 Lexicon.) 
 
INtiUODUCTION 
 
 THE MESSIANl^i£B|L 
 
 FROM THE GERMAN OF 
 
 DK. E. W. HENGSTENBERG; 
 
 TRANSLATED 
 
 By REUEL KEITH, D.D., Yxrgoia, U.S. 
 
 The Messianic prediction extends back far beyond 
 the time of David. We find it even in the book of 
 Genesis assuming continually a more definite form. 
 First, there is the promise in general terms, that the 
 posterity of the woman should gain the victory over 
 the kingdom of Satan ; then we are taught that sal- 
 vation should come through the descendants of 
 Shem ; from these again, Abraham is selected; from 
 his sons, Isaac ; from the sons of Isaac, Jacob ; and 
 lastly, from the twelve sons of Jacob, Judah, to be 
 the ancestor of the great Redeemer and Pacificator, 
 whose peaceful dominion should be extended over 
 all the people of the earth. 
 
 Henceforth the Messianic prediction received no 
 considerable enlargement, nor a more specific deter- 
 mination, until the reign of David. But, as hereto- 
 fore, only the tribe had been designated from which 
 the Redeemer was to spring, so now the particular 
 family was selected. This was done in the predic- 
 tion which God by the prophet Nathan delivered 
 to David, at a time when penetrated with gratitude 
 for victory over all his foes, and his elevation from 
 the deepest obscurity to the highest honour, he had 
 resolved to erect for God a permanent temple, in- 
 stead of the moveable tabernacle in v^hich he had 
 hitherto vouchsafed to dwell, 2 Sam. vii. Some 
 interpreters, as Calovius, have erroneously referred 
 this promise exclusively to the Messiah. It contanis 
 b 
 
XVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 too many things which can relate only either lo 
 Solomon or the other natural descendants of David, 
 to allow of this interpretation. For example, ver. 13, 
 the descendant of David builds a temple for God, — 
 language which, taken in connexion with the pre- 
 vious mention of David's desire to build a temple, 
 can be understood only of the earthly temple to be 
 erected by Solomon ; according to ver. 15, when the 
 descendants of David should commit iniquity, God 
 would not cast them entirely away, but visit them 
 with gentle chastisement : here, also, the reference 
 to a mere human, and therefore sinful, posterity is 
 plain. Moreover, in 1 Chron. xxii. 9, &c. this pro- 
 mise is said by David himself to relate in the first 
 instance to Solomon ; and that Solomon so under- 
 stood it is manifest from 1 Kings v. 5, 8, 17. &^c. 
 2 Chron. vi. 7. But, on the other hand, we would 
 just as little venture, with Grotius and others, to 
 refer it to Solomon alone, or, with others, to Solo- 
 mon and the rest of the earthly kings of the house of 
 David. When we reflect that the promise of the 
 great Redeemer, who should spring from the tribe 
 of Judah, could not be unknown to David, we feel 
 certain, that in the words, " And thy house and thy 
 kingdom shall be established for ever before thee : 
 thy throne shall be established for ever," ^ he must 
 
 ^ That I37lj^ 1^ does not, as Grotius supposes, here in- 
 dicate merely a comparatively long period, is evident from the 
 parallel passages, Ps. Ixxxix. where the promise is repeated, 
 
 and where, ver. 30, the phrase is explained hy "^J/^ and 
 
 ~ T 
 
 W^t^ 'DO, ^e""- 37, by ^f2\^^ ; ver. 38, by niO : 
 
 • - T •• • V V ~ •• T : 
 
 and from Ps. Ixxii. where there is likewise a reference to this 
 
 promise, and the expression ^^ffj^ 'JD 7 ^^ employed. Nor 
 
 can an appeal be made in favour of the opposite opinion to 
 Ps. xxi. 5. For the reference of the Psnlm to David as an in- 
 dividual, is certainly as inadmissible as its reference to the 
 JMessiuli. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XIX 
 
 liave seen something far more than could ever be 
 fulfilled in his son Solomon, or any of Ins mere hu- 
 man ds-scendants, who, like every thing earthly and 
 mortal, must one da}'^ come to an end. 
 
 That he certainly did so, is plain from the power- 
 ful emotion which, according to ver. 18, the commu- 
 nication awakened in his bosom. Just views of it 
 have been taken by those v*^ho, as Augustine, de Civ. 
 Dei, xvii. 8, 9, give it a double reference, first to 
 Solomon and his successors, and also to Christ. It 
 is very frequently the case in the prophetic annun- 
 ciations that whole families and races are viewed as 
 an individual, and then, whatever belongs to their 
 different members is ascribed to him. See, for ex- 
 ample, the blessing of Jacob, Gen. xlix. So is it 
 also in the passage before us. Many things relate 
 only to David's natural posterity, as the building of 
 the temple and the mild chastisement: others exclu- 
 sively to the Messiah, as the repeated assurance of 
 the endless duration of his dominion; and, fiually, 
 others are fulfilled in an inferior sense in Solomon 
 and his descendants, and in a higher one in Christ, 
 as the promise, " I will be his Father, and he shall 
 be my Son." ' 
 
 Thus therefore an important advance was made. 
 Relying upon this prediction, the prophets not only 
 announced the derivation of the Messiah from David, 
 and borrowed from his life the lineaments with which 
 when ennobled and perfected they might describe 
 his illustrious descendants ; but David also himself 
 and other holy men who composed the Psalms, were 
 led by the Divine Spirit into a deeper understanding 
 of this promise, and received further illumination 
 respecting its object.^ 
 
 ^ Comp. Mich. Crit. colleg. p. 401, seq. Hess Gesch. 
 David's I. S. 423, seq. Anton, de Vatic. Mess. Muntinghe 
 on Ps. ii. The Messianic interpretation is also estabUshed by 
 the testimony of the New Testamant, co;np. Luke i. 32, 33. 
 Heb. i. 5. 
 
 * That David in particular was excited by tlis Dii^ias prj- 
 
XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Psalms which are justly regarded as prophe- 
 tic of the Messiah may be divided into two classes : 
 
 I. Psalms in which the Messiah in his glory is cele- 
 brated and his dominion described by images drawn 
 from the earthly theocracy. 
 
 Here belong Psahns ii. xlv. Ixxii. and ex. These 
 have much in common, and so plainly refer to the 
 same subject, that if the Messianic character of one 
 be established, that of all the rest will follow. When 
 we compare these predictions with those of an earlier 
 period, we at once discover an important difference. 
 Heretofore they had been more brief, more in the 
 form of allusions ; but now the foundation being prO" 
 vided, the prophecies could become finished descrip- 
 tions. To David the Messiah was announced as a 
 king, as his successor on his throne. And thus in 
 his own contemplation, and in that of the other holy 
 authors of the Psalms, the earthly head of the Theo- 
 cracy formed the substratum of its future illustrious 
 Renovator and Restorer. This mode of contempla- 
 tion has been misrepresented by recent critics, and, 
 with entire disregard of the manifold indications of 
 a king of a far higher character, they have come to 
 the conclusion that all the Psalms of this class relate 
 only to an earthly head of the theocracy. The fact 
 was in part erroneously interpreted even by those 
 among the older critics, who, as Calvin, Grotius, and 
 Bochart (see his Epist. ad Morlejum, p. 42) felt 
 themselves constrained by it to adopt the notion of 
 
 mise, and afterwards received further illumination from the 
 prophetic spirit which dwelt within him, is asserted by Peter, 
 Acts ii. 30, 31. The latter rests moreover on the testimony of 
 the Lord himself, JMatt. xxii. 43, where he says, " David spake 
 \v 'Tvi6(/,aTi, moved by the Holy Spirit. That true -Messianic 
 predictions are contained in the Psalms is evident from the fact 
 that the Lord after his resurrection proved to his disciples that 
 all that had happened to him had been foretold not only in the 
 othei" bojks of the Old Testament, but also in the Psalms. 
 
INTRODFCTION. XXi 
 
 a double reference ; an inferior one to David, and a 
 higher one to tlie Messiah. We proceed now to an 
 examination of the individual Psalms of this class. 
 
 rSALM II. 
 
 The name of the author of this Psalm is not given 
 in the superscription. But tradition ascertained, by 
 its being classed among the Psalms of David, the fact 
 that events of his time foi-m the ground work of its 
 representations, comp. Pareau Instit. interpr. V. T. 
 p. 5J1, and its resemblance of his acknowledged 
 Psalms, especially to the ex., and the testimony of 
 the New Testament, Acts iv. 25, all comA)ine to 
 prove it to have been composed by David. Its con- 
 tents are as follows. The holy Psalmist in Prophe- 
 tic vision beholds a multitude of nations with their 
 kings in mad rebellion against God and his anointed, 
 
 raises his eyes from the wild tumult on earth to God 
 enthroned in the exalted rest of heaven, and declares 
 that he will easily quell the powerless rebellion ; he 
 hears, v. 6, the voice of Jehovah proclaiming that he 
 had established his anointed as king, and conse- 
 quently, all resistance to his authority being likewise 
 directed against himself the Omnipotent, must be 
 fruitless. Immediately after, the Psalmist, v. 7 — 9, 
 hears another voice, that of the anointed, declaring 
 that Jehovah has given to him as His Son, whom he 
 demonstrates to be such by powerful proofs, the 
 people of the whole earth for his possession, with the 
 right and the power to inflict the severe punishment 
 upon all who should resist his lawful dominion. He 
 now, V. 10 — 12, addresses the kings as if they were 
 actually present, and exhorts them, ere the fearful 
 vengeance threatened against the despisers of the 
 Son should burst upon their heads, to seek forgive- 
 ness by humble submission to their king, the Son of 
 
XXU IJJTRODUCTION. 
 
 God, who is no less merciful to his friends than ter- 
 rible to his enemies. 
 
 This Psalm, according to the view we have taken 
 of its contents, possesses, like many of the predic- 
 tions of the prophets, a dramatic character. Differ- 
 ent persons one after another, as the author himself, 
 the rebellious kings, Jehovah, his Son and anointed, 
 make their appearance and speak or act without the 
 change of person being expressly mentioned. 
 
 The question now arises, who is meant by the 
 anointed and son of God? That the Messiah is in- 
 tended appears from all those arguments in general 
 by which he can be shown to be the subject of any 
 passage of the Old Testament. 
 
 1. The testimony of tradition. It is an undoubted 
 fact, and unanimously admitted even by the recent 
 opposers of its reference to him, that the Psalm was 
 universally regarded by the ancient Jews as fore- 
 telling the Messiah, Matt. xxvi. 63, the high priest asks 
 Jesus whether he were the Christ, the Son of God, 
 and thus borrows from it two appellations of the ex- 
 pected Redeemer, and also in John i. 49, Nathanael 
 says, with reference to this Psalm, to Christ, " Thou 
 art the Son of God : thou art the king of Israel." In 
 the older Jewish writings, also, as the Sohar, the 
 Talmud, etc., there is a variety of passages in which 
 the Messianic interpretation is given to this Psalm. 
 See the collections by Raym. Martini, Pug. Fid. ed. 
 Carpzov, in several places, and by Schottgen, de Mes- 
 siah, p. 227, seq. Even Kimchi and Jarchi confess 
 that it was the prevailing one among their forefathers, 
 and the latter very honestly gives his reason for de- 
 parting from it, when he says he preferred to explain 
 it of David for the refutation of the Heretics, nm^nb 
 Cii''Dn, that is, in order to destroy the force of the 
 arguments drawn from it by the Christians. The 
 words " for the refutation of the Heretics" are in- 
 deed omitted in many Jewish and Christian editions, 
 probably from fear of the censors of the press, and 
 because this confession was found to be too candid. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXIU 
 
 But Pococke in liis Notes miscel. ad Portam Mosis, 
 p. 308, seq. ed. Lips, has restored them from a ma- 
 nuscript, and they are found also in an Erfurt MS. 
 The Christians sought to prove his eternal generation 
 from the Father. To deprive them of this proof, the 
 more modern Jews thought best to refer it to another 
 subject. 
 
 2. Here if any where, plain references of the New 
 Testament speak in favour of the Messianic interpre- 
 tation. Acts iv. 25, 26, the whole company of the 
 Apostles quote the first verses of this Psalm, and re- 
 fer it to Christ. It is true that after Eckermann (Beit, 
 i. 2, 133, seq,)j Ammon (Christol. p. 38) has asserted 
 that they made use of these verses, merely that they 
 might otfer their prayers to God in a more emphatic 
 language, b}^ adopting the svords of the Old Testa- 
 ment ; but the incorrectness of this opinion is easily 
 shown. The form of the quotation itself, 6 did g-6- 
 fj^uTo; AuiSid rcu -aioog gov si-TroJv^ proves that the A- 
 postles believed the Psalm to contain a direct pre- 
 diction of Christ. It is usual on other occasions, 
 when a Messianic prediction is quoted from the 
 Psalms, to refer to a Divine revelation as to its 
 source; Matt. xxii. 43. Acts ii. 30, 31. To this 
 we may add, that the Apostles found the Messianic 
 interpretation handed down by tradition, and con- 
 firmed it, as appears from other passages also, by 
 their own authority. Acts xiii. 33, Paul quotes v. 
 7, of this Psalm, and explains it of the resurrection 
 of Chri>t. That this is not a mere allusion, as Ec- 
 kermann (1. c. p. 174, seq.) and Ammon assert, is 
 evident from the fact that the Apostle advances this, 
 and other passages as a proof that the promise made 
 to the fathers, was fulfilled in the resurrection of 
 Christ. Heb. i. 5 ; v. 7, is quoted as evidence of 
 the exaltation of Christ above all angels, and Heb. v. 
 5, it is said that God spake the words of this verse 
 to Him. 
 
 3. A no less striking proof in favour of this interpre- 
 tation is afforded by the Psalm itself. It plainly pos- 
 
XXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 sesses features which correspond to no cartljly king 
 and can belong to the Messiah alone. In the first place 
 the king anointed appears as a being of nature more 
 than human. We here first appeal to v. 7 : " Thou 
 art my son ; this day have I begotten thee." We 
 concede to the modern critics, that from the appel- 
 lation, son of God, abstractedly considered, no con- 
 clusion can be drawn. It is not unfrequently given 
 to the earthly leaders of the Theocracy. But then, 
 in such instances, the appellation results from the idea 
 not of generation, but of representation and subordi- 
 nation ; it is not the natural, but tlie moral relation 
 of father and son, which is transferred to the relation 
 between God and his earthly representative. The 
 name son of God, in such cases, is entirely synony- 
 mous with that of servant of God. But that here 
 the name of son of God must be taken in a different 
 sense, and indicate a proper sonship, is shown by the 
 other member of the parellelism, this day have I be- 
 gotten thee. It has often been thought that the eter- 
 nal generation of the Son from the Father is asserted 
 in these words. The word DVH day, has been taken 
 as the designation of eternity, in which there is nei- 
 ther past nor future, and which may therefore most 
 fitly be expressed by the image of the present. So 
 among the Church fathers, Athanasius and Augustine, 
 who says : " In aeternitate nee praeteritum quid- 
 quara est, quasi esse desierit; nee futurum, quasi 
 nondum sit, sed praesens tantum, quia quidquid ae- 
 ternum est, semper est." Notwithstanding this in- 
 terpretation was opposed by Theodoret in ancient, 
 and Calvin in modern times, it became very gene- 
 rally prevalent ; and among recent .writers, it has 
 been defended by Muntinghe, who nevertheless 
 speaks doubtfully, and Kingeltaube in his remarks 
 on the passage, and Michael Weber (Progr. ge- 
 neratio hlii dei aeterna, nova 1. Ps. ii. 7, expli- 
 catione illustr. Witt. 1786). It is however un- 
 tenable, since writers of the Psalms never represent 
 eternity by the present, although this is often done 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXV 
 
 by the lator theologians and philosophers.^ But 
 equally unfounded is the explanation of many modern 
 interpreters, who, in order to give the verse an 
 earthly subject, translate 1a either to adopt or to 
 
 " T 
 
 make son in the sense of subordination and repre- 
 sentation. The first of these translations, which is 
 especially defended by Ilgen (de notione tituli filii 
 dei, Jena 1794, copied in Paulus Memorabilien St. 
 7, s. 162), is liable to this objection, that not a single 
 
 instance can be found where 17* occurs in the sense 
 
 - T 
 
 supposed. This De Wette himself confesses, Comra. 
 p. 111. We cannot say, he remarks, with Ilgen., 
 
 that *l7^ here means to adopt, nor has it this mean- 
 
 - T 
 
 ing, Ps. Ixxxvii. 4 — 6, to which he appeals for proof. 
 Equally unsustained is the other interpretation. We 
 
 give to the verb "H^^ here the declarative meaning 
 
 sufficiently established and correct.^ See the ex- 
 amples in Glassius Philol. s. 3. No. 15.-^ Jt is not 
 
 ' Compare upon B. Philo de Profiig-. p. 45", ed. Francof. : 
 (jtif/ii^ov \ffT)v oi.'jr'i^tt.T oi xet) aon^iT'/iTo; oliuv' ftnvriv yap xat 
 iviKVTuv, >ici) avvoXui ^^ovuv Ti^iohoi doyficcTBc, ocv^^euwuv uatv^ 
 d^iB-f^^v ifiTSTi/:/,t}xortuv, to §2 a.\piv}is ovofjt,a a'luivo;, h ff7jf4.iPov. 
 
 "^ In this sense Panl also understood the expression. Acts 
 xiii. 33, where he explains the verse of the resurrection as the 
 fact whereby Christ was eminently declared to be the Son of 
 God. The declaration of Jehovah must be regarded as being 
 made at the time when, by clear proofs, He had made known 
 
 his son as such: then Dl*n may preserve its suitable inter- 
 pretation. 
 
 ^ Comp. Calvin on this passage : Non genitus dicitur nisi 
 quatenus pater filium suum esse testatus est — non ut filins dei 
 esse quoad se inciperet, sed ut talis patefieret mundo. Haec 
 genitura non de mutuo patris et filii respectu intelligi debet, 
 sed tantum signilicat ab initio absconditum in arcano patris 
 sinu obscure deinde sub lege adumbiatum, ex quo prodiit cum 
 Claris insignibus cognitum fuisse dei filium. 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 uncommon, in the language of Scripture, to say of a 
 person or thing that it becomes, when it is made 
 known to be what it is. See Rora. i. 4, where, from 
 a disregard of this usage, o^/^^si/ros has been falsely 
 rendered who was proved, in which sense the verb 
 
 does not occur. But *1 /^ iri the declarative sense, 
 
 -T 
 
 can mean nothing else, than to declare to have been 
 begotten. I have this day begotten thee — I have 
 this day declared that thou art begotten by me. 
 This, then, is in all respects the same as, I have 
 declared thee as my son : so also, Jer. ii. 27, " Thou 
 art my Father," and " thou hast begotten me," are 
 also used as synonymous. But this can be the case 
 only when the literal meaning of the word son is re- 
 tained, and not when it is used in a mere moral sense. 
 The parallelism then requires that the words " thou 
 art my son," should be taken literally. That kings, 
 however, are not called the sons of God in this sense, 
 but only metaphorically, is generally acknowledged 
 by interpreters. See Hosenmi.Jller and De Wette 
 on the passage. The latter says, " the predicate 
 son of God expresses either the special love of God 
 towards the subject, and the moral resemblance to 
 Him, or that the regal dignity is conferred b}' God, 
 or both." Not a single example has been adduced, 
 where to beget, means to make a son in the meta- 
 phorical sense. In 1 Cor. iv. 15, the discourse is 
 concerning a total regeneration by the communica- 
 tion of the Holy Ghost, analogous to a physical 
 one. We add to these considerations, that in ver. 
 12 the subject of the Psalm is called simply the son^ 
 which indicates asonship of a peculiar and exclusive 
 character, that renders any more accurate definition 
 unnecessary, and if we compare Ps. xlv. 7, and Ps. 
 ex. 5, where the same subject receives the names 
 
 '''y\^ and D^n^^^) there can no doubt remain that 
 
 T -; • V: 
 
 the language before us relates to one who is the son 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXVll 
 
 of God in a literal and proper sense Besides, there 
 are other traits that indicate his superhuman charac- 
 ter, see particularly ver. 12. There the rebels are 
 exhorted to submit with humility and reverence to 
 their king, because his wrath would soon be kindled, 
 while, at the same time, he would confer blessings 
 upon those who put their trust in him. If what is 
 here said of wrath will not, as De Wette remarks, 
 agree with an earthly king, much less will the ex- 
 hortation to seek the favour of this king and trust in 
 his protection. The people of Israel were at all 
 times exhorted by the sacred writers not to trust in 
 feeble mortals, but to put their confidence in their 
 mighty God, and flee to him alone for succour. Comp. 
 Ps. cxviii. 9; cxlvi. 13. Mich. vii. 5. The diffi- 
 cult}^ of reconciling this passage with the non- Mes- 
 sianic character of the Psalm, was seen long ago by 
 Abenezra, who sought to remove it b}^ the supposi- 
 tion of a sudden change of the subject. Kiss the 
 Son, lest he, that is, Jehovah, be angry. This sup- 
 .position is approved also by Rosenm. and De 
 Wette. But it is entirely arbitrary. Where no 
 strong reason for an exception exists in the con- 
 text, the pronoun must refer to the noun immedi- 
 ately preceding. Here this noun is Son, and so far 
 from there being any reason for an exception to the 
 rule we have mentioned, it is said of him in ver. 9 
 that He shall break the nations in pieces with an 
 iron sceptre, Comp. also Ps. ex. 6, 7. 
 
 Further, the people and kings of the earth seek to 
 cast off the yoke of Jehovah and the king whom he 
 had established over them, v. 1 — 3. From one end 
 of the earth to the other they are given to him by 
 Jehovah for his possession, v. 8. The utmost ex- 
 travagance could not make these declarations re- 
 specting any earthly head of the Theocracy. On 
 the other hand, it is the standing description of the 
 kingdom of the Messiah that it should extend to the 
 ends of the earth and embrace all nations within its 
 limits. Comp. Zech. ix. 9. Isa. ii. 2. Mich. iv. 1. 
 
XXVill INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Here several recent opposers of the Messianic inter- 
 pretation, as Ammon, (Chrystol. s. 36,) have extri- 
 cated themselves from the difficulty by maintaining 
 that *^"1$^ ^D5^^ signifies the utmost bounds of the 
 
 kingdom of Judea. But Rosenm. and De Wette, 
 on V. 8, have already shown that OQ^ does not, like 
 
 '^^njl? mean boundary, but extremity ; and that the 
 
 phrase ^1^ *D£)i^ is never used for the bounds of 
 
 Palestine, but always in its widest signification. 
 Equally arbitrary is the limitation of the comprehen- 
 sive word D'lJt) either to the surrounding tribes, or 
 
 to the descendants of Israel. The parallel passages, 
 Ps. Ixxii. 8 — 11, are decisive in favour of the most 
 extensive meaning. 
 
 Further, the idea, moreover, of an earthly king is 
 inconsistent with the fact that rebellion against the 
 anointed, and Son of Jehovah, is represented as re- 
 bellion against Jehovah himself, and the nations are 
 exhorted to submit to him with humility and reve- 
 rence. It would have been a totally different case 
 had the enemies here described been those who were 
 meditating the subversion of the Theocracy ; but, in- 
 stead of that, they have no other object in view than 
 to free themselves from the yoke of this king, and it 
 is impossible to find an instance where aiming at such 
 an object is treated as rebellion against Jehovah him- 
 self. 
 
 Finally, that the non-Messianic interpretation is 
 entirely arbitrary, is manifest from the total disagree- 
 ment of its defenders respecting the subject and oc- 
 casion of the Psalm, as well as from the peculiar dif- 
 ficulties which attend every decision on these points 
 except that which has been generally adopted. Be- 
 fore this interpretation can be in any measure proba- 
 ble, it must at least be shown that this Psalm may 
 refer either to David or to Solomon. But even the 
 possibility of this is contested by Uosenmullerand De 
 
I.NTRODUCTIOX. XXIX 
 
 Wette, after the example of Hensler, (Bemerkungen 
 zu Stellen in den Psalmen und der Genesis, S. 4.) 
 with arguments which cannot be easily refuted. The 
 opinion of those who, after the Jewish expositors, 
 maintain that the Psalm was composed by David 
 concerning himself, when the Philistines came up 
 against him, (2 Sam. v. 17,) is seen to be erroneous, 
 not only because the hill of Zion, v. Q, is called holy, 
 an appellation which could not be given to it till 
 after the Tabernacle had been erected upon it, which 
 was subsequent to the Philistine war, but also be» 
 cause the people and kings are here spoken of as 
 striving to release themselves from a dominion to 
 which they had before been subject, while neither the 
 Philistines, nor any other foreign nation was at that 
 time subject to the Israelites.^ Against the suppo.-i- 
 tion that it refers to the contest w^ith Ishbosheth, or 
 the rebellion of Absalom, there is the objection, not 
 only that the Psalm speaks of foreign foes, but also 
 of several kings with their people. As little can the 
 Psalm, as others suppose, relate to the war mention- 
 ed in 2 Sam. viii., for David had not then to contend 
 with people, who, having before been reduced to 
 subjection, had risen up in rebellion against his au- 
 thority. Those who, notwithstanding these reasons, 
 assert the reference of the Psalm to David, must, 
 with Justi, (Nationalges. der Heber. III. p. 89,) con- 
 fess that they can point out no condition in the his- 
 tory of David with which it harmonizes, which is, in 
 fact, to confess that he is not its subject, when we 
 consider the comparative fulness of our accounts of 
 his life. — Still less can this Psalm relate to Solomon ; 
 there is no mention of any rebellion against him ; but 
 
 ^ The additional argument advanced by Rosenmiiiler and De 
 Wette, that David was not anointed on the hill of Zion, but 
 first at Bethlehem, and afterwards at Hebron, is not valid, be- 
 cau?e the preposition 1^ can be very well rendered over, and 
 then the chief seat of the Theocracy, as is often the case, desig- 
 nates the Theocracy itself. 
 
XXX INTRODUCTIOX. 
 
 we need not rely on this, for, from the remark, (I 
 Kings iv. 3. and I Chron. xxii. 9,) that constant 
 peace prevailed dm-ing his reign, it is evident that 
 there could have been no such resistance to his au- 
 thority as is here described. Since then the reference 
 of the Psalm to either David or Solomon is impossi- 
 ble, nothing remains for us but to adopt the .Messianic 
 interpretation. For should we concede to De Wette, 
 as we are by no means disposed to do, that the ex- 
 pressions must not be too strictly interpreted, since 
 a flattering court poet (!) may have indulged himself 
 in much extravagance ; yet even the grossest flat- 
 terer could not have used such language of any of the 
 later kings. The extravagance of the poet could not 
 then have appeared in the description of the present, 
 but only in the promises of the future. Not only, how- 
 ever, are the people and kings of the whole earth 
 promised to this king for a possession, but they are 
 also represented as already in subjection to his do- 
 minion, and on the point of freeing themselves from 
 it. This would be an historical fact, and it rests up- 
 on the non-Messianic interpreter by an appeal to his- 
 tory to show its existence, or at least its possibility. 
 That this, however, cannot be done, is evident from 
 the fact that De Wette has not once ventured to offer 
 a conjecture on the subject. 
 
 These reasons for the Messianic interpretation and 
 against every other are so clear, that some of those 
 whose doctrinal views must have strongly biassed 
 them against it, have been compelled to decide in its 
 favour. Thus Eichhorn (Biblioth, der Bibl. Literat. 
 1. 534) : " the fact cannot be denied that if we sup- 
 pose the Psalm to relate to the Messiah, every de- 
 scription retains its most natural meaning, every ex- 
 pression stands in its proper place, every word in a 
 clear light. What more can be required in order to 
 establish this reference ? No Jew, therefore, had 
 ever thought of another person than the Messiah, as 
 its subject before hostility towards Christians in the 
 eleventh century chanced to recommend the reference 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXI 
 
 to David. And when discerning men, even among 
 Christian expositors, concur with them in this, it is 
 owing rather to rashness of decision, than to the ab- 
 sence of traits in the Psalm, which declare the 
 Messiah to be its suhject." Bertholdt is equally 
 decided (De Ortu Theologiae Hebr. p. 123)'- " quae 
 hie de rege dicuntur tarn ampla et magnifica sunt, 
 ut qualemcunque sive Davidem, sive Salomonem, 
 sive alium celebrari statuere veHs. parum apte et 
 congruenter dici videantnr." Rosenmiiller, who, in 
 in his first edition, had defended its reference to So- 
 lomon, has, in the second, adopted the Messianic in- 
 terpretation. Besides these, we may mention among 
 its defenders Dathe, Ilufnagel (Diss, in h. Ps.), An- 
 ton, Kuinoel (Mess. Weis. p. 12, seq.), who, never- 
 theless, has since changed his opinion, and asserts 
 its reference to David (Comm. in Act. Ap. p. 156), 
 Knapp, Reinhard, Brentauo, Dereser, Muntinghe, 
 and many others. 
 
 It now only remains briefly to refute the objec- 
 tions which have been urged against this interpre- 
 tation. 
 
 1. *« According to the doctrine of Christianity, the 
 Messiah is no conqueror of nations, bearing an iron 
 sceptre ; his kingdom is not of this world." So De 
 Wette. For the refutation of this objection it is not 
 necessary to adopt the explanation of Augustine and 
 Theodoret, who understand the ninth verse metapho- 
 rically^ and make it refer not to the destruction of 
 sinners, but of sins. ^ Although such a figurative re- 
 presentation is not entirely without example, yet here 
 it is by no means allowed by the context. Accord- 
 ing to this, the Psalm speaks of severe punishment, 
 which the son of God will inflict upon his foes, if 
 
 ^ The former gives the sense thus: " Contere in iis terrenas 
 cupiditates et veteris hominis kitu'enta negotia et quidquifl de 
 peccatore limo contractum atque inolitum est." The latter 
 says : ffwr^'r^ii avTov; u? ffxdn y.i^ufjcseo;, dvnXvav xcc) avXvrXarTuv 
 oia t55j Tod XovT^od TCiX.iyysvca'txi, xa) tu sry^i toZ irvtufiaTOi 
 
XXXU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 they obstinatel}^ persist in their rebellion against his 
 rightful authority, while, at the same time, forgive- 
 ness is promised on condition of repentance and sub- 
 mission. But this is by no means in opposition to 
 the doctrine of either the Old Testament or the 
 New concerning the Messiah. In the Old Testament 
 it is said of him, Isa. xi. 4, "' He shall smite the earth 
 with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his 
 lips shall he slay the wicked," according to Ps. Ixxii. 
 4, " He shall break in pieces the oppressor," and Ps. 
 ex. 6, " He shall judge among the heathen, and destroy 
 the enemies of his kingdom." In the New Testament 
 the same Christ, who, when he came in the form of a 
 servant, judged no man, shall hereafter appear in glory 
 to inflict fearful vengeance on his foes. Comp. Matt, 
 xxiv., and many other places. Even temporal judg- 
 ments are ascribed to Christ, which are inflicted as 
 an earnest of the great and final judgment of the 
 enemies of the divine kingdom. Tlius did he come 
 to the destruction of Jerusalem, Matt. x. 23. It is 
 the more difficult to conceive how any one can here 
 find a contradiction to the Christian conceptions of 
 the Messiah, since the New Testament, from which 
 these conceptions are derived, describes the punish- 
 ment that Christ shall inflict upon his enemies, in the 
 very words of this Psalm. See Apoc. ii. 27; xii. 5; 
 xix. 15. The whole objection arises from not dis- 
 criminating between the first and second coming of 
 Christ, whereby men have been led to regard as ge- 
 neral what is peculiar to the former. This objection 
 was long since happily answered by Calvin: ' Mirum 
 videri posset, quum prophetae alibi Christi mansue- 
 tudinem, clementiam et facilitatem celebrent, hie 
 rigidum et austerum plenuraque terroris descri- 
 be Sed quia severa haec et formidabilis domi- 
 natio nonnisi ad incutiendum hostibus metum 
 posita est : humanitati, qua suos Christus blande et 
 suaviter fovet, minime contraria est, Nam ut se 
 placidis ovibus amabilem pastorem exhibet, ita feras 
 bestias necesse est ab eo durius tractari, ut eorum 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXlll 
 
 truculent iam vel corrigat vel compescat. — Et certe 
 utrumque illi apte tribuitur, quia a patre missus est, 
 ut pauperes ac miseros salutis uuntio exhilaret, cap- 
 tives solvat, aegrotos sanet, tristes et afflictos ex mor- 
 tis tenebris educat in lucem vitae. Is. Ixi. 1. Rur- 
 sum, quia multi sua ingratitudine ejus in se vindictam 
 provocant, ad subigendam eorum duritiam, quodam- 
 modo novara personam induit." 
 
 2. *' The Messiah is first to subdue the nations and 
 bring them under his sway; but in this Psalm those 
 who are already his subjects rise up in rebellion 
 against him. It is also difficult to show the fulfilment 
 of this. There have been people who for a long 
 time declared themselves hostile to the doctrine of 
 Jesus ; but where is the nation which, having re- 
 ceived his religion, afterwards assailed and endea- 
 voured to extirpate it ?" So De Wette and Hensler 
 1. c. p. 4. The first part of this objection is done 
 away b}'^ the remark, that in a prophetical view of 
 coming events, every thing depends on the position 
 which the inspired seer occupies. He places himself 
 either in the present, and then extends his views over 
 the future, or else, in the nearer future, and overlooks 
 that which is more remote. Thus, for example, 
 Isaiah chap. liii. takes his stand between the passion 
 and glorification of Christ, so that the former appears 
 to him as past, the latter as future. So also here, 
 the prophet feels himself, in spirit, placed in the time 
 when the Messiah has already appeared and subject- 
 ed many nations to his dominion. He beholds them 
 rising up in rebellion against their rightful Lord, 
 and predicts that their eiTorts shall be all in vain ; 
 that the Father shall continually confer new glory 
 upon the Son, and destroy those who despise him. 
 It will not appear strange that David should predict 
 the future rebellion of people and kings against the 
 Messiah, even if we leave out of view his superna- 
 tural illumination. He had Itarncd enough of the 
 corruption of mankind to anticipate that when his 
 great descendant should appear, ail would not cheer- 
 c 
 
XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 fullj' submit to him, or persevere in obedience to his 
 authority. For the most striking refutation of the 
 second part of the objection, we refer to the history 
 of the last century. God grant that it may not also 
 be refuted by that of the present ! Rebellion against 
 Christ may exist, while the Christian name is retain- 
 ed, and we have one memorable example in recent 
 times, where even this was no longer done. 
 
 3. '^ The whole character of the Psalm, the lively 
 J nd progressive description, the vivid representation 
 of the enemies, all lead to the conclusion that the 
 aim of this poem was local, and its object a pre- 
 sent one." So Herder, Hebr. Poesie, ii. p. 402, 
 MoUer, in Eichhorn's Bibl. vi. p. 207- But were 
 th's argument just, it would disprove all predictions 
 of th3 Messiah ; for, since the prophecies \vere given 
 in a vision, every thing in them must appear as pre- 
 sent, and the representations are always full of life, 
 and not unfrequently assume a dramatic character. 
 
 PSALM XLV. 
 
 After a brief introduction, the sacred poet cele- 
 brates the praises of an illustrious king, who is dis- 
 tinguished by beauty of person, sweetness of speech, 
 heroism and righteousness, ver.^3 — 6. In his kingdom, 
 which is everlasting, and in which he appears with 
 the highest comeliness and dignitjs the most re- 
 markable joys and honours are conferred upon him 
 as tlie reward of his distinguished merit, ver. 7 — &• 
 This splendour is heightened by his women, the 
 daughters of kings, among whom one is particularly 
 distinguished, wiio shines on his right hand in gold 
 of Ophir, ver. 10. To her the poet, ver. II — 13, 
 addresses himself. He exhorts her to devote her- 
 self^ with all her affections, to her Lord and King, 
 and sacrifice every thing else for him; since she will 
 thus enjoy his tenderest love, and with it the highest 
 reverence of the most flourishing nations. He next, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXV 
 
 in ver. 14 — 16, describes the splendours of the bride, 
 when introduced to the king, with other virgins, her 
 intimate companions. Lastly'', he again turns to the 
 king, ver. 17, 18, and promises him an ihustrious 
 progenj', who^ under his auspices should rule the 
 whole earth ; at the same time expressing the hope 
 that his poem, in future ages, would contribute to 
 advance his glory among many nations. 
 
 There is a great diversity of views among inter- 
 preters in relation to the subject of this Psalm. 
 Nearly all the older Christian interpreters ascribe it 
 without hesitation to the Messiah. Among the mo- 
 derns, this interpretation is held by Range, (Com- 
 ment, in h. Ps Dresd. 1781), Michaelis, Lowth (de 
 Sacr. Poes. Hebr. p. 611), Dathe, Anton, (de Rat. 
 Proph. Mess. p. 29)^ Kuinol, (Mess. Weiss, p. 36, 
 seq.), Ringeltaube, Muntinghe, Pareau (Instit. In- 
 terp. V. I. p. 511, 12), and others. Rosenmiiller also 
 in the second edition of his Comm. has adopted it, 
 with the remark that the non- Messianic interpreters 
 can have no claim to the merit of a correct exposi- 
 tion of the Psalm. On the other hand, a large num- 
 ber of recent critics have defended the opposite in- 
 terpretation. Among them, however, there is found 
 a great diversity of opinion. Some regard it as a 
 bridal ode, and as Grotius, Dereser and Kaiser, (Ps. 
 p. 194), suppose it to have been sung at the marriage 
 of Solomon with a foreign bride, probably the 
 daughter of the king of Egypt — or, as Augusti, 
 (pracktische Einleitung in die Psalm, s. 30) — at the 
 nuptials of a Persian king. Others, on the contrary, 
 assert that what is said of the women, and especially 
 of the queen, is only of secondary importance, in- 
 tended to advance the main design of the poem, 
 which is to display the glory of the king. These 
 ' again, are so far divided, that some, as Doderlein, 
 who, at an earlier period, in the Auctar. ad Grotium, 
 had defended the Messianic interpretation, (Theol. 
 Bibl. I. p. 183, seq.), suppose the king, whose praises 
 are celebrated to be an Israelite, while in the opinion 
 
XXXTl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of others, as Rosenmuller, in his first edition, and De 
 Wette, he is a Persian. 
 
 We feel compelled to refer the Psalm to the Mes- 
 siah, for the following reasons : 
 
 ]. The testimony of tradition. Not only does the 
 Chaldee paraphrast explain the Psalm of the Messiah, 
 but the same interpretation is found in many passa- 
 ges of other ancient Jewish writings. See the col- 
 lection by Schijttgen, 1. c. p. 234. Even several later 
 Jewish expositors, as Abenezra and Kimchi, relying 
 upon tradition, explain it in this manner. But we 
 can trace this tradition much farther back. It is 
 utterly inconceivable that the collectors of the Psalms 
 should have placed this in their collection had it been 
 a bridal ode, intended for the marriage of an Israelit- 
 ish king, or one composed by some miserable flatterer 
 in honour of a Persian monarch.^ The weight of 
 this objection falls with peculiar force on those who 
 make a Persian king the object of those praises which, 
 according to their view, are squandered away in this 
 Psalm. For were its subject a king of Israel, as 
 David or Solomon, it might with some plausibility 
 be said, see Stark, Carmina Dav. 1. p. 462, that, in 
 the time of those who collected the Psalms, its true 
 interpretation was lost, and it was adopted by them, 
 and consecrated to the worship of God, because they 
 ascribe to it a mystical meaning, which, though er- 
 roneous, was already prevalent. But if the subject is 
 a Persian king, he must have lived after the Jews and 
 Persians had begun to have frequent intercourse with 
 each other, and, consequentl}^, after the Babylonian ex- 
 ile. The collectors of the Psalms, therefore, must have 
 been nearly contemporary with the author of this 
 poem, and they are chargeable with the guilt of hav- 
 ing knowingly received, among the Psalms of praise 
 to God, a poem which, if it refer to a mere mortal, 
 contains, as we shall soon see, blasphemous expres- 
 
 ' De Wette upon v. 17, " over all the earth,'" an extrava- 
 gant flattery, which could have been offered only to a Persian 
 kin r. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXVU 
 
 sions. This supposition can surely have no weight 
 with those who know how carefully the Jews, after 
 they had been taught by misfortune during the cap- 
 tivity, avoided v.'hatever might tend to dislionour 
 their God, and how strong their national pride and 
 their hatred and contempt of whatever did not be- 
 long to their own people, became, precisely at this 
 period. 
 
 2. The Messianic interpretation is sustained by 
 the authority of the New Testament. The author 
 of the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. i. 8, 9, quotes 
 this Psalm to prove the exaltation of Christ above 
 the angels. This cannot be merely an illusion, since, 
 according to the non- Messianic interpretation, his 
 argument would lose all its force, and his appeal 
 would be entirely useless. 
 
 3. Not less strong is the internal evidence. We 
 will here, following the order of the Psalm, produce 
 tliose characteristics which are applicable to the 
 Messiah alone. From the superscription, v. 1, itself 
 we derive a twofold argument. If this Psalm is a 
 poem upon any worldly subject, how could it have 
 been committed to the sons of Korah to be used in 
 the service of God ? Who can suppose that a nup- 
 tial poem, dedicated to Solomon, or an ode composed 
 by some flatterer in praise of a Persian king, could 
 have been sung in the public worship, and of course 
 introduced into the sanctuary ? Stark (1. c. p. 453) 
 perceived the force of this objection, and felt com- 
 pelled by it to deny the genuineness of the super- 
 scription, though for this he had not the slightest 
 reason. Further, the Psalm in the title is called 
 
 h^^'t^D' Were the interpretation which De Wette 
 
 gives to this word the true one, it would indeed af- 
 ford us no argument. He supposes (Einl. z. d. Ps. 
 s. 38,) the word signifies nothing more tham poem^ 
 since, as he justly remarks, the meaning didactic poem, 
 which was that of the greater part of the older interpre- 
 ters, does not suit all the Psalms to which it is prefixed. 
 
XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 But still the proof in favour of his explanation of 
 the word is extremely feeble. He says, " According 
 
 to Hebrew usage, S^3£^D. intelligentia^ doclrina, 
 
 so 
 can mean in general poem^ just as the Arabic ^^ 
 
 J ^ 
 
 properly wtelligentin, and secondarily poetry.^ To 
 
 this we object, that the part. Hiphil S'3^!3 never 
 
 occurs as a noun with the meaning scienfia, doctrina. 
 And it can surely be shewn, by no analogous ex- 
 ample, that a participle which means being wise, can 
 stand absolutely for a poem. Another objection is, 
 
 that the Psalms designated by (he epithet S^^'^D, 
 
 are distinguished by some peculiarity common to all, 
 which is expressed by this appellation. But the ge- 
 neral meaning poen\ is by no means rendered certain 
 by Ps. xlvii. 8, as Gesenius has asserted. Another 
 explanation, the result of a comparison with the 
 
 Arabic \ ^ .-^ aim ills, comparata fuit res, which 
 
 gives to the word the meaning metaphorical^ figura- 
 tive language, is not on!y inconsistent with the con- 
 tents of these Psalms, but is liable to the further ob- 
 jection of departing from established Hebrew usage 
 in the explanation of a word of such frequent occur- 
 rence. We give to the word the meaning, a devout 
 poem., and justify it by the usage of the language. 
 
 The verb S^3t2^n> has, it is true, the original mean- 
 ing, to he intelligent, wise, prudent But another 
 sense arises, namely, to he pious, religious, from the 
 views of the Hebrews impressed on their language 
 respecting the intimate connexion and mutual influ- 
 ence of the theoretical and the practical. Thus, for 
 example, Ps. xiv. 2, precisely in a Psalm, which oc- 
 curring again as the liii. is entitled VsCi^O* this 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 
 
 word is put in apposition to 7^3 a fuol, in a moral 
 
 T T 
 
 sense, and as synonymous with D*n^t^ Dt^ t^'^\ 
 
 one who seeks God, a pious man. See besides, 
 Gesenius and Winer. 2. This interpretation has in 
 its favour the contents of the thirteen' Psalms to 
 
 which ^^3^//'^ is prefixed. They have all a direct 
 
 reference to God, and either express gratitude for 
 his benefits, or supplications for his aid. This 
 meaning agrees also with Psalm xlvii. 8, " God is 
 
 King over all the earth, sing to him 7^Z!^D» a de- 
 vout song/' 3. It is also supported by the adjunct 
 n 75n i» Ps. cxlii. The general expression '^^ j^^, 
 
 T . : • ; — 
 
 which comprehends a tfianhful, as well as a suppli- 
 eatorij ode, is rendered definite by this addition. 
 
 But if this meaning of the word '^^^St^'D be the only 
 
 one that can be proved, it furnishes a strong argu- 
 ment for the Messianic interpretation of the Psalm. 
 This Calvin long since perceived, who remarks : 
 
 " Ideo carmen simul vocatur 7*3 J^^, ut sciamus 
 
 non agi de obscoenis, vel minus pudicis amoribus, 
 sed sub Salomonis figura sanctam et divinam Christi 
 cum ecclesia conjunctioneni nobis proponi." Ver. 3 
 and 4, contain plain indications that they are not to 
 be literally, but figuratively understood. In the 
 former, the words, " thou art fairer than the sons of 
 men," are, by De TVette and others, referred to per- 
 sonal beauty, which in ancient times was highly 
 esteemed. But, that this was employed by the poet 
 merely as an image to represent the high moral per- 
 fection of the king, is evident from the declaration, 
 " therefore hath God blessed thee for ever," since 
 mere beauty of form cannot possibly be the ground 
 
 ^ Ps. xxxii. xlii. xliv. Hi. \v. lxx;V. Ixxviii. Ixxxviii. Ixxxix. 
 cxlii. 
 
xl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of God's blessing.^ De Wetfe and others, it is 
 true, seek to evade the difficulty, by translating 
 
 ]!D"by while, after the example of Calvin, instead of 
 therefore. But this expedient is inadmissible, be- 
 cause this meaning of V2 ?'V is in general incapable 
 of proof, (see Winer, s. v. "j^,) and is not neces- 
 sarily required in any of the places quoted by De 
 Wette on Ps. xlii. 7 ; and because dSIV^ would 
 
 T 
 
 then be entirely unsuitable and superfluous; and 
 lastly, because J£3"^y can have no other meaning 
 
 than that which it has in ver. 8 : " thou lovest 
 righteousness and hatest iniquity, therefore he hath 
 anointed thee," &c. in a similar connexion. Ver. 4, 
 the king is summoned to guard his sword upon his 
 thigh ; but, at the same time, the writer intimates 
 the metaphorical nature of the language by the exe- 
 getical phrase ^"inm 'n*Tin» " thy glory and thy 
 
 majesty." What earthly monarch s effect by the 
 sword, shall this exalted Godlike king accomplish by 
 his glory and majesty, whereby he shall vanquish his 
 foes without the aid of any of those means employed 
 by men. Altogether similar is the language of Isa. 
 xi. 4, " He shall slay the wicked with the rod of his 
 mouth," that is, what other kings effect by instru- 
 ments of punishment, he shall effect by his bare 
 words. The words *lin and I^H are commonly 
 
 T T 
 
 employed in connexion, to designate the majesty 
 and glory of Jehovah, see Ps. xcvi. 6 ; civ. 1 ; cxi. 3. 
 Rosenmliller and De Wette suppose that the sword 
 of the king is called glory and majesty, qui est decus 
 tuum et splendor. But the insipidity of this inter- 
 
 1 Theodoret : o Ti n^aX/to? KoiXXo; at/rev xoikiT oh to rav ffei/ueC' 
 Tos, dXXx Tjjj u^irris xa) Taani ^ixaioiruvtiS) to xfjccc^riai ov 'hi^afAl' 
 
 VOV ff-^rlKoVt TO TTOLff/li KYlX'l^Oi fXlV^iPOy. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xH 
 
 pretation is obvious at first sight, and that it is erro- 
 neous is still more evident from the beginning of 
 ver. 5. The repetition of ^in which there occurs, 
 
 T T 
 
 <' and in this thy glory," shews that the word is used 
 in its full and literal import. The true interpretation 
 was long ago perceived by Theodoret: r^v ^oav bia- 
 yod-^ag Kai ttiv Go^iav d'aodsixvuff/ xai rr^v bhvaixiv zai rriv 
 TavoTrXluv, fj ^^riffd'/jsvog rovg Ivavr'iovg Tcar's'kvffs. Ka/ to 
 TdvTOJV i/xd; 'Traoado^orarov 'TTPdy/Moc diddff/cn, Ahr^v yd^ 
 auTov rr,'j oopav, -/.al -avoirWav X'syn y.ai dOvafiiv. Us^i^u- 
 ffui ydo <pri(jt rr,v co/x^a/av ffov stI rhv (ir,oov Gou, dvvars, rfj 
 oj^aioTTjri co-j Kai tuj TidXXn gov. — The characteristics 
 also given in ver. 5, that the king whom the poet 
 celebrates goes forth for the establishment and pro- 
 motion of truth and righteousness joined with mild- 
 ness, suggest the idea of a conflict which is not to be 
 fought with fleshly weapons, and they cannot be 
 taken in their natural import, when referred to any 
 other subject, so well as when referred to the Mes- 
 siah, of whom it is also said in Isa. xi. 5, " that 
 righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and 
 faithfulness the girdle of his reigns." When in ver. 
 6, the king is described as a mighty warrior, who 
 subdues many nations, this does not at all suit Solo- 
 mon, who was engaged in no war, but agrees well 
 with the Messiah, who likewise, in Isa. liii. 12. Ps. 
 ex. 5, and elsewhere, is represented under the image 
 of a powerful and victorious warrior. But the 
 strongest argument for the Messianic interpretation 
 is found in ver. 7. There the king is addressed as 
 God. The non- Messianic interpreters have here 
 resorted to various expedients. Several of them 
 
 take Q^H/K i^ot as the vocative but as the geni- 
 tive. IIow unnatural this interpretation is, and how 
 plainly the mere result of necessity, appears from 
 the fact, that no one of the ancient translators, 
 among whom the Jewish certainly cannot be charged 
 with doctrinal prejudice, ever thought of it. All 
 
xlii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 translate in the vocative. The LXX : 6 '^^ovog god 
 o^ihg £/g a/W'/fis aioivoc, Aquila: o ^^Jvog 6o\) Sss ziq 
 aiMva jcai tri. Symmachiis : 6 '^^ovog ffou 6 ^dg aiujviog 
 'Kai 'in. Theodotion : o 3joi/&g cr/j 6 ^zhg i/g rov a/'wva 
 ro\j aicovog. The ChaUlee : ' thronus gloriae tuae, 
 domine, stabilis in sempiternum.' In favour of the 
 vocative also is the foregoing voc. Il^il v. 4. Cal- 
 vin has already justly said : " Quod Judaei locum 
 hunc depravant, quasi ad deum fieret sermo, nimis 
 
 putidum est ; quod etiam alii D^ri^t^ i" Genitive 
 
 casu legunt, ratione caret ac prodit eorum irapuden- 
 tiam, dum scripturam turpiter lacerare non dubitant, 
 ne Messiae divinitatem cogantur fateri." But that 
 this interpretation is inadmissible will be yet more 
 clearly seen, if we carefully examine the different 
 modifications with which it has be(«n advanced. De 
 Wette on the passage, and Gesenius on Isa. ix. 5, 
 translate: " Thy God's throne endures forever and 
 ever ;" that is, thy throne entrusted to thee by God. 
 They suppose that we have here a sfat constr. inter- 
 preted by a suffix, as in Levit. xxvi. 42, libV Tl^'HIl 
 
 my Jacob's covenant, that is, my covenant established 
 with Jacob. liot here an essential difference has 
 been overlooked between the passage before us and 
 the only alleged parallel passage, which serves ap- 
 parently to confirm this interpretation. The excep- 
 tion to the rule, that the suffix belonging to two 
 nouns in the construct state, can be attached only to 
 the latter, (Ewald Gramm. p. 580) is justified in the 
 passage quoted, only by the circumstance, that the 
 second noun is a proper name, which cannot receive 
 a suffix; here however there is no reason whatever 
 vv^hy the suffix should not be attached to the second 
 noun, and the supposition that the rule is here de- 
 parted from, is entirely arbitrary. 2. After the ex- 
 ample of Abenezra (Clavis s. 123), Paulus, and 
 Ewald (Gramm. p. 627), translate, '-'• thy throne is 
 
INTRCDUCTION. xliil 
 
 God's throne," supplying ^<D^ again before D^ri /N^* 
 
 But no one of the advocates of this interpretation has 
 produced a single example in favour of so harsh an 
 ellipsis. Ewald says it occurs very seldom, and ap- 
 peals to this pas>age alone. — Still more unjustifiable 
 is the explanation of those, who, after K. Saadias 
 
 Haggaon as cited by Kimchi. take D^H /K in the 
 
 nom. case : " Thy throne i> God forever and ever ;" 
 i. e. He will forever sustain thy throne. This has 
 not even the semblance of support in the usage of 
 the language ; and it is manifest from the parallel 
 passages in 2 Sam. vii. 18, and Ps. Ixxxix. 29, that 
 forever and ever must be an attribute of the kingdom 
 
 and not of God. The demonstration that u^H^t^ 
 
 cannot be understood otherwise than as the vocative, 
 sufficiently refutes one class of our opponents. Not 
 a few among them acknowledge this, but assert that 
 
 the name 0^1^*75^ "^^y ^^ given to judges, kings? 
 
 etc. So, after the example of Jarchi, Knapp, Am- 
 mon (Christologie, p. 45), Dereser (Psalmen, p. 129), 
 and others. But against this interpretation there are 
 the following objections. 1. We will not with Winer 
 
 and others deny that D'ri'T'S^ is ever used for the 
 
 magistracy among men. Thus it is said in Ex. xxi. 
 6 and xxii. 7, 8, that a man shall go with his cause 
 
 before God, D^ri^N"bK> ^- ^- as we learn from Deut* 
 
 xix. 7, before the divinely appointed tribunal, which 
 decided causes in God's name. This usage certainly 
 occurs also Ps. Ixxxii. 1, where, to awaken the con- 
 sciences of the Theocratic judges, God is represent- 
 ed as appearing in their assembly, in which the Pre- 
 sidency belongs to Him, and which dispenses justice 
 
 in his name, ^N" Diya and t:^>rh^ ^'i"!- It 
 
xliv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is true that De Wette has attempted another interpre- 
 tation. He supposes God to be represented as hold- 
 ing His court in heaven, in an assembly of the inferior 
 gods, the anij^els. But this interpretation must be 
 rejected, partly because the supposition that by 
 
 Q^H/K the angels are designated, is unsupported by 
 usage, and partly because it is unnatural to suppose 
 that by D^H'^H and ^^ mV* in this verse the an- 
 gels are intended, and on the contrary, by D^Pl /K 
 and p vJ^ ^jUj v. 6, the earthly magistracy, since v. 
 
 6 manifestly refers back to v. I. But these passages 
 nevertheless do not prove the point to be maintained. 
 
 No where is any single magistrate called D^H^J^, 
 
 but always only the magistracy as such, representing 
 the tribunal of God. Since, therefore, a Theocratic 
 conqueror was never so called, certainly much less 
 could the name be given to a king at the celebration 
 of his nuptials ; and least of all to a Persian king, 
 who could not even be called son of God, since this 
 title belonged exclusively to the leader of the Theo- 
 cracy. 2. To understand ki?ig by D^H^S^ in this 
 
 place, is attended with the greater difficulty since, in 
 the Psalms, for the sons of Korah, this is the prevail- 
 ing, and almost exclusive name for the Deity instead 
 of Jehovah. See Genesius on Is. ix. 5. 3. ^' Hoc 
 nomen omni sua vi accipiendum esse, liquet ex ipsa 
 contexta oratione ; nam eodem dei nomine vates 
 Messiam compellat v. seq., quod non diversum ab eo 
 est, quo ipsum deum ibidem significat, quodque adeo, 
 ut non diverso, sed eodem plane sensu intelligatur, 
 suadet interpretandi simplicitas.'' Pareau Inst. In- 
 terpr. V. T. p. 194. If now we, moreover, consider 
 that Ps. ii. and ex. ascribe to the Messiah names, at- 
 tributes, and actions, which belong exclusively to 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlv 
 
 God, we shall feel less hesitation to take D^ii/t^ 
 
 here in its full and natural meaning, and acknow- 
 ledge the Messiah as the subject of the Psalm. The 
 promise of the eternal duration of his throne in the 
 same verse, leads us also to the Messiah. Allowing 
 
 that lyi D^ly '^■^^y ^'^ itself considered be capable 
 
 V T T 
 
 of a limited meaning, yet that such is not the case 
 here is evident from the context, the connection with 
 
 D^n SKj and a comparison with the parallel passages 
 
 2 Sam. vii. and Ps. Ixxxix., cited on our remarks on 
 Ps. ii. and especially with Ps. Ixxii. where v. 5, we 
 find as synonymous t^/^Ci^ DV and n*1^ '2QSj and 
 V. 8, the subject of the Psalm is again called God. 
 True, De "Wette takes D\'i7t^) as subject and a re- 
 petition : " Thy God shall show that God is espe- 
 cially favourable to the king." But as it has been 
 
 shown that D^H /K? i^ ^^^^ foregoing verse is the vo- 
 cative and object of addres?, no other interpretation 
 is admissible here. An important argument for the 
 necessity of the figurative interpretation is furnished 
 by V. 1 1 : '■ Hearken. O daughter, and consider and 
 incline thine ear." How unsuitable the appellation 
 daughter would be in an address to an earthly queen 
 is manifest from the efforts of several non-Messianic 
 interpreters to exchange it for another. Thus Men- 
 delssohn translates : " Princess, hearken, give me 
 thine ear." Its offensiveness and incompatibility 
 with the manners of the East has been fully shown by 
 Deoderlein, Theol. Bibl. 1. p. 193. Teachers employ 
 the epithet son when addressing their pupils. Ps. 
 xxxiv. 12. Prov. i. 8 : "my son," &c. But a poet 
 would have found but little favour had he been dis- 
 posed to treat a daughter of Pharaoh or a Persian 
 princess as his pupil. But if we follow the Messianic 
 interpretation, all incongruity disappears. It isafre- 
 
xlvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 quent custom of the Hebrew poets and prophets to 
 personify lands, people, and cities as younij^ women 
 or matrons. See Isa. iv. 4, " Daughters of Zion."for 
 the cities of Judah,and xxiii. 1*2, 'Daughters ofZion," 
 for Zion. But we need seek no farther for examples, 
 since even in v. i3, the " Daughters of Tyre " stands 
 for Tyre. So here the Psalmist persorjiHes the co- 
 venant people, and represents them as a bride, who 
 shall be brought in costly array to the illustrious king, 
 who will take her as his beloved, on condition that 
 she renounces for him all that she had loved before. 
 This figurative representation need the less surprise 
 us, since the same image is so often employed, in 
 both the Old and New Testaments, to represent the 
 revelation of God, or of Christ, to his people. Thus 
 throughout the whole of the Song of Solomon, God 
 appears as the lover, and the people of Israel as the 
 beloved, or bride. See Rosenmiiller, " iiber des ho- 
 hen Liedes Sinn und Auslegung," in den Analekten 
 von Keil and Tschirner 1, 3, und den Aufsatz : 
 *' iiber das hohe Lied/' Evangel. K. Z.T. S. \11, seq. 
 Isaiah predicted, liv. 5, " Thy maker shall then be 
 thy husband. His name is Jehovah of hosts. And 
 thy Redeemer the Holy one of Israel : the God of the 
 whole earth shall he be called." In Isa. Ixii. 5, he 
 says, ' For as a young man raarrieth a virgin, so shall 
 thy sons marry thee, and as a bridegroom rejoiceth 
 over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.' 
 In chap. L. 1, the decree of rejection, which God 
 pronounced against the people of Israel, is styled a 
 bill of divorcement. Coinp. farther Jer. iii. 1. Hos. 
 i — iii. Ez. xvi. 23. In the New Testament, also, 
 Christ calls himself a bridegroom, Matt. ix. 15. John 
 regards himself as only the friend of the bridegroom, 
 and points out Christ as the bridegroom who should 
 possess the bride, John iii. 29. See also Rom. vii. 
 4. Eph. V. 27. 1 Cor. xi. The necessity of the me- 
 taphorical interpretation may also be shown by v. 15. 
 There it is said, '* she shall be brought into the king 
 in raiment of needle- work, the virgins her compan- 
 
IKTKfJJlCTTON. Xlvii 
 
 ions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.*' 
 These virgins are the same who, in v. 10, are call- 
 ed kings' daughters. We must not even on this ac- 
 count suppose with some interpreters that they 
 are merely conductors and attendants of the bride. 
 The words, moreover, * lier companions,' and 
 ' they shall be brought unto thee,' slievv that these 
 virgins also, no less than the bride, are to be united 
 with the king in love.* Here then an insuperable 
 difficulty arises in the v/ay of those, who regard this 
 Psalm as a nuptial ode : since it was not the custom 
 to take more than one wife at the same time.^ But 
 the Messianic interpretation entirely removes this 
 difficult3^ The companions of the Queen, who, 
 though inferior in rank, are still to be united with 
 the king, are then the heathen nations over whom, in- 
 deed, the people of Israel, as the ancient covenant 
 people of God, enjoy a certain outward pre-eminence, 
 but who, according to the standing prediction of the 
 prophets, and the authors of the Psalms, were to have 
 an equal share in the blessing of the Messiah's kingdom. 
 Thus of Old the Chaldee paraphrase and Kimchi, 
 " hliae regum sunt gentes, quae omnes ad obsequium 
 regis Messiae redigentur.'' A metaphorical repre- 
 sentation, altogether similar, is found in Cant. vi. 7, 
 8, " There are threescore queens, and fourscore 
 concubines, and virgins without number, but my dove 
 is but one." Here therefore we are taught in the 
 usual figurative language, what in other Messianic 
 Psalms is simply expressed; as in Psalm ii. 8, ' That 
 the Messias shall take for his possession all the people 
 of the earth ;' Ps. Ixxii. 8, ' That he shall reign from 
 sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of 
 the earth,' etc. — V. 17, it is said that the king will 
 
 * That the Psalm, unless it be referred to the Messiah, can 
 be taken for nothing else than a song of praise to a king cii oc- 
 casion of his marriage, appears from the exhortation v. 11, 
 which can properly relate only to a bride, and not to a v.ife of 
 the king. The same is true also of the promise, v. 1 7. 
 
xlviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 make his sons princes in all the earth. That the 
 words riKH /IDH can have only the meaning we 
 
 » V T T T : 
 
 have given, and cannot be translated ' in all the 
 land/ De Wette himself confesses. He says^ also, 
 that it is only by the extravagance of flattery that 
 such language could be addressed to a Persian king. 
 But besides the arguments already adduced against 
 the supposition, that the subject is a Persian king, 
 we may add the close resemblance between this 
 and Psalm lxxii., which De Wette himself explains 
 of a king of Israel. The Messianic interpretation 
 gives a sense as natural as it is suitable. The poet 
 derives his figurative representation from the circum- 
 stances of the time in which he lived. Solomon had 
 divided Palestine into twelve departments, see 1 
 Kings iv. ^, and 2 Sam viii. 18, it would seem that 
 David had already established his sons as agents 
 under himself. The same thing was done by Reho- 
 boam, 2 Chron.xi. 23. And as the earthly heads of 
 the Theocracy divided their kingdom, which was con- 
 fined to the bounds of Palestine, among their sons, so 
 shall the Messiah divide among his offspring his far 
 wider dominion, which extends over the whole earth. 
 It follows, however, from the character of the union 
 from which they spring, that these are not natural, 
 but spiritual children. This metaphorical represen- 
 tation, can, moreover, be sustained by analogous ex- 
 amples. See Is. liii. 10. Finally, the prediction in v. 
 18, that many nations shall praise him, is, to say the 
 least, more applicable to the Messiah than to any 
 earthly king. 
 
 Having thus brought forward the positive proofs 
 for the Messianic character of the Psalm, it now re- 
 mains to remove the objections which have been 
 urged against it, at least, so far as they have not 
 been refuted by what has already been advanced. 
 Of this character is the general charge, so often re- 
 peated by several non-Messianic interpreters, o 
 capricious allegorizing. But this objection is valid 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlix 
 
 only when the interpreter fails to show, either from 
 internal or external evidence, that the literal meaning 
 cannot be the true one, and that the author designed 
 to represent spiritual objects by sensible images. See 
 Anton, 1. c. p. 27* We take the objections princi- 
 pally from Paulus — Clavis S. 119, who has made a 
 tolerably complete collection of what others, as 
 Teller, zu Turretin de interpret. S. Script, p. 165, 
 seq., Sclmlz, Critili der Messianisch Psalmen ; 
 Jacobi, Psalmen libers, and lastly, Kaiser, have 
 brought forward repeatedly. 
 
 1. " True there are frequently metaphorical repre- 
 sentations in the Hebrew writers; but it is not the 
 practice of a good writer to carry out the allegory 
 so far." Thus Teller, 1. c. p. 185. But, in answer to 
 this, we have a sufficient number of examples, even 
 though we should not choose to appeal to the splen- 
 did example of the ' Song of Songs.' We need only 
 compare the allegorical representations of the fall of 
 Babylon, Is. xlvii. where Babylon is personified and 
 described as a rich delicate lady, who is now be- 
 reaved of her husband, and overwhelmed in the deep- 
 est misery ; the similar representations, extended to 
 the minutest particulars, in Ez. xvi. and xxiii. and 
 the figurative description continued throughout the 
 first three chapters of Hosea, and we shall be obliged 
 to confess that the author of this Psalm has con- 
 fined himself within very narrow limits. 
 
 2. " The Psalmist, who could borrow his colour- 
 ing from all the royal splendour of a Jewish monarch, 
 in order to describe his Messiah, has, nevertheless^ 
 chosen very unskilfully, and given him a costume 
 which does not belong to him. The kingdom of the 
 Jewish Messiah can indeed be presented to him as a 
 bride clothed in all the splendour of the East, and 
 attended by maidens and companions ; but then he 
 has but one bride, one spouse, the people of Israel." 
 One can scarcely conceive what is meant by this ob- 
 jection. Do they intend to assert that the sacred 
 poets and prophets of the Oid Testament, regarded 
 
 d 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 their Messiah as destined for the Jews alone ? This 
 has ah'eady been sufficiently refuted by the passages 
 quoted from the Psalm. But if it was expected that 
 the kingdom of the Messiah should embrace the 
 heathen as well as the Jews, since it is conceded 
 that the Jewish people can be personified as his 
 bride, what reason can be given why the heathen 
 nations should not be represented in the same man- 
 ner ; especially as the circumstances of an Oriental 
 court, where many wives of inferior rank stand by 
 the side of one peculiarly distinguished, gives so 
 much occasion to carry out the allegory to such an 
 extent ? Finally, the author, in ascribing to the 
 people of Israel such an outward distinction, wisely 
 followed the mode of representing the Messiah's 
 kingdom, which prevails throughout the Old lesta- 
 nient ; where the Jewish people are always regarded 
 as the original stock, and the heathen nations, who 
 ■were only to be engrafted upon it, sustain a relation 
 somewhat subordinate ; a view of the subject after- 
 wards confirmed by Christ and his apostles, Horn, 
 xi. 
 
 3. '• Figures like v. 12, ^ so shall the king greatly 
 desire th}' beauty' are improper, and not usual with 
 the sacred writers." But then we must allow it to 
 be equally objectionable, when Isaiah compares the 
 delight of God in his people, with that of the bride- 
 groom in his bride ; or when Paul styles the church 
 a bride, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such 
 thing ; and, therefore, enjoying the perfect love of 
 her exalted bridegroom. To say nothing of other 
 passages, is not spiritul beauty here also represented 
 by the figure of personal bi auty ? 
 
 4. " How shall this bride of the Messiah forget 
 her ov«n people ? She is herself this people perso- 
 nified." But precisely because the representation is 
 figurative, and the covenant people appear personi- 
 fied as a bride, must the thought, that after their 
 union with this exalted king, they should render to 
 him their exclusive love, and renounce every previous 
 
INTRODUCTION. li 
 
 inclination not directed to him, be expressed in a 
 manner consistent witli this figurative representation, 
 and not with the event described ; therefore in ac- 
 cordance with the relation between a bride and a 
 bridegroom. The passage in Gen. ii. 24, " There- 
 fore shall a man leave his father and mother," sup- 
 plied the Psalmist with a beautiful ground work ; he 
 seems also to have had in view Gen. xxi. I, *' And 
 the Lord spake to Abraham, get thee out of thy coun- 
 try, and from thy kindred, and thy father's house." 
 The Chuldee well explains it on the whole, though 
 the figure is too literally understood : " et obliviscere 
 opera mala impiorum populi tui et domum idolorura, 
 quae coluisti in domo patris tui Abrahami." 
 
 5. '< How came Tyre alone to be mentioned, instead 
 of all the Heathen nations ?'' The Messianic inter- 
 pretation does not require us to suppose this : but 
 that Tyre, as the richest city of the ancient world, 
 is here by synecdoche, put for the richest nation, is, 
 in itself, considered liable to no objection, and, is, 
 moroever, confirmed by the addition 0V"''^''^^> 
 
 T •• • ~: 
 
 the richest of the people, ?. e. the richest among all 
 nations. Nothing, finally, is more common in the 
 Old Testament, than single names to be mentioned, 
 while the writer has in view the whole, and not pre- 
 eminently that particular part. There is a parallel 
 passage in Ps. Ixxii. 10: <' The king of Tarshish 
 and of the isles shall bring presents ; the kings of 
 Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.'' Further, Isaiah Ix. 
 6: " All they from Sheba shall come; they shall 
 bring gold and incense, and declare the praise of the 
 Lord." As in both these places, Tarshish, Sheba, and 
 Seba ; so here Tyre is used to designate the richest 
 of the heathen nations. 
 
 The ?vlessianic interpretation, therefore, is suffi- 
 ciently justified. We only further remark, that we 
 must be on our guard against that caprice, which 
 would require something literal corresponding to 
 each single line, which often serves only to complete 
 
lii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the picture. Thus in v. 8, 9, we must look for no- 
 thing more than the thought that God will confer 
 upon the Messiah the highest exaltation and glory, 
 which is represented by imagery, borrowed from the 
 splendour of an eastern court. So also the descrip- 
 tion of the royal bride, v. 13 — 15, means only that 
 the richest blessings and greatest glory shall be con- 
 ferred upon the covenant people, if, with sincere 
 love, they devote themselves to their Lord and 
 King, 
 
 PSALM LXXII. 
 
 This Psalm, like the xlv., celebrates an exalted and 
 illustrious king, who is distinguished for righteous- 
 ness, and, with benevolent concern, takes under his 
 care the miserable and the oppressed, ver. 1, 2, 4, 
 12 — 15. Under his reign universal peace will pre- 
 vail ; and in consequence of the righteousness intro- 
 duced by him, a rich abundance of blessings be 
 poured forth, ver. 3, 6, 7, 16. These blessings are 
 not like those conferred by distinguished earthly 
 kings, to endure only for a time, and then be inter- 
 rupted by his death ; but like himself, they are eter- 
 nal, and consequently the gratitude and reverence of 
 his subjects towards him will be eternal also. ver. 5, 
 7, 17. His kingdom is by no means confined to the 
 limits of Palestine, but is co-extensive with the whole 
 earth. All nations, even the most powerful, the most 
 uncivilized, and the most remote, shall reverently 
 obey Him, not indeed subdued by the power of his 
 arms, but freely choosing his service under the influ- 
 ence of his righteousness alone, ver. 8 — 1 1 . Through 
 him will be fulfilled the great promise made to Abra- 
 ham, that in his seed all the nations of the earth 
 should be blessed. Many interpreters regard David 
 as tlie author of the Psalm. They suppose that he 
 delivered it to Solomon just before his death. Thus 
 the old Syriac version : " Davidis cum Salomonem 
 regem constituisset ;"— «the Arabic : " Salomoni filio 
 
INTRODUCTION. Uu 
 
 Davidis." This also is the opinion of several later 
 Jewish expositors, as Kimchi and Jarchi^ and, among 
 Christian interpreters. Geier, and lastly Pareau, I. c. 
 p. 511, But this opinion is opposed not only by the 
 h in the super?;cription, which indeed often desig- 
 nates the person or persons to whom a Psalm is deli- 
 vered over for musical performance, but never the 
 person to whom it is dedicated ; but still more 
 strongly by the fact, that the imagery of this Psalm 
 is furnished by the reign of Solomon, which of course 
 excludes David from being its author. This is too 
 evident to be mistaken, for example, in the represen- 
 tation of the permanent peace, which shall prevail 
 under the reign of this illustrious king. The repre- 
 sentations also in ver. 10 and 11, remind us of 
 1 Kings x. 23 — 25 : " So king Solomon exceeded 
 all the kings of the earth for riches and wisdom; 
 and they brought every man his present, vessels of 
 silver, and vessels of gold," &c. Ver. 16 reminds 
 us of 1 Kings iv. 20 : " Judah and Israel were (under 
 Solomon) many, as the sand which is by the sea in 
 multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry." 
 Others, as Bertholdt, Einl. p. 1949, et al. understand 
 the h after the example of the LXX (s/'g 2aXw,awv) 
 in the sense of de in Latin — concerning ; as desig- 
 nating Solomon as the subject of the Psalm. But 
 this is impossible, unless it is intended, with several 
 of the older interpreters, to understand by Solomon, 
 only him of whom Solomon was the type, the Peace- 
 maker, Gen. xlix. 10, the Dl^t^il *lb^, ^sa. ix. just 
 
 T — — 
 
 as the Messiah is often by the Prophets called ex- 
 pressly by the name of David ; and, moreover, h 
 never occurs in a superscription with the alleged 
 meaning. We therefore take h in its usual accepta- 
 tion, and regard Solomon as the author of the Psalm, 
 after the example of the Chaldee interpreters in 
 former, and Kaiser in recent times. As David in 
 Ps. ii. and ex. makes the disturbed and warlike con- 
 dition of his own kingdom the groundwork of his re- 
 
Hv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 presentation of that of the Messiah, so does Solomon 
 employ the peaceful, flourishing, and happy condi- 
 tion of his kingdom, to represent that of his great 
 descendant. 
 
 Let us now examine the reasons \vhich make it 
 necessary to refer this Psalm to the Messiah 
 
 1. The clear testimony of tradition. The Chaldee 
 paraphrasts render the first verse : " Deus scientiam 
 judicioruni tuorum da regi Messiae, et justitiam tuam 
 filio Davidis regis." Comp. the numerous passages 
 from the older Jewish writers by Schcittgen, c. I. 
 p. 238, seq. Jarchi's remarks exemplify that the 
 forefathers explained the whole Psalm of the Mes- 
 
 iah. 
 
 2. The proof from the parallel passages is here 
 peculiarly strong. On the one hand, this Psalm con- 
 tains the most distinct reference to an old Messianic 
 prediction, the words of which it employs, and, on 
 the other, in a later prediction, the Messiah's king 
 dom is described in words taken from it. We can- 
 not, for example, in ver. ]J. "and men shall be 
 blessed in him, all nations shall call him blessed,*' 
 mistake the allusion to Gen. xii. 3; xxii. 18. The 
 author appears as the interpreter of the promise to 
 Abraham. Thus of old, Theodoret : hrau'^a rrig 
 Ts^i roi/ ' AjSoaafM xai rov 'iffadz y.ai rhv 'lazojjS S'rray- 
 yiXiag sf/Arifj.6i^svffs. The second place is ^echariah 
 ix. 10. There the extension of the Messiah's king- 
 dom is described in words taken from ver. 8 of this 
 Psalm; '' and his dominion shall be from sea to sea, 
 and from the river even to the ends of the earth." 
 To this we may add its close resemblance to other 
 Messianic predictions, namely, besides Psalms ii. 
 xlv. ex., with Isa. ix. and xi. 
 
 3. There is nothing in this Psalm unsuitable to the 
 Messiah, provided we distinguish the figures from 
 that which they represent. But, on the contrary, 
 many of its features can belong to no other subject. 
 We will now go over the Psalm with reference to this 
 
 point. De Wette finds even in v. 1 an objection to 
 
INTRCDLXTION. Iv 
 
 the Messianic interpretation. The prayer that God 
 would give righteousness to the king is inconsistent 
 with it, because the Messiah is regarded as the most 
 righteous. We remark in reply, that the discourse is 
 not here concerning righteousness in general, but 
 righteousness as God possesses and employs it in the 
 government of the world, and as it was needed by 
 this king in the administration of his kingdom. The 
 imperative ?n however, as is evident from what fol- 
 lows, is not used in the optative sense, but is to be 
 taken as the future ; see Ps. ex. 2. The weakness 
 of this objection of De Wette is manifest from Isa. 
 xi. where the Messiah, before he enters upon his 
 kingly office, and begins his reign, is endowed by 
 God with all the requisite qualifications, Isa. xlii. 1, 
 the Messiah first receives the Spirit of God, and then 
 establishes righteousness among the heathen. Comp. 
 xlix. 2 ; l\i. 1. The fulfilment also shows that Christ, 
 although with regard to his divine nature he com- 
 bined in himself all perfections, yet as to his human 
 nature, was endowed by the Holy Ghost with the 
 requisite qualifications for discharging the duties of 
 his office. The appellation ki?ig is justified not only 
 by Ps. ii. 6 ; xiv. 8, but also by Jer. xxxiii. }7: 
 " David shall never want a man to sit upon the 
 throne of the house of Israel." — Ex. xxxvii. 24: ''and 
 David my servant sliall be king over them." Hie 
 title kings son belongs to the Messiah as son of Da 
 vid, and is of similar import with the metaphorical title 
 elsewhere used, I^Tl Pl/t^V sprout of David. The 
 
 • T — ••• 
 
 traits of character given in v. 2 and 4, rectitude in 
 governing and peculiar concern for oppressed inno- 
 cence, one of the most illustrious virtues of a ruler, 
 are of very frequent occurrence in the prediction of 
 the Messiah. See Isa. xi. 4: " But with righteous- 
 ness shall he judge the. poor and reprove with equity 
 for the meek of the earth.'' Peace, also, which ac- 
 cording to V. 3, shall reign throughout his kingdom 
 as the consequence of the prevalence of righteous- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ness, is not unfrequently given as a characteristic sign 
 of the times of the Messiah. Comp. Isa. ix. 6 : "Of 
 the increase of his government and his peace there 
 shall be no end." As in Isa. xi. 9.. the knowledge of 
 the Lord, so here righteousness is given as the cause 
 of that peace which distinguishes the kingdom of the 
 Messiah. Ver. 5 furnishes a strong proof in favour 
 of our interpretation : '• They shall fear thee as long 
 as the sun and the moon endure, throughout all ge- 
 nerations." The evidence of this passage would in- 
 deed be greatly weakened were we to suppose with 
 Calvin, Doederlein, Michaelis, and Dathe, that the 
 object of this address is God. But then, as Michae- 
 lis justly remarks, onl}^ the grossest flatterer could 
 have made such a declaration in behalf of Solomon, 
 since no king who does not himself reign eternally, 
 can cause his people to fear God so long as the sun 
 and moon endure. But there are sufficient reasons 
 to suppose with most interpreters, and at least De 
 Wette, that the author here directly addresses the 
 king of whom he had spoken before in the third per- 
 son. This opinion is favoured by a comparison with 
 V. 7j vvhere the expression, 'as long as the moon en- 
 
 dureth,' as well as the corresponding word D/IV/ 
 
 T 
 
 in V. 12, must relate to the king and not to God; 
 and by 2 Sam. vii. 15, which lies at the foundation 
 of this as well as of all other Messianic predictions 
 
 in the Psalms, where the phrase QS"iy '^^ is like- 
 
 T 
 
 wise spoken of David's posterity. Comp. also Ps. 
 Ixxxix. 37, 38, and xlv. 7. Grotius, in order to show 
 that such language may be spoken of a man, com- 
 pares the passage in Ovid : " cum sole et luna sem- 
 per Aratus erit." But there it is living forever in the 
 memory of others which is spoken of; here, on the 
 contrary, reverence is to be paid to one who himself 
 lives, as appears from the verse itself, and a compa- 
 rison with verses 7 and 17. But as eternity of do- 
 miDiou can be ascribed to no earthly king, so does it 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ivii 
 
 constitute one of the essential characteristics of the 
 Messiah, Isa. ix. 5, he is styled the Father of eternity, 
 and according to v. 6, he shall establish his kingdom 
 from henceforth even forever. — V. 6, the image of a 
 rain, which falls soft and lovely upon a new mow^n 
 meadow, covering it with fresh green, while if drought 
 prevail, the sun burns it, the roots and every thing 
 withers, is very expressive of the Messiah Calrin : 
 " hoc praecipue in Christo videmus impleri, qui arca- 
 nam gratiam stillando facit ecclesiam suani pullulare." 
 David in his last Psalm, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, when he 
 speaks with deep emotions of the promise made to 
 himself respecting the Messiah, employs the same 
 image to describe the blessings of his reign. That 
 this passage refers to the Messiah is obvious ; for 
 David extols his great descendant, not as the sove- 
 reign of any one people, but as the Lord of the hu- 
 man race (DHKH l^i/tD)? comp. Pareau, 1. c. p. 499. 
 
 T T T 
 
 — V. 7} ^ve again have the characteristic marks of the 
 Messiah's reign, righteousness, peace, and endless du- 
 ration. — V. 8, the kingdom of this illustrious monarch 
 extends over the whole world. " He reigns from sea 
 to sea, and from the Euphrates to the extremity of 
 the earth." There is here a very remarkable refe- 
 rence to the passage where the boundaries of the 
 earthly Theocracy are given, viz., Exod xxiii. 31 : 
 " And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even 
 unto the sea of the Philistines, (the Mediterranean) and 
 from the desert unto the Euphrates ;" and Deut. xi. 24 : 
 " from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Eu- 
 phrates to the Mediterranean sea. The author of the 
 Psalm takes two of the boundaries here given ; and 
 then, instead of the corresponding ones, subjoins others 
 which are far wider, and coincide with the ends of the 
 earth. It is true that after Sal. Jarchi. and Michaelis, 
 some interpreters would give to this verse a more re- 
 stricted meaning. They would make " from sea to 
 sea," mean nothing more than " from the Red Sea to 
 the Mediterranean," and r**^^ 'DD^^ "ot the ends of 
 
Iviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the earthy but merely the extremities of Palestine. But 
 this interpretation has no philological support. There 
 is no example to justify us in giving the alleged re- 
 stricted meaning to the expression "from sea to sea," 
 the same as Latin : " per totam terram, quatenus ma- 
 ribus cincta est, (Chald.ab angulo maris magni usque 
 ad oppositam angulum maris magni,) unless it were 
 limited by an additional epithet, as in the passage of 
 the Pentateuch, to which we have referred. Nor does 
 \**1^? ^DD^^ ever mean the bounds of Palestine, but 
 
 alwaj's those of the whole earth. Moreover, according 
 to what follows, not only Palestine but the whole earth, 
 with all lands and rulers, shall be subject to this king. 
 But extension over the whole earth is a usual character- 
 istic of the Messiah's kingdom. See, besides, Ps. ii.8. 
 xxii. 28. Zech. ix. 10, among other places, Mich. v. 4 : 
 *' He shall be great even unto the ends of the earth." 
 V. 9 — 11 afford a strong proof of the correctness of 
 the Messianic interpretation. Here, in the first place, 
 merely as a part for the whole, several far distant na- 
 tions, some of them rude and uncivilized, others rich 
 and powerful, are named, who shall submit them- 
 selves to the king, and do homage to him with pre- 
 sents. Next, lest it might be su')posed that none but 
 the people mentioned by way of example, were to 
 obey him, it is said, "all nations shall fall down be- 
 fore him, all kings shall serve him." The non- Mes- 
 sianic interpreters, as Dereser, seek to show the fulfil- 
 ment in passages, as 1 Kings x. 10, according to which 
 the queen of Sheba, and v. 25, according to which 
 others also brought costly presents to Solomon. But 
 though we would not wish to deny that this writer, 
 in his figurative representation, had these transactions 
 in view, we must, nevertheless, assert that they are 
 by no means a fulfilment of the prophetic language 
 of the Psalm. What is said is far too great for So- 
 lomon, since several people are named, with wiiom 
 he had no connexion ; and every limitation is after- 
 wards removed by the word "all." The gifts, more- 
 over, which are here spoken of, are not, as Dereser 
 
INTRODUCTION. lix 
 
 has erroneously supposed, those of friendship, such 
 as men brought to Solomon ; but they are the signs 
 of obedience, subjection, and reverence, as Calvin 
 has long since remarked: '-Quodvis tributum aut 
 vectigal intelli<;e, non autem voluntarias oblationes, 
 quia loquitur de hostibus devictis et de subjectione 
 eorum." Over all these people this king shall reign, 
 and they shall serve him with the deepest humility. 
 Every difficulty is removed by the reference to the 
 Messiah. The bringing of gifts is, then, merely a 
 metaphorical representation of homage and reverence, 
 just as in v. 15, tlse admiring gratitude of the de- 
 livered towards his deliverer, is represented by the 
 figure of the bringing of gold from Sheba. The re- 
 presentation in v. 12, &c. of the method by which the 
 king, whose praises are celebrated, has gained so wide 
 a dominion, suits no earthly king, but agrees well 
 with the Messiah. He has not, like wordly conque- 
 rors, triumphed by the power of his arms ; but by his 
 illustrious attributes, by his righteousness and love, 
 he has now the hearts of men, and made them jneld 
 a willing submission to his sway. Feeling the diffi- 
 culty with which the non-Messianic interpretation is 
 here attended, De Wette seeks in some measure to 
 obviate it, by supposing, with Pteiffer, in Rosenmiil- 
 ler on the passage, that merely the external political 
 relations of the king are here mentioned. He would, 
 it was hoped, affi)rd protection to oppressed nations. 
 But the mode of expression itself is decisive against 
 this supposition. It is manifest, as in v. 2 and 4, in- 
 dividuals, and not nations, are spoken of. How 
 could an oppressed people, for example, be called 
 ]Vnf*?? 'ihe expression, also, v. 13, "He shall 
 
 spare the poor and needy," shows that the subject of 
 discourse is the conduct of the king towards his own 
 subjects. And, lastly, were De Wette's opinion just, 
 still the passage, in any event, would only furnish a 
 reason why some small, oppressed nations, in the 
 neighbourhood of Palestine, should become the sub- 
 jects of the king. But this is altogether against the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 scope of the passage. It designs expressly to give 
 the reason why the wildest and most distant, the rich- 
 est and most powerful nations ; yea, even the people 
 and kings of the whole earth, will yield submission to 
 this king. But the extension of the Messiah's king- 
 dom, is, in other passages, also, represented in a man- 
 ner precisely similar. Thus, for example, according 
 to Zech. ix. 10, the Messiah shall establish his reign 
 over the whole earth, not by the force of his arms, 
 but because he, the righteous one, will speak peace 
 unto the heathen. According to Isaiah ix. 6, the 
 increase of his dominion, and his power, go hand 
 in hand. Comp. also, Is. xi. With respect to v. 15, 
 we must first establish the true interpretation. We 
 translate : " that he may live and give to him 
 of the gold of Sheba, and prny for him continually, 
 and bless him daily." W^e take " the poor," as the 
 subject throughout, and understand " to live," as it 
 frequently means elsewhere, to be sustained in life. 
 Others, as De Wette at last, (2d Ed.) translate: 
 " He, (the king,) lives, and they give him of the 
 gold of Sheba." But against this interpretation we 
 urge, that such a change of the subject is unnatural, 
 that the future apoc. '>r\% though sometimes used 
 
 as the fut. apoc. indicative, is yet most naturally 
 taken in its usual conjunctive sense, and that 'H'T 
 
 plainly stands in contrast with the phrase, " precious 
 is the blood of the poor in his sight," in the forego- 
 ing verse, and therefore must, in like manner, be re- 
 ferred to the " poor.'' The argument of De Wette, 
 that all whicii follows relates to the prosperity of the 
 king, is of little weight, since, according to our in- 
 terpretation also, the verse serves only to augment 
 his glory. As now we understand the verse, the 
 bringing of the gold of Sheba, which was regarded 
 as the most precious, (Is. Ix. 6,) can be nothing else 
 than a representation of the cordial and devoted gra- 
 titude of the ransomed towards their deliverer. An 
 incongruity arises if we overlook the figurative cha- 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixi 
 
 racter of the expression, since the poor man has no 
 gold whereby he can show his gratitude to the king 
 who delivers him. The expression, " and pray for 
 him,' borrowed from the intercession of faithful sub- 
 jects for their beloved king, and therefore in a man- 
 ner figurative, so far agrees with the Messiah, as the 
 gratitude and love of his people are expressed in 
 prayers for the advancement of his glory, and the 
 continual increase of his kingdom. In a similar 
 manner expressions, which in a literal sense can be 
 used only of men> are not unfrequently transferred 
 to God, and must be understood ^BO'Tr^s'TroJc. Thus, 
 for example, the customary phrase Hlfl^ "H"^!! aiid 
 
 D^ri^J^' and still more that in Ps. xviii. 47 : " live 
 
 Jehovah," where an expression common in acclama- 
 tions to kings, is transferred to God. 
 
 The meaning of ver. 16, also, must be ascertained. 
 Every thing depends on the translation of the ac. Xsy, 
 nD£)- Rosenm. and De Wette translate " abun- 
 
 T • 
 
 dance," there is an abundance of corn. But the phi- 
 lological grounds for this translation are extremely 
 weak. On the contrary, we are justified in translat- 
 ing it by ijiiniitnm frumenti, or a handful. The 
 Masc. D3 occurs Gen. xxxvii. 3, 23, and 2 Sam. xiii. 
 
 18, 19, in the sense of parlicida, pars minufa. In 
 the Chaldee portion of Daniel it is found with the 
 additional word ^1^ in the sense of vola matius^ 
 
 T: 
 
 chap. V. 5. The Chaldee paraphrast, 1 Kings xviii. 
 44, translates ^^^^K "^^^ by n^ HD^D. Hightly, 
 
 therefore, has Kimchi rendered T^'O^ in this place, 
 
 • T • 
 
 by P]5 ^i*?D. It is therefore to be translated: 
 
 " Though there were only a handful of corn in the 
 land, yet on the summit of the hills its fruit will 
 rustle like Lebanon;" i. e. though, before the reign 
 of this king, there was such a scarcity that only a 
 handful of grain remained for seed, yet this little will 
 
Ixii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 be so blessed, that even the most barren places, as 
 on the summits of the hills, the harvest, moved by 
 the vv-nd, rustles like the trees of the lofty Lebanon. 
 And thus the superabundant blessings of the Mes- 
 siah's kingdom are here characterised by a most 
 expressive image. In the second part of the verse, 
 " and out of the city ;" either out of Jerusalem, 
 under whose image the theocracy, of which it 
 was then the seat, presented itself, — a sense which is 
 rendered probable by the parallel passages soon to be 
 cited ; or out of every city in subjection to the Great 
 King; out of the cities "men blossom as grass of 
 the earth,"' the great populousness of the new king- 
 dom of God to be founded by the Messiah, is de- 
 scribed, by a metaphor signifying large population, 
 taken from the condition of the earthly theocracy 
 under Solomon, 1 Kings iv. 20. Similar is the de- 
 scription of the times of the Messiah, Zech. ii. 8 : 
 " Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, 
 for the multitude of men and cattle therein," with 
 which comp. ver. 15: ''and many nations shall be 
 joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my 
 people." Also Is. xlix. 20 : " The children, which 
 thou shalt have after thou hast lost the other, shall 
 say again in thine ears, * the place is too strait for 
 me, give place to me that i may dwell.'" Ver. xvii. 
 
 the words i.^S^ |13' ^i2tf^ ^JD^ we translate with 
 
 Luther : '^ his name shall be continued among his 
 posterity as long as the sun endures ;" on which he 
 has made in the margin the appropriate remark : 
 " they shall honour his name for ever and ever ; al- 
 though the aged die, yet their posterity shall do it." 
 The word J"i^» Fut.Niph.of the ax. Xl/. nj,but whose 
 
 meaning is rendered certain by the noun *^^ sobolesj 
 
 is properly ^/^a^^;r, sobolescit. Rejecting the trope 
 the LXX. correctly render: haij^hu. Vulg. : p^r- 
 manet. If this prediction is fulfilled in its highest 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixiii 
 
 sense only in the Messiah, much more is that con- 
 tained in the second part of the verse: " And men 
 shall regard themselves as blessed through him, all 
 nations shall praise him. While the remembrance of 
 a distinguished leader of the earthly Tneocracy lives 
 only within the narrow bounds of Palestine ; endless 
 praise and glory shall be ascribed to this exalted king 
 for his never ceasing benefits, by all people of the 
 whole earth. The language, indeed, would be great- 
 ly weakened, were we to translate ^;3. Ol^Hn with 
 
 : T : • : 
 
 Rosenmiiller and De Wette : " by him will they 
 bless themselves, i.e. they will use his name as a 
 form of benediction. But the translation has no 
 philological support. It cannot be shown that Hithp. 
 ever occurs in this sense. On the contrary, since in 
 the promises to the patriarchs to which this passage 
 refers, Hithp. is used interchangeably with Niphal, 
 we are compelled to believe tiiat they are nearly syno- 
 nymous. And in accordance with this is the transla- 
 tion, " they (it accords with the sense, though not 
 
 with the grammar to supply the following D^i^"^!D) 
 
 T 
 
 shall regard themselves as blessed through him :"' a 
 meaning which not only agrees with the Hithp. conj. 
 but is also the prevailing one, Deut. xxix. 18. Jer. 
 iv. 2. And thus may the Messianic interpretation 
 here also, to which, among the moderns, Dathe, 
 Michaelis, Kuinoel, (Mess. W. p. 77), Anton, Mun- 
 tinghe, Pareau (1. c. p. 499), Rosenmiiller (2d Ed.), 
 Kaiser (Psalmen p. 221), and others adhere, have a 
 well grounded claim to the general approbation it 
 received in the earlier times of the church. 
 
 PSALM ex. 
 
 An illustrious king is celebrated in this Psalm, 
 whom God has exalted to sit with him on his throne, 
 and to whom he has promised a wide extension of 
 
Ixxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 host, and where De Wette himself translates : 
 " thy people willingly follow thee to battle," and on 
 V. 7, which he agrees with us in referring to the king, 
 in direct contradiction to his own interpretation, he 
 remarks : " The poet in a lively manner places him- 
 self on the scene of conflict, where his king appears 
 as a triumphant warrior." 3. " The expression ' in 
 the day of his wrath/ agrees better with Jehovah." 
 This is indeed the case if we make the Psalm refer 
 to an earthly king ; but not if its subject is Jehovah's 
 exalted co-regent, the Messiah, of whom it is said 
 also in Ps. ii. 9, that " he will break his enemies 
 wjth a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a 
 potter's vessel," and in v. 12, that " his wrath shall 
 soon be kindled :" '^ but blessed are all they that put 
 their trust in Him." 
 
 Relying upon the strength of thc^e reasons, the 
 Christian church has always firmly held the Messi- 
 anic interpretation. Chrysostom says that those who 
 reject it are xa^acs^ o/ fMs^^-joirsg -Kai f/.i^dsv ffufxpojvov 
 (p'^syyo/J^ivoi, fxaXXov ds xa^d-rrs^ o/ sv ff-/.6ruj ^ahiZovn; '/.at 
 rrosffa^dffffovTsg dXXriXoug. Not less strong is the lan- 
 guage of Calvin, who must be allowed in this in- 
 stance to be free from prejudice, since he regards all 
 the remaining Psalms of this class as having a lower 
 reference to an earthly king : although in this he is 
 inconsistent, for the subject of them all is manifestly 
 the same : " Quum de se hunc Psalmum compositum 
 fuisse testetur Christus, non aliunde quidem nobis, 
 quam ex ejus ore petenda est certitudo, verum ut 
 cesset ejus auctoritas atque etiam apostoli testimoni- 
 um, Psalmus ipse clamat se non aliam expositionem 
 admittere. Nam ut nobis certamen sit cum pervi- 
 cacissimis quibusque Judaeis, firmis rationibus ex- 
 torquebimus, neque in Davidem, neque in ahum 
 quempiam, excepto solo Mediatore, competere, quae 
 hie dicuntur." Among the modern interpreters, 
 Dathe, Lowth, Michaelis, Kuinol, Muntinghe, v. d. 
 Palm (Einige Liederen von David vertaald en opge- 
 helderd), Knapp, Anton (1. c. p. 18), Schnurrer 
 
INTRODUCTIOr^. 
 
 Ixxv 
 
 (Bib. Arab. II. p. 40), Velthusen (in a peculiar trea- 
 tise in den " Materialien f. d. ISynode"), Steudel, 
 Pareau (1. c. p. 510), Kaiser and others, have adhered 
 to the Messianic interpretation. Rosenmiiller also, 
 in his second Edition, has adopted it, after having in 
 the first defended the reference to David. 
 
 It might now be expected that tliose who reject the 
 interpretation would Justify their disregard of the au- 
 thority of Christ and his Apostles, as well as the in- 
 ternal proofs, by at least the semblance of reason ; 
 but here, as in so many other instances, we must 
 content ourselves with a bare " stat pro ratione vo- 
 luntas." They only occasionally remark, in passing, 
 that the image of a warlike king destroying his foes, 
 which is presented in this Psalm, contains few fea- 
 tures that can agree with Christ. But here we re- 
 ply, 1 . That we must carefully distinguish the figure 
 from that which it represents, and not disregard the 
 fact that the features, which form the portrait of this 
 great and more than human king, are taken as usual 
 from an earthly head of the theocracy. Thus the ex- 
 pression, '< God shall send forth the rod of thy 
 strength out of Zion," means in simple language : 
 God under thy reign will greatly enlarge the boun- 
 daries of thy theocracy, hitherto confined to Pales- 
 tine. Comp. Is. ii. 3. Mich. iv. 2. " From Zion 
 shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from 
 Jerusalem," Ps. Ixxii. 8. So v. 3. The spiritual 
 triumph which Christ gains over the world by his 
 friends and servants, is represented, as is often the 
 case, under the image of a victory in war. The king 
 appears at the head of a host as numerous, as splen- 
 did,^ and entirely and cheerfully devoted to his ser- 
 
 ^ Both are included in the words : " Out of the womb of the 
 early dawn shall be to thee, the dew of thy youth," i. e. thy 
 war-host shall be like the dew, the son of the morning. There- 
 by the increase of the people of Christ, which is as great as 
 unperceived and sudden, and at the same time iheir amiable- 
 ness and freshness are designated. 
 
Ixviii INTRODUCTION, 
 
 ing to the Messianic interpretation the expression 
 relates, as it does throughout the New Testament, 
 not to the Divine nature of Christ, in which he is 
 equal in dignity with the Father, but to his human 
 nature, in which he has obtained a participation in 
 the Divine government as a reward for the work of 
 redemption. Chrysostom therefore errs when he 
 says : sldsg rb ofjborifiov; otol» ya^ ^sovog, (BocffiXsiag ffviu,(3o' 
 Xov o'TTov ^oovog sk, rrjg ahrrig (SaciXstag iGOTiiMia.^ But 
 still this language implies a participation in the Di- 
 vine glory and dominion ; it is never spoken of 
 earthly kings, who reign, indeed, as the servants of 
 God and by his authority, but are not, on that ac- 
 count, co-regents with him.^ 
 
 Ver. 3. The non-Messianic interpreters find them- 
 selves involved in great embarrassment by the ex- 
 pression Ci^lp nin^ in holy ornaments. De Wette 
 
 attempts two ways of escape. The first makes 
 the supposition, that the warriors appear clothed in 
 sacred garments, on account of the religious cere- 
 monies, the sacrifices, etc. which preceded their war- 
 like expedition. But not only he himself confesses 
 
 loco atque auctoritate, sed taiitum ille habet, quantum regis ar- 
 hitrio illi conceditur, tametsi socius est et comes imperii. 
 Knapp, 1. c. p. 50. 
 
 ^ The truth, on the other hand, was seen by Theodoret : 
 fciya filv ovv Kct) raZro — Koi eh fi,ovov v^\^ t^v uvB-^uwiiav <pvffiy, 
 aXXu xai vrl^ aToiffccv rhv xritriv' 5rX^v avB^uTflvug xett ccvto il^n- 
 rai' us yei^ ^ios o vll? otiumov £;^si tov S^ovov, aXX' i'Aa/Sjv a; civB-^ai- 
 «es ovi^ J/^^sv us Bios' — us avB^uTos roivvv axovW xuBou ix ^s^wy 
 fiov us ya,^ Bios aiuviov 'i^u ro x^cctos. 
 
 - Steudel (Weihnachtsprogr. von 1823, p. 17) ; " Quae 
 similes citantur phrases, ut principem esse populi dei, 1 Sam. 
 xiii. 14, 2 Sam. vi. 21, antistitis munere fungi in dei familia 
 ejusque regno, 1 Chron. xvii. 14 r in Jovae regni solio, in 
 Jovae solio sedere, 1 Chron. xxviii. 5 ; xxix. 23, id sibi volant, 
 nonnisi demandato a Jova imperio fungi, cum haec phrasis 
 secundum a deo locum tenere, in imperii cum eo consortium 
 iniisse, edisserat : id quod in plures cadere baud potest, ut de- 
 mandatio imperii." 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixix 
 
 there can no proof be brought of such a practice, but 
 it is highly improbable that it existed. For, since the 
 sacred dress was peculiar to the priests, granting what 
 cannot be proved from 1 Sam. vii. that religious so- 
 lemnities may have preceded the going forth to war, 
 it cannot be supposed that, during their performance, 
 the host of warriors were clothed in sacred garments. 
 Still more improbable is the second supposition of 
 De Wette, viz. that arming for war is intended, be- 
 cause ti^lp is spoken also of the arming of the war 
 
 hosts. For l^^p alone never has this meaning. 
 ilDTwD ti^*lp, to sanctify a war, is rather the same 
 
 T T : • •• ' ■ 
 
 as to prepare a sacred war, or to arm one's self for 
 such a war : just as D'^^^ t^lpi to sanctify a fast, 
 or n^y V ti^1p5 to sanctify a feast, implies to ap- 
 point a sacred fast or feast. But the difficulty is 
 entirely done away by the Messianic interpretation. 
 The expression is then designed to mark the diffe- 
 rence between this conflict and earthly wars. As 
 the leader is at the same time king and priest, so 
 shall the people whom he conducts to war, be an 
 army of priests, arrayed in sacred garments, and not 
 in the bloody clothing of the warrior, which, accord- 
 ing to Isaiah ix. 4, shall be consumed in the flames, 
 together with all the instruments of war, at the ap- 
 pearing of the Messiah, whose kingdom does not, 
 like the former theocracy, stand in need of human 
 weapons.^ Ver. 4. furnishes a strong proof in favour 
 of this interpretation. There God confirms it by an 
 oath, that this king shall be also a priest for ever 
 after the order of Melchisedec, who, according to 
 Gen. XV. 10, united in his own person the regal and 
 the priestly dignity. In this declaration a total 
 
 ^ Calvin : " Deinde ut iterum confirmet regnum hoc deo 
 sacrum esse prae aliis, addit: pulchritudines vel decora sancti- 
 tatis, ac si diceret, non venturos, qui se Christo subjicient, 
 quasi in conspectura profani regis, sed dei ipsius : atque hunc 
 scopum omnibus fore, ut deo cultum exhibeant." 
 
«XX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 change in the previous condition of things is implied. 
 For, according to the Mosaic constitution, the priest- 
 hood was exclusively confined to the family of Levi, 
 durincj- the existence of the old covenant ; and how 
 carefully God watched over the preservafion of this 
 arrangement was shewn in earlier times by the fate 
 of the company of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and 
 afterwards by that of King Uzziah, who, according 
 to 2 Chron. xxvi. 16, was smitten with an incurable 
 leprosy, while intruding upon the priestly office by 
 burning incense in the temple. Theodoret: s/ rohuv 
 sz Aa(3ld 6 Xpiffrhg %ara cdoxa, 6 ds AajSid h. 'lovbcc 
 TTivbi '/tara rriv ruE'v Ms7.^iffsdsx, ao^ts^uffvuTjv iXa(3sv b 
 XpiffTog, Ts-Travrai fMsv rj Asvirizri iiPucvvri, i/g ds rr^v 'lovdcc 
 <pv\r,v 7] TT^g [Mil Povog {soojffvvrjg ihXoyia fiiTs(3ri. Here, again, 
 different methods have been devised to evade the 
 difficulty. Several Jewish interpreters suppose that 
 yi3 priest, here, as in 2 Sam. viii. 18, where it is 
 
 said of the sons of David that they were D^jHJ 
 
 priests^ is used in a civil sense. But then, in answer 
 to this, Michaelis has well remarked that this king, 
 ^s ^niD? is compared with Melchisedec, and conse- 
 quently the word must be understood here in the 
 same sense as in the history of Melchisedec,^ where 
 it undeniably means a priest; and further, that, 
 since ]niD» taken in a civil sense, would imply only 
 
 an inferior dignity, it would be in the highest degree 
 incongruous, after a preamble suited to awaken so 
 great expectation, to ascribe it to the illustrious king. 
 Paulus and De Wette have taken another way. They 
 think, since the kings possessed the highest power in 
 theocratical affairs, that the regal priesthood might be 
 predicated of every king of Israel. That David may 
 be declared a priest only so far as he could be one 
 
 ^ That Melchisedec was a priest, in the proper and full sense 
 of the term, is evinced by the fact, that Abraham acknowiedg-- 
 ed his superiority, although he himself performed the functions 
 of a household priest. 
 
INTRODUCTION. IxXl 
 
 according to the fundamental principles of the Mo- 
 saic Institute, is self-evident ; and that D 71^ 7? be- 
 
 ing limited by the subject, means merely, " during thy 
 lifetime." But this sup|)Osition is untenable. If every 
 king of Israel might have been called "jnij how has 
 
 it happened that not one of them ever received this 
 title ? Even though we were willing to concede that 
 the appellation ] H b^ in a metaphorical sense, could have 
 
 been given to kings, because they exercised the Jus 
 <;irca sacra, yet this figurative sense cannot possibly 
 be the true one in the present instance. For the de- 
 claration of Jehovah is introduced with such solem- 
 nity — " he hath sworn," strengthened by the addition 
 of " and will not repent," as leads us to expect not 
 a mere matter of course/ but something very un- 
 common, and widely different from the existing 
 state of things. Besides the word D /IV? ^^"^^ be 
 
 taken in this connexion only in its most comprehen- 
 sive meaning, as contrasted with the limited period 
 for which the earthly priests exercised their office. 
 The comparison with Melchisedec also, who was a 
 priest in the full sense of the term, shews that a real 
 and perfect priesthood, and an order of things, the 
 reverse of that which then existed, are intended. In 
 this comparison, the priesthood promised to the king 
 is manifestly contrasted with that of Aaron. As in 
 Ps. Ixxii. so also here, the Messianic interpretation 
 is confirmed by the prophet Zechariah. In chap. vi. 
 13, plainly referring to this Psalm, he announces 
 that the Messiah should hereafter unite the regal and 
 the priestly dignity in his own person, and represents 
 this as an occurrence altogether novel and extra- 
 ordinary'. 
 
 ^ Paulus : " David shall be as a priest.** On the contrary, 
 Schnurrer: "Formula: decretum Jehovae est, quod nunquara 
 immutabit, ita comparata, utquod proximis verbis dicitur, non 
 possit non esse grande aliquid, eximium, singulare." 
 
Ixxii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 We come now to ver. 5. As in Ps. xlv. 7- 8, the 
 king is called D^^S^<, in Mai. iii. 1, ]11Kn5 and 
 Isa. ix. 5, 7K> so here he receives the name 'JH}^, 
 
 T ~: 
 
 which is peculiar to God alone, and is never ascribed 
 to any created being. The non- Messianic interpre- 
 ters have attempted to escape from this difficulty in 
 three different ways ; either they have asserted, with- 
 out the semblance of proof, that ^J"!}^ may be used 
 
 in speaking of men, — as Rosenmliller, 1st Ed. — or 
 they have capriciously changed the text so as to 
 read »^1J<, or pt^,' instead of >J-]j^ ;_or, lastly, 
 
 they have supposed that not Jehovah, but the king 
 is addressed, which is the opinion of De Wette. 
 The " Lord on thy right hand," will then mean, 
 " the Lord is thy support." But this opinion is er- 
 roneous. For, first, although it cannot be denied 
 that the expression, to be at the right hand of any 
 one, may import the same as to sustain him ; yet 
 this sense is here inadmissible, because it is not to be 
 supposed that the Psalmist would in so brief a space 
 employ the same expression in both a literal and a 
 figurative sense ; and would say in the beginning of 
 his Psalm, that the king is on the right hand of 
 Jehovah, and here, that Jehovah is on the right 
 hand of the king. 2. But fevv surely will be dis- 
 posed, with Dereser, to refer the 7th verse also^ 
 " he shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore 
 shall he lift up the head," to Jehovah. Ca'vin has 
 well remarked on this verse : " Similitudo est a 
 strenuis et robustis ducibus sumta, qui dum festinant 
 ad hostes persequendos, non indulgent delitiis, sed 
 ad potum contenti sunt obviis quibusque fluminibus, 
 et quidem in transcursu, ut stantes sitim e flumine 
 
 i This is opposed by all the old versions, LXX. Vulg., Syr., 
 At., which translate. The Lord ; arid the Chaldee, The She- 
 chinah of the Lord. 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixxiii 
 
 restinguant. Nam et hoc modo Gideon cordatos et 
 bellicosos milites expertus est, quia ignavos esse 
 coUigens, qui bidendi causa se curvabant, doraum 
 remisit." That this reference is inadmissible was 
 seen by De Wette, who supposes "- a very natural 
 and customary change of person." But however 
 common the change of persons may be, it will surely 
 not readily appear to any one to be natural in the 
 present instance. For it is obviously one and the 
 same warrior, who in ver. 5, 6, with resistless power, 
 overthrows the people and their kings, and in ver. 7 
 is engaged in eager pursuit of the remnant of the 
 host of his enemies, and suffers nothing to stay his 
 course. Still De Wette has laboured to adduce rea- 
 sons against supposing Jehovah to be the object of 
 address. He says, 1. " It is incongruous that Je- 
 hovah should be here addressed and not the king, to 
 whom the discourse had before been directed " But 
 when the dramatic character which this Psalm has in 
 common with Psalm ii. is considered, it is not easy 
 o perceive wherein this incongruity consists. The 
 opinion that the king is addressed, Ps. Ixxii. 5, is de- 
 fended by De Wette himself, although he is not else- 
 where addressed in the whole Psalm, but is always 
 spoken of in the third person ; and a direct address 
 to Jehovah immediately precedes ! The change of 
 the address is in general so frequent, that it is use- 
 less to bring forward examples. 2. " Besides, the 
 king enthroned on the right hand of Jehovah, i. e. in 
 a state of rest, cannot be conceived as engaging in 
 war." This objection is founded on a misunder- 
 standing of the words, "' sit thou on my right hand, 
 until I make thy foes thy footstool." The sense is, 
 although numerous and powerful enemies rise up 
 against thee, they cannot prevent me from making 
 thee a partaker of my dominion, until thou shalt have 
 entirely subdued them by the power which I will 
 impart. That sitting on the right hand does not 
 imply a state of inaction, is evident from ver. 8, 
 where the king appears at the head of a countless 
 
Ixxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 host, and where De Wette himself translates ; 
 *' thy people willingly follow thee to battle," and on 
 V. 7, which he agrees with us in referring to the king, 
 in direct contradiction to his own interpretation, he 
 remarks : " The poet in a lively manner places him- 
 self on the scene of conflict, where his king appears 
 as a triumphant warrior." 3. " The expression ' in 
 the day of his wrath,' agrees better with Jehovah." 
 This is indeed the case if we make the Psalm refer 
 to an earthly king ; but not if its subject is Jehovah's 
 exalted co-regent, the Messiah, of whom it is said 
 also in Ps. ii. 9, that " he will break his enemies 
 with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a 
 potter's vessel," and in v. 12, that " his wrath shall 
 soon be kindled :" '* but blessed are all they that put 
 their trust in Him." 
 
 Relying upon the strength of thc^e reasons, the 
 Christian church has always firmly held the Messi- 
 anic interpretation. Chrysostom says that those who 
 reject it are zu^d'mp o'l /xs^^uoi/rsg -aai f^ridsv 6vfj,(pc/jvov 
 (p'^syyofM'JOt, /xaXXov ^s za^dm^ oi sv ffKorui (SccdiZ^ovng xcci 
 '^roiffaPuffffovTsg aXkriXovg. Not less strong is the lan- 
 guage of Calvin, who must be allowed in this in- 
 stance to be free from prejudice, since he regards all 
 the remaining Psalms of this class as having a lower 
 reference to an earthly king : although in this he is 
 inconsistent, for the subject of them all is manifestly 
 the same : " Quum de se hunc Psalmum compositum 
 fuisse testetur Christus, non aliunde quidem nobis, 
 quam ex ejus ore petenda est certitudo, verum ut 
 cesset ejus auctoritas atque etiam apostoli testimoni- 
 um, Psalmus ipse clamat se non aliam expositionem 
 admittere. Nam ut nobis certamen sit cum pervi- 
 cacissimis quibusque Judaeis, firmis rationibus ex- 
 torquebimus, neque in Davidem, neque in ahum 
 quempiam, excepto solo Mediatore, competere, quae 
 hie dicuntur." Among the modern interpreters, 
 Dathe, Lowth, Michaelis, Kuinol, Muntinghe, v. d. 
 Palm (Einige Liederen von David vertaald en opge- 
 helderd), Knapp, Anton (1. c. p. 18), Schnurrer 
 
INTRODUCTIO:^. IxXV 
 
 (Bib. Arab. II. p. 40), Velthusen (in a peculiar trea- 
 tise in den " Materialien f. d. Synode"), Steudel, 
 Pareau (1. c. p. 510), Kaiser and others, have adhered 
 to the Messianic interpretation, Rosenmliller also, 
 in his second Edition, has adopted it, after having in 
 the first defended the reference to David. 
 
 It might now be expected that tliose who reject the 
 interpretation would justify their disregard of the au- 
 thority of Christ and his Apostles, as well as the in- 
 ternal proofs, by at least the semblance of reason ; 
 but here, as in so many other instances, we must 
 content ourselves with a bare " stat pro ratione vo- 
 luntas." They only occasionally remark, in passing, 
 that the image of a warlike king destroying his foes, 
 which is presented in this Psalm, contains few fea- 
 tures that can agree with Christ. But here we re- 
 ply, 1. That we must carefully distinguish the figure 
 from that which it represents, and not disregard the 
 fact that the features, which form the portrait of this 
 great and more than human king, are taken as usual 
 from an earthly head of the theocracy. Thus the ex- 
 pression, '< God shall send forth the rod of thy 
 strength out of Zion," means in simple language : 
 God under thy reign will greatly enlarge the boun- 
 daries of thy theocracy, hitherto confined to Pales- 
 tine. Comp. Is. ii. 3. Mich. iv. 2. " From Zion 
 shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from 
 Jerusalpm," Ps. Ixxii. 8. So v. 3. The spiritual 
 triumph which Christ gains over the world by his 
 friends and servants, is represented, as is often the 
 case, under the image of a victory in war. The king 
 appears at the head of a host as numerous, as splen- 
 did,^ and entirely and cheerfully devoted to his ser- 
 
 ^ Both are included in the words : " Out of the womb of the 
 early dawn shall be to thee, the dew of thy youth," i.e. thy 
 war-host shall be like the dew, the son of the morning. There- 
 by the increase of the people of Christ, which is as great as 
 unperceived and sudden, and at the same time their amiable- 
 iiess and freshness are designated. 
 
Ixxyi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 vice,' and at the same time, however, the figurative 
 character of the representation is suggested by the 
 expression, '' in sacred ornaments." In v. 5 — 7, the 
 punishment which the king inflicts upon his enemies 
 is represented by the figure of the fearful ruin which 
 an earthly conqueror brings upon his vanquished 
 foes. Comp. the similar representation in Isaiah 
 Ixiii. 2. It is however true that this king, even af- 
 ter the description is divested of its metaphorical 
 character, appears as a severe judge and avenger of 
 his enemies. But here is nothing inconsistent with 
 the fulfilment, when we consider the point of view 
 taken by the Psalmist. It is not the Messiah in his 
 humiliation, who here, as well as in all the other 
 Psalms of this class, presents himself; but the Mes- 
 siah in his glory. The author here, as in Ps. ii., takes 
 his station in that period of time when the Messiah, 
 after having finished his work, has been exalted by 
 God to a participation in his government, and en- 
 dowed with power to subdue his enemies. But, 
 that what Christ says of himself in reference to 
 his lowly condition must not be transferred to him 
 in his state of exaltation, we have already seen on 
 Ps. ii. Comp. also Luke xx. '27. Calvin strikingly 
 observes : '■^ Si quis roget : ubi igitur ille clementiae 
 et mansuetudinis spiritus, quo praeditum fore alibi 
 docet scriptura ? respondeo sicuti erga oves man- 
 suetus est pastor, lupis autem et furibus asper et for- 
 midabilis, ita Christum suaviter et placide fovere eos, 
 qui se ejus custodiae committunt ; sed qui obstinata 
 raahtia excutiunt ejus jugum, sensuros quam terribili 
 potentia instructus sit." 
 
 ' The noun 11^*13 often occurs in the sense : voluntariae 
 
 T : 
 
 ohlationes. Comp. e. g. Exod, xxxv. 29, and indeed not merely 
 in the proper, but also in the spiritual sense, as Ps. cxix. 108. 
 This sense is here also more suitable than the one usually as- 
 signed to the word : willingness, as ahstractum pro concreto, for 
 willing. The people present themselves as a free-will oflFering 
 to their divine king. 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixxvii 
 
 As to the date of the Psahn, Palm and Muntin- 
 ghe, have not, witl.out reason, assigned it to about 
 the same time as the second. This idea is favoured 
 by their great resemblance. In both Psalms, nume- 
 rous enemies, who rise up against the king, are easily- 
 vanquished and destroyed. In both we hear Jehovah 
 assuring the king of dominion and victory over his 
 enemies. The supposition of Pareau, that the union 
 of the priestly and regal dignity in the person of the 
 Messiah, was made clear to David at the bringing 
 up of the ark of the covenant, related in 2 Sam. vi. 
 12 — 19, where he himself, performed in a measure, 
 sacerdotal functions, is inconsistent with the fact, 
 that he had not yet received the Divine promise, 
 which proved the ground-work of all his Messianic 
 hopes and prophecies. 
 
 II. PSALMS IN WHICH THE SUFFERING MESSIAH 
 IS DESCRIBED. 
 
 From the Psalms already examined, we learn to 
 know the Messiah as a divine and glorious king, 
 whom all the nations of the earth shall obey, and also 
 as a priest of a far higher, and more illustrious order 
 than the priest of the first covenant ; who was, con- 
 sequently, to make an atonement for the sins of his 
 people ; for this was the peculiar duty of the sacer- 
 dotal order. But the Psalms are silent, both con- 
 cerning the method, by which, as a king, he should 
 gain his widely extended dominion, and, as a priest, 
 accomplish the work of expiation. Their authors 
 contemplate him as having been already exalted to 
 glory. But in another class of Psalms, those pre- 
 vious sufferings of the Messiah, by which the atone- 
 ment was made, and which were rewarded by his 
 subsequent glorification, constitute the chief object 
 of prophetic vision. This ought not to awaken sur- 
 prise, as we shall, hereafter, more fully show, in the 
 chapter concerning the idea of the sufiering Messiah 
 
Ixxvili INTRODUCTION. 
 
 in the Old Testament. Already in Ps. ii. and ex. in- 
 numerai)le enemies array themselves against the Mes- 
 siah. David himself, and all other true believers of 
 the Old Testament, had so deeply experienced the 
 corruption and wickedness of men, that they could 
 have expected nothing else than the sufferings of 
 their own lives should have their counterpart in the 
 life of the Messiah ; they were, therefore, sufficiently 
 prepared for the Divine revelation on this subject, 
 with which they were favoured. 
 
 To this class belong, especially. Psalms xvi. xxii. 
 xl. It is a peculiarity of those Psalms that the sub- 
 ject of them is himself introduced as speaking, while 
 the subject of the foregoing Psalms is usually spoken 
 of in the third person. Comp. however, Psalm ii. 
 The interpreters who refer these Psalms to the Mes- 
 siah are divided into two classes. 
 
 1. The larger number suppose that the Psalmist 
 made the condition and the sentiments of the suf 
 fering Messiah his own, that he might introduce him 
 as speaking, or rather speak himself in his person. 
 This idea, considered in itself, is not objectionable. 
 Nothing is more frequent in poetry of all kinds, than 
 for persons to be thus introduced, and in prophetic 
 poetry this is the more natural, because the nature 
 of the prophetic vision, in which every thing ap- 
 pears as present, necessarily gives to the representa- 
 tion a dramatic character. Thus, for example, in 
 Ps. ii. the poet at one time speaks in his own person, 
 at another in that of Jehovah, and, lastly, in the per- 
 son of his exalted king ; and this too without par- 
 ticularly designating who it is that speaks. Thus 
 also in Ps. ex. Jehovah appears as the speaker. Thus 
 the prophets in perpetual alternation, speak now in 
 their own person, and now in the person of Jehovah. 
 They represent in their symbolical transactions at 
 one time Jehovah, at another the Jewish people, and 
 then again some other subject. A remarkable il- 
 lustration of this fact is found in Isaiah xlix. As the 
 prophet in chap. xlii. had in his own person directed 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixxlx 
 
 the discourse to the Messiah, as if present, so here 
 he speaks in the person of the Messiah to the Gen- 
 tiles.i 
 
 2. After Calvin and Grotius, other expositors, as 
 Dathe and Steudel, (Disquisitio in Ps. xvi. Tiib. 
 J 821), suppose that there is in these Psalms a sort 
 of double sense ; that the subject of them, in the 
 literal and lower sense, is in each case the author 
 himself, and that when thus interpreted, every thing 
 that is said, proposes a natural and consistent mean- 
 ing. Nevertheless the Holy Spirit so influenced the 
 minds of the writers, that they uttered many things 
 applicable to themselves only in a metaphorical sense, 
 but which were literally and completely fultilfed in 
 the history of the Messiah. In support of tliis method 
 of interpretation, they appeal to the typical character 
 of the Old Testament in general ; the persons and 
 events of which, obscurely represented and pre- 
 figured the Church of the New 'j'estament ; and es- 
 pecially to the circumstance, that David in his suf- 
 ferings and his exaltation was a type of the Messiah. 
 They remark, that in common life a man often utters 
 expressions which he did not at the moment fully 
 comprehend, but which subsequently appear to him 
 of the greatest importance. 
 
 It is easy to perceive the causes which gave rise 
 to this method of interpretation. There are, in the 
 Psalms of this class, besides those special descrip- 
 tions which aie fultilled only in the history of Christ, 
 general representations, which seem better to suit a 
 pious and suffering Israelite, than the Messiah. Thus 
 Psalm xvi. 3, 4, the speaker numbers himself with 
 the pious worshippers of God on earth with whom he 
 contrasts the ungodly. And the whole representa- 
 tion, V. 1 — 8, contains scarcely a peculiar circum- 
 stance which can be found in the history of the 
 Messiah alone, unless, indeed, as many interpreters 
 have done, we supply by a forced interpretation what 
 
 1 See the remaiks of Pareau, I. c. p. 519. 
 
IXXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is wanting in the text. So in Ps. xxii. 5, 6, the 
 speaker appeals to the example of his forefathers, 
 whose prayers God had heard when they were in dis- 
 tress, and grounds upon it his supplication for similar 
 deliverance. Ps. xl. 14 — 18; the description is so 
 general that these verses occur again in Ps. Ixx. — a 
 Psalm of complaint and supplication suited to any- 
 suffering servant of God. And, in general, we find 
 in the Psalms of prayer and complaint, which have 
 no relation to the Messiah, passages entirely parallel 
 with those in the Psalms of this class. These facts 
 persuaded several interpreters to give up, as untena- 
 ble, the opinion that the Messiah speaks in them 
 throughout and exclusively. But, on the other hand, 
 they had too much regard for truth, to deny the 
 special references to the Messiah which they contain, 
 and too much reverence for the testimony of the 
 New Testament to resolve, with the Rationalists, en- 
 tirely to reject the Messianic interpretation. They 
 sought, therefore, to find a middle course. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to remark, that this mode 
 of exposition must be rejected, as soon as the diffi- 
 culty in which it obviously originated is in some 
 other way removed. But this is done, at least as we 
 believe, by the two following considerations: 1. 
 Christ, in his state of humiliation, was entirely like 
 us in every thing, except sin ; like us, he placed his 
 confidence in God, he lamented, complained, pray- 
 ed. Much, therefore, which is said of him must 
 be capable of a more general application. 2. It has 
 been unjustly taken for granted that, if we regard 
 the Messiah as the speaker, we must suppose the au- 
 thors of the Psalms to have been depcived of all 
 agency and consciousness. Whether the Messiah 
 be introduced as speaking himself, or be spoken of in 
 the third person, can here, however, occasion no dif- 
 ference, since the sacred poets would, just as much 
 in one case as in the other, be hurried away beyond 
 the circle of their own conceptions. With respect to 
 those Psalms in which the suffering Messiah appears 
 
INTRODUCTION. IxXXl 
 
 as the speaker, the writers not only received within 
 a general impression of his severe sufferings, but 
 special traits were revealed to them, which were pe- 
 culiar to him, and could be affirmed of no other per- 
 son. In describing this general impression, the 
 ideas already in their minds were employed as the 
 groundwork. As, in their description of the glorified 
 Messiah, an illustrious earthly king serves as the 
 substratum : so here the image in general of a pious 
 man in affliction presented itself to their minds, from 
 their own experience, and that of others. And, like 
 the author of those Psalms which describe him in 
 his glory, they gave to this image those special fea- 
 tures, which suit only the Messiah. And thus all is 
 made clear; and we need not, with the older inter- 
 preters, who overlooked the human features in these 
 Psalms, find special references to the Messiah when 
 none exist, nor with recent interpreters, who per- 
 ceive not the Divine features, deny such references 
 when they are known to exist, both by internal evi- 
 dence, and the clearest declarations of the New Tes- 
 tament. 
 
 The necessity, therefore, which alone could jus- 
 tify this second method of interpretation does not 
 exist. On the contrary, it is liable to several serious 
 objections. 1. One of the most weighty is, that in 
 these Psalms special traits occur, which in no sense 
 can be applicable to David, or any other, pious suf- 
 ferer of the Old Testament. This mode of explana- 
 tion, therefore, is attended with the same difficulties 
 as that which the Rationalists have adopted. See on 
 Ps. xxii. 2. To this it must be added, that it cannot 
 be reconciled with the manner in which these Psalms 
 are regarded in the New Testament, which, without 
 any intimation of a double sense, explains them sim- 
 ply of the Messiah. It even expressly denies the 
 reference of Ps. xvi. to any other object, 3. Ps.xvi. 
 as well as Ps. xl., plainly shev»s how little this mode 
 of interpretation is applicable to all the Psalms of 
 this class. If we refer thorn to the Messiah, they 
 J 
 
Ixxxii INTRODUCTION, 
 
 contain passages which can agree with him only, 
 and in no respect with a saint of the Old Testament 
 under suffering ; as his resurrection in the former, 
 and his sacrificial death in the latter ; if, on the con- 
 trary, we adopt the views of the Rationalists, who 
 make the former speak only of deliverance from 
 great danger, and the latter of willing obedience to 
 the commands of God, the sense is completed in 
 David, or any other pious man in affliction, and the 
 reasons for a higher reference to the Messiah disap- 
 pear. 
 
 Two of the Psalms belonging to this class have 
 been explained at large by Michaelis in his treatise, 
 entitled '■' Critisches Collegium liber die drei wich- 
 tigsten Psalmen von Christo, den 16, 40 und 110. 
 Frankf und Gott. 1759, 8," which while it contains 
 much that is useful, must yet, on account of its ca- 
 priciousness, be used with caution. 
 
 PSALM XVI. 
 
 The contents of this Psalm are as follows : — The 
 speaker commences with a prayer to God for his aid, 
 founded on the assurance that he is his God, and his 
 highest good, v. 1,2. He delights in the society of 
 the faithful worshippers of Jehovah, while he avoids 
 all companionship with those unhappy men, who seek 
 their happiness from other sources and not from God, 
 V. 3, 4. He felicitates himself on account of his in- 
 timate relation to God, which is better than all the 
 good things of earth, and expresses his gratitude for 
 being made a partaker of this blessedness, v. 7. 
 Confiding in his relation to God, he need never be 
 disheartened, on the contrary, even now, in the near 
 prospect of death, he is consoled and joyful from the 
 conviction that the Lord will not leave him forever 
 in its power, but conduct him through it to a new 
 life of happiness and glory, v. 8 — 11. 
 
 The portion of the Psalm, v. 1 — 8, is of a general 
 
I.\TRODUCTIO>f. Ixxxiij 
 
 character ; those who affirm and those who deny its 
 reference to the Messiah are in the main agreed as 
 to its meaning. A difference of interpretation, how- 
 ever, arises at v. 9 — 11. According to the Messi- 
 anic interpretation, the Messiah here expresses the 
 hope of his resurrection and glorification. V. 10 
 will then read, " thou wilt not abandon my soul to 
 Sheol, nor suffer thy holy one to see corruption." 
 
 ^ty with 7, to abandon, DT\tl} corruption. The 
 
 Rationalist interpreters, on the contrary, understand 
 V. 9, 10 as referring to nothing more than the hope 
 expressed by David, or some other pious man, that 
 God would bestow upon him rich blessings even in 
 the present life. They translate v. 10, " Thou dost 
 not deliver over my soul to the realm of Hades, nor 
 suffer thy darling to see the pit." D'Ht^ ^^ the sense 
 
 oi pit. 
 
 The reasons for referring the Psalm to the Mes- 
 siah are the following: — 1. By far the most impor- 
 tant proof is that which is derived from the New 
 Testament. But no where is the testimony more 
 complete than in the present instance ; so that the Di- 
 vine illumination of the Apostles, and even of Christ 
 himself, depends upon the Messianic character of this 
 Psalm : since he promised them this illumination, 
 and in their interpretation of those passages of the 
 Old Testament which related to him, they followed 
 his guidance. Peter, in his discourse immediately 
 after the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit, explains the 
 Psalm of Christ, and indeed of him only, in such a 
 manner that he controverts its reference to David, 
 and assigns the reasons why he could not here have 
 spoken of himself, Acts ii. 25 — 31. Paul also, Acts 
 xiii. 35 — 37, not only refers it to Christ, but opposes 
 the opinion that it was written concerning David. 
 That the Apostles do not here speak in the way of 
 accommodation, as Rosenmiiller and De Wette in 
 reply to Eckermann (Theolog. Beitr. 1. 1. p. 98) re- 
 mark, is evident, not to mention that such an accom- 
 
Ixxxiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 modation is as utterly unworthy of the Apostles as 
 incapable of proof, even from the fact that they find 
 it necessary to vindicate the reference to the Mes- 
 siah, and oppose the reference to David, whence it 
 follows that the former was usual, and the latter pre- 
 valent among those whom they addressed. The as- 
 sertion of De Wette, in direct contradiction to what 
 he had just before remarked in reply to Eckermann, 
 that the Aposiles designed to declare nothing more 
 than that, the fa//, entire, deep truth of the Psalmist's 
 hope was first fulfilled and verified in Christ, fails to 
 redeem their authority, because, according to the in- 
 terpretation of the Rationalists, nothing remains 
 which has not been completely fulfilled in the history 
 of the Psalmist, and of course the Apostles could 
 have had no reason to oppose the correct and literal 
 explanation, which refers the Psalm to David. Mi- 
 chaelis has justly remarked, 1. c. p. 3 : " If what Le 
 Clerc and others allege respecting the literal sense of 
 this Psalm be correct, Peter would have deserved to 
 be told : with all thine apparent candour, thou art a 
 deceiver, seeking to delude the ignorant multitude. 
 Thou pretendest, that the Psalm speaks of a resur- 
 rection from the dead, and is incapable of any other 
 interpretation ; whereas it relates, if literally un- 
 derstood, merely to a deliverance from great dan^ 
 ger of this life, to which David, its author, was 
 more than once exposed/' — Again several defenders 
 of the Messianic interpretation have, not without 
 reason, assumed that, in addition to the testimony of 
 the Apostles, we have also that of Christ himself. 
 For as Christ, according to Luke xxiv. 27> and xliv. 
 46, after his resurrection explained to his disciples 
 the predictions concerning himself in the Old Testa- 
 ment, we should surely expect that a passage to 
 which they give a degree of importance so entirely 
 peculiar, and of which they speak with a conviction so 
 jstrong and free from doulDt, would be one of those 
 which he had interpreted. And as, according to the 
 matter passage, his resurrection also was predicted in 
 
INTRODUCTION. IxXXV 
 
 the prophecies of the Old Testament, where could he 
 more naturally have pointed it out to them, than in 
 the Psalm before us ? 2. Granting, therefore, that 
 we believed the contents of the Psalm to present 
 many difficulties in the way of the Messianic inter- 
 pretation, still, with the modesty which becomes a 
 Christian expositor, we must rather accuse our own 
 ignorance than impute an error to the authors of the 
 New Testament. This, however, is by no means 
 the case. The Messianic interpretation needs no 
 peculiar and forced explanation, in opposition to the 
 laws of the language. On the contrary, although 
 we concede that the older interpreters, particularly 
 Michaelis, have brought forward many reasons for 
 the reference to the Messiah which will not bear ex- 
 amination, and acknowledge also that the method 
 can be philologically justified, by which recent in- 
 terpreters have set aside the references to Christ, 
 which his Church has always found in this Psalm ; 
 we must, nevertheless, assert, that every impartial 
 critic must regard the Messianic interpretation of 
 ver. 9 — 11, as the easiest and most natural, and that 
 it would be universally adopted, were it not for 
 the influence of doctrinal views. And in fact it 
 appears that in ancient times no one ever supposed 
 that these verses could contain any thing else than 
 the hope of a proper resurrection. Paul and Peter 
 presuppose this as an established truth, and they 
 speak with a confidence, which shows that they 
 could not have expected from any of their hearers 
 the objection that the Psalm spake merely of deliver- 
 ance from great danger. That it was believed, that 
 the words, *' my flesh shall rest securely," could be 
 explained only of incorruptibility, is shewn by the 
 Jewish fable founded upon it, that the body of Da- 
 vid did not putrify. See Lightfoot on Acts ii. 29, 
 and the remarkable passage from Jalkut Schimoni, 
 fol. 95, ed. Franc, by Michaelis, 1. c. p. 12. Kimchi 
 also cites as the current explanation of these words, 
 
Ixxxvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " pos.t mortem sibi non esse dominaturum vermem,'* 
 and interprets verses 10 and 11, not of deliverance 
 from danger, but of a happy resurrection. 
 
 It must, indeed, be conceded, that the true import 
 of this :VIessianic prediction was difficult to be under- 
 stood before its fulfilment. This is manifest from 
 the fact, that as early as the time of Christ, it was 
 pretty generally explained of David. But still it was 
 surely by no means impossible for an attentive student 
 of the prophecies to understand it correctly. Whoever 
 had learned from Isaiah liii. to know the servant of 
 God, who, after having died for us, should be exalt- 
 ed to the highest glory, and enjoy a never ending life, 
 or from Ps. xxii. had become familiar with the thought 
 of a Messiah, who should pass through suffering to 
 glory, at]d at the same time had perceived that the 
 speaker in a Psalm was not always of course its sub- 
 ject — might easily come to the conclusion, that not 
 David, but the Messiah, in the expectation of whose 
 advent the whole spiritual life of the people centered, 
 here appears as speaker, and foretells his own resur- 
 rection, x'^nd even granting that no one under the 
 Old Testament attained to this knowledge, it is yet 
 so obvious to us, who can institute a far more exten- 
 sive comparison of the prophecies illustrated by the 
 fulfilment, that we must regard the Messianic inter- 
 pretation as at least the most probable, even without 
 the evidence of the New Testament. That the 
 Psalm, according to the Messianic interpretation, con- 
 tains things beyond the mere human knowledge of 
 the Psalmist, need the less prejudice us against it, 
 since Peter, Acts ii. 30, expressly remarks, that Da- 
 vid as a prophet, i.e. by Divine revelation, here fore- 
 saw the resurrection of Christ. 
 
 We must now proceed to refute the objections 
 which have been brought against the reference of the 
 Psalm to the Messiah. 
 
 1. " Ver. 3, where the speaker expresses his long- 
 ing after the pious worshippers of God, who dwelt in 
 
INTRODUCTIOX, IxXWil 
 
 the land, i. e. in Palestine, does not suit the Messiah, 
 but David, who, fleeing from the presence of Saul, 
 was compelled to take up his abode among the hea- 
 thenish Philistines." Thus Jahn Vatic. Mess. II. p. 
 250. We here, in the first place, offer an explana- 
 tion of this difficult verse. After many had de- 
 spaired of interpreting the received text, and tried 
 a variety of conjectural emendations, its genuineness 
 has been acknowledged by the recent interpre- 
 ters. They translate : " As to the saints which are 
 in the land, and the excellent, all my delight is in 
 them." Thus also Jahn, Rosenmiiller, and De 
 Wette (2d Ed.), after the example of Luther and Storr, 
 among the moderns (obs. p. 295), whose interpre- 
 tation, however, does not entirely agree with that 
 which we have quoted. It is truly said, that the ap- 
 pellation D^Ji^np does not mean perfect moral holi- 
 ness, vvhich, according to the deep knowledge of 
 man's sinfulness among the Hebrews, could be as- 
 cribed to no one, but rather imports, " dedicated to 
 God," corresponding to the uyioi of the New Testa- 
 ment. In this sense it occurs as a designation of the 
 people of Israel, the Priests and the Nazarites. But 
 then, we need not, with De Wette, take *^^"1K, illus- 
 
 frious, in the sense " noble in disposition," in which 
 it never occurs, since according to the parallelism it 
 must likewise signify a character dignitatis, which to 
 be sure presupposes nobleness of disposition. It 
 rather imports, as in 2 Chron. xxiii. 20, the honour" 
 ablcy with only the difference that, there, the honour 
 comes from men, while here it is conferred by God, 
 — But this interpretation is objectionable, not so 
 much on account of the assumed connection of the 
 Nomin, absol. with the preposition b, which, al- 
 though it seldom occurs, is not without example, as 
 because the supposition is groundless, that the Stat, 
 constr. ^nni^ stands here for the Stat, absol. The 
 
 Stat, constr. can properly be placed instead of the 
 
Ixxxviii INTRODFCTION. 
 
 Stat, absol., only when an intimate connection ex- 
 ists, besides that of a genitive case. So before pre- 
 positions, before vau copulative, and the relative. 
 The only example in which, withont such intimate 
 connection, the Stat, constr. is put for the Stat, absol. 
 are 2 Kings ix. 17, and Ps, Ixxiv. 19. But the 
 forms X^V^^l} a"d n^n, which there occur, are to 
 
 be taken as unusual forms of the Stat, absol., and as 
 such they are not without analogy. Comp. Gesenius 
 Lehrg. p. 620 and 467. Ewald Gramm/p. 348 and 
 579. On the other hand, every difficulty will be obvi- 
 ated, if we take b in its usual signification, to — to the 
 saints, i. e, associating with them, belonging to thera 
 — or in the sense, instar, tanquam, arising from this, 
 and which, though less frequent, is equally certain ; 
 see Job xxxix. 16. Thus Winer: " As to the saints 
 who are on the earth, and the excellent ; all my delight 
 is in them ; for : in them 1 have all my delight/' 
 The former interpretation, " associating with them," 
 appears to be preferable from a comparison w^ith the 
 following verse, where the speaker expresses his ab- 
 horrence of all connection with the despisers of 
 God. It was followed by Calvin : " Sanctis me ad- 
 jungam socium, — nempe quod se applicabit ad pios 
 dei cultores et illorum socius erit vel comes, sicuti 
 omnes dei filios fraternae conjunctionis nexu inter se 
 devinctos esse oportet^ ut eodem affectu et studio 
 patrem suum colant." If now we proceed to an ex- 
 amination of the objection of Jahn drawn from this 
 verse, we shall perceive that it rests solely from lay- 
 ing a stress on the words nDH rii^^ ^tl}^- But 
 
 T *• ' V T T V _: 
 
 that there is no reason for this, is evident from the 
 pleonastic use of V"^^ in the other instances, as, for 
 example, in Ps. Ixxvi. 19, *^*)t^ *1DJ^. where it 
 
 occurs in a manner entirely similar. But if a 
 peculiar stress must be laid upon these words, 
 we could much sooner suppose, that the saints on 
 
INTRODUCTION. Ixxxix 
 
 earth are here contrasted with the angels who bear 
 the title D^C^iTp ^a'"' ^5°%^^ ^"^ almost as a proper 
 
 name. See Ps. Ixxxix. 8. Job v. 1, &c. 
 
 2. " Ver. 4 also favours the reference of the Psalm 
 to David. The abhorrence of idolatry, there ex- 
 pressed, does not suit the Messiah, whose chief ene- 
 mies were not idolators, but Jews ; it agrees well, 
 however, with David, who, during his residence 
 among the heathenish Philistines, probably experi- 
 enced strong temptation to idolatry, and at any rate, 
 suffered much from its adherents." Thus Knapp 
 and Jahn, 1. c. But granting that idolatry is in rea- 
 lity the special subject of this verse, as these inter- 
 preters suppose, it would nevertheless furnish no 
 proof against the Messianic interpretation. For in 
 any event it cannot, as Knapp assumes, be inferred 
 from the contents of the verse, that the speaker had 
 been tempted to idolatry, nor, as Jahn supposes, that 
 idolators were his enemies. The speaker would ra- 
 ther merely declare, in ver. 4, his entire separation 
 from idolators, as he does in ver. 3, his fellowship 
 with the pious worshippers of God. The idolators 
 would then be mentioned as species pro genere, for 
 all the despisers of the true God, because these were 
 the chief, at the time of the composition of the Psalm; 
 in accordance with the custom of putting a part 
 for the whole, of which there are examples without 
 number. It is, however, in the highest degree pro- 
 bable, that the supposition that idolatry is particu- 
 larly mentioned, depends entirely on a false interpre- 
 tation. Reliance is placed, in the first place, on the 
 
 words nno nnj^ Dni:2'Vy ^:n■l^ which are 
 
 T T •• — T : - : • 
 
 translated, " many are the idols of those who hasten 
 after other, i. e. gods." But there are many philolo- 
 gical difficulties in the way of this interpretation. 
 The noun ^llH'^V l^as never, like its cognate D'BW* 
 
 the meaning idols; but always that of pains, *l^^? 
 
 never stands alone for other gods, but only where 
 
XC INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Jehovah appears as the speaker, and contrasts him- 
 self with them, as in Isaiah xlii. 8. The passage 
 then should rather be translated as it has been by 
 Storr, Ixosenmiiller, and De Wette, " many are the 
 pains of those who hasten elsewhere." ^^^? as Ac- 
 
 cus. of the Neutr. in answer to the question ivhilher, 
 in the sense alwrsiim, elsewhere. But tliat elsewhere 
 is the same as, " after other gods," which De Wette 
 asserts, is an arbitrary supposition. It signifies any 
 departure whatever from God, any confidence, either 
 in our own strength, or that of other created beings, 
 or of idols. — Nor can it any more be proved from 
 the words, '* I will not pour out their drink offer- 
 ings of blood," that idolators are spoken of in this 
 sense. The best interpreters agree that these words 
 must not be literally understood, and made to refer 
 to the common practice among the heathen of using 
 blood instead of wine in their libations, or of ming- 
 ling wine with blood (See Michaelis, 1. c. p. 107), 
 but that they are rather to be taken in a figurative 
 sense. Drink offerings of blood, that is, those which 
 God as much abhors as if they consisted of blood in- 
 stead of wine, in accordance with his prescription. 
 But God so regards not merely the offerings of ido- 
 lators, but those also of the outward members of the 
 theocracy presented from mere selfish motives, and 
 without that true theocratic disposition which was 
 necessary to render the sacrifice acceptable. See 
 Isa. Ixiii. 3: " He that (with such a wrong disposi- 
 tion) ofiereth an oblation is as if he offereth swine's 
 blood," Prov. xxi. 22 : " The sacriHce of the wicked 
 is an abomination." The sense therefore is : I de- 
 test the sacrifices of the wicked which are displeas- 
 ing to God. Consequently there is no trace of any 
 special reference to idolatry. 
 
 3. "The plural ^n^DH in verse 10 is opposed to 
 
 the Messianic interpretation. It is true that the mar- 
 ginal reading has, instead of this, the singular ^1*DrT> 
 
INTRODUCTION. XCI 
 
 and in favour of this reading there are very nume- 
 rous important and critical authorities. But the read- 
 ing of the text is the more difficult, and therefore to 
 be preferred. According to this, however, the sub- 
 ject of discourse cannot be the resurrection, which is 
 peculiar to the Messiah, but merely a deliverance 
 from dangers which the Psalmist claims for all the 
 pious in general as well as for himself." Thus Ro- 
 senmliller and De Wette. But the marginal reading 
 is certainly the true one. In favour of the singular 
 we have not only the greatest number of manuscripts 
 and the best, {\56 codd. Ken., 80 codd. Rossi), but 
 still earlier testimony. It is confirmed by all the old 
 translations, and by the Apostles Peter and Paul. 
 For when they prove the resurrection of Christ from 
 this Psalm, with the strongest conviction that their 
 proof could not be invalidated, they make it manifest 
 that in their time the reading, Mv holi/ oves, by which 
 their whole interpretation could so easily be refuted, 
 did not exist — and this is confirmed by the silence 
 of the Jews. These reasons are so striking that even 
 the most skilful defenders of the reading ^^I^DH 
 
 Fischer (Proluss. de vit. lexic. N. T. p. 184; seq.) 
 and Stange (Anticrit. in Psalm, p. 101), undertake 
 its defence only on the supposition that the plural 
 here stands for the singular, and they declare that 
 the idea of its being a proper plural is altogether in- 
 admissible. The argument that the more difficult 
 reading is to be preferred here, as well as every 
 where else, which is urged in favour of the plural, 
 is only specious : for it is in general absurd to ex- 
 tend this rule of criticism so far as to disregard the 
 whole weight of external evidence. Besides, the 
 authority of this rule depends entirely on the cir- 
 cumstance, tliat the origin of the easier reading can 
 be more readily explained than that of the more dif- 
 ficult. But here the case is exactly the opposite. The 
 plural must have been extremely welcome to the 
 Jews, because it furnished them with the best means 
 
XCll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of refuting the Messianic interpretation of the Psalm, 
 by which they were embarrassed even by the Apos- 
 tles. That tins reading was used for such a purpose 
 is shewn by the Perusch Tillim des Jacob de Mer- 
 cado Amsterd. 1653: " Scriptum ^^TDP plene 
 
 duobus Jod ut complectatur etiam sanctos alios prae- 
 ter eum. Per ^^I^DH igitur dicere voluit, etiam 
 
 ego horum comprehendor nuraero et ero sicut unus 
 ex illis." See other passages in Aurivillius, de vera 
 Lectione voc. ^^"l^Dn ^^ d. dissert, ed. Michaelis, 
 
 p. 136, If now, the reading ^'I^DH niay at first. 
 
 as Michaelis (Crit. Coll. p. 217), supposes, have ori- 
 ginated by accident, which could so easily happen, 
 or, as Aurivillius, 1. c p. 138, thinks, have been sub- 
 stituted for the reading of the text from polemic 
 zeal against the Christians, in either case it was na- 
 tural for later transcribers to prefer a reading which 
 so greatly favoured the opinions of the Jews, and 
 that, nevertheless, this was done only by compara- 
 tively few, must be ascribed to the entire prepon- 
 derance of external arguments. 
 
 4. " The construction of the verb ^TJ^ ^^ith the 
 
 preposition 7 designates the terminus ad quern. If 
 the Messianic interpretation were the true one, in- 
 stead of ^iJ<ti^^ we should have SlKSJ^D.-" Thus 
 Hufnagel (dissert, in b. Ps. p. 14). But the verb 
 ^tj^ with 7, ^X and 7jr signifies : (0 give i/p one 
 
 — T 
 
 to another, whether to be received or retained the 
 connexion must in every case decide. Michaelis 
 has justly remarked that Sheol is here personified, 
 and represented as an insatiable animal, which will 
 not surrender the prey which it has once overpower- 
 ed. See Prov. xxx. 16. Ps. xlix. 15. Isa. v. 14. 
 
 5. " The noun nHI^ never signifies corrup- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XClll 
 
 tio7iy as it must according to this interpretation, 
 but always grave. And this meaning of the 
 word is here also sustained by the parallelism." 
 Thus Rosenmliller, Jahn, De Wette. It is indeed 
 true that the noun HHt^j commonly derived from 
 
 rW\^ to subside, as ilHJ fron^ HIJ means a pit, a 
 
 grave. But that another riH^) derived from jnil^ 
 
 - - - T 
 
 corrupit, perdidif, with the meaning comiptto^ pu- 
 tredo, was in use in the living language, appears from 
 the testimony of the old translators, who, with the 
 exception of the Chaldee, the latest among them, not 
 only with Peter and Paul, render the word corruption 
 in this passage, but also in others, where the con- 
 nexion requires it to be translated pit. It is even 
 capable of proof, that the word occurs in this sense 
 in the Hebrew text. Allowing it to be doubtful in 
 other passages to which an appeal has been made, it 
 undoubtedly occurs, as Winer also confesses^ in 
 Job xvii. 14, where nnti^ corruption, stands in the 
 
 parallelism with HDI? worm, Ps. Iv. 24, the mean- 
 
 ing corruption is at least altogether the most pro- 
 bable, and approved even by Rosenmi'iller, in con- 
 tradiction to himself; and as to parallelism, that is 
 certainly not destroyed by the Messianic interpreta- 
 tion. For the expression, " thou wilt not give up 
 ray soul to Sheol," is the same, in other words, as 
 " thou wilt not suffer thy Holy One to see corrup- 
 tion," with only the difference, perhaps, that accord- 
 ing to the contrast which already occurs in the fore- 
 going verse, the former, as Dathe^ rightly remarks, 
 relates to the soul, the latter to the body. 
 
 6. " This Psalm coincides so entirely in style, 
 expressions, and sentiments, with the Ivi. Ivii. and 
 
 ^ " Utnimque negat vates sibi eventurum esse, iitqiie ani- 
 
 mae in blNU^ apud inferos, neque corporis in sepuichro diutur- 
 num fore domicilii im.'' 
 
XCIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 lix., which have the same appellation 0r\3f^ i" the 
 
 super.-jcription, and appear from external and internal 
 evidence to relate to David's exile during the perse- 
 cution of Saul, that it must necessarily refer, like 
 them, to David, and to the same circumstances of his 
 life." Thus Rosenuiiilier. But, on the other hand, 
 even De Wette remarks, that he is unable to tind 
 this alleged resemblance ; and surely every one will 
 agree with him after a careful comparison. It is by 
 no means so great as that which it bears to other 
 supplicatory Psalms: its resemblance to them, how- 
 ever, according to our introductor}' remarks, can be 
 no objection to its reference to the Messiah. 
 
 7. " This interpretation is in opposition to all the 
 notions of the Jews respecting the Messiah. They 
 expected Him to be a hero, a conqueror, a mighty 
 king ; — a suffering Messiah was unknown to them." 
 Thus Ruperti (Ps. xvi. illustr. in den Commentt. 
 Theol. ed. Velthusen, etc. t. I.) In answer to this 
 objection, we would refer to the chapter concerning 
 the suffering Messiah in the Old Testament. 
 
 8. " The Jews by no means expected a resurrec- 
 tion of the Messiah, as appears from a passage of 
 Maimonides, quoted by Pococke," (porta Mosis, 
 p. 159, 60, ed. Ox.) Thus Rosennuiller. But if 
 this assertion were correct, still it would furnish no 
 proof; for we can by no means infer with certainty 
 that a doctrine is not contained in the Old Testa- 
 ment, because the Jews, who were not favoured 
 with the light afforded by the fulfilment, and were 
 moreover bUnded by manifold prejudices, did not 
 find it there. The assertion, however, is entirely 
 erroneous. The unimportant testimony of the phi- 
 losopher Maimonides, is more than overbalanced by 
 the passages which Schottgen (de Messia, p. 565, 
 seq.), has adduced from the Sohar, the Talmud, and 
 Jalkut Shimoni. See Heinrichs on Acts xi. 24. 
 
 Among the recent defenders of the Messianic in- 
 terpretation are to be mentioned, — Michaelis, Dathe, 
 
INTRODUCTION. XCV 
 
 Anton (1. c. p. 19), Schnurrer (dissert, p. 119, ff), 
 Ringeltaube, Dereser, Pdieau (1. c. p. 499, 509, 
 519), Steudel, — who, nevertheless, supposes that the 
 speaker is properly David, who, ver. 8, assumes 
 the person of the Messiah, — Kai:;er, who sets up the 
 strange hypothesis that David here speaks in the 
 name of the high priest, in abstractor but yet inter- 
 mingles special traits which suit only his antitype, 
 who was to be at the same time both king and high 
 priest, — and others. 
 
 PSALM xxir. 
 
 This Psalm consists of two parts, ver. 1 — 22, and 
 28 — 32. A worshipper of God in extreme distress 
 presents before him his anxious complaint. He re- 
 minds him, that since he had always delivered his 
 pious forefathers from their affliction, he would ap- 
 pear to act inconsistently should he, on the contrary, 
 abandon him to his unparalleled sufferings, to the 
 contempt of the whole people, to the bitter mockery 
 and scorn of his enemies, ver. 1 — 8. He prays 
 that God, who had watched over him with such 
 tender love from the commencement of his being, 
 would not now forsake him, ver. 10 — 12. But 
 the feeling of misery is still too strong to be over- 
 come : he is not yet consoled by the inward assu- 
 rance that his prayer is heard. Again, therefore, does 
 he give utterance to his emotions, and bewail his still 
 increasing wretchedness. He is encompassed by nu- 
 merous blood-thirsty foes. The most dreadful suffer- 
 ings have consumed all his strength, intense thirst tor- 
 ments him ; they have pierced his hands and his feet ; 
 every member is made to feel its peculiar anguish. His 
 enemies feast their eyes with malicious joy upon the 
 spectacle which he presents. They part his garments 
 among them, and cast lots upon his vesture, v. 13 — 19. 
 This repetition of his complaint is then followed, v. 
 
XCVl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 20 — 22, by a repetition of his prayer, now accom- 
 panied by the assurance of a favourable hearing. 
 
 In the second part, the speaker declares the method 
 in which he will manifest his thankfulness for the pro- 
 mised deliverance, and also the consequences which 
 shall flow from it. When freed from his distress he 
 will highly extol the goodness of God, and exhort 
 the believing Israelites to praise Him and put their 
 trust in Him, v. 23 — 25. And, what is of still higher 
 importance, he will celebrate a sacrificial feast in 
 honour of his Lord, in accordance with his vow. 
 This sacrificial feast shall be of a kind altogether un- 
 usual. Not merely the poor shall be partakers of it, 
 but those also who enjoy the greatest abundance 
 shall be invited along with the most needy. It shall 
 not be too simple for the latter, and the former shall 
 not be excluded from it by their wretchedness. And 
 not only shall the believing Israelites, in great num- 
 bers, come to this feast, but the heathen likewise, 
 from one end of the earth to the other, after they 
 shall be converted to God in consequence of the de- 
 liverance of his devout worshipper ; who is, hence- 
 forth, to be acknowledged as Lord and King in all the 
 world. The nourishment which this feast will sup- 
 ply is not merely transient and corporeal, calling for 
 nothing more than momentary gratitude. It is spiri- 
 tual and everlasting, v. 26 — 30. Nor are the conse- 
 quences of this memorable transaction to be limited 
 to the present time. The heathen, who consecrate 
 themselves to Jehovah, are, henceforth, to be num- 
 bered for ever among his people, hitherto limited to 
 Israel alone,' and the mercy of God in the deliver- 
 
 1 We explain the second member, from v. 31, with Dathe 
 and Jahn : " deo erunt ut nova generatio ascripti, i. e. in cata- 
 logum membrorum novae ecclesiae referentur." The verb 
 *13D> in the sense denied by Rosenmiiller : numerare, Ps. xl. 
 
 6. Job xxxviii. .^7. I'he forced interpretation, it sliall be re- 
 lated by the Lord in future generations, owes its origin solely 
 
INTRODUCTIOX. XCVll 
 
 ance of his servant shall be celebrated with joyful 
 thanksgiving from generation to generation, v. 31, 
 32. 
 
 Interpreters have taken three different views of 
 this Psalm. 
 
 1. The modern Jews and the Rationalists. These, 
 are unanimous only in their opposition to the Mes- 
 sianic interpretation : in all other respects the great- 
 est difference prevails among them. Many of them, 
 proceeding upon the supposition that David is named 
 as the author in the superscription, make him also the 
 subject. But they differ widely when they attempt 
 to fix on the period, in the life of David, to which 
 the Psalm relates. Some refer it to the time of 
 Saul's persecution ; others, of David's flight from 
 Absalom, and others, still, of the Syrian war. On 
 the other hand, some interpreters of this class confess 
 that no corresponding condition can be found in the 
 life of David, tind seek for another subject in Jewish 
 history. So Jahn, (Vaticinia Messiana^ II. p. 267, 
 secj.), who regards Hezekiah as such. And, lastly, 
 others, seeing the difficulties which attend the refe- 
 rence of it to any individual subject besides the Mes- 
 siah, resort to a supposed personification. So Kim- 
 chi,^ and Jarchi,^ who make the subject of the Psalm 
 the suffering of the Jewish people in their present 
 dispersion, and De Wette who seems inclined to the 
 opinion that it describes the sufferings in the Baby- 
 lonian exile. 
 
 to the effort to set aside the Messianic feature. The transla- 
 tion of ^^iX 7 by : hy the Lord, is as harsh as that of ^1^7 
 by : in future generations, and is unauthorized. 
 
 ^ " Majores nostri dicunt, hunc Psalmum de Esthere esse 
 compositum, et de Israelitis, qui tunc temporis versabantur in 
 exilio — Rectius videtur si dicatur, per cervam aurorae desig- 
 nari congregationem Israelitarum in praesenti exilio positorum. 
 — Singular! numero utitur, de toto populo Israelitico simullo- 
 quens ; ipsi enim omnes sunt quasi homo unus in exilio." 
 
 ^ " Itura est (congregatio Isr.) in exilium dixitque David 
 orationem istam de tempore futuro." 
 
-^CVIU INTRODUCTIOiN, 
 
 2. A second class suppose that it contains many 
 things which must be referred only to David, and 
 others which iire peculiar to Christ. They seek to 
 reconcile this, i)y the supposition that David himself 
 was the sufferer, and composed the Psalm about the 
 time of Saul's persecution, or Absalom's rebellion ; 
 but that, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he 
 uttered many things which are applicable to him only 
 in an inferior, or a metaphorical sense, but are lite- 
 rally and completely fulfilled in the history of the 
 Messiah. Thus Calvin, Mdancthon, Musculus, 
 Rudinger, Grotius, Venema, Dathe, Seiler, Kuinoel, 
 and others. 
 
 3. And lastly, by far the greatest number of inter- 
 preters acknowledge the Messiah as the exclusive 
 subject of the Psalm. This interpretation was fol- 
 lowed by a portion of the older Jews. It has always 
 been the prevailing one in the Christian Church. 
 
 It has been held in recent times by Michaelis, 
 Knapp, Ringeltaube, — who has given us several im- 
 portant remarks, — Less (von der Religion, u. s. w. p. 
 668, seq.), Muntinghe, Hensler (Bemerkungen zu 
 Stellen in den Psalmen und der Genesis, p. 42, seq.), 
 Uhland (anim.add. exeg. in Ps. xj^ii. Tub. ISOOj, 
 Dereser, Pareau (!. c. p. 509), Kaiser and others. 
 
 We feel compelled b}^ the weight of evidence, to 
 decide in favour of the last interpretation. The 
 principal arguments are the following: 
 
 1. It is sustained by the testimony of tradition. 
 It is true that De Wette asserts, p. 238, that the 
 Psalm was never understood by the Jews of the suf- 
 fering Messiah. • But this groundless assertion is 
 sufficiently refuted by the clear testimony drawn 
 
 ' Jahn endeavour-i in vain to prove from Matth. xxvii. 43, 
 that in the time of Christ, the Psalm was not understood of 
 the Messiah. It cannot even be inferred from that passaj^e, 
 th(nigh it is probable, for other reasons, that tlie Jews who 
 mocked Jesus, and who surely did not belong to the better 
 por(i>M, wlio were dpable of rt'ceiving the idea of a suffering 
 Messiah, did not adopt the Messianic interpretation. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XClX 
 
 from the Jewish writers by Jo. H. Michaelis, Comm. 
 in Ps. p. 138, and Schottgen, de Messia, p. 232, etc. 
 These passages are the more conclusive, because the 
 Jews must have been extremely desirous to find out 
 some other mode of explaining the Psalm, both on 
 account of their opposition to the idea of a suffer- 
 ing Messiah, in general, and of the embarrassment in 
 which they were involved by its close agreement, ac- 
 cording to the Messianic interpretation, v/ith the 
 history of Jesus Christ. Hence w^e cannot explain 
 why this interpretation was not entirely and univer- 
 sally rejected in any other way than by supposing 
 that the doctrinal interest of the Jews was counter- 
 acted by the authority of tradition. 
 
 2. We urge, in the next place, the testimony of 
 the New Testament. That Christ, according to 
 Matth. xxvii. 46. Mark xv. 34, uttered the first 
 words of this Psalm on the cross, would not of itself 
 be conclusive, because he may have used them 
 merely in the way of accommodation. It is, however, 
 a fact well worthy of attention. But, on the other 
 hand, nothing can be more unnatural than the supposi- 
 tion, that the quotations in John xix. 24, and Heb. 
 ii. 11, 12, are mere allusions. 
 
 3. But the most conclusive evidence is that drawn 
 from internal sources. Numerous traits are here 
 combined, v/hich either singly, or at least in this 
 combination, are not found in the history of David, 
 or of any other person than the Messiah. And here, 
 before we proceed to particulars, we must premise a 
 general remark. The opposers of the Messianic in- 
 terpretation, as Hufnagel and Rosennfuller, have 
 made the task easy for themselves, by considering, 
 separately, and not in their mutual connexion, those 
 features which are appropriate to the Messiah. But 
 it is this latter consideration which is of peculiar 
 force ; for nothing but doctrinal prejudice can sup- 
 pose that all the circumstances which have so lite- 
 rally concurred in the history of Jesus, can be met 
 with in the same combination, in the life of anv other 
 
*- INTRODrCTIOX. 
 
 person. It is on this account that those facts be- 
 come significant, wliich. as the piercing of the hands 
 and feer, are not in themselves considered peculiar 
 to Christ, and may be often repeated. Let us here 
 present, in one view, the principal characteristics of 
 the Messiah. V. 8, it is said: " All that see me 
 laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake 
 the head." Matth. xxvii. 39: 0/ 6= -a^a-o^vofj[Mz\oi 
 s3Xaff^7;/xo-jii avrbv^ x/voi/vrfc rag xs^aXd; airu/v. V. 9, 
 the scojBTers are introduced saying : " He trusted on 
 the Lord, that he would deliver him: let him deliver 
 him, seeing he delighted in him." On the other hand, 
 in ^Matth. xxvii. 43. thev sny : -iTc/^sv s-i t6\ ^hos-- 
 p-jadc^M vDv a-j-ov =/ ^iXs/ a-j-6i. Both passages so li- 
 terally correspond, that the resemblance cannnot 
 possibly be regarded as the result of accident. 
 Michaelis has very properly remarked : " They 
 quoted from this Psalm as people are accustomed to 
 do, who are much conversant with the Bible, because 
 its language harmonized with their sentiments, with- 
 out being aware of its character, and how unhappily 
 for themselves they were fulfilling its predictions." 
 But even were we to suppose that the revilers of 
 Christ used these words independently of the Psalm, 
 still the coincidence would not be at all the less re- 
 markable. It is also manifest that Matthew select- 
 ed from among the many words that were uttered, 
 these especially, for the purpose of pointing out the 
 agreement between the prophecy and its fulfilment. 
 Nor is there any duubt that, in bringing forward the 
 remaining circumstances in which this agreement 
 consists, he designed to lead the reader of himself to 
 the conviction, that in the suflTerings of Christ, the 
 most remarkable predictions of the Old Testament, 
 respecting the Messiah's suflTerings, were completely 
 fulfilled. And hence the opinion of those who main- 
 tain that the distinct citations from this Psalm 
 are mere allusions, appears still more erroneous. 
 Ver. 15. 16, we read: *' I am poured out like 
 water, and all my bones are out of joint ; my 
 
INTRODUCTION. CI 
 
 heart is like wax : it is melted in the midst of 
 my bowels. My strength is dried up like a pot- 
 sherd ; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws ; and 
 thou hast brought me into the dust of death." 
 These words were literally fulfilled in the inex- 
 pressible anguish attending the crucifixion of 
 Christ.' The exact fultilment of the circumstance, 
 " my tongue cleavetii to my jaws," which indicates 
 extreme thirst, (Lam. iv. 4), is expressly mentioned 
 by John xix. '2b^ But one of the most remarkable 
 
 traits is that in ver. 17, ^Sjlll H' HND- But 
 
 T : - : - T • -: T 
 
 here a more thorough investigation is requisite, in 
 order to show, that these words must necessarily re- 
 fer to Christ; since attempts have been made in 
 various ways to disprove it. The form ^*)JO oc- 
 curs, besides, in Isaiah xxxviii. 13, where it means, 
 as a lion. Some interpreters, after the example of 
 the Jews, as Paulus and Ewald (Hebr. Gramm. p. 
 296) have adopted this meaning in the passage be- 
 fore us. But this interpretation is liable to the fol- 
 lowing objections, which have induced Rosenmiiiler, 
 Jahn, De VVette, Gesenius, and Winer, decidedly to 
 reject it. It by no means gives a consistent mean- 
 ing. The verb '^^Q'pn can mean only surround- 
 ed, on account of the parallelism with ^^I^^D* by 
 
 T : 
 
 which the interpretation also attempted by some : 
 '' they have crushed," (in other respects also inad- 
 missible, since in Hiphil it never occurs in this sense) 
 is entirely excluded. If now, with i^benezra and 
 
 ^ Hufnagel, diss, in h. Ps. : " Acerbissimos dolores his ver- 
 bis graviter describit, summosque cniciatus ita hominem affi- 
 cere docet, ac si ipsa corporis compages firmis nexibus super- 
 structa iis omnino destituatur." 
 
 2 So also ver. 19 : " I can number my bones," which Jahn 
 rightly explains : " in singulis meis ossibus tremorem singula- 
 rem sentio, ut ea dinumerare possim." 
 
C»l INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ev. aid we take ''^^^^ as nominative, in the sense of: 
 
 • ~: T 
 
 "as a lion," it is impossible to see how a lion can 
 surround the hands and feet. At all events, the 
 figure would have been very unsuitable. Or, if 
 with Paulus, we take the HJ^IJ in the accusative : 
 
 • ~: T 
 
 " as a lion," rhe meaning is still more incongruous ; 
 since the sufferer, who in ver. 7> under a deep sense 
 of his misery, calls himself a worm, cannot possibly 
 here compare himself with a lion. 2. Exegetical 
 tradition also decides against this interpretation. 
 The Masora parva remarks on this place, that 
 ' n^D occurs here in a different sense from that which 
 
 it has in Isa. xxxviii. 1.3, where it plainly means, <'as 
 a lion." All the old translators, although they differ 
 in other respects, agree in regarding it as a verb, 
 .3. If this interpretation be adopted, it is impossible 
 to account for the origin of the various readings, 
 
 nNO'-rtsO, and nD.^ 
 
 ■ -: T -; T y 
 
 We must, therefore, adopt the explanation of this 
 difficult word, which, after the example of Pococke, 
 Notae miscell. ad port. Mosis, p. 57), Gesenius, 
 (Hebr. Wtb. II. 1339. Lehrgb. p. 526), De Wette 
 and Winer have approved. 
 They take the form ^IJiJ^ as the irregular plural for 
 
 • - : T 
 
 D^'^^?ID• It is true, after Verbriigge, Ewald hasob- 
 jected, that this irregular plural form is only an ar- 
 bitrary supposition ; for the single example of 'j/^Di 
 
 Ps. xlv. 9, is insufficient to justify the assumption of 
 this plural form. It is self evident that the rendering 
 " more than I," adopted by Ewald, is extremely 
 forced; and it has already been criticised by Winer. 
 Not less unnatural are most of the remaining explana- 
 tions, by which Ewald has endeavoured to set aside 
 the examples adduced by Gesenius. This form will 
 
 1 See, on the other hand, Bochart Hieroz. c. 780. Michaelis 
 Or. Bibl. XI. 209^ etc. 
 
l^TIiOBrCTICN. ClU 
 
 consequently then be the plural participle of "^O- 
 Although this participle is properly '^^, yet the scrip- 
 
 T 
 
 tio plena is not in other instances without example. 
 Thus Hos. X. 14, ::il^^. V. Ez. xxxviii. 24, 26, D'OK^ 
 (despisers) ; see Ges. Lehrg. p. 401. The readings 
 found in some manuscripts and editions, n!^l3 — 
 ^■^^^j and T^^, give the same sense as that of the 
 
 -; T T 
 
 t€xt, which, to say nothing of its being found in all 
 the manuscripts, deserves the preference, because it 
 is the more difficult, and it is easy to explain how 
 the others originated from it. The first mentioned, 
 which arose from ignorance of the irregular form of 
 the plural, is, likewise, the participle, according to 
 the scriptio plena. The only difference is, that Ht^Dj 
 
 • -: T 
 
 as the plural absolute, would govern the following 
 nouns in the accusative, to which Rosenmliller very 
 unreasonably objects, while, on the other hand, 
 ^"i^O^ as the plural construct,, would be connected 
 
 v/ith the genitive- The second, arising from the 
 same effort to avoid tlie irregular plural, is the scrip- 
 tio plena of the preterite of the verb lO* entirely 
 sj'nonymous with the reading of the text, according 
 to which also the participle is put for tlie finite verb, 
 as is often the ease. The third is also the praeterite of 
 the verb "*lO» with the rejection of the inserted ^, 
 eonirary to the general rule. 
 
 The question now arises, What meaning shall be 
 given to the verb ^O, which does not again occur 
 in Hebrew? The interpreters have here compared 
 
 1. The Arabic verb ,1j for ^S . To this they 
 
 give the meaning : valide constrinxit, arete colligavit : 
 *' they have bound my hands and feet." Thus 
 Kosenmiiller, Gesenius, De Wette, Winer. But it 
 is scarcely conceivable how an interpretation, wliich 
 has so little philological support, could be so well re- 
 ceived. This sense of the word is entirely without 
 
CIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 proof, it is not once given by Golius, nor the Camus, 
 from which he drew his materials. For when it is 
 
 said in the Camus ^tX>CO>^ ^s*:^* c.Ia^I! ^T^ 
 Kavvara Imataa, " to collect and bind things ;'* it by 
 no means follows that the verb }S can have only the 
 meaning to hind, which is not given to it either in the 
 first or any of the derivative conjugations. Plainly, its 
 chief import is rather that oi collecting^ and the idea 
 of binding is only mentioned incidentally as some- 
 thing belonging to that. It is also expressly remark- 
 ed that even in the sense, to collect, the verb is used 
 only of things ; on the contrary, the expression 
 
 J^^^! ,^3 has an entirely different meaning, as we 
 shall soon more clearly see. 
 
 2. Others (Fuller, Jahn) give to the verb 'n^]^ the 
 medimn^ foedare. Thus, of old, Aquila, who trans- 
 lates : fiGynjvav. Foedare would then mean, accord- 
 ing to a mode of speech which often occurs — seethe 
 examples by Fuller, (Miscell. III. 12,) and by 
 Bochart, (Heiroz. c. 780, ed. IV.) — to stain with 
 blood, and as to the sense, this interpretation would 
 be about the same as the following. But for this 
 meaning there is no sufficient philological support. 
 It is founded, chiefly, on the fact that in the Mischna 
 *n5^J' occurs in the sense, turpe, foedum ; see Bux- 
 
 torf. But then ^^KD stands for the usual *nVD» 
 
 T T 
 
 according to a permutation of J< and y, which is fre- 
 quent in the late usage of the language. The Syriac 
 has also been appealed to, where the verb j\\zi has 
 the meaning : reprehendit, incusavit, pudefecit, but 
 this meaning is very far-fetched. Lastly, the Arabic 
 
 tS.y^=i.^ seems, per consequens, to mean : ugly, of- 
 fensive to the sight. The original meaning appears 
 
 J - J .- 
 
 to be that given in the Camus, (jaj-^!\ -v^W 
 
INTRODUCTION. CV 
 
 short, broad, derived from the verb )S in the sense, 
 to collect. 
 
 3. On the other hand, there is every thing in 
 favour of giving the verb "HO the sense, to pierce 
 through. 'Ihis interpretation is sustained, 1. By the 
 Hebrew usage. ")^^ is then synonymous with the 
 verb n"^D' ^o bore through, which often occurs. 
 
 T T // " L • 
 
 Such a permutation of the verbs ly and H / ^s very 
 common. Thus QT^ and nD"!^ to be silent, '1']^ 
 
 and HDI to bruise, p^ and JITH to despise^ and 
 
 T T T T 
 
 many others. 2. The testimony of the Seventy, who 
 translate oj^v^av yj-hcLc, i^ou kui 'rrodocg /j^ov as well as 
 the Syriac version, which has oxio perforarunt, 
 transfixerant, and the Vulgate foderunt. This coin- 
 cidence of the three most important direct transla- 
 tions, deserves great regard. 3. And, lastly, the com- 
 parison with the Arabic is decisive. There the agree- 
 ment of 10 with niDj which we have assumed 
 
 T T 
 
 really exists. In the Camus it is said : j-j^^lk^S 
 
 ^jhj\.\\ jk::>, " The verb ^^IT in the II. signifies to 
 
 dig in the earth; further, ,^^=i.'S^ ^c-as ^r^ ^ 
 -Ufi^ in the II. with Accus. of the person the verb 
 }S means to cut to the ground, and is passive in the 
 
 V. and VIII." Then : ^Xxk <s\ \^^S ^^ " ^\f 
 in the II. with the Accus. of the person, is synony- 
 mous with ^ . yxls to bjre through.'* 
 
 And thus it appears that the translation, " they 
 have pierced through my hands and feet," is the 
 only one sustained by philological and sutficient ar- 
 guments. These words, however, can refer neither 
 to David, nor to any other sufferer, except the Mes.- 
 
C VI INl-RODUCTION. 
 
 siali, since, as Gesenius remarks, See p. 1340, " men 
 pierced indeed the body of their enemy, but not his 
 hands and feet." They rather refer to Christ, who, 
 as in consequence of the punishment of the cross, 
 endured this suffering. 
 
 But here we meet with yet another difficulty. 
 After it had been from the earliest time received by 
 the Church as an unquestionable fact, that when 
 Christ was crucified, not merely his hands, but also 
 his feet were pierced through with nails, an attempt 
 has been made, after the example of Dathe, by Pau- 
 lus, (Memorab. IV. p. 36. seq u. Comment, z. N. T. 
 III. p. ^51, seq.), to prove that this was not the case. 
 He has been followed by Rosenmliller, Kumoel, 
 Fritsche, and many others, no one of whom has 
 thought of examining his proofs, which may be so 
 easily refuted, and clearly manifest the existence of 
 doctrinal prejudice, and the desire of selling aside a 
 Messianic prediction/ that has clearly been fulfilled. 
 We cannot here enter into a full examination, but 
 shall endeavour to offer such remarks as may suffice 
 to refute it. We observe, in the first place, that not 
 a single reason can be adduced for the opinion that 
 the feet were not naihd ; since the passages in which 
 the feet are said to have been bound with cords, 
 plainly prove nothing ; for the hands also were 
 bound, yet they were afterwards nailed. On the 
 contrary, it can be proved by the surest historical 
 testimony, that the nailing of the feet actually took 
 place. An important proof passage is found in 
 Plautus (Mostellaria, act. 2. sc. 1. v, 13.) There a 
 slave who expected the worst consequences from the 
 return of his master, exclaims, " Ego dabo ei talen- 
 tum primus qui in crucem excucurrerit, sed ea lege, 
 ut offigantur, bis pedes, bis brachia." The word 
 offigantur stands here as Bothe, IV. p. 514, remarks., 
 
 * There is also the further difficulty, that if the foet of 
 C'hribt were pierced, it caTinot be explained from natural causes, 
 how at his resurrection, he could leave the grave, and walk 
 about. 
 
iKTROBUCTlvOX. CVa 
 
 in the sense of offignnfiir^ wliich is the reading in 
 several editions, as the Bipont, and that of Gronovius. 
 Paulas seeks to evade the force of this passage on 
 tvi'o grounds. Me remaiks, 1. " It is manifest here, 
 from the tenor of this discourse, that the slave ex- 
 pected something uncommonly severe and cruel, and 
 of course, that qffigi pedes, was not usual in the pu- 
 nishment of the cross.' But all that is extraordinary 
 here, is manifestly what is implied in the word bis ; 
 usually the i^ands and feet were nailed but once ; the 
 slave dreaded a double nailing. The offigi pedes 
 stands, moroever, in the same relation as the offigi 
 brachia, and can be regarded as extraordinary no 
 more tlian that. 2. " The text is uncertain. More 
 correctly may be read with Pareus, lU cbfringantitr^ 
 bis pedes, bis brachia, and then the subject of dis- 
 course will be the breaking of the arms and legs, as 
 in the case of malefactors." But this reading is ab- 
 surd, since the breakings of the legs shortened and 
 alleviated the punishment, instead of aggravating it. 
 It is to be rejected on other grounds also. Pareus, 
 upon whom Paulus relies, has it in his edition of 
 1610 ; but. on the other side, in the edition of 1619, 
 and in the analectis Plautinis, he gives the reading 
 qffigaiitur^ which is confirmed by manuscripts, and 
 which nothing but doctrinal prejudice can reject, in 
 opposition to all critical authority (v. Bothe, 1. c.) 
 The second important passage is taken from Tertnl- 
 lian (adv. Marcionem, III. 19. ed. Wiirz. I. p. 403.) 
 "' Si adhuc quaeris dominicae crucis praedicationem, 
 satis jam potest tibi facere vigesimus primus Psalmus, 
 totam Christi continens passionem, canentis jam tunc 
 gloriam suam : foderunt, inquit, manus meas et pe- 
 des, quae propria (al. edd. proprie) esO- atrocia 
 crucis.' The testimony of this writer is of the 
 highest authority, because he lived at a time when 
 crucifixion, which was first abolished under the 
 Christian emperors, was still practised, and he here 
 declares, that the nailing of the feet, as well as the 
 
 ^ The reading, probably, ought to be erant — R. J. 
 
CVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 hands, belonged to the peculiar severity of this pu- 
 nishment. Paulus has here also invented a way of 
 escape. He remarks, 1. c. p. 755 : Tertullian means 
 to assert that the crucifixion of Jesus was attended 
 with uncommon cruelty. But this extremely forced 
 interpretation cannot be admitted, because in that 
 case, instead of est we should have had erat ; and 
 because the words " quae propria est atrocia crucis," 
 relate, not merely to the piercing of the feet, but 
 likewise, of the hands ; wjiich, therefore, must also 
 be regarded according to Paulus, as a degree of 
 cruelty peculiar to the crucifixion of Christ. 
 
 It is, therefore, sufl^iciently evident that in the pu- 
 nishment of the cross, not merely the hands, but 
 also the feet were pierced through. This is estab- 
 lished also by the fact, that the Fathers in the nu- 
 merous instances, where they refer to the piercing 
 of the feet of Christ, never so much as intimate that 
 this was any thing uncommon, but always speak of 
 it as the inevitable attendant of crucifixion. But 
 even if it were not capable of proof, as it clearly is, 
 that the nailing of the feet was customary in the pu- 
 nishment of the cross, we should still have evidence 
 that it was done at the crucifixion of Christ, though 
 it might have been unusual. We will not here ap- 
 peal to the testimony of the Fathers, among whom 
 Justin says: " As they crucified Him, they pierced 
 through his hands and feet, by driving in nails." 
 Since it may be objected with some plausibility, as 
 it has been by Paulus, that the reference of this 
 Psalm to his crucifixion, gave rise to the idea that 
 the feet of Christ were nailed. We rely only on the 
 passage in Luke xxiv. 39 : /^srs Taqy^zi^ac, y^vo xa; toxjc, 
 mhag ^ou, on uvtoc lyu) sJ/j^i. The way in which Pau- 
 lus endeavours to evade this testimony, is, indeed, 
 ingenious, but not on that account the less unsatis- 
 factory. He supposes that Christ showed to his 
 disciples, his hands and his feet, not as those parts 
 of his body in which the marks of the crucifixion 
 were visible, but as those which, being naked, would 
 give them an opportunity of seeing that he possessed 
 
INTRODUCTION. CIX 
 
 flesh and bones. In opposition to this, we have not 
 only the corresponding passage in John xx. 27, 
 where Christ convinced Thomas of the identity of 
 his person^ by showing the wounds in his hands and 
 side ; but the expression itself shows that the dis- 
 ciples were first to identify his person (oV/ ahroc, syu) 
 si,(^i)i by seeing the wounds in his hands and feet, 
 and then convince themselves by the sense of touch, 
 that his body was real, and not a mere apparition. 
 Paulus also objects that Christ is said in John, to 
 have shown only his hands and side, but not his 
 feet. But with equal propriety it might be inferred 
 from Luke xxiv. 39, where he shows only his hands 
 and feet, that the wounds in his side never existed. 
 The truth is, that Christ pointed as he pleased, 
 sometimes to these, sometimes to those marks of his 
 identity. To have appealed to them all on every oc- 
 casion, would have been superfluous. Another way 
 of evading the force of this passage has been chosen 
 by Kuinoel and others. They suppose, indeed, that 
 Christ pointed out his hands and feet, as the parts 
 in which the marks of his crucifixion were visible, 
 but contend that these marks in the feet were not 
 made by nads, but the cords with which they had 
 been bound. But then it would be impossible to 
 conceive why he did not much oftener appeal to the 
 far stronger evidence of the wound in his side, since 
 some remaining traces of the cords on his feet could 
 not surely prove the identity of his person. 
 
 And thus it has been fully shown that, notwith- 
 standing all the objections and difficulties that 
 have been invented and urged, the reference of v. 17 
 to the death of Christ on the cross, stands sufficiently 
 confirmed. The stronger objection advanced by 
 Hufnagel, and repeated by Rosenmiiller, that had 
 the author intended to predict the sufferings of 
 Christ on the cross, he must have given a far more 
 accurate and detailed description, is scarcely deserv- 
 ing of refutation. For there are traits which, to say 
 the least, do not so fully agree with the sufferings of 
 
ex INTRODUCTION. 
 
 any other person, as those of the Messiah. See v. 
 15, IG, and 18, and it is unreasonable to require 
 that prophecy should be as clear and circumstantial 
 as history. 
 
 We now proceed with our purpose of noticing 
 those traits which point out Christ as the subject of 
 the Psalm. Ver. 19, it is said, "they part my garments 
 among them and cast lots upon my vesture." John 
 xix. 23, 24: o/ ovv ffrpanajrai, on sffravoojffccv rov'lyjGouVf 
 'iXajSov ra t/xuTic/, ccvrov xai l-roirj(rav rsffffa^a /xso^, hxdffroj 
 Gr^aTioJTT^ [Jj'i^og^ xai rov ^itmvu. 'Hi/ os 6 yjrm ap^a(pog 
 -^il'TTov ovv '~fog aXXriXoug' fM'/} ffylffoofMsv avrov, dXXoc Xd- 
 ^oj/j.iv TTSPi avTou, rht)g scfrai. Rosenmiiller and Jahn, 
 (Vat. Mess. II. p. 280), suppose that these words of 
 the Psalm, indicate merely the purpose, as if he had 
 said, " they are already so sure of my destruction, 
 that they determine how they will divide my clothes 
 among themselves." This opinion manifestly owes 
 its origin to the difficulty of finding in the life of Da- 
 vid any thing corresponding to the language of the 
 verse, when taken in its natural and obvious mean- 
 ing. But if it could be admitted, when we consider 
 the verse by itself, yet it must be seen to be errone- 
 ous when we connect this trait with many others 
 which were literally fulfilled in the history of Christ. 
 
 We now come to the second part of this Psalm. 
 In v, 26 — 80, especially, the Messianic interpretation 
 finds a strong support. The representation here is 
 figurative. It was customary for the Jews, in great 
 distress, to make vows, which chiefly related to the 
 bringing of thank-olierings. Comp. Ps. Ixi. 9. cxvi. 
 14 — 18. Only the fat pieces of these offerings were 
 burnt upon the altar ; the rest, after the portion de- 
 signed for the priest had been cut off, was consumed 
 in sacrificial meals, to which the offerers invited the 
 stranger, the widow, the orphan, and the poor, and 
 made them partakers of their prosperity and joy. 
 
 See Michatlis, (Moss. R. II. § 143). Jahn, (Ar- 
 chaol. III. § 103). So here the blessings which 
 should tlow to others from the deliverance of thesuf- 
 
INTRODUCTION. CXI 
 
 ferer, are rc-prc ented under the image of a great 
 sacrificial feast, ^ to be prepared by him, of which not 
 merely the pious Israelites should partake, but all the 
 heathen likewise, from one end of the earth to 
 the other, who are now to be converted to the true 
 God. Here the reference to the Messiah is so ob- 
 vious that even Jarchi, on the words of the 27th v. 
 comedent pauperesy etc. remarks : '-'■ tempore re- 
 demptionis nostrae diebus Messiae." In the Old 
 Testament the hope of a general conversion of the 
 heathen is always connected with the time of the 
 Messiah, and constitutes one of its distinctive marks. 
 Altogether similar to the passage before us, is Is. xlii, 
 xlix. liii. where the prophet describes the distinguish- 
 ed servant of God as one who should convert and 
 bless the heathen. An exact parallel to these words 
 in v. 29, <' For the kingdom shall then be the 
 Lord's : and He shall reign among the nations," is 
 found in the Messianic predictions of the prophets^ 
 Obadiahxxi. " And the kingdom shall be the Lord's." 
 Zech. xiv. 9: " And the Lord shall be king over ail 
 the earth ; in that day there shall be one Lord and 
 his name one." V. 28 brings to remembrance the 
 promises made to the patriarch, and announces their 
 fulfilment. The non- Messianic interpreters are here 
 involved. in no little difficulty.^ Several of them, as 
 Mendelssohn and Hufnagel, seek to escape by giving 
 to the future verbs in v. 2o — 30, an optative sense. 
 
 ^ In the New Testament, also, the blessings of the Messiah's 
 reign are very often represented under the image of a feast, 
 Matth.viii.il. xxii. 2. Lukexiii. 29. xiv. 16. Rev. xix 9. 
 
 ^ This also is plain enough from other attempts. Thus 
 Paulus, e. g. translates \^^ 'DDh*, borderlands, wholly 
 
 against the ^:sns loqnendi. Jahu subjoins to the words : " all 
 nations shall fall d(;wn before thee," the limitatijn " nempe 
 quae audient hanc gloriosam liberationem," which is refuted 
 by the parallehsm alone; "all the ends of the earth," De 
 Wette explains v. 2;), unnaturally, and in opposition to the 
 parallel passages cited, "then all people shall pray to Jehovak 
 as he is king of the world." 
 
CXll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 But, in opposition to this, Hensler, 1. c. p. 44, has 
 already well replied, that, admitting what is contra- 
 dicted by the whole tenor of the discourse, and the 
 
 perfect ^SDJ^> v. 30, that the speaker uttered only 
 
 his wishes, still nothing will be gained by this, since 
 no man could hope for what is not only entirely des- 
 titute of probability, but altogether impossible. 
 
 Having thus brought forward the positive argu- 
 ments for the reference of this Psalm to the Messiah, 
 let us now see to what objections each of the non- 
 Messianic interpretations, that have been suggested, 
 are liable. To those who make David the subject 
 of the Psalm we reply, 1. That he was never in such 
 distress as is here described. In the war with the 
 Syrians, '2 Sam. x., to which Paulus conjectures the 
 Psalm refers, he was throughout successful. With 
 as little propriety can we fix upon the rebellion of 
 Absalom. In this Psalm the sufferer appears alone, 
 the object of universal scorn, forsaken of every 
 helper; ver. 12, given up to the violence of blood- 
 thirsty enemies, and at the point of death ; there 
 David was in the midst of a brave and numerous 
 host, and in no danger of his life. Nor in the per- 
 secution of Saul did the danger and distress of Daid 
 rise to such a height. See a further examination of 
 this point in Jahn, 1. c. p. 266. 2. To this it must 
 be added, that while this description of suffering 
 contains much which does not suit David, there is, 
 on the other hand, among so many particulars, no- 
 thinc- which gives intimation of the event or the 
 time to which this lamentation of David belongs. In 
 other Psalms, which are less circumstantial, we can 
 often tell whether they were composed in the flight 
 before Saul, or Absalom, and can readily decide 
 with precision concerning tliem. But this Psalm, 
 which so abounds in particulars, does not afford us 
 a single trace to lead us to the woids in the history 
 of David's misfortunes to which it relates. Michaelis. 
 3. David's sufferings were inflicted upon him by his 
 
INTRODUCTION. CXlll 
 
 own countrymen: the remembrance of this delive- 
 rance, therefore, must a)so be confined to the bounds 
 of Palestine. How, then, could he possibly hope 
 thar, his deliverance in the time of Saul's persecution, 
 or Absalom's rebellion, could make an impression 
 on the heathen ? How could he expect it to pro- 
 duce a result which all the previous miraculous ma- 
 nifestations of God, in the history of the whole na- 
 tion, though made before the eyes of the heathen, 
 had failed to effect ? 
 
 The hypothesis of Jahn, which makes Hezekiah 
 the subject of the Psalm, has neither more nor less 
 in its favour than a hundred others, which may be 
 easily suggested, if we are willing to rest satisfied 
 with certain general resemblances and overlook the 
 rest, or evade them b}^ forced interpretation. It is 
 refuted by the superscription itself, which can be re- 
 jected only by caprice, and which ascribes the Psalm 
 to David as its author. Jahn erroneously supposes 
 that, according to this hypothesis, the portion of the 
 Psalm, ver. 26, &c., will have its suitable meaning; 
 since, according to 2 Chron. xxxii. 23, the Divine 
 aid vouchsafed to Hezekiah made such an impres- 
 sion on the nations that many of them brought offer- 
 ings to the Lord at Jerusalem. But this fact by no 
 means proves that they were led by Hezekiah's de- 
 liverance, to regard the God of Israel as the only 
 true God; they rather inferred from it, in accordance 
 with their polytheistic notions, that he, also, was 
 one among many, and that it would, therefore, be 
 well to secure his favour. But that something far 
 different is spoken of in this Psalm is self-evident. 
 Here the heathen shall be partakers with the person 
 delivered in his prosperity and joy ; here his delive- 
 rance shall exert a lasting influence on all the people 
 of the whole earth, and produce the most beneficial 
 of all changes ; here they shall all be united in one 
 kingdom and one great family under God as their 
 only head. 
 
 The interpretation, which makes the Jewish people 
 h 
 
CXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the subject, is liable to most of the objections which 
 are urged against the same method of explaining 
 Isaiah liii. (see our remarks on the same place.) It 
 is even more untenable in the present instance, be- 
 cause the distinctive marks of an individual are more 
 numerous, and we no where find the smallest trace 
 to jusify the idea of a personification. On the con- 
 trary, the mother of the sufferer is mentioned, a 
 tongue, jawSj han Is and feet, bones and garments, 
 are ascribed to him; nay, in ver. 7, he is distinguish- 
 ed from the ungodly; and, ver. 2.3, from his brethren. 
 But the most conclusive objection against this inter- 
 pretation is, that the subject of the Pi^alm is an inno- 
 cent sufferer, whose sufferings are to promote the 
 welfare of his own people, as well as that of the hea- 
 then, while, on the contrary, the sufferings of the 
 Jewish people were never undeserved, but, accord- 
 ing to the theocratical law of a visible retribution, 
 were always the consequences of forsaking God, and 
 as such they were represented by the prophets and 
 sacred poets. 
 
 The opinion that the Psalm relates in a lower 
 sense, to David, and in a higher to Christ, rests on 
 two suppositions; I. That it can be shewn to be en- 
 tirely fulfilled in a lower sense in the history of 
 David ; and, '2. That it contains many things which 
 cannot refer to Christ. That the former supposition 
 is erroneous has been already sufficiently shown. 
 That the latter is equally so will be proved in the 
 refutation of the objections against the Messianic 
 interpretation, to which we now proceed. 
 
 1, '^ What seems most inconsistent is, that not 
 suffering itself, but deliverance from it, is represent- 
 ed as the means of promoting the worship of the true 
 God. Christ founded the kingdom of God by his 
 sufferings which he freely endured; of course -his 
 chief pecuUar work of redemption is rather mistaken 
 than taught by the Psalmist. Of what use, then, to 
 Christians is the Messianic interpretation of a Psalm, 
 in which the notion of the Messiah is not to be 
 
INTRODUCTION. C\V 
 
 found ?" Thus De VVette. But we meet, even in 
 tlie New Testament, with a mode of representation 
 altogether the same. Although Christ accomplished 
 our redemption not by his resurrection but b}' his 
 humiliation, not by his glorification but by his death, 
 yet, notwithstanding, in numerous passages his re- 
 surrection and glorification are given as the causes 
 of man's salvation, because without these the import 
 of his humiliation and death would have remained 
 concealed. See Knapp, opuscc. p. 343. In Isaiah 
 liii. the persons speaking conclude, from the deep 
 humiliation of the Messiah, that he is smitten of God 
 on account of his own sins, and they first come to 
 the knowledge that he was wounded for their trans- 
 gressions b}^ seeing him exalted to glory. So also 
 the subject of this Psalm, as long as his sufferings en- 
 dure, is the scorn of men and despised by the people, 
 ver. 8 ; and with his deliverance commences, as a 
 consequence of his sufferings, his influence on man- 
 kind, which is so rich in blessings. Whether the 
 Psalmist saw with entire clearness the efficacy of the 
 Messiah's sufferings in advancing the work of salva- 
 tion, we may leave undetermined ; it is sufficient 
 that the Psalm contains nothing in opposition to the 
 Christian notion of the Messiah. 
 
 2. '• The lamentations of this sufferer are unwor- 
 thy of the Messiah. Christ did not, like him, pray 
 for longer life from God, nor that God would pre- 
 serve him from the hands of his enemies ; but he 
 reckoned upon his death as a part of his plan." Thus 
 Hufnagel (Diss. 11. in h. Ps. p. 6), Schulze (Critik 
 der Mess. Ps.) Here every thing depends on form- 
 ing in our minds that image of Christ, which the New 
 Testament presents, and not an arbitrary one of our 
 own invention. Then shall we find those complaints 
 not unworthy of him. It is said of him, Heb. v. 7, 
 that in " the days of his flesh he oftered up prayers 
 and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto 
 him that was able to save him from death." AVe read 
 in Mdtt. xxvi. 36. Mark xlv. 32. that Christ, in 
 
CXVlll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tiiiuecl on the cro?=s, or enduring the pains of death," 
 vtr. 3. Dallie, I'aulus. De Wetle. But the cruci- 
 fixion was not the commenc^ement, but only the 
 climax, of the sufferings of Christ. The passage al- 
 ready cited, Heb. v. 7, is entirely parallel. 
 
 We know of no other objections which have been 
 urged against the Messianic interpretation of this 
 Psalm. In conclusion, we adopt the words of Theo- 
 doret: 'Eyoj ds Tr,v 'lovdahjv su^^oovTi^c'iav '^onvoj, or/ roTg 
 ^e/oig Xoy'ioic. divjvsxojg hrvyy/^dvc^rsc, rr^v sv Tovroig dia-- 
 XafiTouffav ov gxjvopcogu ay.rl^iiav, olTCk sig rlv Aa(3ld s/ot^C- 
 '^ai Tov '^aXfJLOv a':ro(paivo\rai. — Tourwi' ya^ ohhiv i'^i toD 
 Aa/3/5 oPCfjixiv ysysvrtfxsvov, ovds I'tti riiog ruv Ix, Aa(3ld. 
 Movog d's 6 Ajc-oV'/jc Xy/ork, o s-/. AajSid y^ara cd^xa, 6 
 hav^ourrrj6ag Giog Xoyoc, 6 s-/. An(3id XajSuv riv rev hov- 
 Xov /JyOP(pr;v. Ilaffav yd^ yriV zal ^d}.a<rffav rr,g ^soyvuo/ag 
 l'7rXyjO(/)<Si^ '/.cci 'zs'Trnzs rovg <7rdXai <:rXavMfj.s\iovc, xai roTg 
 sldu)Xoig cr^oa^sco/rag rr,v 'T:P0G%\jvyi6iv, dvrl ruv ovx ovtojv^ 
 
 PSALM XL. 
 
 We first give the contents of this Psalm according 
 to the non-Messianic interpretation. David or some 
 other suflPering Israelite, than]<s the Lord for a de- 
 liverance, which has been granted him, v. I — 6. He 
 promises, from gratitude to God, to honour him, not 
 by occasional sacrifices, but by devoting himself to 
 bis service, and by complying with the moral requi- 
 sitions of the law, which would be far more acceptable 
 in his sight, v. 7 — 9. He promises, moreover, zeal- 
 ously to proclaim the aid, which .lehovah had vouch- 
 safed to him, and thus to glorify his namiC, v. 10, II. 
 But although the sufferer has happily escaped from 
 one calamity, he is still surrounded by far greater 
 sufferings and dangers. He therefore renews, v. 12 
 — 18, his supplication to his Lord, and prays that he 
 would deliver him from the manifold evils which his 
 sins have brought upon him, and put his enemies to 
 
INTKODL'CTIOX. CXlX 
 
 shame ; thus giving all true worshippers, as well as 
 himself, occasion to rejoice and confirm their faith. 
 
 If, on the other hand, as many modern interpreters 
 suppose, among whom nre Michaelis (Crit. Collegium 
 u. s. w. p. 455, seqq.), Ringeltaube, Knapp, Anton 
 (1. c. p. 40), Dereser and others, the Messiah is 
 throughout the suliject of the Psalm : its contents 
 are as follows. The Messiah, who is here, as in 
 Isaiah xlix. Ps. xvi. and xxii. introduced as speaking 
 in the first place, anticipates the time, when, having 
 finished his work and endured his sufferings, he will 
 have been glorified by Jehovah. He renders him 
 thanksgiving and praise for his deliverance. V. 1 — 5, 
 he praises God for the wonderful mercies in general 
 which he bestows upon men, and since it is impos- 
 sible to mention all his benefits, he extols only the 
 greatest of all, the redemption accomplished by him- 
 self. Since no legal sacrifices of whatever kind could 
 please and satisfy God, the Messiah, having been 
 taught by him their inefficacy, and made obedient to 
 His will, presents himself as the true sacrifice of 
 whom Moses had already written in the sacred books, 
 resolved with joyful zeal to fulfil the will of God, 
 V. 6 — 9. He again, v. 10, 11, praises the righteous- 
 ness, faithfulness, and love of God, which he had ex- 
 pcrienc^ed in his deliverance. As the speaker, v. 1 
 — 11, had placed himself in the future, and contem- 
 plated his suff'erings as already endured, v. 12 — 18, 
 he returns to the present. Oppressed by the thought 
 of the severe distress which he must undergo in 
 making expiation for sin, he prays to God for his 
 merciful support. 
 
 These two different views of the Psalm are occa- 
 sioned chiefly by the different explanations of v. 7 — 
 9, especially of v. 8. According to the non- Messi- 
 anic interpreters, the words niHD ^DD D^ltO^ 
 ^7j/ have the sense, " in the volume of the book— 
 
 T T 
 
 in the Pentateuch it is prescribed to me," namely, 
 
CXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 what I have to do ; comp. ^p\^ with ^y in this 
 
 - T — 
 
 sense, 2 Kings xxii. 13. According to the Messi- 
 anic interpretation, the sense is as follows : " in the 
 volume of the book it is written of me ;" both di- 
 rectly in the prophecies of the Messiah, and indirectly 
 in all that is said of sacrifices and offerings, as these 
 prefigured Christ. Comp. John v. 39, 46*. 
 
 There can be no doubt that those who acknow- 
 ledge the Divine authority of the Epistle to the He- 
 brews, must decide in favour of the Messianic inter- 
 pretation. The Psalm is there, chap. x. 5, etc. quot- 
 ed and explained of the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, 
 in such a way as entirely to exclude the idea of a 
 mere accommodation. Several interpreters have in- 
 deed sought, though with little success, to find a 
 middle path. Those who, as Calvin and Muntinghe, 
 refer the Psalm in a lower sense to David and in a 
 higher one to Christ, fail in their purpose of sustain- 
 ing the authority of the Epistle to the Hebrews. For, 
 granting the correctness of the explanation given in 
 this Epistle of y. 7 — 9, the Psalm, as we have already 
 seen, cannot in a lower sense be referred to David, 
 for he could not represent himself as the true offer- 
 ing in opposition to those which were typical, nor 
 say, that it was written of him in the Pentateuch. 
 We can no more concur with Venema, Seller, and 
 Dathe, who assert that in v. 1 — 6, and 12 — 10, David 
 speaks; but in v. 7 — 11> or as Kaiser thinks,^ v. 7, 
 8, the Messiah ; for the supposition of this unnatural 
 change of persons has nothing to support it. The 
 only objections which have been urged against the 
 Messianic interpretation are not conclusive. 1. De 
 Wette remarks, that the reference of the Psalm to 
 the Messiah in the Epistle to the Hebrews, is 
 grounded on the erroneous interpretation of ver. 7 
 
 * This is contradicted by the relation of v. 12 to v. 10, Cal- 
 vin : " Diligenter notanda est relatio, ubi David se labia non 
 clausisse dicit, ut vic'ssira deus suas misericord i-.s non obseret, 
 vel cohibeat." 
 
INTRODUCTION. CXXl 
 
 by the Seventy. But it can be shown that the 
 Seventy have here given the sense, though not a 
 literal translation of the Hebrew text. Unless we 
 are to suppose their translation entirely unmeaning, 
 the words cai/za ^s xar^^r/frw /xc/ can only mean, " thou 
 requirest nothing outward, but myself for sacrifice, 
 and that I will freely offer to thee.'' The use of 
 (sujixa need not surprise us here, since Paul, Rom xii. 
 1, exhorts Christians to present their bodies (ra (Tw- 
 /itara), a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. 
 The corresponding Hebrew also ^S D^^ilD DOTK 
 
 T • T • - : X 
 
 is of the same import : " thou has bored mine 
 ears." To bore the ears is a figurative expression 
 for the imparting of certain precepts, and rendering 
 others willing to follow them.* This is shown, not 
 only by the corresponding expression U^^ nHD? 
 
 which occurs in Isa. 1. 5 in the sense, to give a com- 
 mand and make one willing to execute it ; but also 
 by the practice of boring the ears as a sign of obe- 
 dience, which, as it were, embodies the expression. 
 Thus, according to Ex. xxi. 5, 6, the right ear of 
 the servant who chose to remain with his master was 
 bored. So also the Turkish monks are accustomed 
 to bore their ears, as a sign of their attention to the 
 Divine revelation, and their obedience to the Divine 
 commands ; comp. Iken dissert, p. 226.^ The same 
 custom exists also among the Persians and the Tar- 
 tars, ib. p. 227. Among the Turks, those who trans- 
 
 ^ Vitringa: " aperta auris est' mens prompta et prona, turn 
 ad recipiendas, intelligendas acdiscernendasdoctrinas, qnaecui 
 instillantur, turn ad obsequium mandati, qnod per aures ad ani- 
 mum'fertur." 
 
 ^ Septem Castrensis IMon. de Turc. morib. c. 13: " Illi qui 
 inaures portant in auribus, significant se obedientes esse in 
 spiritu, propter raptuum frequentiam. Another author : " II 
 y en a aussi, qni porte quelque chose a I'oreille, pour marqner 
 leur obeissance et leur soumission a fesprit, qui les transporte 
 dans des ravissemens." 
 
CXXll INTRODUCTION. 
 
 gress any precept of their religion, are nailed by the 
 ears, that they ma}' learn to esteem and obey it, ib. 
 p. 231. " Thou hast bored mine ears," is then the 
 same as " thou hast taught me that not the bringing 
 of outward offerings, but the offering of myself, is 
 well pleasing to thee, and hast made me willing to 
 act in conformity with thy instructions." The LXX. 
 completely expressed this sentiment. They only 
 changed the phraseology, as the metaphor was not in 
 use among the Greeks : nor does the author of the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews use the phrase (Tw.aa ds Karrjs- 
 T/Goj ij.fjt in any other sense than that which, accord- 
 ing to the context, belongs to the Hebrew words, if 
 the Psalm relates to the Messiah. 
 
 Dathe objects, that it seems incongruous that the 
 Messiah in the former part sliould speak of his 
 sufferings as already endured, and thank God for his 
 deliverance, while in the latter, on the contrary, he 
 should pray for the Divine support in distress. But- 
 this is not a decisive objection, since ali depends on 
 the station in which the sacred poet places the Mes- 
 siah ; whom he introduces as speaking. There is 
 nothing against the supposition that he first contem- 
 plates him after he had endured his sufferings and 
 finished his work, and then in his state of humilia- 
 tion. In a similar manner in Isaiah liii., the passion 
 of the Messiah appears at one time as already past, at 
 another as still future. See on this passage. 
 
 3. Hensler (Bemerkungen zu den Ps. und z. d. 
 Gen. p. 63}, urges particularly the words : " mine 
 iniquities have taken hold upon me," ver. 13. This 
 objection is certainly very plausible. It does not 
 however decide the question. For the parallelism 
 with ni^*l shows that ^JDiiy is not here to be 
 
 translated; mme iniquities, but the punishment of 
 mine iniquities — a sense in which it often occurs, and 
 which is given by Abenezra and Rosenmllller. But 
 that in a Psalm, which treats of the vicarious satis- 
 faction of the Messiah, and Avhen this is contrasted 
 
INTRODUCTION. CXXlll 
 
 with the oiTerlng of vict ins, which suffered the 
 punishment properly due to sinners, the sufferings 
 inflicted upon him for sins not his own, might be 
 called the punishment of his sins, is evident from the 
 similar expressions in Isaiah liii. : " he hath borne 
 our griefs and carried our sorrows ;" " he was 
 wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised for 
 our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was 
 upon him." " The Lord hath laid upon him the ini- 
 quity of us all." This objection would be entirely 
 removed were we to suppose with Pareau, 1. c. p. 
 330. that the Psalm originally consisted of but 
 twelve verses, the remainder having been afterwards 
 added. This opinion is favoured hy the entirely 
 different character of the latter portion of the Psalm ; 
 the fact that it occurs again as the 70th Psalm, and 
 that we have other examples of such additions. 
 Still, however, we hesitate to adopt it. 
 
GENERAL INTEODUCTION 
 
 BOOK OF PSALMS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 OF THE ORIGIN OF THE PSALMS. 
 
 Among the books which the Hebrews venerated as 
 divine, we find a collection of songs, relating to a 
 great variety of subjects, composed by many differ- 
 ent persons, and at different periods of time. From 
 the titles and subjects, we learn that many of them 
 were composed by David, and others, who were his 
 contemporaries ; — a fact which, when duly consider- 
 ed, must appear not a little wonderful. The Israel- 
 itish people had wandered a long time in the wilder- 
 ness ; they had been engaged in many desolating 
 wars, both foreign and domestic ; they had scarcely 
 obtained a fixed settlement ; they were but lately 
 formed into a civil society ; and were, in a great mea- 
 sure, ignorant of arts and learning. It is strange, 
 therefore, that among this people should have been 
 found persons capable of composing so many pro- 
 
 B 
 
2 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 found, and in every respect excellent poems. Whence, 
 it may be asked, could they derive that intimate ac- 
 quaintance with subjects both divine and human which 
 every reader must admire? whence, the elaborate 
 structure of their verse, the depth of their senti- 
 ments, the copiousness and ornaments of their poeti- 
 cal style? 
 
 When we look around to discover the mental dis- 
 cipline to which the persons, of whom we are speak- 
 ing, must have been subjected, and by which their 
 minds must have been excited and polished, we meet 
 with the schools of the prophets ;^ which, if not insti- 
 tuted, were certainly restored by the prophet Samuel.^ 
 That these were schools or colleges of orators and 
 singers, or of a class in ancient times esteemed simi- 
 lar, namely, of poets, w^e learn both from the general 
 name Nabi, as used by the Hebrews, and from the 
 circumstances respecting those schools handed down 
 to us in the ancient annals of that nation. The term 
 Nabi,^ in its most extensive sense, means a person 
 
 1 The Latin noun fa/«'5, seems best to convey the meaning 
 of the Hebrew K^^i Nabi. They are both derived from 
 
 • T 
 
 words signifying to speak : they both designate a person who 
 sings verses, or things future. 
 
 '^ Before the age of Samuel no mention is made of them. 
 
 ^ In the Arabic, the corresponding root signifies he was emi- 
 nent, raised up, exalted: transitively, he produced, brought 
 forth^ as the earth the plants that grow upon it. It is thence, 
 
 by a species of transference usual in several other languages, 
 
 applied to speech, to words produced by the mouth, he nar- 
 rated, or announced: aud, finally, it is used in regard to histiy. 
 rical narrative. 
 
INTRODUCTION. -5 
 
 who makes a speech, or holds forth ; in a stricter 
 sense, it means a person who commmiicates his 
 thoughts skilfully in a premeditated discourse, and 
 who accompanies his recitation with a suitable dignity 
 of action.'* In ancient times, when a man set him- 
 self to teach, admonish, or persuade, he was accus- 
 . tomed to regulate his words by the laws of numbers, 
 to discourse in poetry.^ Whatever was delivered in 
 a metrical composition was found to produce more 
 effect upon the ear and the mind ; to fix itself more 
 firmly in the memory, and to excite the affections 
 m.ore strongly, than if presented in the simple form 
 of prose. It was usual, too, to accompany the reci- 
 tation with a certain modulation of voice, approach- 
 ing to song ; and it followed from this, that the nam.e 
 of Nabi was transferred to those who composed 
 songs,^ and, who in singing them, accompanied tlie 
 
 * Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and, in general, all who were called 
 by the name of prophets, left behind them, committed to writ- 
 ing, the speeches which they had before delivered in the audi- 
 dience of the multitude. 
 
 ^ The writings of the Hebrew prophets are all poems. 
 
 ^ That both the radical word, translated he prophesied : and 
 the derivative, translated a prophet, were applied to persons, 
 who sang and played upon musical instruments, we have the 
 clearest evidence, (1 Cbron. xxv. 1, seqq.) " Moreover David 
 and the chief men of the assembly chose for the sacred service 
 the descendants of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who should 
 prophesy, i. e. who should sing sacred songs, accompanied with 
 harps, psalteries, and cymbals." Again, in the following verse, 
 it is said of Asaph, that he '*' prophesied," i. e. " that he sang 
 according to the order of the king." In the third verse, the 
 sons of Jeduthun, who were under the direction of their father, 
 are said to have " proj hesied,'' i, e- " to have played upon the 
 
4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 voice with the harp or lyre. We read in the histori- 
 cal book of Samuel, that the class of the Nahihn or 
 prophets, over which Samuel presided, cultivated this 
 art. The'^ prophet, having anointed Saul as king, 
 after mentioning several other occurrences, says as 
 follows : — " Afterwards thou shall come to the hill of 
 God, where are garrisons of the Philistines. And 
 having entered into the town, thou shalt meet with a 
 band of prophets, (Nabiim,) coming down from the 
 place of worship, who, having psaltery, and drum, 
 and pipe, and harp before them, shall sing sacred 
 songs. ^ There, under a divine impulse, thou shalt 
 join, and sing along with them."^ Another passage 
 of similar import occurs in the same history. David, 
 being assured of Saul's determination to kill him, fled 
 to Ramah, where he was received by Samuel ; and 
 found refuge, by retiring to those cotes or cells,^^ 
 where the young men, who were under Samuel's tui- 
 tion, lived together." But Saul, not deterred from 
 
 harp, to give thanks, and to praise Jehovah." Miriam, the 
 sister of Aaron, (Exod. xv. 20,) is called a prophetess : " she 
 took a timbrel in her hand,'' &c. 
 "^ 1 Sam. X. 5. 
 
 : D\^njnD n^^ni nl^oi VSm 
 
 • : - : • T - : . : • T : 
 
 ' 1 Sam. xix. 19, 20. 
 
 '"^ The Hebrew word Naioth is used chiefly to signify tem- 
 porary dwellings in the country, such as sheep cotes, booths for 
 shepherds and their flocks, when migrating frequently, from 
 one place to another of their pasture grounds, 2 Sam. vii. 8. 
 1 Chron. xvii. 7* Ezek. xxxiv. 14. 
 
 " This appears from 2 Kings vi. 1, et scqq. 
 
INTRODUCTION. O 
 
 his purpose by respect for Samuel, " sent messengers 
 to Ramah, to take David. But when they saw the 
 company of the prophets, {Nabiim) over whom Sa- 
 muel presided, and heard them singing, they too, 
 under an extraordinary impulse, joined in the song."^^ 
 Two other companies of Saul's servants, and at last 
 Saul himself, under a similar affection, acted in the 
 same manner.^^ 
 
 If we attend to the state of society, — to the man- 
 ners and wants of mankind, at that period, we will 
 readily perceive the end and design for which such 
 colleges, as those that are called schools of the prophets^ 
 were instituted. The Hebrews were a rude and un- 
 civilized race : their manners required cultivation ; 
 and their minds required instruction in matters of 
 truth, justice, and propriety. The object, then, was 
 to form the manners of this people; to regulate their 
 minds ; to inspire them with sentiments of piety and 
 virtue : and what course of discipline, it may be ask- 
 ed, could be better fitted for these purposes, than 
 that of sacred poetry and song? Every person knows 
 the power of numbers and music over ancient nations 
 both in restraining them from violence, and in ex- 
 
 " Vide an acute and copious dissertation on the Colleges of 
 the Hebrew prophets, by C. Nachtigal. The title is, Ueber 
 Samuels S'dngerversammlung, oder ProphetenscJiule. 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 citing them to virtue. As Horace says of Or- 
 pheus,^^ — 
 
 " Sylvestres homines sacer, interpresque Deonim, 
 C'aedibus et victii saevo deterruit Orpheus." 
 
 De ArtePoetica, vs. 390, 
 
 We learn, from history, that some nations received 
 the advantages of civilization from their conquerors ; 
 and that others conferred those advantages upon 
 those by whom they were conquered : in most other 
 cases, or rather in all, the origin of wisdom and social 
 improvement may be discovered in the influence of 
 poetry. Thus, when the wandering tribes of Greece 
 were first persuaded to settle in fixed abodes, and 
 adopt the manners of civilized life, we know that 
 this was effected by means of song. Their moral in- 
 stitutes, and rules of life ; — the written laws by which 
 their civil affairs were conducted, and those, also, by 
 which their religious observances were regulated, 
 they were accustomed to sing to the lyre or the harp. 
 Poets, accordingly, among those ancient nations 
 whose records have been preserved, were the teachers 
 of laws, manners, and civilization ; — they were the 
 authors of social improvement, ^^ and they still con- 
 
 ^* " The wood-born race of men whom Orpheus tamed 
 From acorns, and from mutual blood reclaimed, 
 
 This priest divine," &c Francis. 
 
 '^■' Athenaeus Deipnosophist gives an example. Book I — 
 " The minstrels of that period were an excellent race of men, 
 who regulated their lives according to the dictates of wisdom. 
 Agamemnon, accordingly, left a minstrel to watch over, 
 and instruct his wife Clytemnestra. It was his employment, 
 
INTRODUCTION. / 
 
 tinue such ; for we find, in our own times, where 
 nations are but imperfectly civilized, that poets occu- 
 py the same place, and possess the same innuence 
 that they did among the nations of antiquity. 
 
 The prophet Samuel was well acquainted with 
 the fondness of his countrymen for poetry and 
 music, and with the power of both over their minds. 
 He could not, therefore, have acted more wisely, with 
 a view to their improvement, than by selecting a 
 company of young men, whom he might take under 
 his care, and instruct in the knowledge of divine 
 things, and of the arts of life ; and whom he might 
 teach, also, how to make use of their knowledge, 
 bj'- embodying it in verse suited to music. Their 
 songs, we must suppose, were such as might be sung 
 in the religious assemblies of the people, or at social 
 
 first, by his judicious praises of female virtue, to excite in her 
 mind a love of what was honourable and right ; then, by his 
 company and pleasing behaviour, to prevent the intrusion and 
 indulgence of improper thoughts. Such was his influence, that 
 before Aegisthus could succeed in seducing the woman, he re- 
 moved from her the minstrel, and put him to death in an 
 uninhabited island. He was a person of the same character, 
 too, whom the base suitors of Penelope compelled to exercise 
 his art for their gratification." 
 
 "Suippov oi t\ hv TO Tuv aoiheijv yivos, xot) (piXniro^uv olaBiffiv Iti- 
 ^ov. ' Ayafiif^.vuv yevv rov cioi^ov xaraXu-rsi rp KXvTxtfAv^irr^ee, 
 (pvXctxa KBU ^ra^envtryj^a rivac,' oS -ff^urov fAv aoiras yvvatxuv on^- 
 ^cfiavos IvifiakXi Ttva (piXorif/,lav iig xxkoxayccB^iav, lira d/aT^//3»j» 
 Tao'c^cav ri^iiiav a.vi'X'ku.vDi. rriv ^lavotuv (pauXuv Itivowv' ^io AiyiirBos 
 oh TpoTi^ov o/i^Bn^i Triv' yvva,7xBi, t^iv tov aoioov ocz'oxTilva.t Iv vriffm 
 i^vifjt,^. Totouroi itfr) Koi o Ta^a roTg futiiTT^^fiv Kii^uv uvdyxY), of 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 entertainments, — celebrating the praises of the Divine 
 Being, or containing precepts of life and morals. In 
 some of them, the poet would, naturally, give expres- 
 sion to feelings of pleasure or pain, arising from 
 personal circumstances ; bringing into notice, at the 
 same time, the divine care and superintendence of 
 human affairs, and the certainty of the severe punish- 
 ment that would be inflicted on the workers of ini- 
 quity. Now, since the collection of Psalms consists 
 of poems of this description, are not we justified in 
 referring them, — as to their origin and authorship, — 
 to the schools of the prophets ? It is certain that 
 David, who composed a great part of them, was in- 
 structed at the prophetical school; and it is probable 
 that to this, and to his intimate friendship with Sa- 
 muel, we ought to ascribe not only the number and 
 excellence of his Psalms, but also his labour in esta- 
 blishing institutions for the improvement of sacred 
 music. '6 It is very probable, also, that the authors 
 of some of the other Psalms, whose names have not 
 been transmitted to us, belonged likewise to the as- 
 sociation of choirists and poets, of which Samuel was 
 the president.^'' 
 
 ^^ It is evident that David had cultivated the arts both of 
 poetry and music, while he was yet a youth, and living in his 
 father's family. When it became necessary to seek out a per- 
 son skilful in playing upon the harp, to sooth the violence of 
 Saul's deranged mind by his art, nobody could be found more 
 accomplished than David. 1 Sam. xvi. 16, et seq. 
 
 ^'' Although the schools, or colleges of the prophets, must 
 have contributed much to the improvement of sacred poetry 
 among the Hebrews, from the times of Samuel and David, yet 
 we are not to seek in them only, for the origin of the Psalms. 
 
IJJTRODUCTION. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 AT WHAT PERIODS, AND BY WHAT AUTHORS, THE 
 PSALMS WERE COMPOSED. 
 
 It was an opinion of some of the Fathers and Rab- 
 bis, that all the poems contained in the Book of 
 Psalms were composed by David ; but this opinion 
 has, long since, been exploded. It does not require 
 a lengthened refutation ; because not only the titles, 
 but, what is of more importance, the diversity of 
 subjects and style manifestly indicates a diversity of 
 ages and authors. We are not prevented from form- 
 ing this judgment by reflecting, that the Psalms 
 seem to be ascribed to David by apostolical authority. 
 They were ascribed to David, because the Psalms 
 composed by him were placed first in the order of 
 the collection ; — in the same manner and for the 
 same reason, that *' the Psalms" was a general title 
 sometimes given to the whole collection of books 
 usually styled the Hagiographa} Besides, we shall 
 endeavour to shew that a conjecture, — probable, at 
 
 In the age of Moses, we find that lyric poetry and music were 
 in use. (Exod. xv. 20, 21.) There are also fragments of 
 poetry, approaching in character to the lyric, which have been 
 ascribed to the authors of the Pentateuch, and of the Book of 
 Judges ; but which cautious criticism would rather, and with 
 good reason, assign to a later period. See Benger, Dk 
 Wette, Bertholdt, &c. 
 
 ^ See Lightfoot on Luke xxiv. 44. 
 
10 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 least, — may be made as to the persons to whom the 
 Psalms are assigned, and as to the periods at \vhich 
 they were composed. The order in which each par- 
 ticular Psalm was composed, and also that in which 
 we find it arranged, may be examined, most con- 
 veniently, at the conclusion of our commentaries. 
 
 I. The Hebrew inscription ascribes the ninetieth 
 Psalm to Moses; and to him the Talmudists ascribe 
 also the ten Psalms immediately following it, because 
 they found the name of no other author prefixed to 
 them.2 This is a matter of no moment : we are left 
 at liberty to form our opinion from other considera- 
 tions. In the ninetieth Psalm we find, indeed, no- 
 thing unworthy of Moses, or unsuitable to him ; 
 but, on the other hand, we find nothing contained in 
 it so connected with the times of Moses, or the inci- 
 dents of this life, as to shew that it may not have 
 been composed by some other person, and at some 
 other period. The subject is of a general nature, 
 
 ^ Jerome^ in Epist. CXXXIX. to Cyprian, takes notice of 
 this custom : " It is usual," he says, " in the Holy Scripture, 
 that all the Psalms which have no title, — whoever may have 
 been the author, — are ascribed to those v/hose names are found 
 in the titles of the Psalms preceding." Origen seems to have 
 followed this practice, influenced by a tradition of Huillus, a 
 Jewish patriarch. Hence Jerom says : " The eighty-ninth 
 Psalm, which is inscribed,— a praj^er of Moses, the man of God, 
 — and the following Psalms, which have no titles, — according to 
 the exposition of Huillus, — he ascribed to Moses : nor, when 
 interpreting the Hebrew Scripture, did he think it improper 
 to insert, in particular places, what was agreeable to the opi- 
 nion of the Hebrews ?" 
 
INTRODUCTION. H 
 
 namely, a lamentation for the miseries of mankind ; 
 particularly for the shortness of human life. Of this 
 we shall treat in its proper place : 
 
 Admitting this Psalm to have been written by 
 Moses, there is none in the collection more ancient. 
 
 II. The greater part of the Psalms are assigned to 
 the age of David, and to various authors belonging 
 to that age. 1st. Of this class, the greater number 
 are attributed to David himself. In our Hebrew 
 Bibles, we find his name prefixed to seventy-one 
 Psalms : but, in the Septuagint version, it is prefixed 
 to eleven others besides. Among these, however, 
 there are not a few which could not, by any means, 
 be composed by David ; all those, for example, in 
 which plain mention is made of the captivity in Baby- 
 lon ; — the desolation of the temple, the return from 
 foreign lands, and other matters which took place 
 long after David's days. Again, in many Psalms, to 
 which neither David's name, nor that of any other 
 author is prefixed, we find internal evidence, leaving 
 no doubt that David was the author. Not only does 
 the style agree, but certain matters are occasionally 
 mentioned in them, which cannot be referred to any 
 other period of time. But the opinion of those who 
 hold, that all those Psalms ought to be ascribed to 
 David, which have not the name of some other poet 
 prefixed to them, is entirely to be rejected. The 
 principal argument they use is this ; — in the Old 
 Testament,^ the ninety-sixth and the hundred and 
 fifth Psalms, and, in the New Testament, the second'^ 
 and ninty-fifth^^ all of which, though anonymous, 
 5 1 Chron. xvi. 7, seqq. * Acts iv. 25. * Heb. iv. 7. 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 are assigned to David; therefore all the others 
 which are anonymous should be assigned to him 
 also. As for the evidence brought from the book 
 of Chronicles, it cannot at all be taken into ac- 
 count. The author, — whoever he was, — does not 
 give the entire Psalms, but only imperfect frag- 
 ments ; and even those fragments are given with 
 so little regard to accuracy, that in the eighth 
 verse of the ninety-fifth Psalm, the beginning of 
 the twenty-ninth is substituted, seemingly from the 
 affinity of the sentiments. Besides, from 1 Chron. 
 xvi. 17, we have no more reason to assign the 
 poems that follow to David, than to Asaph and 
 his companions. With regard to the proofs ad- 
 duced from the New Testament, neither can they be 
 considered as of much weight, in a case such as this ; 
 since it is well known, that the Apostles often quoted 
 the Old Testament oracles, admitting, respecting 
 them, the opinions commonly entertained by the 
 Jews. When a collection is made of poetical pieces, 
 scattered and anonymous, if the names of the authors 
 are unknown to those who make the collection, the 
 memory of them must be buried in oblivion. From 
 the Psalms themselves, it appears that some of them 
 were composed by David, some by Asaph, and some 
 many ages afterwards. 
 
 2d. To twelve of the Psalms the name of Asaph is 
 prefixed. There were different individuals of this 
 name ;6 but the person who prefixed the titles, no 
 doubt understood by it Asaph the son of Berachiah 
 the Levite,7 who presided over the choiristers and 
 
 ^ See Simon. Onomastic. ^ 1 Chron. vi. 24; xv. 17. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 musicians in the time of David.^ That this person 
 composed songs we are certain, for king Hezekiah 
 commanded the praises of Jehovah to be celebrated 
 in songs composed by " David and hj Asaph'"^ in 
 which passage, also, the latter is styled a seer}^ It 
 is impossible, however, that he could write all the 
 Psalms assigned to him," since, in some of them, the 
 author complains of the tyranny of the Chaldeans ; 
 in others, mourns over the desolations of the temple 
 and the city ; in others, celebrates with triumph the 
 destruction of the Assyrians ; to all of which we 
 shall attend in their proper place. 
 
 3d. By the title of the eighty-eighth Psalm, it is 
 ascribed to Heman the Ezrahite. According to the 
 genealogies contained in the Books of the Annals ;^^ 
 there were two celebrated persons of this name. One 
 of them was a descendant of Zerah, a son of the pa- 
 triarch Judah 'P the other a Levite, of the family of 
 the Kohathites, and grandson, by Joel, of Samuel the 
 prophet ;i^ who, along with Asaph and Jeduthun, 
 was appointed by David a leader of the sacred mu- 
 sic.^5 It is a matter of doubt to which of these two 
 persons the title refers. In the same manner as He- 
 man^ so is Ethan called an Ezrahite, in the inscrip- 
 
 » 1 Chron. xvi. 4, 5. 9 2 Chron. xxix. 30. 
 
 ^"^ The literal sense of Htn, Hozeh. 
 
 " Ixxiii Ixxxxiii. 
 
 ^ 1 Chron. ii. 4, 6. He and his brethren, on account of 
 their wisdom, are honourably mentioned, 1 Kings v. 11. 
 ^ Gen. xxxviii. 30 ; xlvi. 12. 
 " 1 Chron. vi. 18, seqq.; xv. 27- 
 " 1 Chron. xxv. 1. corap. 2 Chron. xxix. 30, 
 
14 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tioii of the Psalm immediately following : nothing, 
 indeed, seems more probable than that these Ezra- 
 hites were the same with the sons of Zerali, descen- 
 dants of Judah. But that Ezrahite was a patrony- 
 mic name from Zerah, is very doubtful, since the 
 letter aleph is nowhere else prefixed to names of this 
 nature. Some think, therefore, that Heman might 
 have been called an Ezrahite,^^ from his father Ezra, 
 and that he was a different person from either of 
 those above mentioned ; others, who think Heman 
 was the Levite, a leader of David's musicians, con- 
 sider the designation Ezrahite as indicating, not the 
 family but the place to which he belonged. Wlio- 
 ever that Heman, intended by the person who pre- 
 fixed the titles, may have been, this seems certain, 
 that the Psalm itself was composed while the writer 
 M-as in exile. Into this we "shall inquire in the pro- 
 per place. 
 
 4t!i. We find the same difference of opinions re- 
 specting the person to whom the ninety-eighth Psalm 
 is ascribed, namely, Ethan. Many suppose Ethan 
 the Levite^'' to be meant ; and that he was also the 
 same with Jeduthun, who, with Heman, was a leader 
 of David's musical choir. But as he is surnamed in 
 the inscription, the Ezrahite^ others think him a dif- 
 ferent person from him who lived in the time of Da- 
 vid. ^^ The Psalm also appears less suited to the time 
 of David than to that of the Babylonish captivity. 
 5th. It is a very probable conjecture of Nachtigal, 
 
 ^' n'lliV. Ezrah. " 1 Chron. vi. 2e--32. 
 
 " 1 Chron. xxv. 1. 
 
INTRODUCTION, 
 
 15 
 
 that there are, in the collection, songs composed by- 
 Samuel, and other poets who were educated under 
 him, though none of their names appear in the in- 
 scriptions.'^ It would be vain, however, to attempt 
 fixing upon the particular Psalms which should be as- 
 signed to them. 
 
 III. That many songs have come down to us from 
 the age of Solomon, cannot be doubted. Solomon 
 himself is said to have composed no fewer than a 
 thousand and five.^o His name is prefixed to two of 
 the Psalms only,-^ and these appear rather to have 
 respect to him, than to have been written by him. 
 But to the time of his reign are to be referred, besides, 
 the forty-seventh, and the hundred and thirty- second. 
 The latter of which is understood to have been sung 
 at the consecration of the temple ; the former, when 
 the ark was introduced into it. In the opinion of 
 some, the second Psalm was sung at Solomon's inau- 
 guration. 
 
 IV. I do not find any of the Psalms that can dis- 
 
 ^" Naclitigal ascribes to Samuel himself Pss. xc. xix. 8 — 15; 
 ciii. I — 18; cxlv. 1 ; cxii., and to persons instructed by him, 
 xci. xcv. cxi. cxxxix. 
 
 2" 1 Kings iy. 32; v. 12. The Author's words are " Atque 
 Solomon quidem ipse quiuque carminum millia comparuisse fa- 
 tur." He should have written, either "mille carmiuum e6 
 quinque," or, " mille et qviinque carminum," for our English 
 translation agrees with the Hebrew text ; and he does not re- 
 fer to any various reading. He, however, translates the Sep- 
 tuagint version of the clause, xat n^av u^at kvtou frivTuxKr^t^-nii' 
 
 -^ Ps. Ixxii. and cxxvii. 
 
 *^ See Argument of Psalm ii. 
 
16 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tinctly be assigned to a particular period, during tlie 
 reigns of the kings who succeeded Solomon, if we 
 except the reign of Jehosaphat. The eighty-third, 
 and the eighty-fifth Psalms, may, without impropriety, 
 be viewed as having a reference to the troubles in 
 which that prince was involved wdth the Ammonites. 
 The forty-sixth and the forty-eighth may be reckon- 
 ed among the hymns of triumph composed on occa- 
 sion of the victory he obtained over that people and 
 their confederates. 
 
 V. From thence, after a long interval, we are 
 brought to the period of the captivity, to which not 
 a small portion of the Psalms must be referred. In 
 this portion, those which were appointed to be sung 
 by the Korathites, — if we take the authority of the 
 inscriptions,^^ — occupy a principal place. To those 
 must be added the hundred and thirty-seventh 
 Psalm, containing a very touching expression of the 
 sorrow felt by the Jews while exiled from their na- 
 tive country, and from the holy city. Instead of as- 
 signing this Psalm to Jeremiah, as is done in the 
 Alexandrine version, we think it must have been 
 composed by an Israelite who had been carried away 
 to Babylon, and was living there. 
 
 VI. Not a few of the Psalms, too, are to be refer- 
 red to the period when the people of Israel returned 
 from the Persian dominions to their own land. To 
 these belong, manifestly, the hundred and second, and 
 the hundred and twenty-sixth, which were sung at the 
 commencement of the restoration of the city and the 
 
 ** As of Psalm Ixxxiv. Ixxxv. Ixxxvii. — Argument^ Fs. xlii. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 17 
 
 temple. When the building of the second temple was 
 completed ; — vvhen it was consecrated ; — when the 
 ark was brought into it ; — and when the rites of di- 
 vine worship were first observed in it ; many more, 
 perhaps^ of our Psalms were composed, than is now 
 commonly believed. In the Greek version,^'* seve- 
 ral of them are ascribed to Haggai and Zechariah, 
 which have no name prefixed to them in the Hebrew 
 books. 
 
 VII. There are also certain Psalms M^hich have 
 been thought, by some interpreters, to belong to the 
 times of the Maccabees.--^ Nor is there any reason 
 to doubt that there might be persons in those times 
 whose minds, by the close study, and continued use 
 of the ancient songs, might be inspired with a desire 
 to imitate them, and to add to the number employed 
 in the sacred services. What these were, and of 
 what kind, we shall see hereafter, and in their proper 
 place. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 OF THE COLLECTION, DIVISION, AND NUMBER OF 
 THE PSALMS. 
 
 It has been conjectured by many, and with some 
 measure of probability, that David, when he regulat- 
 
 ** Ps. cxxxviii. cxlv. cxlvi. cxlvii. 
 
 -* According to Rudinger, Ps. i. xliv. Ixix. xlvi. cvlii, Ey 
 Heiiman ven-der-Hardt, Ps. cxix. By Venema, Ps. Ixxxv. 
 xciii. cviii. Bengel assigns a considerable number of t\:e 
 Psalms to the times of the iNJaccabees ; and gives a principal 
 place in the series to Ps. Ixxiv. Ixxvi. Ixxxiii. 
 C 
 
18 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ed the public observances of religion, and instituted 
 the college of singers, made, at the same time, a col- 
 lection of sacred songs to be sung at the feasts_, and 
 other assemblies for religious purposes. It has been 
 concluded, farther, that since, at the end of what is 
 now in the order the seventy-second psalm, we find 
 it said/ the songs of David are ended, therefore the 
 Psalms preceding formed David's collection. This 
 opinion, however, seems to be untenable, for, in 
 many of those Psalms, we meet with plain indica- 
 tions of an age later than that of David. ^ Besides, 
 had the collection been made by David, it can 
 scarcely be believed that it would have contained 
 the same Psalm, namely the fourteenth, twice,^ or 
 that the seventieth, which consists of a part of the 
 fortieth, would have been placed in it. The conjec- 
 ture of Eichhorn* is more probable. He thinks that 
 the first seventy- two Psalms would be brought to- 
 gether into one book originally, by uniting various 
 small portions, in the possession of private indivi- 
 duals, who had each collected a part of the songs of 
 David and of other poets. This, I am disposed to 
 think, was done after the building of the second 
 temple ; at that time, the ancient songs that had 
 been preserved, probably, were collected together ; 
 and, as they were about to be used anew in public 
 
 1 *! 
 
 T • ' V • T . : IT 
 
 2 For example, Ps. ii. See Argument, Ps. xlviii. Ixvi. 11. 
 verses 20, 21. liii. verse 7- 
 ^ Occurring also as Ps. liii. 
 * See his Introduction to the Old Test. Part III. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 19 
 
 religious worship, they would likely be revised, and 
 accommodated to the circumstances of the period. 
 Of this we think the fourteenth Psalm affords an ex- 
 ample.^ If this conjecture is founded in truth, the 
 remaining portion of the Psalms must have been col- 
 lected afterwards. That some ancient songs, how- 
 ever, were included in this latter portion, after the 
 first collection of them was made, I would not deny ; 
 but, that by far the greater part of them belong to 
 the period immediately preceding the captivity, to 
 the time of the captivity itself, or, in fine, to that 
 which followed upon the return from it, when the 
 temple was rebuilt and the sacred services restored, 
 can scarcely be doubted. Since this was the case, 
 the complete collection of the Psalms could not be 
 made prior to the times of the Maccabees. 
 
 In the modern, or Masoretic copies, the Psalms are 
 distributed into five books, each of which ends, 
 with a Psalm, in Ameji, amen^ or in Amen, Halle- 
 luiah. Thus, the first book ends with the xli., the 
 second with the Ixxii,, the third with the Ixxxix., the 
 fourth with the cvi., the fifth with the cl. This 
 division, though it was received in the time of Je- 
 rom,^ cannot, by any means, be so ancient as the 
 
 * See Argument, Ps. xiv. We have another example in Ps. 
 li., the two last verses of which were added — as we shall after- 
 wards prove, — either during the time of the captivity, or sooa 
 after the return from it. 
 
 ^ Epist. cxxxiv. to Sophronius: " Some, I know," says he, 
 " think that the Psalter was divided into five books, ending re- 
 spectively at those places where the Seventy used the words 
 yivotroj ytvotrt, that is, so be it, so be ity for which, in the 
 
20 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Jews, — who refer it to David, or, at the latest, to 
 Ezra, — would have us believe. Some have thought 
 that it proceeded from a Jewish conceit, that the 
 Psalms might be made to have some resemblance to 
 the Pentateuch.'' Others, taking into account the 
 inequality of the five different parts, and the nature 
 of the Psalms contained in each of them, have thought 
 the division a natural consequence of five separate 
 successive collections ; all of which were, at length, 
 put together in the order in which they were made. 
 Upon the whole, this seems to be a natural conclu- 
 sion ; but on what principle, or at what particular 
 time each of the collections was made, it is impos- 
 sible to determine with certainty.^ 
 
 In the division and number of particular Psalms 
 there is not an uniform agreement among the He- 
 Hebrew, are the words amen, amen. Following, however, the 
 authority of the Hebrews, — and chiefly that of the Apostles, 
 who, in the New Testament, speaks always of the book of the 
 Psalms, — we hold that the Psalms form one volume.'' Je- 
 rome, no doubt, had in his eye Luke xx. 42. Acts i. 20. The 
 same writer, Epist. cxxxix. to Cyprian, says : " We are told 
 by the Hebrews, that the five books of Psalms were included 
 in one volume." Here follows the division as given above. 
 He then adds, " in the same manner as the writings of the 
 twelve prophets, at first published separately by the particular 
 writers, were afterwards collected into one volume." 
 
 ' Ep\i)hanmii de mensuris et ponderibns : " The Hebrews 
 divided the Psalter into five books, thus making of it another 
 Pentateuch." — To -^xXt^^iov ^nikov il; Triv-ri fiifiXia ol 'Eji^aTct 
 uiTTi eJvui xa) avro aXXfjv ^tvrdrw^ov. This mode of dividing 
 the Psalms was afterwards followed by many. 
 
 * Bertholdt has collected and examined many conjectures of 
 diiTerent expositors on the subject. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 21 
 
 brew copies. In some manuscripts the first Psalm is 
 joined to the second ; and in them, consequently, the 
 second is the third in our printed copies. The Psalm, 
 also, which with us is the forty-third, in some manu- 
 script copies is joined to that which goes immedi- 
 ately before, so that what is generally the forty- 
 fourth^ stands in those manuscripts as the forty- 
 second.^ In this manner the different numbers are 
 continued to Ps. cxvii., which again is joined to the 
 Psalm preceding ; so that what with us is Ps. cxviii., 
 in the manuscripts above mentioned, is cxv. At the 
 ninth verse a new Psalm begins, which, in the manu- 
 scripts, is Ps. cxvi.,^0 proceeding in the same manner 
 to the end '}^ the total number of the Psalms, instead 
 of being one hundred and fifty, is only one hundred 
 and forty- eight. In some manuscripts, also, we find 
 Ps. cxviii. divided into three parts. Many of these 
 variations have proceeded from transcribers of com- 
 paratively modern times : from those, especially, who 
 added the numbers, and who, as we are informed by 
 the manuscripts themselves, were often different per- 
 sons from those who copied the text.^^ j^ those 
 manuscripts in which the verses were not dis- 
 tinguished, the spaces that divided the different 
 Psalms were sometimes overlooked. But that this 
 disagreement existed even in very remote times, we 
 
 ^ See " the Songs of David," and other Hebrew poets in V. 
 Books; accurately printed from manuscript copies, and ancient 
 versions, and illustrated by annotations. By J. Aug. Stark. 
 
 ^" See Sixtin. Amama Anti-Rarbari-Biblici, B. III. 
 
 " See Stark, Poems of David, &c. Vol. I. Part II. 
 
 " See Eichhorn, Introduction to the Old Test. Part III. 
 
22 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 have a proof in the ancient versions. Formerly, the 
 second Psalm stood for the Jirst, in the Greek copies : 
 and still, in the greater number of them, as also in 
 the Latin Vulgate, the ninth and tenth Psalms are 
 united ; po that, from the tenth to the hundred and 
 forty -seventh^ the numbers differ by one from ours. 
 The last mentioned Psalm is divided into two, and 
 thus the total number of one hundred and fifty is 
 preserved. The Greeks and Latins, besides, join to- 
 gether the cxiv. and cxv. ; with them the cxvi. differs 
 by two from the Hebrew : this Psalm they divide, 
 beginning another at the tenth verse. But this mode 
 of numeration is not followed in all their manuscripts. 
 In Hebrew copies, also, we still often meet with 
 verses joined together by the copyists; and others, 
 again, as Eichhorn remarks, absurdly divided and 
 separated. Of this we ourselves, in the twenty-first 
 Psalm, have seen an example. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 OF THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS. 
 
 To the greater part of the Psalms^ titles are pre- 
 fixed, in some of which are mentioned the names of 
 
 i There are twenty-five Psalms that have no title, (i. ii. x 
 xxiv. xxxiii. xliii. Ixxi. xci. xciii. xcliv. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. xcix, 
 civ. cv. cvii. cxiv. cxv. cxvi. cxvii. cxviii. cxix. cxxxvi. cxxxvii, 
 Such of them as are styled by the Jews NDID^ KHI^TD 
 Orphan Psalms, are called in the Talmud HIT 11*11^^ 
 The scattered Household. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 23 
 
 the authors,^ the names of those to whom they were 
 committed, 2 or of those on whose account they were 
 composed.* In some we find mentioned the circum- 
 stance, or fact, which led the poet to the composition 
 of the song;^ in some we are told of the subject 
 matter ;^ and in some, in fine, with what instruments 
 the song was to be accompanied, and in what manner 
 the voice of the singer was to be modulated.'' Con- 
 cerning the value and authority of these titles, there 
 has, all a long, been a great difference of opinion. 
 According to some, they ought all of them indiscrimi- 
 nately, to be rejected; because those which we find in 
 the Hebrew text, were placed there by Jews of a much 
 later age than theirs who collected the Psalms ; and 
 because those found in the Greek, Arabic, Syriac, 
 and ancient Latin versions, seem to have proceeded 
 entirely from the translators.^ On the other hand, 
 some have esteemed all the inscriptions, Greek as 
 well as Hebrew, genuine and faithful : this was the 
 opinion held by many of the Fathers, who have the 
 same veneration for the Greek version, which we are 
 accustomed to have for the Hebrew original. Some, 
 in a word, received as genuine, the Hebrew inscrip- 
 tions only, rejecting those, as spurious, that are 
 found in the above-mentioned ancient translations.^ 
 
 2 Ps. iv. V. vi. vii. viii. ix. 3 Ps. jy. v. vi. viii, ix. 
 
 * Ps. Ixxii. cii. ^ Ps, vii. lix. xxxiv. ixiii. 
 
 rh^n 
 
 Ps. xvii. Ixxxvi. n^Tln Ps. c. H SHD Ps. 
 
 cxlv. 
 
 "^ iv. V. vi. liv. Iv., &c. 
 
 ^ i?ee Vogel, Dissertation on the titles of the later Psalms. 
 
 ^ Bengel, in his Dissertation already mentioned, considers 
 
24 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 With these last we may class those who believe that 
 the inscriptions, although not prefixed by the authors 
 of the Psalms, were written by Nehemiah and Ezra. 
 Each of these opinions has been supported by spe- 
 cious arguments ; and each of them, perhaps, has in 
 it some portion of truth.i° That titles to the Psalms 
 were prefixed by the authors themselves, is exceed- 
 ingly probable, from the custom of Oriental poets, 
 who, we find, usually prefix to their poems the name 
 of the author, and, sometimes also, the time when the 
 poem was composed. This custom is preserved 
 among the Arabians and Syrians, and it seems to 
 have been prevalent among the Hebrews also. Thus, 
 to the writings of the Prophets, — M'hich we all know 
 were poems, — we find, in most cases, the name of the 
 prophet, and the age in which he lived, prefixed. 
 We find the same thing in the triumphal hymn, Exod. 
 XV., in the hymn of Moses, Deut. xxxi. 30; xxxii. 1 ; 
 xxxiii. 1 ; and in the song of Deborah, Jud. v. 1. 
 
 the Hebrew inscriptions as of greatest value. Those of the 
 first seventy-two Psalms, he thinks, are of high antiquity ; and 
 are of more authority, on this account, that in all of* them, 
 there is an entire agreement, both of the Alexandrine and Vul- 
 gate versions, with the Hebrew text. "Where David's name is 
 found in the Hebrew, it is not once omitted in those versions. 
 As to those Psalms which have Hebrew titles prefixed, indicat- 
 ing the authors, and the occasions on which they were com- 
 posed, there are very few of them, of which the titles can be 
 regarded as perfect. See Bcrtholdt, Introduction. 
 
 ^^ In this examination, we have followed Stark chiefly. He 
 discusses the subject with more learning and acuteness than 
 others who preceded him. jEicMorw generally agrees in his 
 opinions. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 25 
 
 That the titles, also, of some of the Psalms are ge- 
 nuine can scarcely be doubted. The same inscrip- 
 tion which is prefixed to Ps. xviii. we find in 2 Sam. 
 xxii. 2. From some of the Psalms, also, when we 
 consider attentively their style and subject, we may 
 perceive that they were composed at the time men- 
 tioned in the inscription, even although no inscrip- 
 tion had been used. The third Psalm, for example, 
 corresponds so closely with the circumstances of Da- 
 vid's history at the time when his throne was usurp- 
 ed by his son, that we should not have doubted of its 
 being composed at that time, although the inscrip- 
 tion had not mentioned the fact. Some, also, of the 
 Greek and Syriac inscriptions are of the same cha- 
 racter.^^ They correspond so well with the Psalms 
 to which they are prefixed, that we cannot doubt of 
 their authenticity. The opinion of those, therefore, 
 who hold that all the inscriptions are to be rejected 
 without discrimination, ought not to be entertained. 
 Neither is it certain that all the ancients felt, respect- 
 ing the titles to the Psalms, in the same manner. In 
 the SjTiac version, new formed titles are often used, 
 while the older, — those exhibited in the Hebrew text, 
 and in the Alexandrine Greek, are set aside. These 
 new titles are given in the Polyglot Bibles; and con- 
 sist, — many of them at least, — of insipid fables, and 
 of allegorical and mystical explications, borrowed 
 from the works of the Fathers. In some manuscripts 
 there are no titles whatever ; the name of David only 
 is inscribed, and is prefixed even to those Psalms 
 
 ^^ In the Syriac version, the title of Psahn iii. runs, " A 
 song said to be by David, concerning future blessings." 
 
2d INTRODUCTION. 
 
 which, in the Hebrew copies, are ascribed to other 
 poets. This is the case in those manuscripts, chief- 
 ly, which were intended^ by the copyists, for eccle- 
 siastical use. From all these circumstances, it is evi- 
 dent that the authority of the Hebrew inscriptions 
 was not highly estimated by the Syrians ; and that 
 every one was left to judge for himself, as to those 
 points to which the inscriptions related. Theodoret 
 did not receive them all promiscuously as he found 
 them in the Greek and Hebrew copies ; but, after se- 
 parating them accurately, rejected as spurious and 
 corrupted, those which he found only in the Greek, 
 but which were wanting in the Hebrew copies. Most 
 of our theologians formerly followed the example of 
 Theodoret, owing to their prejudiced opinions as to 
 the accuracy and integrity of the Hebrew text. But 
 as many additions were made by the Greek tran- 
 scribers and translators, so it is certain, as we have 
 seen in our second chapter, that the Jews also were 
 guilty of various falsifications. Upon the whole, I 
 have no hesitation in agreeing to the opinion of Stark, 
 whothinks, from the established usage of the Arabic, 
 the Syrian, and also of the Hebrew poets, to which 
 we have already adverted, that, originally, the name 
 of the author was prefixed to every Psalm ; and, oc- 
 casionally also, the time at which it was composed. 
 With respect to the musical modulation, and the in- 
 strument with which the singing was to be accom- 
 panied, when these were mentioned in an inscription 
 it seems to have been an addition made by those 
 who, at various periods, accommodated the Psalms to 
 the purposes of public worship. Thus in 2 Sam. xxii. 
 
INTRODLXTION. 27 
 
 where the eighteenth Psalm is given, no mention is 
 made in the title of the HV^^ Menatseach, or chief 
 musician. A probable cause of such additions readily 
 presents itself. In the progress of time, many of the 
 original inscriptions, — containing the author's name, 
 the subject and date of the composition, — would be- 
 come mutilated, or be entirely lost. To supply the de- 
 fect, arising from this cause, those who at different 
 times collected the Psalms, framed inscriptions to 
 please themselves ; not paying due regard, in every 
 case, either to manuscripts, or to the nature of the 
 poetry. Many of them too, appear to have been 
 added by commentators and copyists, with the view 
 of giving such information as, in their opinion, might 
 be of use to their readers. This is proved not only 
 by the Greek, the Syriac, the Arabic, and the Latin, 
 but sometimes, also, by the Hebrew manuscripts. 
 Of this, Stark produces a clear evidence from the 
 Sorbonne manuscript. No. XXXII., in which there is 
 sometimes found in the margin, and written in a later 
 hand, an inscription taken from the Rabbinical notes : 
 thus, at the eleventh Psalm, it is noted, concerning the 
 priests of Nob; to whom is referred in a gloss, 
 the clause in the second verse, The upright in heart. 
 At the fourteenth Psalm, it is noted, Concerning 
 Nebuchudnezzar ; and in a note upon the first verse, 
 it is said, David prophesies of Nebuchadnezzar^ tvho 
 was afterwards to come. At the seventeenth Psalm, 
 the margin reads concerning Bathsheba, the person 
 to whom the third verse applies, accoramg to the 
 Rabbinical interpretation. How easily figments of 
 this description might find their way into the text, it 
 
28 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 is not necessary to point out ; nor is it difficult to per- 
 ceive how it has come to pass, that we find an inscrip- 
 tion not at all suited to a Psalm, and an author nam- 
 ed, by whom, — unless you choose to call in the aid of 
 the prophetic gift, — the Psalm could not possibly be 
 composed. Upon the whole, therefore, we may con- 
 clude that the inscriptions, as we find them in the 
 Hebrew copies, are neither rashly to be rejected, nor 
 indiscriminately received ; but, that those which pro- 
 ceeded from the authors themselves, are to be distin- 
 guished, if possible, from those added in later times, by 
 the help of sound criticism and sound interpretation. 
 We shall now proceed to examine and illustrate 
 those terms and phrases which are common to many 
 of the titles of the Psalms ; and, in this, we shall ob- 
 serve the alphabetical order, as being best suited for 
 the use of such as may have occasion to consult par- 
 ticular explications. ^2 
 
 EXPLICATION 
 
 OF CERTAIN FORMS OF SPEECH, FREQUENTLY 
 OCCURRING IN THE TITLES OF THE PSALMS. 
 
 nn^n-Sj^) Al-tasckUh^ Do not consume. These 
 words are found prefixed to four Psalms, namely, the 
 
 " Among those who have laboured in explaining the titles of 
 the Psalms, Sonntag ho'ds a distinguished place. Irhoff de- 
 serves also to be mentioned : and, in the Treatise of Ffeiffer 
 upon the JMusic of the Ancient Hebrews, there is to be found 
 much useful information. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 29 
 
 Ivii, Iviii. lix. and Ixxv. Not a few interpreters con- 
 sider them as expressing the subject of the Psalm ; — 
 as indicating, briefly and generally, that David, when 
 in circumstances of extreme danger, had prayed that 
 God would not suffer him to be utterly destroyed. 
 These Psalms are thus viewed as supplications for the 
 averting of evils ; written, as it is expressed in the 
 Chaldee, " On account of difficulty, — at the time 
 when David said, do not thou destroy.'' Btrtr this 
 sense does-^tt well suit with the Ixxv. Psalm, which 
 contains the prayers of the people for deliverance 
 from the dominion of some powerful enemy. The 
 words have been considered, also, as a brief memo- 
 rial of David's laudable conduct in restraining Abi- 
 shai from killing king Saul while asleep, by using 
 them, and saying, destroy him not^ 1 Sam. xxvi. 9. 
 But, to say no more, this sense is even less suited to the 
 Ixxv. Psalm, than that which we have already men. 
 tioned ; nor is it at all applicable, either to the Ivii. 
 or the lix. To this last Psalm, besides the words im- 
 mediately under consideration, we find prefixed, the 
 following, " When Saul sent, and they watched the 
 house to kill him ;" and to the other, " When he fled 
 from Saul and hid himself in the cave of AduUam. ' 
 It is evident, then, that both these Psalms were com- 
 posed before the words were used for restraining 
 Abishai from his bloody purpose of slaying Saul. 
 Setting aside, therefore, this interpretation of their 
 meaning, we think it safer to understand- them, as a 
 notice placed at the beginning of the Psalms where 
 they are found, directing the leader of the musical 
 
30 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 band, to sing those Psalms witli the same measure as 
 that used in singing some particular Psalm, of which 
 they were the first words. They were thus under- 
 stood by Aben Ezra, who says in his Hebrew Anno- 
 tations, that the word was intended to animate the 
 leader of the song* It is a singular opinion express- 
 ed by Pfeiffer in his " Treatise Concerning the Mu- 
 sic of the Ancient Hebrews," that the word DD^D? 
 
 T 
 
 Michtam^ which follows the words Al-taschith, in the 
 titles of the Ivii. Iviii. and lix. Psalms, is to be under- 
 stood as connected with them ; the former word be- 
 ing taken to signify sculptured, or engraved. The 
 sense of the whole would thus become, " A Psalm of 
 David engraved on stone that it perish not." In the 
 title of the Ixxv. Psalm, however, the michtam is not 
 subjoined to the others. 
 
 * Steph. Borgia, de Criice Vatic, observes that the Syrians 
 were accustomed to prefix to their sacred songs the first words 
 of those to the airs of which they were to be sung. " The Sy- 
 rians," he says, " had not musical notes — not, at least, gene- 
 rally. At their sacred meetings, therefore, they usually 
 modulated the voice, in the same manner as the Italians 
 who sing,— according to the common phrase, — ad aria ; which 
 ariae, if we may so speak, — were called hirmi by the Greeks. 
 These regulated their singing. In their books, moreover, at 
 the beginning of every song, they placed certain words for the 
 direction of the singer ; and by these, the order of the different 
 stanzas, into which they were divided, was ascertained " 
 
 As distinguished from those who sing by a book, or by musical 
 notation, those who sing ad aria are such as sing without 
 books ; or, as we would say, by the ear ; persons who can sing 
 or play airs which they have committed to memory—. Tr. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 31 
 
 r\T\^i Gittith, a word prefixed to three Psalms, 
 
 T • 
 
 the viii. Ixxxi. and Ixxxiv. is generally understood as 
 the name of a musical instrument ; but as to its ori- 
 gin there is a great diversity of opinion. It has been 
 supposed by some that it was the name of an instru- 
 ment first used at Gath-Rimmon, a city mentioned 
 in Jos. xxi. 24, as belonging to the family of the Ko- 
 hathites. From the name of this city was formed the 
 appellative Gittii in the masculine, as given to Obed- 
 Edom, (2 Sam. vi. 11.) and the feminine, Gittifh, the 
 term before us. The Chaldee Paraphrast explains it 
 by the words, " To the harp which he brought from 
 Gath." Jarchi gives a similar sense, " Gittith," says 
 he, " is the name of a musical instrument brought 
 from the city of Gath, where the artificers lived by 
 whom it was made." Sonntag, as appears from his 
 treatise " On the Titles of the Psalms," was much 
 pleased with this sense of the term ; so, also, was 
 Fisher, who thinks it was the sense approved of by 
 Theodotion. Certainly it is not to be altogether de- 
 spised, for nothing was more common among the an- 
 cients than to give a name to an instrument of music 
 from the place where it was invented, or where it was 
 principally used. The Lydian and Phrygian instru- 
 ments were well known ; so, also, were the musical 
 airs of the Dorians, Lydians, iEolians, and lonians. 
 
 According to another opinion, the word is an ap- 
 pellative pronoun from the term J^ilj Gaih, signify- 
 ing a vat or wine-press, in which grapes were trodden 
 
32 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 with the feet for the expressing of the juice. It 
 has been supposed, in support of this opinion, that the 
 instrument was used in celebrating the pleasures of 
 the wine-pressing, or vintage. This was the opinion 
 of Michaelis ; he says, in the Supplement to his He- 
 brew Lexicon, « It was the custom in ancient times, 
 and still continues, that persons treading the grapes 
 sang joyful songs, and accommodated their move- 
 ments to the music. It might be, that the Gittith 
 was an instrument with which these songs were ac- 
 companied ; and the use of which was appropriated 
 to the season of the vintage. Two of the Psalms to 
 which it is prefixed, the Ixxxi. and Ixxxiv. seem to 
 me particularly adapted to the feast of tabernacles ; 
 a feast observed in the middle of October, at the con- 
 clusion of the vintage. Might not they, then, be sung 
 at that time, along with the instrument used at the 
 treading of the grapes ?" Harenberg imagined the 
 Hebrew Gittith to be the same instrument that was 
 called Magas by the Greeks. For this he seems to 
 have had no other reason than some fancied similarity 
 between the names ; between which, in reality, — with 
 the exception of a single letter found in both, — no 
 similarity existed. 
 
 There are not a few, however, who consider the 
 term Gittith^ not as the name of an instrument, but 
 as a term indicating the subject of the song. If form- 
 ed from Gath, — the name of the Philistine city to 
 which David fled from Saul, and which is often men- 
 tioned in Old Testament history, — it may signify, 
 either a song composed by David while he abode in 
 that city, or a song in commemoration of some of the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 33 
 
 events that befell him at that period. But, in reply 
 to this, we must say that we find nothing, in any of 
 the Psalms where the term is used, that can be refer- 
 red to the period mentioned. Moreover, the term is 
 not prefixed to the xxxiv. or Ivi. Psalm ; though, if 
 the sense were that to which we have last adverted, 
 it would be much better suited to both, than to those 
 where we actually find it. When we come to treat 
 of the viii. Psalm we shall take notice of other con- 
 jectures ; and shall only notice further, at present, 
 that the term, as derived from Gath^ a wine-press, 
 has been understood to mean a song usually sung at 
 the time of the vintage. From Jud. ix. 27 ; Isa. xvi. 
 8 — 19 ; Jer. xlviii. 33., we learn that it was usual to 
 celebrate the vintage — both during its continuance, 
 and at its conclusion, — by the singing of appropriate 
 hymns. In the same manner the Greeks, as Anacreon 
 informs us, were accustomed to sing hymns when 
 employed at the v/ine-press. 
 
 '2ra(pvXyiv, kvovri; o'l'vov, 
 'E^ikTjviOiSiv uuvois — 0(1. lii.* 
 
 The Septuagint translation patronizes this opinion 
 as to the meaning of the Hebrew term Giltith, by 
 rendering it u-gp T-wf X'/ji/wv, concerning the wine-press- 
 es ; and it was adopted by Luther, IrhoflP, and 
 
 * Viri tantum calcant 
 Uvam, vinum exprimentes, 
 i^Iiiltum Deum Lmdantes 
 iJymnis in toicularibus cani soliiis, 
 D 
 
34 
 
 INTRODUCTIOr. 
 
 Pfeifrtr. One circumstance, however, prevents me 
 from acceding to it. I believe that the person who 
 prefixed the title to those Psahns wliere it is found, 
 had he designed to signify that they were to be sung 
 at the wine-presses, would have used the letter vau, 
 instead of the letter ^odf, in the formation of the word. 
 
 n 
 
 77n> Hillel. He hath praised, is the root from 
 
 wliich is formed the noun nSn/n> TehiUah, praise 
 
 or glory, with its plurals ending in oth and im. 
 
 D^xPf/n *)£3D^ Sepher tehillim, the hook of praises, 
 
 or as Jerom renders it, the booh of hymns^ was the 
 name given by the Hebrews to our book of Psalms. 
 This name was given to it, no doubt, because the 
 greater part of it consists of songs, which were styled 
 hymns by the Greeks, — that is, of songs in which the 
 glory of the Divine Being is celebrated. If other sub- 
 jects are occasionally introduced, divine praise is 
 generally conjoined with them. In the New Testa- 
 ment, (Luke XX. 42. Ads i. 20,) it is called B//3?.o$ 
 ■^aXiMuv, the hook of psalms ; and by the Greeks, 
 commonly, ^ua/mi and ^a'/.TTjoiov, psalms and psaltery ; 
 the meaning of the latter term being slightly changed 
 in this application of it. The primary and most ge- 
 neral meaning of the original word -vpaXXw, is to touch, 
 to touch lightly ; and from this, its secondary and 
 limited sigiiiiication, to play upon an instrument of 
 music, or to play and sing at the same time. In the 
 words of Suidas : Kvslog ds -^gdXX^r^, ro t^j ux^m-uv 
 dax.ru7M> ruv ^■v^i^i' oi.'jrislai. The p'opcr mailing of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 35 
 
 -^ockXiiv, is to touch the cords of musical insliiimuils 
 with the points of the fingers. Hence, from being 
 thus played upon, a stringed instrument of music was 
 called 2i psaltery. According to Augustine, it was 
 shaped somewhat like our violin. A more general 
 opinion is, that it was of a triangular form, and 
 mounted with ten strings. Those who acquired a 
 livelihood by playing upon it, were cdWedi psalterists ; 
 and ^aXfj^og psalm, was the melody or harmony pro- 
 duced from it. From this, both the terms came to be 
 applied to those songs which were set to music; and 
 accompanied by the harp or viol, when they were 
 sung in sacred assemblies. Euthymius, in his preface 
 to the Psalms, gives the following illustration. «' The 
 book of songs, which we call the psaltery, is so called 
 improperly^ or indirectly. The word psaltery is, in 
 its proper meaning, the name of a musical instrument, 
 
 called Nahla [^H^] by the Hebrews ; and psaltery 
 
 by us, from its being touched, or struck when played 
 upon. The appellation was afterwards transferred to 
 this book which contains the psalms. 
 
 t 
 
 *1DT Zimmer. Replayed or sang. The same word 
 is found in the Arabic and S^^iac ; and from it is 
 derived the noun *Ti/^Tu5 Mizmor, signifying a poem 
 
 or song. In the conjugation Kal, the verb signifies 
 to amputate : in Levit. xxv. 4. Psalm v. 6, it is used 
 in regard to vines, in the sense of cutting or pruning,. 
 On this account, many expositors, among whom it 
 
36 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 may be necessary to name Lowth only, — have thought 
 that the name Mizmor was given to a poem or song; 
 the sentiments, in this species of composition, being 
 expressed in shortened sentences, of fixed and defi- 
 nite measure. This etymology we leave to its au- 
 thors. In the titles of the Psalms we frequently find 
 
 the words 111/ llOTD : ^^ut as to the import of 
 
 • r : : : 
 
 the letter 7 lamedy prefixed to the name David, 
 there are various opinions. Some understand it to 
 mean /or, or 07i account of ; and so to indicate, that 
 the Psalm was composed /or, or on account of, David, 
 by some precentor, or musical leader. Others con- 
 sider it as equivalent to concerning ; a sense in which 
 we find it used in Gen. xx. 13 ; xxvi. 7. 2 Sara. xi. 
 7, and elsewhere : understood in this sense, it would 
 indicate a song concerning^ or respecting David. The 
 common opinion, however, is, that by the letter /a- 
 rned^ the song or poem is referred to its author, and 
 should be translated by the prepositions of or hy^ the 
 words would thus mean, a song of or a songby, David. 
 In this sense it occurs in innumerable passages of the 
 Old Testament ; and Michaelis justly remarks, that 
 the Arabs, in the inscriptions of books, use it for the 
 same purpose, prefixed to the name of the author. 
 Many of the Psalms, indeed, in the titles of which 
 are the words we are considering, were evidently 
 composed by David : and we have no doubt, that he 
 who wrote the titles, designed to indicate this, in 
 every case in which he used those words, although, 
 as we have already seen in chap ii. he has, in this 
 matter, frequently erred. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 37 
 
 i 
 
 V\^\^1^ Jeduthtin is found in the titles of three 
 
 Psahns, namel3% the xxxix. Ixii. and ixxvii. and has 
 been considered both as an appellative, a common 
 term, having a meaning of its own, — and as a proper 
 name. Aben-Ezra thought it indicated the beginning 
 of a well known musical air, to which those Psalms 
 were to be sung : but to this opinion it may be ob- 
 jected that, in the title of the first mentioned Psalm, 
 we find the letter Lamed prefixed to the word. 
 Jarchi imagined it to be the name of a musical in- 
 strument ; and says, "there was also a musical in- 
 strument called Jeduthun:'^ but to this, it is a weighty 
 objection, that such an instrument is no where else 
 spoken of. The opinion of Irhoff is peculiar ; — that 
 the word is formed from the verb ^*f^ in Hiphil 
 
 1 T 
 
 ni1n> signifying, hQ confessed ot celebrated : — that 
 
 the noun Jiduthun signified a confessor ; and was 
 applied to the whole people of Israel, whose chief 
 duty it \vas to confess the name of Jehovah, and ce- 
 lebrate his praise. This cannot be looked upon as a 
 happj^ conjecture ; for we can perceive no reason 
 why the people of Israel, in the title of a Psalm, 
 should have been designated by a name no where else 
 used, and therefore obscure in its meaning. But 
 there is no need of having recourse to such conjec- 
 tures, seeing we find the word actually used as a pro- 
 per name, Jeduthun being one of the persons named 
 in I Chr(;n. xxv. 1., as one of the leaders in the choir 
 appointed by David ; where we have also a list of his 
 sorts, or, as it may be understood, of the other musi- 
 cians who were placed under hi^ charge. In the same 
 
38 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 book, chap xvi. 41, 42, Heman and Jeduthun are 
 said to have sung divine hymns, accompanied with 
 various musical instruments. /f2V/?c//2 explains justly 
 the title of Psalm xxxi?^. " This song," says he, " was 
 composed by David, who delivered it to Jeduthun, the 
 dinger." In the inscrip.tion of the two other Psalms, 
 
 where we find the words, ]in"Tl^"by H'^^iSD^ ia- 
 
 Menatzeach, al-Jeduthin ; I agree with Sonntag in 
 thinking that the word Jeduthun is employed to de- 
 signate the whole class of singers over which he pre- 
 sided ; and, that the title should be rendered To the 
 leader of the Jeduthiini'es, supplying To be delivered. 
 
 The preposition S^ al, is, in many passages, for ex- 
 
 nmple '2 Chron. ii. 2. 1 Chron. xxiii. 4. Ezra iii. 
 8, 9. used in a similar manner. The title of Psalm 
 xxxix. may also be translated, to the leader of the Je- 
 duthunifes ; and that of Psalm xliv. to The leader of 
 the Korahitcs, 
 
 D/nlD/tD Michtam is prefixed to six Psalms, the xvi» 
 the Ivi. and the four immediately following it. Concern- 
 ing the signification of the word, there is a marvellous 
 difference of opinion among interpreters. (1.) Since 
 £2]^^ Chethem, in the Hebrew, signifies gcld^ there 
 
 are many who consider Michtam as signifying a piece 
 oj gold, ov a jewel of gold. Aben-Ezrasays, that the 
 Psalms, in the titles of which the word is found, were 
 so inscribed, " because they ought to be esteemed 
 precious as the finest and most desirable gold." 
 Kimchi gives a similar explanation ; 3Iichtamf says 
 
INTRODUCTION. 39 
 
 he, '' is inscribed, as if the v.Titer should say, thiU the 
 Psahn was esteemed by him as Cheihem^ which is the 
 finest gold." — Ludovicas De Diexi was pleased with 
 tliis opinion. He^says, " we assent to those who ren- 
 der the word gold, or a golden ornament of David." 
 Thus, the Arabic proverbs of All, on account of their 
 singular excellence, are entitled '* the golden jewel 
 of manners.'* The %fjfi'« jV/^, golden words o{ Pytha- 
 goras occurred to the mind of Geier ; and have been 
 used, as an illustration, by several other interpreters. 
 Fischer, for instance, says, " that the word Michtam 
 points out a golden ode, that is, one of great excel- 
 lence; — of that nature, which deserved to be engraven 
 on every heart." It is difficult, however, to discover 
 in what respects these Psalms were so much more ex- 
 cellent than others, as to merit this singular appella- 
 tion. Harmer seems to have felt this difficulfy ; and 
 accounts for the epithet, by supposing that those par- 
 ticular Psalms were written out in letters of gold ; 
 and hung up, either in the sanctuary, or in some other 
 public place. In the same manner, seven poems, of 
 the most celebrated ancient authors who flourished in 
 Arabia, before the age of Mohammed, were styled 
 Moallac.at^ — Suspended — because they were hung up 
 at the entrance of the temple of Mecca. They were 
 also, in common language, called Modhafiahat, that 
 is, golden, because they were written out on linen of 
 Egypt, in letters of gold. P>ut we find no traces of aiiy 
 such custom as this among the Hebrews. (2.) The 
 word Chethem, which occurs Jer. ii. 22, is by 
 some understood according to its meaning in Arabic, 
 he hid himself. Hezel, accordingly, in his notes upon 
 the sixteenth Psalm, calls it a song of hiding : and 
 
40 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 conjectures that it was so called, because composed 
 by David while in a state of exile from his native 
 land. This conjecture, however, does not suit all the 
 Psalms where the word is found. The Iviii. for ex- 
 ample, contains a complaint of partiality, on the part 
 of magistrates, in the discharge of their duty : and 
 Psalm Ix. is a song of praise to Jehovah, on account 
 of a victor}' obtained over the neighbouring nations. 
 (3.) In the Syriac, the radical word means to note, or 
 stigmatize^ in which sense it is used in Gal. vi. 17. 
 It has been thought, therefore, that this idea was pre- 
 served in the Hebrew ; that Michtam, originally, and 
 in general, was said of an}^' thing engraven ; and, in 
 the titles of the Psalms, should be translated. A 
 Psalm engraven on stone. The Seventy, — and Theo- 
 dotion also, — translate it c-'/jXoyja^/ai', that is, the in- 
 scription upon a monument of brass or stone ; and, 
 the Chaldee, the engmviny upon an erected stone. 
 Many recent interpreters have adopted the opinion : 
 it is thus expressed by Michaelis, "Indeed this sense 
 of the term is suitable to the subjects of all the Psalms, 
 in the titles of which we find it. Thus the sixteenth 
 Psalm may be viewed as an epitaph : — the sixtieth 
 as a song of victory, inscribed upon a monument 
 erected, as it appears, on the spot where some signal 
 victory was gained. The fifty-sixth, and three fol- 
 lowing Psalms, were, probabl}^, engraven on stones 
 erected to point out the cave, or other particular place, 
 where the life of David had been in imminent dan- 
 ger." Vide Faher, P/eifftr, S^c. But these songs, 
 in my opinion, are too long to have been engraven 
 on tablets of brass or stone. (4.) I therefore esteem, 
 as most probable, the opinion of those who think that 
 
INTRODUCTION. 41 
 
 the word Michtam^ and the word Michtah, have (he 
 same signification, and are, in fact, the same word, 
 the letter Belli in the one, being substituted for the 
 letter Mem in the other. This substitution occurs, 
 frequently, both in the Hebrew and in the Arabic 
 tongues, the two consonants being of the same class, 
 namely, labials, and pronounced in the same manner 
 by the compression of the lips. Thus the song of 
 king Hezekiah, (Isaiah xxxviii. 9 — 20.) is intitiiledy 
 
 in^'^tn^ nn^^ Mlchtab Le-HezeMachu, a ivriting 
 
 of Hezekiah : and, I have no doubt, that the words 
 we are considering, in the titles of the six Psalms, 
 should be translated, in each of them, a luriting of 
 David. It is very probable, also, that the word 
 Mich f am was in the original titles, which were pre- 
 fixed either by David himself, or by some of his con- 
 temporaries ; and, that it is now preserved in the 
 titles of, comparatively, a few Psalms only, the term 
 Mizmor having, in later times, been substituted for 
 it, as being a word of more common use, and better 
 understood. We may remark, in conclusion, that 
 the word was divided by the Greek translator Aquila 
 into two, signifying humble and sincere. He had been 
 taught thus to read and understand it, by his Jewish 
 instructors, who also, according to their usual prac- 
 tice, engrafted upon it several foolish notions, which 
 it is unnecessary to recapitulate. 
 
 n/PT/tD Mahalath is found in the titles of two 
 Psalms, the liii. and Ixxxviii., and, in both, the par- 
 
42 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tide ^y Al is prefixed. In the latter, — where it is 
 joined to the word Hl^^^ Leannot/i, signifying to be 
 
 siifig, or to be 5?/??^ biy alternate choirs. — it appears 
 to be the name of a musical instrument; but of an 
 instrument, the nature of which cannot now be de- 
 termined. From the radical word j /pf HalaU sig- 
 
 ~ T 
 
 nifylng he pierced through^ it has been understood, 
 generally, that it must have been a. perforated, ov holed 
 instrument, — some species of pipe, — that was intend- 
 ed. Eichhorn, from the Arabic sense of the root, in- 
 fers that it was a stringed instrument, played upon 
 either with the finger, or, as some were, with the 
 point of a feather. By consulting Sonntag or Pfeiffer, 
 various other conjectures will be found discussed. 
 P^ Nagan agrees in its signification with the 
 
 verb S^*£3j^ Taphash, he loiichcd, or handled ; which 
 
 latter word is used with reference to musical instru- 
 ments, Gen. iv. 21, "such a.s handle the harp and 
 organ.*' It is also synonymous with the Greek verb 
 . K^obsiv to beaf^ that is, to touch a musical instrument 
 and bring out its sound, either with the fingers, a bow, 
 a reed, or any thing else used for that purpose. The 
 word is, accordingly, employed in this sense 1 Sam. 
 xvi. 23, where *■' David," it is said, '• took an harp, 
 and played with his hand." Hence, the word Negi- 
 noth, found in the inscription of Psalms vi. liv. Iv. Ixi. 
 Ixxvi. denotes instruments that were bowed or beat 
 upon ; perhaps, — as Pfeiffer understood it, — it might 
 be a name common to all stringed instruments. Aqui- 
 la very properly translates it b -vj^aX/^o/c, ivilh psalmsy 
 
INTRODUCTION. 43 
 
 ♦ 
 
 using the wcrd psalm in its primary sense, for an in- 
 strument of music S^'ramachus translated it hc^ 
 -^ay.TTioi'jrj^ with ysalleries^ which is somewhat more 
 elegant. 
 
 niS'n^ NeJiiloth, with the particle ^^ El pre- 
 
 • : 
 
 fixed, is found in the inscription to Psalm v. and ia 
 variously interpreted. Evenamongthose who consider 
 it as indicating the subject of the Psalm, there are va- 
 rious opinions as to its signification. (1.) The Greeks 
 translate it -o-h rrj: z7.ri:^ovofMov6r,c, For her, icho obtains 
 the inheritance^ which is the sense given in the Vul- 
 gate also : by the person referred to, they seem to 
 understand the people of Israel, to whom the land of 
 Canaan, according to ancient opinion, was allotted for 
 an inheritance (Psalm cv. 11.) I grant that the words 
 
 C^nSn^ ^in Helel Nahalathchem, mean " the 
 
 land of Canaan, the portion of your inheritance." 
 
 But they confound Dl^Tl^ with Dl^ni Nehiloth 
 
 with Nehaloth, which last word means lands possessed 
 by hereditary right, (Jos. xix. 51. Isaiah xlix. 8.) 
 
 (2.) The Chaldeans, by the word S^H^ Nehil^ mean 
 
 a hive of bees ; the sense which it bears also in the 
 Arabic. From this, Jarchi was led to think that the 
 word Nehiloth was intended to express the idea of a 
 multitude^ or an arnnj ; and that the Psalm to which 
 it is prefixed, was a prayer of David, in the name of 
 the whole people, referring to a hostile army by which 
 the Israelites were invaded. But the Psalm itself 
 does not, by any means, accord with this supposition. 
 
44 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Michaelis^ deriving the word from the Arabic root, 
 which signifies "■ he sifted, separated, and chose 
 the better part," conjectures that it denoted a " song 
 to be sung by the purified, and better part of the peo- 
 ple." This etymology is too far- fetched to meet with 
 our approbation : we are much rather inclined to 
 agree with those who consider Nelidoth^ the name of 
 a musical instrument ; although, as to the kind of in- 
 strument, their opinions are different. (1.) Rabbi 
 Hai^ as quoted by Kimchi^ understood the word, in 
 its primary sense^ to mean a hive of bees ; and, in its 
 secondary sense, to be the name of a musical instru- 
 ment, producing, — like that of bees, — a humming or 
 buzzing sound. Sonntag thought it the general name 
 of bass, or hoarse sounding instruments ; — oiwindm- 
 struments particularly. (2.) Michaelis insists that it 
 was a stringed instrument, the body of which was 
 made of palm wood. (3.) I am inclined to think, 
 with Fischer and others, that the word simply signi- 
 fies perforated , icind instruments, translated pipes in 
 the Chaldee. The preposition Ely to, instead of Al^ 
 upon, being prefixed, does not seem to be an objec- 
 tion of weight. The form is entirely similar to that 
 of the Latin phrase, canere ad tibiam, to sing to a 
 pipe. 
 
 nyj Nafsah, he conquered, prevailed, overcame^ 
 
 from which is formed ni»lD7 Lamenatseah, a word 
 
 used in the inscriptions of fifty-three Psalms : and 
 understood chiefly in two different senses. By some 
 it is taken for the verb in the infinitive ; and referred 
 to the voice, as indicating, simply, a Psalm tobe sung. 
 
IKTRODUCTION. 45 
 
 In the Chaldee it is translated, ad laudandum, that 
 is, a hymn of praise to be sung. Michaelis renders 
 the clause 1 Chron. xv. 21, where this word occurs, 
 to he sung, or played ivith harps of eight chords. " In 
 the Hebrew," he says, " as well as in the Arabic, 
 the word conveys the idea of something pure and 
 liquid : and is applied to the voice of persons singing 
 and playing upon instruments." 
 
 " Melpomene, cui liquidam pater. 
 
 " Pocem cum cithara dedit." Kor. L. i. Ode xxiv." 
 
 " In the Syriac, also, the word has the same appli- 
 cation." But it is very doubtful if the word means in 
 that passage, to sing : it has accordingly, and not 
 badly, been rendered, that they might excell. The 
 radical verb Natsah is rendered by Wahl, he sung, 
 or he led the song ; but the permutations in the Ara- 
 bic conjugations by which he arrives at this sense? 
 we think altogether arbitrary. Others are of opinion 
 that the derivative Menatzeach conveys the sense of 
 the radical verb, — that of eminence, or superiority ; 
 and, when used in the titles of the Psalms, it indi- 
 cates, that the Psalms should be sung with a loud 
 voice ; — in a higher key, and with more strength than 
 was generally used. But since the word in all the 
 other passages of the Old Testament where it oc- 
 curs, — for example, 2 Chron. ii. 2 — 17; xxxiv. 14, 
 is obviously an adjective, I agree with those who un- 
 derstand it as referring to the leader of the choir. It 
 conveys, as we have already said, the idea of emi- 
 nence or superiority, such as they ought to possess 
 
 * '' The Muse of melting voice and lyre." 
 
46 INTRODUCTION-. 
 
 who preside over others, and whose labours they su- 
 perintend and regulate. If we refer, therefore, to 
 the temple music, the term must mean the master of 
 the singers, or of the band of music. The choir or 
 band, it must be remembered, were furnished with 
 symbols, harps, trumpets, with instruments, in a word, 
 both of wind and string ; all of v/hich were adapted 
 to the words of the songs, and to the music of the 
 human voice. The master or leader, therefore, must 
 have presided over the whole of the music, whether 
 instrumental or vocal. I have no hesitation, then, in 
 rendering the v/ords in the title of Psalm iv. To the 
 leader of the musical choir , — supply ingj To he deliver- 
 ed, — that it may be sung to instruments. They are 
 translated by Aquila, tco vr/.o'roico sv -^a}./jjoTg, To the 
 conqueror upon instruments of music ; explained by 
 Fischer, to the leader of the stringed instruments, or, 
 to him who presided over those who sung, and played 
 on stringed instruments. Aquila assigns the reason of 
 his rendering the Flebrew as he did. The verb 
 Natsah in Piel, signifies to do as one who overcomes ; 
 — to do a thing in a perfect manner ; so that Menat- 
 seach might, with much propriety, be a name given to 
 the leader of the choir, whose duty it was to take care 
 that the music, in all its parts, should be properly 
 performed, and in due concord. Eichhorn gives the 
 remarks of a learned man upon the Greek interpreta- 
 tion of the word La-Menatzeach : they deserve at- 
 tention, for that interpretation has, by many, been 
 thought unintelligible. AgeUius v/as not of this 
 mind ; and, as his explication of the Greek and La- 
 tin renderings has been overlooked by later commen- 
 
IKTKOTDUCTrON. 4/ 
 
 tators, it nia}' not be disagreeable to tlie reader, to 
 have it brought before him. The Greek renderinj^ 
 is, stg TO Ts/.og ; that of the Vulgate, injjnem : both 
 signifying to the end. The Seventy \xsq the phrase ir» 
 two distinct senses ; first, when they intend to ex- 
 press assiduity, or continuance: second, when they 
 intend by it the peifocting, or consummation of a 
 thing, or, as it may be expressed briefly, of a thing 
 to wliich the terms utterly or entirely may be applied. 
 Of the firstj we have an example in Psalm Ixxiv. 10, 
 " O God, how long shall the adversary reproach ? 
 shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever." The 
 words for ever, mean continually, or without end. 
 They have the same sense in Psalm ciii. 9. " Neither 
 will he keep his anger for ever :" that is, perpetually^ 
 tvithout end. There are many other instances of the 
 same nature : but we shall adduce another only, from 
 the Gospel by St. Luke, where it is related of an 
 unjust judge, that he was influenced by the importu- 
 nity of a widow, to give a just decision " lest coming 
 iic, ro TsXog, — perpetually, — she weary me." Of the 
 second sense of the words^ we have an example, 
 Psalm xxxviii. 6, " I am troubled, I am bowed 
 down, slg tsXoc^ usque in finem" where the sense evi- 
 dently is, bowed down greatly, or entirely. When, 
 then, the words are used in the inscription of a Psalm, 
 they may be understood in the one or the other of 
 these senses ; either as signifying perpetually, or 
 utterly. If taken in the first sense, they have been 
 supposed to intimate, that the Psalms so inscribed, 
 were not to be sung merely upon the Sabbath, or 
 upon any other definite day or days ; but were to be 
 sung continually, that is, either till the ending of the 
 
48 INTRODUCTION'. 
 
 sacrifice, or during the continual sacrifice of the morn- 
 ing and evening. If the other sense be adopted, then 
 the words intimate, that the Psalms to which they re- 
 late were to be sung with the utmost effort, — as nearly 
 as might be, with perfection. That it was usual to 
 sing Psalms during the time of sacrifice, we learn 
 from 2 Chron. xxix. 28. " And all the congregation 
 worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpets 
 sounded, and all this continued until the burnt-offer- 
 ing was finished." In favour of the second sense, 
 we find it plainly intimated that the musicians were 
 to use their utmost efforts., also in the exercise of their 
 art. It is recorded (I Chron. xv. 21.) that the choirs 
 of Levites instituted b}^ David, were divided into 
 three orders ; over which, respectively, Heman, 
 Asaph, and Ethan presided. There were also three 
 classes of musical instruments, namely, cymhals, psal- 
 teries, and harps ; one of which was assigned to each 
 order of the musicians. To this account is added, — 
 what appears was designed for all the singers, and 
 players upon instruments, — S^J^'Dk^D Mashemi- 
 
 nim ; — translated by I he Seventy rou (poo'jriffai s/g u-^og, 
 that is, " they should lift up the voice on high ;" or, as 
 St. Jerom renders it, " that the sound should re-echo 
 on high." Here it is to be observed, that all the in- 
 struments were to resound; and that all the lead- 
 ers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to lift their 
 voices on high, — while it was required of a part only, 
 that they should sing infinem. From this we are led 
 to conclude, that the term had a particular signifi- 
 cancy ; and intimated the exertion of the utmost 
 skill, — an aim at perfection." 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 49 
 
 V\*>^^. Shiggaio7i, found in the title of Psalm vii. 
 is formed from the word H^tS^ Shagah, signifying, 
 
 T t 
 
 he erred or wandered. It has been understood there- 
 fore, to intimate that the Psalm, either in regard to 
 its measures, was erratic, that is, not confined to one 
 species of verse, but consisting of verses of various 
 length ; or, that in singing it, the singers were not 
 confined to a single air, but might pass from one to 
 another, so as to express most powerfully the vary- 
 ing emotions of David's mind, arising from the dis- 
 tressing circumstances in which he was placed when 
 the Psalm was composed. But the sense of the root 
 in the Arabic is much more suitable, he ivas anxious^ 
 grieved, oppressed ivith grief and anxiety. Thus, 
 Shiggaion will mean a psalm of a man oppressed loith 
 sorrow ; and this inscription is well suited, not to this 
 Psalm only, but to the song of Habakkuk also, to 
 which it is prefixed, (chap, iii.) Wahl derives it 
 from a Syriac root, signifying, " he sang." Sonntag 
 brings together a mass of conjectures, still less pro- 
 bable. 
 
 *y>^. Shir, means an entire song, designed for 
 
 singing, either with the voice alone, or with the voice 
 accompanied by instruments. When followed by 
 the word Mizmor, as in the titles of Psalms xlviii. 
 Ixvi. Ixxxiii. Ixxxviii. cviii. or preceded by it, as in 
 those of Psalms xxx. xxxvii.lx. Ixv., it is a pleonastic 
 form of expression, familiar to the Hebrew. Thus 
 
 E 
 
50 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Ave often find synonymous words joined together, as 
 in Dan. i. 20, '« the wisdom of understanding," — Isa. 
 xxxiii. « the prey of spoil," — Num. xix. 2. " the 
 statute of the law ;" and such like. 
 
 The title of Psalm cxx. will be explained in its 
 proper place. 
 
 7^S^- Sachal^ besides some other senses, has 
 
 that of " Jw understood/* on which account the noun 
 
 7*D^D Maschil, found in the titles of thirteen 
 
 Psalms, is usually rendered, Carmen didascalicum^ a 
 psalm of instruction. Where it first occurs, namely 
 Psalm xxxii., the title is entirely appropriate; for the 
 Psalm is a poem giving instruction and information ; 
 but to some of the others it is not equally applicable. 
 I am, therefore, disposed to think with Michaelis^ 
 that the Hebrew term retains the sense of the root 
 in the Arabic, that of binding^ or ti/ing together. 
 When prefixed to a poem, it intimated, prohahlify 
 that it was of a connected natura ; or perhaps, that it 
 belonged to a 'particular kind of poetry, to which 
 that designation was restricted. 
 
 tVy''12'0' Sheminith, prefixed to Psalms vi. xii. 
 
 we know was the name of a musical instrument, (] 
 Chron. xv. 21.) As in its primary sense, it signifies 
 the eighth, so most interpreters consider it as the name 
 of an octochcrd, or instrument of eight strings. 
 By some, again, it has been understood as the name 
 of an instrument, forming with the others, a full 
 chord, or octave^ corresponding to our violin. Other 
 
INTRODUCTION. 51 
 
 conjectures may be found in Somilagy on the Titles 
 of the Psalms. 
 
 V^V\l}''^V' Al-Shushan in the singular number, 
 
 is prefixed to Psalm Ix., and Al-Sboshannim in the 
 plural, to Psalms xlv. Ixix, Ixxx. Because the word 
 is the name of a flower, — the lily, — it has been con- 
 jectured that it was also the name of a musical in- 
 strument, resembling the flower in its form. By- 
 some interpreters, it has been taken for the first or 
 introductory word of a song, well known at that time, 
 to the air or measures of which the Psalms above 
 mentioned were to be sung. Others refer it to the 
 subject of the song, and render it de laetitia, — ofjoy^ 
 a song of joy. We see no reason why it should not 
 be interpreted in the same manner as the word,^, Al- 
 Sheminith, Al-Haggittith, and others, of which we 
 have already treated ; and be understood as the name 
 of a musical instrument, used as an accompaniment 
 when the Psalms were sung, to which the word is pre- 
 fixed. It would be in vain to think of ascertaining 
 what particular kind of instrument was meant; and 
 equally in vain to attempt fixing the sense of the 
 term n^l^j Eduth, subjoined in the titles of Psalms 
 
 Ixx. Ixxx. Its primary signification of tesiimony^ or 
 witness, is not adapted to the nature of the Psalms ; 
 as must be evident to any person v.ho chooses to ex- 
 amine. Michaelis, from its use in the S^n-iac, thinks 
 it had a reference to an annual feast ; and pointed 
 out the songs usually sung on a stated day. at some 
 oleran anniversary. Simon, follo-.ving the Arabic^ 
 
52 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 renders it a song, accompanied by the harp, or 
 psaltery. Eichhorn thinks that the words taken to- 
 gether, were the name of a Hexachord in the shape of 
 a Testudo, or conch shell. The dreams of other in- 
 terpreters may be passed over in silence. Somitaff, 
 de Psalmorum Titulis, may be consulted by any per- 
 son who wishes to become acquainted with them. 
 
 n 
 
 n'^Sr^ Tephillah. A prayer^ or supplication, is 
 
 prefixed to several of the Psalms, (xvii. Ixxxvi. xc. 
 cii.), and also to the ode of Habakkuk, chap. iii. In 
 the titles of the sacred songs in the Syriac, it is ren- 
 dered by the term, signifying a prayer, see A. Hahn, 
 Bardesanes Gnosticus Syrorum Hymnologus. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The principal opinions concerning the meaning of 
 the word n*7D Selah, briefly stated. 
 
 T V 
 
 We meet with the word Selah seventy- one times 
 in the Psalms, and three times in the elegy of Habak- 
 kuk. One class of expositors consider it a word 
 formed by contraction^ and designed to represent 
 several words. Another class understand it as hav- 
 ing a distinct and proper meaning of its own. 
 
 We shall attend, first, to the opinions of the class 
 
INTRODUCTION. 53 
 
 last mentioned, of which some will have it to be a 
 musical note; others a word of common meaning 
 and use. 
 
 (1.) The latter think that the word means per- 
 petuity. Aquiila renders it as/, semper^ always ; 
 Symmachus, s/; tU atwci, i?i aeternum, for ever ; and 
 
 the Chaldee Vu^}^ ^^byS» ^n secula seculorum, for 
 
 • : » T : 
 
 ever and ever. In some of the passages where the 
 words occur, this sense is suitable enough, but, in 
 by far the greater number, for instance, Psalm Ixxxi. 
 8, Hab. iii. ?>, 9, 13, it is not suitable ; and, in one 
 passage, at least, Psalm xxxii. 4, 7, it becomes alto- 
 gether absurd. It cannot be said with propriety that 
 God is afflicting for ever ; that all men are in secu- 
 rity for ever ; or that God went before his people 
 in the wilderness/or ever. It has been explained, as 
 a note of confirmation^ equivalent to certainly^ so it 
 is ; as expressive of earnest desire, yhoiro, itafiet, so 
 be it ; or, simply, as a note of admiration and em- 
 phasis. All these are mere conjectures, unsupported 
 by argument ; and, to say no more, there is none of 
 them that leads to a sense of the word suitable to all 
 the passages in which it occurs. 
 
 (2.) The opinion of those who suppose the word 
 selah to be a note of the music, is much more probable. 
 At the same time they are not agreed as to its pre- 
 cise signification. According to some of them it in- 
 timates a change of the air, or musical measure. In 
 the Alexandrine version it is usually rendered A/ a 
 •^akiL(i\ explained by Suidas [JjsXq'o^ ha^XoLynv^a 
 change of the song. With this explanation Herder was 
 
54 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 satisfied, and Pfeiffer also. It was supposed by the 
 latter of these learned men, that selah is synonymous 
 with the Arabic word signifying a Joints or member ; 
 and, when applied to music, indicates a caesura or 
 breach in the measure. I doubt, however, if this can 
 be satisfactorily proved. According to others, it 
 marked the place or places at which the singer was 
 required to raise his voice. It has also been consid- 
 ered as intimating an mtermission, a pause in the 
 singing, during which the singers were silent, and the 
 sound of the musical instruments alone continued. 
 The corresponding word in the Syriac signifies quie- 
 vit, siluit^ he rested, or was silent. This appears to 
 me the sense, of all others, the best ; and it has been 
 adopted by a great number of critics. 3Iattheson, in 
 his small book entitled " Erlaeutertes Selah, Illustra- 
 tions of the word Selah," enumerates eleven who con- 
 curred in it : various other treatises might be re- 
 ferred to as authorities, but it is not necessary. 
 
 II. The word selah has been understood as an ab- 
 breviation of several words. It is, indeed, true that 
 the formation of cabalistic terms by abbreviation, was 
 an artifice in frequent use among the Syrians, Ara- 
 bians, and Jews ; and that the vowels were sometimes 
 used along with the conjoined consonants. It is 
 generally admitted, however, that the words, of which 
 selah is imagined to be compounded, related to mu- 
 sic; though what they really were it is impossible to 
 ascertain. Meihomius finds them in three words 
 
 "•iti^n rhvdy nb, Sob Lamaalah Hashar, Retin-n 
 
 vptvards, singer. The word would thus be equivalent 
 
INTRODUCTION 55 
 
 to the Italian d:i capo^ or the French encore ; intimat- 
 ing a repetition of that portion of the music to which 
 it refers. Many other combinations have been sug- 
 gested ; such as, of those which signify, a sign for 
 the leader of the musical choir ; — a mark for the mo- 
 dulation of the air ; — a signal for the whole people, 
 that is, to join in the song. To such conjectures there 
 is scarcely any limitation. Michaelis believed the 
 word to be an abbreviation formed either of initial, 
 or of other letters put for whole words, which, in mu- 
 sic, had a particular meaning. This must appear a 
 rash conjecture, when offered by a person who held 
 that all knowledge, both of Hebrew music, and of 
 Hebrew words belonging to it, had perished. " Con- 
 cerning those abbreviations of the orientals," he adds, 
 *^ it is the more difficult to form a conjecture, after 
 the memory of them has been lost, — because they 
 consisted not only of initial, but also of medial and 
 final letters. Of this we have a proof in the forma- 
 tion of the Arabic term Tsalam^ which is frequently 
 substituted for the name of Mohammed ; and is form- 
 ed of letters occurring in the words which signify 
 ' God bless him, and give him peace.' " Our own 
 opinion of the word we have already stated. 
 
ANNOTATIONS, &c. 
 
 PSALM II. 
 
 THE SUBJECT. 
 
 Against a certain king of Israel, enemies, joined in 
 alliance, arise to make vrar, (verses 1 , 2, 3) ; whose at- 
 tempts should be frustrated, because the king was ap- 
 pointed by Jehovah, and invested with power over 
 those who should oppose him, (ver. 3 — 9). The poet 
 therefore, dissuades them from their vain endeavours ; 
 which, he assures them, would not only fail of suc- 
 cess, but would also bring down upon them certain 
 and utter destruction. 
 
 According to an ancient opinion, an opinion enter- 
 tained even in the apostolic times,* this was a song 
 of David. From respect to their ancestors, the Jew- 
 ish interpreters of later times have adopted it. It was 
 composed; as they think, when David,^ after having 
 
 1 See Acts iv. 25, 26 ; xiii. 33. 
 
 ^ Solomon Jarchi, after having said that this Psalm is by 
 many referred to the Messiah, proceeds : " But literally, it is 
 to be understood of David, and to be referred to that period of 
 time when the Philistines, having heard that David was elected 
 to the throne of Israel, made war with him, and were van- 
 
58 INTRODUCTION 
 
 taken the strorigliold of the Jebusites, was attacked 
 by an army of the Philistines, which he overcame, 
 and put to fiiglit.^ To this, various considerations 
 are opposed. First, in the sixth verse, Mount Sion is 
 styled the lioly^ an epithet which it could scarcely 
 have received, till it had become the resting place of 
 the ark of God — the sanctuary ; and this it was not 
 till afier the war with the Philistines.^ Another cir- 
 cumstance which precludes us from considering David 
 as the author of the Psalm, is, that the king who is 
 celebrated in it, is said in the same sixth verse to 
 have been inaugurated, or constituted king, upon 
 Mount Sion. This cannot at all apply to David, who 
 was anointed first, during the life of Saul, not in 
 Sion, nor even in Jerusalem,^ but in Bethlehem, by 
 Samuel the prophet ; and then, when about to enter 
 on the possession of the 'kingdom, consecrated king 
 a second time at Hebron,^ by the tribe of Judah. 
 Again, the nations against whom the threatenings 
 
 quislied. They are the persons whom David reproves by say- 
 ing, " Why do the nations rage, and take counsel together ?" 
 Kimchi repeats the same sentence in almost the same words : 
 " David composed and sang this song at the beginning of hia 
 reign, when the neighbouring nations conspired against him, 
 as it is related 2d Sam. v. I7.'' The opinion of Aben Ezra is 
 nearly the same : " This song," he says " seems to me to 
 have been composed by some of the minstrels, and to have a 
 reference to David at the time when he v.-as chosen king. This 
 is implied in the words, ^ this day have I begotten thee.' " 
 
 * See 2d Sam. v. 20. 
 
 * See 2d Sam. vi. 1, seqq. 
 
 ' See 1st Sam. xvi. 1—3. «• See 2d Sara. ii. 1—4. 
 
TO PSALM II. 
 
 59 
 
 contained in the Psalm are directed, appear to have 
 been subjected to the poMcr and dominion of the 
 Israelites ; and, hearing of the election of a new- 
 king, to have risen in rebellion, with the design of 
 shaking off the yoke. But when David obtained 
 the government, no foreign nations whatever were 
 subject to the Israelites. ^ 
 
 The Psalm, as appears, from these circumstances, 
 could not be composed by David. Nor is there any 
 room left for the opinion of Grotius, that this Psalm 
 was composed by David to celebrate the victory he 
 obtained over the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, and 
 other neighbouring nations who had combined against 
 him in war.^ Venema and Doederhin supposed 
 
 ' The received opinion, that the Psalm has a reference to 
 David, was rejected by Hensler. He thinks the king spoken of 
 in it, was long posterior to David, but Avho he was cannot, 
 he thinks, be ascertained. The following passage contains the 
 opinion of Rudinger on the subject : " It has been thought, 
 that this Psalm was composed by a person named Asaph, who 
 lived in the time of Jehosaphat, for a person of this name did 
 live at that time, and he was also a prophet ; and that it relates 
 to the extreme danger arising from the invasion by the Am- 
 monites, and other nations in league with them, who had con- 
 spired against the kingdom of Israel, and king Jehosaj>hat.'" 
 IJe afterwards adds, "I must acknowledge, however, that in 
 ray judgment, the Psalm is much more suitable to David, and 
 to his circumstances, than to any other author or period what- 
 ever. It bespeaks a spirit of confidence peculiar to David. 
 Jehosaphat, when attacked by the Ammonites, seems to 
 have been more under the influence of fear than David was 
 on any occasion, during the early part of his reign." 
 
 ^ See 2 Sam. viii. I, seqq. Grotius is followed by a multitude 
 of commentators, Eckermann^ Moeller. Eichhorn, ^-c. ^c. 
 
60 INTRODUCTION 
 
 that the Benjamites, who, with the family of Saul, 
 supported Ishbosheth against David, are the enemies 
 referred to ; but this opinion is untenable.^ There 
 is still less ground for referring it, as some have — to 
 Absalom, and those who conspired with him to 
 overthrow the government of his fatherJ° 
 
 Some expositors have thought that Solomon was 
 the king celebrated in this song.^i Their principal 
 reasons seem to be, that Solomon, of all the kings of 
 Israel, was the only one, so far as we know, who, 
 after being anointed at the fountain Gihon, was 
 
 ^ Doederlein. This very accomplished theologian changed 
 his opinion as to this Psalm. In his annotations upon the 
 poetical books of the Old Testament, published thirteen years 
 before the journal in which the opinion mentioned in the 
 text is given, he says, " The plain meaning of this Psalm leads 
 us to refer it to the Messiah, rather than to David. It seems 
 to be a song celebrating the beginning of his reign, and pre- 
 dicting its prosperity." 
 
 ^" Kuinoel, Pfannkuche, and certain other expositors also have 
 adopted this opinion. Rudinger was favourable to it, as ap- 
 pears from the following extract, " If the mention of kings in 
 the second verse, did not present an obstacle, the Psalm 
 might be referred to the time of Absalom. Perhaps the kings 
 spoken of might be neighbouring princes with whom he had 
 entered into alliance, or whose friendship he courted, though 
 nothing of this is recorded. Or it may be, that chief men and 
 military leaders of Absalom's faction, were ironically called 
 kings by the poet. The Psalm is elegantly translated and il- 
 lustrated by Justus, who understands David to be the person 
 celebrated in it, though he confesses that, after the lapse of so 
 many ages, it is impossible to ascertain to what particular 
 period of David's life it relates. 
 
 " See Paulus, in his Key to the Psalms ; and another learned 
 but anonymous writer in the Memorabilien. 
 
TO PSALM II. 61 
 
 brought up with royal pomp to Mount Sion.^^ Be- 
 sides, what is contained in the seventh verse, in 
 which some one says that he had already been called 
 the soil of God^ naay, with the greatest propriety be 
 applied to Solomon. This verse, they say, is to be 
 explained in consistency with a passage in the second 
 book of Gamuel, (vii. 12 — 14), where we find that it 
 was not David whom God calls his Son, but some 
 one of David's posterity, whose name was not yet 
 made known. This, they admit, appears to be at 
 variance with another passage, (Psalm Ixxxix. 27, 28), 
 where the appellation may certainly be understood as 
 given to David, but they answer, that the preference 
 in point of authority must be given to the express 
 statement in the book of Samuel ; though that state- 
 ment had been understood differently by the prophet 
 Ethan, the author of the eighty-ninth Psalm; and for 
 particular reasons, transferred to David.^^ 
 
 The chief reason, however, which prevents us from 
 
 referring the Psalm to Solomon is the following : 
 
 In the beginning of it, the writer expresses himself 
 indignantly in regard to the conduct of certain na- 
 tions who refused submission to the authority and 
 government of the king, whom Jehovah had ap- 
 pointed. But, neither in the historical books of the 
 kings, nor in the more abridged history contained in 
 the books of the Chronicles, do we find the slightest 
 trace of any rebellion among the nations subjugated 
 by David, that disturbed the peace of Solomon's 
 
 ^ 1 Kings i. 45. 
 
 " I use the words of the learned person referred to in note 11. 
 
62 INTRODUCTION 
 
 reign. On the contrary, it is stated in the most ex- 
 plicit terms, (1st Kings v. 4, 5, 18; 1st Chron. 
 xxii. 9), that his reign was a period of profound 
 peace. It has been said, indeed, " that we are not Avar- 
 ranted from what is stated in those passages, to infer 
 that peace in the strictest sense, was enjoyed during 
 the reign of Solomon. It is not probable that the 
 surrounding nations whom David had conquered 
 would patiently submit to the yoke he had imposed 
 upon them. It may be supposed, therefore, that on 
 the death of David, and before the authority of his 
 succession was completely established, they would 
 attempt to free themselves from the power of the 
 Israelilish king ; and it may also be supposed, that 
 their attempts to gain their object might be so feeble 
 and so soon put down, as that no mention of them 
 might be made in the annals of the period." Gratui- 
 tous conjectures of this kind, in support of a favourite 
 hypothesis, maybe made without end, but they are of 
 no real value. ^^ 
 
 It is the opinion of a certain learned writer^^ that 
 this Psalm was composed by the prophet Nathan, 
 with the design of recommending Solomon to the 
 people of Israel, as the legitimate heir to the throne 
 of his father, and as divinely appointed to be his suc- 
 cessor. It was written, as he thinks, at the time 
 when Adonijah,^^ takingadvantage of his father Da- 
 vid's old age and infirmity, with the view of obtain- 
 
 H This is tha opinion of Panlus, it is supported also by IIcz- 
 elius in a prolix exposition. 
 
 ^* The anonymous writer formerly mentioned. 
 *° i-ee Kings i. 5, seqq. 
 
TO PSALM II. 63 
 
 ing the kingdom, began to assume a state of royalty, 
 — to levy a military force ; and to form a party among 
 the leading men in the state. Nathan, aware of Ad- 
 onijah's design to dispute the succession, and em- 
 broil the government of Solomon, took measures, 
 in concert with Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, to de- 
 feat the purposes of Adonijah ; and wrote this Psalm, 
 that he might prevent the meditated rebellion, by per- 
 suading his countrymen to concur with the divine 
 appointment^ and embrace the interests of Solomon. 
 It is a powerful objection to this opinion, that in the 
 beginning of the Psalm, kings smd peoples, both in 
 the plural number, are spoken of. The learned ex- 
 positor, indeed, endeavours to obviate this objection. 
 By kings he says are to be understood persons ambi- 
 tious of kingly powers ; and by the word S'ijJ goim}"^ 
 peoples or nations^ the tribes into which the Israelites 
 were divided. The usage of the language does not 
 seem, in either of the cases, to admit of this interpre- 
 tation. And although it were granted that the term 
 translated kings, might mean persons ambitious of 
 becoming kingS; yet it could not be applied to Ad- 
 onijah alone. As to the other word translated 
 peoples or rialions, it is nowhere else used in refer- 
 ence to the tribes of Israel. Besides, the denuncia- 
 
 " The passages quoted hy Geier in his commentary ad Ps, 
 ii., in which the Avh"ole Israelitish people are called ?"^"» (Gen 
 xii. 2 ; xvii. 15 ; xviii. 1(J ; Exod. xix. 6 ; Ezek. ii, 2) are not 
 at all to the purpose. If the poet had intended in this Psalm to 
 speak of the trihes of Israel he would undoubtedly have used 
 
 the words, ^{^'"Ig^^ ^Olwt^ 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 tions contained in the Psalm (verses 5, 9, 11) are 
 of a severer character, than we conceive they would 
 have been, if they had been addressed to the people 
 of Israel ; they certainly appear much more suitable, 
 when understood as referring to those nations by 
 which the people of Israel was surrounded. 
 
 If then, as we have seen, the Psalm cannot well be 
 understood as applying either to David, or to Solo- 
 mon, much less can it apply to any of the later He- 
 brew kings. The prophet predicates of the king, 
 concerning whom he speaks, greater power and glory 
 than were enjoyed after the time of Solomon, by any 
 of the kings of Judah or Israel. It will be most safe, 
 therefore, to follow the judgment of the more ancient 
 Hebrews ; that in this Psalm is celebrated that mighty 
 king, called, by way of eminence n^^DJl -^^ i^/«?5- 
 
 siah.^^ The anointed, that Prince to whose coming 
 at a future period, the Hebrews looked forward ; by 
 
 18 Solomon Jarchi bears testimony that this Psalm was refer- 
 red to the Messiah, by the unanimous consent of the ancient 
 Doctors, and by the authority of tradition. " Our Doctors," 
 says he, ad Ps. ii., " expound this Psalm, as having re- 
 ference to king Messiah ; but, in accordance with the literal 
 sense, and that it may be used against the Heretics," (namely, 
 the Christians) "it is proper that it be explained as relating to 
 
 David himself." With regard to the clause nmL^ilbl 
 f^^Vppi signifying, " and that it may be used against 
 the Heretics," it is not found in most copies, neither is it ex- 
 tant in the Rabbinical Books of Buxtorf. The miscellaneous 
 notes of Pocock, subjoined " Portae Mosis,'' edited by him, 
 may be consulted respecting it. Kimchi, in his exposition of 
 this Psalm, expresses himself as follows. " There are some," 
 
TO PSALM II. 65 
 
 whom they hoped the monarchy would be restored, 
 rendered much more extensive and illustrious, than it 
 had ever been before, and to whose power would be 
 subjected all the nations, and all the kings of the 
 earth. Such is the king — constituted and aided by 
 Jehovah himself — against whom the poet, in a dra- 
 matic form, represents the kings and nations of the 
 earth as conspiring ; and from whose authority they 
 seek in vain to withdraw themselves. The time 
 when the Psalm was composed cannot easily be de- 
 termined. That the Messiah is celebrated in it, the 
 apostles Peter^^ and Paul,2f^ and also the author of the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews^^ were fully persuaded ; they, 
 all of them, accommodate the song to him whom they 
 preached as the true Messiah. But that Jesus the 
 Saviour was present, as it were, to the mind of the 
 
 says he, " who expound this Psalm as referring to Gog and 
 JMagog ; and that the anointed king is the Messiah. Our 
 Doctors, of blessed memory, thus expounded it; and the Psalm 
 so explained is quite perspicuous ; yet it seems more reasonable 
 to think, that David composed it in reference to himself; and in 
 this sense we have accordingly explained it." 
 
 ^» See Acts iv. 25. ^ See Acts xiii. 33. 
 
 21 With what wisdom the Apostles employed this Psalm 
 in teaching and convincing mankind, is shewn at great length 
 by Eckerman, injden Theologischen, Beytragen, vol. I. and IT. 
 Whether the Apostles themselves were persuaded or not, that 
 those passages, which in those times were referred to the Mes- 
 siah, had a personal reference to Jesus of Nazareth, is a mat- 
 ter not yet sufficiently explained. It may, in the meantime, be 
 of use to read what a certain learned man has written, in letters, 
 upon the subject, addressed to Eichhorn, and inserted in the 
 German Library of Biblical Literature. 
 P 
 
66 INTRODUCTION 
 
 poet, when the Psalm was composed, no one will be- 
 lieve, who reflects without prejudice and pre-con- 
 cei\ ed opinion, upon what is said in the ninth verse, 
 respecting the cruel treatment by the king of those 
 whom he had conquered.-^ 
 
 " Anton has a dissertation worthy of perusal, Cn the Man- 
 ner of Interpreting the Prophecies relating to the Messiah, the 
 most certain, and the best adapted to our age. In this disser- 
 tation he says, that the most certain method of proving that 
 any particular prophecy relates to the Messiah, is by shewing 
 that what is delivered by the prophet can be applied to the 
 Messiah, and to the JMessiah alone ; in other words, that there 
 are notes or characters peculiar to him to be found in the pro- 
 phetic oracle. Such notes are to be found in, as it is usually 
 i-eckoned, the second Psalm ; portions of which can be applied 
 neither to David nor Solomon. 1. The nations and kings of 
 the earth are represented as endeavouring to throw off the 
 authority of Jehovah, and of the king whom he had appointed, 
 (ve^^es 1, 2, 3.) But the kings of the earth were, as appears 
 from the Cth verse, kings not of Pa.lestine, but of other lands, 
 and were never subjected, either to David or Solomon. 2. The 
 form of expression, " Thou art my son ; and I, on this day, 
 when I constitute thee King of Sion, shew that I have begot- 
 ten thee," shews, that this king was not called son of God, on 
 this account, that he was about to be treated as a son, as was 
 the case with Solomon, (2d Sam. vii. 14); but because he 
 might in truth be called the begotten of God. In the Psalm 
 the word ^J'^ niT/ son, is restricted in its application by the 
 
 word "^^nl^^' ^ ^^^^^ begotten thee ; but on the contrary, — 
 Psalm Ixxxix. 28, where God says, that he would make Solo- 
 mon his first-born, as it is rendered, we must supply the word 
 king to make out the sense, " high among the kings of the 
 earth ;" the whole clause means, that Solomon should become 
 a first-born among kings— a distinguished king, according to 
 a mode of speaking quite common among the Hebrews. 3. 
 
TO PSALM II. 67 
 
 This Psalm, which with us is the second, was the 
 first in ancient times,^^ because that which precedes it, 
 as being a kind of introduction or preface, was not 
 numbered. On this account, in some Greek copies^"* 
 
 The nations who inhabited the most distant parts of the earth, 
 are promised to him as his subjects ; but, even in poetry, the 
 kingdom assigned to David and Solomon is circumscribed by 
 comparatively limited boundaries, (Psalm Ixxxix. 25.) 4. It 
 is predicted of those who put their trust in this king, that they 
 shovild be blessed. But, in their sacred songs, the Israelites 
 are commanded to trust in God only, their true king ; not in 
 their human king, who was only Jehovah's vicegerent. 
 (Psalm cxviii. 9 ; cxlvi. 13 ; Mich. vii. 5.) 
 
 '^ See Argument Psalm i. 
 
 2* It is thus written in the Cambridge manuscript, and 
 printed in the editions of Erasmus, Bengel and Griesbach, on 
 the authority, chiefly, of the Greek and Latin Fathers. 
 Am.ong them, we may mention Origen in particular. In his 
 notes upon this Psalm, he says, that he had two manuscript 
 copies of the Psalms ; in one of which the first and second 
 Psalms were divided as they are by us ; in the other, they were 
 joined together in one ; the cause of this discrepancy, he says, 
 was to be sought for in the Hebrew manuscripts, in which there 
 Avere no numbers whatever, ^utriv ivTvx^vns 'E/S^aixor? avny^cc- 
 <pois, Iv f/Xv ru ItI^u iv^of/AV e!,^x>^v tivA^ov \poiX./Aov ravTO,' iv %i 
 
 rSi ITi^M aU'JYl-TTTlTO TOO TT^UTM' xu) Iv TuTg TT^CC^iffl }s TUV U^OffTO- 
 
 Xuv TO, vias f^cu u (TV, lyoj ii7i;^i^ov ysyUvnitd at, Ixiysro tlvcci rou 
 '9r^corov "v^aX^fly , u; yx^ yiy^acrrcci, <P'/i<r)v , iv t^utm ■^aXfji.u , vio; 
 fisu u (TV' TO, iXX'/ivixa, t\ a,vriy^a<pa ^ivrs^ov iTvki revrav fcijvvn, 
 iv (AiVTot Tco'Ell^ai'xM oi/^ivi Tiuv "^aXi^Zv «,ot^fjt,'s -ra^dxiiTat, Tpurag 
 stTup(^oi?](i'. t] y'. However, in the greater number of manuscripts 
 and editions, as well as in the Vulgate and in the Oriental ver- 
 sions, with few exceptions, we read sv -^Kkfiu tJ ^ivr'i^u. But it 
 does not seem that either of the readings proceeded from Luke. 
 
bo INTRODUCTION. 
 
 we find the seventh verse quoted, (Actsxiii.33) as in 
 the first Psalm.25 There are also some Hebrew manu- 
 scripts, in which it stands first in the numerical order. 
 There are others in which the first and second are 
 united, so as to form one Psalm only .26 
 
 The writers of the New Testament were not accustomed to 
 quote numbers or divisions, neither were the Rabbins or the 
 Talmudists. It is, therefore, most probable, that Luke wrote 
 only iv Tu 'v/'aA/Kw, without adding any number. This reading 
 is yet found in some manuscripts, as appears from those which 
 .are brought forward by Griesbach in support of it. 
 
 ^ As, for example, in two manuscripts collated by De Rossi, 
 in which, at the end of the second, the subject of the first Psalm 
 is mentioned, Michaelis also found the letter K as a numeral, 
 affixed to this Psalm, Codice Cassellano, and has descanted 
 upon it largely, in the Biblioth. Orient. 
 
 ^* Namely, in four, noticed by Kennicott, and in three by 
 De Rossi. In the same way it was found in the manuscript 
 of Origen already mentioned. We may mention here what is 
 said on the subject by Eimchi, " This Psalm is the second in 
 the order. It is a Psalm of the greatest importance, and on 
 this account was placed second in the series. It is a tradition 
 of our teachers, that this, and the first Psalm, formed one con- 
 tinued song, and they add that David, expressing all that was 
 in his heart, began with a benediction and ended with a bene- 
 diction. The same thought seems to have occurred to the mind 
 of a learned man of our own country. " Mit Wohl fangt 
 sich der Psalm an ; mit Wohl endigt er sich," den Beytragen 
 zur historisch. Ausleg. des A. T. 
 
ANNOTATIONS ON PSALM II. 
 
 1. The Psalm begins abruptly. The excited feel- 
 ing of the mind breaks forth, at once, in indignant 
 exclamation. The poet, seeing the crowds, and war- 
 like tumults of the enemies, amazed at the sight, and 
 ignorant, as it were, of the cause which moved them 
 and excited them to take up arms, exclaims : 
 
 ** Quid tumultuantur insano cum strepitu geiites ? 
 Et nationes aestuant inania ? 
 
 " Why are the nations coramoved with tumultuous noise ? 
 And the people enraged, clamour vain things ?" 
 
 Horace addresses the Roman people, rushing reck- 
 lessl}'^ into war, in a manner very similar : 
 
 *' Quo, quo scelesti ruitis ? aut cur dexteris, 
 Aptantur euses conditi ? — Epod. VII. 
 Whither, oh ! whither do ye madly run 
 The sword unsheathed, and impious war begun ? — Francis, 
 
 To express the noise of a tumultuous army, the 
 poet uses, with much propriety, the word t^^"^ the 
 
 T 
 
 proper signification of which is preserved in the 
 Arabic. " The heaven shaken, trembled with loud 
 noise ;" it is used to express, also, the loud bellowing 
 of the camel ; the noise and roaring of the sea ; and 
 in the Syriac, the word, with its derivatives, denotes 
 a loud, crashing, roaring noise. By the Hebrews it 
 is transferred to the tumultuous noise of a multitude 
 when murmurs of rage and threatening break forth 
 into curses and deeds of violence. Thus the word 
 nt^ni» (Psalm Ixiv. 3.), is used in reference to a 
 
70 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Iv. 
 
 crowd of violent men ; and (Psalm 4¥ttK J5.), to the 
 
 noise of tlie multitude, going up to the temple of 
 Jehovah. To this term, the word d^P, in the 
 
 second clause of the verse corresponds ; and seems 
 to be used in its primary signification, of extreme 
 fervour. In the Arabic, it is applied to what is ac- 
 companied with burm?7g, consuming heat ; as, for in- 
 stance, to a day, of which the heat is most intense. 
 In this sense, some have thought it used (Isaiah 
 xxvii. 8,) concerning the scorching wind. Trans- 
 ferred from external objects, the word is applied to 
 the more powerful emotions of the mind, for example, 
 to intense thought. Meditation, by the men of primi- 
 tive times, was esteemed a mental agitation and 
 movement. Thus it is said, (Prov. xv. 28.) that " the 
 
 heart of the righteous man tX\'^V^ HJinN meditates 
 
 fervently, that he may answer aright ; but the mouth 
 of the wicked," J/^^* *' fours forth'' that is, throws 
 
 out without measure or regard, «' evil sayings.'^ In 
 this passage, the terms exhibit a remarkable corre- 
 spondence ; for the former, the word used in the 
 Psalm, is employed also to express strong feeling, 
 breaking out in words, murmurs, groanings, bowlings, 
 roarings; as in (Isaiah xxxi. 4.) where is used for the 
 " roaring of the lion.'* 
 
 A similar order or series of significations may be 
 traced in the Latin vevh aestuare. It means, prima- 
 rily, to burn keenly ; and in its secondary, or meta- 
 phorical sense, is applied to the strong affections of 
 the mind, when boiling, or raging as the sea. It is 
 thus used by Cicero, {Orat. de Haruspic. respons- c. 2 
 
ON PSALM IT. 71 
 
 *' Aestitans^ se a curia proripuit cum quibusdam fractis 
 jam atque inanibus minis." " Burning^ he hurried 
 away from the council, uttering certain disjointed, 
 and unmeaning threatenings." Jquila, in his trans- 
 lation, very properly uses the word (p&iy'^inxi \ 
 Aben-Ezra says, we are to understand the Hebrew 
 term as denoting a violent affection of the mind, 
 breaking forth into words, and quotes Job xxvii. 4 
 in illustration. 
 
 With the word ^^^^ which we have considered, 
 
 the word p^*^ is connected. This term, from its 
 meaning in the Arabic, saliva, spittle, is so understood 
 by Ven€77ia, in his interpretation of this passage. 
 He refers it to the emitting of saliva from the mouth, 
 as a symptom of anger and indignation; quoting 
 Job i. 22. Job xxiv. 12, as passages bearing him out 
 in his opinion. This sense, though adopted by 
 various interpreters,^ can scarcely be reconciled with 
 the ordinary usage of the language. The word con- 
 stantl3'' used to signify saliva or spittle, is p^, (de- 
 rived from the root p'^f ;) whereas the word pn> 
 
 wherever it occurs, has uniformly the sense of vcr'n, 
 empty. Psalm iv. 3, " Ye love what is vain ;" 
 Lev. XX vi. 16, " And ye shall sow your seed in 
 vain ;" that is, it shall yield no fruit ; ibid, verse 20, 
 '' Your strength shall be spent in vain, to no pur- 
 pose ;'* Psalm Ixxiii. 13, " I have purified my heart 
 in vain ;" Isa. Ixv. 23, " They shall not labour in 
 vain." 
 
 ' Namely, Hang. IlaUsma, Jljen, 
 
72 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Equally unsupported by evidence, is the opinion 
 of Hufnagel, that the word convej^s the idea of 
 wickedness, agreeing, in this respect, with the words 
 7^n and V))^^ in both of which^ the ideas of vanity, 
 
 and perversity, are conjoined. In this passage, — re- 
 quired, as he thinks, by the context, — he understands 
 it to mean a wicked sedition ; and, accordingly, 
 would have the whole clause rendered, " why do the 
 people meditate sedition?" Eichhorn, in opposing 
 this notion, remarks justly, that though different 
 words may agree in sense, in so far as to have one 
 idea in common, it does not therefore follow that 
 they agree in all ideas, or modifications of thought 
 which they respectively represent. That the term 
 conveys the idea of ivickedness, cannot be proved 
 from the passage adduced for that purpose. In 
 Judges ix. 4, the persons spoken of O^p") S^ti^^K, 
 
 are not iciched, perverse men, but vej'y pcor persons ; 
 the lowest among the people ; empty in regard to pro- 
 perty or wealth. It has the same meaning, 2 Chron. 
 xiii. 7- Judges xi. 3 ; in 2 Kings iv. 3, where D^7^ 
 CD^p*! mean empty vessels ; and in Judges vii. 16, 
 where 0^p*l SHD signify empty pitchers. We 
 
 therefore understand the word, in this passage, also, 
 to signify empty, or vain ; a sense which harmo- 
 nises with the subject and design of the whole 
 Psalm, as exposing the vanity of the hostile machi- 
 nations. 
 
 2. The mad fools have conspired with rapacious 
 
ON PSALM II. 73 
 
 audacity, to overthrow him whom Jehovah himself 
 hath constituted king. 
 
 " Consurgunt in arma reges terrae, 
 Principes in foedera coeunt 
 Contra Jehovam, et, quern ipse unxit, regem. 
 
 " The kings of the earth rise up together in arms^ 
 The princes join together in league 
 Against Jehovah, and him whom he hath anointed King." 
 
 J^1{*^"07/!2> Kings of the earthy in the second 
 clause designated more strictly, S^^Tll? princes^ 
 are not, as some would have them to be, the petty 
 kings of the neighbouring Canaanitish tribes, whom 
 David had subjugated ; in particular, those who are 
 called by this latter name, in the historical Books,^ 
 the five princes of the Philistines ; but the kings of 
 foreign nations, who endeavoured to overturn the 
 government of Jehovah, and of the king whom he 
 had appointed. In reference to their conspirac}^ the 
 word ^-l^^nn, is used in the first clause of the verse. 
 
 This word, in connexion with the particle 7V) gene- 
 rally signifies, to standbefore, to attend upon^ to serves^ 
 but, that it is here to be taken in a different — in 
 a bad sense, of those who attack, unite, conspire, 
 and thus take counsel against the life and safety of 
 others, is manifest, not only from the grammatical 
 
 connexion of the verb with the words niH^'Syj but 
 
 » •• ~ 
 
 ^ Jos. xiii. 3. Judg. iii. 3 ; xvi. 5, 8. 1 Sam. vi. 18, 
 3 Job i. 6; ii. 1. Zach. vi. 5. 2 Chron. xi. 13. When 
 several writers use particular forms of expression, in the same 
 sense, it is a reason for believing that they belonged to the 
 same age. — Tr. 
 
74 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 also from the ^subject treated of by the poet. In the 
 same sense Xenophon uses the Greek formulae, 
 G-ovkraG'^ai i~/ rimy and ffvffrrjiai s--:ri rim.* The cor- 
 responding terra in the other member of the verse, is 
 'IDin ; which, as 31ichaelis, following Venema, has 
 
 rightly observed, primaril}'- signifies, to recline upon 
 a pilloiv. In the Arabic, it i& used for a couch, on 
 Avhich persons are accustomed to recline during the da3^ 
 for rest and conversation. It is used, also, for those 
 seats or couches, common in eastern countries, which 
 are placed all around the walls of apartments, on 
 which friends sit and converse together ; on which 
 also royal councillors sit, w^hen they meet in council, 
 or hold what is called by the Turks, a Divan. From 
 this, it is employed to signify the act of deliberating 
 or taking counsels^ and when joined with the word 
 *7n% it denotes the intimate familiarity of persons, 
 
 wlio recline on the same couch, and unite in common 
 counsels. In this sense we find the words used Ps. 
 
 xxxi. 14. 'hV nn^ SIDinn- " While they took 
 
 ~T - - T : T . : 
 
 counsel together against me " But while these ene- 
 mies set themselves in opposition to Jehovah, their 
 attempts were directed at the same time also, against 
 
 his vicegerent ; in'J^^!D" /J^ against the Messiah, 
 him whom he had anointed King. It was usual to 
 anoint both kings and priests with oil, which was un- 
 derstood to announce, symbolically, their solemn con- 
 secration to the divine office with which they were 
 
 * Ci/ri Paed. I. 1, 2. 
 
 * Exod. xix. 4, seqq. coaip. Deut. xxxili. 5. 
 
ON PSALM II. 75 
 
 invested. Thus Saul, 1 Sam. xxiv. 7? is designated 
 nin* n^^*^^ t^e anointed of Jehovah. The su- 
 
 preme king of Israel was Jehovah,^^ and to him it be- 
 longed to appoint a deputy. On this account, the 
 Israelitish kings were considered, as holding from 
 Jehovah their office and dignity.^ 
 
 3. The enemies themselves are introduced. We 
 hear the clamours with which they mutually excite 
 one another to sedition, and to war against tlie He- 
 brew king. 
 
 ^ I Sam. X. 17, seqq. concerning Saul. 1 Sam. xvi. 1, seqq. 
 concerning David, Comp. what follows under ver. 6. 
 
 ' Several of the German Bihlical Critics, among whom 
 Scliultens and IMicIiaelis may be mentioned in particular, 
 discover a great fondness for deriving the meaning of Hebrew 
 terms from the Arabic. When a word is of rare occurrence, 
 it may be necessary to have recourse to the cognate dialects, in 
 ascertaining its meaning ; but when a Avord expresses a com- 
 mon idea, and is frequently used, its sense, in most cases, may 
 safely be gathered from the connexion in which it is found. 
 The word 'IDS fcr instance, signifies to found, to lay a foun- 
 dation. A house is founded hy fixing^ setting, the stones upon 
 which the walls are to be built. This must have been one 0/ 
 the earliest employments of mankind ; and could not fail to 
 give rise to the idea o^ fixing, settling, which, when transferred 
 from material objects to those on which the mind may be occu- 
 pied, leads to that oi fixed, settled purp' se, counsel. From th« 
 Hebrew word are probably derived 'E^w, scdeo, set. The set 
 stones was an old phrase for the foundation stones ; and we 
 have set purpose as a phrase yet in use. From fixing the stones 
 of a foundation, therefore, may very easily be derived the idea 
 affixing a purpose. BuxtorfF says, the secondary sense of the 
 term consultare^ arises from its primary meaning. " Nam 
 consiHa rerum agendarum fundamenta sunt ;'' but this, lik« 
 the Arabic derivation, is somewhat recondite — Tr, 
 
76 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 " Vincula eorum nmipamus, 
 
 Abjiciamus a nobis eorum funes !" 
 " Let us burst asunder their chains, 
 
 Let us cast away their cords from us !" 
 
 That the words nl^lDl'tD? chains, and rSXlV^ cords 
 or ropes, are, in this passage, symbols of rule and do- 
 minion, is so plain as scarcely to require remark. 
 Kimchi, however, supposes they may figuratively sig- 
 nify counsel, established consent. The anonymous 
 vriter in den Memorahilien^ whom we have already 
 quoted, is nearly of the same mind. He ascribes the 
 poem to the prophet Nathan ; and thinks, by the 
 words are meant those fixed terms or agreements, by 
 means of which Nathan designed to preserve the do- 
 minion of Solomon over the conspiring kings and 
 princes. But this interpretation is not favoured by 
 the succeeding clause of the verse, 13^/^ nD'/S^OI, 
 iD^Dlnj^) which can scarcely be understood but of 
 the servile yoke, which the subjugated nations wished 
 to shake from off their necks. Paulns in his Claris, 
 gives the following sense ; " the chains which they 
 bring along with them, for binding those whom they 
 are about to carry away into captivity, — those chains 
 let us wrench from their hands, and cast far away 
 from us." Whether he views these as the words of 
 the enemies, or the words of the Israelites, he does 
 not say. In the Arabic, the term cognate with the 
 Hebrew pDJ, among several other senses, signifies to 
 
 pull off, as skin from the body ; and to drato out, as 
 a pitcher from a well. I wonder, therefore, no one, 
 desirous of establishing the meaning of Hebrew words 
 
ON PSALM II. /7 
 
 by the help of the Arabic, and of thus gaining a name 
 in Hebrew literature, has as yet proposed to render 
 the words before us, /et its draw off their chains. The 
 word pn^ is applied in its proper sense to cords, 
 ropes, or chains, which are broken, or burst asunder: 
 Isa. V. 27. '- Nor shall the latchet of their shoes be 
 broken." Judg. xvi. 9. " As a thread is broken." 
 Eccl. iv. 12. "And a threefold cord is not easily 
 broken." It is used chiefly in the form pie/, when 
 applied to breaking the chains of captives. This 
 passage gives an example : see also Jer. ii. 20, " I 
 have burst thy bands." Jer. xxx. 8, " I will burst 
 thy bonds." The paragogical letter n> affixed to 
 both the verbs in this verse, gives to them the sense 
 of the optative, or subjunctive mood. It has often 
 the same power when affixed to verbs in the future 
 tense, Psalm ix. 3, " Let me be glad, let me rejoice." 
 Isa. V. 19, <' Let him make haste, let him come, that 
 we may know." The nouns used in the verse, be- 
 sides the pronomial affixes, have also affixed the 
 paragogical letter *! vau. This affix in like cases is 
 very common in the poetical books, and, as I think, 
 for the sake of the metre, Psalm xxi. 11 ; xvii. 10; 
 Deut. xxxii. 36, 37.^ 
 
 4. But that the vain attempts of impious power 
 are ridiculous, is indicated : 
 
 " Qui in coelo habitat, ridet eos, 
 Subsannat eos Dominus ?" 
 
 " He who dwells in heaven laughs at them 
 The Lord derides them !" 
 
 ' See Schroederi, Instltutl. Slorrii Observatt. 
 
78 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Opposed to him, and the execution of his decrees, 
 all attempts are futile, D'Dt^Il ^ti^V> -^e who 
 
 X 
 
 dwelleth in heaven, thus Jehovah is designated here, 
 as in Psalm cxxiii. 1. In the same manner, Jupiter 
 is often styled by Homer, a/^ji-a va/wv, He thai dwells 
 in the sky. The ancient scholiast explains the phrase, 
 6 Tov v'Trso ro'j cts^a ovra as^'iou zaroixuv He rvhoinhahiteth 
 the aether or sky, above the regions of the air. 
 Hesiod calls the gods, Those who inhabit the dwell- 
 ings of Ohjmpus. Euripides calls heaven ^zm 'ibog 
 the seat of the Gods. It is very justly remarked by 
 Aben-Ezra, that the poet here contrasts with the 
 kings of the earth, him who dwells o/i high. 
 
 The verbs jjy 7 and pH^ have this difference in 
 
 signification, that the latter means to laugh, the for- 
 mer to deride. Schidtens in his Commentary on Job, 
 says, that the Arabic term, corresponding to the He- 
 brew ^^7, denotes a vibrating motiofi, such as that 
 
 of lightning, of flame, of the eye, of the tongue, or 
 of a whip quickly agitated. The meaning of the 
 Hebrew word, derision or mockery, he therefore 
 thinks arises from the motion of the eye, or the vi- 
 bration of the lips and tongue ; in the same manner 
 as the Latin word sanna, from the distortion of the 
 mouth and countenance, which is made when we ex- 
 press derision.^ 
 
 The Alexandrine translators have very properly- 
 rendered both the words. In the first clause they 
 
 ® For authority see Scholiasla Pers. ad Stat. /. 58. 
 
ON PSALM II. yy 
 
 have ixyz'kd^irai avrovg, he shall laugh at them ; 
 in the second, sx^ubvzrrj^jiT avroug, he shall mock them. 
 This last verb is derived from fjbuxrno, the nose ; and, 
 in its strict sense, indicates that derision which is 
 accompanied by the moving up of that organ, and the 
 wrinkling of the countenance.^^ Aquila very pro- 
 perly renders it by [xv/Qi^n, which is explained by 
 Suidas p(;A£L/a^£/y {j..v/.-yjoi^iiv, to deride, to turn up the 
 nose. The same figure occurs in the parallel passage, 
 Ps. lix. 9 ; where, also, the same verbs are employed, 
 *' But thou, Jehovah, shalt laugh at them," (namely, 
 his impious enemies, against whom he had denounced 
 punishment.) " thou shalt have all the nations in de- 
 rision." Habitant thinks that the first verb should 
 be read with the pronominal affix, £)p^^*^ lie shall 
 
 laugh at them. The pronoun is, in fact, given by the 
 Greek interpreters, and, after them, by the Vulgate 
 and Arabic : "" and seeing," says Hubigant, '• that it is 
 present in the second member of the sentence, it 
 ought not to be awanting in the first." To this 
 Koehler, instructed by Eichhorn, very properly re- 
 plies, that this verb is never found connected, as he 
 proposes, with the pronouns affixed : he agrees, how- 
 ever, with Hubigant, as to the principal point, 
 
 iD^'prtL^^S he thinks should be written, as in the 
 
 parallel passage of Psalm lix. already quoted, and as 
 in one very similar, Psalm xxxvii. 13, "The Lord 
 shall laugh at him." But if the pronoun v/as added 
 by the band of the poet, it certainly had been left out 
 
 i° " RijgosH sauna c.ulat naso," Pers..Sat. V. 91. 
 
80 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in those copies from which the Chaldaic and Syriac 
 versions were made, as in neither of those versions is 
 it found expressed. 
 
 5. But, since they would pertinaciously persist in 
 their vain attempts, Jehovah, in wrath, should alarm 
 and consume them with his terrors: 
 
 " Turn vero iratus eos compellabit 
 
 ludignabundus perturbabit." 
 " Then, indeed, in anger he shall speak to them, 
 
 In wrath he shall trouble them.'' 
 
 t{^, according to Moeller, is an adverb indicating 
 
 future time, straightivay, by and by ; having nearly 
 the same force as, in verse 12, the word DV/tD^- 
 
 The word 1^1^ he refers to the declaration of Je- 
 hovah, contained in the verse following. The par- 
 ticle t^^, is to be understood, in my opinion, as it is 
 
 expressed in the translation, tunc^ then, that is, seeing 
 they persist in their vain attempts ; for in the words 
 of Jehovah that immediately follow, there is nothing 
 of anger expressed. Doederlein supposes, but with- 
 out necessity, that it is to be understood as a noun 
 here, as afterwards, Ps. Ixxvi. 8, '^£3^^ TKD> because of 
 the fervour of thine anger. But taking even this view 
 of it, the words here could not be rendered, as he 
 renders them, in anger he shall cry aloud to them: 
 in that case the word it KIS? or rather the two words , 
 IQK TKH' would be required." In old time, by 
 
 * I The note of Dathe, upon this passage, concurs with the 
 sense given by Moeller. " T^^ tunC' Tempus indigitat, quo 
 
ON PSALM II. 
 
 81 
 
 some of the Jews mentioned by Kimclii and Aben-Esra, 
 the first clause of the verse was rendered, tunciratus 
 heroas eorum perdet. Then in anger he shall destroy 
 their mighty men. They considered 1^*1* as hav- 
 ing the sense of *12*7, (Exod. ix. 3,) death, pestilence]: 
 
 a sense in which the verb is also used, 2 Chron. xxii. 
 10, *' She destroyed all the seed royal," that is, at- 
 tempted to destroy the whole of the king's descen- 
 dants. The word iJ^vK? referring to the noun 
 O/'^i^ifof^^s, brave, signifying in their opinion, the 
 
 principal men, the heroes of the neighbouring nations, 
 as in Ezek. xvii. 13 : " He hath also carried away 
 the mighty of the land. Aben-Esra objects to this 
 interpretation, that '^''^'^^ fortes, mighty men, is al- 
 ways written with Jod, nor can this letter be left out, 
 seeing the root is 7^^^, rohur, strength. Kennicott, 
 
 indeed, found in one manuscript, written in the thir- 
 teenth century, and marked by him as No. 76, the 
 word in this passage, 10'7^{^ : but, as none of the 
 ancient interpreters, and no other of the Hebrew 
 manuscripts, hitherto collated, exhibit this reading, 
 we must ascribe it to the negligence of the transcriber. 
 In the Arabic, the word corresponding to "pnH 
 
 Deus liostes suos sit puniturus. Quod cum vers. 12, brevi 
 eventurum esse dicatur, posui in versione mox." The Hebrew- 
 particle means then, and indicates the time when God would, 
 afterwards, punish his enemies. As it is said, in verse 12, that 
 this time would soon come. I have used the word signifyin;^ 
 by and by in the translation. 
 
 G 
 
82 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 has, among other significations, that of cursing ; and 
 Schultens, in his Commentary on Proverbs, quotes, 
 from an i\rabic writer, a clause similar to that before 
 us, in which the word is used in that sense : — "■ God 
 smote him with execration and curses." This sense 
 is, accordingly, adopted by Michaelis, in his transla- 
 tion into German : the parallelism, he thinks^ is 
 better preserved with the words in the preceding 
 clause : — " He shall speak to them in his anger." We 
 may mention, merely, that there is no trace, any 
 where else in the Old Testament, of the word having 
 this meaning ; which we may, therefore, conclude, 
 was not admitted into the Hebrew : the Syrians, the 
 Chaldeans, and the Samaritans were also ignorant of 
 it. Besides, the commonly received interpretation, 
 in which the ancients concur, expresses a sentiment 
 in itself more bold and poetical : — " with the voice 
 of his anger alone," Jehovah confounds and over- 
 turns the counsels of his enemies. The general 
 meaning of the cognate word, in the Arabic, is to 
 «« depart in haste and disorder." The Hebrews used 
 the word 7)111 to express, first, hasty, precipitate 
 movement, (Esraiv. 23. Eccles. v. 1): then, as in- 
 cluding that perturbation of mind, which accompanies 
 haste and precipitation, 1 Sam. xxviii. 21. " And 
 the women came unto Saul, and saw that he was 
 sore troubled." Ps. Ixxxiii. 16. <* Pursue," Jehovah, 
 " them," thine enemies, " with thy tempest; trouble 
 them with thy whirlwind." Verse 18, " They shall 
 be ashamed and troubled.'* We find the word used 
 respecting an army broken and routed, Jerem. li. 32. 
 "^ The men of war are affrighted^ Faber, without 
 
ON PSALM II. 
 
 83 
 
 any sufficient reason, says there is in this verse a re- 
 ference to a tempest, and that it should be rendered, 
 " suddenly with thundering thou wilt terrify them ; 
 with lightnings thou wilt put them to confusion." 
 That the word *|^1 may be interpreted « to send 
 
 forth thunders," he seems to have no other grounds 
 for thinking, than that the word Sib? " the voice of 
 Jehovah," is used for thunder, I Sam. vii. 10. 
 
 6. Why the hostile powers, by their impious at- 
 tempts, should bring down upon themselves only ig- 
 nominy and destruction, Jehovah assigns the reason ; 
 — he would not suffer the king constituted by him- 
 self to be despised ;— 
 
 " Ipse ego unxi regem raeura ♦ 
 
 In Sioue, monte mihi sacro." 
 " I myself have anointed my king 
 
 In Sion, the hill sacred to me.*' 
 
 ^/nDp^ " I have anointed," is rightly considered 
 
 by Aben-Esra, as equivalent to TlD^Dn, regnare 
 feci^ I have made to reiguy for in the inauguration of 
 a king, his head was anointed with oil. Hence 
 *^*D^ has the same meaning as n^2i^D> that is a 
 prince; as in Josh. xiii. 21, the princes of Sidon,i2 
 Ezek. xxxii. 30, " Princes of the north." Jehovah 
 calls this king his own king, (^3*70), because he had 
 
 constituted him ; — because this king should reign by 
 the authority of Jehovah, on whom only he should 
 depend. In the same sense, Jehovah says, 1 Sam. 
 
 '2 Rendered Dukes in our translation.— Tr. 
 
84 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 xvi. 1, " I have chosen among his sons "H/D w ^ 
 
 king to myself, who will worship me and obey my 
 commandments. Sion, he calls the mountain of his 
 holi?iess ; because, as we learn from 2 Sam. vi. 17, 
 it had been constituted the sanctuary, the holy place. 
 Schroeder says the words 't^'lp *in should not be 
 
 rendered, " mountain of my holiness," but " my 
 mountain of holiness," His reason is, that when two 
 nouns are in grammatical regimen, affixes are gene- 
 rally subjoined to the last in order, though belonging 
 properly, to the first: for example, Isa. xxx. 22, 
 ^BDD '7*DD do not mean "images of thy silver;'' 
 but, " thy images of silver," I think, however, that 
 ^*]p in this place, is a periphastic term for Jehovah ; 
 
 and that the clause may be rendered, vernacularly, 
 " upon the hill of my exaltation, — upon my royal 
 hill."i3 
 
 The learned anonymous writer, whom we have 
 already quoted, thinks that Sion is here mentioned 
 specially, because it was first added to the kingdom 
 of David, who was succeeded by Solomon. The king- 
 dom, — he adds, — belonged, therefore, of right, to one 
 born in Jerusalem ; and was justly taken from Ado- 
 nijah, who was born in Hebron. These observations 
 are made in accordance with the author's views as 
 to the design of the Psalm ; but we have already con- 
 sidered his opinions, and stated our reasons for re- 
 jecting them. 
 
 The Alexandrine interpreter, perceiving that the 
 
 ^^ Auf dem Berge meiner Hohheit. 
 
ON PSALM II. 
 
 85 
 
 king speaks in the next verse, wlio had spoken, also, 
 in the verses immediately preceding, that there might 
 be no change in the person of the speaker, ascribes 
 to him this verse likewise : lyco hz 'x,ars<rrd^yjv 8ot(StXsvg 
 iiTT a,\J7o\j l-Ti '2iuvooog to clyiov auTov. " I have been 
 appointed by him king over his holy hill of Sion." 
 This rendering is followed by the Arabic and the 
 Vulgate, from which Habigant infers, rashly, that 
 the Alexandrine translation must have been made 
 from a Hebrew manuscript, having a reading corre- 
 sponding with that translation; and infers, much more 
 rashly, that this supposed reading was preferable to 
 that of the received text. In this, I wonder at finding 
 several learned men agreeing with him ;^* for all the 
 manuscripts, which have been collated, concur in the 
 received reading ; and all the ancient versions also, 
 except the Alexandrine, and those taken from it, 
 namely, the Vulgate and Arabic, the Syriac, Chal- 
 daic, Symmachu^, Aquila, and Jerom. It is confirm- 
 ed, moreover, by the quotation in Acts iv. 27, where 
 the Psalm is transferred to Christ, and the verb used 
 expressly in the active voice, hirl rov aym Taidid ffov^ 
 'lr,ffouvj ovs^^iffag; " against thy holy child Jesus, whom 
 thou hast anointed.'* 
 
 Koehler would have the verb to be read with a 
 change in the punctuation, ^ri3D^- but, from the 
 
 Masoretic note at Proverb, viii. 23, noticed by Koeh- 
 ler himself, where opposite to the verb, in this form, 
 
 is placed the figure S, that is, D^^* we have an as- 
 '* For example Stridsberg and Koehler. 
 
86 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 surance that, in the same form, the verb was to be 
 found no where else in the Hebrew text. It is a 
 precept of sound criticism, that a reading is to be 
 preferred which is supported by the greatest number 
 of independent witnesses. The received reading, be- 
 sides, is confirmed by the context. In the following 
 verse/^ the king says, he would explain more fully 
 the oracle of Jehovah ; which we can scarcely sup- 
 pose he would have said had he spoken in the verse 
 preceding. A sudden change of persons will offend 
 no one who remembers how frequently such changes 
 occur in the Psalms, and in other portions of Scrip- 
 ture. Such changes are peculiarly suitable, if the 
 Psalms were recited by different choirs ; and the na- 
 
 ^' " The paragraph which God begins, verse 6, the Messiah 
 himself continues in verses 7, 8, 9, thus giving a higher degree 
 of elegance and emphasis. If the speaking of God had not 
 been interrupted by the Messiah, it must have proceeded in this 
 manner: — ' I, myself, have anointed my king, and have said to 
 him, Thou art m'y Son,' &c. From this it appears that the 
 declaration of God, (verse 6,) is imperfect ; but is filled up and 
 brought to a close by what is said by the Messiah. God says, 
 * that Le had anointed the King Messiah.' The Messiah ex- 
 pounds the origin and the design of the unction," &c. Quam 
 pericopam Deus incipit, verse 6. Messias ipse continuat 
 vers. 7, 8, 9, quod elegantiae et emphasios causa factum est. 
 Quod si Dei oratio non fuisset per IMessiam abrupta, hac ra- 
 tione fluxisset sermo : " Ipse ego unxi regem meum, ipsoque 
 dixi. Tu es Filius mens," &c. Unde liquet, orationem Dei ver. 
 6, esse imperfectam, quam Messias interlocutione sua supplet, 
 et ad finem perducit. Deus dicit, se Mcssiam unxisse regerriy 
 Messias exponit, unde emanarit, et quo tendit ilia unctio," &c. 
 — Hermanni Venema Comment, ad Psalm ii. p. 68. Quarto. 
 Franequerae mdcclxii. — Tr. 
 
ON PSALM II. 87 
 
 ture of the song required, that the voice of one should 
 be interrupted by the striking in of another. We 
 refer, for further information, to what has already 
 been said, on this subject, in our General Introduc- 
 tion. We would recommend, also, the examination 
 of what various learned men have adduced in defence 
 of the received reading.^^ 
 
 7- seqq. The declaration of Jehovah made in the 
 preceding verse is now more fully explained by the 
 king; that he may make it clearly apparent, how 
 little he has to fear from the seditions of his enemies. 
 He refers to that divine oracle of which Nathan had 
 before given an account to David the king (2d Sam. 
 vii. 12, 13, 14,) " and when thy days be fulfilled and 
 thou shall sleep with thy father, I will confirm the 
 kingdom to thy son descended from thee. He shall 
 build a temple to me ; I will establish for ever to 
 
 him. the throne of his kingdom," i^-pl^nt^ 'JS* 
 
 p7 'S-n^n* i^im IXS Ego patrls i?isiar ero, 
 
 ipse mihi instarjilii^ I will be as a father, and he shall 
 be to me as a son. This oracle is referred in this place, 
 to that great king whom the Psalm celebrates : 
 "^ Jovae dictum promulgabo : 
 
 ' Tu, inquit filius mihi es, 
 
 Ego hodie te genui. 
 
 Roga, et gentes tibi dabo possessionem, 
 
 Terrae fines peculium, 
 
 Ferreo baculo conteres, 
 
 Ut vasa figulina contundes !' " 
 
 ^^ Herder in libro de Genio Poesios Hebr. et Moellerus in 
 Eichhornii Biblioth. Univ. Literal. Bibl. P. VI. 
 
88 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 " I will declare the saying of Jehovah : 
 ' Thou/ he says, ' art a son to me, 
 I this day have begotten thee. 
 Ask, and I will give thee the nations a possession. 
 The ends of the earth an inheritance. 
 With an iron staff shalt thou bruise them, 
 As vessels of clay shalt thou break them in pieces.' " 
 
 The words ph'^K HISDJ^ are disjoined by 
 the Masorites from the word ^^^^ We have 
 united them for the sake of perspicuity. The sense 
 is the same, whether they be rendered, " I will declare 
 the decree Jehovah hath said to me ;" or, " I will de- 
 clare the decree of Jehovah, he hath said to me.'* 
 The punctuation of the Masorites is indeed religi- 
 ously retained by the Jewish expositors ; but they 
 by no means agree in their explication of the words. 
 
 By some of them the particle ^^ is considered as 
 put for 7 ; and thus the clause may be rendered 
 enarrabo ad statutum, signifying, what Jehovah 
 hath said to me, I will so solicitously publish, that 
 it will become custom and habit with me. Thus 
 Aben-EsraandKimchi; the latter of whom, in his com- 
 mentary, on the passage says, " I will place this nar- 
 rative for a law and a custom to me." In his book 
 
 of Roots, the same Kimchi gives to the particle 7 J^ in 
 this place, the sense of the accusative sign ^^ which 
 is approvod of by various Christian expositors, such 
 as V enema and HufnageU^ But the passages which 
 
 ^' Although Venema admits that ^{»^ may have the sense 
 that Kimchi assigns to it, he does not adopt it. " Sed cum 
 
ON PSALM II. 89 
 
 they adduce as similar, and in which 7^? has the 
 sense required, are passages in their nature alto- 
 gether different. In some of them, such as Psalm 
 Ixix. 34. Jerem. 1. 29, it is connected with the verb 
 yDt^ ; in others, such as Jerem. iv. 23 : x. 2 ; Ezek. 
 
 _ T 
 
 vi. 10, where it is connected with other words, in all 
 of them, if rendered into Latin, the accusative case 
 either mai/ or jnust be used. But the particle, not- 
 withstanding, retains its ordinary meaning, agreeably 
 to the genius of the Hebrew language ; and if rendered 
 by ad the preposition must be understood as equiva- 
 lent to secundum^ according to.^^ Retaining this, the 
 proper force of the particle, the words before us, I 
 think, should be rendered narrabo secundum^ juxta 
 decretum Jehovae, that is, I will declare the whole 
 matter fully ; let me explain it accurately, according 
 to the celebrated declaration of Jehovah, which 
 Nathan long ago communicated to David (2d Sam. 
 vii. 12, 13,14). 
 
 The interpretation proposed by Fischer is not un- 
 suitable, " I will communicate to man the command- 
 ments of God," ad praescriptum, that is, I will not 
 prevaricate or deceive. Vejiema renders the words, 
 narrabo verifatem, as a matter certain and highly im- 
 portant. In the Arabic, the use of the phrase for a mat- 
 ter certain or true is quite common, corresponding to 
 the Greek It' dXrih/ug ; opposed to tlD^H Ezek, vi. 10 ; 
 
 absolute dicatur pD" /J^^ forte rectius vertitur, narrabo veri- 
 tatem, rem certam et praestantissimam. Idem ergo est, ac 
 
 Gr. I?r' aXx^s/a,- et oppositum Q^H S?^* Tr. 
 
 ** Gonf. Vitringa, in Comment, ad Esai. xxxviii. 19. 
 
90 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 and of the same import as ^iD>Sx 1st Sam xxiii. 23; 
 
 xxiv. 4. Ernesti renders the words, dicam quod res est, 
 I will speak according as the matter really stands. "^^ 
 And to this rendering various learned expositors give 
 their assent. ^"^ 
 
 To this interpretation, though right in my judg- 
 ment, it is objected by Stange, that no example 
 can be produced, in proof of the term pH being 
 %ever used by the Hebrews to express the notion 
 of truth. Indeed, it is not necessary to have recourse 
 to the Arabic meaning of the word ; for the ordinary 
 Hebrew signification, a decreet a statutCi an edict, is 
 sufficiently well suited to this passage, where the ex- 
 press words of the edict are immediately recited. 
 Much less are they to be approved of who find fault 
 with the received reading. This was first done by 
 Ihibigant ; who says that he is disposed to follow 
 the Septuagintrendering, which must have been made 
 from a Hebrew manuscript, in which in the clause, 
 the name Jehovah was twice written, hia.yyiXkuv ro 
 TTPoijrayaa, Kv^iou. Kv^iog s/crs cr^og //J, declaring the de- 
 cree of the Lord, the Lord hath said to me. Knappe 
 approves of this conjecture ; but who does not see 
 that the name, the Lord, is repeated in the Greek 
 version merely for the sake of perspicuity ? Strids- 
 herg is still more daring. According to him the 
 clause should be expunged altogether. «' Perhaps," 
 lie says, '' some person may have placed it in his own 
 
 '^ Ich will sagen, ivie sich die Sache eigentlich verh'dlf. 
 20 Knappius et Dathius in Notts ad versiones, atqueEichhorn 
 in Biblioth. Literar. Bibl P. i. p. 532. 
 
ON PSALM ir. 91 
 
 copy, as a marginal note, indicating that the words 
 which follow, " Thou art my Son," were the words of 
 God, and of great importance. Michaelis conjec- 
 tures that instead of the future of the verb, rendered 
 " I will declare," the Greek interpreters read the parti- 
 ciple ; and also that the word 7^^, was repeated after 
 pT}' These interpreters took the word 7^ for the 
 
 name of God, which, however, the genius and laws 
 of the language will not permit. This was observed 
 by Drusius, who says^ " he had in his possession a 
 Venetian copy, in quarto, in the margin of which he 
 
 found 7}*^ written, with the vowel long. From this 
 
 there seems to have been formerly a different read- 
 ing in this place, of which, indeed, the ancient inter- 
 preters leave us no doubt, for they follow the reading 
 given in the margin of this copy, with one accord. 
 It is, no doubt, in opposition to the order of the 
 words, which, in that case, must have been changed, 
 
 and 7X pH written. May not this have induced 
 
 the Masorites to alter the punctuation ? Our read- 
 ing certainly differs from that of the Sepuagint, of 
 Jerome, of Theodotion, and Aquila." 
 
 From these Greek renderings, Koehler was led to 
 think that the participle HBDDj must have been 
 
 found in the ancient Hebrew copies, and he prefers 
 it to the reading of our present text, but gives no 
 good reason, that I can perceive, for the preference. 
 To me, the participle in this passage appears alto- 
 gether incongruous. Michaelis, though he thought 
 
^2 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the letters of the participle existed in the ancient He- 
 brew manuscripts ; yet altered the punctuation so as to 
 
 give it a quite different sense, nlH^ pfl Sk "IDDO 
 
 e libro Dei statutum JeJiovae^ from the book of 
 God, a statute of Jehovah, How far this is from 
 the terseness and elegance of the Hebrew, how un- 
 like, indeed, to the ordinary style of poetry, is evi- 
 dent at first sight ! The foolishness of this conjecture 
 is pointed out by Stange with full effect. 
 
 It seems strange to me, that those who think 
 the text of this passage required emendation, should 
 have neglected the Syriac version. In it, the clause 
 is not only joined to the preceding verse, so as to form 
 part of the divine speech ; but the translator renders 
 pn> as if he had found ^pH '^ the original. The 
 
 version accordingly is, " I have appointed my king 
 over Sion : The mountain of my holiness, that he 
 may declare my decree." The seventh verse begins 
 with the words, " The Lord hath said to me." It 
 would not, therefore, be an absurd conjecture^ were 
 we to suppose that the translator considered the verb 
 as the future tense in Hiph\l, with the suffix of the 
 third person, flhSDJ^ 1 will cause him to declare^ and 
 
 and that he read 'pH in the manuscript, the suffix 
 
 of which might easily be over-looked by future trans- 
 cribers, because the following word nip^ begins 
 with the same letter. Faber supposes, that the verb, 
 
 with the particle 7^^ following it, signifies to cutout, 
 or engrave ; and that the word 'p'r\ means a tablet of 
 
OS PSALM II. 93 
 
 brass or stone. He, therefore, translates the clause, 
 <• I will inscribe upon a monument, what Jehovah 
 hath said to me." This opinion he announces with 
 sufficient confidence, but without argument. We 
 now return to the consideration of the contents. 
 
 The divine oracle is brought forward, in which a 
 prince, descended from David, was declared king of 
 the Hebrews, ^^n"lS^ DVH '^^^ HD^ ^^l* Tu mihi 
 filius, hodie tegeniii ; " Thou art a son to me, this day 
 have I begotten thee ;" — in this, and in other places, 
 (Ps. Ixxxix. 27, 28. 2 Sam. vii. 14.) the king of the 
 Israelites is styled the Son of God. He was so call- 
 ed on various accounts. He was believed to be a per- 
 son instructed by God, from whom he had received 
 wisdom, prudence, intrepidity of mind in circumstan- 
 ces of danger, promptitude and counsel, the love of 
 equity and justice, (1 Kings iii. 3. seqq. iv. 29 ; seqq. 
 1 Sam. xvi. 13.) But he was called Son of God, on 
 this account, chiefly, that he had received royal au- 
 thority from Jehovah ; who, according to the theo- 
 cratic form of the government, was supreme king of 
 the Israelites ; and under whom he acted the part of 
 viceregent, or viceroy .^^ Ilgen is of opinion that the 
 
 -^ This subject is treated acutely and copiously by lUjen in a 
 tract having for its title, De notione TituU Filii Dei, Messice^ 
 hoc est undo Jovce, in libris sacris tribiitce, Jencs, 1794. 
 
 Thus we find Sarpedon, the conqueror of Tlepolemus, Iliad 
 I. Vs. 672, G83, styled Aw vtoi ; and Menelaus, K. Vs. 43. 
 hoT^iiphs. Achilles Iliad a, 279. 
 
 6v/u,os §£ fiiyas Iffr) ^ior^i(pios (iufftXyio;' 
 Tifih Vix Aioi iff-r)^ <ptXi7 Ti l fAyiriiTU Zivi' 
 
94 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Israelites were taught to consider their kings, and 
 designate them as they did, by the Egyptians, whose 
 government, from the earliest period of their history, 
 was theocratical. The same notion as to the dignity 
 of kings, pervaded the minds of the ancient Greeks ; 
 who appear to have received theocracy as a form of 
 government from Cecrops an Egyptian. Hence we 
 find kings, in passages without number, styled by Ho- 
 mer dioysviTg, d/or^spsTg, A Jove geniti, A Jove nutriti. 
 22. The observations of Eustathius upon the verses 
 given in the note are deserving of notice ; because we 
 may see from them very clearly the exact coincidence 
 of the ideas, entertained by the Hebrews, respecting 
 kings, with those entertained by other nations, who 
 had arrived at the same degree of culture and refine- 
 ment. " A mighty mind belongs to the king, the 
 nourished of the gods. His honour is from God. 
 God loves him. In many places the poet gives hon- 
 our to kings as beloved of God. By this, he incul- 
 cates on subjects the duty of obedience : teaching 
 them that they ought to be submissive and obedient 
 to kings, as to God himself. Hence he is to be un- 
 derstood as styling kings divinely descended, divinely 
 nourished, not because they drew their lineage from 
 God, but because their honour was from him. The 
 honour, he says, is from God ; meaning evident- 
 ly the honour of royalty ."^^ By the Greeks, also, as 
 well as by the Hebrews and the Egyptians, God was 
 
 ^ G>v(/,Bi oi /Asya? Xitt) ^lor^i^ios (iccffiXyjos, xat art >5 rifjcrt 
 ecuTov IK SsaD Iffri, xai on ^tXii avrov a ^sos' h 'roXX67i ya.^ ^io(pi\us 
 ^o^x^ii Tovi ^uirtKi'S' '?rgoK«Xovfjt,ivoi ^i« rouTou tovs v^nKoovi, us <ro 
 
ON rSALM II. 95 
 
 understood to confer the kingdom upon the king. 
 For although, — as Ilgen observes, — sons generally 
 succeeded their fathers in regal dignity, yet this was 
 understood to take place only with the divine con- 
 currence. When Medon and Neleus, sons of Codrus 
 king of the Athenians, disputed with regard to the 
 succession, the Pythian oracle, on being consulted, 
 adjudged the kingdom to Medon, and excluded Ne- 
 leus, (Pausan. L. vii. c. 2; Aelian. v. 1] ; viii. 5.) 
 Gyges, as Herodotus informs us, having obtained the 
 kingdom of the Lydians by the murder of Candaules, 
 a civil war ensued. The contending parties agreed 
 to submit the matter to the decision of the Pythian 
 oracle, and Gyges was confirmed in the government. 
 But, to return to the Psalm, we remark that to the 
 words r\r\^ 03) are immediately subjoined, — ac- 
 
 cording to the law of parallelism, carefully attended to 
 by the poets, — the words T]^;:^*! 7^ DT^Hi as having 
 
 the same signification. The parallelism is the same 
 as in Jer. ii. 27.^^ 
 
 " Who say to the wood, thou art my father ; 
 To the stone, thou hast begotten me." 
 
 ^itv ^ii^a^^iTv alrovi ru (iuffiXi?, as na) S-s&T v^oxuf^ivevs evra ko.) 
 ^ziS'Of/.ivws' ivTatJ^a 11 xat l<pi^fji,n)>i6ii ^/ari '^loyiviTs koc) ^torpi<pii5 
 rohs (ixffiXui kiyn, ovXi «''' e» ^tos ro yivog ikKovffiv, akX' on (^ 
 Ixiivou avroTs VI Ti/zn' (pns-t yoc^' rifCTi Vix "hio; la-nVj tj rijs (iaaiXiiccS 
 
 T . • : : - ' V V r : 
 
96 AKXOTATIOKS 
 
 DY^n, however, must be referred to that time, at 
 
 which this oracle was given forth. Ilgen translates 
 the words thus : — '' Tufilius mihi eris, hodie te adopto. 
 " Thou shalt be my son, this day I adopt thee." He 
 had previously mentioned that the word V2, was used, 
 
 among other significations, to designate an adopted 
 son; as in Exod ii. 10, Tn^'H*?* where it is said 
 
 of Moses, in reference to Pharaoh's daughter^ that he 
 became her sun. The word, in this place, may there- 
 fore, he concludes, mean him whom God had adopted 
 a son. " An adopted son," he goes on to say, " had 
 the right of succession in the paternal property, which 
 was, indeed, the object of the adoption. He, there- 
 fore, whom God adopted as a son, was the person 
 chosen successor in what may be called the divine 
 property. What this property was, to which an heir 
 might be appointed, it is not difficult to discover; 
 for the people of Israel are frequently called the 
 people of Jehovah, and Jehovah their Lord, their 
 Father, their protector." In a note subjoined to the 
 version of this Psalm, he adds, *' As T^i signifies an 
 
 adopted son., so *y)*i signifies to adopt. In this sense, 
 
 - T 
 
 in reference to the adoption of strangers, and their 
 admission to the privileges of citizenship, it is used 
 Ps. Ixxxvii. 4, 6.2+ 
 
 -* Dathe, one of the best expositors of the Psalms, renders 
 the words. Ego hodie te genui, H is note on the clause may not 
 be unacceptable. — Tr. 
 • " The Apostle Paul gives the meauing of these words, vvhen 
 
ON PSALM II. 97 
 
 Respecting the vowel points written under the 
 
 verb "l*n*1^*» i" ^^^^^ place, not a few interpreters 
 have found a difficulty. According to the gramma- 
 tical rules, as from 1p^ is formed ^^HlpD so from 
 
 he explains them as referring to the exhibition, that is, the divine 
 legation o{ the Messiah into the world, Acts xiii. 32, 33 — " The 
 promise," he says, " made to your fathers, God hath now, indeed, 
 fulfilled, in constituting, [shewing,] Jesus; according to that 
 which is written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this 
 day have I begotten thee. The verb avuffrtjirat like the Hebrew 
 verb CD'^pH) often signifies to exhibit, to bring forward, pre- 
 sent, as appears from many passages. There is no doubt that 
 this is its sense, in Acts ii. 22, 2G ; vii. 37. Heb. vii. 11,15. That 
 Paul so understood it, and did not intend by it the resurrection 
 of Christ from the dead, appears from the verses following, in 
 which the resurrection is proved from other passages. On this 
 account, there is no reason why we shoiild labour to explain the 
 clause in the Psalm, as if it related to the eternal generation of 
 the Son of God, concerning which the words, directly cannot be 
 understood. The word £^V never signifies eternity ; nor can 
 it have that signification, because it expresses time present, 
 from which both the past and the future are excluded. The 
 words, however, may be connected with the verse following : 
 and, in that case, they will contain the ground of the promise 
 made to this king, of the nations being given to him as a he- 
 reditary possession. If the active verb \/^ be understood 
 declaratively, according to the rule of Glassius, the meaning 
 will be ; — Thou art my Son ; and I will this day declare that I 
 have begotten thee ; when, according to thy request, I shall 
 assign to thee the nations for a possession. Venema under- 
 stands the words in nearly the same manner ; and Doederlein 
 also, although they think that Paul explains them as relating 
 to the resurrection of Christ, which does not appear to be the 
 case. I am unwilling, however, to place this sense in the ver- 
 H 
 
98 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 *)S^ should proceed ^'/^n^^* But it is rightly ob- 
 
 served by Schulfens, that the praeterite in Kal has 
 not only Patach as the last vowel, but Zere also 
 
 sion ; and would leave it free to the judgment of every one, 
 either to acquiesce in the explication of Paul, or to use the 
 words as proving a point in theology." 
 
 Sensum horum verborum Apostolus Paulus ostendit, dum ea 
 de exhibitione s. legatione divina JMessiae in mundum explicat, 
 Act. xiii. 32, 33. " Promissionem, inquit, majoribus vestris dataofi 
 Deus jam quidtm implevit, {uvct^ritnzi) sistens s. exhibens lesura, 
 secundum id, quod in psalmo secundo scriptum extat : tu es, 
 filius mens, hodie te genui. Etenim verbum, avas-^o-a* ut 
 Hebr. C>^"5n saepe significare exhibere, praesentem sisiere, 
 ex multis locis constat. Sic haud dubie dicitur Act. ii. 22. 26, 
 vii. 37- Ebr. vii. 11, 15. Paulum vero in h. 1. sic accepisse; 
 neque de resurrectione Christo ex moituis explicasse, ex vers. 
 34, seqq. apparet, in quibus earn ex aliis locis probat. Hac 
 ratione non est quod laboremus in explicando h. 1. de aeterna 
 filii Dei generatione, de qua haec verba dii-ecte non possunt 
 intelligi. Nam DV nunquam aeterriitatem indicat, neque 
 de ea dici potest, quoniam tempus praesens includit, quo prae- 
 teritum et futurum excluditur. Sed possunt haec verba cum 
 sequenti versu necti, ut fundamentum illius promissionis con- 
 tineant, quae huic regi de possessione haereditariae gentium 
 
 datur, si verbum activum *l7* declarative explicatur, ex re- 
 gula Glassii, Lib. i. Tract. 3. Can. 15. p. 216, edit, nostr. Tu 
 es filius meus teque a me genitum esse hodie declarabo, dum 
 ex petitione tua tibi gentes in possessionem tuam assignabo. 
 Sic fere Venema in comment, ad. h. 1. et Doederlein in ^choliis 
 ad libros poet. V. T. qui vero Paulum haec verba de resurrec- 
 tione Christi explicasse existimaret, quod non ita videtur. At- 
 tamen nolui huiic sensum in versione ponere, liberum cuique 
 judicium relinquens, num malit in explicatione Pauli, Act. xiii. 
 32, 33, acquiescere, an praeterea haec verba ad dogma illud 
 probaiidum trausferre. 
 
ON PSALM II. 99 
 
 very frequently : for example 7^^! crevit^ ti}^*' aruit, 
 /^X\ fiaccidusfuit^ cessavit. Our verb ^^^ril/*' ^^ 
 
 to be referred to n*^* ; from which, on account of 
 • I 
 
 the affix and the deferred accent, the long vowel zere 
 is changed into short chireh, and the word is thus 
 pointed according to rule. We find it in the same 
 form, Jer. xv. 10; ii. 27. Numb. xi. 12. Stange 
 has given a copious exposition of the matter, and 
 corrected various errors connected with it. 
 
 8. Ask something worthy of such a son : it is meet 
 that the requests of a son be made to his father; and 
 if you ask it, I will subject to your authority the 
 whole earth, and all the nations that inhabit it. We 
 understand Q^i^ to signify, not merely the neigh- 
 bouring nations, but a// nations; and J/'ni^'^DSK to 
 
 be the boundaries of the whole earth. We are di- 
 rected to this sense, as Moeller rightly observes, by 
 the energy and majesty of the poetical oration. Be- 
 sides, when we read of the limits or boundaries of a 
 particular country, 7^^^!, or T\h\'2l- is generally 
 
 used; as in Deul. xxxii. 8; " He fixed the boun- 
 daries of the nations," namely, the Canaanites. 2 
 Kings xiv. 25 ; " He restored the coast of Israel. 
 Numb, xxxiv. 3 ; '^ And your boundary towards the 
 south shall be,'' &c. DDJ^* on the contrary, signi- 
 fies the absolute end of that to which it is applied. 
 Those who think that the boundaries of Palestine are 
 to be understood as spoken of in the passage before 
 us, usually refer to Ps. Ixxii. 8. " He shall rule 
 
loo ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Q^"n5^ CD^tD from one sea to another sea/' ^H^D 
 
 V*1X"*DD?^"*!J^> o. fluvio'E\x^\iT2XG, usque ad Jines ter- 
 
 rae, " from the river' Euphrates, '' even to the ends 
 of the earth." But by the ends of the earth, in this 
 passage, we are evidently to understand that part of 
 the country bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, be- 
 yond which they believed no continent to exist. We 
 find the same definition, Zech. ix. 10., and we find 
 the words used for the boundaries of the earth, Psalm 
 lix. 14. Isaiah xlv. 22. 
 
 The words H'^Hj and HTriJ*^* correspond to 
 
 T :~ T \ ~: 
 
 each other in the parallelism, but they have this dis- 
 tinction in signification, — the first, means what is 
 possessed by right of inheritance ; — the last, more 
 extensively, whatever is possessed by right of pro- 
 perty or dominion, corresponding to the Greek term 
 xaro-x^n. SeeGen.xlvii.il. Levit* viv. 34. 
 
 9. " Such of them as rebel against Thee, thou 
 shalt bruize with the strokes of an iron staff*; and as 
 vessels of clay shalt thou break them in pieces. The 
 
 words ^T"ll DlDtit^ll tDVnn» are rendered in the 
 
 Alexandrian version, croz/^avs/g avrovg sv ^d^doj <iidrt^u. 
 *' Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron." They 
 referred the verb to the root pi VI pavit, he fed ; but 
 
 as Doederlein and Koehler have remarked, it was 
 not necessary that it should have been read DV*in, 
 
 for the word, as we read it, proceeds regularly from 
 the same root in the form pohel. Of the ancient 
 versions, the Syriac, the Vulgate (adding Reges eos). 
 
ON PSALM 11. 
 
 101 
 
 and the Arabic follow the Greek ; many of the mo- 
 dern expositors also, among whom Stange may be 
 named in particular. He defends the Alexandrine 
 rendering by various arguments. " The Psalmist,'* 
 he says, *' had it in view, to describe a king, to whom 
 God would give the nations for an inheritance, who 
 should exercise a rigorous dominion ; — and against 
 whom the nations should rise in rebellion, vainly 
 threatening to overthrow his government." He, 
 therefore, uses the following words : ^'pasces eos, i.e. 
 reges hos pedo, sive sceptro ferreo. Thou shalt/eec? 
 them, namely, those kings of the nations, with a 
 crook or sceptre of iro7i. That the verb nyi> 
 
 strictly signifying to feed, is used in reference to 
 kings, he proves by a number of examples, such as 
 2 Sam. V. 2. ; Psalms xxviii. 9. ; Ixxviii. 71. That 
 the word tOUSt^j is here to be understood as signify- 
 ing a shepherd's crook, he shews, by referring to 
 Levit. xxviii. 82. Ezek. xx. 37. Psalm xxiii. 4. 
 He adduces, besides, certain passages of Homer, in 
 which kings are styled croz/xsj/sg Xawv, shepherds of the 
 people. Ilgen translates the words, ferrea virga eos 
 pasces ; and adds in a note, " I follow the punctua- 
 tion suggested by the Septuagint, rendering 'rroi/xaviTg, 
 on the authority of the following passages, 2 Sam. vii. 
 7. 1 Chron. xi. 2. ; Psalm Ixxviii. 71,72.; Micah 
 vii. 14. The word, it must be observed, is some- 
 times used also in a bad sense, as in Micah ver. 8, 
 *' Theg shall waste the land of Assyria with the 
 sword." 
 
 I am induced, however, by the rules of parallelism 
 
JOS ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in the clauses, to adopt the sense of the Chaldee 
 version, where the verb is rendered by p^'^SH/^? 
 
 /ranges eos, thou shalt break them. I would thus 
 refer the verb to the root J/yi conquassare^ commi- 
 
 nuere, to clash, to break in pieces. The form is the 
 same as that of the word tZ'ilDD • b'lt as Dagesh 
 
 is not received by a guttural^ therefore a long vowel 
 takes the place of a short one. Jarchi and Kimchi 
 give similar senses, " Thou shalt dash them, thou 
 shalt break them ;" the latter referring to Jerem. xv. 
 12, '^ Shall any one break iron,'' and Job xxxiv. 24, 
 " He shall break i?i pieces mighty men. The word 
 t^Hfii^j in this place, as Lackemacher shews in a tract 
 
 De Baculo ferreo, Psalm ii. 9, does not signify a 
 sceptre, but a staff, or club. In ancient times, indeed, 
 wooden, ivory, silver, and golden sceptres were used, 
 but we do not find that sceptres were ever made of 
 iron. Sceptres, also, were used for purposes alto- 
 gether different from that to which, according to the 
 poet, the ^'2.^ was to be applied. They were not 
 
 used by the ancients for beating down their enemies. 
 Sceptres were used by rulers, to distinguish them 
 from the multitude when they appeared in public as- 
 semblies, or when they bound themselves by the so> 
 lemnity of an oath. The word, therefore, in this 
 place, is to be understood rather of a staff ov club, in 
 somewhat the same sense as in 2 Sam. xxiii. 21, 
 where it is used for the weapon with which Benaiah 
 met, in personal conflict, an Egyptian, a man of 
 mighty prowess, and armed with a spear of extraor- 
 
ON PSALM II. 103 
 
 dinary length ; and in the same sense in which the 
 nearly synonymous term nt£)^ is used in Hab. iii. 
 
 14, <' Thou didst break with their own clubs the 
 heads of the leaders who rushed forth as a whirl- 
 wind to scatter me." This passage of the prophet, 
 like that of the Psalm under consideration, appears 
 to have a reference to an ancient custom, according 
 to which the heroes, in the place of armour, carried 
 clubs, and these not only of wood, but of iron also. 
 Thus Periphetes, the son of Vulcan and x'\nticlia, 
 g^ogs/ xopvy/iv ffiorioav, according to ApoUodorus^ — 
 carried an iron club. This also was the armour of 
 King Areithous, (Homer, Iliad, vii. ver. 136.), rou 
 KOPuvrjTov, the club bearer, 
 
 Ouvix a^ oh, To^otffi fAX^iffKiro ^ov^i rz fietxpu 
 'AXXa, ffi^v^zin Ko^vvi] priyvuffxi faXavyyas- 
 
 although he did not fight with bows and a long spear, 
 he broke the ranks with a club of iro7i, that is, studded 
 with large iron nails. 
 
 Michaelis agrees in this interpretation. " iDl2^>" 
 
 he says, is not a sceptre, but a club of iron, or a club 
 fortified with iron, such as fable usually ascribes to 
 Hercules, who, as being a God of the Phoenicians, 
 was certainly not unknown to David. To fight with 
 clubs was not unusual among the eastern nations. 
 The Arabian Troglodites called Megabaraeans (apud 
 Diodorum Siculum^ L. iii. c. S3.), cn-Xiff/xov 'iypvci 
 — hhrrakov rvXoug s^r^v 'jri^iCib-zjoov; ; they are armed with 
 clubs covered with iron. Both Hercules and Orion 
 are represented as carrying, each of them, a club in 
 heaven. 
 
104 
 
 ANNOTATIONS. 
 
 The succeeding clause is rendered by Stange, 
 qaasi instrumento fabrili eas gentes subiges. " As 
 with a smith's instrument shalt thou subdue them," 
 namely, the nations. *'^D3, he apprehends, is put for 
 '73^Dj as it was with the Hebrews a common prac- 
 tice, after a letter of the form of "2, to omit a 2, used 
 as a prefix with the same vowel. Of this he gives 
 many examples. He is of opinion, also, that it is not 
 
 necessary to render the phrase HVV vS' earthen 
 
 vessels; but that it may signify any tool of a work- 
 ma?!, whatever may be the material of which it is 
 made. This is no doubt true if we regard merely 
 the etymology of the words; but when we find them 
 used in immediate connection, they always signify 
 an earthen vessel, a vessel made of clay. Thus, 
 2 Sam. xvii. 28., we find among the culinary articles 
 which the subjects of David brought to him, basons 
 and vessels of clay. In Jerem. xix. 11, — a passage 
 parallel to that before us, — Jehovah is introduced as 
 saying, " Even so will I break this people and this 
 city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel, that cannot be 
 made whole again." We have the same comparison 
 Isaiah xxx. 14, " And the breaking of it shall be as 
 the breaking of a pitcher of clay, which is so tho- 
 roughly broken, as that a shred of it cannot be found." 
 
 In this last passage, D'lVV S^^? is evidently put 
 for *l*i*V ^/3> the phrase in this place, and in the 
 
ON PSALM II. 105 
 
 passage of Jeremiah. The verb T*©^, as illustrated 
 
 by Schultens^ signifies in the Arabic, to shake any 
 thing violently^ or to cast it away^ so as to break it in 
 pieces. 
 
 10. The address now proceeds in the form of an 
 exhortation. In proportion to the greatness of the 
 king's dignity, shall be the severity of the punish- 
 ment inflicted upon men who refuse him allegiance 
 and obedience. The poet, therefore, exhorts the re- 
 bellious princes to adopt wiser councils, and submit 
 themselves to the king appointed by Jehovah, if 
 they wished to consult their own interests. 
 
 " Ergo sapite, reges, 
 
 Disciplinam, principes, admittite ! 
 
 Colite lovam reverenter, 
 
 Trepidi eum vereamini ! 
 
 Agile, tanto regi venerationis osculum figite, 
 
 ^^e, si irascetur, res vestra pessundetvir. 
 
 Etenim ira ejus brevi exardescet, 
 
 Felices sunt omnes, qui ad eum confugiunt!" 
 
 " Therefore be wise, ye kings, 
 Receive instruction ye princes ! 
 Worship Jehovah reverently, 
 Fear him trembling ! 
 
 Come, give the kiss of veneration to so great a king, 
 Lest, if he be angry, your condition be undone. 
 For if his anger shall suddenly be kindled, 
 Happy are all, who betake themselves to him !'' 
 
 nnVI Nunc itaque. Now, therefore, — since this is 
 
 the case, — since Jehovah has invested with so great 
 power the king whom he has constituted. The par- 
 ticle *] vau has here the force of a conclusion, or in- 
 
106 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ference, as in Ezek. xviii. 32. Hosca xi. 6. Psalm 
 vii. 8. 1*7^31^11 prudenter agite, act wisely ; desist 
 
 from vain and pernicious attempts, and submit your- 
 selves to the king whom Jehovah hath appointed. 
 TIDin erudimini, be ye instructed. The word is 
 
 rightly rendered in the Chaldee version, receive cor- 
 rection^ — suffer yourselves to be reduced into order ; 
 — yield to reason. 1*1^ 'DD^^j judges of the earth, 
 
 correspond to the kings mentioned in the first clause, 
 in the same manner as the kings of the earth, mention- 
 ed in the first clause of ver. 2, correspond to the 
 princes in the clause following. 
 
 11. Serve Jehovah with all subjection and reve- 
 rence, by submitting yourselves to his viceroy. 
 nj^l'Il) cum timore, with fear, that is, reverently, re- 
 
 ligiously. niVnn ^7^JV These words are by 
 
 most interpreters rendered exultate, — laetamini, — cum 
 titnore, rejoice tvifh fear. They are paraphrased by 
 Rudi7iger, thus : Rejoice in him, and in your tvorship 
 of him ; but let your joy he such, as that it want not 
 becoming admiration and fear. The meaning, ac- 
 cording ioCampensis, is, rejoice, that you have obtained 
 such a king ; but remember, in the meantime, how 
 great he is, and how much to be feared, lest you offend 
 him. Ilgen translates the words Trepidi ei choreas 
 consecrate ; Trembling, consecrate to him joyous 
 dances ; and he adds in a note, '' I read with the Sep- 
 tuagint, dyaXXiaff^i ahru sv t^o[JjU}, agreeing with the 
 manuscript of Kennicott, 309, — a manuscript which, 
 
ON PSALM II. 107 
 
 in his judgment, exhibits many excellent readings. — 
 i*T> 17^^» choream ducite in ejus honorem. An in- 
 stance of the practice is recorded in 1 Kings xviii. 
 
 26. In the opinion of Koehlery the word '^^ to him^ 
 had been left out in most manuscripts, because the 
 verb going before ended with it as the last syllable. 
 It had been read in the text, he thinks, bj'^ the Syriac 
 translation ; by restoring it, he interprets the words in 
 nearly the same manner as Campensis. It is properly 
 
 remarked, however, by Moeller, that the verb 7^j| is 
 
 nowhere else found with 7 lamed following, and con- 
 joined with it. The paraphrase of Jarchi is, since 
 fear shall take hold of hypocrites, do ye then exult and 
 rejoice, if ye ivorship the Lord. Hammond thinks 
 that the order and construction of the words in this 
 place should be so altered as to give the sense, with 
 fear and trembling, in the same manner as the two 
 verbs, that of serving and rejoicing ; serve him with 
 alacrity and joy, but with becoming reverence. 
 Several interpreters think that the notion oi joy 
 
 should here be excluded, and that the verb 7^;\ 
 should be understood in a different sense. Abul 
 Walid, who is called by the Jews the Prince of 
 
 Grammarians, says that the radical term 7^^, is to 
 
 be taken indifferently for any kind of violent move- 
 ment, whether proceeding from joy or from grief. 
 He accordingly renders the words, commove?nini 
 cum tremore, be ye moved with trembling. In this 
 
108 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 sense> he saj'S, according to R. Tancbum, "j^^Jl* is to 
 
 be rendered in Hosea x. 5., dolebunt^ they shall he 
 grieved. Dathe, in his Latin version of the Psalms, 
 renders the words, et cum tremore dolele^ and mourn 
 ye with trembling. In this there seems to me to be a 
 want of elegance. In the Arabic, the verb signifies 
 to go round. Schulz, accordingly renders it circumife 
 eum, because, when Oriental kings appear seated on 
 their thrones, their ministers in attendance move 
 around them in a circle. Storr, I think, has formed 
 a just judgment on the point. The Arabians, he re- 
 marks, use the verb ^^^, and also the verb HIIj as 
 signifying se volvere, gyrare se, circumagi, circumire, 
 to roily or whirl himself^ to he turned round, to go 
 round. As this motion may express a feeling either 
 
 oijoy-, or of terror, the Hebrew term ^^^, he thinks, 
 may include both, — to exult for joy, to dance, — and 
 from this, to become giddy, to tremble, to be seized 
 with fear and sorrow. Schultens observes, that the 
 Arabic cognates directly convey the ideas of concus- 
 sion and terror ; there is, therefore, no need to com- 
 pare the Hebrew term with the Arabic, so as to as- 
 sign to it, primarily, the sense of exultation, and 
 from this, secondarily, the sense of Jear. For this 
 reason, we do not adopt the rendering oi Michaelis, 
 exultate terrore. Much less do we approve of that 
 of Paulus, exultate in ahundantia. Although the 
 term, corresponding in the Arabic to Pllyn? has the 
 
 meaning of abundance, the Hebrew term, in no other 
 passage, has it ; nor do the laws of parallelism admit 
 
ON PSALM II. 109 
 
 of any other than the ordinary signification here, that 
 of tremour, corresponding to H^'l'' i" the clause 
 
 preceding. 
 
 J 2. The first words of this verse, 'ID.'^p^^, have 
 
 wonderfully exercised the ingenuity of interpreters, 
 both ancient and modern. We shall begin with the 
 ancients, (1.) In the Alexandrine version, we have 
 bodt,oL6^z raibuac, which Hesychius explains, Xa.Sso-^s 
 rraidsiag, xai £-i6t'}\ii.7]c, — accipite disciplmam et scie?i- 
 tiam, — receive discipline and knowledge. The Vul- 
 gate, following the Greek, has apprehendite disci- 
 plinam ; the Arabic, adhaerete disciplinae ; and the 
 
 Chaldaic, J^^D/^^i l7^Ilp, disciplinam accipite, 
 T t • • • L 
 
 Cappellus conjectures that the Greek translators, in- 
 stead of ^p^^, must have found ^jlj^j , in their 
 
 manuscripts, signifying in Hiphil^ assequi, — to over- 
 take, to obtain ; and that for "^^j they wrote 'rralba, 
 
 which was afterwards changed into 'jtaihuav. But 
 this is a vain conjecture, for ^^t^^ would be the im- 
 perative, not of the form Hiphil, but of Piel, which 
 does not seem to have been used, being found no- 
 where in the Old Testament. As to the word 
 rroiidsiav, that it had been in the most ancient manu- 
 scripts, is evident from both the Arabic and the 
 Alexandrine versions. For what reason the Alex- 
 andrine and Chaldee Hebrew translators took the 
 word "^^ in the sense of discipline or instruction, it 
 
 is diflScult to ascertain; expositors are of diflTerent 
 opinions. Buxtorff {\\q younger, thinks that they 
 
110 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 understood the word as signifying, primarily,— -/bod?^ — 
 and metaphorically indicating — as food for the mind, 
 the law, or the doctrine of the law, — in which sense 
 the Talmiidic codex Shamedrin requires the word 
 *n^ to be received both in Prov. xi. 26, and in the 
 passage before us. Osculari doctrinam, this means, 
 *'/o embrace and lay hold upon instruction^'^ because 
 the kissing and embracing of the same object are 
 generally found connected, as in Prov. vii. 13, " She 
 laid hold upon him, and kissed him." In this man- 
 ner, those interpreters wished to be explained what 
 in the text they esteemed to be allegorical. Viccars 
 thinks that they rather derived *^^ from 1^3, signi- 
 fying to explain, to declare. In the opinion of KoeJi- 
 ler, they gave to the word p^J the sense of the 
 
 Greek acra^sff^a/, cupide apprehendere, to lay hold 
 upu?i eagerly and to the word *)^, its Arabic signi- 
 
 fioation pietatis, o^ piety. Munthing says it is opposed 
 in meaning to disobedience : he renders the words 
 pietati adhaerete^ study to obey God. The primary 
 meaning of p^^, he thinks, with Schultens, is to be 
 
 found in the Arabic, to adhere closely, to fasten to- 
 gether. I should not be dissatisfied with this inter- 
 pretation, if the words that follow P]3^^^"]£D ne iras- 
 catur^ lest he be angry, did not demand that he, 
 whose anger was to be feared, should be expressly 
 named. This is an objection also to the interpreta- 
 tion of Jarchi, which is of nearly the same import, 
 hind on as your armour, " prepare yourselves with 
 cleanness and purity of heart." Aben Esra takes 
 
ON PSALM IT. ]11 
 
 notice of this explication, but at the same time sets 
 it aside. " There are some," he says " who take 
 p^^ in the sense of p^^ (annour, as in Ezek, 
 
 xxxix. 10) so as to make the sense, provide yourselces 
 with the armour of purity. The word "IH.) being 
 taken in the same sense as in Psalm xxiv. 4; Ixxiii. 1. 
 "y^ n^- But if the poet had intended to express 
 this sentiment he would have written n'lH or ^^n» 
 or *13n '^D- n. Aqinla renders the words we 
 are considering, i^.ara^/X'/^crars syJ^izrug, osculamini vel 
 potius veneramini, ex animo, kiss, or rather vene- 
 rate in sincerity. He thought as Fischer tells us 
 that "nS ^^'as, as the word "i/^D '^/x-puig, Isa. xxxiii. 
 7, to be taken adverbially, and derived it from "1*1^ 
 separavit delegit, he separated, he chose. Grotius 
 thinks that for izXi'/trug, we ought to put szXstctov as • 
 an emendation ; but this conjecture is altogether 
 groundless ; for we have an express statement by 
 Jerome, that Aquila rendered the word '^^^ by electe. 
 
 That the rendering of Aquila is to be received in the 
 sense we have given it, we learn from that of Sym- 
 macus, 'TrgoffKvvTjffars xa^a^wg, worship in purity. In 
 his translation from the Hebrew Jerome gives the 
 same meaning, adorate pure, and he elsewhere (Apo- 
 log. 1. adversus Rvffinum) gives his reason for it. 
 *' Nasecu," he says^ " if it were rendered literally, 
 would be " kiss ye," (deosculaminij ; but, as I did not 
 choose to render it in a carnal sense, I followed rather 
 the meaning, adore ye, (adorate.) In the act of 
 adoration, it is usual to kiss the hand, and bow the 
 
112 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 bead. This the blessed Job denies that he ever did, 
 idolatrously, to the heavenly bodies. " If I beheld,'* 
 says he, " the sun when it shined, or the moon walk- 
 ing in brightness ; and my heart was glad in secret, 
 and I kissed my hand with my mouth," (Job xxxi. 26, 
 27.) Thus we see that the Hebrews in using their 
 own tongue, put deosculation, for vvorship ; my transla- 
 tion expresses what was understood by those who spoke 
 in the original." The same sentiment is embraced 
 by Ferrand, Osculamini pure, he says, may be ex- 
 pressed in French, "obeissez purement et simplement, 
 rendezluyuneobeissance aveugle." But the verb p^^ 
 
 simpliciter^ is never put for veneration ; nor even, as 
 we shall see by and by, for the kiss of homage. 
 
 III. The Syriac version gives a reading equivalent to 
 osculamini fihum, kiss ye the son ; a sense in which 
 Jerome, as appears from his commentary, perceived 
 the word "^^ might be taken. The following is the 
 
 explanation given by Aben Esra, '^ As in the verse 
 preceding, the words ^i^*"n^? T^y^ corre- 
 spond to those Ty\TV'^V ^sed in the second verse, so 
 the words *1!l"1p^^ correspond to those -^"J 
 ^n^J^D also used in the second verse. The noun 
 "^^ has the same meaning as it has in Prov. xxxi. 2, 
 
 *' What my son ? What the son of my womb ?" and 
 agrees with " Thou art my son" in verse seventh. This 
 interpretation has been deemed satisfactory by the 
 greater number of later expositors. Pfeiffer derives *1^ 
 
 from nil ^elegit (ut »n a H*!!? ID a Hip and thinks 
 
ON PSALM II. 113 
 
 it denotes a descendant selected, and placed as it 
 were in contrast with those of inferior character. 
 Venema^ with the same derivation, renders the 
 word Jilium electum, a chosen so??., separated, so 
 to speak, from others. Koehler renders it Jllius, 
 son; but derives the word from KID. to which 
 he assigns the notion of begetting, a notion which 
 is not attached to it by the Hebrews, the Ara- 
 bians, the Syrians, or the Chaldeans. Doederlein 
 thinks *1D is used instead of ^1^ as being more poeti- 
 cal, and more dignified. In addition to this, Moeller 
 thinks it was preferred by the poet, that the recur- 
 rence of a similar sound in '\^ and ?Q might be 
 
 avoided. Stange objects to the opinion of Doeder- 
 lein, " that no reason can be given for supposing the 
 word "nil to have been esteemed To/Tjr/xwrsgov more 
 poetical than the old Hebrew term T^, since it is 
 
 certain that the former, in the sense of Son, began to 
 be used instead of the latter, by the Syrians and 
 Chaldeans of comparatively the later ages. Though 
 the word in this sense occurs in Prov. xxxl. 2 ; it is 
 wfcU known that the two last chapters of that book 
 were added long after the time of Solomon." This 
 objection is of no weight; for Gesenius, both in the 
 preface to his Hebrew Lexicon, and in his History 
 of Hebrew Speech and Writings, has rendered it 
 perfectly clear, that the poetical style of the He- 
 brews was closely allied to the Chaldee dialect. It 
 may be doubtful, however, whether or not the poet 
 did not use ^^ simply, for ^i^^ that by it the king 
 might be indicated. 
 
1 1 4 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 IV. 7ir/w2c/i2 mentions another interpretation, " The 
 word *^^," he says, '' may be understood as signify- 
 ing j^wre, a sense in which it occurs, Psalm Ixxiii. 1." 
 Certainly God was the chief good of the Israelites, 
 
 — of those especially who were '2,'2/ ''1'2^ jww/e in 
 
 heart. " The sense will then be : — what ground of 
 quarrel have you with me ? My heart is pure : I have 
 done nothing, on account of which you should com- 
 bine, and rise up in war against me. You ought, on 
 the contrary, to kiss me, and acknowledge me as the 
 king constituted by divine mandate. Abendana 
 agrees in this. The Arabic terra signifies pious, bene- 
 Jicent,jusf. The clause may, therefore, be rendered, 
 
 Give the kiss of veneration to this just king. 
 
 V. Another interpretation mentioned by KimchI 
 
 gives a very sui:able sense, "The noun ^j^? inay, 
 
 without impropriety, be understood as signifying 
 elected, chosen. In this sense the verb occurs, 1 Sam. 
 
 xvii. 8, \l}*i^ XIDj)'T\^^ eligite vobis virum, — 
 
 choose you a man for you. In this passage the king 
 would thus be designated the elected; in the 
 same manner as Saul, 2 Sam. xxi. 6, is called l^n^ 
 
 nln^j '^^ elected of Jehovahr Doederlein, giving 
 
 t : 
 
 up the opinion we have already noticed, seems ulti- 
 mately to have adopted this last mentioned. The 
 word 1^, he says, is equivalent to sxXgr^v, chosen ; — 
 
 a title of honour appropriated to kings, in the same 
 manner as *l^ni!> in Psalm cvi. 23, is applied to the 
 
ON PSALM II. 115 
 
 kings of the Jews, and in Isaiah Ixii. 1, to Cyrus. Ilgen 
 expresses the same opinion, in his explication of this 
 Psahii, inserted in his Dissertation on the meaning of 
 the title Son of God. He renders the words under con- 
 sideration, Osculafigite ei^ quem delegit^ Kiss ye him 
 whom he hath chosen. In a note he subjoins the follow- 
 ing remarks, " The notion of choosi?ig\s supported by 
 the use of the verb 1*l^> in 1 Sam. xvii. 8. 1 Chron. 
 
 _ T 
 
 vii. 40. The word ^^ is formed in the same manner 
 as *^'^, ivretched, 7"), slender, p"^, small, *^D, re- 
 fractory ; and its meaning will accordingly be elected. 
 cf. 2 Sam. xxi. 6; 1 Kings xi. 34; 2 Sam. vi. 21. 
 sTcXsTcroc, Luke xxiii. 5, coll. Matth. xxvii. 43. It 
 may be objected that the article H he, is wanting ; — 
 that it should have been written *l^n 5 but the same 
 objection may be brought forward if the word is ren- 
 dered So?i. But the article is omitted, not without 
 reason; for had it been used, then the sense would 
 have been. This person (David) whon he hath chosen ; 
 whereas, without the article the sense is, He tohom he 
 hath chosen, whoever he may be." 
 
 The sense of the words *l!l"^pCi^J, is, I think, 
 
 rightly given by Drusius, in his Commentary on the 
 nineteen first Psalms, " Receive this person as your 
 lord and king ; and yield him the obedience and fi- 
 delity of subjects." Of this the kiss was a symbol, as 
 Aben Esra, on the passage, proper)}^ remarks, — 
 " Subjects in former times were accustomed in token 
 of obedience, to place a hand under the hand of the 
 king, as did the brothers of Solomon, (1 Chron. xxix. 
 24) ; in the same manner as servants placed a hand 
 
J16 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 under the thigh of their master, (Gen. xxiv. 2.) They 
 also kissed the king ; a practice which still continues 
 in India.'' The same practice continues in Arabia 
 also : We are informed by Niebukr, in the account 
 of his travels, that he and his companions kissed the 
 right hand and the knees of the prince of Sanaar, as 
 a token of their respect. The king of the Homerites 
 was formerly saluted in the same manner, by a kiss. 
 This we learn from Simeon, Bishop of Beth-arsam, in 
 his Epistle concerning the Martyrdom of the Homer- 
 ites. He relates that a bo3^ three years of age, who 
 was carried out along with his mother to suffer, ran 
 to the king, who was seated on his throne clothed in 
 his royal robes, and kissed his knees. Among the 
 Hebrews, too, the kiss was, in ancient times, a symbol 
 of the highest respect. This appears from 1 Sam. x. 
 1, where it is related that Samuel, after he had 
 anointed the king, kissed him as a testimony of rjeve- 
 rence. They were also accustomed to worship or 
 adore idols, in the same manner, 1 Kings xix. 18; 
 Hos. xiii. 2. We find the same usage among other 
 nations of antiquity. Xenophon informs us that it 
 was a common — a national — practice of the Persians, 
 to kiss those whom they held in respect.^^ Arrian 
 gives evidence to the same effect: — " Has anyone," 
 saj s he, " been appointed a praefect ? All who meet 
 him, salute him : one kisses his eyes, another his 
 neck.-^ 
 
 '*' En^ai^iov ^v toTs Tli^ffats (pikitv evs civ rtfAMtrt. 
 
 Xenophon in Orat. de Agesil. 
 "* 'K^'carai (t/j) A>j^a^_;^/aj; jravrs; ot ci'^etD ruvrig iTvvrioovTai. 
 AA,Ad; rou; o(pBxXftous xecTdftkiT, uXkog rov r^et^tiXor. 
 
 Arriaiius in Epictet. L. I. c. xix. 
 
ON PSALM IT. 117 
 
 We now return to the song before us. The words 
 that follow P|^t^*-]i3, ne irascafur, — lest he be angry, 
 
 are spoken, apparently, by Jehovah, who had consti- 
 tuted the king whom the song celebrates. This is 
 well observ ed by Aben Esra^ " The words," he says, 
 " refer to Jehovah, who is named in the beginning 
 of the Psalm, (verse 2,) although the name is some- 
 what remote ; we find various examples of this, Exod. 
 XV. 12. The words, "The earth swallowed them 
 up," do not refer to the gods who are spoken of in 
 those immediately preceding, " who is like to thee 
 among the gods," but to the enemies mentioned in a 
 foregoing sentence, (verse 9.) In like manner, Num. 
 K. 21. " They had set up the tabernacle, before they, 
 (e. e. the Kohathites,) came up ;" the first clause does 
 not refer to the Kohathites, though they had been 
 named immediately before, but to the Gershonites and 
 Merarites, mentioned in verse 17 — several sentences 
 intervening. The words "I'lH ^^l^Nnij bave been 
 
 variously interpreted ; according to the Syriac ver- 
 sion they mean " et (ne) pereatis de via," — and that 
 ye perish not from the toay. The way here is refer- 
 red to the Messiah ; to whom the Alexandrine trans- 
 lator, also, seems to refer it; xcl\ acroXsJcr^s s^ hhox) 
 dixuiug ; a?id ye perish from the way cf rectitude. This 
 is followed by the Vulgate, et pereatis de via jiista. 
 The sense of the Chaldee is similar, et amittatisviam. 
 In all the interpretations the way is to be understood 
 of the way leading to the king, — to his protection. 
 They do not, — as Dathe imagined, — refer to the /me 
 
118 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 granted to the enemies of the Messiah for obtaining 
 forgiveness and favour. 
 
 By some the word *1'T1 is supposed to be written 
 
 elliptical!}^, instead of "1*1 ^S- There are many ex- 
 amples of the prefixed preposition ^ beth — that is, of 
 cases where the sense requires it — in which it is omit- 
 ted, Num. xii. 5, " He stood (in) the door of the ta- 
 bernacle." Psalm, xliv. 3. " Thou (by) thy hand didst 
 drive out the nations." By supplying the preposition 
 the meaning may be made " ne pereatis in via ;" that 
 is, lest ye perish during the progress of your hostile at- 
 tempts, before j^ou have obtained your end : or, as 
 Koehler explains it, " from your way on which you 
 have entered, in rebelling against Jehovah and his 
 anointed."27 Capellus understands it to mean sud- 
 denly ; and is followed by Venema, who says, " that 
 a person who perishes in via, in the way, perishes 
 suddenly and unexpectedly ; — illico, as the Latins 
 \yould say, — forthwith, — on the spot, without inter- 
 vention of time. In this sense 1Tn!n is used Exod. 
 
 xxxiii. 3. " Lest I consume you by the way ;" which 
 is explained in verse 5, " I will come up into the 
 midst of you in a moment, and consume you." (p^ovhog 
 was an Attic terra, used with regard to a person who 
 had vanished — who had utterly perished; and was 
 formed by contraction from tpo oboij, — <'outof the way." 
 From this it appears that he connected the words, not 
 with those which go before, requiring that T5 ^<?*'j be 
 repeated, — but with those which come after, making 
 
 ^ " Auf eurem Wege, den ihr als Aiifriihrer gegen Jehovah 
 und seinen Gesalbten wandelt." — Koehlerus in Repert. Ps. III. 
 
ON PSALM II. 
 
 119 
 
 the sense, peribitis enim in via, subite, cum paulu- 
 lum exarserit ira ejus'' But from the copulative T van 
 being prefixed, it must be seen at once that the con- 
 nexion of the words with those that go before, is 
 much more natural. There is, besides, a tautology 
 in Veneraa's interpretation which is by no means ele- 
 gant. The words in Exod. xxxiii. 3, to which he re- 
 fers, do not necessarily signify subito, suddenly ; 
 they may be rendered with more propriety, in itinere, 
 by the way, Eichhorn understands the word *^1*1 
 
 as equivalent to vita, life, which the Hebrews con- 
 templated as being via ad metam,^ — the way to a goal, 
 — namely, to death : and prefixing the preposition 
 "2. beth, he would render the clause " Ye shall perish 
 in the middle way, before arriving at your proposed 
 end." The expression is, however, without doubt 
 more correctly explained by Aben Esra ;— peribitis 
 respectu viae ; quod viam, '' Ye shall perish in regard 
 to the way." This, as explained by Solomon Ben 
 Melech, means, " ye shall perish," as if it should be 
 said, " in regard to the way ; for your way shall per- 
 ish. The verb IHK, is intransitive in its sense. An 
 
 — T 
 
 example of the same form of speech is found in Isaiah 
 i. 30, where it is said, " Ye shall be as an oak," 
 
 T\)y n Sub' — " withering (in regard to) its leaves." 
 
 The substance of the oak does not wither, but the leaves 
 only. Another example is adduced, by Kimchi, from 
 Jer. xli. 5. where certain persons are mentioned ^V"^p, 
 
 Q^'^^X literally, torn in their garments, — that is, 
 
 torn in regard to their garments. The persons 
 
120 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 themselves are said to be torn, though the verb ap- 
 plies only to their clothes. Schroeder and Slorr bring 
 forward many other examples of the same nature. 
 The last named expositor explains correctly the pas- 
 sage before us : " lest ye perish," quod ad viam, i. e. 
 ne pereat via vesfra, " in regard to the way : that is, 
 lest t/ow way perish : lest ye be utterly ruined in 
 regard to your circumstances ; in contrast with what 
 is said, i<^v. xii. 1, where the word *n")'n is also 
 
 used, '• why doth the way of the wicked prosper ?" — 
 For farther illustration, we refer to our remarks on 
 Psalm i. 1.2« 
 
 The words iSJ^ "dVP^ 1>^l'-»3, uU paululum 
 
 tantum ejus indignatio exarserit^ — when his indigna- 
 tion is but a little ki?idied, are connected with those 
 that go before, " lest ye be ruined in regard to your 
 circumstances ;" and indicate the prompt effect of his 
 anger, which, if but a little excited, would consume 
 all his enemies. The word tOV^tODj l^as sometimes 
 
 a reference to quantity ; as in Isaiah ix. 1, " When he 
 a little afflicted the land of Zebulon ;'' and Prov. x. 
 
 ^ The following is the note referred to ; — " Neque in via 
 peccatorum consistit," i. e. earn persequitur, qui enim viae ali- 
 cui insistat, is et calcat earn, et ea incedit et ambulat. "n*!*!' 
 
 via, apud Hebraeos saepe usurpari pro instituto, et ratione 
 Vivendi, satis notum est. Vid. Exod. xviii, 20. Isa. Iv. 7- Job 
 xvii. 9. Nor stmideth in the way of scorners, that is, follows 
 in it ; for he who stands in the way of another is the person 
 who proceeds in it, — walks in it. That the Hebrew word sig- 
 nifying way, is often used for a course or manner of living, is 
 well known. See Exod. &c. &c. 
 
ON PSALM II. 12 1 
 
 20, " The heart of the wicked is little worth." I 
 prefer, however, with Jarchi, to refer it here to ^me, 
 momento exiguo, subito, in a mnment, suddenly, his an- 
 ger shall be kindled against you ; understanding the 
 clause as absolute, — unconnected with the clause pre- 
 ceding. The word *iyil is understood by the 
 
 greater number of interpreters, intransitively, as if it 
 signified being on fire. Aben Esra thinks its sense, 
 in this passage, is that of a verb transitive, as in Ps. 
 Ixxxiii. 15, " As fire consumes the wood :" the com- 
 parison, however, is imperfect ; — the subject of fire is 
 consumed; anger has an object of which the injury 
 or destruction is contemplated. 
 
 The concluding words *i^ ^DlH'^D ^"ICt^N^ are 
 
 subjoined in the form of an exclamation. An anti- 
 thesis, though not expressed, is implied ; — as all who 
 oppose themselves to God may expect wrath and 
 punishment ; so, on the other hand, all who obey him 
 shall find protection and safety. The primary mean- 
 ing of HDn. seems to be, to get under the folds or 
 
 T I 
 
 lappets of the garment of a person in power. The 
 cognate word, in the Arabic, signifies, primarily, the 
 extreme parts of a garment ; secondarily, the protec- 
 tion of a dependent', because a protecting patron ex- 
 tended his garment to his clients ; and took into his 
 protection those who came under it. Of this Abulfeda 
 gives an example ; he relates that Mohammed, re- 
 cognising, among a number of captives, a foster-sis- 
 ter, protected her from all injury by casting his cloak 
 over her. Abd-El-Malec tells that the poet Abdal- 
 lah sought the favour of Kalifa j and, on the robe be- 
 
122 ANNOTATIONS, &C. 
 
 ing thrown over him he thus expressed himself, " I 
 have at length found forgiveness, and will never 
 henceforth transgress as before." The Arabic histo- 
 rians use the phrase of being taken under the gar- 
 ment as equivalent to being taken under protection. 
 Jchmed speaks of certain persons who were the cloke^ 
 that is, the defenders, of Islamism. ^DIHj with the 
 preposition ^ heth, following, is put in the form of 
 regimen. This is often done in other places, when 
 it is designed, by means of the construction, to con- 
 nect a noun closely with another that follows it. 
 Thus Psalm Ixxxiv. 7. p'Oy^. ^"I^j^j those passing 
 
 through the valley ; Isaiah xxxiii. 6. nVll DDSn, 
 
 wisdom and hnowledge. In this last example the first 
 noun is put in the form of regimen, although the par- 
 ticle 1 vau intervenes between it and the second. 
 Many other instances will be found by consulting 
 Schroeder*s Institutes on the Syntax of Nouns; 
 Storr^s Observations, and Gessenius's Lectures. 
 
PSALM XVL 
 
 THE SUBJECT. 
 
 In this Psalm, the poet, placed in circumstances of 
 extreme difficulty, and in danger of his life, addresses 
 to Jehovah fervent prayers for preservation and de- 
 liverance from the dangers with which he vvas threat- 
 ened. Along with his petitions he expresses the con- 
 solation he felt from having placed his confidence in 
 Jehovah ; whom he professes he worshipped as the 
 only true God ; whom, and whose service, he esteem- 
 ed his chief good. He professes, at the same time, 
 his utter abhorrence of the worship offered to false 
 gods ; and congratulates himself that Jehovah is the 
 benefactor, the portion of his people. He confidently 
 hopes to be heard and delivered. Animated by this 
 hope, and, as if he were already freed from all his 
 dangers, he celebrates^ with joy of heart, the divine 
 benignity displayed in conferring upon him the pro- 
 longed enjoyment of a happy life. In the songs of 
 this writer, this train of thoughts and feelings may 
 frequently be discovered. 
 
 The inscription assigns this song to David, and we 
 find nothing to prevent us from giving our assent. 
 With regard to the time at which it was written, and 
 the purpose intended to be served by it, we are likely 
 to come to the safest conclusion by attending tosimi- 
 
124 
 
 ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 lar Psalms, the time of which is pointed out by more 
 certain marks. Of this description of Psalms, we 
 find three, the Ivi. Ivii. and lix., the inscriptions of 
 which, — confirmed by internal evidence, — refer them 
 to the period of David's exile, when he fled, to es- 
 cape from the machinations of Saul.^ With these 
 Psalms, the Psalm before us harmonises so much in 
 style, sentiment, nnd feeling, that we have no hesita- 
 tion in referring it to the same period. But as Da- 
 vid, in avoiding the snares that Saul laid for him, 
 spent a considerable time moving, as an outcast, from 
 place to place, it may be asked, in what place, parti- 
 cularly, was this Psalm composed ? In the opinion of 
 Knappe^ with which, upon the whole, Hezel concurs, 
 this Psalm was composed by David while he abode 
 at Ziklag, the town assigned him by Achish, king of 
 the Philistines, as a place of accommodation for him- 
 self and his followers.^ Here the Philistines, — as 
 they suppose, — having no confidence in him while he 
 continued to worship the God of his fathers, endea- 
 voured to allure him to the worship of their deities ; 
 which was the reason why he affirms, with so much 
 seriousness, that he abhorred the worship of false gods, 
 and would serve only Jehovah, from whom he had 
 received so many benefits. But of this, — we have to 
 remark,-^we find no corroboration in the historical 
 account. David was in safety in regard to the king 
 
 ^ All these Psalms are entitled, as the Psalm before us, 
 L3/n<J^' for the signification of which, see General Intro- 
 
 T 
 
 duction, sub voce. 
 
 iiee 1 Sam, xxviii. xxix. 
 
THE SUBJECT. 
 
 125 
 
 of the Philistines : he could have no apprehensions 
 of danger from the people ; and neither Saul, nor any 
 of his adherents dared to give him annoyance. I am, 
 therefore, inclined to think that this Psalm was com- 
 posed at the same time as the Ivi. — when David, be- 
 ing certainly informed by Jonathan of Saul's implaca- 
 ble enmity, fled, for the first time, to the king of the 
 Philistines/ Being recognised by the servants of 
 Achish, he was denounced by them as a bitter ene- 
 my to their country. On this account he was afraid 
 of the king ; and, indeed, though he feigned de- 
 rangement of mind, yet he escaped with difficulty. 
 For his deliverance, on that occasion, he gave thanks 
 to Jehovah, Psalm xxxiv ; it is probable that the 
 Psalm under consideration was composed not long 
 before. 
 
 In the four last verses of this song, the Apostles 
 Peter* and Paul^ believed that David gave a repre- 
 sentation of the resurrection from the dead, of Jesus 
 the Messiah. Their authority so far prevailed for a 
 long time, as to lead the greater number of Christian 
 interpreters to view the whole Psalm as spoken by 
 the Messiah. He, they thought, declared, first his 
 
 3 See I Sam. xxi. 11— J C. 
 
 * See Acts ii. 25, seqq 
 
 * Acts xiii. 34, seqq. Not a few theologians of our age, 
 among whom Eckermann may be named, in particular, hold 
 that the Apostles applied this passage to Jesus, by way of ac- 
 commodalion, turning aside from its true and proper meaning, 
 what the author says of David. The Apostles, on the contrary, 
 were most firmly persuaded that the passage related to Jes^us 
 truly and solely : this is evident from the arguments they use 
 to shew that it could not pos:ibIy be understood as relating to 
 Tavid. 
 
126 ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 confidence, notwithstanding tiie afflictions that en- 
 compassed him, in the divine benignity: then, (verses 
 4 and 5,) professed himself a priest of Jehovah : and 
 in fine, expressed his assurance that God would re- 
 call him from the state of the dead, and would not 
 permit his body to become subject to corruption. 
 " This interpretation," as Rupert very justly remarks, 
 " is not only abhorrent from the genius and nature 
 of poetical, — and especially of Hebrew poetical com- 
 position^ — but does not correspond to the idea of the 
 Messiah, which the Jews, in every period of their his- 
 tory, entertained. The Messiah whom they looked 
 for, was a hero ; a victorious and all-powerful king ; 
 not a priest, nor a man contending with adverse 
 fortune, and suffering under multiplied calamities."^ 
 
 Much less are those interpreters to be approved 
 of, who explain this Psalm, and many other Psalms 
 also, as if in their literal, plain, and historical meaning 
 they referred to David ; while, in a mystical, allego- 
 
 ^ Maimondesj in a Dissertation, written in Arabic, and in 
 
 a Commentary prefixed to the Talmudic Tract p^H pID) 
 in which he treats of the fundamental points of the Jewish 
 religion, makes it plain that the Jews never looked for the 
 resnrrection of the Messiah. We render his words: — " Mo- 
 rietur autem IMessias^ regnabuntque post ilium filius et ne- 
 potes. I\Ioriturum enim ipsum indicat Deus [vaticinio lesaiae 
 xlii. 4.] Non caligabit, nee frangetur, donee ponat in terra 
 judicium," &c. 
 
 Bat the .^lessiah shall die, and his son and grand-children 
 shall reign after him. That he shall die himself, God informs 
 us by the prophet Isaiah, chap. xlii. 4 : "He shall not be 
 darkened, nor broken, till he have set judgment in the earth." 
 
THE SUBJECT. 127 
 
 rical, and more sublime sense, they are to be under- 
 stood as referring to Christ. According to this 
 principle of interpretation, we must believe that one 
 and the same piece of writing may have different 
 significations; — may treat, at the same time, of events 
 occurring in ages far separated, and possessing alto- 
 gether different characters. This principle is so 
 completely opposed to the precepts of right interpre- 
 tation, that were any one to apply it in explaining 
 the writings of a Greek or Roman author, he would 
 incur the universal reprobation of intelligent men. 
 It is impossible to conceive of any good reason for 
 admitting, in the interpretation of the sacred volume, 
 a principle which would be inadmissible in the inter- 
 pretation of all other writings.^ 
 
 7 Michaelis has bestOAved much labour on the explanation of 
 this Psalm, in a book entitled, " Critisches Collegium liber 
 die drey wichtigsten Psalmen von Christo, den 16ten, 40sten, 
 and llOten." A collection of Criticisms upon the three most 
 important Psalms relating to Christ, the 16th, the 40th, and 
 the 110th. Hufnagel^ in Dessertat. super Psalmoxvi. Kui- 
 noel in Vaticiniorum Messianorum versione et interpretatione 
 vernacula. Rupert, in Psalmo xvi. varietate lectionis et per- 
 petua annotat. illustrator 
 
ANNOTATIONS ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 1. "in 'n^Dn-^3 h^ ^^no^ " custodi me, 
 
 I • • • T • : » 
 
 Deus, nam confugi ad Te." '' Preserve me, O God, 
 for I have betaken myself to Thee." The word 7{«^ is 
 
 used here signijicanflt/ : it means a strong^ or power- 
 ful person. The sense given to the clause by Aben 
 Esra, is, " Tuere me, quia tu Jehovah es cui facultas 
 est, salutem mihi praestandi ;" — "Preserve me, thou, 
 who alone art able to preserve me," because there is 
 nothing which thou canst not do. Aquila, under- 
 standing the word in the same way, renders it /(^x'^^^s. 
 The reason, or ground on which the protection of 
 God is supplicated, is subjoined ; '* because I have 
 betaken myself to thee," — because I depend upon 
 thy protection, — I have placed all my hope in thee. 
 Even a good man would not desert those who had 
 committed themselves to his protecting care. 
 
 2. nin^^ ri'^DJ^ DixisH Jelwvae^ Thou hast 
 
 said to Jehovah. The Hebrew interpreters agree 
 in thinking that the word 't^DIl aninia ?tiea, my soul, 
 
 must be supplied ; which renders the sense the same 
 as if it had been, '^ I have said." This is agreeable to 
 theChaldee rendering, thou hast spoken, thou my souL 
 As this form of speech is altogether different from any 
 to which we are accustomed, many of our modern 
 
 critics would have ^/^'^OK, a reading found in ^eve- 
 
 : — » 
 
 ral manuscripts, and in several printed copies, enu- 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 129 
 
 merated by De Rossi, substituted for /^^?^5< the 
 
 : : — T 
 
 reading of the received text. In support of this 
 opinion, they appeal to the Alexandrine, Vulgate, and 
 Syriac versions, in which the verb is rendered in the 
 first person singular. It is, however, very justly observ- 
 ed by Schnurrer tlmt these arguments are of very little 
 weight as reasons for rejecting the received reading. 
 " With regard to the ancient interpreters," he says, 
 " although they render the words before us dixi do' 
 mino, I have said to the Lord^ yet we cannot from 
 this infer, with certainty, that there existed in their 
 manuscripts a different reading. They seem to have 
 expressed rather the sense, which the received read- 
 ing suggests, than the literal rendering of the words ; 
 which they could not have given without a great de- 
 gree of obscurity. The authority of the copies, be- 
 sides, whether manuscripts or printed, in which the 
 different reading is found, is of very little value in a 
 case of tins kind, because, from an examination of 
 the readings themselves, — their nature, and relation to 
 each other, — we may perceive with some degree of 
 clearness, which of the two is the most ancient, and, 
 therefore, most deserving of our preference. It is a 
 law of criticisui, rarely leading to error, that of two 
 readings, that is to be preferred, to which the origin 
 of the other may most probably be traced. Now, 
 how could it come to pass that ^/r)*n,tDf^ should have 
 
 degenerated into /^*^0^? a reading which must be ad- 
 mitted to be much more harsh and difficult. No 
 good reason can be assigned. Nobody could hesi- 
 tate in regard to a word so easy and perspicuous as 
 
 K 
 
J 30 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the former ; on the contrary, though the latter had 
 not been found written, it would most readily occur to 
 the mind, and, as it were, obtrude itself upon the atten- 
 tion of a transcriber. From this it follows, that the 
 harsher and more unusual reading is to be preferred, 
 of which, however, unless we are much deceived, a 
 very similar example is to be found. Psalm cxxxvii. 
 5, *' If I forget thee O Jerusalem," ^j*^' DDy^^n 
 
 obliv? scatii?^ animdi mea dextrae meoe. — let my soul be 
 forgetful of my right hand. It was customary with 
 the Hebrews, by the feminine noun t^QJ to designate 
 
 both the person of others, and that of him who used it. 
 Psalm xlii. 6 ; xliii. 5. " Why art thou troubled, my 
 soul, why art thou confused within me, Lament iii. 
 24, " God is my portion, 'saith my soul." The 
 same form of expression is common among the Ara- 
 bians. When they would express the highest degree 
 of affection for any one, they say, egoredemtio tua sum, 
 that is, thou art dearer to me than life ; but they saj' 
 also, and with the same meaning, redemtio tua anima 
 wea, sive redimat te anima mea, my soul is thy re- 
 demption, or let my soul redeem thee,^ Why then, 
 one communing with himself, might not omit Ji^£)3 
 a word perfectly well known, and use that only to 
 which it must be supplied, I really cannot perceive. 
 Ahulfeda quotes a verse of an ancient poet, which 
 affords an instance of this omission ; dico quoties pa- 
 vidatrepidat : acquiesce/ celebraberis {obfortitudinemy 
 
 8 Vide Schnltensium ad Haririi Consess., atque ad excerpta 
 ex Hamasa. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 131 
 
 aut requiesces {si moriendum fuent !) "I say, how 
 often does it fearing tremble : be contented ! thou 
 shalt be celebrated for courage, or thou shalt rest if 
 death come." Here, as in the Psalm under our no- 
 tice, the feminine terms are expressed, but the word 
 corresponding to t^.^D^, with which they agree in 
 
 construction, is left out. This word the scholiast 
 Merzuk tells us expressly, must be supplied. The 
 conjecture of Pauliis in regard to the words, is 
 therefore, uncalled for. He supposes they should 
 
 be read Hin^b' D^tDi^ verba ad Jehovam, words to 
 Jehovah ; and should stand by themselves, as being 
 the title, or explanation of the clause preceding. Still 
 less satisfactory is the opinion of Rupert, who would 
 have the words divided differently, and read thus *^D^^ 
 
 T\yr\*' 7n dwam h. c. celebrabo benign'itatem Jc- 
 
 T T 
 
 hovae, I will declare, (celebrate) the kindness of Je- 
 hovah. The word S/?) or ^/T^, and in regimen 7n 
 
 corresponds, as he imagines, to the Arabic term sig- 
 miy'mg fascinus^ philtricm, blanditia, gratia^ comitas, 
 henignitas. 
 
 nnX '^y^'^ Domlnus meus tu est! Thou art my 
 
 lord. Instead of *il^^, Michaelis directs us to read 
 ^iHKi domimts meus^ which concurs with the Arabic 
 
 gnd Syriac translations. The word, according to 
 the ordinary punctuation, is equivalent to nlH^ ; 
 
 and the two parts of the clause, he thinks, become 
 identical, dico Jehovae^ ta es Jc'iova. Schnurrery how- 
 
132 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ever, very justly remarks, " that they are not identi- 
 cal, for the meaning is, ' Jehovah te Jehovam, h. c. 
 Deum dico :' — ' I confess thee, O Jehovah, to be the 
 God whom I worship.' In this manner several of 
 the ancient interpreters rightly expressed the sense." 
 
 In rendering the clause ^^^^"Sll ^r!!2lD? transla- 
 
 tors have expressed two somewhat different senses ; ac- 
 cording as they understood *n^lD> to have an active^ 
 
 or a passive signification. If taken actively, it means 
 the good done, or proceeding from the speaker ; and 
 was thus understood by the Alexandrine translators, 
 who render the clause, rojv ayaSwv [JjOu ou ^fs/av S/^^'s. 
 This is followed by theVulgate, quoniam bonorum me- 
 orum non eges. Among the Hebrews, Joseph Kimchi, 
 as noticed by his son, gives the following sense, Bonum 
 quod facio, minime ad teperiinet. " My good deeds 
 are not of that nature, that thou canst derive any 
 advantage or emolument from them ;" or, that I, by 
 means of them, can merit thy favour. This meaning, 
 in this place, does not appear to he at all appropri- 
 ate. 
 
 The greater number of interpreters, accordingly, 
 understand the term passively, de bono, quo poeta 
 afficitur; of the good of which the poet was the re- 
 cipient. But neither are they at one in their judg- 
 ment. (1.) The particle ^y, not unfrequently in- 
 dicates debitionem, obligation, Ezra x. 12, " As thou 
 hast said, so must we do :" Prov. vii. 14, " Sacrificia 
 eucharistica mihi incumbunt ;" " / must present my 
 eucharistic sacrifices." Jarchi thus explains the words, 
 
ON PSALM XVI. ' 133 
 
 " bonoy quae mihi impertis^ non teneris mihi conferred 
 nee efiim meritis vicem reddis : " The good gifts 
 which thou bestowest upon me, thou art not bound 
 to bestow ; nor dost thou render them on account of 
 m\' merits." The explanation given by Kimchi, is 
 nearly to the same effect : " The good which thou 
 conferrest upon me, thou art not obliged to confer, 
 as a matter of debt, but thy clemency disposes thee 
 to become my benefactor." Aquila most probably 
 understood the words in the same manner, aya- 
 ^wtrii/Tj IJ.O-J oh iJ.Yi i'TTi Gs ; bonitas mea, " the good that I 
 enjoy," — non est super te, — " is not above thee, — thou 
 art not bound to bestow on me." (2.) Geier, under- 
 standing Sy as equivalent to super, renders the 
 
 words, bonum meum non est supra te ; that is, all my 
 felicity is placed in thee alone, — I prefer nothing to 
 thee, — I esteem nothing above thee. (3.) Symmachus 
 expresses the sense better, and is followed by Jerome 
 bonum mihi non est sine te, — " good is not to me with- 
 out thee." This, we may remark, agrees with the 
 sense of the Chaldee, — ^' my good is not bestowed, 
 except by thee." There is no reason to suppose, with 
 Michaelis and others, that these interpreters had any 
 different reading from ours : they understood the 
 
 particle 7J/ in the sense of praeter ; besides, except, 
 
 a meaning sufficiently common. Schnurrer renders 
 the words felicitas mea nihil quidquam estpraeter te, 
 " nothing, whatever, is my happiness except thee." 
 Cocceius, in his Lexicon, calls the particle here a word 
 of accession, and connexion, the use of which may be 
 
134 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 apprehended from the following passages, Gen. xxxii. 
 12. Exod. XXXV. 22. Judg. xii. 1; xv. 8. Ezek. xvi. 
 tJ7. Amos iii. 15. A man, we may suppose, might 
 be found, who, instead of serving Jehovah, worship- 
 ped some false God,— Baal, it might be,— whom he 
 esteemed his protector and benefactor. Of such a 
 man it might be said in good Hebrew, inHID. 
 
 'n^r\^ 7y /V^'n^ " that his felicity proceeded from 
 Baal." On the other hand, if a man worshipped Je- 
 hovah only, looking up to him as the true, the sole 
 source and author of his happiness, it might justly 
 be said of that man, as in the words of the Psalm, 
 that he had no happiness, but from Jehovah. The 
 Syriac gives the same sense, et lonvm menm a te 
 est. 
 
 3. The succeeding clause, *p)K3"'^i^K D^^lpS 
 f^^n is connected by various interpreters with the 
 
 preceding verse, and in several different ways. (1.) 
 Some understand it connected with 7^1^^. — I have 
 
 : : — » 
 
 said: in which connexion, the following explanation 
 is given by Kimchi, " After thou hast bowed thy- 
 self before God, and hast said to him, thou art the 
 Lord ; bow thyself also before the saints, and say, — 
 all my desire is summed up in this, that I may adhere 
 to these, and follow their example. Similar to this 
 is the precept of our teachers : Worship Jehovah 
 thy God, that the disciples of the wise may be hon- 
 oured.''^ This sense, though not unsuitable to what 
 
 ' Postquani coram Deo te submiseris eique dixeris : tu es 
 Dominus, etiam coram saactis te submitte, et die ; omne stu- 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 135 
 
 follows, yet does not seem to be that which the poet 
 designed to express. Had he designed to connect 
 the clause, with the word rendered, / have said^ 
 the copulate ") vau would no doubt have been pre- 
 fixed. (2.) According to another opinion^ the words 
 before us have a reference to ^H^IlO ^^ the verse 
 
 going before : and as this term, — as we have already 
 seen, — is by some understood in an active^ and by 
 others in a passive sense, a new diversity of inter- 
 pretation necessarily arises. Joseph Kimchi, taking 
 the term in the active sense, for the good which might 
 be done by the poet, explains the clause and its con- 
 nection, as follows : " What is it that I can possibly 
 do, which can be of advantage to thee? Thou art in- 
 finitely exalted ; thou canst derive no good from my 
 good deeds. But, since thou art Jehovah, and I owe 
 all I have to thee, all my love shall be towards the 
 saints : all my delight shall be in those, who living 
 with me upon the earth, are men distinguished by 
 their piety, and esteemed for their virtues. They 
 may be benefited by my beneficence ; I shall studi- 
 ously endeavour to do them good." — Jarchu who un- 
 derstands ^ri^itO i" the passive sense, as the good 
 
 received by the poet, gives the following explication : 
 " The good things which thou bestowest upon me, 
 thou art under no obligation to bestow ; but thou con- 
 ferrest them for the sake of the saints, who lie buried 
 
 dium meum collocatum est ineo, ut his adhaeream, exemplum- 
 qne eorum sequar. Cui simile illud magistrorum nostrorum : 
 Jovam Deum tuum cole, ut honorentur discipuli sapientum. — 
 Kimchi Latin Trans, 
 
J 36 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in the earth, but who walked uprightly before thee." 
 (3.) Teller first proposed to connect the clause, with 
 the concluding words of the former verse : Nihil 
 supra te opiimatibus qui in terra sunt. 
 
 This verse has been considered as expressing a se- 
 parate unconnected sentiment, and in this view, has 
 been variously explained. To the greater part of 
 recent interpreters, it appears, — as we have it both 
 in manuscript, and printed copies, — incapable of sa- 
 tisfactory explanation. As it stands, they can elicit 
 no good sense from it : they think, therefore, that 
 the text requires to be amended by the aid of the 
 ancient versions. A great number of emendations 
 have been proposed. Not a few interpreters take the 
 Alexandrine version for their guide. In it the words 
 are rendered : To/j ayloig roTg h rri yri auroD, l^au/xctc- 
 rojcrg 5rai/rc4 ra ^gX^jM-arcc ahrox) h avToTg. This is fol- 
 lowed by the Vulgate : Sanctis, qui sunt in terra ejus, 
 miri/icavit omnes voluntates meas in iis.^° The read- 
 ing of the Hebrew text in the manuscript of the Se- 
 venty, is also a matter of dispute. Ferratid, thinks 
 " that for ^nt^l they must have had 1^1 i^l- 
 Augustine reads mirijicavi, instead of miri/icavit. 
 Eusebius and Theodotion read ejus, instead of meas. 
 Both readings are vitiated." According to Ferrand's 
 opinion, therefore, for '^sXvjdccTa auTou in the Alex- 
 andrine version, ^iX^u^ara ^ou should be put, for the 
 restoration of the original reading. This reading is 
 exhibited by Montfaucon and Le Clerc ; but it does 
 
 ^* The rendering of the Vulgate differs from the Greek in 
 one word. Instead of volunlates meas, the Greek requires vo- 
 luntates ejus.— Tr. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 137 
 
 not appear whether it proceeded from an error, or 
 from the authority of manuscripts. Michaelis is of 
 opinion, that the Seventy divided the words other- 
 wise than we do ; and understood them to mean : 
 in Sanctis suis, qui sunt in terra ejus Sepulti, miracu' 
 la edit eos resuscitaturus, nam maxime illis delectatur. 
 — " In his saints^ who are buried in his earth, he shew- 
 eth forth miracles^ being about to raise them up again, 
 for he very greatly delights in themj' This rendering 
 and explication, he thinks, is to be preferred to every 
 other. 
 
 To this opinion, however, Schnurrer brings for- 
 ward several weighty objections. (1.) It can scarcely 
 be thought, that the author of the Psalm, in one and 
 the same place, would have used (as Michaelis sup- 
 poses,) two words ni'lKIl and "inKHD* both of 
 
 them in peculiar and unusual forms. That they have 
 more force or elegance in those, than in the general 
 and regular forms, is merely an imaginary dream. 
 Nor does the word V^DH appear to have much more 
 probability : for Vfjri) in the sense of good will, de- 
 light, is nowhere found in the plural number; and 
 ought, therefore, to be retained in the singular form, 
 according to the established usage of the language. 
 (2.) Besides, the word *l^*T^n cannot with propriety 
 be conjoined with the prefix 7 lamed ; as may be 
 seen at once from another passage, Isaiah xlii. 21. 
 (3.) There is reason to think that the sense so con- 
 fidently assigned to the words VIKH CZi^C^lpS) is 
 altogether arbitrary, and is borrowed from a mode of 
 speaking common among ourselves. It is true in- 
 
138 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 deed, that it may be said of the dead, agreeably to 
 tlie Hebrew idiom, that they are, as in Job x. 21, 
 In the land of darkness ; Ezek. xxxi. 18, and xxxii. 
 18, In the nether pirts of the earth ; Psalm Ixiii. 10, 
 In the lower parts of the earth : but to say of them, 
 that they are in the earth ; or, as proposed in this 
 passage ; in the earth of Jehovah^ would be to use a 
 form of expression, which I think cannot be proved to 
 have been used by the Hebrews in any one instance. 
 (4.) In fine, it is a material objection that the pro- 
 posed sense seems to have in itself, little to recom- 
 mend it. Are we to understand that the saints, — 
 that holy men only, shall be restored to life by God, 
 and not also, all the wicked and profane. I cannot 
 help thinking, if the blessedness of the saints had 
 been spoken of, that nothing would have been brought 
 forward common to them and to all other men ; but 
 that mention would have been made of blessings pe- 
 culiar to the saints ; — of blessings, in which persons 
 who could not be called saints, could not possibly 
 have any share. 
 
 The Hebrew text from which the Septuagint trans- 
 lation was made, must, — according to Koehler, — have 
 afforded the following sense : In Sanctis, qui in terra 
 ipsius sunt, miracula edit Jova, omnis ejus ohlectatio 
 in its est. That the word nlH^ was then in the ori- 
 
 T 
 
 ginal, is established, he thinks, not only by the au- 
 thority of the Aldine and Complutensian editions, 
 and of Theodoret ; but also by that of two Parisian 
 manuscripts mentioned by Stark ; to which may be 
 added, that of a manuscript copy of the Septuagint 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 139 
 
 version of the Psalms in the possession of Schmirrer. 
 In all these, after the word sSay^aatf-coo's, is added 
 6 x'j^/05. Hubigant, as Sehnurrer observes, defends the 
 reading nin*; but he thinks Michaelis, with more 
 
 justice, considers it a gloss, or additament. The au- 
 thor of the Arabic version, who translated from the 
 Septuagint, does not appear to have had the word 
 x-o^iog in the copy used by him. 
 
 The words of this clause are arranged by Koppey 
 so as to give the following sense : In Sanctis, qui in 
 terra ipsius sepulti jacent quam magnijicum se exhi- 
 bet ! In the saints who lie buried in the earth, how 
 glorious does he show himself! recalling them from 
 death to life, and introducing them into the dwellings 
 of the blessed : nam maxime illis delectatur, — for he 
 ver}^ greatly delights in them. But if the poet had 
 wished to say, that " Jehovah shewed himself glori- 
 ous in the saints," he would have written 'H'^S'^rin 
 
 HD^^npn* And, as we have already remarked, 
 
 the noun r*£}n> i'^^ the sense o^ good ivill, pleasure, is 
 
 not used in the plural number. The clause is render- 
 ed by Doederlein, — Sancios beatos in terra prcedico ; 
 Us commei'cia habeo^ Us detector. The word n^*^^ ha 
 
 takes for *12i^J^^^ ; and shows from Psalm xli. 3, that 
 
 the form of speech is not without example. He 
 also reads "nn^l instead of ^1^*^X1, referring the 
 
 word to the verb 1^1 commorari, Ps. Ixxxiv. 11. 
 The Messiah, — he understands, — declares that he 
 would sincerely devote himself, with the Jewish 
 
J 40 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 people, to the worsliip of God: that he would 
 be the herald of salvation to his country, and the 
 chosen people ; and would fulfil his duty with 
 the utmost delight. That the word *lti^}^, how- 
 ever, is to be taken for I^KK, no person will easily 
 
 believe. Schnurrcr removes the copulative *) vau 
 from the place where it stands in the received text, and 
 prefixes it to the word following. He renders the 
 clause, et sanctos^ qui in terra sunt, quod attinet, 
 magnijico eos et unice illis detector. By the particle 
 
 7 lamed prefixed to the first word, he understands 
 the use of the nominative in an absolute sense, to be 
 indicated as in Isaiah xxxii. 1 ; Eccles. ix 4. The 
 word 1'*^^? he considers as put for the person of 
 
 the future in Hiphil, and gives an example for the 
 same form found in Job xxxii. 11. "In removing," 
 he adds, " the prefixed 1 vau from the word 'l^lj^, 
 we use the authority not only of Aquila and Sym- 
 raachus, but that also of the Alexandrine and Vul- 
 gate translations. In both of these, if the vau had 
 been found in the original text, it is to be thought 
 that the verb would have been rendered in the future 
 rather than in the preterite tense. Although the vau 
 is found in the Syriac, we have seen an Arabic 
 translation of the Psalms^ (Londini, in Museo-Brit- 
 anico insignita num. 5469) made from the Syriac, in 
 which the copulative was removed from the word 
 
 *"^^1{^*, and very properly prefixed to 7^, the word 
 that follows. The proposed reading has certainly 
 this to recommend it, it leaves nothing remaining 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 141 
 
 foreign to the subject of the passage ; the words pro- 
 ceed naturally in their order ; and the sense has a 
 suitable connexion with what immediately follows. 
 
 On the authority of the Alexandrine translation, 
 HensJer for ^^SPf reads "i^^^n) and following Theo- 
 
 dotion, instead of ^*^^^1 he changes the punctua- 
 tion and reads ^1^'^t^l. He then renders the verse 
 
 Sanctis, qui in hac terra versantur^ nil supra te, {quod 
 e commate praecedente subaudit,) et Magnus tile meus 
 vehemenler eis deleciatur. The word "H^'^v*?? ^^ thinks 
 
 is here an appellative of the supreme Deity, as in 
 Psalm xciii. 4. Isa. xxxiii. 21. The pronominal 
 suflix is added, as ^^'ip II ab. i. 12. A sudden 
 
 change of persons in Hebrew poetry occurs frequently. 
 Besides, the sense of the woids, when read and inter- 
 preted in this manner : " Jehovah regards holy men/* 
 persons devoted to him, with the greatest affection, 
 agrees well with what follows in the next verse, " but 
 others who are unmindful of him, heap up sorrows for 
 themselves'' Paulus, in Clavi Psalmorum, reads 
 ^''^^?1 ; and makes it the future of the verb *11J 
 
 • - : — T 
 
 vota facto with *> jod paragogical, or for the suffix ^J. 
 His rendering is, sanctissimo, to God, {plural majest.') 
 qui i?i hac terra, that is, in the land of Palestine 
 r\t^'r\ id quod y>T\ (ut Psalm ix. 21) vel, qui hujus 
 terrae dominus est (]2 pi'o J/7) vota f ado, sive me 
 addlco et devoveo, vehementer illo detector, or " who 
 art Lord of this land, I make vows, or I dedicate 
 and devote myself, I delight in him exceedingly." 
 
142 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 The verse, Rupert apprehends, has been obscured in 
 thick darkness by the ignorance of the Masorites. 
 He proposes to dispel the cloud by various altera- 
 tions of the vowels and accents, i^ and renders it Piis 
 Dei cuhoribus felicitas est in terra ; eos et magni- 
 facioy unice illis delector. The chief changes made 
 by hira are supported by references to passages al- 
 ready noticed, as brought forward by other exposi- 
 tors. To his interpretation it may be objected, in 
 the first place, that the phrase eos etiam magnifacio^ 
 if expressed in Hebrew according to the usage of 
 the language, must have been written D*T'1K HDm 
 
 » "■ -1 T - : 
 
 eosque, quod attinet, magnifacio eos : secondly, Jod 
 paragogic is only used in the future tenses of verbs 
 where He final is omitted.jg 
 
 Upon the whole, there does not appear to be any 
 absolute necessity for altering the text of this passage : 
 the received reading admits of more than one expla- 
 nation. It is remarked by Storr, " that lamed is often 
 prefixed to nouns placed absolute, as in Job vi. 4, 
 
 D^/5 — " quod attinet ad contabescentem.^' This 
 
 T - 
 
 favours the rendering of the words before us, — 
 " quod attinet ad sanctos qui in terra sunt ;" — " In 
 regard to the saints who are in the earth :" — magni 
 scil. sunt : for the particle van, in such forms of speech, 
 joins what goes before to what follows, as in Ps. cxv. 
 
 " pi;?! [-i^K seii.-] '^^^? t2'm\>b 
 
 ^ Vide Schroederi Institt. Ling. Heb. Sect. ix. Reg. clxvii. c 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 143 
 
 7. Prov. xxiii. 24. 1 Sam. xxv. 27, and in many 
 other passages : —quibus unice d elector ; that is, '' The 
 saints, who are in the earth, are great, with whom 
 only I am delighted." Perhaps there may be an allu- 
 sion to the etymology of the word \*^t^, humilitasy 
 
 (con. Eccl. V. 1): the saints, who in the earth, are 
 therefore, in a humble state, yet they are great and 
 exalted ; — they are the objects of my delight. It is 
 no objection to this rendering, that ^IHi^l is placed 
 
 in the state of regimen ; for when the relative pro- 
 noun precedes, — either expressed or understood, — this 
 frequently takes place. See Isaiah xxix. 1." Storr 
 considers the words as spoken by Jehovah. On this 
 account, we hesitate to concur in his opinion ; for 
 the poet alone seems to speak throughout the whole 
 of the Psalm. 
 
 At one time we rendered the passage thus : — 
 '' Sanctos, qui in terra sunt, quod attinet, amplitu- 
 dines, scil. magnitudines omnis meae propensionis in 
 iis. " The adjective 1^^f»^ was understood in a neu- 
 ter sense; so that, in the plural, it signified ampla, 
 magna* In the same way many adjectives are used, 
 such as j;*! evil, for adversity: (Prov. xx. 14,) ;2lD 
 
 good, for felicity; (Job vii. 11.) *inV remaining, 
 
 for the relicks; ")Vn surrounding, for an inclosure. 
 
 The word is used to denote not only what is illus. 
 trious and magnificent, but whatever, also, is ample 
 and abundant ; as when applied to water, Exod. xv. 
 10. But it must be confessed that the whole phrase, 
 
144 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 thus rendered, appears somewhat forced and inele- 
 gant. I am now, therefore, inclined to consider 
 HHt^ in the state of regimen, as standing for 
 
 tD^"^^lJ*?5 of which form Gesenius gives, as exam- 
 ples, nVD^? 2 Kings ix. 17, and r)*!!^ Ps- Ixxiv. 
 
 19 ; or the word '/"nKilj may be understood as sup- 
 plied from the preceding clause of the verse, and the 
 whole rendered: " Sanctos qui in hac terra sunt, 
 quod attinet, et eximios, — praestantes pietate et vir- 
 tutibus hujus terrae, in his omnis mea delectatio.'' 
 The sense and connexion will then be as follows : — 
 <' I venerate Jehovah as the only God, and the only 
 author of my salvation, (ver. 1 ) ; and I will associate, 
 in friendship only with those men, — those only do I 
 esteem and delight in — who worship him, and are 
 distinguished by their excellence ; (ver. 2,) but, on 
 the contrary, I detest the contemners of Jehovah, 
 and will have no intercourse with them. 
 
 4. nn/^ ^T^^ ^r\\y^V inn-l^ From the 
 different senses assigned to the noun DI^'W' Pro- 
 ceed the greater part of the different interpretations 
 given of the whole clause. The word, there is no 
 doubt, signifies troubles, griefs ; but it may also sig- 
 nify idols; and may be written C^^^^^j;, for it is 
 
 no imcommon thing, in the Hebrew tongue, to use 
 the feminine termination ^% and the masculine ^i, 
 in the inflection of the same nouns. Among the 
 ancient interpreters, the. author of the Chaldee ver- 
 sion, and Symmachus, understood the word, in thig 
 passage, to signify idols; and, in this, they have 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 145 
 
 been followed by not a few among the moderns. It 
 may be sufficient to mention Fischer, in particular. 
 In his commentary on this passage, he quotes the 
 version of Symmachus : — iTrXri^hv^nactv ra i'ldojXa aO- 
 Twv, ilg m omffoj s-d^vvav. " Augetur numerus deas- 
 trorum eorum, avertunt se a deo." Symmachus, he) 
 apprehends, translated from a reading, " since hap- 
 pily restored by Mountfacon, from two manuscripts 
 in the Royal Library at Paris;— ^H^j instead of the 
 
 received reading "nHK- This reading, which the 
 
 Chaldee Paraphrase also followed, pleases me more 
 than that of the received text. It is to be understood 
 
 that ^nno niiN is put for iin/tD cnnnN; and 
 
 T T XT •.••■-:- 
 
 that the suffix, per synesin. belongs to DI^'l^V' the 
 
 sense then becomes, augeatur numerus deastrorum 
 barbarorum : sectentur deos cdienos. The word 
 rill-yj^' in other places written D^DW? ^^^^® ^^S" 
 m^es false gods, as both Symmachus and the Chal- 
 dee Paraphrase judiciously translate it. That this 
 is its meaning is sufficiently evident from the use of 
 the term HDODJ ; a word which is significant in re- 
 gard to idol worship^ but which cannot be connected 
 with sorrows, the meaning which Aquila and others 
 give to the term under consideration. Besides, the 
 word Dr)l/!32^5 — f^h^i^ names, cannot be understood 
 Otherwise than as referring to false gods." Giving 
 to the word the meaning of idols, and retaining the 
 refeieived reading of "illK^ in the sense o{ another God, 
 
 3Iichaelis renders the clause, mulfa sunt idola eorum, 
 
 L 
 
146 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 vel (1S*^^) multiplicant idola sua, qui alium Deum 
 festinanter sequuntur ; — '' Their idols are many, or, 
 they multiply their idols, who hastily follow after 
 another god." To this interpretation, Teller, with 
 perfect truth, objects, that first, *nnj^ P«t absolutely, 
 
 nowhere signifies another god, except where Jehovah 
 speaks, and uses it to distinguish another^ in opposition 
 to himself, as inlsa. xlii. 8; xlviii. 11. Then, secondly, 
 *inDj if it signified hastening, would not be a transi- 
 tive verb; and could not, consequently, be construed 
 with a noun in the accusative case. Other terms, 
 and another form of construction would have been 
 employed, as in the similar passage, Deut. vi. 14. 
 
 But to this mode of interpretation — according to 
 which tke word HlllVJ^ is made to signify idolsy — 
 the usage of the language is altogether opposed. 
 When idols are spoken of, D^^Vy is constantly used, 
 
 on the other hand, nl^l'^V everywhere signifies sor- 
 rows. This sense is retained, in this passage, by the 
 ancient interpreters. The Septuagint has a7a.c^yimai 
 avTuv : — the Vulgate irifirmitates eorum : — Aquila, 
 biairor^ijbaTa : — another Greek translator -/.azoTa^siai : 
 — and the Syriac, a term of similar import. Those, 
 however, who consent in this, differ in the interpreta- 
 tion of the other words of the clause. With regard 
 to the word ^^^^ there are many who would have it 
 *^T1^ ; and, following the Septuagint (^sra tuutu), 
 or the Vulgate (postea) would translate it ufterrvards. 
 H^nsler, who besides puts the verb in Hiphil^ 1il1^ 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 147 
 
 gives, as the sense, illi dolorum muUitiidinem sibi 
 par ant, posfea, — aliquando, — accelerant. " They 
 prepare for themselves a multitude of sorrows, after,*' 
 — when — " they make haste."^^ If this had been the 
 meaning of the poet, he would, without doubt, have 
 put the verb in the future tense. Schnurrer, with a 
 different punctuation, reads "inK retrorsum, see Isa. 
 
 r 
 
 i. 4; xlii. 17 ; in which he follows Symmachus g/'grd 
 oiridMy — backwards. Putting, also, the verb in 
 Hiphil, he renders the clause, midtiplicabunt dolores 
 suos, qui retrorsum festinant : — *' They shall multiply 
 their sorrows, who hasten backwards." The persons 
 spoken of, he says, are contrasted with the saints be- 
 fore mentioned, — with those who had wholly conse- 
 crated themselves to the Messiah. 
 
 Of those who retain "jHK) the reading of the re- 
 ceived text, some understand it as signifying another 
 god. Jarchi thus explains it : — " The words are ad- 
 dressed to Jehovah ; their sorrows shall be multi- 
 plied, who denying thee, hasten trembling to the wor- 
 ship of another god^ But, as said before, the word 
 placed absolutely, cannot have this signification. 
 Kimchi understands the word in a collective sense, 
 and as relating to men. The following, in his view 
 of it, is the sense and connexion of the passage ; " I 
 will always associate myself with holy and illustrious 
 persons ; but of those who follow other men, and 
 other institutions than those that are divine, the 
 troubles shall be manifold." According to Storr, the 
 word is to be understood as an adverb, having a fieu- 
 
 ^^ The words of Hensler are " Jene bereiten sich der 
 chmerzea Menge ; eiast eilt sie daher !" 
 
148 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ier signification, alio, aliorsum ; and the clause ren- 
 dered, rnultiplices erunt dolores eorum^ qui aliorsum^ 
 h. e. non ad 5 ehov dim, festinant : '* many shall be the 
 sorrows of those who hasten otherwise, — aside, — not 
 to Jehovah." There is a diflference of opinion, too, 
 among expositors, respecting the word ^IPD* The 
 
 — T 
 
 greater number understand it in the sense of making 
 haste. But since it occurs elsewhere, in this sense, 
 only in the conjugation Piel ; and in Kal, signifies 
 giving a dowry, or marriage portion, Exod. xxii. 15. 
 n^lHD* "inDj dotando dotabit earn sibi in iixorenu 
 
 T V T : . T 
 
 " he shall surely endow her to be his wife," it has 
 been thought to have this meaning in the passage be- 
 fore us. Solomon Melechides says, " The word ^nO 
 
 means to endow, to give a marriage portion ; and the 
 sense of the passage is, many shall be the sorrows of 
 those who pay homage by gifts to another god ; who 
 present to him gifts and offerings" In objecting to 
 this explication, Biicer remarks that neither the verb, 
 nor the noun is at any time used in reference to gifts 
 presented in religious service ; but solely in regard 
 to the dowry or price, which, according to the cus- 
 toms of that nation, a man paid for a spouse. 
 
 Two other senses of the term have been deduced, 
 from a collation of it with its Arabic cognate. One 
 of them is that oi seeking, {quaerendi ^ which is adopt- 
 ed by Paulus, and introduced into his rendering ; 
 multa sibi par ant mala, qui alium feiicitatis suae 
 auctorem quaerunt. But the Arabic term means to 
 penetrate by the acuteness of the understanding ; to 
 percciie any thing mentally ; — it never signifies 
 to seek. This notion is, therefore, altogether unfound- 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 149 
 
 ed. The other sense is brought forward by Rupert, 
 " Plurimum sihi contrahunt malum, qui aliud, con- 
 trarium docent et sentiunt. The root in the Arabic, 
 Aramaic, and Ethiopic languages, signifies primarily 
 to teach, to instruct, from which is derived the sense 
 of understanding, — of perceiving a thing by the a- 
 cuteness of the mind. The word "^^HO? accordingly, 
 
 " • T 
 
 signifies prudent, skilled, learned, as in Psalm xlv. 2. 
 Isa. xxxii. 4. Mai. iii. 5. Ezra vii. 6." But to say no 
 more, it is surely a frigid sentiment, qui docent aliud. 
 *' who teach another thing." That the word was 
 ever used by the Hebrews in the sense of teaching, 
 we have no reason to believe. 
 
 I coincide with S tor r a.s to the word int^> aliuin, 
 scilicet locum, alio, aliorsum verto ; and render the 
 whole clause, multiplices erunt dolores eorum, qui ali- 
 orsum festinant. 
 
 C1^ DH^DD^ '^^DX"^5: Non Ubabo libami?ia 
 
 eorum ex sanguine. The verb TlD^ is a sacrificial 
 
 term, signifying the pouring out of a libation, or 
 drink-oflfering, in honour, either of the true God, as 
 in Num. XV. 5 ; vii. 10 ; xxviii. 7- 2 Sam. xxiii. 16. 
 2 Kings xvi. 13, — or of a false deity, as in Jerem. vii. 
 18 ; xix. 13 ; xxxii. 29 ; xlix. 17 ; to which we may 
 add this passage of the Psalm. These drink-offer- 
 ings are said to be of blood, which is by some, literal^ 
 ly ; by others, figuratively understood. The 
 first sense is followed by Jarchi, who explains the 
 clause, Ego nequaquam, quemadmodum illi faciunt, 
 sanguinem effundam in deastrorum sacrificiis : — '" I 
 will by no means, in the manner they do, pour out 
 
J 50 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 blood in the sacrifices of the false Gods." Accord- 
 ing to Aben-Ezra. we are to understand it of drink- 
 offerings mixed with blood. Among some nations it 
 was usual in certain sacrifices, to offer blood instead 
 of wine ; or blood mixed with wine. It is related of 
 the ancient Latins by Festus, that "Among the an- 
 cients, a certain kind of drink, consisting of wine and 
 blood mixed, was called Assiratum. The ancient 
 Latins called^* blood, Assir. 
 
 We must reckon Michaelis as belonging to this 
 class of interpreters. The words, he thinks, refer to 
 those nefarious plots, in the formation of which, for 
 the purpose of producing the greatest possible reve- 
 rence and dread, it was customary to carry round in 
 cups, human blood mixed with wine. After the 
 pronouncing of an execration, and a horrible oath, all 
 who took part in the conspiracy, drank of the potion, 
 in confirmation of their fidelity. This rite, in 
 sanction of an unholy conjuration, was common in 
 old times, among various nations, as is proved by 
 the testimony of ancient writers.^^ There is in the 
 words, according to the opinion o^ Rupert, an allusion 
 to the human sacrifices which were offered, — to Mo- 
 loch, (Num. xviii, 21 ; xx. 2, 3.), to Saturn and 
 other fabulous deities of the nations. Paidus thinks 
 CH/tO stands for XD"^ D'Tr^'O^ and should be under- 
 
 stood thus : libamina lis offerri 7ion sinam, vetabo 
 
 ^* Assiratum apud antiques dicebatur genus quoddam po- 
 tionis ex vino et sanguine temperatum, quod LatJiii prisci 
 languinem Assir vocarent. — Festus. 
 
 1* Vid. Colleg. Crii. p. 207- Commentar. in Epist. ad He- 
 braeos t>. 18, et in Jure Mos^ para. 70. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 151 
 
 fnngis quam si sanguis esset. — " Drink-offerings to be 
 presented to them I will not allow," — I will prohibit, 
 •' more than if blood should be used." That is, as 
 if the king should say, — I will reprove those who 
 present to them such offerings, more sharply than if 
 they offered the blood of slain men. 
 
 But the words are also, as we remarked, interpret- 
 ^^Jiguratively. They are thus explained by KimcJii : 
 " Far be it from me that I should driuk of their 
 bloody libations, for they consist not of wine, but of 
 rapine. Sacrifices and offerings, with wicked deeds, 
 are of no avail."'^ Solo?non-Ben-Melech directs us 
 to compare the passage with Prov. xxi. 27- *' The 
 sacrifice of the wicked is abomination."^'' The 
 rendering of Schnwrer is nearly the same in effect. 
 By the term translated libamina, or drinh-offtrings, 
 he apprehends we are to understand sacrifices of 
 every description : and, that these sacrifices are styled 
 bloody^ to intimate that they are equally detestable, — 
 as unacceptable to God, as, if instead of wine^ re- 
 quired by the divine law, hlood had been presented 
 to him. From the rendering of the Septuagint,^^ 
 Michaelis, after Age'.lius, suspects that the Alexan- 
 
 ^^ Absit, ut libem llbamina eorum sanguinea, neque enim 
 ex vino constant, sed rapinis. Holocausta vero atque libamina 
 cum malefactis nihil prosunt. — Vers. Lat. 
 
 >• Prov. xxi. 27. niyljl Cy&t^l niT* Impiorum 
 
 sacrificia nefarm sunt. 
 
 ^' oh fih ffwaykyu rut euvxyuyxs ttlruv t^ xtfAarut, quod 
 Vulgatus hoc modo reddidit. Non congregabo conventicula 
 eorum ex sanguinibus. I wiJl not assemble their meetings of 
 blood. 
 
152 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 drine translator had found D^J^H^ in his Hebrew 
 manuscript : Rupert, however, is of opinion that this 
 translation gives the sense of the received reading ; 
 and refers it, as Michaelis had referred it, to an as- 
 sociation formed for a wicked purpose. 
 
 ''HQii^-hv ton'ir^t^'n^^ {<^K-Sni.— These 
 
 it:- I f .• - 
 
 words are rightly explained by Aben-Ezra : *' More- 
 over, I shall be afraid to mention the names of these 
 raen."i9 The suffix does not refer to idols, as those 
 interpreters, who take HIIlW i" ^^^^ sense, suppose ; 
 but to the wicked persons mentioned, whose names 
 the writer \A0uld not even pronounce. '' The poet," 
 as Drusius expresses it, means to say — " I will have 
 no intercourse with them, either civil or religious." 
 He intimates that he would have no intercourse with 
 them of a leligions nature, when he says, / will not 
 offevy S)C. ; and, none of a civil kind, when he says, 
 / will not even mention their names. 
 
 'DID! ^p^n-n:'!: fsT]'- Jova est portio 
 partis meae et pocidum meum : — In the vowel points 
 of the word riDD> there is something anomalous. 
 
 T : 
 
 In the state of regimen, it should have been written 
 n^O, as in Jerem. xiii. 25. 71*'n/!D"r)JC> portio 
 
 mensuraium tuaritm ; whereas, we here find it with 
 Kametz rijD- On this account, several expositors, 
 
 r 
 
 following Kimchi, understand the term absolutely : 
 
 19 SSI CD^>31N Kb CDniTD^ ib'-SNI quin eliam mihi erii 
 religio, eorum horninum nomina proferre. — Aben-Esra. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 153 
 
 Jehovah is a portion, my part, my cup. But why the 
 sufRx added to the two last nouns, should, — in this 
 case_, — have been wanting from the first, cannot be 
 accounted for : the sense, and the arrangement of the 
 words rendered it necessary. Much less can we 
 agree with those, who imagine the peculiarity of the 
 punctuation is intended to supply the place of the 
 pronominal suffix The noun, as it stands, is cer- 
 tainly in regimen, or, as grammarians express it, 
 statu constructo. We find it in this state, with the 
 same vowels. Psalm Ixiii. 11, ^wV^ D'^'O P^f- 
 
 iio vulpinm^ — " the portion of foxes." 2 Chron. xxxi. 
 3, *1^^n r)1i2, portio regis : " the king's portion." 
 
 Michaelis thinks the peculiar punctuation arises from 
 the term being a contraction of nH^^ : But Schroe- 
 
 der more properly considers it as a contraction of 
 DJ^J^' I'he Kametz, therefore, below the letter J 
 
 nun, is what grammarians call impure ; and is re- 
 tained invariably in the state of regimen. Thus we 
 find Ezek. xii. 9. 2ri3 scriptura : Isa. x. 19. "l^t^ 
 
 residuum : Prov. xviii. 16, \r\'0 donum : Dan. i. 18, 
 
 n'i^p^ffis. 
 
 We shall now attend to the metaphor contained in 
 this member of the verse. Several expositors, such 
 as, Driisius, Hensler, and Rupert, suppose it taken 
 from feasts ; and the latter renders the words : Jova 
 est cibus meus : " Jehovah is my food ;" strictly, the 
 portion,— the allowance of provisions ; as pSfl Deut, 
 
154 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 xviii. 8, and H^^ generally throughout the Hebrew 
 
 Scriptures; agreeing with the Arabic cognate, which 
 signifies to dclermine, or assigti by a fixed measure, 
 or number : — et poc?ihim meum : — " and my cup," — 
 that is, my chief good, to whom I refer all the hap- 
 piness enjoyed by me ; who bestows on me most im- 
 portant benefits ; and who protects me from every 
 danger. The good enjoyed by us in the Providence 
 of God, — those benefits, particularly, which he be- 
 stows on his faithful vvorshippers, — are often compar- 
 ed to provisions, — to the materials of a plentiful feast, 
 to M'hich they are kindly and benignantly welcomed. 
 Psalm xxii. 23; xxiii. 5; xci. I ; xv. 1, &c. This 
 figure, taken from the hospitality of oriental nations, 
 would present itself naturally to the mind of the 
 poet ; seeing he had, immediately before, made men- 
 tion of sacrifices, sacred feasts, and libations. — The 
 word>5 are commonly understood as spoken by a 
 priest ; and as referring to the priesthood of the Le- 
 vites. This tribe had no possessions of lands or 
 vineyards. On this account, they were maintained 
 by the sacrifices and the wine which, in the holy fes- 
 tivals, were consecrated to God, Exod. 26. Levit. 
 vii. 33, &c. 
 
 Other expositors understand p/H^ as signifying 
 
 the part or portion, which fell to a person, either by 
 inheritance or by any kind of division : in which sense 
 it occurs in Gen. xxxi. 14. Deut. x. 9, and in many 
 other places. Some of them explain ^'i^Jiffurativelif, 
 as also signifying a portion. Agellius — following 
 Kiinchi — says, 'nhat the Hebrews are thought to 
 
ON PSALxAI XVI. 155 
 
 have used the word cijp in the sense oi Si part ov por- 
 tion. This is true ; but if we attend accurately to 
 the terms, we may perceive a distinction. When 
 treating of anj* thing permanent, such as a possession, 
 or field, they use the word part; but when a whoUy 
 divided numerically, and into a multitude of sepa- 
 rate parts, is spoken of, they designate as his cup^ the 
 portion that an individual obtains as his share." 
 Others, accordingly, refer the word to the root DD3 
 
 to number or compute ; from which the noun DDD» 
 
 Num. xxxi. 28, 37, 40, 41, signifies a. part numbered, 
 a portion. This sense is adapted to the passage be- 
 fore us. Blenahem, — as quoted by Jarchi, — adopt- 
 ing the derivation last mentioned, gives the sense of 
 the term, pars mihi adnumerata, — "niy part accord- 
 ing to number." Aben-Esra approves of this inter- 
 pretation ; and adds, besides, " they who think that 
 there is here a reference to drinking ; and understand 
 the word, as in Psalm xxiii. 5, to signify a cup, are 
 mistaken. Jehovah is called the part and portion of 
 the poet ; — what he had received on a division, and 
 the allotment of a share to different parties. Others, — 
 as if it were said, — had got other gods for them- 
 selves ; as for him, he had, as his portion, the true. 
 God ; whom he acknowledged as his Lord and God ; 
 whom he would obey and worship. The same figure 
 is used, Deut. iv. 19, where it is said, "thou shalt 
 not worship them," namely, the stars, the host of 
 heaven, " which the Lord thy God hath divided," — 
 I^Sn, hath apportioned, — " unto all nations under 
 
 " T 
 
 the whole heaven." This sense, which I prefer tp 
 any other, is in harmony, also, with what follows. 
 
156 A.VNOTATIONS 
 
 ^ /^i-!l "^^Din nilh?5 Tu sustenfas sortem meam : 
 
 " Thou maintainest my lot." With Schultens, seve- 
 ral others, refer the verb to the root '!1^\ which, in 
 
 V\o Arabic, denotes what is ample and large. Tak- 
 ing it in this sense, they render the clause, thou en- 
 largest my lot. Rupert renders it " tu amplificas 
 opes meas :" " thou enlargest my wealth, my posses- 
 sions, — my estate, — thou renderest me happy." See 
 Psalms XXV. 12, 13 ; xxxiv. 1 1; xxxvii. 9 — 11 ; xli. 3, 
 and other places in which God is said to enrich pious 
 men. But since the word *Vt2*i is found no where 
 
 else in the Hebrew Scriptures, many interpreters re- 
 fer the verb here to "^.^D» of which it would be the 
 
 participle, standing for T^^^iH? or '^\^i/n' as in 
 
 Amos i. 5, 8. In the same manner Pl*p*|» is written 
 
 for P]D'i^ addens^ in Isa. xxix. 14; xxxviii. 5 ; and 
 
 promiscuously, }i^VlO» (Psalm, cxxxv. 7.) edncens, and 
 
 N^VV!3» (Psalm Ixviii. 7. Jer. xv. )9.) The vowels 
 
 zere and lo7ig chirek, from the affinity of sound, are 
 often substituted for each other, as Schroeder in his 
 Institutes, sufficiently demonstrates. As, however, 
 the word *V2r\ signifies both to lay hold upon, and 
 
 to sustain, both these senses require consideration. 
 Those who adopt the sense of sustaining, supporting, 
 as in Gen.xlviii. 17, m?^""!* "^IDnn and he held 
 
 up the hand of his father, render the words : tu 
 sustines sortem meam; that is, thou protectest, — 
 defendestj — the portion which hath, by lot, come to 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 157 
 
 me ; — all the good things I am possessed of, and the 
 preservation of them, I owe to thee. In this sense 
 they were interpreted, among the ancients, by the 
 Chaldee Translator ;2° and, among the moderns, by 
 Drvsius, Geier, and Doederlein. They understand 
 a portion to be what a person receives by lot, as in 
 Judg. i. 3. Ps. cxxv. 3. Jerem. xiii. 25. Others 
 assign to the verb the sense of apprehending, laying 
 hold upon. Thus the clause is rendered in the Sep- 
 tuagint : ah si 6 d-oxa^iffruv 7r,v <7iX7ioovofjuiav //,o\j sfJLot ; 
 which in the Vulgate, is literally rendered, tu es, 
 que restituis hereditateni meam mihi. This render- 
 ing is generally understood wrong. Agellius first 
 explained it properly, " tu es restituens" that is, ele- 
 vating, lifting up, bringing forth my lot. The same 
 translators are accustomed to use the simple verb 
 /Vrav, in the sense of weighing, weighing out. The 
 meaning is therefore, this: — <' Thou art he who 
 restorest, — who, according to thy judgment, renderest 
 and assignest to me a fit and suitable portion; as 
 the portion that hath come to me ; thou art my 
 God whom I worship and obey ; thou art my por- 
 tion, and by thee it is appointed. In these words 
 he indicates that his chief happiness consisted in 
 having this God for his tutelar deity." In the same 
 manner, the Syriac version is to be explained. Kimchiy 
 also, seems to refer to it.^^ The words, he says, agree 
 
 0*!y "miD/^ r\1^ tu sustentas sortem meam. 
 
 '' imN yy^'VO nn^S Nin Qui vemt, ul .nun. 
 delur, adjuvant eum, sive ai'juvatur, suLaudi D^Oti^n ]0 
 coeliius. 
 
1 58 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 with the common saying, " He who comes, that he 
 may be purified, is helped of heaven;'' that is, he 
 who aspires to what is good, is always attended by the 
 divine favour. The sense, therefore, is, that God 
 had done good to David in choosing this portion for 
 him : — it is owing to thy kindness that thou art be- 
 come my protecting God. It is, then, altogether 
 without necessity that Michaelis thinks the word 
 should be read ^^^l/H ^^V Thummim; and renders 
 
 the clause : " Urim and thy Thummim, — the priestly 
 ornaments are my portion or inheritance ; that is, I 
 have obtained the sacerdotal office ; or, I am con- 
 tented to perform the duties of a priest. This mean- 
 ing is quite unsuitable to the circumstances of David. 
 
 6. D^tD*y3S ^y^SSj tZ3^S:in Fanes ceciderunt 
 
 mihi in amoenis, subaudi locis. Aben-Esra says, 
 " the last word of the clause is an adjective, as in 
 2 Sam i. 23, to which the noun sigmfy'mg places, is 
 to be supplied. He also remarks properly, that the 
 sense is somewhat figurative. The lines here are to 
 be understood as signifying portions, Ezek. xlvii. 13, 
 Josepho duo fanes, " to Joseph two lines, that is, 
 two portions." Solomon-Ben-Melech accounts for 
 the figure, thus : for dividing land lines, cords were 
 made use of, as appears from Micah vi. 5, casting a 
 cord by lot. The word line came thus to signify 
 whatever a person was possessed of. Sim. De Muis 
 illustrates the figure in a similar manner, " The word 
 lines," he says, " is to be understood here as signi- 
 fying an inheritance, or definite measured portion of 
 land. In Palestine, it was the custom in ancient 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 159 
 
 times, in the measuring of lands, to use lines, as we 
 at present use the decemped^ the measure of ten feet. 
 Lands divided by lot were thus measured off. When, 
 therefore, he says, the lines have fallen to me, the 
 meaning in plain language is, " the spaces measured 
 by lines, which by lot have fallen to me." The lines 
 could not properly be said to fall, but the spaces 
 measured by the lines, of which the book of Joshua 
 affords us many examples. In that book we find a 
 similar phrase, Josh. xvii. 5, Et ceciderunt funes 
 Manasse decern. And there fell ten lines, portions, 
 to Manasseh." That such was the mode of dividinir 
 lands in Palestine, is proved from Amos vii. 17. Et 
 terra tua funictdo dividetur. And thy land shall 
 be divided by line. Hence, fu?iiculus 7nensurae^ the 
 line of measure, or measuring line is mentioned, 
 Zach. li. 1. Lines, here, and in the passage quoted 
 from Joshua, are rendered by the Chaldee translator 
 " lots." The sense, as explained by Jarchi, is, " since 
 it has fallen to my lot, that I should be, — *|p7nH> 
 in parte tua^ (h. e. in tuo coetu,) — in thy part, in 
 thine assembly, I have obtained a pleasant portion,'* 
 I think that God himself is here figuratively desig- 
 nated by the poet, " the most excellent portion/' 
 which by lot had fallen to him. This is the sense in 
 which the words best accord with the preceding verse. 
 
 hv rr\^t^ nSnr-1^^. The meaning of these 
 
 » T T : T T -:- ' - 
 
 words, and the force of the particle ?l^, are well ex- 
 plained by Kimchi. " It sometimes happens, when 
 men divide an inheritance, that one envies the por- 
 tion of another. As for me, etiam mihi pulchra here^ 
 
J'60 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ditas obtigit, a pleasant inheritance has fallen also to 
 me ; nor do I envy the portion of any one, for the 
 best portion is fallen to my lot." In his judgment 
 the particle is equivalent to e^mm, also ; — as if he had 
 said, not only have 1 got the best portion, but I have 
 also got that which seems to me to be the best, — -a 
 thing not common with those among whom an in- 
 heritance is divided. To the word D /H^, the Ma- 
 
 » -; — 
 
 sorites have given the marginal note ^7? intimating 
 that with Kamets it does not occur any where else. 
 According to Aben-Esra, it is in regimen^ and the 
 divine name is to be supplied, as in Psalm cxviii. 14, 
 where we find H^ DnDTI ^TJT for nV Tr\12\^ ^tV 
 
 robur meum^ et caniicum roboris mei est Jah. My 
 strength, and the song of my strength is Jehovah. 
 Kimchi, however, says, that the noun is by no means 
 in regimen^ but that the final letter Thau is put for 
 He. This pleases me the more, since the name Je- 
 hovah cannot, in this place, be supplied with pro- 
 priety. There are also many nouns terminated by 
 Tkau^ with Kamets going before it, for example 
 X\^^ sleeps Psalm cxxxii.4. XT^'W help^^ Psalm Ix. 13, 
 
 jT^I^* residue Jer. xlviii. 36. M^cA^c/e* suspects that 
 
 the Alexandrine and Syrian translators had read the 
 noun with Jod^ the pronominal suffix ; and he thus 
 renders the whole clause : et herediias mea placet 
 mihi, " and my inheritance pleases me." IntheChal- 
 dee, the "verb is translated in this sense ; for example, 
 Dan. iii. 32 ; iv. 24; vi.2. But Rupert ]\xsX\y objects to 
 
ON FSALM XVI. 161 
 
 this rendering, by remarking, that it is doubtful if 
 *)i3Ji^ was used in the same sense by the Hebrews 
 
 as it was by the Chaldeans. Besides, the Syriac 
 Translator, who rendered the words literally, did not 
 adopt it. 
 
 7. »:yj;nSJ^t»^ nln^-DK "111^. Bene precabor, 
 
 gratias agara, Deo, qui mihi consuluit. — I will pray, 
 give thanks to God, who hath counselled me to make 
 choice of that excellent portion, — his own divine 
 protection : it is owing to his good pleasure, and to 
 his instruction, that I have chosen him as the God 
 whom I should worship, and in whom I should place 
 my confidence.^^ 
 
 ^riV^D ^jlia^ ^iS'S"^^^> J^octu ettam em- 
 
 diunt me renes mei : By night also my reins instruct 
 me : Kimchi adds, lest 1 should leave the way. I 
 am instructed that I should ever be satisfied with the 
 portion, which, by divine counsel, I have chosen for 
 myself ; and that 1 should never leave the worship 
 of Jehovah. The term rendered by nighty literally 
 nights, signifies, in regard to the night season. The 
 writer intimates by it, that there was no time, — not 
 even then, when men generally indulged in sleep, — 
 in which he would not meditate on this subject. The 
 
 verb"|D^ primarily signifies to sharpen ; and hence 
 
 —1 
 
 22 Dathe renders the clause : " Gratias ago Jovae, qui suas 
 mihi dedit pntmissiones." He adds in a note: " TV^ non 
 
 solum est consxdere, sed et'id^va predicere resfuturas, Num. xxir. 
 1 4, ut Arabice monere, in primis praedictione rerum futura- 
 rum. 
 
 M 
 
162 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in Piel, to sharpen the mind, to instruct, — a sense, in 
 which it is generally used. That we are so to un- 
 derstand it in this passage, is plain from its connex- 
 ion with the word PV^w ^he rei?is, the internal af- 
 fections. Jehovah is said to know the secret things 
 of all men ; the knowledge of the heart and of the reins 
 is ascribed to him : Jerem. xi. 20. Psalm vii. 10. 
 The reason of this, was the belief that the affectus 
 gignendi, was seated in the reins ; and this being the 
 most powerful of all propensities, the reins were 
 taken for the origin and seat of all affections, and 
 metonymically, for the affections themselves. If the 
 mind is strongly directed to a particular object, the 
 thoughts are, day and night, turned to it. The poet, 
 accordingly, intimates, that all his thoughts and de- 
 sires were towards Jehovah, even when awake, and 
 meditating during the night season ; that he was in- 
 structed to avoid, with the utmost care, whatever 
 might be displeasing to God ; and, on the other 
 hand, induced to follow, with all diligence, that 
 course of conduct which was at once pleasing to God, 
 and most advantageous for himself. 
 
 8. ^"or\ n:\:h r^'\'n'' ^nntj^, Posui, sdi. pro- 
 
 posui Jovam coram me continuo. " I have set Je- 
 hovah before me continually," — that I may follow 
 him as the leader of the way : or, in connexion with 
 what follows, — I consider God as ever present with 
 me, and ready to lend me assistance. 
 
 OIDNt^B ^D*D\*J *2, Nam a dextra mea est, 7ion 
 movebor ; " For he is on my right hand, <' I shall 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 163 
 
 not be moved :" — I shall not stumble, as in a way 
 difficult and perilous. The meaning of the clause is, 
 '« Jehovah guides and directs my way, so that I do 
 not stumble, or fall headlong : lest I fall, as with the 
 right hand laid hold upon me, he holds me up." 
 Bucer, under the name of Aretius FelimtSf explains 
 the whole verse as follows : " This verse informs 
 us as to what God provides for ; — and as to what the 
 Tcins^ moved to holy affection by the Spirit of God, 
 communicate instruction ; — namely, that the poet 
 should always set God before him ; — have him con- 
 stantly in his eyes ; — oliserve and worship him with 
 all care; — and place dependance on him alone. 
 God is, as it were, at his right hand, ready to give 
 him assistance ; as a companion, or a powerful pro- 
 tector, defending him on every side ; — and since 
 God stretches forth his right hand, opposes himself 
 to every danger, — averts every threatened evil, his 
 people shall not be moved ; — in all circumstances 
 they shall be in safety." 
 
 9. ninD Snn ^:nS n^*^ nS. Propterea lae- 
 
 (atur cor meum, et exultat anima mea. Therefore, 
 because, — as Kimchi very properly subjoins, — I set 
 thee before me, — " my heart is glad, my soul re- 
 joiceth :" — I feel internally the highest joy. The 
 word 11113, — which, in other places, signifies ^'for?/, 
 
 dignity^ — the Hebrew interpreters, with one consent, 
 here hold to be synonymous with HDti^X ^^^ souJ^ 
 the mind, as in Psalm iv. 3.^^ Kimchi sa.ys it ia 
 
 »5 By a press error, the reader of the original is referred ta 
 Psalm iii. 4. 
 
J 64 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 used for the soul, because there is nothing in man 
 more excellent; in it the whole dignity of man con- 
 sists. The Alexandrine translators render the term, 
 7} yXo^xrsd /aou : the Yulgate has lingua mea ; my 
 tongue, in both. This rendering is defended by Bucer. 
 *' I do not know/' he says, " if we should not, — 
 especially in this passage, — render "li^llD;* tongue, 
 
 rather than mind or soul. We may understand the 
 poet as saying that he was filled with joy ; not only 
 his heart rejoiced, but his whole body, in the enjoy- 
 ment of safety, quiet, and peace. The power of 
 speech is certainly the principal dignity of man. 
 There can be no impropriety, therefore, in styling 
 tongue or speech, in figurative language, ^II^IDj — the 
 
 T 
 
 glory, tlie dignity. In Psalm xxx. 13, the poet pro- 
 claims, propterea canet tibi IIUDj ^t non silebit ; 
 
 " therefore shall my glory sing to thee, and not be 
 silent." What term, to be understood literally, can 
 be more suitable than tongue 9 Thus also Psalm 
 cviii. 2, Paratum cor meum^ Deus, cantabo, etcanani 
 etiam ^1113' ^^ ^st, lingua mea. " My heart is 
 
 prepared, O God, I will sing : I will sing even with 
 my glory, that is, with my tongue. When, then, the 
 poet says that his heart rejoiced^ and his tongue was 
 glad, we are to consider him as intimating, that he 
 felt, in his whole person, a sense of confidence and 
 security.'* In the passages quoted, every person 
 must perceive that miiid, or soul, may be the appro- 
 priate sense of the word. 
 
 In the Alexandrine version, Koehler thinks that 
 
ON rsALM xvr. 165 
 
 for the words r, yXuffgd [mou, we should substitute rj 
 do^a fLov. Agellius seems at one time to have been 
 of the same mind ; but he afterwards objected to the 
 conjecture. " Our common copies," says he, " have 
 the word signifying tongue ; and in Acts ii. 26, it is 
 found ; and also in the quotation by Saint Luke. 
 There is a similarity between the Greek word which 
 signifies tongue and that which signifies glory ; — that 
 is, between yXoiSso,]/ and W^ctv : yet it would be a rash 
 proceeding to substitute the one for the other, espe- 
 cially as Saint Luke, and all the interpreters, Greek 
 as well as Latin, have the word tongue. We may 
 perhaps except Origen ; but whether he followed the 
 reading of the Septuagint, or, as I rather suspect, 
 that of some other translation, is quite uncertain." 
 ntO!!^ 'Q^*' *lk^2'^$<, Etiam care mea, corpus 
 
 meum, quiescet secure : — Also my flesh, — that is, my 
 body, — shall rest safely : — I am secure against all 
 evils, because I have Thee for my helper. The 
 words are rendered by Rupert somewhat differently : 
 '* Etiam corpus meum obdormiet secure ; " My body 
 also shall sleep securely," and in safety from all dan- 
 ger : even during the night no evil shall befall me, 
 for God is my protector. The words may, perhaps, 
 have the same meaning as those in Psalm xxv. 13, 
 V/D D.ilO!n WD^j anima ejus in bono pernoci ibit : 
 
 literally, " his soul shall pass the night in good :" 
 that is, the pious man shall enjoy the protection of 
 God. Psalm xci. 1, In umbra, seu potius hospitio, 
 summi Dei pernoctabit : ♦' In the shadow, or rather 
 under the shelter of the most High God shall he pass 
 
166 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the night'' Prov. xix. 23, *' he shall pass the night 
 satisfied ; he shall not be visited with evil ; that is, 
 he shall be in perfect safety." Some of the Hebrew 
 expositors understood the words allegorically, — de 
 corpore, in sepulchro secure qidescente : as if the 
 writer intimated that his body, after his death, would 
 be preserved in the sepulchre safe and unhurt by 
 worms or corruption. Kimchi says of the Psalmist, 
 post mortem docet 7ion dominatuTurn in se esse vermem ; 
 — " he teaches that, after death, the worm should not 
 have dominion over him." Since this did not hold 
 good in regard to David, not a few modern exposi- 
 tors have thought that the words are to be under- 
 stood in reference to Jesus the Messiah. This sense 
 seems not at all to have entered into the mind of the 
 writer. Kimchi perceived this, and recommends the 
 following as the preferable interpretation; Adhuc 
 dum vivimi/s, secure hahitahit corpus nostrum, quod 
 tUy Jova, ah omni malo nos defendis ; — "While we 
 yet live, our body shall dwell in safety ; for thou, Je- 
 hovah, defendest us from all evil." 
 
 10. VlKt;t^*S ♦^DJ ntyn-i^S ♦B Etenim nan 
 
 derelinques animam meam orco ; — " For thou wilt 
 not leave my soul in the place of the dead," — thou 
 will not now leave me to become subject to death ; 
 but wilt yet long, I hope, grant me the enjoyment of 
 the present life. The word ^tf^^^y my soul, is here 
 
 put for the simple pronoun me : we have already 
 shown that it is used in the same manner in the first 
 verse of this Psalm. Some of the Hebrew interpre- 
 ters assign to the word its proper signification ; and 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 167 
 
 consider the whole passage as having a reference to 
 the immortality of the soul. Aben-Esra says the 
 writer gives the reason why his soul rejoiced ; — be- 
 cause it was not mortal and perishable. The expli- 
 cation of Kimchi is to the same purpose : — " I know 
 that thou wilt not suffer my soul to descend into the 
 sepulchre along with my body ; but wilt exalt it to 
 thine own glory. "^-^ But as there is no other trace 
 by which we can discover David's knowledge of the 
 soul's immortality, I think the interpretation first 
 given is to be preferred. 
 
 mittes, piutn tuum videre foveam. '• Thou wilt not 
 give, — suff'er, — thy pious servant to see the pit, — the 
 sepulchre." It is rightly refharked by Rupert^ that 
 
 the word r\r\^^ corresponds to the noun S'tK^ i" 
 
 the clause preceding, and signifies in its primary sense, 
 a pit, or rather a low place into which water flows ; 
 a marsh, from the root or niJ2^> or H'Ci^j the mean- 
 ing of which, compared with the Arabic term, is to 
 descend, to be immersed, and, hencethe noun signifies, 
 a low place, soft earth and clay, in which the feet 
 sink unsupported. From this, it is used synony- 
 mously with the term •)']]2 for the sepulchre, as in 
 Job xxxiii. 18; Psalm xxx. 4, comp. 10, where the 
 poet employs both the phrases, l^yj^ D*!^ and 
 
 Si5^J2^-^J^ rr\'^ with the same signification. The 
 " m-ib >;2;s3 iirrn Kb ^3 ^nyn^ 
 
168 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Alexandrine interpreter, however, referring the term 
 before us to the root r)Tlt^ corrumpi, renders it 
 
 dicx,(p'^MDav, corruption. The most of Christian inter- 
 preters folIovA' this rendering. This Psalm, they think, 
 refers to Jesus the Messiah, whose body, though 
 committed to the sepulchre, yet was not affected with 
 corruption. They accordingly receive the term in 
 this sense, — a sense in which it does not occur in 
 any other passage of the Hebrew Scriptures; and in 
 which, while Hebrew was a living language, it does 
 not seem ever to have been employed. We who 
 think the song refers to David, are at liberty to 
 receive the term in the sense which it properly bears. 
 ^'^^'^videre : to see, in ancient languages signifies to 
 
 feel, to experience, to enjoy ; for example ihTv rr^v ^unvy 
 — rov ^ccmroVf — rvjv jSafftXiiav rov ^eov, to see life — death 
 — the Kingdom of God, are phrases in the New Tes- 
 tament of frequent occurrence. Compare the Heb- 
 rew text with the Septuagint, Psalm xxxiv. 13; Ixxxix. 
 49 ; cvi. 5 ; Eccles. iii. 3 ; vi. 6 ; ix. 9 ; Isaiah xxvi. 14. 
 Thus, also, the verbs oodnv, wa^opds/v, are used in the 
 Septuagint. From this it follows that DTltil mt^^ 
 
 and Idsiv rov ^amrof, as well as *Ti]2 Dl*! or p^^ 
 nnt^'^t^ Psalm XXX. 4, 10) signifying to descend 
 
 into the pit ; it follows, we say that all those forms 
 
 of expression are equivalent to HID^ ^^ '^^^?; f<^ did 
 
 — » 
 
 or perish. In evidence of this we refer, as if to 
 classical authority, to Psalm xlix. 10, 11. Rupert. 
 "T'DHj means a person devotedly studious of every 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 169 
 
 thing good. When joined to T\^^\*' it signifies a per- 
 
 son pious in regard to Jehovah, one of his pious wor- 
 shippers, as in Psalm iv. 4.,) to our explication of 
 which we refer the reader.^^ The reading of this 
 
 J5 The passage referred to is the following. The word 
 ^*Dn in this passage: is differently interpreted. Someunder- 
 
 T 
 
 Stand it passively, as signifying a person who is treated kindly ; 
 one who is an object of continued benignity^ as in Psalm xxxii. 
 6 ; Ixxxvi. 2 : 1. 9 : Ixxix. 2, Dathe renders the term cui Deus 
 favet, whom God favours. Paulus gives Liebling, Gunsltling. 
 beloved, — darling, as words of the same import. Gatacker 
 justly objects to this interpretation. In the first place, he says, 
 adjectives of this form do not readily admit of a passive sense. 
 For example, ^^l^j means a person who is liberal, munificettt, 
 
 not one who is munificently treated. "l^llK robust, t*^^}/ 
 
 violent, p^T^ just, and others of the same kind, signify an 
 
 affection of the mind, and the effects produced by it. Secondly, 
 *TDn is most commonly understood to mean one who is pious, 
 
 T 
 
 holy, benignant, beneficent, and is thus understood and rendered 
 even by those who would claim for it a passive signification. In 
 fine, there is no necessity, in any passage whatever, for depart- 
 ing from the primary and usual sense. There is nothing to 
 prevent us from understanding the word actively, as signifying 
 pious, benignant, in the passages above mentioned, and in all those 
 other passages also where it has been otherwise rendered. This 
 last sense seems to have satisfied i^/ajnim'Ms. He says, in a note 
 on this passage, " The Hebrew word ^l^DH is put in its pro- 
 per sense, for such men as are in heart beneficent and liberal, 
 and sincerely disposed to give assistance to others. This dispo- 
 sition is peculiary becoming in one who administers the affairs 
 of a kingdom. I am, however, still more pleased with the 
 
J 70 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 word has given rise to a great deal of discussion. 
 There can be no doubt that the consonants, as they 
 stand in the text, should be so pointed as to give 
 ^^^TDHi the noun in the plural number. The Ma- 
 
 Borites, however, tell us that it is to be put in the 
 
 singular. They intimate (^^ I'DSJ that the ' Jod be- 
 fore the suffix is redundant, and that the word should be 
 written ^n^DH* By far the greater part of critics 
 
 and interpreters defend this last reading. They do 
 60, partly by means of an internal argument. The 
 subject itself, they say, requires the singular : for in 
 the preceding number of the verse, where the word 
 t(^£)^ occurs, not several persons, but one individual 
 
 only, is spoken of. The structure of the verse there- 
 fore requires the singular in the second clause also. 
 They are also external arguments. The whole of 
 the ancient versions, without a single exception, con- 
 firm rin^Dn the marginal reading. It is retained 
 
 by the Apostles Paul and Peter. It is found in many 
 manuscripts, as they say, of the most approved charac- 
 ter; a host of which is brought forward by Keunicott 
 and De Rossi. In fine, the ediliones principes of the 
 
 opinion of Drusius. He considers 1/ *^*Dn> as standing 
 
 for iTDn his worshipper, in the same manner as V H**!^ 
 
 for ^rrny mi/ straits. This view of the term was taken by 
 
 the ancient translators. The Septuagint version gives rot S<nif 
 *ur»u. His saint, His holy one. Jerome render* the word, 
 misericordem suum, his merciful one. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 17* 
 
 fifteenth, and beginning of the sixteenth centuries, 
 printed accurately from the most ancient manuscripts, 
 exhibit the word in the singular number. In a dis- 
 sertation upon the true reading of the word, in this 
 passage AuriviUius has examined those editions 
 very carefully, and has given the result in a section, 
 which may be read with advantage. " The first 
 printed copy which M^e have seen, in which the word 
 written in the plural was accompanied with a Maso- 
 retic mark, and a corresponding note on the margin, 
 was of the edition of Jacob- Ben- Chajim, in Bibliis 
 Ebraeo Chaldceo Rabbinicis, printed at Venice, 1520, 
 atBomberg, 1526, folio. Of the editions that preceded 
 this, we have neither seen any, nor heard of any, in 
 which the redundant letter ' Jod was exhibited in the 
 text. Besides, if we may believe Kennicott, it is found 
 only in a few manuscripts of recent date ; such as he 
 himself, after examination, \>ould not consider as writ- 
 ten before the invention of printing. We may admit it, 
 as a thing possible, that Ben- Chajim might perhaps 
 have found a manuscript into which the Jod had been 
 admitted through an error of the transcriber. In the ex- 
 amination of manuscripts, errors of this kind, in regard 
 to the silent letters Jod QXidi Vau, are often detected. 
 At the same time, it were earnestly to be wished, 
 what Michaelis Tertius was unwilling to fear. — that 
 there had not already been found Jews, besides this 
 Rabbi, who made such alterations in the text de- 
 signedly, and to serve particular purposes. But as this 
 is clear from the evidence of the books themselves, 
 we are therefore entitled, in a case such as this, to en- 
 tertain doubts. Before the printing of the Hebrew 
 
172 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Scriptures, Christians, following the example of the 
 Apostles, were accustomed, from the tenth verse of 
 this Psalm, to prove the resurrection from the dead 
 of the Messiah, in their disputations with the Jews. 
 The passage was, therefore, likely to be disagreeable 
 to a Jewish editor; and we have reason for thinking 
 that this was actually the truth. In a treatise by Peter 
 Schwarz, edited at Elsingen, in 1477' ^vitii the title, 
 Stern des Meschiah, the Star of the Messiah, there is 
 a chapter, tractatu vi. cap. vi., entitled " dasder Mes- 
 chiah solt aujersteen von dem todt yn dem driiien tagT 
 *' That the Messiah should arise from the dead on the 
 third day," in which we find this passage quoted in 
 Roman characters, thus, <« lo titten hazidcha liret 
 scliahaiy^^ In regard to the manuscript copies of 
 theoriginal, Aurivillius gives the following judgment : 
 " It is exceedingly probable," says he, '* that in the 
 oldest manuscripts there was only one reading of this 
 passage; or, which amounts to the same thing, that 
 there was no marginal note indicating a reading dif- 
 ferent from that of the text. In the first Erfurt 
 manuscript, there was, as stated by Michaelis, no 
 marginal note whatever. In many others, exhibiting 
 ni^DHj the Masorite note would have been, as critics 
 have already observed, quite out of place, so much 
 so, that it either could not be used ; or if used, would 
 not have been credited. Thus the first Basil editors^ 
 used, agreeably to their superstitious notions, 11 H* 
 
 ^* From what is stated, it appears that Schwarz found the 
 singular of the noun, in the original. What else is proved by 
 the statement it is somewhat difficult to perceive — Trans. 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 173 
 
 and HDH^K) instead of niH* and S^^^^?» mani- 
 festly Judaizing, lest it should have been thought that 
 they had dared to depart from the textual reading, 
 by giving a reading different from that which they 
 found in their manuscript authorities." 
 
 It is proper, as a matter of justice, that we should 
 now listen to one of those who defend T^I^Dnj the 
 other reading: we shall, therefore, bring forv/ard the 
 remarks of Fischer upon the subject. " Certain au- 
 thors, glorying in newly acquired wisdom, boast that 
 they have discovered many indications and evidences, 
 by which it may not merely be learned, but must be 
 evident at first sight, that the author of the hyron, 
 (Ps. xvi.) left written ^I^DHj not ?]n^Dn. They 
 
 tell us, first, that all the ancient interpreters used, in 
 their versions, nouns, — namely, the nouns in both 
 clauses of the verse, — in the singular, not in the 
 plural number. Then, they say ^I^DH is the reading 
 
 in most of the manuscripts. In fine, they contend 
 that this reading alone is suitedto the design of David, 
 who in the passage, introduces the Messiah as cele- 
 brating his re-appearance on eartli from the state of 
 the dead; and, had the noun been used in the plural 
 number, the passage could not have been adduced 
 by the Apostles Peter and Paul, as, according to 
 Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, we find it was, — , 
 for the purpose of proving to the Jews, and convinc- 
 ing them that the Messiah must be raised from the 
 dead. They cannot, however, deny, that in certain 
 manuscripts the plural is found instead of the singu- 
 lar number; neither can they deny that, to rid them- 
 
174 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 selves of the difficulty in which they find themselves 
 placed, by this circumstance, they are obliged to 
 have recourse to new and, in truth, slender argu- 
 ments. We frankly acknowledge, that we are pre- 
 vented from giving our assent to the opinion of these 
 good men, not so much by their own confessed hesi- 
 tation, as by the weakness of the arguments by which 
 their opinion is supported ; — arguments entirely re- 
 pugnant to the certain laws and precepts both of 
 criticism and of grammar. How stands the case? 
 Why, the ancient interpreters of the sacred books 
 found, in other passages, Hebrew names, both of 
 persons and things, in the plural number, which they 
 all, notwithstanding, rendered in the singular, because 
 the nature of the subject required it, and the genius 
 of the language admitted of it. In this passage, they 
 seem to have understood, not only from the subject 
 and structure of the hymn, — but chiefly from the 
 other clause of the verse, that the noun ^'H^Dn* 
 
 corresponded to the noun 'JJ/jD^ ; ^"d that both re- 
 lated to one, not to a plurality of persons. Why should 
 we not think, that although they found the plural 
 number in their manuscripts, they rendered it in the 
 singular, and thus rendered it properly ? In inspired 
 writings, where two readings are found giving the 
 same sense, the one of them may seem more con- 
 formed than the other to ordinary usage ; and may 
 be supported by the authority of manuscripts, — nu- 
 merous, indeed, — but of recent date, and deserving 
 of little credit. The other reading may rest on the 
 authority of a few manuscripts only ; but those the 
 
ON PSALM XVr. 175 
 
 most ancient, and the most to be relied upon. It 
 may be so singular, as that it could not be sup- 
 posed to proceed from any expositor or grammarian, 
 for the sake of the meaning : yet it may be such, as 
 all good critics prefer to the reading that is more 
 general : they may esteem it true and genuine, while 
 they hold the other supposititious and false. Now, 
 the manuscripts which the Masorites used in es- 
 tablishing the reading of the Hebrew text, and 
 in which they tesify that the reading ^H^DH was 
 
 found, are of much older date, and of much more 
 value, than all the others now extant, in the greater 
 part of which the other reading is exhibited. There 
 is, moreover, an author who gives evidence as to the 
 antiquity of the reading in the Masoretic manuscripts. 
 Who he was is uncertain ; but he lived before any 
 of the copyists who transcribed the manuscripts that 
 have come down to our times. His commentaries 
 upon the hymns of David are commonly ascribed 
 to Jerome ; but, as Erasmus has, — for the information 
 of students, — already noticed, this has been done false- 
 ly. This author, whoever he was, in commenting 
 upon the words of the Latin version : " Non dabis 
 sanctum tuum videre corruptionem :" — " Thou wilt 
 not give Thy Holy One to see corruption ;" adds as 
 follows: " Non de corruptione corporis Christi in 
 sepulchro dicit, sed de caeterorum sanctorum," — 
 »' He speaks not of the corruption of the body of 
 Christ in the grave, but of other saints." This writer 
 must have had copies in which the word was used in 
 the plural number; but whether they were Hebrew, 
 Greek, or Latin copies, is quite uncertain." 
 
176 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 " Is there any person, I would ask, so unskilled 
 in regard to antiquity, as not to be sensible that in 
 the reading ^I^I^DHj there is a high degree of ele- 
 gance which is wanting in the other. The use of a 
 noun in the plural to designate an individual person, 
 — but him, a person of the highest consideration, — 
 is reckoned exquisite and elegant in the Hebrew 
 tongue. How well suited, then, must we reckon the 
 plural noun ,"^^1^0115 — which may be rendered in 
 
 Latin, me, delicias tuas ! — to the dignity of the 
 Messiah ? How well suited, also, is it to the gran- 
 deur of the poetic style, much of which, according 
 to Longinus, a teacher of the first order, consists in 
 the right use of plural nouns ? This, David, and 
 the other Hebrew poets, seem to have learned from 
 the teaching of nature alone ; and, accordingly, it is 
 admitted, by universal consent, that there is no other 
 peculiarity of their poetry that has in it more of gran- 
 deur and sublimity. 
 
 In this passage, David might use the plural num- 
 ber, instead of the singular, with perfect safety : it 
 occasioned nothing of obscurity or ambiguity. The 
 structure of his hymns is such, as that in a verse 
 consisting of two members or clauses, each of those 
 members contains the same sentiment. When, then, 
 
 the particular words of the one member ^fj/T?^ ti/, 
 
 /lKC£^/ ^2i^D^. correspond to the particular words, 
 
 nn^ nit^nS T\'^'y^n \r\r\ kS of the other, 
 
 nobody can doubt, with any shadow of reason, that 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 177 
 
 the plural noun ^n^DH? corresponds to the sin- 
 gular noun ^t^£3^ ; and that both of them relate, not 
 
 to a plurality of persons, but to one individual, namely, 
 the Messiah. From the consideration of two cir- 
 cumstances, this, we hope, will be perceived very 
 plainly. First, the Apostles Peter and Paul used, 
 with propriety, this passage of David, to teach the 
 Jews that God had appointed the resurrection of the 
 Messiah from the dead ; but it does not, by any -s 
 means, appear from their use of it, that David had 
 written the word, of which we are speaking, in the 
 singular number. Second, The reading ^I^DH 
 
 is, in reality, an interpretation of the other, and might 
 proceed from the words of the Masorites improperly 
 
 understood. The note which they affixed,v^ *^*^)^/ 
 to the plural noun intimated, as I think, to the readers 
 of the hymn, that the plural number was used instead 
 of the singular : now, it is certainly not incredible 
 that some persons might be found who considered 
 the note as an intimation that the singular number 
 should be substituted for the plural of the textual 
 reading, and who substituted that number according- 
 ly. Thus, 1 Sam. ii. 9, for ilDPf we should, with- 
 out doubt, read in^DHj because the word refers 
 
 T • — : 
 
 to tD^J^CS^*!^ a word plural both in form and signifi- 
 
 T 
 
 cation. In the same way, Habak. iii. ] 3, for ^fl^Ji^D. 
 
 the reading even of Aquila, there seerps to have 
 been ?1*n^^^ in some copies of an earlier jage. It 
 
 is certain, at least, that Eusebius quotes the render- 
 
J 78 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ing of the Septuagint rov cojaai rovg ^Piarovg gov, the 
 words which are found in the Alexandrine manuscript, 
 and which lead to the belief that the noun stood, at 
 one time, in the plural, in the original text." Thus 
 far we have given the sentiments of Fischer. If 
 other opinions are desired^ Brunnius and Stavge may 
 be consulted ; the latter of whom adduces several 
 similar examples of plural nouns having a similar 
 
 •ens8. Thus, 2 Chron. xxxii. 4, oSo ^^^ TM^^ 
 II^S^j lionne venient reges Assyriae? " Why should 
 
 the kings of Assyria come?" The plural is used; 
 though, from the seventh verse of the chapter, where 
 
 we find the singular "H^D? it is evident there is a re- 
 ference, in both, to Sennacherib, one individual. We 
 accordingly find the former words rendered in 
 the Alexandrine version : [iri sXQr\ ^aatXrog ' Asaoiig. 
 To this we may add Jerem. xlvi. 15. Ps. Ixxxix. 20. 
 Ps. Ixxiv. 15. Jos. iii. 16. There is, however, no 
 necessity for understanding the plural here, as put 
 for the singular. The poet states it as a universal 
 proposition, that God will not suffer his pious wor- 
 shippers, among whom he reckons himself, to be 
 overcome by afiiictions, but will deliver them from 
 such dangers as threaten their safety, or their life. 
 11. D^*n ni^? ^'IV'^'^SPi Notam mi/nfacis^osteu' 
 
 dis, mihi viam vitae : " Thou makest known," — 
 she west, — '• to me the way of life." " Anciently,*' 
 — as Rupert observes, — " and in poetic language, the 
 words meant, thou preset vest ray life ; some may pre- 
 
ON PSALM XVI. 
 
 179 
 
 fer, thou renderest me happy ; or, thou teachest me 
 bow I may attain to a happy life, ^n or D^-^H sig- 
 nifies a happy life, — happiness, Prov. xv. 24, and in 
 many other places, as ^oon, in the New Testament, 
 for i-jdai/xo'^ia, is put generally. — D^H^ ^^^^ &^i i" ^^^® 
 
 common usage of all languages, signifies, to pass 
 through life pleasantly and happily, — to flourish and 
 grow ; as, for example, I Sam. x. 24. 1 Kings i. 25. 
 
 Ps. xxii. 27 ; Ixix. 33. ^n, living, signifies prosper- 
 
 * 
 
 ous, 1 Sara. xxv. 6. Eccles. vi. 8. In the sense ge- 
 nerall}^ received : In vifam mihi reddis, — "Thou re- 
 storest life to me/' the clause, — to say no more, — loses 
 its parallelism, and the propriety of its poetic diction. 
 Paulus, comj-'arlng the clause with Psalm ix. 14, 
 renders it tu viam mihi ad viturn osfeiidis ; — thou 
 bringest me back, as it were, from the gates of death: 
 an expression which might be used by a person re- 
 covering from a dangerous disease." 
 
 ^^^DTli*^ nlri/^Sb VlU^, SaturuUo gaudii coram 
 
 facie tua, — " Abundance of joy before thy face." 
 " The meaning is, there is much joy, — much happi- 
 ness, in thy worship, and in thy religion." In the an- 
 cient language, pious and religious men were said to 
 walk before God, Gen. v. 24. Or it may signify in 
 thy temple, for the formula, in this sense, is employed 
 not only in reference" to the priests, but also in re- 
 ference to religious worshippers in general, Psalms v. 
 4, 6, 8; xvii. 15; xxi. 7; xxiv. 6; xlii. 3. Dl/t^^y^ 
 
 n^^ ^j'D^il; Lattitia est in dextra tua iii perptia-'^ 
 
180 ANNOTATIONS, &C. 
 
 urn; '* Gladness is in, — or from thy right hand for 
 ever : ag;)^a/xwj, for, thou pourest out upon me, thy 
 worshipper, constant and perpetual joy. The poet, 
 after the manner of the Hebrews, expresses the same 
 sentiment in other words, as with thy right hand 
 thou distributest gladness. Like the corresponding 
 word ^'JQ, the term may be understood as referring 
 
 to the temple, in the neighbourhood of which David 
 had his dwelling place." Rupert. 
 
PSALM XLV. 
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 In this song we have the excellencies of a certain 
 great king extolled with due praise, and his grandeur 
 magnificently described. After an introduction or 
 dedication, the poet straightway proceeds to enume- 
 rate the peculiar excellencies of the royal personage, 
 — personal beauty, — eloquence, (verse y,) bravery, — 
 strength of mind — love of justice and truth, (ver. 4 — 
 8.) Having mentioned these, and their appropriate 
 rewards, namely, the felicity of his kingdom, and the 
 splendour and dignity of his approaching nuptials, — 
 he turns to the royal bride, and celebrates her grace 
 and good fortune in suitable strains, (verses 9, 1 0.) 
 He exhorts her to forget cheerfully, and without re- 
 gret to renounce the household gods of her fathers, 
 that she may thus secure the affections of the king, 
 — and he expresses a hope that, — in this case, — 
 foreign nations would be found desirous of securing 
 her good will, and would present her with the most 
 splendid and valuable gifts, (verses 11 — 13.) Having 
 described her beauty, and the impression made by it 
 upon the king, she is introduced along with her com- 
 panions into the palace, and thus formally declared the" 
 spouse of the prince, (verses 14 — 16.) The poet then 
 
182 ARGUMENT 
 
 congratulates her on the honour and dignity to which 
 the king would exalt her offspring ; and, in fine, an- 
 nounces his own resolution to celebrate, at all times, 
 the unperishing glory of the king, to whose honour 
 the song is dedicated. 
 
 It has justly been remarked by various expositors, 
 that this song cannot be applied either to David or 
 Solomon, "Neither of these kings," says J. B. 
 Michaelis} " was God^ as the king to whom the song 
 relates, is addressed: (verses 7» 8,) nor was the 
 throne of either of them perpetual, /or ever and ever. 
 We do not read that the wife of either of them was 
 intreated with gifts by the Davghter of Tyre ; or 
 that David had any other wives, of royal descent, 
 than Michael, the daughter of Saul, and Maacah, 
 daughter of the king of Geshur ; neither of whom 
 was so eminently distinguished as the exalted prin- 
 cess, and only queen, whom the Psalmist celebrates, 
 (verses 10 — 14, etc.) The Psalm cannot apply to 
 Solomon, for, as he never was engaged in wars, he 
 could not merit the praises bestowed, (verses 4, 5, 6) ; 
 nor do we read that his sons, in room of their father, 
 were constituted princes over the whole earth, (ver. 
 17); and, to conclude, the Psalm closes with a 
 promise of higher renown than could be reached by 
 Solomon ; higher, indeed, than ought to be ascribed 
 to any race of earthly potentates."^ But if the Psalm 
 
 ^ In Annotatt. ubriorib. in Hagiogr. T. I. 
 
 2 The notion of Rudinger and Grotius, that this song was 
 an epithalamium, — a song in celebration of the marriage of So* 
 lemon and his chief wife, the daughter of Pharaoh, (1 Kings 
 iii. 5,) — is altogether to be abandoned, Doederlein is not more 
 
TO PSALM XLT. 183 
 
 cannot be applied to David or Solomon, with much 
 less propriety, or appearance of truth, can it be ap- 
 plied to any other of the Hebrew kings.^ At one 
 time we were of opinion that it was intended to cele- 
 brate the accession and inauguration of a Persian mo- 
 narch ; and was composed by a Jewish poet, at that 
 period when many of the Jews lived in the Persian 
 dominions. We were led to form this opinion, 
 chiefly, from what is said (ver. 17,) respecting the 
 sons of the king, who, at a future period, would be 
 appointed by their father to govern the various pro- 
 vinces of the kingdom ; for the sons of the Persian 
 kings were usually appointed to rule in the different 
 satrapies, or provincial governments into which the 
 kingdom was divided.* We, now, however, consider 
 that opinion altogether untenable. It cannot be be- 
 lieved that a Hebrew poet would have styled a foreign 
 king God., even although the appellation had been 
 
 happy in his interpretation of it. He conjectures that it was 
 sung in the solemn procession which accompanied David when 
 he was inaugurated king on mount Zion. 
 
 2 A certain learned man, — who, however, does not give hi« 
 name, — has inserted an explication of this Psalm in Bibliotheca 
 Literaturae Biblicae, edited by Eichhorn. The Psalm, hie 
 thinks, was composed in honour of a king going out to battle ; 
 — of the victory gained by him ; — of the great slaughter of his 
 enemies ; — and of the many beautiful females brought back bv 
 him as captives. It is evident that the concluding portion of 
 the Psalm is altogether incompatible with this opinion. It 
 treats of a queen, — by no means a captive, — but an object of 
 honourable affection, — highly honoured, — and voluntary in her 
 procedure. 
 
 * See Brisson de Regie Persarum principatu. 
 
J 84 ARGUMENT 
 
 claimed as a title of royalty : neither can it be be- 
 lieved that an ode in honour of a king not of the Jew- 
 ish religion, and containing an address such as we 
 tiave mentioned, would have been admitted into the 
 collection of sacred songs used in the temple, andia 
 the service of Jehovah. The various parts of the Psalm, 
 however, appear quite congruous, if we adopt the 
 opinion of the ancient Hebrews, communicated to 
 us by the Chaldee interpreter,^ and by the writer of 
 the Epistle to the Hebrews,® namely, that the Psalm 
 celebrates the excellencies and praises of the great 
 King, the Messiah ; and describes, at the same time, 
 the future felicity of that nation, which he loved 
 above all others, and which is represented as standing 
 to him in the relation of a wife to her husband. 
 Throughout the latter part of the Psalm this allegory, 
 in which the Hebrew poets particularly delighted,— 
 is maintained. They were accustomed to represent 
 God as entertaining towards his chosen people, feel- 
 ings which they compared to conjugal affections ; and 
 which they deduced, under this figure, into all their 
 various and even minute expressions. ^ In the illus- 
 
 ^ See note on verse third. Kimchi also says expressly that 
 the Messiah is the subject of this Psalm. 
 
 s Heb. i. 8, 9, compare verses 7th and 8th of the Psalm. 
 
 ^ See Isaiah liv. 5 ; Ixii. 5 ; Jerem. iii. 1, et seqq. Ezek. 
 xvi. and xxiii. This allegory, received from the ancient writers 
 of their nation, is retained by the writers of the New Testa- 
 ment, and sanctioned by their authority. See Matth. ix. 15 ; 
 John iii. 29 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2 ; Eph. v. 2, 3, et seqq. ; Rev. xix. 7 ; 
 xxi. 2 ; xxii. 17. No one has explained the origin and design of 
 this allegory, with more perspicuity and elegance than Lowth^ in 
 
TO PSALM XLV. 
 
 1^5 
 
 trating and beautifying of this allegory, the whole of the 
 Song of Songs is occupied : — that the subject of that 
 poem, and that of the Psalm before us, is the same, 
 there is no doubt among sound interpreters. 
 
 ANNOTATIONS. 
 
 1. Several titles are here brought together. With 
 
 regard to the sense of the words HV^tDA D^3t!^ti^ 
 
 ^*3J^^, we refer to our general introduction, where 
 
 the titles are explained. Dlnn^ I^L^- These terms 
 
 seem to be not badly rendered by Aquila atraa t^oc- 
 (piXicic, carmen suavitatis, " a song of sweetness." 
 We find a similar phrase in Theocritus Idyll, viii. 
 ^goc^/Xss /AsXos, a sweet song. The noun nlH^I^ is 
 
 found in only one other passage, Psalm Ixxxiv. 2. 
 ^^niJ32i^O n11**T* no qnam dilectae, vel amabiles 
 
 sunt habitationes tiiae ! '* How lovely are thy dwell- 
 ing places !" I^H* signifies dilectum, beloved, re- 
 taining the sense of the cognate verb in the Arabic, 
 amavit dilexit. Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; Isaiah v. 1 ; Psalm 
 
 Praelect. xxxi. de Sacra Hehraeor. Poesi. He remarks with 
 much truth, that there may be observed in the sacred poetry 
 of the Hebrews, throughout, a peculiar use and analogy of pa- 
 rabolical diction. Thus, certain images, chiefly of natural ob- 
 jects, are employed by them constantly, and, as it were, by 
 rule, for the expressing and illustrating of ideas more refined 
 in their nature, and less easily apprehended. 
 
i86 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Ix. 7 ; cvili. 7. In this place, however, the plural in 
 the feminine gender seems to have a neuter significa- 
 tion,^ and the phrase may accordingly be rendered, 
 carmen dilectorum, sive rerum dilectarum, that is, a 
 pleasant, sweet, agreeable song, a sense which very 
 well corresponds with what follows. 
 
 2. The poet, having premised that he was about 
 to sing of something good and pleasant, adds : ^TV^ 
 UltO *1^n *S7 Ebullit cor meum verbum honum, — 
 
 " my heart send^th forth a good word," that is, a 
 pleasant and agreeable song, calculated to give plea- 
 eure ; or, my heart desireth to say pleasant and agree- 
 able things. As the verb J^HI occurs no where else 
 
 in the Old Testament, we have recourse to the Syriac 
 for its meaning, and find it to be scatuit,' — he burst 
 forth. This, no doubt, is the primary idea conveyed 
 by the word, — that from which several of a secondary 
 nature, such as — he moved himself- — creeped, — pro- 
 duced vermin, etc. are derived. The Aramaic term 
 V2.1y however, and also the corresponding Arabic 
 
 word, though both, in their primary sense, are ap- 
 plied to water bursting forth from a fountain or 
 spring, — are yet, in their secondary signification, 
 transferred to speech, conceived of as proceeding 
 from the mouth, in the same mnnner as water from a 
 spring or fountain, Psalm cxix. 171; cxlv. 7 ; and 
 
 the Chaldee version Prov. xviii. 4, KHVlDkb >^2J> 
 
 , . - - .. J 
 
 * As for example, j^"^^*^^ wa^-wa, "great things.'' Comp 
 
 Schroederi Instill. Ling. Hehr. Syntax. Reg. xx. et Gesenii 
 Lehrgeb. 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 187 
 
 eritctaty eloquitiir stultiliam., — he belches up,— speaks 
 folly. Psalm xc. )2. KD/t^Dn V^D eloquitur sa- 
 
 pieri'liam,— speaks wisdom. The Arabic poets are 
 said scaiurire, that is, to rehearse ; in the same way 
 the verb ^ni» in tliis passage, comes to have the 
 
 sense of speaking, or uttering. The poet seems to 
 use it with somewhat of peculiar significancy, as if 
 he wished to intimate that he felt so much pleasure 
 as that the song proceeded from his heart rapidly — 
 forcibly ; the words presenting themselves happily and 
 quickly, proceeding in a continued flow : and, as op- 
 posed to sluggish dulness, breaking forth with 
 powerful impulse. The Chaldee rendering is ^J/^l 
 
 t^7 ebuUiens cor mewn, my heart boiling over. The 
 
 sense of the Syriac is scaturavit cor meum. The 
 
 Alexandrine version gives s'^tPivysiv, the Vulgate, 
 
 eriictare, the term used also in the version of Psalm 
 
 cxix. 171, to express the sense of the Hebrew term 
 
 V2,1y e^i^su^aivTo Ta yjlA'/i fJ^ov o/mov eructabunt labia 
 
 1 — 
 mea liymnum^ 
 
 The words which next follow, '^'pvp ^^^? "\d'^ 
 "n SD 75 are commonly rendered : dico ego opera mea 
 regi : — I dedicate, — or, I recite, my Morks to the 
 king. According to this rendering, *t^y^ is under- 
 stood as in the accusative case, governed by the verb 
 *1D^^ ; which, according to some interpreters, signi- 
 
 * If ihs use of a somewhat vulgar term may be forgiven, the 
 idea of the Greek seems to be exactly conveyed by the word 
 Hiccup. 
 
188 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 fies to dedicate ; according to others, to recite. In 
 the one case the sense becomes, " I am about to re- 
 cite my works to the king/' or, " concerning the 
 king :" — in the other case, '* I will dedicate, or con- 
 secrate my works to the king." This view of the 
 words is different from that taken of them by the 
 persons who furnished the vowel points, and what 
 may be called the division points, of the Hebrew text. 
 In this they, no doubt, gave both the pointing and 
 the sense which depended upon it, as they had re- 
 ceived them, by tradition, from their forefathers. 
 Their authority, in no case, is to be despised : in this 
 place there can be no doubt that it deserves to be 
 submitted to. They have here marked the word 
 ^j{^ not only with the distinctive accent Tiphcha, 
 
 • T 
 
 but also with Kametz, instead of Pathach, indicating 
 a pause : according to this punctuation, the sense of 
 the words is : dico ego : opera mea sunt regi ; that 
 is, — it is ray settled purpose, to celebrate the excel- 
 lencies and the praises of the king. Symmachus 
 renders, not improperly, the word ^Ci^VQ» '"''^ 'aoirnj^ara. 
 
 fiov : — " my poems," — the works of the poet : and 
 the word, it will be observed, becomes the nomina- 
 tive, the substantive verb being understood. It is not 
 necessary here to render the prefix S lamed, by de, — 
 concerning, as in Psalm iii. 3. '2^^£3J7, — concerning 
 my soul : Psalm xxv. 2. Let not mine enemies exult ^ 
 ♦7, over, — or concerning me ; Psalm xxxv. 19, etc. 
 It is to be taken as merely the ordinary sign of 
 the dative case, by which the poet points out the 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 189 
 
 person to whose honour the ode was about to be re- 
 cited. , 
 
 ")^nD*n£3lD Dy ''}^t^^ ■ UnguameastUusscribae 
 , 1 .. ... 
 
 expediti; *' My tongue the pen of a ready writer :" — 
 In these words, the writer expresses the earnestness 
 with which he would engage in the praises of the 
 king. The sense of them is well given in the 
 Chaldee : " The language of my tongue hastens as 
 the pen of a practised," — prompt, quick " writer." 
 If the mind readily, quickly, supplies what is to be 
 spoken, while the tongue is slow in expressing what 
 the mind suggests, the song will be languid. On the 
 contrary, when the matter abundantly furnished by 
 an active mind is received and expressed with equal 
 readiness and propriety by the tongue, the song will 
 be of course fluent and forcible. The noun J^^, is 
 
 derived from the verb ^^y, which, in the Arabic, 
 signifies fodit^ — he digged, or cut out. Strictly, it 
 seems to have been used for the stylus, or sharp- 
 pointed instrument employed in engraving on lead, 
 stone, wax, palm leaves, or other materials, the let- 
 ters or writing which are committed to parchment or 
 paper in modern times. Certainly the St'^S'DVj 
 
 expressly mentioned Job xix. 24, and Jer. xvii. 1, 
 means the iron stylus with which words were cut in 
 the rock. Afterwards it was used for a writing pen; 
 and is so rendered in the Chaldee, both in this pas. 
 sage, and in Job xix. 24 ; Jer. vii. 8. In Jer. xvii. 1, 
 the Hebrew term is retained. Except in these four 
 places, the word does not occur in the Old Testa- 
 
190 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ment. But before OV here, we must supply 3 capli, 
 the particle of likeness or comparison, as in Ps. xxii. 
 7, 13; Eccles. vii. 24. The phrase *l»nD ^£)1D» 
 
 • T 
 
 is well rendered in the Alexandrine version, yga/Xyaa- 
 rsw; o^vyod(po\) ; the Yulgate gives, scribae velociter 
 scribentiSi — " of a writer writing quickly." As 
 n^HDj in its primary signification, mediUS fast, quick, 
 
 from "^riD festiiiavit, — he made haste, — it is not 
 
 at all necessary to take the secondary sense of skil- 
 fuli expert. This sanse is indeed adopted in the 
 Syriac and in the Arabic ; and is approved of by 
 Ludovic de Dieu, though, as we have said, without 
 good reason. 
 
 3. The writer now begins to praise the king, and 
 commends him, in the first place, for his dignified form 
 and graceful eloquence. Q1^>^ ^^^/^ Tl^D^D' 
 
 Ir r t • T : r 
 
 Tu venustate cunctos mortales antecellis. — ^" Thou 
 art more beautiful than the children of men." In 
 ancient times, men of noble minds were represented 
 as excelling also in the beauty of their bodily form. 
 Thus we read of Joseph, that he was goodly in 
 person and well favoured. Homer bestows on his 
 Achilles and Hector extraordinary beauty. Virgil 
 describes ^Eneas as os humerosqne Deo similem,—- 
 that is, as having in his appearance a greater than 
 human beauty and grandeur. From 1 Sam. ix. 2, 
 X. 23, we perceive how highly a commanding, digni- 
 fied exterior was valued in a king. Since then, our 
 poet designed to represent the king, who was tha 
 subject of his song, as beloved of God, and as hav- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 191 
 
 ing every blessing abundantly bestowed upon him : 
 he ascribes to him dignity of personal apjDearance. 
 
 In the Chaldee we read: ^^'^b KS^O 'T\l:^^^ 
 
 i<t^^ *^2^ ^ny " Thy beauty, O King Mes- 
 
 siah, exceeds that of the sons of men.*' The word 
 ^^S*Q^ in the opinion of Schultens, is com- 
 
 pounded of 1Q\ or ^3^ pulchriiudo, and HQ^ 
 
 pulcherfait ; as if it were said, " Thou art beautiful 
 in beauty." According to Storr, it is compounded of 
 the intinitive used as a noun '£3% and the participle 
 
 ♦£3» changed into ^DS from which, rejecting the 
 
 last radical of the infinitive, we have H^D^D^ 1^ 
 
 would be difficult to find a genuine example of a 
 word compounded in this manner, in the whole 
 compass of the Hebrew language, and of the cog- 
 nate dialects. The term is to be referred rather to 
 a singular species of compounds, in which the two 
 first radicals are doubled, as "lp9pD» the passive 
 
 of which is "TpSpS- ^^ the same form is the 
 
 word *Jl^^*!t^^"^ admodum cresces, Isaiah xvii. 11, 
 
 from the root used in the Chaldee ^y^, or H^^ to 
 
 r r « 
 
 increase, to multiply. This form of the verb, and of 
 the word before us, are treated of at some length by 
 Dithm. Hackmann in Praecidaneis Sacris, and also 
 by Gesenius in Lehrgeb. But as the word n^£)*£D' 
 
 is in the passive voice, it must evidently be ren- 
 
192 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 dered : venustissimus redditiis es, — " thou art veri/ 
 beautiful ;" for, by the duplication of the two radicals, 
 there is conveyed an intensity of signification. This 
 we have already seen in Dlp^p^n* Ps. xxxv. 6, 
 
 and in 'nn^^.HD? Ps. xxxviii. 11.^ 
 
 In the words which follow, ^l^rilnSit^l Iflp "J^^\ 
 
 diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis, — " grace is poured 
 out upon thy lips," the king is commended for the 
 gracefulness of bis speech, that is, for his eloquence. 
 The noun ?n was used by the Hebrews in the same 
 
 sense, and with the same variety of application, aa 
 X^^S'S by the Greeks, or gratia by the Latins : we 
 find it applied to eloquence, Eccles. x. 12, HH*? 
 
 tn DDn"^S • " The words of a wise man's mouth 
 
 are grace, that is, are gracious." The poet indicates 
 the highest degree of eloquence, by saying, not 
 merely that grace was in his lips, but that it was 
 
 3 Et lubricitatesj that is, in places exceedingly slippery, where 
 it is impossible to fix the feet : as if a person were obliged to 
 walk over deep stiff clay, where he was liable to stumble or 
 fall at every step. The same metaphor is used in Ps. Ixxiii. 
 18, " Thou hast set them in slippery places." Jer. xxiii. 12, 
 " Their ways shall be as slipperiness,'' literally, i. e. " as 
 slippery paths in the darkness.'' The extreme danger of the 
 condition is intimated, first, by the duplication of the two ra- 
 dicals; for the root is p^H? soft, he was soft, slippery; and, 
 
 second, by the noun being put in the plural number. We have 
 examples, of the first, Nehem. ii. 10. Ezek. xvii. 5. .Eccl. xii. 5. 
 Of the second, Eccles. v. 6. Dan. xii. 2. Ps. xxii. 4, etc. 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 193 
 
 poured out, diffused. Cicero uses an expression 
 somewhat similar with regard to Pericles, — Suadelam 
 sessitasse in labiis ejus: that persuasion was seated 
 in his lips. In the Chaldee, the clause is para- 
 phrased, "Tin I^D 02 n^^nD nn y^r^Ts^'—Datus 
 
 est spiritus propheticB in labiis tuis : " the spirit of 
 prophecy is given in thy lips.'' 
 
 dSIvS CnS« ^D^n p"Sj;. Propterea quod 
 bene precatiis tihi Dens in sempiterniim ; " Because 
 that God hath blessed thee for ever." — ^y^^l here, 
 is put for p°^y "It^*^, and is to be rendered, he- 
 cause that ; as in Jer. xlviii. 36. Mine heart sound- 
 eth like pipes for the men ofKirJieres, TT^TV p" /J/i 
 
 ^1!1^^ \lk^Vj because that the residue of the riches 
 
 they have acquired, perisheih. — Because God had 
 bestowed upon the king peculiar kindness, he there- 
 fore, appeared eminent in personal beauty, and in 
 eloquence. Concerning the word "^p2? see the note 
 on Psalm xxi. 4.* 
 
 < The verb "H^S^ often signifies to wish well; but it is used 
 
 also to express actual beneficence^ whetlier of men or of God. 
 When Jehovah promised to Abraham, Gen. xii. 2, se ilium 
 Tj*^^, — « That he would bless him," as ic is commonly ren. 
 
 dered, he not only expressed good will, but promised to confer 
 certain important blessings. When Jacob rjesought his bro- 
 ther Esau to accept the gifts which he oflfered, he said, '* accept, 
 I pray thee, ^HDIll^ which should be rendered rather^ " ray 
 
 present, my gift," taan my hissing. 
 O 
 
194 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 4. The poet proceeds to celebrate the personal 
 bravery of the king ; — a virtue by which princes, 
 among ancient nations, were accustomed to acquire 
 for themselves the highest admiration and honour. 
 He changes, however, as if from the ardour of his 
 feelings, — the form of speech ; and carries it onward 
 in the shape of a direct address, or exhortation. 
 
 Cinge, o heros^ femur tuum yladio tuo, qui est decus 
 tuum et splendor .•— " Gird, O hero, thy thigh with 
 thy sword, which is thine ornament and thine honour." 
 By a person of exalted mind, it must be felt as the 
 highest praise, that he has been instrumental in 
 averting threatened evils, and in procuring important 
 honour and advantages to the community to which 
 he belongs. This praise the poet ascribes to the 
 king, who is the subject of his song. He styles the 
 king "iiSilj ^ ^€10 : and assigns to him a sword, as 
 an ornament^ and honour ; intimating, as we have al- 
 ready said, that nothing was held more deserving of 
 admiration, than prowess in war, and more deserving 
 of praise. For the meaning of the word n*in» we 
 refer lo the note, Psalm xxix. 2.^ In the Chaldee 
 we liave, " Bind a sirord to thy thigh, ^tOp/tD^, 
 
 l*:itoS^ DV I^SSt: to slay kings and rulers, 
 with thine honour and ornament." 
 
 ^ n*'i"TrT» signifies an ornament of honour, as in Proverbs 
 
 T T —: , 
 
 XXV. 1:8, copia populi'^7/tD"Xl^"!n. ornatus, est regis : "The 
 multitude ol the people is the oriiameiit of the king." 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 195 
 
 5. The poet havinj^ described tlie king as possess- 
 ed of personal beauty, eloquence, and armour suited 
 to his roj'al dignity, proceeds as follows: — 'Hlim 
 
 IlD*1 n*7-y Et decore fuo felix vehitor : — "And in 
 
 thy beauty prosperous be thou carried forth :" — that 
 is, go forth, confident in thy majestic demeanour : 
 ascending the royal chariot, claim and take posses- 
 sion of the kingdom with becoming magnificence. 
 The term 'H'^im? Decore tuo, refers to the sword, 
 
 with which, on its being delivered to him, he is un- 
 derstood to have girded himself. The prefix ^ befh 
 must here be supplied ; (see Waithers Hebrew Ellip- 
 ses), and the word with which the former verse ends 
 being repeated, the sword of the king is kept in 
 view as the instrument, by means of which he 
 should secure his prosperity. Examples of the same 
 figure, — afwdjphsis, — are to be found Psalm xciii. 
 1 ; xciv. 23; xciv, 6; cxxi. 1,2. Instead of *?]**) "7 HT 
 
 ' : T -:- 
 
 the Alexandrine translators understood the word as 
 if pointed *1*lim> calca, — tread, or bend, — the bow 
 
 to wit, r\^pi ^s in Psalm vii. 13 ; xi. 2.^ ^hey 
 
 ^ I M li^ti^pj qui arcum suum calcat: " one who treads 
 
 his bow," that is, who bends it. Jarchi observes justly, that 
 the word applies with propriety to a bow, because, if it is strong, 
 the person bending it must place it under his feet. Such bows 
 werfl n "Jed by the TndiRn*!. as we ^earn from A rrian in Hist, 
 I iid. AXA.' ol fi.iv TiZ^o) avToli to^ov ti 'i^ovffiv ItrouviKts Tti 
 f«oiovTi To To^oV teect touto >.a.-u \'ri rnv yriv B^'zvTis xa) rZ "Toh) tu 
 aoiaricu aryT(/3avT£j, eii~us 'x; c^-.uoviri, rhv vtvprii it) fciyu 0Tt7u 
 
1 96 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 translate the term y.ai ivrsnov, et intende ; by which 
 the same Greek word is rendered in the Vulgate, 
 also in Psalm vii. 13; xi. 2. Eusebius, — quoted by 
 Agellius upon this passage, — follows the Septuagint, 
 and gives the sense as follows : — hmvov gov ra rot^a 
 i'iiziTci (BaXuv rovg s^^ovg Kursvodov, y.at (3a,6iAsvi : — in- 
 tende arcum tunm, deinde, perenssis hostibus, prospere 
 procede et regna •■ " bend thy bow, then having 
 smitten thine enemies, proceed prosperously, and 
 reign." But this mode of reading, — though much 
 approved of by Cappellus and others, — is liable to 
 this objection, that the verb Tjll, in the sense of 
 
 bending^ or tailing an aim, is always accompanied by 
 the noun XX^p '•> — ^s nowhere found without it, 
 
 Psalm xvii. 13. Lamenta. ii. 4. The verbs H /1^> 
 
 HD*) ad verbum sonant : felix esio, vehitor; — literally 
 
 rendered, signify, " be thou prosperous, be thou 
 carried forth ;" that is, be thou carried, or borne 
 forth prosperously. Two verbs of the same tense, 
 number, and person, are usually so connected, as 
 that the latter expresses the thing itself; — the former 
 the mode, or some attendant circumstance, and thus 
 supplies the place of an Adverb. Deut. i. 5. ■^T2> 
 
 \r\'^ fparsit, dedit, — " he scattered, he gave :" — that 
 
 is, he gave scatteringly, — copiously: Hos. ix. 9, 
 
 a'TuyuycvTi;, " The Indian foot soldiers have a bow, of the 
 same length as the person who carries it. When they bend it, 
 they lay it on th^ ground : set the lefc foot firmly upon it, and 
 pulling in the contrary direciioii, the string is thus drawn far 
 bajkwards." 
 
ox PSALM XLV. 197 
 
 1^^1*1 inDt!^> laetati sunt et viderunt: — " they re- 
 
 joiced, and they saw :" that is, they saw with a joy- 
 ful heart.'' The poet seems to have used the verb 
 ^D1 i» this place, because the king of the Persians 
 
 always came forth from the palace either on horse- 
 back, or in a chariot ; he was never seen on foot. 
 Athenaeus Deipnosop/i ! L. xii. 2. Ai/i/Sa/i/gv svt/ rl 
 
 Tuv ^affiXslojv. "He ascended a chariot, sometimes also 
 a horse, but he was never seen out of the palace upon 
 foot." In reference to this custom, it is said, Esth. 
 vi. 8, that if the king wished to honour a person, he 
 ordered to be brought for him, ^^*1 11^^ D^D? 
 
 *n7^n r^^ " ^^^^ horse upon which the king rode," 
 
 namely, KJl^S^/tD^ ^V1 NDV!l, die, quo intravit 
 
 regnum ; — " On the day when he entered upon the 
 kingdom," as the Chaldee explains it. The sense of 
 the words here is very well given in the Chaldee : 
 
 vehitor in equo regio ; " be thou prosperously carried 
 upon the royal horse." In the Alexandrine version 
 we have /3a(r/AJi/s, re^wa / ''reign thou," because, as 
 it was the custom in the creating of a king, that he 
 should mount the royal steeds ; when it was said, ride 
 thou, or be thou carried, the meaning was the same 
 as if it had been said, reign thou. The translator 
 
 'See Schroederi Instit. ad fundam. L. II. Syntax. Reg. 
 LXIII. et Gesenii Lehrgeh. 
 
198 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 has given the transferrtd, in preference to the lUeral 
 sense of the word, with the view, no doubt, of ren- 
 dering the passage clear and intelligible. 
 
 nt)K""15.T"7y Propter veri/atem, — " On ac- 
 count of truth ;" or, as it is rendered in the Chaldee, 
 nri^JD^n pOV ^V^ propter jugotium veritatis, as if he 
 had said, banishing guile and falsehood, let fidelity and 
 truth, heretofore suppressed, emerge and flourish under 
 thy government, and under thy protection, Comp. 
 Isa. lix. 14. Hosea iv. 1. Others connect thse words 
 with those that immediately follow p*T^*"m3J^1 €t 
 
 mansuetudinemjustitiamque, making the sense of the 
 whole, "on account of truth, gentleness, and justice," 
 ■ — that is, seeing thou art adorned with all those vir- 
 tues which are chiefly becoming the royal dignity, 
 thou art therefore most deserving of the kingdom. A 
 king, they say, maintains truth, when he shews him- 
 self constant in words and deeds, — punctually per- 
 forming his promises, like the judges mentioned^ 
 Exod. xviii. 21, who are styled nDK'^^^K " men 
 
 of truth," " faithful men." He, moreover, shews 
 geritleness who does not despise or overlook the 
 humble, but treats them bcnignantly ; and, in fine, 
 Justice is preserved, when nothing is done injuriously, 
 but when every one receives his due ; and when 
 causes, after an impartial examination, are determined 
 according to the rules of strict rectitude. It is easy 
 to see how^ much popularity, honour, and authority 
 a king must gain by the exercise of these virtues. 
 Those who view the words in this light consider 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 199 
 
 p"1i-m:3/"l as put affuvoi rw; for p^VI ]1^}V^ in t'^^ 
 same manner as below, verse 9. nlV^'p nl^HNi 
 Thus the Chaldee render the words Nni^rnV) 
 KriDTi^l, the xVlexandrine, Kai 'Troavrrirog xa/ htxaio- 
 cji/jj;, and the Vulgate (propter) mansuetudinem etjusti- 
 tiam. In this explication, however, Makkeph occupies 
 an inconvenient position, much more so than in verse 9 
 where the two first words which itjoins together, are 
 more fitly connected, than the two last in this place. 
 Others think that by an enallagy, the words are here 
 used in the absolute, instead of the constructed state. 
 Of this figure, Buxtirff and Bochart adduce a great 
 multitude of examples. The vvords would thus be, pro- 
 perly, pny m^J^ (propter) mansuetudinem justitiae 
 on account " of the gentleness, the mildness of jus- 
 tice." They explain gentleness, as regulated by 
 justice ; and justice, tempered by mercy or gentle- 
 ness. In this way the Syriac interpreter renders the 
 words : ^" to go forth on account of truth, and in the 
 humility, the mildness of justice." 
 
 But the unusual form of the noun nUV* hinders 
 us from thinking that it here signifies gentleness : in 
 this sense it is always read HIjV i" other passages. 
 Some have supposed that niJi^ should be taken as 
 the imperative of the verb HDX^ with n paragogic 
 
 T T ' 
 
 like nis^'H' to see, Ezek. xxviii, 17. Junius, accord- 
 ingly, renders it, — Proloquere justifiam,: pronounce 
 or decree justice. Geirus, — Exaudi justii'iam : listen 
 to justice, as in Ps. xvji. I. Both these notions are 
 opposed to the accents, according to which the 
 
200 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 words plV-m^J^j are connected more closely with 
 
 those immediately preceding, on account of truth, 
 thaw with the more remote term H^"). This being 
 
 the case, I prefer with J. H. Michaelis, to take TSX^V 
 
 t : - 
 
 as a proposition of the same form as HIJ^j coram, 
 
 before, Ps. cxvi. 14, 18 : its meaning \s propter, be- 
 cause, or on account of, similar to ]V and ]VD^» 
 with which it has a common origin, — namelj^ the 
 verb n^y, respondit, he answered. The words 
 
 T T 
 
 pnV"n*liyij are thus connected in the easiest and 
 
 simplest manner with those that go before ; and are 
 to be rendered, — Et propter justitiam ; " and on ac- 
 count of justice," — that is, to punish and restrain the 
 wicked, — to defend and vindicate the good. 
 
 The poet proceeds: rj^V-p^ niNnl: ^n1n> Et 
 
 docehit te terribilia dextera tua : " And thy right hand 
 shall teach thee terrible things :" that is, as if he had 
 said, — when thou goest forth against thine enemies, 
 thou shalt make a terrible slaughter among them : — 
 in the war thou shalt need no other direction or aid 
 than that of thine own right hand ; — that is, of thine 
 own prowess, for this is frequently the meaning of the 
 term, Psalm xliv. 4 ; xcviii. 1. Comip.Drusn A?iimad- 
 verss. Others interpret the words in the following 
 manner : — so great shall be thy power and prosperity, 
 that merely on moving thy right hand, every thing 
 shall succeed ; — all shall come to pass according to 
 thy desire : — thy right hand shall teach thee to form 
 wonderful purposes, and to achieve glorious victo- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 201 
 
 ries. In the Alexandrine version the word rT^ln 
 
 t 
 
 has the sense viam moiistrandi : of shewing the way, 
 as in Psahn xxv. 8, 12; xxxii. 8, — and, from this, 
 deducendi : — of leading forth: — the noun HlNllbj 
 
 T 
 
 is understood as standing in the room of an adverb ; 
 and thus the entire clause is rendered : -/.at cdyiyfiffsi cs 
 ^av/ji.affTug rj de^id gov et deducet te mirabiliter dextera 
 tua : — as it is given in the Vulgate : — " and thy right 
 hand shall lead thee forth wondrously." But when 
 the verb nnlH signifies to imint out the way^ it is 
 always accompanied by the noun TI'Tl : besides the 
 
 passages mentioned above, see Prov. iv. 11. 2 Chron. 
 vi. 27. 1 Kings viii. 36. A better rendering is given 
 by Symmachus : v-Trod-i^n &oi (po[3spd i] ds^id gov, — osten^ 
 det tibi ierribilia dextera tua : — " thy right hand shall 
 shew thee terrible things." The Chaldee gives 
 the following paraphrase : "lllVD^ *' "IJS^*! 
 *ni^D^ l^n T /^n*T> docebit te Dominus terribiliapa- 
 
 trare manu tua dextera : — " the Lord shall teach thee 
 to do terrible things with thy right hand." The 
 worst of all the translations is the Syriac, the sense 
 of which is : lex tua est in timore dexterae tuae ; — 
 '* thy law is in the fear of thy right hand. The word 
 
 r]nin is taken for T]n"]in andni^ni: forn^n^n. 
 
 There are some expositors, also, who have understood 
 ^*Tin ^^ the sense jaculandi : — of casting, or throW' 
 
 ing, (Prov. xxvi. 18.) : and who think the clause 
 should be rendered thus : jaculari te faciet dextera 
 tua terrores ! — " thy right hand shall make thee to 
 
202 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 throw terrors." But the Hiphil form of the verb 
 ni\ does not mean he made to throw ; its sense is, 
 
 TT 
 
 he threw, — he cast, — 1 Sam. xx. 20. xxxi. 3. 2 Kings 
 xix. 82 
 
 6. The poet says farther in praise of the king's 
 victory, ^^J^^Ji^; ^''^P' sagittae tuae acutae ;— 
 
 '' thine arrows are sharp :" there is nothing which 
 they cannot penetrate. There is a sudden change of 
 person, familiar to the Hebrew poets. The Chaldee 
 
 has I^DISdI^? SppD^ \'^h^ "^nn-l, sagittae 
 
 tuae extractae sunt ad occideridum turmas ; — " thine 
 arrows are drawn out for the slaying of troops." 
 
 ^bS^ ^^/^nri S^^V' pf>/5«^'« suh te cadent y— " peo- 
 ple shall fall under thee :" — conquered by thine arms 
 and routed, they shall fall prostrate at thy feet. 
 Corap. Psalm xviii. 36. To the words ^II^IK 1^2 
 'l7/tDn5 in cor hostiinn regis ; — " in the heart of the 
 
 enemies of the king,'' most interpreters supply, 
 " thine arrows shall fall," as repeated from the 
 words preceding. The Chaldee paraphrase runs 
 
 cus iui, h. e. sagittae tuae, immittentur in cor hostium 
 regis: — "The sons of thy bow," that is, thine ar- 
 rows, — "shall be sent into the heart of the king's 
 enemies." This interpretation, however, as Michae- 
 lis remarks, is not favoured by the accents. " There 
 is a greater distinction," says he, " bj- merca-malipach^ 
 than by athnach. V^y the power of the latter the 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 205 
 
 words have a stricter connexion than by that of the 
 former : this is the grammatical doctrine. The 
 word ^^B^ has aihr.acli, but sheva remains ; which, 
 
 if there had been a pause, would have been changed 
 into cholem^ and the accent retracted." For this 
 
 reason Geier and o'hers consider the words ^73 
 
 *nSDn ^i^k' as a description Tm D^^y, — where 
 
 they are situated, namely, in the heart, that is, in the 
 midst of the enemies of the hing. They understand 
 the passage thus : — although the nations who surren- 
 der themselves to thee, are every where surrounded 
 with thine enemies ; and may be afraid on account 
 of their malignity ; yet, like the Gibeonites of old, 
 who made peace with Joshua in the midst of enemies, 
 (Josh. X. 4.) their love and veneration for thee will 
 have more influence with them, than the fear of those 
 evils to which they may be exposed from the ene- 
 mies around them. The passage thus agrees, as to 
 its import^ with Psalm ex. 2, when it is said in regard 
 to the Messiah, ^^^K -^*^p^ H"!")^ dominare in 
 
 medio hostium tuorum ; " rule thou in the midst of 
 thine enemies." Compare also Mich. v. 7. We 
 prefer, however, so to connect the clause with the 
 v/ord C^^, as to render it : pnpuli, qui sunt corde, 
 
 ECU ex animo hosfes regis : — " the nations who are 
 in heart or in spirit the enemies of the king." We 
 may compare this with a similar phrase, Psalm xvii. 
 9, Hide mefrm Ji^S jH 'H^X, hostibiis meis ex animo : 
 
 <' those who are mine enemies in spirit ;" — also with 
 
204 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Ezek. XXV. 6, 15, Gaudes cum omnifastutuo ^^y^ 
 ex animo : " thou didst rejoice with all thy despite 
 in thy soul." The words *n^.!!2n O^IJ^, are used 
 instead of Tl^^^ij^ : that is, the enemies of the king^ 
 
 instead of thifie enemies. In the simplicity of ancient 
 language, it was a frequent practice to repeat a noun 
 when, in modern tongues, a pronoun would have 
 been used in preference. Vid. Storrii Observatt. ad 
 Analog, et Syntax. Hebr. 
 
 7. It is next predicated of the king's dominion, 
 that it should be firm and permanent: D^PlSt^ ^|^sD^ 
 nyi D/I^j Solium tuum, O Deus, est solium, se- 
 
 V T r 
 
 cult et eternitatis .- — " Thy throne, God, is a throne 
 of age and eternity," — it shall stand for ever. It is 
 well expressed in the Chaldee : D*P^ ^' T^P^ 'DIID 
 
 *^!D /J^ *'u)V?-> Thronus gloriae tuae^ Jova, sta- 
 
 bilis est in sempiternum .• — " The throne of thy glory, 
 O Jehovah, is established for ever." A throne is 
 used, j^guraiively, for the government of a kingdom, 
 which was generally exercised upon a royal throne : 
 a sceptre and a croum are used for the same purpose, 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 40. Before D7l5^» the noun KD3 must 
 
 IT 
 
 be repeated for the completion of the expression : 
 D/li^ NID3 ^KD3» Solium tmim est solium cBterni- 
 
 tatis : — " Thy throne is a throne of eternity," that 
 is, eternal ; for, according to the Hebrew idiom, a 
 noun in the direct case frequently occupied the place 
 of an adjective. Vide Schroederi Instiit. L. H. 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 205 
 
 Syntax. Reg. vii. The poet bestows upon the king 
 the appellation D^^*S^?, " God,''— a title which, in 
 
 other passages, we find given to princes and other 
 civil magistrates. The title was given to such per- 
 sons, either, because as lords and rulers over others, 
 they bore, officially, some resemblance to the su- 
 preme God who rules over all, or, because it was be- 
 lieved that God had communicated to them their 
 power, office, and dignity. Hence, Ps. Ixxxii. 6, 
 
 Ego dixi, djS3 iv'^y ':n or\^ d^hSn. dh 
 
 estis, et Jilii Ahissinri itniversi : — '• I said ye are 
 gods, and all of you sons of the Most High." Com- 
 pare Exod. xxi, 6 ; xxli. 7, 8, 27. In the last of these 
 passages, he, who in the last part of the verse is 
 styled K*^-3> princeps, a prince, is one of those who, 
 in the first part of it. are styled DTl"^^, Gods. 
 
 Among the nations of antiquity in general, those of 
 Asia especially, kings were treated with divine ho- 
 nour, because they were believed to be the vice- 
 gerents of the gods. " What I am about to men- 
 tion," — ^ve use the words of Drnsius ObscrvaU. Sacr. 
 L. xii. Cap. xi. — *' was conniion to the Persians, the 
 Assyrians, and many other barbarous nations. 
 When tley approached the king, and were about to 
 address him, they fell flat to the ground, adoring hinv 
 as the reprnentative of God, the universal preserver. 
 On this account, zEsohylus says, that the Persians 
 and Assyrians held their kings in the place of the 
 gods. Quintus Curtius mentions, that, on a certain 
 occasion, " the king, proceeding a short way forward 
 in his chariot, was worshipped by his subjects with 
 
206 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the honours paid to the gods." The words of Arta- 
 banus the Persian, on this subject, are recorded by 
 Plutarch, in the life of Themistocles : Y,(M,Tvy inquit, 
 ToXXwi/ voixoiv %ai ytcO^jv hruiv xdXkiffTog ovrog iffri, ro 
 
 roc, : " We have many and excellent established 
 customs, but this we esteem the most excellent of 
 all, — to honour the king, to worship the representa- 
 tive of God, who preserves all things." That kings 
 were in ancient times styled gods, Drusius proves 
 also in his notes upon the book, De nomine Dei 
 Elohim. (Tzetzis in Chiliadib.) <dio-og -noXXd/iig 
 sipyj^usv, (pccff), Toug (3a(riXsag : " Kings, they say, were 
 often called gods." Tovg (Suc^iXiTg ydg d'ravTag biuc 
 0/ 'TT^iv haXovv i " For all kings were formerly called 
 gods." Again, respecting" Sosoosis, king of the 
 Assyrians, — Kai xoff/Moxpdroj^ zai Qehg l/ci^iX^ rg roTg 
 TOTS : " By them of those times he was styled both 
 Ruler of the world and God." That the Egyptians 
 paid divine honours to their kings, we are informed 
 by Diodorus Siculus, — A/a ds rag otvrdg air/ag, doxou' 
 iSiv Atyv'TTiot Toug savTuv (3affi}.sag 'Tr^ogxvvs'iv Ttai TifiMv^ 
 ug -Tr^hg dXfj^siav onrag Qsouc : " For this same cause," 
 — namely, from gratitude, on account of benefits re- 
 ceived, — " the Egyptians think it right to worship 
 and honour their kings, as if they were in reality 
 gods." This passage, and many others to the same 
 effect, are adduced by Spanheim ad Callimachi Hym. 
 in Jovem. See also Silvestre de Sacy, Memoires sur 
 diverses antiquifes de la Perse. But our poet styles 
 the king \vhom he celebrates, God, not as a magis- 
 trate, — for the Hebrews did not give this title to any 
 
ON PSALM XLY. - 207 
 
 of their own kings, — but because he considered him, 
 in truth, greater than- a human king. This is inti- 
 mated by the mentioning of etcrnHtf. Hence, in the 
 Chaldee, as we have already noticed, instead of 
 O'HStSN in this passage, the name H^Pl' is used ; 
 
 and the apostle, in the epistle to the Hebrew^s, 
 chap. i. 9, quotes it, among others, to prove the su- 
 preme dignity, — the dignity of the Messiah, the Son 
 of God. From the description given, Isa. ix. 5, 6, 
 it appears that the ancient Hebrews ascribed to the 
 Messiah a divine origin, and a divine nature : we re- 
 fer to our notes on the passage.* Gesetiius, indeed, 
 
 * His power is described by the words *^"^^J 7K» -^^"* 
 
 fortis heros. Sj^ properly denotes a person of mighty power. 
 
 It is applied, Kzek. sxxi. 11, to Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of 
 the nations, who is styled rn^')'! \ {»^, validus gentium, " the 
 
 strong one of the nations." But that God is here to he under- 
 stood as spoken of, we learn from chap. x. 21, where ^J^ 
 
 *li2il ^"^questionably means the God of the Hebrews. From 
 
 that passage we learn, too, that the words in tliis are not, as 
 some interpreters propose, to be separated, as if they were, 
 Deus, fortis. The JMasoretic accentuation teaches us rightly, 
 that the noun ^^ is to be joined to the word following, 
 
 "mSil *^6"0'^6s a person wlio excels in bravery, strengths poicer. 
 
 It is applied to men, Gen. x. 8, 1 Sam. xvii. 51 ;— to Jehovah, 
 Deut. X. 17, Zeph. iii. 17, Ps. xxiv. 8. That God, clothed 
 with human nature, might dwell among men, was, in ancient 
 times, universally believed. To a man, who was not God, all 
 that we find in this, and the next vevie cannot be applied. 
 
208 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in his commentary upon that passage of the prophet, 
 denies that the more ancient Hebrews held this opi- 
 nion respecting the divine nature of the Messiah ; 
 and argues, that it had its origin among the Jews of 
 later times, not long before the birth of Jesus. The 
 words of the Psalm, under our immediate consideration, 
 he accordingly explains in a note, as follows : Solium 
 tuum Dei seu divinum, i. e. in quo Deus te constituit, 
 perpetuum erit. " Thy throne of God, — or thy divine 
 throne ;" to wit, the throne upon which God hath 
 placed thee, — " shall endure for ever." {Dein Got- 
 testhuni steht immer imd ewiff.) The construction, 
 he says, is the same as that in Levit. xxvi. 42. 
 Ipy* ^nnS focdus mPAim Jacob i ; " my covenant 
 
 of Jacob;" — that is, the covenant which I have en- 
 tered into with Jacob. {Mein Jakobshund.) Aben- 
 Esra interprets the words in nearly a similar manner; 
 
 D^ri^^ KD3 ^^?D^ solium tuum est solium Dei : 
 " thy throne is the throne of God.'' He refers, at 
 the same time, to 1 Chron. xxix. 23. nJ2^*1 : 
 
 *?lSpS nln^ 5^S3-^'i»' Ti'iT^ seditque Salomo in 
 throno Jovae ut rex: " And Solomon sat on the 
 throne of Jehovah as king f and to 2 Chron. xv. 8, 
 
 where iiy ^^?'^n3m, is put for riKin^ nKin:n 
 
 ^1i^ that is, where the prophecy Oded, stands for 
 
 the prophecy, nameli/, the prophecu of Oded. R. 
 Saadias, referring to Aben-Esra, supplies ]OS to the 
 
 words before us, and interprets them thus : thronum 
 tuum Deus in perpetuum stabilictx " God shall esta- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 209 
 
 blish thy throne for ever." The ellipsis of the verb 
 ?0^ would be very harsh ; and it must also be ad- 
 
 mitted by every person that, if we take y^n 7,{^ for 
 
 the vocative, the order of the words is more simple 
 than that required by the interpretation either 
 of Aben-Esra or Gesenius. Besides, we have no 
 reason to doubt that even the ancient Hebrews en- 
 tertained the opinion respecting the Great King, 
 who, they hoped, would restore the golden age of 
 the world ; — that he would be of a nature higher 
 than human. We find similar opinions prevailed, 
 amongst others, in the most ancient Asiatic nations. 
 We refer, for proof, to our note on Isa. ix. 5, al- 
 ready mentioned; and to J, G. Rhode die heilge Sage 
 des Ze?idvo/ks. A hope of this nature, with regard 
 to the future deliverer of the human family, agrees 
 much better with the ancient notion of the gods 
 dwelling with men, than with the sober mode of 
 thinking on such subjects that prevailed in later times. 
 But, to return to our poet, who now praises the 
 justice of the king who is the subject of his song 
 
 ^nOb/D 'C2ti^ 'i\^'0 D12^. Sceptrum rectitu- 
 
 dinis, seu rectum, est sceptrum regni tut : " A scep- 
 tre of righteousness, — or a right sceptre; is the 
 sceptre of thy kingdom:" Thou exercisest thy power 
 and authority most justly ; — thou rulest with perfect 
 equity. W^e may notice, here, in the Hebrew words, a 
 synchysis, — a transposition of the subject and the pre- 
 dicate : the order of the proposition is ; " the scep- 
 tre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Glassius gives 
 p 
 
210 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 other examples of the same nature. The noun 
 *nti^^^. rectitudOi — righteousness, is used in reference 
 
 to equity of government in Ps. Ixvii. 5 ; xcvi. 10 ^ 
 Jsa. xi. 3, 4. 
 
 8. The cause of this justice is next assigned ; 
 y^n i^JS^^J^I p"T^' r\^'n^ Diligis justidam. et odis 
 
 - V T : • " ' V V T : - X 
 
 improbitatem ; " Thou lovest justice and hatest ini- 
 quity :'' from this proceeds the righteous and impor- 
 tant administration of the government. *3"^y 
 
 'qnnnp \\\t^^ pp TH^.^ ^''^^^. ^P^^^:. 
 
 Propterea unxit te, O Deus, Deus tuus oleo laetitiae^ 
 prae sociis tuis ; " Therefore, O God, thy God hath 
 anointed thee with the oil of joy above thy fellows.'^ 
 This clause is well explained by Doederlein in his 
 Annotations upon the Poetical Books of the Old 
 Testament, ad h. l. " This phrase is similar to the 
 following : coronom honoris aliciii impoiiere ; to put 
 upon a person a crown of honour, — which signifies 
 nothing more than to honour him. Thus, in the 
 phrase, to anoint with the oil of joy, there is no rea- 
 son to search for any remote or singular signification: 
 we ought to be satisfied with the simple sense, — he 
 hath bestowed on thee great happiness and prospe- 
 rity, majesty, victories, and an extensive kingdom, 
 all which are grounds of joy to the mind of a king." 
 This interpretation is confirmed by a passage in 
 Isaiah Ixi. 3, where ]iti^ti^ ID^ ungentumvoluptatis ; 
 <« oil of pleasure or joy,*' is opposed to /^t^ luctus ; 
 mourning. The mode of speaking is taken from the 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 21 1 
 
 use made of ointments at festivals, and on other joy- 
 ful occasions ; See Ps. xxiii. 5, compared witli Ps. 
 civ. 15. 2 Sam. xiv. 2. Ruth iii. 3. 2 Sam. xii. 
 
 20. The noun CD^nSi^? which we, with the greater 
 
 part of Christian interpreters, apprehend, as in the 
 preceding verse, to be in the vocative case, is under- 
 stood by some to be in the nominative. They, 
 therefore, render the words, unxit te Deus, Deus tuns ; 
 " God, even thy God, hath anointed thee." In this 
 
 case, Tj^n /b^ would have the same position as in 
 
 Ps. xliii. 4, irh^ D^nW> " God, my God;" and 
 
 in Ps. 1. 7. oit< ^^pSk D^nSi^ ^^w*' ^^^^* ^""^ 
 sum ego ; " 1 am God, even thy God." The com- 
 panionsy ovjellows of the king, DHin, to whom he 
 
 is superior in happiness, and in consciousness of his 
 own more exalted circumstances, are no doubt other 
 contemporary kings. 
 
 9. Robes perfumed with sweet smelling substan- 
 ces appertained to the splendour of royalty. Such are 
 those described by the poet in the words following : 
 
 xylaloe et casia omnia vestimenta tua ; literally,-— 
 " Myrrh and aloes, cassia, all thy garments :" that is, thy 
 garments emit an odour as pleasant as if they consisted 
 of the most fragrant aromatics. In the Chaldee v/e 
 
 have ^^nv^yp"l v^^'i^^^ S^DpKi {<ot ^<•1^^ 
 
 '^'^\a7 ^3 ^''"i^S-inD* myrrhapura et xylaioe et 
 
212 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 cassia suffita sunt omnia vestimenta tua ; '* with 
 pure myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, all thy garments 
 are perfumed." That "^^ is myrrh, is shewn by 
 Celsius in his Sacred Botany: he renders it very 
 probable, also, that nl/HK is the name of the plant 
 
 wood- aloes. See our note on Num. xxiv. 6. We 
 have the authority of Celsius for supposing that 
 HlJ^'^yp) is casia odorata^ — sweet- smelling cassia. 
 Brissonius, de Eegio Persarum Principatn, gives the 
 following account : — " We learn," says he, " from Athe- 
 naeusand Hesychius, that the turban, or head- dress of 
 the Persian king, was anointed with myrrh and laby- 
 zus. Athenaeus, on this subject, quotes the words of 
 Dino : %aTS67.i\jdZ^irai sx 6fM{j^vr,c^ xai rov xaXov/xivou 
 
 Tvg Gfj^v^nii. " It was perfumed by the application 
 of myrrh, and what is called labyzus. Labyzus is a 
 sweet smelling substance, and has a higher value 
 than myrrh." Hesychius merely quotes the words 
 of Athenaeus. 
 
 In expounding the words ^^^ |(;^ vD*n"*D> 
 
 ^in^Ci'j interpreters have found much difficulty 
 
 with the word '3/tD- Ky far the greater number take 
 
 it to be the particle 1!^ ex, " out of," with jod 
 
 paragogic, as in Ps. xliv. 19, and in many other places 
 mentioned by Nuldius in his Concordance. But, as 
 it is followed here by the verb Tl^n^ti^' its mean- 
 ing cannot be made out, unless something be sup- 
 plied ; and, as the relative pronoun is not unfre- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 213 
 
 quently omitted, it has been thought necessary to 
 supply it here, for completing the expression : 
 Iti^K Dn^DD ex quibus , " from which" palaces. 
 
 Thus the Alexandrine version has sg wi/. It must be 
 felt, however, by every person, that the form of ex- 
 pression becomes somewhat unsuitable : ex palatiis 
 eburneis, ex quibus te exhilarant ; <' out of the 
 ivory palaces, out of which they make thee glad." 
 Others would have it, ex illis inquam, palatiis^ quae 
 te laetificant: '' from these palaces, / say, which 
 make thee glad." It is scarcely necessary to say 
 that this, too, seems to be a harsh form of expression. 
 Noldius recapitulates several other interpretations, 
 given by those who take 'OD for the particle ]^, but 
 
 they are all of them still less probable. The pro- 
 gress of the verse is much more simple, if we under- 
 stand 'OO as a noun. From Jer. li. 27, it appears 
 that ^OQ ^^'as the proper name of a territory. It is 
 
 there mentioned in connexion with certain oth«r 
 districts of country: T03tS^{<1 ^OD D'l'^N;. " Ar- 
 
 rarat, Minni, and Ashkenaz :" and Bochart, in 
 Phaleg, shews that it was a district of Armenia. 
 Hence it is rendered in the Chaldee : ^-^D J^IXD 
 
 ex terra Armeniae ; *' from the land of Armenia.'* 
 Some interpreters explain the words in this manner : 
 e palatiis eburneis Armeniae exhilarant te ; from the 
 ivory palaces of Armenia they make thee glad;" they 
 gladden thee, namely, with presents : the princes 
 of Armenia study to please thee with gifts, and 
 thus to conciliate thy favour. That the persons 
 
214 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 who present gifts to the king, who is the subject of 
 the song, are princes, is supposed to be indicated by 
 the ivory palaces, out of which they are said to make 
 him glad. Others suppose that *ODj ^^ this pas- 
 sage, is the name of a region, Minnaea, in Arabia 
 Felix, which abounded in myrrh and frankincense. 
 Vide Strabonis Geograph. et Plinii Nat. Hist. The 
 notion that the inhabitants of this region were here 
 intended, may have been strengthened by what 
 Diodorus Siculus records : — " The inhabitants," he 
 says, " of Arabia Felix have sumptuous houses, 
 adorned with ivory and precious stones." The 
 clause may accordingly be rendered : E palatiis 
 eburneis laetificarit te Minaei, — " The Minaeitesfrom 
 their ivory palaces make thee glad," that is, the 
 Minaeites, leaving their ivory palaces, approach 
 thee with presents, which give thee pleasure. I 
 know not, however, if a more elegant sense is not 
 afforded, by taking the word as it is understood by 
 Schmidt, de Wette, and Gesenius. They consider 
 '0O> as a plural noun, in a form somewhat un- 
 usual, but of which there are several other examples ; 
 such as ^tJ^V^, 2 Sam. xxiii. 8. H^j ^^ Kings ix. 
 
 •• T . T 
 
 4, 19. iO)f, 2 Sam. xxii. 44; Ps. cxliv. 2. The 
 
 word, according to these examples, stands for 
 Cj*ODj and signifies, as in the Syriac, Ps. cl.4, chor- 
 
 das fides canoras, '' chords, stringed instruments of 
 music." The sense of the clause will thus be: E 
 palatiis eburneis fides, fidicines te exhilarant, — " From 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 215 
 
 the palaces of ivorj', musical instruments, — playe:s 
 on musical instruments, — make tbee glad." ^ 
 
 The words ]\i; ^S3%1, domus eburneae, <' ivory- 
 houses/' are not to be understood as signifying cof- 
 fers in which vestments were deposited ; but as pa- 
 latia, quorum conclavia ebore vestita era?it, " pa- 
 laces, the apartments of which were lined with 
 ivory." Of this description were those of Menelaus, 
 mentioned, Odi/ss. A. 72, 73. 
 
 " Above, beneath, around the palace shines, 
 The sumless treasure of exhausted mines : 
 The spoils of elephants the roofs inlay, 
 And studded amber darts a golden ray." — Pope. 
 
 The chief men of the island Cheos are said 
 (^AthencBi Deipnos,) to have had %fytrco 6' sXs(p(xvTi n 
 IjjaoiM'jii^o-oCiv o/Koi, '•' houses resplendent with gold and 
 ivory." From this fact, we have the passage of 
 Horace, Carm. II. 18. 2. 
 
 ' In confirmation of this sense, the following note from 
 Dalhe deserves attention: — " Among various conjectures," he 
 says, " as to the sense of the very difficult words, ^-^^ 
 
 ^iP^'fi^) I prefer that offered by Doederlein, which is at 
 
 once ingenious and easy. Among other instruments of 
 music, we find Q1 j ^ mentioned, Ps. cl.4, which, he says, by 
 
 comparing with the Syriac term, we understand signifies 
 fides, ' viols.' " This sense is very suitable to the scope of 
 the passage, — Te adventantem excipit chorus musicorum fidibus 
 canenlium : " The choir of musicians singing, with their 
 viols, meet thee on thine approach."— Tr. 
 
216 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Non ebur neque aureum 
 Mea renidet in domo lacunae. 
 
 " No walls with ivory inlaid 
 Adorn my house." — Francis. 
 
 The following of Virgil, also. jS^neid. X. 135, seq. 
 
 Quale per artem 
 Inclusum buxo aut Oricia Terebintho 
 Lucet ehur. 
 
 " Distinguished from the crowd he shines a gem, 
 Inchas'd in gold, or polish'd iv'ry set, 
 Amidst the meaner foil of sable jet," — Dryden. 
 
 It is related (1 Kings xxii. 39,) that Ahab erected 
 an ivory palace; and (Amos iii. 15.) mention is 
 made of |^;n *D3' ivory houses. The word •jj^ 
 
 primarily, and in general, signifies tooth ; from which 
 is derived its secondary sense, — that particular kind 
 of tooth, the tooth of the elephant, which furnishes 
 ivory. 1 Kings x. 18; 2 Chron. ix. 17 ; Ezek. 
 xxvii. 6 ; Song vii. 5. The words, therefore, are 
 very properly explained in the Chaldee, K^^O^I \'0 
 
 "^^S*^ ]'C!^^D/t3*T5 Ex palatiis quaevestita sunt dente 
 
 elephcmtino : — " From palaces adorned with the ele- 
 phant's tooth." 
 
 The splendour of the Asiatic kings was, in an- 
 cient times, and still continues to be, in no small de- 
 gree displayed bj'^ the Haram. A king is reckoned 
 illustrious in proportion to the number of noble vir- 
 gins who adorn it. In this song the rank and 
 beauty of the king's vrives are mentioned to his 
 honour : that several of them were of royal de- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 217 
 
 scent is intimated by the words, DO^^ Hl^^ 
 
 ^Tlllp^Ilj FUine regum i?iter pretiosas tuas .- — 
 
 *■' The daughters of kings among thy precious," thy 
 noble, thy beloved damsels. By the nature and de- 
 sign of the song, we are plainly taught to understand 
 by the women spoken of, kingdoms and nations ; 
 among which, ver. 13, ly-HSr Filia Tyrus, — "' the 
 
 daughter of Tyre," is particularly named. Accord- 
 ing to the Hebrew mode of speaking, the whole po- 
 pulation of a place were styled the daughters of it. 
 See note on Isa. i. 8.'° In the Chaldee, the words 
 areexplainedthus:^BpD^rnt^ ^^m^Vj O^D 
 
 -': • : ' •• T T T : : - •■ : • 
 
 *in^*1p- Si "ISS*?? reges regnorum venient ut susci- 
 
 plant faciem tuam et lionorent te ; — " The kings of 
 the kingdoms shall come that they may obtain thy 
 favour, and do thee honour." Kimchi, however, gives 
 the sense more expressly : Filiae regum sunt gentes 
 quae omnes ad ohseqium regis Messiae redigentur^ coll. 
 Psalm Ixxii. 8 — 11. Gentes suscipient precepta Mes- 
 siae legemqne Israeliticam, ^^n1"lp^3> inter car as 
 
 tuas : The daughters of the kings are the nations, all 
 
 1° IV*^ DD* '^^^ daughter of ZioJi means both the city 
 
 and its inhabitants. This is agreeable to the custom of the 
 oriental writers, who, especially in the elevated style of com- 
 position, are accustomed to designate a kingdom, a people, or 
 a city, as a woman, a young womariy a virgin. Thus vve|have 
 the daughter of Baby Ion, Ps. xlvii. 1 ; the daughter of Egypt, 
 Jer. xlvii. 11 ^ the daughter of Zidon, Ps. xxiii. 10. Compare 
 Ps. xlv. 12 : cxxxvii. 8. 
 
218 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 of which shall be reduced to the obedience of the 
 King Messiah. Comp. Psalm Ixxii. 8 — 11. The 
 nations shall receive the commands of the Messiah, 
 and the law of the people of Israel ! — ihey shall be 
 among those who are dear to thee." Others render 
 the last term of the clause in a neuter or substantive 
 sense : in preliosis /?«*5.'— that is, in the precious or- 
 naments which thou bestowest upon them, ^^-li^j, 
 
 the?j shall stand. This word they supply, as suggest- 
 ed by nH-y^ which immediately follows. Comp. 
 
 T 
 
 Glassii Philol. S. The first interpretation, how- 
 ever, is more simple, and affords a more consistent 
 sense. That the noun ^^1"lp^ in this place, signifies, 
 
 women who were esteemed, — highly valued by the 
 king, — dear to him, — is clear from the structure of 
 the passage. In Jer. xxxi. 20, '^^p^ ]^Jilius pre- 
 
 tiosus .' " a precious son," means a very dear son : 
 and in the Cod. Talmud. Shanedrin mip'^D^ti^^ 
 sigm^es feminae praesfantes : "excellent women." 
 The word ^^nnp^l, is put for rj^nnp^^: the 
 
 punctuation is that of the Araraeans, in which the 
 chirek, belonging to Jod initial, takes the place of 
 sheva, belonging to the preceding servile : thus in 
 Eccles. ii. J 3, we have p*in^3' ^^^^^^ excellentia, in- 
 stead of |'j*in*D' Other examples from the later 
 
 books of the Old Testament are collected by Aldnq^ 
 in Fundamm. Punctat. L. S. Dagesh in the letter 
 Kaph, is to be understood as euphonic ; Shultens says 
 that it is necessary, ni")p*» '^cdde honoratae : 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 219 
 
 " highly honoured," — in the form of Pihel. We may- 
 remark that a difference in the punctuation of this 
 word was observable more than nine hundred years 
 ago, in the manuscripts of that period. It was a sub- 
 ject of dispute between the Asherites and the Naph- 
 talUes : the former insisted that it should be written 
 ^^nl'^p'Il ; the latter, that it should be ^^JTl'l'lp^. 
 
 This last is found in several manuscripts, examined 
 by Kennicott and De Rossi ; and is explained by 
 Doederlein as signifying m contignalionibus tids : 
 " in thy floors, or chambers." This is not a just ex- 
 planation ; for contignatioy in the sense of a chamber, 
 or part of a house, is expressed in Hebrew by the 
 term n*1p/t2, Eccles. x. 18, whereas r)1")1p signifies 
 
 tigna, trabes, — " beams^ rafters," as in Song i. 17. 2 
 Chron. iii. 7. This, like the other disputes of the 
 Asherites and Napthalites respecting the reading, re- 
 lated to the mere 7WZrtM^«r?e of orthography, — to vowel 
 points and accents ; so that the difference of reading 
 in this place, can have no effect upon the sense. If 
 the second mode of writing the term is adopted, Jod 
 is to be considered left out, as in many other nouns 
 derived from verbs in which the first radical Jod is 
 quiescent : for example, y^ for J;^^ scientia, know- 
 ledge, nW for n^*VN consilium^ '< counsel." 
 
 But to return to the subject, the poet, after briefly 
 mentioning the concubines of the king, passes to the 
 queen, who occupies a greater share of his attention, 
 
 n^DIX DDDn rri'rzh h:\^ na-y:i adstat regina 
 
 :■:■■■ ' : • • T •• t - : 
 
220 AN^NOTATIONS 
 
 dexterae tuae ornata auro Ophiritico. " The queen 
 stands at his right hand, adorned with the gold of 
 Ophir." The noun 7Jl{i^ is found only in Neh. ii. 6, 
 
 IT •■ 
 
 where it is used for the queen, who sat by the side 
 of King Artaxerxes ; and in the Chaldee of Daniel v. 
 2, 3, 25, where it is used for the wives of Belshazzar, 
 as distinguished from his concubines. It seems, 
 therefore, to be a word peculiar to the Hebrew of a 
 
 late age. The queen is said to stand ^j^^'^, ad 
 
 dexteram, '•' at the right hand" of the king, as if in a 
 place of honour. Thus, 1 Kings ii. 19, Bathsheba is 
 said to have sat next to Solomon, on his right hand, 
 or to have occupied the place of honour next to him- 
 self, for the king is to be understood as seated in the 
 middle place, — the queen on the right hand, — the 
 princes of the kingdom on the left. Moreover, the 
 queen is said to be adorned n^£)i5^ DDDS «wro 
 
 Ophiritico, " with gold of Ophir,'' that is, with pure 
 gold, — so disposed, as that her robes seemed to be 
 wholly of gold, — with golden necklaces, rings, brace- 
 lets, chains, and other such ornaments. That the 
 splendour of her ornaments may be magnified to the 
 utmost, the gold of which they were composed is 
 styled gold of Ophir — of a region abounding with 
 gold of the finest quality, as appears from Job xxviii. 
 16; xxii. 24; Isa. xiii. 12, and many other places. 
 Concerning the situation of this region vid. not. on 
 Gen. X. 29.1^ By the Queen, Kimchi says rightly, we 
 
 " *)*£)it^ Ophir being mentioned among the middle re- 
 gie n? and nations of Arabia, it can scarcely be doubted that it 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 221 
 
 are to understand ^^^.ti^'> DD^D s7j7iagogam Israelis 
 quae aliquando sit dominatura ; " the synagogue of 
 Israel, which hereafter should become supreme." 
 
 11. The poet now addresses himself to the queen, 
 of whom he had hitherto spoken in the third person, 
 and shews her by what means she may preserve, and 
 still more and more increase the love of her husband, 
 ni'^yO^ audifilia, " Listen daughter," a kind ad- 
 dress, such as teachers are accustomed to use when 
 they would conciliate the regard and attention of 
 those whom they wish to instruct. In it we have an 
 intimation, by no means obscure, that the queen, in 
 the strict and literal acceptation of the term, is not 
 here to be understood as addressed. It is scarcely 
 to be thought that the poet would have felt himself 
 at liberty to address the spouse of his prince with 
 so much familiarity. In the Chaldee, the words 
 are expounded according to their true meaning, 
 
 gregatio Israelis, legem oris ejus : " Hear, O congre- 
 
 is the proper name of a particular region of eastern or southern 
 Arabia. That it was a country lying on the coast of the sea, 
 we may conclude from 1 Kings ix. 28 ; x. 22. It was visited 
 by the ships of Solomon, which are said to have brought gold 
 from it. We may observe, that in an eastern province of 
 Arabia called Oman, bounded by the sea, Seetzen found a city 
 named Elophir. Paulns is of opinion that it is not to be under- 
 stood as the name of a particular country, but as o. Hipilic noun 
 formed from the root ")5' divitiis abundare " to abound in 
 
 ~ T 
 
 riches ;" and that it was a general name for all those countries 
 which abounded in wealth, and furnished to others the most 
 valuable productions. 
 
222 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 gation of Israel, the law of his mouth." ^K"!"! ^^ ^'«^^' 
 « And see," reflect, consider how highly thou art hon- 
 oured by thy husband. IntheChaldeen^nS ^p^^ 
 'i1!l1y) intuere admiranda operum ejus : " Contem- 
 plate the wonders of his works ;" ^^^ ^t^HT et in- 
 clina aiirem tuajn, " And incline thine ear," that 
 thou raayest hear with attention what /am about to 
 say, and remember it with care. The Chaldee adds : 
 
 t^nn'i^ ^!D^^D'7 «^ ^^^^^^ %^'*' '\^^ ^^^ words of 
 
 the law," as intimating the importance of the com- 
 munication. The instruction, to which the attention 
 of the spouse has been excited, is contained in what 
 follows. And here we may remark, that the con- 
 necting particle 1 van is to be understood as equiva- 
 lent to ?iempe, " to wit," a sense which it bears in 
 Hos. i. 2 ; Amos i. 2 ; Job xix. 25, and in many 
 other passages. The words y:^^ D^l*! y^V ^^\'Dtl^^ 
 
 nempe obliviscere populi tui et domiis patris tuae, 
 " To wit, forget thou thy people, and the house of 
 thy father." The sense of the Chaldee paraphrase is ; 
 *' Forget the wicked works of the impious among 
 thy people, and the temple of those idols which thou 
 worshippedst when abiding in the house of thy 
 father." The family to which Abraham, the progeni- 
 tor of the Hebrews, belonged, is said to have wor- 
 shipped idols, Ps. xxiv. 1. We are, therefore, disposed 
 to think that Jarchi explains the words rightly in the 
 
 following manner ; H^VS^ D*^^K D^tllV ^r\'2^ 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 223 
 
 in^n *im^!2 n*m!!lt^ obHvlscere cultis idoloriim 
 quaecoluerunt patrestui in terris transjluvium Euphra- 
 tem, '^ forget the service of those idols which thy 
 fathers worshipped, in the countries beyond the 
 river Euphrates." 
 
 12. We have the reason given why the spouse 
 should forget her people, and the house of her father, 
 *T|^S^ ^^^n IKn^l turn scil. sic enim adpetet 
 rex pulchritudinem tuam, " Then," or, " for thus 
 the king will desire thy beauty/' the king will then 
 love thee, and prefer thee to all others. K'^lH'O 
 "n^Jl^j Ipse enim est dominus iuus, " for he is 
 
 thy Lord," thy husband. Thus Sarah, speaking of 
 Abraham her husband. Gen, xviii. 12, says ^^'^^ 
 
 IpT) dominus mens est senex\ ^' my lord is an old 
 
 man. The name here, and frequently in other places 
 also, is used in the plural, though referring only to 
 one individual. We are to understand the form as em- 
 ployed causa honoris, in honour of the person to 
 whom it applies. Thus the servant of Abraham is 
 said Gen. xxiv. 9, to have put his hand under the 
 thigh VjhK domini sui, of his lord, see also Gen. 
 
 xlii. 30 and conf. Gesenii Lehrgeb.'']^-')*]^^^)^^'] Tu 
 
 vero cum adora, " And do thou worship him/' thy 
 royal husband is worthy that thou shouldst bestow 
 upon him every token of reverence, —that thou shouldst 
 obey him with pious affection. 
 
 13. The writer proceeds to describe the rewards 
 which would be conferred upon the royal spouse, if 
 the king, preferring her to all others, became attached 
 to her alone. The glory of so great a king would 
 
224 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in SO far, be participated by her, as that the most 
 weahhy nations would seek to conciliate her favour 
 by the presentation of gifts : "y^B 1111303 IV'il^T 
 Y^X^i Et Jilia Tijri cum munere faciem tuamdepre- 
 
 cabuntur, " And the daughter of Tyre, — with a gift 
 shall they intreat thy countenance, thy favour. The 
 daughter of Tyre does not here signify one particu- 
 lar female, but all the children, the whole people of 
 that city. The Hebrews were accustomed to call 
 collectively, entire assemblages of people, cities, and 
 states, by the name of daughters, (see above, verse 
 10,) and that this is done here may be gathered from 
 the following words ^ ^H^ IMD of which the verb is 
 
 in the plural number. The Chaldee accordingly 
 renders them properly ll^j^l KI)1D ^HH^I ^i incolae 
 
 •', T - : - : X : 
 
 vrbis Tyri, " and the inhabitants of the city Tyre." 
 There are other interpreters who understand the 
 words lifnm^s the nominative absolute: changing 
 the connexion and construction, they give the sense 
 thus : Et ad Jiliam Tyri quod attinet cum mun- 
 ere vidtum tuum deprecabuntur O/ ^l^J^J/ ditissimi 
 
 quique istius poptdis : " And with regard to the 
 daughter of Tyre, all the most wealthy of that people 
 shall, with a present, solicit thy favour." But the 
 accents do not admit of this, for the distinctive point 
 
 Rebbia separates ^^7 PI V^from the nominative that fol- 
 lows, and indicates its stricter connexion with the 
 words that go before. The last words of the verse 
 teach us, that the daughter of Tyre is here to be un- 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 225 
 
 derstoodby synecdoche, as representing generally, all 
 nations distinguished for their wealth ; for Tyre was 
 of old the emporiutn of ihe world — the richest city 
 of the whole earth. This is indicated at the begin- 
 ning of verse tenth ; for what is there said respecting 
 the daughters of kings in general, is here expressly 
 and in particular predicated of the daughter of Tyre. 
 It is intimated, therefore, that the richest nations 
 would join themselves to the Hebrew people ; and 
 would consecrate their wealth and themselves to the 
 service of Jehovah, Isa. xxiii. 18, coll. 2, 3, 9 ; Ix. 6, 
 etc. ; Ezek. xxvii. 2, etc. ; Psalm Ixxxvii. 4. 
 
 nnX^n? Ciimmunere, " with a gift." It was for- 
 
 T : • : 
 
 merly, and still continues to be the custom of the 
 orientals, that when they address themselves to any 
 personage of illustrious dignity, they endeavour to 
 obtain access, and secure favour, by means of pre- 
 sents. Gen. xxxiii. 8 ; I Kings x. 24, 25 ; 2 Kings 
 viii. 8. — ^7n^ *n03> Faciem tuaui deniulcebunt, seu 
 emolliu7it, — " they will conciliate, — soften thy coun- 
 tenance." This phrase, which we find also iu 
 2 Chron. xxxiii. 12; 1 Sam. xiii. 12; Prov. xix. G, 
 denotes, as is shcM^n by Schultens. that the person 
 preferring a petition, urges it with so much importu- 
 nity, that it cannot be rejected, without extreme 
 hardness of heart on the part of him to whom it is 
 addressed. Not only the Tyrians, but also D>^ ^1^ii^y> 
 
 divites populi, " the rich among the people," that is, 
 the most wealthy of mankind, shall study to obtain 
 thy grace and favour, by presenting gifts to thee. 
 These last words have the force of a superlative, as 
 Q 
 
226 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in Ps. xxii. 13, |^3 n^2i<> validissimi Basani- 
 tidis,^^ — " the mightiest of Bashan," (see note, ad 
 p. I. J and Isa. xix, 11, H^^g '''^V'^ *D^n> sapientes, 
 
 i. e. sapientissimi quique consiliorum Pharaonis^ — 
 " the wise," that is, " the wisest of the counsellors 
 of Pharaoh." 
 
 14. The queen is described as sitting always next to 
 the king in the interior of the palace, adorned with 
 robes of gold : and as present with him in his bed- 
 chamber, on all occasions, which was not lawful for 
 other persons, except at particular times : rTmilS'/S 
 n.^^^D *^7^"r)3 Tola magnifica Jilia regis in- 
 
 trinsecus .- " altogether magnificent is the daughter 
 of the king wheii within :" in the interior of the 
 palace, the queen, the daughter of a royal race, ap- 
 pears pre-eminent in beauty, in honour, and in every 
 accomplishment. The word rTHI^Sj is here a sub- 
 
 T 
 
 stantive, as in Judg. xviii. 21. Strictly rendered, 
 without the concluding adverb, the clause becomes : 
 lotus splendor Jilia regis -. ''All splendour the daughter 
 of the king." The phrase is of the same form as in 
 Psalm xxxix. 6, CD'^^?■b^ ^in"73» Tola vaniiaa 
 
 T T T V V X 
 
 i« »"j^2lj^, validissimi, " the most powerful.'' In this 
 
 manner the Hebrew writers were accustomed to express what 
 is called, by grammarians, the superlative degree ; as in 1 Sam. 
 xxi. 8, where Doeg, the Edomite, is styled CD^^^n *^^IlK> 
 
 T • ~ 
 
 rfibustissimus pastorum, " the chiefest," or, as in the margin, 
 " tLe m'ghtiest of the herdsmen." 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 227 
 
 omnis homo •• " all vanity, every man :" that is, 
 every man is altogether vain. She who before, 
 (verse 10), is styled the tvife, or spouse, is here 
 styled the daughter of the king, as if promoted to 
 the highest dignity of royal descent. The adverb 
 HDODj intiis, " within," in all the passages where 
 
 T 
 
 it occurs, signifies the interior parts of buildings ; 
 1 Kings vi. 18, 19, 27, 36. 1 Chron. xxviii. II, 
 Levit. X. 18. That it here signifies the interior of 
 the palace, appears plain from the scope of the pas- 
 sage. The noun DT^^SSSi^!^? ocellata tesselata .- spot- 
 ted, or checquered," occurs Exod. xxviii. 11, 13, 14, 
 
 25. The whole clause, nm^^i int nlynti^;3D 
 
 IT _ T .• : • • 
 
 Ex ocellatis auri vestimetitum ejus: signifies, that 
 she wore a robe interwoven with gold. Vid. Braun de 
 vestitii. Sacerdot. Hebr.< — Schroederus de vestitu mulier. 
 Ebraear. 
 
 15. In this verse, a description is given of the 
 queen, as splendidly adorned, and with a retinue of 
 other virgins from the apartments of the women, 
 
 entering into the king's chamber 7^^n illDp"! 7 
 
 - 't : • 
 
 *1 /D^ vestibus acu pictis adduciter vegi' " In robes 
 flowered with the needle, she is brought to the 
 king." Schroeder shews that the noun niOp*^j 
 
 signifies vestes phrygionicaSy sive acupictas : " Phry- 
 gian robes, or such as were flowered with the 
 needle." The prefix 7 lamed indicates the state, or 
 mode, and gives to the noun an adverbial signifi- 
 
228 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 cation, as it frequently does : for example, Pl^l/ 
 securely, — ^2^ separately, — Psalm iv. 9, pIV^ 
 justly, — ODji^DS equally. Michaelis m Supplement 
 
 IT : •, : 
 
 ad Lexx. understands HiftD.'^l here, as signifying the 
 
 T : 
 
 painted tapestry, or hangings, that adorned the 
 bridal chamber. The passage has a respect to the 
 custom prevalent, particularly among eastern nations, 
 of introducing a spouse on her marriage, into the 
 house of her husband, with music and an accompany- 
 ing retinue,— nl.vniD n^nij;^ r\'>'^n^ nl^inn 
 
 "1^ Virgines post eam^ sociae ejus, adducuntur tibi .- 
 
 " The virgins, her companions, after her are brought 
 to thee." This is added to shew that those virgins 
 who accompanied the queen, were not merely attend- 
 ants, but equals, — partakers of the same dignity; 
 and, as well as the queen, to be joined to the husband- 
 in marriage. 
 
 ~ •• : TV; -T T : • T : - 
 
 *n /w) Adducuntur cum gaudiis et exultatione, in.- 
 troducuntur in palatium regis ; '-' They are brought 
 with rejoicings and exultation, they are introduced 
 into the palace of the king." He wishes to state 
 more fully, what had been mentioned in the verse 
 preceding, — the introduction into the palace. They 
 were brought not forcibly, and with feelings of grief ; 
 but, on the contrar3% they entered the splendid 
 mansion of so great a monarch, with pleasure and 
 every expression of joy. 
 
ON PSALM XLV. 
 
 229 
 
 17. He subjoins an acclamation, a prayer for pro- 
 sperity, Tl^^l VH' ^^niK nn;n» patrum tuorum 
 
 loco sintjilii tui ! " In the place of thy fathers may 
 thy sons be !" — May sons be born to thee, who shall 
 equal their fathers in worth, dignity, and glory; and 
 who may possess the kingdom during an endless 
 succession of generations. D^Ht^? iDD't^n? 
 VnKn' 7!DB Constituas illos principes in omni terra I 
 
 • V T T T : 
 
 " May you constitute them princes over the whole 
 land 1" let them be set over the different portions of 
 the kingdom : — let them reign and rule over the 
 provinces, and the nations who inhabit them. 
 
 18. n^i nn-^r)n "^r^z^ nn^DTK. cekbrabo 
 
 nomen tinim perpetno : " I will praise thy name 
 for ever and ever." The noun ^'r\ signifies tem- 
 pus vitae humanae ; — the period of human life; 
 and also, all the men, collectively, who are alive at 
 any particular period ; — but it is well known when 
 the noun is repeated, that it denotes many ages, or 
 an indefinite period, as in Psalm x. 6; Ixi. 7. The 
 song concludes, -|V1 dSIV^ ^HIH^ U'^V p"^^ 
 
 V T IT : ' 
 
 propierea laudahunt te populi in sempitermtm ^ 
 " Wherefore the peoples," or nations, " shall praise 
 thee for ever." Because I will sing thy praises, th« 
 nations moved by my songs, will also celebrate thy 
 praise for ever and ever. 
 
PSALM LXXII. 
 
 THE SUBJECT. 
 
 The poet begins with prayers to God that he 
 would appoint, as king of his people, a wise and just 
 prince, who would vindicate the cause of the afflict- 
 ed, and restrain oppressors ; — a king, under whose 
 administration the country would enjoy abundant 
 prosperity, (verse 1 — 4.) He then proceeds to de^ 
 scribe such a king as he hoped would be given to the 
 people, and fortells the extent, the prosperity, and 
 the perpetuity of his government. We were of 
 opinion at one time, that this Psalm consisted of 
 prayers, or wishes, formed and expressed on the ac- 
 cession of some particular Hebrew king. Trusting 
 to the authority of the inscription, we were disposed 
 to think that the Psalm was composed ^^r, or on be- 
 half of Solomon, The preposition S lamed^ which, 
 in the title of this Psalm, is prefixed to the name 
 T\u}t^y Solomon^ in other Psalms is prefixed to the 
 
 name David ; and in these it always denotes that the 
 hymn, with this title, was composed by David. We 
 could not believe, however, that the preposition, in 
 this case, pointed out the author of the song. From 
 the manner in which the Psalm is composed, the rea- 
 
THE SUBJECT. 231 
 
 der is led to consider it as expressing the highest 
 hopes and expectations that a subject, or citizen, 
 might be supposed to entertain in reference to a new 
 king. To suppose that any king would describe, in 
 the same terms, the splendour of his own reign, — his 
 glory among other nations, and their admiration of 
 him, — would foretel the felicity of his subjects as the 
 result of his own prudence and virtue, — would be to 
 suppose the indulgence of extreme vanity. 
 
 We are now fully persuaded that the blessings 
 spoken of, and to which the poet looked forward as 
 to be enjoyed under the king who is the subject of 
 his song, were not to be expected under the govern- 
 ment of any of those kings who reigned over the He- 
 brews. An eternal reign, (verse 5,) a profound 
 peace, lasting as long as the world, (verse 7) ; a do- 
 minion extending over the whole earth, (verse 8) ; 
 the veneration of all kings and nations, (verse 9) ; 
 in fine, the enjoyment of these blessings by all na- 
 tions, (verse 17.)^ These are blessings peculiar to 
 
 ^ That this Psalm related to the Messiah, was perceived by 
 the Chaldee paraphrast. He expounds the words at the begin- 
 
 ning thus: ^'n'>t^O ^3^^^ ^jH DsSh t^H^K, 
 
 T • . T : - ; 't • X ; • T T .-•.• 
 
 !lLn> " Give, O God, sentences of, — according — to thj^ judg- 
 ments to the king Messiah." The inscription prefixed to the 
 song, nD/SJ'^/' lie explains as follows; ^T^*^* 7^ 
 ^^^^nn.npKn^^^b"St^"T, " spoken by Solomon pro- 
 phetically." R. Saadias Haggaon, on Dan. vii. 13, 14, refers 
 this Psalm to the Messiah. Jarchi, also, says that the ancient 
 
 doctors explained the words of the sixteenth verse : /IIQ^S 
 
232 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the reign of that king only, who is greater than any 
 human prince ; — of the King Messiah, to whom the 
 Hebrews, in every age, looked forward as to arise at 
 some future period from the family of David. There 
 is very little probability in the conjecture of Kimchi 
 and other Hebrews, that David composed this Psalm 
 when, a short while before his death, he designated 
 his son Solomon as his successor in the kingdom. This 
 opinion is satisfactorily refuted by Hensler, in his 
 " Remarks upon certain passages in the Psalms and 
 in Genesis."^ 
 
 ANNOTATIONS. 
 
 1. tn ^&-> ^'£?5t^L5 D^^S^^^ Deusjudida ma 
 
 regi da ; — " O God, give thy judgments to the king :" 
 — that is, grant that the king may administer the 
 affairs of the kingdom according to thy precepts. In 
 other places, those events which God himself brings to 
 pass, in defending the righteous, and in punishing 
 the wicked, are called his judgments, as in Psalm 
 xxxvi. 7« But the statutes promulgated by God for 
 the regulation of human conduct, are also styled his 
 judgments ; in this sense, the judgments and the laws 
 
 n^S^DH) " Concerning the times of the Messiah :" — and he 
 
 says besides this: n'ti^DH ^S02 nlDtOH S^\ "Nay 
 the whole Psalm, concerning the King Messiah." 
 
 * " In den Beraerkungen liber Stelleu in den Psalmen txnd 
 in der Genesis." 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 
 
 233 
 
 of God may be considered as synonymous terms. 
 Psalm cxix. 20, 30, 39, 52, 75. The clause is justly 
 explained by Jarclii^ scientiam judiciorum, — scil. ju- 
 rium, — quae in Lege praecepisd: — " knowledge of the 
 judgments," — to wit, of the particular rules of right, 
 — " which thou hast commanded in the law." The 
 explication given by Kimchi is suitable also: 7ie 
 erret in sententiis decerne?2dis, da ipsi scietifiam et in- 
 telligentiam ad judicandum cum judicio etjustitia : — 
 " that he may not err in giving forth sentences, give 
 him knowledge and understanding that he may judge 
 with judgment and justice." This sentiment is re- 
 peated in the following member of the verse, in words 
 of nearly tiie same meaning. In it, the king is call- 
 *n7/^"*ll?^^^«<5 regis : " the son of the king :" in the 
 
 same manner, the Ottoman emperor is, at this day, 
 upon the Turkish coins, styled " king, son of the 
 king." 
 
 2. ^^0I^» Aff^icti tiii,-~>'' thine afflicted ones," 
 
 is put for 'T\}2)^ ^Oy^ miseri inter populum iimm, 
 
 " the distressed among thy people." 
 
 3- CDVS DiS^i^ Dnn ^^i^\ Pro/erem montes 
 
 IT T T . T : • 
 
 pacem populo, — " The mountains shall bring forth 
 peace to the people." The figurative expression 
 here is taken from the fecundity of the earth : as the 
 earth brings forth fruits, so shall the mountains bring 
 forth peace ; every where there shall be plenty, — 
 evidences of every thing good in abundance. The 
 same figure is used in Psalm Ixxxv. 12, where it is 
 said, Truth shall spring out of the earth. In describ- 
 
234 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ing the ruin and devastation of a country, the moun- 
 tains are mentioned, as in Isa. v. 25 ; and, on the 
 other hand, they are also introduced in the descrip- 
 tion of a country enjoying peculiar prosperity, Isa. Ix. 
 12 ; Ps. xcviii. S. This may arise from the circum- 
 stance of mountains being the most conspicuous por- 
 tions of the earth.— npiy 3 Dl^UI^ Et colles 
 
 scil. pacem proferent cum Jusfitia, s. propter justi- 
 tiam, — " And the hills" shall bring forth peace " with 
 justice," or, "because of justice." Justice dindi peace 
 are joined together, as cause and effect. When ini- 
 quity or injustice prevails, general misery is the con- 
 sequence ; and, on the contrary, the prevalence of 
 justice is followed by general felicity. The sense of 
 the clause is, — happiness shall reign throughout the 
 land, for the people shall be governed with equity. 
 Some expositors consider the prefix ^ heth, as re- 
 dundant, or as denoting that the noun is in the accu- 
 sative case ; and that the clause may be rendered : 
 Et colles ferent justitiam, — '^ And the hills shall 
 bring forth justice." Noldius, in his Concordance, 
 adduces several passages, as examples of a similar 
 construction ; but they appear, all of them, to be 
 constructed on a different principle. 
 
 4. DV"'*^J^ tO^^^ Judicabit afflictos populi •■ — 
 
 •• • -1 : • 
 
 " He shall judge the afflicted of the people," that is, 
 he shall vindicate the cause of such as suffer wrong. 
 The verb JODti^? is used in the same sense as in 
 
 - T 
 
 Ps. xxvi. 1, — >y^Q^f Judica me, "judge me/' know 
 
 . ■• : T 
 
 my cause, and avenge me, by inflicting punishment 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 235 
 
 upon mine enemies. It is the duty of a judge, not 
 only to make himself acquainted with a cause, but 
 also, when the cause is known, to defend the inno- 
 cent, and punish the evil-doers. — ]1^2K"0l7 V^V' 
 
 Opem praestahit filiis egeni^ — " He shall afford help 
 to the children of the needy. The word lD'^I is 
 
 redundant, as in Eccles. x. 17, where ^Zm5 nobilium, 
 " a son of nobles," is put for nohilis^ " a noble per- 
 son," Ps. xviii. 45 ; children of the stranger, for 
 strangers ; and, in many passages, children, or sons 
 of men, for men, simply considered. — pS^lj/ &^!D*!^1> 
 
 Et conteret oppressorem^ — " And he shall break in 
 pieces the oppressor :" he will effectually restrain 
 the violent and injurious, by inflicting upon them 
 just punishment. 
 
 5. nn» ''^th^ ^'^^-W ^^NH^S Veneralun- 
 tur te cum sole et coram luna, — " They shall venerate 
 thee with the sun, and in presence of the moon," 
 that is, as long as the sun shines and is succeeded by 
 the moon, or while the sun and moon continue to 
 give light, — in a word, for ever. Compare verse 
 seventh, where the same idea is expressed, only in a 
 slightly different manner, — until there be no moon. 
 Ps. Ixxxix. 37. Thronus ejus sicut sol coram me ; 
 sicut luna slabilicetur in perpetuum, — " His throne 
 shall be as the sun before me, as the moon it shall be 
 established for ever." The word ^^£)7' i" ^^^^ P^^' 
 sage, is to be understood in the same sense as in 
 Gen. xi. 28, Mortuus est Haran, OD'^J^* coram 
 
 facie Tarah, — " And Haran died before the face of 
 
236 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Terah," that is, while Terah, still survived. Hence 
 in Ps. cii. 29, where ^^3S^, coram te, " before 
 
 thee," is used in reference to God, the Alexandrine 
 version gives zic, aiojvac, " for ever." Here, the 
 sense is given in the words immediately following, 
 D**11^ "lil» generatio generationum^ — " a gene- 
 ration of generations" shall venerate thee: in other 
 words, throughout all generations, or during a con- 
 tinual series of years, men shall celebrate thy happy 
 and glorious reign. We have a similar expression 
 in a classical writer, Ovidii Amor. L. I. 15, 16. 
 
 Nulla Sophocleo veniet jactura cothurno, 
 Cum Sole et Luna semper Aratus erit. 
 
 " The fame of Sophocles shall ne'er decay, 
 Aratus lives, while sun and m ocn their way 
 Hold on." 
 
 Koehler, in Ohservatt. Critt., quotes a passage from 
 Theognis, in which the same figure is used. 
 
 Haft ya^i olffi juifcnXi no.) iirffOfAiV0iS't9 aio^h. 
 
 " His song and fame shall last through future times,- 
 While earth revolves, and Phoebus ceaseless shines." 
 
 6. ^y/V 1tOD3 ^1*' Descendet quasi pluvia 
 
 super deton sum scil. gramen, vel pratum : " He shall 
 descend as the rain upon the mown," namely grass, or 
 meadow ground. The clause is properly explained 
 by Kimchi : '' The coming of this king, for the pro- 
 sperity and safety of his people, shall be as the de- 
 scent of the rain upon the mown grass, causing it to 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 237 
 
 spring up afresh." From the verb n5» totondit : — 
 
 he hath shorn, or mown, — the noun |^ signifies pra- 
 
 tum detonsum : — a mown meadow, — as appears from 
 Amos vii. 1. Herba serotica succreverat 'j"^ HH^ 
 
 T^'(^'r\i post foenisecia regis : "The after- math had 
 
 grown up, after the king's mowings." In the Chaldee 
 the rendering is : Descendet sicut pluvia ohlectationis. 
 
 ''^y\yO VsT^ ^^"OV ^y» s^P^^ herham arrosam 
 
 a l-jcustis : "He shall descend as a pleasant rain up- 
 on the grass eaten up by locusts." This explication 
 gratified Michaelis greatly. " Meadows," says he, 
 "after being cut, become green again ; and give no 
 appearance of having sustained so much injury as 
 that an abundant supply of rain should be required 
 for refreshing the soil. The explication given in the 
 Chaldee is very like the truth. A fi.eld is to be un- 
 derstood, in which a host of locusts have left no 
 green thing : every iierb is eaten up close to the 
 earth, — which, after such a visitation, is in the strict- 
 est sense true ; the field is then refreshed by a copi- 
 ous rain, and recovers its former verdure." We 
 think, however, that a meadow cleared of its produce^ 
 is by no means an unsuitable image ; foi', during the 
 parching heats of summer, when the meadows are 
 cut, even the roots of the herbage are apt to wither, 
 unless refreshed by the falling rain. In Job xxxi. 
 20, we find the word tjj used to signify a fleece of 
 wool. On this account, probably, the word in this 
 passage is rendered, in the Alexandrine version, 
 '!rox.ovj vellus : a fleece. This rendering, too, is very 
 
238 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 pleasing to certain expositors, who imagine there 
 may be a reference in the words to Judg. vi. 37, 
 where we have recorded the history of Gideon's 
 fleece. 
 
 Y^^ ^'T*^? DQO*13 Sicut guttae irrigationis 
 
 ierrae : ^' As drops of the watering of the earth.'* 
 ^^TITj a term which occurs only in this place, is 
 
 rightly explained by the Arabic cognate, signifying 
 he distilled; and by the Syriac, rain, — a heavy shower, 
 — a dark rain cloud. In the Talmudie writings, the 
 words §^^01 KD''t*^T signify aspersiones aquae : — 
 
 T : T : 
 
 sprinklings of water. The ancient translators agree 
 as to the meaning. In the Alexandrine version, the 
 words are rendered (jrd^ovaoLi s'tti tyiv yriv. in the Vul- 
 gate, slillantia super terrani: *' distilling upon the 
 earth;" in the ChaXdee, sicut gutlae pluviae serotenae 
 ]*5tOj*l quae distillant super terrain^ " as the drops 
 
 of the latter rain which distil upon the earth :" — in 
 the Syriac, quasi guttae quae descendunt in terram : 
 " as the drops which descend upon the earth.'* 
 Other expositors, deriving the word from the Chal- 
 dee term f^'H scidit, i?icidit, " he cut, he chopped," 
 
 render it super Jissuram terrae ; *' upon the rent of the 
 earth;" because the earth becomes exhausted and 
 cracked by extreme heat ; but, being afterwards 
 softened by the falling rain, the soil is unbound, and 
 the fissures closed up. According to this interpreta- 
 tion, the particle Sv i^fiust be supplied. The first 
 interpretation is, however, the most satisfactory; and 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 239 
 
 is confirmed by the cognate dialects, and the unani- 
 mous consent of the ancient interpreters. 
 
 diebus suis Justus et multitudo pads, " The just shall 
 flourish in his days, and a multitude of peace." The 
 sense is, it shall then be well with the good, — they 
 shall flourish in the time of his reign : the earth, also, 
 shall enjoy peace, and profound tranquillity. This 
 state shall be permanent : n*!* w^'^^V usque dum 
 
 -••!■: — 
 
 non luna : ^' even till there be no moon ;" even till 
 the end of the world, — for ever. See above, ver. 5. 
 
 ' V T •• : - - IT ¥ • IT ~ I ' : 
 
 El dominahitur ab uno mari usque ad alterum, a 
 Jluvio usque ad limites terrae ; " And he shall rule 
 from one sea to another, from the river even to the 
 limits of the earth." The words 0-"^^ D^!D « mari 
 
 IT - II. 
 
 ad mare ; " From sea to sea," have this meaning, — 
 as far and wide, as wherever there is land surround- 
 ed by seas and waters ; that is, the habitable earth. 
 Compare Amos viii. 12; Errabunt amari ad mare ; 
 a septentrione ad orientem usque : " They shall wan- 
 der from sea to sea; from the north even to the east." 
 The Chaldee gives ^iDD 1V1 ^31 KISH K^DDD 
 
 -: -: T- T-: T;-. 
 
 Dl^*Pl5^*T i*?^* (^^ o^^ maris magni usque ad oram 
 
 maris oceani ; " from the shore of the great sea even 
 to the shore of the ocean,'^ that is, of the opposite sea. 
 There are many modern interpreters who, from the 
 mention of the river, namely, the river Euphrates, 
 (see Gen. xv. 18; xxxi. 21, et Drusii Animadverss.) 
 
240 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 in the other clause of the verse, think, that the boun- 
 daries of the land of Palestine are here to be under- 
 stood ; that country being described as extending 
 from the Red Sea to the Sea of Syria, otherwise 
 called the Sea of the Philistines, and the Great Sea ; 
 and from the Euphrates to the Great Desert lying 
 between Palestine and Egypt. These are the limits 
 of the Israelitish territory : the former, from the 
 south to the west ; the latter, from the north to the 
 east, Gen. xv. 18. But, in this passage, there can 
 scarcely be a doubt that, by the river, to wit, the 
 Euphrates, is indicated the extreme boundary of the 
 earth towards the east. In a highlj^ poetical magni- 
 ficent description, such as is given in this song, of a 
 king exalted above all others, nothing can be con- 
 ceived more inappropriate than saying that the do- 
 minions of sucli a king should be bounded by the 
 limits of Palestine. Besides, the land of the Hebrews 
 was confined within much more narrow limits, Exod. 
 xxiii. 31, than from the Red Sea, — the Arabic Gulf, 
 — to the Sea of the Philistines, — the Mediterranean ; 
 and from the desert to the river, — the Euphrates. 
 Comp. Deut. xi. 24.^ 
 
 * The limits of the country actually occupied by the tribes of 
 Israel, were much more ci cumscribed than those given here in 
 what may be considered a mere outline, in which only great 
 and permanent natural objects are mentioned. On the south 
 Beersheba, situated to the north of the Sichor, or, as it is com- 
 monly called in the Hebrew Scriptures, " the river of Egypt," 
 was about a hundred miles to the northward of the Elanitic 
 Gulf, or nearest part of the Red Sea. On the west, the Phoe- 
 nicians occupied the greater part of the coast of the J\Iediter- 
 
ON PSALSI LXXII. 241 
 
 9. D*-^^>^ IV^ID* V^D? Coram eo incurvahitntse 
 
 ... T T : 
 
 venerabundi barbari : " Before him the rude nations 
 shall bow themselves," — in token of veneration- 
 From the noun H^V siccitas : " drought'' (Ps. Ixiii. 2,) 
 
 T • 
 
 regio sicca et torrida, desertum : " A dry and parched 
 country, — a desert,'' the word D*^^ seems to signify 
 
 rude, barbarous tribes, — the inhabitants of desert 
 places, — of vast, and unknown regions. This sense 
 appears to be most suitable both here, and in Ps- 
 Ixxiv. 14. Hence it is used, Isa. xiii. 21 ; xxxiv. 14. 
 Jer. 1. 39, for the animals, — the wild beasts that in- 
 habit jungles and deserts. ^^hS^ "]£)3^ VH^^^I 
 
 •• — : T T T : : 
 
 Et hosles ejus lingent pidverem : '^' And his enemies 
 shall lick the dust : — falling down before him in the 
 act of veneration, they shall kiss the earth. It was, 
 from the earliest times, a custom among the Asiatic 
 nations, when persons paid respects to a monarch, 
 that they prostrated themselves in his presence, and 
 touched the earth. The notion that there is a refer- 
 ence here to subjugation and death : — as if it were 
 said, overthrown and slain, his enemies shall lie in the 
 dust, — cannot be approved of. The former sense 
 
 ranean, or Great Sea, and the country to a considerable extent 
 eastward." On the north, Dan, " at the entering in of Ha- 
 math," was situated at nearly tlie extreme point of the king- 
 dom." In this quarter, and on the eastern frontier, it was 
 separated from Ccelosyria by the mountainous district of An- 
 tilibanus, or Hermon, and the Arabian Desert ; and every 
 where two hundred miles distant from " the great riv^er, the 
 river Euphrates." — Tr. 
 
 R 
 
242 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 corresponds better with what is said in the verse fol- 
 lowing. 
 
 Tarschisch et regionum Iransmarinarum munerafe- 
 rent: " The kings of Tarshish and of the regions 
 beyond the seas shall bring gifts." tb''tb'^r\ of what- 
 ever country, in particular, it may be the proper 
 name, here denotes in general, by synecdoche, all 
 regions the most remote, and the most wealthy. 
 This, the nature of the subject teaches us. SD^^K 
 
 signifies countries generally, (see note on Gen. x. 5.)* 
 Here it signifies countries far distant, as C'^H **K 
 
 Isa. xi. 11. (See note^) ^2*2i^** Reddenti "they 
 
 • T 
 
 ^ The noun D^*K, in its general acceptation, signifies ha- 
 bitations, dwelling places. The cognate verb in the Arabic 
 means, he went to a particular place that he might dwell there. 
 The noun thus signifies countries ; and when joined to the 
 term Dniln, it expresses, — in Hebrew geography, — the 
 
 countries of those nations which, to the Hebrews and Phoeni- 
 cians, were barbarous. Those countries may be reckoned, be- 
 sides the islands of the Mediterranean sea, Europe, Asia Mi- 
 nor, the countries between the Euxine and Caspian seas. Me- 
 dia, the land of Magog, or the Scythia of the ancient Greeks, 
 and several others. 
 
 * The phrase L^i^n ^*K strictly signifies regions of the sea, 
 
 that is, maritime countries. Michaelis thinks it is used for the 
 northern coasts of Palestine, or for Europe and Asia Minor. 
 It seems, however, to denote all the more remote regions of the 
 e irth. Se? chap. xiiv. 15. 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 243 
 
 shall give," or, as Kimclii not improperly explains it, 
 they shall repeat : — they shall bring gifts from time 
 to time, — constantly. There appears to be a refer- 
 ence in the passage to tributary princes, who were 
 bound to renew their presents every year. This same 
 term, in conjunction with nm!^> is used with re- 
 
 T 
 
 spect to a tributary king in 2 Kings xvii. 3. comp. 
 ver. 4.— ^inp^ ^^^^ ^^IDT ^:i\^ oS?!: tleges 
 
 Schabae et Sabae dona adferent : " The kings of 
 Sheba and Seba shall bring gifts.'' K^D Seba, seems 
 
 to have been the name of a country in the interior of 
 Africa : ^'2.^ Sheba the name of a region in Arabia 
 
 T 
 
 Fehx. (See notes.^) The noun *^^t!^^? occurs in 
 
 * N-LD Sabaei, the inhabitants of Seba mentioned, Isa. 
 
 T : 
 
 xliii. 3. Ps. Ixxii. 10, seem to have been the occupants of 
 Meroe, an island of the Nile. This appears from a passage of 
 Josephus, in which, indeed, he does not professedly treat of the 
 origin of nations, but is engaged in narrating the events of the 
 life of Moses. Antiqq. L. II. c. 10. Kai tsXo?, auviXaff^Urts 
 Its '^cc(ix, vrokiv Boiirikiioy ovrav t>;j Ai^iotix;, hv vim^ov Ka,/ji,^iia7is 
 Mi^orjv fAiTuvof/.ot<nv, a.^ik(p^s iYtx; ouru xxkov/zivTjgy ittoXiopkojvto, 
 *' they were, at length, compelled to retire to Saba, a royal city 
 of Ethiopia, which Cambyses afterwards, in honour of his sis- 
 ter, named Meroe, and they were there shut up." In this war 
 against the Ethiopians, Moses, the historian says, was the lead- 
 er of the Egyptians. From this passage, it appears that the 
 Jews called that part of the interior of Africa Saba^ which was 
 by other nations called Ethiopia. Michaelis places JNIeroe 
 either in Nubia, as it is now called, or in the kingdom of Sen- 
 naar, lying under the fifteenth or sixteenth degree of latitude. 
 
244 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 one other passage only, Ezek. xxvii. 15. That it 
 means donum, a gift, we learn from the context, — 
 the parallelism of the members of the verse, — and the 
 passage in Ezekiel. The Arabic cognate explains its 
 meaning : — he gave thanks, — he celebrated with 
 praises on account of benefits received, — he bestowed 
 a hire or reward. From this 132t^K seems to de- 
 
 IT ; ... 
 
 note primarily, iv-^aonyryiPiov munus quod gratitudinis 
 testandae causa ah aliquo offertur : — " a gift, which 
 a person presents as a token of gratitude ; and thence, 
 secondarily, any gift whatever." 
 
 12. A. F. Pfeiffer is of opinion, that the account 
 given in this verse, and in the two immediately fol- 
 lowing, refers not so much to the justice and mild- 
 ness with which the king governs his own people, as 
 to the equity and clemency which be exercises to- 
 wards those of other nations. " It is more than pro- 
 bable," he says, " that certain foreign nations, — 
 neighbouring kingdoms are meant, disturbed, per- 
 haps, and oppressed by others more powerful than 
 themselves, to whom the king had given assistance, 
 and whom he had delivered from servitude. He did 
 not suffer, as we are to understand, — poor and small 
 states in his neighbourhood, to be subjugated by 
 those that were more wealthy and more powerful.'* 
 This, however, is more than from any king of that 
 age, — even the wisest, — could reasonably be looked 
 
 Bochart bas demonstrated that KUSi^ was inhabited by a once 
 
 celebrated people of Arabia Feh'x. The metropohs was called 
 Mariba : the country wais ricli in ai-omatic productions. 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 
 
 245 
 
 for. Pfeiffer remarks farther, — and quite justly, 
 that there is no necessity — as Capellus would have 
 it — for making an alteration in the Hebrew text, by 
 changing yi^,tD into V^Si^b.^ Although the Alex^ 
 
 andrine version gives aero dvvuffrov : '*from the power- 
 ful," — and the Syriac, — " ab eo, qui fortior eo :" 
 " from the person who is stronger than he," — which 
 sense is adopted by the Vulgate and Jerom, — yet it 
 seems preferable to preserve the reading and the 
 sense of the parallel passage, Job xxix. 12. No 
 change is required by the parallelism of the words 
 
 following '17 ^ty TKI quamvis ei non auxiliator : 
 
 " when there is none to help him ;" and besides, to 
 suppose that the word ^'\^, which means a person 
 
 who is rich and noble, as opposed to churlish, is to 
 be understood also as denoting a tyrant, would be to 
 impose a sense upon the term without authority. 
 14. tDti^D: h^^' DlOn^^ nInD. Ex oppress 
 
 \T : - - : . IT T ■• ' 
 
 sione et violentia redimet animam eorum : " From 
 oppression and violence he shall deliver their soul." 
 He will deliver them from the power of the wicked : 
 he will suffer no wrong to be done to them. As to 
 
 ^ It may not be improper to remark here, that 5/^ti^D> 
 if the Masoretic pronunciation be retained, is a participle of the 
 verb J^lt^j Vociferari : "to cry out.'' If the punctuation be 
 
 changed, as proposed by CapeUus, it would be referred to the 
 root n^ti^5 and receive, according to Aben-Esra, the sense 
 
 T T 
 
 of nohley liberalf as opposed to greedy or churlish. — Tr. 
 
246 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 the sense of the word ^^I'^l, see note on Psalm x. 7-^ 
 Vj^yH tZj/tD"! Ip^V Etpretiosuseril sanguis eoTum 
 
 T •• : IT T -I ••: 
 
 in oculis ejus : " And their blood shall be precious in 
 his eyes." He will esteem their life as of great ac- 
 count : he will permit no one to shed their blood 
 with impunity. He will not suffer them to be killed 
 "without cause ; he will severely avenge the shedding 
 of their blood. The same form of expression is used 
 in V>\ cxvi. 15. 1 Sam. xxvi. 21. 2 Kings i. 14. 
 
 *1V!3J1- Et vivet et dahit ei de auro Sabae, afque 
 
 • T 
 
 orabit pro ipso perpetuo : " And he shall live, and 
 shall give to him of the gold of Sheba, and shall pray 
 for him continually." He who is protected by the 
 king shall live happily, and in security from all fear. 
 The citizens, whose life and safety are guarded by 
 the benevolence, the power, and the watchfulness of 
 
 * Schnurrer and Castellus are of opinion that the word *Vr\ 
 is derived from the verb "l^ri' which yet remains in the Syriac 
 version; and corresponds to the Hebrew ptJ^V, Prov. xxviii. 
 
 3; and /TJ* Prov. xxii. 22. Ezek. xviii. 18. The noun 
 
 ~ T 
 
 formed from this verb has the sense oi violence and oppression ; 
 and, that the same sense is to be assigned to the Hebrew 
 noun, appears from this, that the Syriac noun of which we have 
 given the sense and derivation, is substituted for the Hebrew 
 in? in each of the three passages where the latter occurs. 
 The Syriac translator had evidently no doubt as to its signifi- 
 cation. 
 
ON rSALM LXXII. 247 
 
 such a prince^ must live a happy life. Each of them 
 shall willingly " give to him of the gold of Sheba, 
 as tribute, or as a testimony of gratitude, and shall 
 pray for him continually." They shall present 
 prayers to God for the safety of their king, — they 
 shall pray earnestly that every thing good may be 
 conferred upon him. There are some expositors 
 who understand the verb ^H^l. " and he shall live," 
 
 as referring to the king ; and they render the other 
 verbs that occur in the verse impersonally ^ in the 
 manner following ; The king shall live to a long age, 
 and shall live happily ; there shall be given him gold 
 ^ of Seba; and prayers shall be offered up for his 
 safety continually. Our mode of interpretation, 
 however^ according to which ^pj^l is referred to 
 
 ^VH^? goi'^g before in the singular number, has this 
 
 to recommend it, that the other verbs in the clause, 
 without doubt, have respect to the subjects of the 
 king's government. The opinion of Ludovic de 
 . Dieu is not satisfactory : " I do not think,'* he says, 
 " that we are to understand the honour as here 
 spoken of which should be paid by the people to the 
 king, but the benefits which the king should confer 
 upon the people. The previous '17, " to him," I re- 
 fer to ?VnK1 7I, " the poor and needy," as its an- 
 tecedent, both of which are in the singular number. 
 The sense therefore is : — The life of the king shall 
 not be spent to no purpose ; he shall enrich the poor 
 with his most valuable treasures; he shall, at all 
 times, intercede for them ; he shall bless them con- 
 
248 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 tinually. The verbs ]/n*1 ^PH "lay* accordingly, 
 
 be rendered : et vivetut det : " And he shall live that 
 he may give." 
 
 16. r1^^^ n!l"nDD ^n*. Abundantia frumenti 
 
 ' V T T - - • • : 
 
 erit in terra : There shall be abundance of food in 
 the land." What has given most trouble to inter- 
 preters in explaining these words, is the noun HDD* 
 
 T • 
 
 which is found only in this passage. In explaining 
 1 Kings xviii. 44, for the Hebrew Ji^^^ ^133. quasi 
 
 vola viri : " as a man's hand," the Chaldee interpre- 
 ter puts 1* DDDSj which strictly signifies, quasi 
 
 particuln manus : •' As if a part of the hand." (See 
 Dan, V. '24.) On this authority several expositors 
 have understood the words l^'DDiD ^s signifying 
 
 portiuricidam fnimenti • "A small quantity of corn ;" 
 as much as may lie on a man's hand, or as he may 
 hold within it. At the beginning of the verse, they 
 supply the conditional particle D^^ ; and in connec- 
 tion with the words that follow tJ^y*^* Dnjl ^^^'2 
 V^D pJ!273 they give the sense of the whole verse 
 
 thus : if there shall be a handful of corn in the earth, 
 nay, in the top of the mountains, — a situation the 
 most unfavourable for receiving seed: — the fruit, 
 notwithstanding of this inconsiderable quantity of 
 grain thus committed to the earth, shall be so abun- 
 dant as that it shall shake, making a sound as Leba- 
 non, when the trees thereof sound and shake, being 
 moved by the strength of the winds. Others, with 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 249 
 
 more propriety, consider the noun PlDQ ^s having 
 
 T • 
 
 the same signification as ?VDD diffusio, nbertas : 
 " spreading abroad, — plenty ;'' and as derived from 
 the verb ^02? which, both in the Chaldee and in 
 
 T • 
 
 the Arabic, means expandit^ diffudit se: " He spreads 
 abroad, — he enlarges himself." The Syriac interpre- 
 ter had no doubt this sense in view, when he ren- 
 dered the words midtitudinem frumenti, " an abun- 
 dance of corn." If this sense is adopted, there is no 
 need, as in the former case, of extrinsic aid in sup- 
 plying what is required for making out the meaning. 
 The Dagesh forte used with the letter D Samech, 
 indicates, indeed, that the noun is derived from DD5, 
 
 - T 
 
 a root, the second radical of which is doubted ; but 
 this is no valid objection to the derivation we 
 have assigned. It is well known that verbs, hav- 
 ing the third radical ^ Aleph, or H He, when 
 they have two radicals common with verbs which 
 double the last radical, have also with these verbs a 
 common signification. Of this, numerous Hebrew ex- 
 amples are given by Gessenius — Arabic examples of the 
 same kind, are afforded by Castellus Lexic. heptaglot. 
 In the Chaldaic, KDD means jt?a/2i5, " bread." Giving 
 the same sense to the Hebrew term, we formerly ren- 
 dered this passage as follows, erit — futurum est, " it 
 shall be, — it shall come to pass,'" ut pants iritici sit 
 in terra, " that there shall be corn-bread in the land." 
 This sense is exhibited by the Chaldee interpreter. 
 
 K':^"1J>CI1 K^n 7 *l*yD'n^ erit fidcimentum panis in 
 
 terrtti " the stay of bread shall be in the land" — that 
 
250 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 is, SO far from there being at any time, reason to 
 fear a scarcity of food under the government of such 
 a prince, it shall be that wheaten bread shall never 
 fail in the land. The verb may thus be understood 
 either absolutely, as futurum esU or as connected 
 with the other words by a form of enallage not sel- 
 dom used by the Hebrews, See Buxtorjii^ Thesaur. 
 GrammaL But the phrase abundantia tritici, 
 " abundance of corn," is more elegant than panis 
 triticiy " wheaten bread," and if it is adopted, the sense 
 of the remaining clause proceeds easily, in cacumine 
 montium commovendo strepet fructus ejus (tritici) si- 
 cut Libanus, " moved on the top of the mountains 
 His fruit," namely, of the corn, " shall give a sound 
 like Lebanon." The sense of the whole is, — so great 
 shall be the the fertility of the earth, and the plenty 
 of corn, that even the mountain tops shall yield 
 an abundant harvest ; corn shall grow to such a height 
 that the stalks, when shaken by the wind, shall rustle 
 and sound as the cedars, and other trees of Lebanon 
 sound when they are agitated by the winds. 
 
 \^^]1 Vji^yS ^^VD 'li^*^*! Etefflorebunt exurbe 
 
 » V T T V .. : • •• ,• T : 
 
 (seu collective, ex urbibus) sicut herba terrae^ " And 
 they shall flourish from the city,'' or collectively 
 " from the cities, as the herb of the earth." The 
 progeny of the people shall grow and increase in the 
 cities, like the plants of the field. With the fertility 
 of the earth, the increase of mankind is naturally 
 connected ; the poet accordingly predicts, that in the 
 reign of the king who was to come, both the fertility 
 of the earth, and the fecundity of the inhabitants 
 should be increased — he shall flourish both in regard 
 
ON PSALM LXX 1 1. 251 
 
 to the fruits of the earth, and the multitude of his 
 subjects. Thus it is said 1 Kings iv. 20, that in the 
 time of Solomon " Judah and Israel were many as 
 the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and 
 drinking, and making merry," indicating that at that 
 period, the population was abundant, and that the 
 earth yielded plentifully the necessaries and comforts 
 of life. The word V^'^ emicare, promicare, " to 
 
 spring from, to spring up," is used with respect to 
 plants or herbs, when sprouting from the seed, they 
 make their appearance above ground in beauty and 
 gracefulness, Num. xvii. 8, 23. It is used to denote 
 also, the reproduction of mankind in prosperous cir- 
 cumstances. Isa. xxvii. 6. The Latins employed 
 their verb emicare, in the same manner. Lucanus 
 Pharsal. iv. 549. 
 
 — — " sic semine Cadmi 
 Emicuit Dircea cohors." 
 
 — — " from Cadmus' seed 
 Sprang the Dircean band.'* 
 
 Lib. vi. 395. 
 
 " Hac tellure feri micuerunt semina Martis." 
 " The sons of Mars sprang from this stubborn soil, 
 Men bold in bloodshed, nerved in warlike toil." 
 
 From the noun 1*^^ we are at no loss to supply 
 
 the proper nominative to the'preceding verb ; q. d. ex 
 civitatibvs singulis cives efflorescent, '' from the 
 cities severally, tho citizens shall spring forth." The 
 expression is somewhat similar to that in Psalm 
 Ixviii. 27. Where the descendants of Israel are said 
 
252 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 to be defonte Israelis,'^ from the fountain of Israel." 
 If this explication should not appear entirely satis- 
 factory, another is offered by Michaelis which may 
 be considered. By collating the term "^^y with 
 
 its Arabic cognate, he assigns to it a different sense, 
 vallis, terra depressior, planides, '< a valley, a low part 
 of the earth, a plain," he renders the clause efflores- 
 cent ex vallibus {scW.fructiis ^*19, sensu collectivosub- 
 
 audito,) ut herba terrae, " the fruits thereof shall 
 flourish in the valleys as the herb of the field." By 
 the valleys are meant, it is supposed, the fertile valleys 
 of Coelosyria, lying at the foot of Mount Libanus, 
 which had before been mentioned. Instead of ^V^^^ 
 
 n>j;0, Pfeiffer reads l^yQV^^S^^— V1£3/^«c<««'C;'«* 
 
 " his fruit," he understands, as signifying the actions, 
 the remarkable achievements of the prince ! He 
 renders the whole clause thus : seges ejus ut cedri 
 Libani Jioreat, prodiens ut gramen campi, " Let his 
 fruit flourish as the cedars of Lebanon, coming forth 
 as the grass of the field." '' The sense of the clause," 
 he adds, " depends upon the explication of the word 
 l^y!^, which, whether il can be applied or not, to the 
 
 springing up of grain or grass from the earth, is not 
 clear to me. But that it may be used in reference to 
 a man distinguished by famous deeds, is evident 
 from Isa. Ixi. 2, 25, etc." 
 
 17. ti^^i!/ ''jSS inconspectu soils, " In presence of 
 
 the sun," that is, as long as the sun shines, comp. 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 253 
 
 verse 5 and Psalm Ixxxix. 37. ']^^' ]"i^' Sobolescet 
 nomen ejus, " His name shall increase," that is, it 
 shall be continued as long as the sun endureth ; the 
 government shall continue to his posterity in per- 
 petual succession. If the verb is put in Hipliil ]^^^ 
 instead of Niphal, there is no difference in tlie sense 
 from that of the textual reading. The verb V]"^, which 
 occurs only in this passage, is explained from the 
 noun y^, Gen. xxi. 23; Job xviii. 19: Isa. xiv. 22- 
 In these passages, the word has obviously the mean- 
 ing of offspring, and by the Chaldee interpreters, it is 
 constantly rendered by the word '~\^-,Jiiius, " a son." 
 It may, therefore, be assumed with certainty, that the 
 verb V\'^s\^m^Qs sobolem procreare, "to procreate des- 
 cendants.'' There is no reason then why the sense of 
 the word should have been represented by Michaelis as 
 doubtful, although it is not found either as a verb or 
 a noun, in any of the cognate languages. It is said 
 indeed, by a certain writer, who may be styled 
 x^ir/Ttcararog, (Anti critica in locos quosdam Psal- 
 morum) that the Arabians use the word p^, in the 
 sense atigere, " to increase," but this is false, for 
 in the Lexicon of Golius, to which he refers as 
 evidence, no such statement is to be met with. 
 The Chaldee translation of the clause is, however, 
 not a little remarkable, ^t^/D^ ^^^]t2 D"lpV 
 nV^Ci^ mn T^TD? ^^ antequam esset sol, prae- 
 
 paratum erat nomen ejus ; " and before the sun was, 
 his name was prepared." Now, since the Chaldee 
 verb I^T? is not unfrequently the rendering of the 
 
254 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Hebrew ]Oj(see, for example, Exod. xix. 13 : xxxiv. 
 2.), it is by no means an improbable conjecture that 
 the interpreter read p^^ in his manuscript. This 
 will appear still more probable, when it is considered 
 that T>e Rossi found this reading, a prima manu, 
 in the manuscript marked by him 879, and which he 
 asserts is ancient, and of good authority. It may be 
 added, that the Alexandrine has here haihvm, a ren- 
 dering in which both the Vulgate and Jerom concur : 
 persecerabit nomen ejus: " his name shall endure" 
 Buxtorf, in his Anti-criiica, shews that the verb ]^3^ 
 
 also, admits of this signification. ^21 l^'^HD^I' ^^ 
 
 :l T : . : 
 
 beatos se praedicabunt in eo .- " And they shall ac- 
 knowledge themselves blessed in him : ' — that is, it 
 shall serve as an example and formula of prayer for 
 blessings among all. nations : at all times, when men 
 desire good for themselves, or pray for good on be- 
 half of others, they shall use that name : — God be 
 merciful and kind to thee, as he has proved himself 
 to be towards that king. The words are more 
 
 clearly explained by what follows, O^lil'^D 
 
 irrnji^K*) omnes populi felicem praedicabunt eum : 
 
 " all nations shall pronounce him blessed." By the 
 
 accentuation, the words lID^i^"73, all nations, are 
 
 T 
 
 connected with the verb that follows them ; but, ac- 
 cording to the sense, they have at the same time a 
 reference to the verb that goes before. 
 
 18. The song ends with the seventeenth verse. In 
 this verse and the following, we have the do^oXoyiav : 
 
ON PSALM LXXII. 255 
 
 the doxology, similar to what is added at the end o^ 
 the first book of the collection, Psalm xli. 14.^ 
 20. See Gen. Introduction, Chap. III. 
 
 ^ Laudetur Jova, Deus Israelis a seculo usque in seculum : 
 " Let Jehovah be praised, the God of Israel from everlasting 
 and to everlasting." This doxology, taken from 1 Chron. 
 xvi. 36, was added by the collector of these songs, at the end 
 of the first book, or portion of the collection. It is found, also, 
 at the conclusion of each of the other four books. With re- 
 gard to the division of the Psalms into Jive books, see General 
 Introduction. 
 
PSALM ex. 
 
 ARGUMENT. 
 
 The subject of this ode is a king holding his au- 
 thority by divine appointment ; and in the same 
 manner as the patriarch Melchizedek, invested with 
 both regal and sacerdotal dignity. His majesty, 
 power, and warlike achievements, are celebrated. 
 Enjoying divine assistance, he is represented as 
 having already, in part, overcome the enemies of his 
 kingdom ; and, at a future period, as about to pros- 
 trate them utterly by his might. Among recent in- 
 terpreters, there are several who consider David as 
 the king who is here so highly celebrated. The 
 song, they think, was composed in honour of him, at 
 the time when his soldiers took by assault the strong 
 hold of Zion, the citadel of Jerusalem. This seems 
 to them proved by the fourth verse, in which the 
 king is said, by divine decree, to be constituted the 
 successor of that ancient and venerable king of Jeru- 
 salem, Melchizedek ; whose former seat, now taken 
 from the Jebusites, David had declared should be 
 the future capital of the Israelitish kingdom. The 
 second verse also, — in which it is predicted that the 
 king should long and widely extend his sceptre/rom 
 Zion, — refers they say to the same event.^ 
 
 1 Pfeiffer, following Muntingh, in bis preface to this Psalm, 
 has pointed out the notes that indicate the date of its compo- 
 
ON PSALM ex. 
 
 257 
 
 In the opinion of Aben-Esra, the song was com- 
 posed when David, in a severe engagement with the 
 enemy, and in imminent danger of his life, was res- 
 cued, — though with much difficulty, — by the valour 
 of Abishai, 2 Samuel xxi. 15—17. At that time, 
 David's soldiers are said to have declared with an 
 oath, that he should not thereafter go out to battle, 
 lest the light of Israel should be extinguished. This, 
 he thinks, is referred to in the first verse, which he 
 explains as follows -.^ '' Thou shalt remain in thy for- 
 tress, Zion, trusting confidently in mine aid ; thou 
 shalt not go out to battle, for though thou be absent, I 
 will subject to thee all thine enemies." The song is 
 
 sition. "If any one," he says, " will attentively read the history 
 of the assault made upon Jebus and mount Zion, as related in 
 2 Sam. V. 6, seqq, a.ndin 1 Chron. xi. 4, seqq., he will perceive 
 that instead of being an easy, it was indeed a most hazardous 
 and difficult attempt. Its success was deserving of being cele- 
 brated with songs and acclamations ; especially as David had 
 already determined in his own mind, to establish there his 
 royal residence ; and had also announced that he would, in due 
 time, and in obedience to a divine injunction, carry thither the 
 ark of the covenant, and whatever else was held in veneration 
 by the people. The forces of David, by which Zion was 
 stormed, were not slender, as is proved by the ironical sayings 
 of tiie enemy, in the passage of Samuel already referred to. He 
 will see from this the reason why, in the third verse, a dis- 
 tinguished body of troops is mentioned. Besides, Jebus, or 
 Salem, had formei-ly been the city of I\lelchizedek ; and for 
 this reason, perhaps, David declared that it should be the future 
 capital of the kingdom, 2 Sam. v. 7* 
 
 ^ i^' to stay, to abide, to dwell. 2 Kings ii. 2, 4, G, 
 
 Judges vi. IB. Hosea, i.i. 3. — synonymous with the Greek 
 verb xa^i^m.. Luke xxiv. 49. Acts xviii. 11. 
 S 
 
258 ARGUMENT 
 
 explained in nearly the same manner by Moses Men- 
 delsohn,^ who refers it, however, to a different period 
 in the history of David's life ; — to that, namely, of 
 which we have an account, 2 Sam. xi. and xii. 27? 
 seqq. The king having put the Ammonites to flight, 
 sent Joab, his general, with an army to besiege Kab- 
 bah, their chief city, while he, himself^ remaiiied at 
 home, in the citadel of Jerusalem. Joab having 
 taken that part of the city which furnished the supply 
 of water, gave notice of his success to David ; and 
 asked the king to bring up the remaining part of the 
 army, with which the entire city might be brouglit 
 under his power, and an end put to the war. While 
 these matters were in progress, an Israelitish poet, — 
 he thinks, — composed this song in honour of the 
 king.'* 
 
 This conjecture rests chiefly on the opinion that 
 the word Hl^'H in the sixth verse of the song, is the 
 
 T — 
 
 name of a city. But as we shall see afterwards, in 
 our annotations upon the passage, there are various 
 grammatical reasons that stand opposed to this 
 opinion. Neither can the explication of the first 
 verse, proposed by Aben-Ezra, be at all approved 
 of: it is altogether repugnant to the use of the He- 
 brew formula there employed. And, in fine, if the 
 song is referred either to the history contained in 
 
 ■' The grounds on uhich the conjectures and explications of 
 this very ingenious man are founded, have been illustrated by 
 Friedland. iMendelsohn's explication has been ably refuted 
 by Perschke. 
 
 ■* This opinion was entertained by Paulas and Ilgen. 
 
ON PSALM ex. 
 
 259 
 
 2 Sam. xxi. or to that contained in the xi. and xii. 
 chapters of the same book, it is impossible to imagine 
 what could move the poet to celebrate with so much 
 solemnity, as he does in the fourth verse, — the 
 king, as declared by Jehovah, the successor of Mel- 
 chizedek. This objection holds good against the 
 opinion of those also, who explain the Psalm as hav- 
 ing a reference to Abraham;^ or to Solomon,^ or to 
 Hezekiah.'^ 
 
 ^ The Psalm was referred to Abraham by Solomon Jarchi. 
 His explication is overturned by J. D. Michaelis iii den crilu- 
 chen Collegia uber die drey wichtigsten psalmen von Christo. Iz 
 was understood in the same way, by the unknown author of 
 an Arabic translation and exposition, edited by Schnurrer, 
 from a manuscript in the Bodleian library. 
 
 * Borhek imagined that the Psalm had a i*eference to Solo- 
 mon. The futility of this notion is clearly shewn by Faulus, 
 in Comment, in N^ T. 
 
 '' That Hezekiah is the king to whom the Psalm refers, was 
 an opinion long ago entertained. It is mentioned by Justin 
 Martyr, and by Tertullian. A certain learned person brings 
 forward in den Neuesten Theolog. Journal, edited by Gabler, 
 a singular conjecture. David, he thinks, perplexed and dis- 
 turbed in his mind by the rebellion of Absalom, had recourse 
 to the oracle, that he might obtain information as to the 
 issue. The response was to the effect, that he might remain 
 tranquil, trusting confidently in divine assistance ; for it should 
 come to pass, that Jehovah would render all his enemies sub- 
 ject to his authority. This answer, which is contained in the 
 first verse of the Psalm, afforded matter, he thinks, to some 
 poet of a later age, for celebrating by this song, the power of 
 Jehovah. This opinion, which has in itself little of verisimi- 
 litude, is ably disproved by J. E. Guie in der Einleitung in die 
 Psalmen. The notion of De Wette, that this Psalm is a;i ode 
 in which the poet flatters the prince, {eine dichieriscke Hchiwi' 
 
260 
 
 ARGUMENT 
 
 The song under consideration has this in common 
 with the second Psahn, that in both a divine oracle is 
 brought forward, in which Jehovah promises to a king, 
 whom he himself had constituted, complete victory 
 over his enemies. In our examination of the second 
 Psalm, we have already seen that the king, who is 
 the subject of it, should spring from the stock of 
 David ; — be the restorer of the Hebrew nation, and 
 republic ; — and e^o^cjg, should be called n^ti^DH* the 
 
 ~ • T ~ 
 
 Messiah, the Anomted. We have no doubt tliat the 
 same personage is the subject of the Psalm before us. 
 From the oracles of the Hebrew prophets that are 
 still extant, it is clearly proved, that the Hebrew na- 
 tion cherished a hope, with regard to the Messiah, 
 that he, after having overcome all his enemies, would 
 exalt his country to the highest pitch of power and 
 splendour ; and would reign over all the nations and 
 kingdoms of the earth. ^ Besides, the personage ce- 
 
 cheley gegen den Kordg), is utterly to be repudiated. What 
 king, in particular, is to be understood, he has not the hardi- 
 hood to determine ; but, from the fourth rerse, he thinks it 
 likely he was one of the Asmonean family ; probably John 
 Hyrcanus, who was strictly Bex Sacerdos, — both king and 
 priest. What Jahn has said with respect to this subject, in 
 Appendice Hermeneutices, is deserving of consideration. 
 
 * The objections made by De Wette to those expositors who 
 understand this song as referring to the Messiah, are of no 
 weight. The victories, — he says, — ascribed to the king whom 
 the Psalm celebrates, were to be obtained with much blood- 
 shed ; which is altogether repugnant to those just notions re- 
 specting the Messiah, that every Christian man ought to en- 
 tertain. We must therefore, if we would preserve the honour 
 of religion and of the sacred writings, throw this interpretation 
 
ON PSALM ex. 261 
 
 lebrated in this song, united in himself both the regal 
 and sacerdotal dignities, which was contrary to the 
 laws of the Israelitish commonwealth. His priest- 
 hood, also, was eternal ; and, in every respect, more 
 exalted in its character, than that with which the 
 Aaronic priests were invested. This can by no 
 means apply either to David, or to any other earthly 
 king ; it can apply only to the Messiah. From the 
 question proposed to our Lord by the Pharisees, the 
 
 aside. Every one knows that those songs and prophetic state- 
 ments, in which the splendid reign of the Messiah is described, 
 are to be jiidged of according to the genius and mode of think- 
 ing pecuHar to the age to which they belonged. Hufnagel in 
 his dissertations de psalmis prophetias Messianas continentibus, 
 states the truth on this subject. " I do not think," says he, 
 " that the things attributed to the Messiah, belonging to him 
 when represented as a king, - are to be disapproved of or re- 
 jected. Christ himself did not disapprove of the sentiments 
 entertained by those who saluted the JMessiah as a king; and 
 who expected from him, in that character, the utmost prospe- 
 rity of the Iraelitish state- He shewed, rather, that those per- 
 sons erred grievously who expected, in the Messiah, such a 
 king as David, Solomon, Hezekiah, or any other of the great 
 kings who had governed their country, John xviii. 33 — 38. If 
 this is true, — as it certainly is, — I wonder much at those who 
 say they are offended with the representation given in t'se ex. 
 Psalm; — cannot bear the cruel disposition of the Messiah to- 
 wards his enemies ; and, thinking all such representations ut- 
 terly at variance with the meekness and gentleness that distin- 
 guished him, cannot think that the Psalm can, without gross 
 mistake, be interpreted as having a reference to Jesua., The 
 matter is quite plain. Under the figure of a king avenging his 
 people, and frustrating his enemies, the poet shadows forth the 
 Messiah ; and thus teaches us to what country he belonged, and 
 what were the notions entertained by him." 
 
2t62 ARGUMENT 
 
 Jews, in the time of Jesus, evidentl}^ understood the 
 song as referring to the Messiah :^ and we have no 
 evidence that the person who inserted it in the col- 
 lection of sacred songs, and ascribed it to David, 
 understood it otherwise.^'' If David composed this 
 ode, we are obliged to conchide that it was in hon- 
 our, not of himself, but of another, greatly his supe- 
 rior. Who this other person could be, except the 
 Messiah, we cannot conjecture.^^ 
 
 5 Mat. xxii. 41. Mark xii. 35. Luke xx. 41. Among the 
 Jewish expositors of a later age, there were several who ex- 
 plained the Psalm as referring to the Messiah, and his reign ; 
 for example, R. Saadias Gaon in his commentary on Dan. vii. 
 13, and others, extracts from whose commentaries are given 
 by Wet stein. 
 
 '0 There are some who render the words of the title ll"! 7 
 
 • T : 
 
 "nlDtD — to David — dedicated, — that is, a song in honour of 
 
 David, Their reason is, that the proper name is here put be- 
 fore the other noun, whereas, in other places, it is the latter of the 
 two. We have IMasoretic authority, that, besides in this Psalm, 
 the word "HlDtDj is put after the proper name in six other 
 cases, namely, Ps. xxiv. 1 ; xl. 1 ; Ixviii. 1 ; ci. 1 ; cix. I ; 
 cxxxix. 1. The / lamed prefixed to the proper name in the 
 inscriptions of the Psalms, usually indicates the presumed au- 
 thor ; we have therefore no doubt that the words taken together 
 are to be understood as signifying a poem, — or song of David. 
 
 ^ ^ That David was the author of this Psalm Pareaii has en- 
 deavoured lately to shew in Institut. interpretis V. T. — " The 
 diction of the song," he says, " argues that David was the au- 
 thor of it. Indeed there is something so pecuhar in his history, 
 as king of all the tribes, that from it only, what is obscure re- 
 specting the conjunction of the royal and priestly dignities, may 
 
ox PSALM ex. 263 
 
 ANNOTATIONS. 
 
 J- ^^Hs^^ nin^ lD^^ Dictum Jovae ad Domi- 
 num meam, " The saying, — the announcement of 
 Jehovah to my Lord." By the appellation my Lord^ 
 we are to understand that the person addressed is the 
 king : for by this title, ^^1^^ — kings were usually 
 
 saluted by their inferiors, 1 Sara. J6; xxii. 12. 2 
 Sam. ii. 5, 8. 1 Kings i. 13, 17, 31. Then follows 
 the formula of the oracle. 
 
 '^'^S It^ Sede ad dextram meam. Sit thou at 
 
 be properly illustrated. We read 2 Sam. vi. 12 — 19, that the 
 ark of the covenant was, with great pomp, brought by David 
 to mount Zion, the place of its permanent rest. On that oc- 
 casion, he himself, clothed in sacerdotal robes, acted the part of 
 a priest, — offering sacrifices, and pronouncing the devout pray- 
 ers of the people. It was an occasion particularly fitted for 
 exciting in the mind of David, confidence of divine assistance 
 in those wars in which he w^s afterwards to be engaged. In 
 these circumstances, he seems to have represented, figuratively, 
 the condition of the Messiah ; — somewhat similar to his own, 
 but far more illustrious. He addresses the Messiah as superior 
 to himself, and recapitulates the divine oracle respecting the 
 supreme majesty, the extensive dominion, and the certain vic- 
 tory over all his enemies, promised to that illustrious person- 
 age. Nay, he even beholds him in the midst of a holy and in- 
 numerable multitude, adorned with~^riestly dignity ; which, in 
 conjunction with the dignity of a king, he should by virtue of 
 a divine decree, enjoy thenceforth, and for ever." That the 
 doctrine of a future Messiah was not unknown to David, Jo. 
 Theod. Bergmann endeavours to prove in commentatione in 
 •psalmum centesimum decimum. 
 
264 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 my rigl)t handT' that is, administer the affairs of the 
 kingdopa which I have committed to thee, as joint 
 partaker of my majesty and power. To sit at the 
 right hand of a king, was the highest honour. We 
 learn this from the customs of various nations both in 
 ancient and in modern times, (vid. Knappii Prohis. t/e 
 Christo nd dextrnm Dei sedente.) We have an in- 
 stance in the passage, 1 Kings ii. 19, where Solomon 
 requires his mother Bathsheba to sit at his right hand. 
 But not merely honour and dignity, but also associa- 
 tion in power, and in the administration of govern- 
 ment, are sometimes indicated by sitting at the right 
 hand of a prince. This is not to be understood as if 
 he who is seated a the right hand of a king were, 
 in every respect, the king's equal ; — equal in honour, 
 place, and authority. He is the fellow, — the col- 
 league of the king ; but he is so only in so far as is 
 granted to him by the king's pleasure. This may be 
 understood from Matt. xx. 21. Mark x. 37. Salome, 
 petitioning Jesus on behalf of her sons, James and 
 John, says, '* command that these my two sons may 
 sit, the one at thy right hand and the other at thy 
 left, in thy kingdom." By this she requested a share 
 in the government for them ; — a place next to the 
 king, as appears plainly from what follows, verses 
 25 — 28. There are many similar passages in the 
 Greek poets ; persons promoted to the dignity of 
 which we speak are styled cvvsd^oi, Ta^idpoi, and (jvv- 
 ^povoi ; concerning whom Grotius may be consulted 
 in his commentary on the passage quoted from 
 Matthew's Gospel ; and also Clarke^ in his Anno- 
 tations upon Hammond's Paraphrase. * In allusion 
 
ON PSALM ex. 
 
 265 
 
 to the well known custom, Pindar says, with respect 
 to Minerva, that she was " seated at the right hand 
 of the father, (to wit, of Jove,) to receive commands 
 for the gods/'^ Horace has a similar illustration, 
 Od. Lib. 1, 12, " Quid prius dicam," &c.2 But 
 Minerva, as Aristides, in illustration of Pindar, ob- 
 serves, was ayy'O.vo /^s/^oiv — rZrj dyysXXuv aXXoig aXXcc 
 sTiTarrsi, '^^ootyj Tru^a rov cargo? Ta^aXa/x/Savoutfa, — 
 " greater than an angel, — a messenger, — she ruled 
 over the other messengers, first receiving from the 
 Father his commands." Callimachus^ Hym, m Apoll. 
 verses 28, 29, says, " If the choir sung gratefully, 
 Apollo would confer a reward,— rz/x?^ eg/ praemiis 
 
 ^ ^i^idv xccra Xi^Toa. 
 
 rod ^ctT^os KuBi^ofjitvfiv 
 ras ivToXas toli 9-io7s, ^ 
 
 2 " Quid prius dicam solitis parentis 
 
 Laudibus ; qui res hominura, ac Deorum, 
 Qui mare, ac terras, variisque mundum 
 
 Temperat horis ? 
 Unde nil majus generatur ipso ; 
 Nee viget quidquam simile, aut secundum ; 
 Proximos illi tamen occupavit 
 
 Pallas honores."— Lib. 1, Od. 12,1. 12—19. 
 
 " Claims not th' eternal Sire his wonted praise ? 
 Awful who reigns o'er gods and men supreme, 
 Who sea and earth, — this universal globe 
 With grateful change of seasons rules ; 
 From whom no being of superior power, 
 Nothing of equal, second glory, springs, 
 Yet, first of all, his progeny divine '■- '; 
 
 Immortal honours Pallas claims."— Francis. 
 
 t'^%^ 
 
266 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 afficiet^ and he was able to do so, because he sifs on 
 the right hand of Jove, {bbvarat yao^ Its/ A/f 6g^/og 
 7} oral.) In both these passages of Pindar and Calli- 
 machus, it is evident that sitting at the right hand of 
 Jove indicates, not only superiority of place and dig- 
 nity, but also power, authority, and a certain parti- 
 cipation in government. The words in the passage 
 before us are much more forcible. As Schnurrer 
 properly remarks, they are equivalent to ^J/ ;q(^', 
 'J^D V ^^<D Jj asside dexbxie mecB in ihrono meo ; 
 
 *' Sit thou upon my throne at my right hand." We 
 must conceive of Jehovah, when pronouncing the 
 words, as occupying his royal seat. There was, 
 therefore, no need for saying, upon my throne ; for, 
 in sitting at his right hand-, a seat on his throne was 
 necessarily implied. The metaphor is taken from a 
 king whose son being about to reign along with him, 
 (as in Exod. xi. 5. 1 Kings i. 18, 17,) is seated at 
 his right hand upon the throne of royalty. Thus, 
 David appointed with regard to Solomon, 1 Kings 
 i. 43 — 48. ColL Josephi. Antiquitt. Lib. vii. Cap. xi. 
 The passage, upon the whole, concurs as to its signi- 
 fication, with Psalm ii. 7? " Thou art my son; this 
 day have I begotten thee :" that is, I have adopted 
 thee as my colleague in the government. The king 
 who sits at the right hand of Jehovah, is he who holds 
 the highest honours, and who, in the province com- 
 mitted to him, and in the city assigned to him as the 
 place of his residence, acts the part of Jehovah's 
 viceroy. 
 
 For the sake of farther illustration, we may here 
 
ON PSALM ®X. 267 
 
 advert to a custom of the ancient Arabian kings, who, 
 before the age of ?'.Iohammed, reigned in the district 
 of Hirah. A successor to the reigning king was no- 
 minated, and designated, from the verb correspond- 
 ing to the Hebrew ?|Tn, he came after, he succeeded, 
 
 the Radaj. The name, as explained by Golius, sig- 
 nified second from the king ; and, in the king's abse?ice, 
 occupying his place. The nature of the dignity is, 
 however, more accuratel}'^ explained by Ibn-Cotaiha^ 
 in his Monuments of Ancient Arabian History ; and, 
 as I have not seen the passage adduced in illustra- 
 tion of the Psalm before us, I think it proper to 
 give it a place, " It belongs to the dignity oi Rida- 
 fat, — of succession, to sit next to the king. The 
 Radaf sits at his right hand. If the king drinks, the 
 Radaf drinks before all others. If the king goes 
 out upon an expedition, the Radaf sits on his seat, 
 and acts in his room till lie return. If the king's 
 servants make an excursion, the Radaf receives a 
 fourth part of the booty." But the phrase, the righl^\ 
 hand of God ^ signifies, also, his mightiness, power,; 
 ?ii\di protection, as in Psalms xx. 7> xliv. 4; cix. 31 : 
 also the verb HJi^^, signifies to remaiii, to continue. 
 
 — T 
 
 There are some expositors, accordingly, who explain 
 sit thou at my right hand, as meaning, expect my aid, 
 look to me for deliverance ; or, as Grotius expresses 
 the sense, securus esto auxilii mei- In explaining par- 
 ticular forms of expression, such as this, it is the part 
 of a good interpreter, not to content himself with the 
 sense which single words may have in this or the 
 
268 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 other passage ; but to examine and ascertain the 
 force and usage of the entire formula. 
 
 ^^S:inS Din ^^-nn^^ r\^m-'iy,no?2ecsubje- 
 
 cero hostes (uos scabelhimpedibus tuis, — " Until I shall 
 have put down thine enemies, as a stool for thy feet^^ 
 that is, tread and trample upon them as upon a foot- 
 stool ; — have them entirely subjected to thee. The 
 same idea is expressed more simply, sub pedibus ali- 
 cujus coUocare^ as in Ps. viii. 7. Comp. Ps. xviii. 39 ; 
 xlvii. 3. The origin of the phrase will not appear 
 obscure, if we consider that of old, among barbarous 
 nations, it was the custom of conquerors to throw 
 those whom they had vanquished under their feet. 
 Jos. X. 24, 25. The corresponding Arabic term sig- 
 nifies to prostrate upon the ground^ — to throw down. 
 Hence 0^*^^*^ DlH? is used to signify any thing 
 that is put under the feet, in the same sense as 
 D^Sj'I DipD> in Isa. Ix. 13. The particle Tj; in") 
 
 this clause, is not to be understood as if it meant that 
 he should cease to reign when his enemies were sub- 
 jugated : the subject itself leads to the true sense. 
 The announcement is, that he should continue to 
 rule, even when his enemies, though deprived of 
 their power, yet retained their hostile dispositions 
 (cf. ver. 2, ^O'X l^^pin mi): or, whilst he con-- 
 
 tinned to sit at the right hand of Jehovah, — that is, 
 continued to reign. Jehovah, in the mean time, 
 would place all his enemies under his feet. The par- 
 ticle sometimes has such a reference to past time, as 
 
ox PSALM ex. 269 
 
 that nothing to the contrary is to be inferred with re- 
 gard to the future : — for example, Gen. xxviii. 15, 
 " I will not leave thee, until I have done all of which 
 I spoke to thee." Deut. vii. 24. '< There shall no one 
 be able to stand before thee, till thou have destroyed 
 them ;" nor after they were destroyed, could they 
 oflFer resistance.^ The case then resolves itself into 
 this,' — that all who opposed this prince, with the view 
 of bringing him down from his place of power, 
 should themselves be cast down ; while he, on the 
 contrary, seated at the right hand of God, should 
 administer the affairs of the kingdom, divinely in- 
 trusted to his care. Hensler observes, that the par- 
 ticle IV i^^ this passage, signifies, while in the meari^ 
 
 time; and has the same sense, Judg. iii. 26. Pfeiffer 
 views it as conjunctive or inclusive, as in 1 Sam. 
 xviii. 4 ; xxx. 19, signifying quia et^ and because : — 
 I will render thee thus glorious, a?id will also put) 
 all thine enemies, &c. It is certain, however, that 
 after the fortress of Jerusalem was taken, David had 
 still many enemies to contend with in war. But 
 whether this oracle then did, or did not exist, pro- 
 pounded in the same terms, we do not propose to 
 inquire. It was agreeable to the poet to express, in 
 the form of an oracular declaration, this his plain 
 meaning: Jehovah himself hath constituted my Lord 
 the King, and ivill make his enemies entirely subject to 
 him- 
 
 2. The poet, having delivered the oracle of Je- 
 
 ' Cf. infra, Ps. cxii. 8, et plura exempla hujusmodi in Glassii 
 Phihl. S. ; et in Noldii Concordantt. Particular. 
 
270 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 hovah, now begins to 'address the King: pltS^^ 
 
 W^D nln* Tlbt^'' "ntyj Sceptrum poientiae iuae 
 
 emittet Jova a Sione, — " Jehovah shall send forth 
 the sceptre of thy power out of Zion." " The 
 sceptre of thy power," that is, thy powerful and 
 royal sceptre. " Jehovah shall send forth out of 
 Zion/' that is, from this fortress now taken by thee, 
 and hereafter to be thy kingly abode, thou shalt give 
 out thy royal commands, and shalt exercise thine 
 authority over the nations who are given thee to be 
 thy subjects. — ^^O^i*? ^"^pS m^) Imperabis in 
 
 medio hostium tuorum^ — " Thou shalt rule in the 
 midst of thine enemies." They who consider David 
 as the subject of this ode, think that the neighbour- 
 ing nations of Palestine are here referred to. Pfeiffer 
 gives the following explication : '' Thou shalt rule, 
 although there are every where around thee the Phi- 
 listines, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and other 
 enemies," 2 Sam. iii. 18. There is thus no need for 
 wresting the word 2*1 p. But if this explication 
 
 should not be deemed satisfactory, the passage may 
 be understood, as Hensler pleonastically explains it, 
 — Tlioit shalt rule over thine enemies ; or, if you 
 read ^"Ipll, in the approach of thine enemies. But 
 
 for this there is no cause. It is scarcely necessary 
 to remark, that the imperative is used instead of the 
 future. It is properly suggested by Bergman, that 
 the term H'lpS' i" this clause, strictly signifies, in 
 
 medio, — that is, in the midst of enemies ; so that we 
 have this as the sense : — although the whole earth 
 
\ 
 
 ON PSALM ex. 271 
 
 be filled with thine enemies, yet they shall not inter- 
 rupt thy progress, nor prevent thee from extending 
 thy kingdom in the midst of them. Schnurrer ob- 
 serves, moreover, that after tV^'^Oj we tnay supply 
 nOK/j ^^^ thus obtain the meaning: — Jehovah will 
 
 not indeed presently destroy thine enemies, but will 
 restrain them, by inspiring them with a dread of thy 
 power. 
 
 3. nil^ ^^^' Popuhis tuns erit promptifiidines, 
 
 — literally rendered, *' Thy people shall be readi- 
 nesses." The abstract being used for the concrete, 
 as in Ps. cix. 4; cxix. 142, 172, the meaning is, thy 
 people shall be most ready; — being called by thee to 
 go forth to war against the enemy, they shall will- 
 ingly offer themselves to thee. Schroeder^ in his 
 Annotations upon this Psalm, expresses the sense of 
 tlie verse very correctly. " Messiah the constituted" 
 King," he says, ^' is presented as a warlike prince, 
 enlarging the boundaries of his kingdom by splendid 
 victories : in prosecution of his purposes, employing 
 his subjects as soldiers ; and finding them, in great 
 numbers, ready prepared to go to battle on behalf of 
 their prince." The words have been considered as 
 ^ concise mode of expression for E^y n^H* ^^V 
 
 rii*!^, — literally, " Thy people shall be a people of 
 
 readinesses," that is, shall be quite prompt and pre- 
 pared; but the sense, in both cases, is the same. 
 For the construction, compare Ps. Ix. 5.^ ^y the 
 
 * T,he reference is to part of the notes on the clause 
 
 nbynn V^ l^n^p^n, literally,-" Thou hast mide 
 
272 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 collation of this passage with Ps. Ixviii. 10, Aben- 
 Esra is disposed to supply the word Dti^iJ) showers, 
 
 so as to give the sense, — thy people shall hasten to- 
 gether to thee as copious shoivers. The word nilllJ' 
 
 T : 
 
 in Exod. xxxv. 29; Levit. xxii. 18, 21 ; Deut. xii.6; 
 Amos iv. 5, is used in reference to spontaneous obla- 
 tions. On this account, it has been proposed in this 
 passage, after ^,0V' to supply the verb X^^ 5 ^"^^ 
 
 before ril^lJ? to put the prefix ^ ; and thus to give 
 
 T : 
 
 the sense, — thy people shall he present with sponta- 
 neous oblations. But, since an army is represented 
 in the passage as called out to a warlike expedition, 
 we cannot understand Dlm^^ otherwise, than as 
 
 T : 
 
 signifying a prompt and willing mind : in which 
 sense we find it used, Hos. xiv. 5, ultro, voluntarily^ 
 of his own accord, Ps. li. 14 ;^ Judg. v. 2, 9. The 
 
 us drink wine, — astonishment." The noun *1», wine, is here 
 .put in the absolute, instead of the constructed form Vi^ ; it is 
 an abbreviated expression '"or J^ Sy^JT^ V* V^, vinum, ni- 
 mirum vinum temulentiae, as in 1 Kings xxii. 27- QH^ 
 Vn / D^DI rn/5 dbus oppressloms, et aqua oppressionis. 
 ^ The word n^L^Hj, occurs in the clause jllll^ mil 
 
 T • . T • : — ; 
 
 >J^J^J3]^j Et spiritus spontaneus sustentet me, — " And let 
 
 a free spirit sustain me." Having obtained from thee forgive- 
 ness of sin, render my mind active, easy, free ; for this, as the 
 {Kinillelism of the clause shews, is the meaning of a free spirit. 
 liUther properly renders the words — Der freudige Geist. 
 
ON PSALM ex. 273 
 
 cognate term in the Arabic is employed, as Schidtens 
 shevvs, with regard to a soldier who offers himself 
 willingly, and is prepared to endure all the hardships 
 of the service. — ^ /^H DVB? I'^ die exercitus tui, — 
 
 '' In the day of thine army," that is, in the day when^^j 
 thou assemblest and leadest forth thine army. The / 
 word 7^n> niiUiia, is here used as in Deut. xi. 4, 
 
 2 Kings vi. 15, signifying military forces. 
 
 Si^*Tb"nin2j I>^ decoribus sanctitatis -. — << In 
 
 the beauties of holiness."' The meaning is, — they 
 shall present themselves before Thee dressed in exA 
 cellent garments, — in beautiful and festal array :/ 
 comp. Psalm xxix. 2; xcvi. 9. Certain expositors 
 understand the words as signifying, — in warlike^ — 
 military splendour ; because the noun, ti^1p> and 
 also the verb ti^'^D, are employed with reference to 
 persons who have been selected for military service, 
 and consecrated to it, Isa. xiii 3.^ Jer. vi. 4. li. 27. 
 
 6 Isaiah xiii. 3. W^J^dS ^H^Vi^ '^K, Ego Deus exer- 
 
 cituum, supremus rertan arbiter, mandavi sanctificatis meis, 
 " /, the God o? armies, the supreme arbiter of events, have 
 commanded my sanctified ones," — that is, those who have been 
 instructed and prepared by me ; who are bound as if by mili- 
 tary oath to this particular service. The Medes and Persians 
 are to be understood as those who are referred to. In obedience 
 to the divine command, they assemble from the remotest quar- 
 ters, and for one purpose, — the destruction of Babylon. The 
 Chaldee for sanctified ^vo-gevly substitutes prepared^ — those who 
 were prepared for destroying Babylon. What Jehovah sets\ 
 apart, is said to be sanotified ; hence, whaa the term is used in ■ 
 T 
 
274 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 Instead of the words ^Ip^'^'^nnS, there are found 
 in many copies, both printed and manuscript, 
 ■ ti^'7b"**1*inS5 in montihus Sanctis: — "in the holy 
 mountains," the same expression as we have, Psalm 
 Ixxxvii. 1 ; and which we are to understand as sig- 
 nifying the mountains of Jerusalem. Jerom found 
 this reading in the original, and renders it accordingly 
 in montibus Sanctis. It seems to have been found 
 also by Symmachus, who renders it" — but according 
 to one recension only, — h hzGiv aykig : — according 
 to another, — b do^p dyiuv. The sense, — as every 
 person must perceive, — is much more elegant than 
 that of the received text. 
 
 ^n"tS» h^ ^V int^b tDnir^, Schnurrer, fol- 
 lowing the opinion oi Lowth, judiciously suggests the 
 following resolution of these words: n^H' ^mT /D 
 *inS^*/tD Drrn /t^O 'nSv — rosjnventutistuaeerittibi 
 
 prae rore.- '• The dew of thy youth shall be to thee be- 
 fore the dew," — greater than the dew, — " from the 
 womb of the morning." Of this form of construction and 
 ellipsis, there are examples in the following passages : 
 Ps. iv. 8 (7) ; Isa. x. 10 ; Job xxxv, 2. Similar forms 
 from Pindar are adduced by Lowth, in his notes 
 upon this clause. r)']'^^\J?iventus (Ecc. xi. 9, 10), 
 
 reference to military forces, such forces are to be understood as 
 engaged in a sacred loar^ under the leading and auspices of Je- 
 hovah, having been selected for the service by Jehovah him- 
 self. 
 
ON PSALM ex. 275 
 
 is here put metonymically for young men ; in the 
 same manner as D/l^' spculam., for the men who 
 live in a particular age, Ps. xii. 8; — D^!D^ ^^^ 
 
 . T 
 
 Wj^ "fn, multitudo annorum^ for aged, very old 
 
 . T 
 
 men, Job xxxii. 7 ; and also rm^^» canities, for a 
 
 person bald-headed, Lev. xix. 32. The youths of the 
 king here, as the context teaches, are the young 
 men selected and levied by him for warlike expedi- 
 tions. Large bodies of military troops are compared 
 to deio, 2 Sam, xvii. li, 12; Micah v. 6. Dew, 
 "^nCi^/tD Drrn, of the womb of the morning^ is the 
 
 IT : • V •.• 
 
 morning dew formed during the night into innume- 
 rable drops, proceeding, as it were, from its womb : 
 there is a similar figure in Job xxxviii. 8, 29. Cicero 
 de Divinat. L. L cap. 8. Quuni primum gelidos rores 
 aurora remittet, — " When the morning first puts 
 forth the cold dews," — uses nearly the same figure. 
 The entire expression, — " the dew of thy youth to 
 thee," — means, the race of thy young men, or the" 
 army of thy people, and of those selected by thee, 
 shall be in multitude as the drops of dew, — that is, 
 innumerable. Ludovicus Capellus thus explains the 
 words : — " In the selection which thou makest of 
 thy soldiers, thy chosen youths shall seem multi- 
 plied ; — born, as it were, to thee in abundance and 
 beauty, like the dew drops wliich appear in the 
 morning, the produce of a single night, and scattered 
 abroad as from the womb of the mornin»." In the 
 
 o 
 
 Alexandrine version, the Hebrew is rendered, iy. 
 
276 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 yaGrooQ tpo ko^g^o^ou sysvvyjffd cs, which is followed by 
 the Vulgate, ex utero aiite Luciferum genui te, — 
 " from the womb, before the star of the morning 
 have 1 begotten thee." It is evident that, in these 
 translations, the words 7^5 ^7 are omitted, — neither 
 are they expressed by Theodotion ; and that the 
 others are understood, as if written, ^nfit^D QHIQ 
 ^m^^ The word ^^^)*^^^ is indeed found in 
 
 certain manuscripts enumerated by De Rossi ; but 
 there is little doubt that it is to be ascribed to the 
 error of the copyists. 3Iichaelis ha.s discussed this 
 reading, and also a variety of other interpretations, 
 both of ancient and modern times, at great length, 
 in Collegio Critico. Hensler and Bergman may 
 also be consulted. 
 
 4. Sn3^ ^Vl T^^T^'> V^tlf^^ Juravlt Jova, nee 
 
 eum penitoebiti — " Jehovah hath sworn, and will not 
 repent him," of his promise : he will not change his 
 decree. The same phrase is used. Num. xxiii. 19, 
 1 Sam. XV. 29. The words of the oath follow, be- 
 fore which, as in verse 2, the word *)bb?Sj sai/ing, 
 
 is to be understood, ^nni'^-Sv n^'wh \n3-nPi^ 
 
 p11^"^37D> ^u sacerdos in perpetuum eris secuU' 
 
 dum rationem Melchizedeci, — " Thou shalt be a priest 
 for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek," 
 that ancient king of Jerusalem, who alone, in so far 
 as is recorded, held united, in his own [jcrson, the 
 regal and sacerdotal dignities. Gen. xiv. 18. Those 
 who consider David as the person to whom this ode 
 
ON PSALM ex. 277 
 
 refers, interpret the words before us, as if the poet 
 intended to intimate by them, that David, having 
 now obtained the fortress of Jerusalem, the former 
 seat of King Melchizedek, had become the successor 
 of that king ; and to intimate this, besides, that as 
 Melchizedek was priest of the Most High God, so 
 David the king was also a worshipper of the same 
 divinity. The passage applies, however, with much 
 greater propriety to the Messiah. The noun IHI), 
 
 in the judgment of Aben-Esra, is to be understood 
 here as signifying minister, an honourable servant, 
 as in 2 Sam. viii. 18. The reason why the sons of 
 David were called D^^njj is given 1 Chron. xviii. 
 
 17. Fuisse illos primos ad manum regis, — " They 
 were chief about the king." He therefore explains 
 the passage in this manner : — Thou, David, shalt be 
 a minister of Godybr ever ; and thou shalt therefore 
 receive tithes, even as Melchizedek received tithes 
 from Abraham.'' This, as every person must feel, 
 is very barren. Neither can we approve of Hensler's 
 opinion, — namely, that the words at the beginning 
 of this verse, jurahit Jova, etc., are to be connected 
 with those that go before. The notion of Schnurrer 
 is correct. *' The formula," — he says, — " It is a de- 
 cree of Jehovah, which he will never change," — is to 
 be understood as an intimation, that what is con- 
 tained in the words immediately following, cannot be 
 but something great, — of the highest importance, — 
 altogether singular." The announcement, accord- 
 ingly, is quite of that description : — that the Messiah 
 should be a future successor of one who was not only 
 
278 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 a king, but at the same time, also, priest of the 
 Most High God; and that he should be the repre- 
 sentative of this king and priest, after a long inter- 
 val of time, — seeing that when this song was com- 
 posed, it had long been unusual that any person 
 should be a priest, who did not belong to the tribe 
 of Levi. 
 
 pni»^"^37D ^nil'I'/Vr Secundum rationem — 
 
 scil. — conditionem Melchizedici^ — " Not indeed an 
 ordinary priest, such as Aaron, or any of his de- 
 scendants, Levites ; but a priest of a singular and 
 higher, namely, of a royal rank." — ^D'^^'^'/J^j is 
 
 written with Jod 'parogogic, as in the following 
 word, pli^^-^sSo; also in Jos. x. 1, pn^-^^n^f, 
 Judg. i. 6, pTl"0*i?^; and elsewhere generally, 
 Isa. i. 21, Lam. i. 1,4. It is equivalent to ^HltD /^^ 
 
 pro ratione secundum rationetn, Eccl. iii 18, viii. 2; 
 and is rightly explained by Aben-Esra, — Secundum 
 morem, sen, co7isuetudinem , — " According to the 
 manner or fashion." In the Syriac version, it is ren- 
 dered as signifying in similitudine : " in the likeness ;" 
 in which sense it is rendered, also, by the author of 
 the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. vii. 15, Tiara rr,v 
 b[ioi6T7i7a MsXxK^iOsz. In the Alexandrine, we have 
 ■Aara t^v rd^iv. — in the Vulgate secundum ordinem. 
 This signification is, perhaps, taken from the Arabic 
 meaning of the cognate verb, he came after, followed^ 
 succeeded : from which is formed the noun, signify- 
 ing a successor. Following this sense, nn!!*^"^'^ 
 
ON PSALM ex. 279 
 
 means secundum successionem ; " according to the 
 succession." D^IV^ ^^ perpetuum ; " for ever ;" 
 
 which those who refer the Psalm to David, explain 
 by diim vives ; " Whilst thou livest." They remark 
 that the term denotes perpetuity, only in so far as 
 perpetuity can be understood as applying to the sub- 
 ject matter treated of. In Exod. xxi. 6. Deut. xv. 
 17, a servant ulS^^ f^^^ ^'^^'^y means a servant till 
 
 T 
 
 the year of jubilee. But it is remarked, also, on the 
 other hand, that if the person spoken of was to be a 
 priest only during his life, there was nothing so extra- 
 ordinary in the promise or declaration, as to require 
 that it should be sanctioned by the solemnity of an 
 oath. It appears, therefore, that the poet had in 
 his mind a much longer period than the ordinary du- 
 ration of human life. Kimchi, following the Chal- 
 dee, mistakenly takes Melchizedek not as a proper 
 name, but as an appellative : and, understanding 
 
 ni^l"^^ as in Eccles. vii. 14, he translates the 
 
 words quia tu David es rex justitiae, sen Justus ; re- 
 ferring to 2 Sam. viii. 15, where David is commemo- 
 rated as a just, — a righteous king, Grotius, evident- 
 ly in opposition to the proper sense of rTH^'^'/J^j 
 
 renders the words, secundum meam constitutionem^ o 
 rex mi juste ! " according to my appointment, O my 
 just king!" Comp. Prov.xxix. 14. It is necessary only 
 to mention such interpretations. The figurative de- 
 scription of a regal priest by the Prophet Zachariah,'^ 
 chap. vi. 13, seems to have a reference to this pas- - 
 
280 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 sage. Concerning the use made of it by the author 
 : of the Epistle to the Hebrews, chap. v. 9, ]0, there 
 is a copious dissertation by Bergman, in his Com- 
 mentary. 
 
 •">• ^3VJ*"S!1/ ^j^J^ Dominus ad dextram tuam, 
 
 O rex ! " The Lord is at thy right hand, IdngV 
 We are to understand tiy/t^*, as denoting the right 
 
 hand of the person spoken of in the verse preced- 
 ing: and by ">yy^ we are to understand JieAoi"«//^ 
 
 the ahiiighty defender of the king whom the Psalm 
 celebrates. The sense, according to the Chaldee 
 paraphrase, is, ^''ty hv ^H t^n^DSi^ Majestas 
 
 't . ; - T : T : : : 
 
 Jovae ad dextram tuam percntiet. etc. " The majesty 
 of Jehovah at thy right hand shall strike through, 
 etcr Indeed nlH* instead of ^HNS is exhibited 
 in seventeen manuscripts enumerated by Kennicot. 
 At the right handy or, to be at the right hand of a 
 person is, agreeably to the Hebrew mode of expres- 
 sion, to be ready, to be present, to defend, Psalms 
 xvi. 8; cix, 31. The clause is well explained by 
 Grotius, — adjutor tibi est^ et velut 'TraoaaTdrrig ; " he 
 is an assistant to thee, and, as it were standing by thy 
 side." By the Lord we are to understand Jehovah ; 
 for the name '*y^^, is not given to any other, either 
 
 T ~ : 
 
 God or man;'' and we are to conceive of him as 
 
 '*J1"^^? with Kamets, is used both for God, and for angels 
 as representing God; but, ^^*lt^> written and pointed in this 
 
 form is used for Jehovah only ; and is found, according to the 
 ]\Iasorites, in a hundred and thirty-four passages. — Tran. 
 
ON PSALM ex. 
 
 281 
 
 standing by the side of the king, and defending him 
 against all his enemies. What is said here is, there- 
 fore, something different from what is stated in the 
 first verse, where the Messiah is said to sit at the right 
 /mwc? of Jehovah; that is, to exercise equal authority. 
 Those who refer the pronominal suffix of the second 
 person in ^J\tD' to Jehovah, involve themselves in 
 
 inextricable difficulties. Here, indeed, we find as- 
 cribed to Jehovah what, strictly speaking, were to be 
 the deeds of the Messiah ; to whom, Ps. ii. 9, we 
 find them directly attributed. But the sense is still 
 perfectly consistent ; because the remarkable victories 
 which the Messiah was about to obtain over his ene- 
 mies, and which are treated of in the passage, were 
 to be obtained as the result of divine assistance. It 
 is scarcely necessary to remark, that the remaining 
 part of the song relates also to the Messiah. The 
 preterite V'HD contundet^ he shall bruise, or strike 
 
 down, is used instead of the future ; a form common 
 in prophetical annunciations, for example,- Isaiah ix. 
 1. Obad. i. 2. Jerem. xxviii. 2. See liowth, prae- 
 lect. XV. iQ^'DVH J^i^ «^«^ suae ; " In the day 
 
 of his wrath;" at the time when, in his indignation,* 
 he shall inflict punishment upon the rebellious na- ' 
 tions. Comp. Ps. ii. 5, 12. Isaiah xiii. 9, 13. 
 
 DO/D J^^ffes : Kings, whomsoever they might be/\ 
 
 who placed themselves in opposition to the Messiah. 
 
 6. m*1.1 t^hi2 D^i^H ri\— Schnurrer teaches 
 
 that these words are to be resolved as follows : — 
 
282 
 
 ANNOTATIONS 
 
 madvertet i?i ge?iies hostiles ; unaquaeque erit ca- 
 .daveribiis plena, — " He shall punish the hostile 
 \natious ; all places shall be filled with dead bodies." 
 
 According to other interpreters, the verb t^^Q, 
 
 though often used intransitively^ is here to be un- 
 derstood as having an active signification. In this 
 sense it is also occasionally employed, as in Exod. xl. 
 34; 1 Kings viii. 10, 11; Ezek. x. 3; xlvi. 5; and, 
 if adopted here, the sense will be, — implebit cadave- 
 ribus, — " he will fill," — either those nations or all 
 places, — " with dead bodies." In the Chaldee, the 
 word earth is supplied, — " he shall fill the earth with 
 'the dead bodies of the wicked who are slain " — 
 CJ^i^n rn^) Conqiiassabit capita, — ^' He shall 
 
 bruise the heads," as in Ps. Jxviii. 22.8— p{^-Sj/* 
 
 niHI, Super tenam magnam^ — '• Upon much 
 
 ground." The meaning is, he shall make a great 
 slaughter of the enemies, upon those wide-spread 
 plains, ftn which great battles usually took place. 
 By some, the word t^^*) is understood to signify a 
 prince or rider, as in Num. i. 4 ; xiv. 4 ; Judg. xi. 
 8 ; and they interpret the words here, — Percutiet 
 
 ^ A. Schultens illustrates the sense of the verb r*fnD> from 
 
 that of the Arabic cognate, which primarily signifies to shake, 
 — to shake violently, as a bag containing milk is shaken in the 
 formation of butter, or as a bucket when let down into a well. 
 In its secondary sense, it means to strike, — to strike violently ; 
 in which sense it is used, Dent, xxxiii. 11 ; Ps. xviii. 39 ; 
 Hab. iii. v2. 
 
ON PSALM ex. 
 
 283 
 
 principem, seu collective, prmcipes super terris mul- 
 tis, — " He shall smite the prince," or, taken collec-\ 
 tively, — " the princes of extensive territories." We 
 are told that, agreeably to the Hebrew idiom, we 
 may write HBl V!?N^ ^^h, or TST) pK^ ^^^ 
 (comp. Num. i. 4) ; but in those passages where 
 the particle S^ follows the noun ^t4"1, the particle 
 depends upon the verb 'n^ ; and the sense of the 
 entire phrase is, to appoint a particular person as 
 prince, or ruler over others, Exod. xviii. 25 ; Deut. i. 
 15. Mendelshon understands H^H as a properN 
 
 T — •- 
 
 name, Rahbah, a city of the Ammonites ; and the 
 noun t^^*!, as signifying a prince: he accordingly 
 renders the clause, — Percutiet principem terrae 
 Rahbah. — " He shall smite the prince of the land of 
 Rabbah," that is, of that land of which Kabbah was 
 the principal city, or the prince of the land of the 
 Ammonites. But as no Hebrew would ever have 
 
 said, D^b^n^ \^^, for ^Kn^» pS^, so neither 
 would he have said,'nnn P^/for ]i;^y On pK, 
 though the form of expression, in the former case, 
 would have been equally admissible as in the latter. 
 See Deut. ii. 37 ; Jos. xiii. '25. 
 
 X t^'^'^ Dn^ p-Sy r\r\tt^\ '^"Tin bmo- 
 
 E torrente in via bibet, propterea exaltavit caputs, — 
 "^ He shall drink of the brook in the way, therefore 
 shall he lift up the head." These words, in the 
 judgment of most interpreters, contain a description 
 of a strenuous and active warrior, whom no obstacle 1 
 can prevent from prosecuting victory with the ut- ' 
 
284 ANNOTATIONS, &C. 
 
 ' most ardour : — " who," to use the words of Grotius, 
 " when pursuing the enemy, does not seek for places 
 of entertainment, that he may refresh himself with 
 wine ; but is contented with water, which he takes 
 hastily in passing ; and wherever he can find it, not 
 only from a river, but even from a torrent." This 
 passage has been thought to have a reference to the 
 narrative given in Judg. vii. 5, 6, where Gideon is 
 said to have distinguished between good soldiers by 
 their manner of drinking water, — retaining those 
 only who drank water lifted in the hand from the 
 river, — and dismissing those who bended on their 
 knees to drink, as likely to be too remiss in the pur- 
 suit." There are some who consider this verse as 
 indicating that the king, who is the subject of the 
 ode, would effect such a fearful slaughter of his ene- 
 mies, as that he would drink, as from a torrent, from 
 streams of blood flowing in the way; — that he would 
 be satisfied with the blood of his enemies. The 
 Israelitish people, Num. xxiii. 24, is compared to a 
 lion devouring the prey, and drinking the blood of 
 the slain. Schnurrer seems to have perceived the 
 true meaning of the verse, which he gives in the 
 following words : " Though fatigued with the slaugh- 
 ter of his enemies, yet will he not desist ; but, hav- 
 ing refreshed himself with water taken from the 
 nearest stream, will exert his renovated strength in 
 
 ^e pursuit of his routed foes." 
 
VERSIO LATINA 
 
 PSALMORUM QUINQUE MESSIANORUJM 
 
 E SCHOLIIS 
 ERN. FRID. CAR. ROSENMULLERI 
 
 EXCEKPTA. 
 
 PSALMUS ir. 
 
 1. Quid tumultuantur insano cum strepitu gentes 
 Et nationes aestuant inania ? 
 
 2. Consurgunt in arma reges terrae, 
 Principes in foedera coeunt 
 
 Contra Jehovam, et quera ipse unxit, regem. 
 
 3. Vincula eorura rumpamus, 
 Abjiciamus a nobis eorum funes 1 
 
 4. Qui in coelo habitat, ridet eos, 
 Subsannat eos Dorainus. 
 
 5. Turn vero iratus eos compellabit, 
 Indignabundus perturbabit, 
 
 6. Ipse ego unxi regem meum 
 In Sione, monte mihi sacro. 
 
 7. Jovae dictum promulgabo: 
 
 ' Tu,' inquit, ' filius mihi es, 
 Ego hodie te genui. 
 
 8. Roga, et gentes tibi dabo possessionem, 
 Terrae fines peculium. 
 
 9. Ferreo baculo cos conteres, 
 
286 VEKSIO LATINA 
 
 Ut vasa figulina eos coutundes !' 
 
 10. Ergo sapite reges, 
 Disciplinam, principes, admittite ! 
 
 11. Colite Jovam reverenter, 
 Trepidi eum verearaini ! 
 
 12. Agite, tan to regi venerationis osculum figite, 
 Ne, si irascetur, res vestra pessundetur. 
 Etenim ira ejus brevi exardescet, 
 
 Felices sunt omnes, qui ad eum confuglunt ! 
 
 PSALMUS XVI. 
 
 1. Custodi me, Deus, nam confugi ad Te. 
 
 2. Dixisti Jehovae, anima mea, Dominus mens tu es ! 
 Felicitas mea nihil quidquara est praeter te. 
 
 3. Sanctos qui in hac terra sunt, quod attinet, et 
 
 eximios. 
 In his omnis mea delectatio. 
 
 4. Multiplices erunt dolores eorum, qui aliorsum 
 
 festinant 
 Non libabo libamina eorum ex sanguine, 
 Neque nomina eorum labiis profero. 
 
 5. Jova est portio partis meae, et poculum meum, 
 Tu sustentas sortem meam. 
 
 6. Funes ceciderunt mihi in amoenis locisy 
 Etiam mihi pulchra haereditas obtigit. 
 
 7. Bene precabor Deo, qui mihi consuluit, 
 Noctu etiam erudiunt renes mei. 
 
 8. Posui Jovam coram me continuo ; 
 Nam a dextra mea est non movebor. 
 
 9. Propterea laetatur cor meum, et exultat anima 
 
 mea; 
 
PSALMUS XLV. 287 
 
 Etiam caro mea quiescet secure. 
 10. Etenim non derelinques animam meam orco ; 
 
 Non dabis, (permittes,) pium tuum videre foveam. 
 Jl.Notam mihi facis (osiendis) viam viiae 
 
 Saturatio gaudii coram facie tua, 
 
 Laetitia est in dextra tua in perpetuum. 
 
 PSALMUS XLV. 
 
 1. Praefecto chori musici. In Hexachordo. 
 Korachites traditus. — Ode ligata Carmen 
 
 rerum dilectarum, 
 
 2. Ebullit cor meum verbum bonum, 
 Dico ego opera mea regi, 
 Lingua mea stilus scribae expediti. 
 
 3. Tu venustate cunctos mortales antecellis, 
 Diffusa est gratia in labiis tuis, 
 
 Propterea quod bene precatus tibi Deus in sem- 
 piternum. 
 
 4. Cinge, o heros, femur tuum gladio tuo, 
 Qui est decus tuum et splendor. 
 
 5. Et decore' tuo felix vehitor, 
 
 Propter veritatem, et propter justitiam ; 
 Et docebit te terribilia dextra tua. 
 
 6. Sagittae tuae sunt acutae : populi sub te cadent ; 
 Populi, qui sunt corde hostes regis. 
 
 7- Solium tuum, O Deus, est solium seculi et eterni- 
 tatis ; 
 
 Sceptrum rectitudinis est sceptrum regni tui. 
 8. Diligis justitiam et odis improbitatem, 
 
 Propterea unxit te, O Deus, 
 
288 VERSIO LATINO 
 
 Deus tuus oleo laetitiae, prae sociis tuis. 
 9. Myrrha, et xylaloe, et casia omnia vestimenta 
 lua, svffita sunt. 
 E palatiis eburneis fides te exhilarant. 
 
 10. Filise regum inter pretiosas tuas ; 
 Adstatregina dextraetuae, ornata auro Ophiritico. 
 
 11. Audi filia, et vide, et inclina aurem tuam ; 
 Nempe obliviscere populi tui, et domus patris 
 
 tuae. 
 
 12. Sic enim adpetet rex pulchritudinem tuam ; 
 Ipse enim est dominus tuus : tu vero eum adora. 
 
 13. Filia (fwco/ae) Tyri eum munere 
 
 Faciem tuam deprecabuntur, et divites populi. 
 
 14. Tota magnifica est filia regis intrinsecus ; 
 Et ocellatis auri vestiraentum ejus. 
 
 15. Yestibus acu pietis adducitur regi, 
 
 Virgines post earn, sociae ejus, adducuntur tibi. 
 
 16. Adducuntur cum gaudiis et exultatione, 
 Introducuntur in palatium regis. 
 
 17. Patrum tuoruni loco sint filii tui ! 
 Conslituas illos principes in omni terra I 
 
 18. Celebrabo nomen tuum perpetuo : 
 Propterea laudabunt te populi in sempiternum. 
 
 PSALMUS LXXII. 
 
 1. Deus, judicia tua regi da ; 
 
 Et justitiam tuam filio regis. 
 
 2. Judicabit populum tuum cumjustitia, 
 
 Afilictos tuos. — secundum judicium. 
 
 3. Profercnt montes pacem populo, 
 
PSALMUs Lxxir. 289 
 
 Et colleSj — propter justitiam. 
 
 4. Judicabit afflictos populi, 
 
 Opem praestabit filiis egeni ; et conteret op- 
 pressorem. 
 
 5. Venerabuntur te cum sole, et coram luna, 
 
 Venerahitur te generatio generationum. 
 (). Descendet quasi pluvia super detonsum gramen, 
 Sicut guttae irrigationis terrae. 
 
 7. Florebit in diebus suis Justus 
 
 Et multitudo pacis, usque dum non sit luna. 
 
 8. Et dominabitur ab uno mari usque ad alterum, 
 
 A fluvio usque ad limites terrae. 
 
 9. Coram eo incurvabunt se venerabundi barbari, 
 
 Et hostes ejus lingent pulverem. 
 
 10. Reges Tarschish et regionum transmarinarum 
 
 munera ferent, 
 Reges Schabae et Sabae dona adferent. 
 
 11. Venerabuntur eum omnes reges, 
 
 Omnes gentes ei subjicientur. 
 
 12. Liberabit enim miserum clamantem, 
 
 Et afflictum, quamvis ei non auxiliator. 
 
 13. Misertus erit afflicti et egeni, 
 
 Et animas egenorum tuebitur. 
 
 14. Exoppressioneet violentiaredimet animameorura, 
 
 Et pretiosus erit sanguis eorum in oculis ejus. 
 
 15. Et vivet, et dabit ei de auro Sabae, 
 
 Atque orabiL pro ipso perpetuo, 
 Omni die precabitur bene. 
 
 16. Abundantia frumenti erit in terra. 
 
 In cacumine montium commovendo strepet 
 Fruetus ejus sicut Libanus, 
 Et efiiorebunt ex urbe cives sicut herba terrae. 
 u 
 
290 
 
 VERSIO LATINA. 
 
 17. Nomen ejus erit in perpetuum, 
 
 In conspectu solis sobolescet nomen ejus : 
 Et beatos se praedicabunt in eo homines, 
 Omnes gentes felicem praedicabunt eum. 
 Carminis finis. 
 
 Doxologia. 
 
 18. Laudetur Jova, Deus Israelis a seculo usque in 
 
 seculum, 
 Qui facit mirabilia solus ! 
 
 19. Laudetur nomen gloriosum ejus in perpetuum ! 
 Et repleatur gloria ejus totus terrarum orbis ! 
 
 Amen ! Amen ! 
 30. Finem habent preces Davidis filii Isaei. 
 
 rsALMUS ex. 
 l.Psalmus Davidis — Dictum Jovae ad Dominum 
 meum : Sede ad dextram meam, 
 Donee subjecero hostes tuos scabellum pedibus tuis. 
 
 2. Sceptrum potentiae tuae emittet Jova e Sione ; 
 Imperabis in medio hostium tuorum. 
 
 3. Populus tuus erit promtissimus in die exercitus tui, 
 
 in decoribus sanctitatis, 
 Ros juventutis tuae erittibi prae rore uteri aurorae. 
 
 4. Juravit Jova, nee promissi poenitebit, 
 
 Tu sacerdos in perpetuum eris secundum rationem 
 Melchisedici. 
 
 5. Dominus ad dextram tuam, o rex ! 
 Contundet, die irae suae, reges hostiles. 
 
 6. Animadvertet in gentes hostiles, unaquaeque erit 
 
 cadaveribus plena ; 
 Conquassabit capita super teiram magnam, 
 
 7. E torrente in via bibet, 
 Propterea exaltabit caput. 
 
PSALMORUM PRAECEDENTIUM 
 VERSIO LATINA 
 
 DATHII 
 CUM NOTIS EJUS 
 
 ANGLICE REDDITIS. 
 
 PSALM US II. (a) 
 
 1. Quare gentes tumultuantur ? 
 Et nationes aestuant inania ?{b) 
 
 2. Conspirant reges terrae et principes conveniunt 
 Adversus Jovam et unctum ejus. 
 
 3. Rumpamus, inquiunt, eorum vineula, 
 Abjieiamus eorum funes — . 
 
 4. Ridet qui coelum habitat, 
 Subsannat eos dominus. 
 
 5. Mox(c) eos iratus alloquetur 
 Atque indignabundus perturbabit. 
 
 6. Ego(6?) unxi regem meum 
 Super Sione monte mihi sacro — 
 
 7. Dicam quod res est :(e) 
 
 Jova mihi dixit : Tu es filius meus : Ego 
 Hodie te genui.(/) 
 
 8. Roga a me. Dabo tibi gentes in haereditatem 
 Et terrae fines in possessionem 
 
292 DATHII TERSIO LATINA 
 
 9. Conteres eos sceptro ferreo, 
 Ut vas fictile eos confringes — 
 
 10. Jam igitur, reges sapite, 
 Admittite disci plinam, terrae judices, 
 
 11. Colite Jovam reverenter 
 Et cum tremore delete (^) 
 
 12. Subraittite vos filio, ne, si irascatur, vos illico pe- 
 
 reatis 
 Etenim ira ejus brevi exardescet. 
 Felices sunt omnes qui ad eum confugiunt.(2) 
 
 The kingdom of the Messiah, founded by God 
 himself, stands unmoved by the attacks of enemies. 
 
 (a) I am fully persuaded that this Psalm is pro- 
 phetical, and celebrates the reign of the Messiah. 
 That David was the author, appears from Acts iv. 25 ; 
 but he could not write what is contained in verses 
 8 and 12, in reference to himself, without extraor- 
 dinary presumption. The quotations from the Psalm 
 in the New Testament, and the direct application of 
 them to the king Messiah, cannot by any means be 
 explained on the principle of Jewish accommodation. 
 Acts iv. 25 ; xiii. 33. Heb. i. 5 ; v. 5. 
 
 (b) p''1 ^iin*- In rendering these words, I have 
 
 retained the verb aestnare^ as giving the proper sense 
 of the Hebrew verb HJUlj because the Latins use it 
 
 — T 
 
 also metaphorically, to express a resemblance be- 
 tween the state of the mind, agitated by violent 
 emotions, and that of water exposed to great heat, 
 or of the sea agitated by a storm of wind. I have 
 rendered pH also according to its more ordinary 
 
CUM NOTIS. 293 
 
 signification, by inanis, — " empty or vain," not by 
 sputum, — '' spittle," the sense which it bears in the 
 Arabic language, and which is assigned to it in this 
 passage by Venema, and several other interpreters. 
 The former sense is most suitable to the subject of 
 the poem. It indicates the issue of the hostile 
 movements of the nations ; and, in the opinion of 
 Herder, is more elegant. (De Genio poeseos Hebr. 
 p. ii.) 
 
 (c) See page 80.- 
 
 (c?) These are the words of God, in which he de- 
 clares that the king, to whom the nations refused 
 submission, was constituted by himself. From the 
 Greek, Latin, and Arabic versions, we find that the 
 authors had the following reading in the original : 
 
 Itt^'Ti'^-nn x\''^-^v iD^p tod;i m\ The 
 
 Septuagint rendering is, lyw hi xantfra^rjv ^aciXzug 
 •or avTou It/ 2/wi/ hog to dyiov aurou. The Latin has, 
 '^ Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion 
 montem sanctum ejus." " But I am appointed King 
 by him over Sion his holy mountain.'' On the other 
 hand, the Chaldee, Synimachus, Aquila, Jerome, and 
 the quotation of the words according to the Masore- 
 tic Text, Acts iv. 27., exhibit the received reading 
 of the Hebrew Text, which, besides, is confirmed by 
 the context. In the following verse, the Messiah 
 says : — He would explain the decree of God mure ac- 
 curately » If he had already spoken in the verse pre- 
 ceding, he could not have said this with propriety. 
 The sudden change of persons cannot offend any 
 person, who reflects on the numerous examples of 
 
294 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 the same thing that occur in the Psalms, and other 
 Hebrew poetical writings. On this account, it sur- 
 prises me that Koehler (in Repertorio Literaturse 
 Orient., p. iii.) should have approved of the reading 
 followed by the Septuagint ; especially since that of 
 the received text, as being supported by the greater 
 number of independent witnesses, deserves, accord- 
 ing to the laws of criticism, to be preferred. 
 
 (c) It does not appear to me that the reading of this 
 clause in the received text, pln'^X HI^Dt^) should 
 
 be changed in consequence of the diversity of read- 
 ings which the ancient interpreters appear to sug- 
 gest. The words may be explained in two different 
 ways. " I will declare the decree," to wit, the de- 
 cree of God recited in the verse preceding. The 
 verb 'n^D is construed not only with the accusative 
 
 — T 
 
 following placed by itself ; but also with the propo- 
 sition n?^ intervening, as in Gen. xl. 8. ; 2 Kings 
 viii. 4., which plainly corresponds to ^^ in this pas- 
 sage. Or they may signify, " I will declare the 
 truth;" for in the Arabic pPl signifies verum, " what 
 is true,*' (cf. Golius, p. 634), This formula is thus 
 equivalent to another ^^3^ S^^. i Sam. xxiii. 23. ; 
 xxvi. 4. ; and stands in contrast to CD3n ^^^^ Ezek. 
 
 T — 
 
 vi. 10. The latter sense seems to me preferable, 
 because to make out the other, Sj^ or D^H /^? niust 
 
 be supplied; which, whether read or not by Aquila, 
 Theodotion, Sextus, and Jerome, seems to be alto- 
 
CUM NOTIS. 295 
 
 gether doubtful, (cf. Michaelis in Biblioth. Orient, 
 et Koehlerus in Repertorio b. c.) 
 
 (/) For this note, see p. 96, seq. 
 
 (g) Heb. rnV"^l ^b'>^^' The usual significa- 
 
 IT I : • 
 
 tion of the verb Sljl> laetare, exultare, — '* to rejoice, 
 to exult," does not seem to harmonize with the 
 context. The rebel kings are admonished to sub- 
 mit themselves to this king, lament their temerity, 
 and acknowledge humbly the fault they have com- 
 mitted. But the word ^^^ is used indifferently, with 
 
 respect either to joy or sorrow. Its primary signifi- 
 cation is to move i?i a circle fin orbem vertij : of this 
 there can be no doubt. (See Schultens on Job, 
 p. 79; and our version of the minor prophets, 
 Hos. X. 5.) I cannot omit mentioning, that in a 
 Codex of Kennicott, No. 309, written m the four- 
 teenth century, there exists the reading, (a prima 
 manu,) "i^ l/^m? which is exhibited also in the 
 
 Septuagint and Vulgate : d/aXX/atrSs auroD h rso^acw, — 
 exuUate ei cum timore, " rejoice to him^ with fear. 
 The Syriac mesms,-^ prehendite eum^ "■ lay hold 
 upon him." 
 
 (h) Hebr. *11*1 pro "1^1^ was referred by the 
 
 more ancient interpreters to the Messiah. The 
 Syriac, — De via ejus : *' from his way." The Chal- 
 dee, — JSt amittas viam : " and ye lose the way." 
 The Septuagint, — 'Eg odou ht^aia;: " from the way of 
 
 * To himy must be understood as equivalent to " before him, 
 in his presence. ^^ — Tr. 
 
296 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 rigiiteousness." Some of the more modern, — In his 
 ipsis conatibus vestris : " in these your attempts." 
 
 (z) Doederlein very justly observes, that there is 
 no probability in supposing David would have writ- 
 ten in this manner concerning himself^ knowing, as 
 he did, how little safety there was in trusting to 
 kings ; and teaching, as he often does in other pas- 
 sages, that hope and confidence ought to be placed 
 in God, not in men. The word nDH expresses a 
 
 T T 
 
 higher degree of confidence than subjects can have 
 in an earthly monarch, though there are some recent 
 interpreters who explain it in this limited sense. 
 Messiah is the only King who affords certain safety, 
 and enduring happiness. 
 
 PSALMUS XVI. 
 
 1. Epitaphium,(a) psalmus Davidis. 
 Serva me, o Deus, ad te enim confugio. 
 
 2. Dixi(6) Jovae : Tu es dominus,(c) 
 
 Nulla mihi felicitas praeter te contingere po- 
 test, (rf) 
 
 3. Sanctis, in terra sunt, mira praestabo.(c) 
 His enim imprimis delector. 
 
 4. Malasibiaccumulabunt.qui retrorsumfestinant,|^^ 
 Non libabo libamina eorum sanguinaria, nee pro 
 
 eis deprecabor.(^) 
 5 Jova est mea pars, portio et calix meus,(A) 
 
 Tu amplam latamque mihi dedisti haeredita- 
 tera.(2) 
 6. Tributa mihi est amoena regio, 
 Immo haereditas mea mihi quammaxime placet. (^) 
 
CUM NOTIS. 297 
 
 7. Gratias ago Jovae, qui suas mihi dedit promis- 
 
 siones.(/) 
 Noctu adeo intimo ejus afficior desiderio.(?w) 
 
 8. Semper Jovam ob oculos habeo, me defendit, 
 Non suecumbam his afflictionibus.(^^) 
 
 9. Propterea laetatur cor meum, animus meus ex- 
 
 ultat, 
 Eliam corpus meum tuto quiescet. 
 
 10. Etenim animam raeam non apud inferos relin- 
 
 ques.(o) 
 Nee permittes, ut tibi deditus(/>) experiatur cor- 
 ruptionem. 
 
 11. Me in vitam reducis. 
 Magna est apud te laetitia, 
 
 Et perpetuam mihi ostendis felicitatem. 
 
 From Acts il. '27, 31, it appears plainly that the 
 person introduced as speaking in the tenth verse of 
 this Psalm, is not David, but Jesus the Messiah. 
 But if the words quoted in that passage are not the 
 words of David, neither is any other part of the 
 Psalm to be considered as spoken by him ; for, as 
 the whole context teaches, we must of necessity un- 
 derstand the entire Psalm as spoken by one and the 
 same person. The Messiah, therefore, who in 
 verses 4 and 5, is presented as a Priest, is to be un- 
 derstood as expressing his confidence in God, from 
 whom he hoped for deliverance, not only from ordi- 
 nary afflictions, but for resurrection from the dead, 
 and the enjoyment of everlasting blessedness in the 
 Divine presence. 
 
 (a) I have rendered the Hebrew term tDD^D> 
 
 T 
 
 epitaphiumi " an epitaph, or inscription upon a tomb- 
 
298 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 stone," because the subject of the Psalm seems to 
 require this sense. I am aware that the word may 
 be used in a more general sense, for any inscription 
 or publicly erected monument ; and has rightly been 
 rendered by the Seventy, GTriXoy^wp'iav. But the 
 person who is the speaker in this Psalm, appears as 
 if laid in the sepulchre, and about to be recalled to 
 life. 
 
 (6) I assent to the opinion of those learned men 
 who think that for /Hl^t^? diciSy " thou sayest," 
 
 we should read 'r)*^DK> d^^h " I have said." This 
 
 reading is followed by all the ancient interpreters, 
 with the exception of the Chaldee, and appears in 
 twenty manuscripts, cited by Kennicott. The omis- 
 sion of the word Ji^5 j seems to me a harsh ellipsis ; 
 
 and the passages usually quoted as examples in sup- 
 port of it, such as Ps. xl. 6 ; xliii. 5. Jerem. iv. 19. 
 Lament, iii. 24, do not serve the purpose, for in them 
 
 t^Q^ or ^7 is not omitted, but actually written. 
 
 SchnurreTi indeed, (in Animadverss. ad loca quae- 
 dam Psalmorum) appeals to a law of criticism, which 
 ordains that a difficult reading is to be preferred to an 
 easier, and, on this ground defends the reading of the 
 received text.* I much doubt, however, if this rule, 
 
 * The application of the rule here mentioned, owing to a 
 particular circumstance, is more difficult in regard to the cri- 
 ticism of the Hebrew Scriptures, than of any other ancient 
 "wri tings. The Jews, especially those of later times, regarded 
 the sacred writings, — not with a rationally pious, — but with an 
 absurdly supertitious veneration. In many instances the in- 
 
CUM NOTIS. 299 
 
 though it may be followed with propriety in the cri- 
 ticism of Greek and Latin writers, can, with suffi- 
 cient safety, be adopted in Hebrew criticism. In 
 Hebrew, from mistaking letters that are very similar 
 in form, and also from the omission of the minor ^oc?, 
 difficult readings may easily arise, to which those 
 that are easier, by the restoration of the genuine 
 characters, are to be preferred. 
 
 (c) Instead of '^TKj ^^^ manuscripts of Kennicott 
 
 have nln^' They thus confirm the received read- 
 
 T 
 
 ing domi?iuSi — " lord," for which Michaelis, and 
 certain other critics would substitute ^J^J^ dominus 
 
 meus^ " my lord," a reading supported by the au- 
 thority of the Septuagint, the Vulgate, the Syriac, 
 and Chaldee versions. The sense of the received 
 text, though not precisely the same, is little different, 
 and is not obscure : Tu es dominus, — " thou art 
 Lord" Jehovah, whom I worship. 
 
 (c?) 1 do not think that the received reading 
 
 ^^^J^"Sn ^D^IDj requires such emendation, as 
 
 I ... T - • T 
 
 HuhiganU Michaelis, Koehler, and others have sup- 
 posed. It is justly remarked by Schnurrer, in the 
 
 work already referred to, that 7^ frequently indi- 
 
 advertent errors of a transcriber, — errors so gross as to have 
 been evident, at first sight, to persons who were acquainted 
 with the language, — have been religiously preserved, in a suc- 
 cession of copies, taken from the faulty manuscript ; because the 
 copyists held it profane to alter any letter which they found in 
 the sacred text — Tr. 
 
300 
 
 DATHrl VERSIO LATINA 
 
 cates occasionem, seu adjunctionem^ and is then to 
 be rendered by the Latin praefer, e. g. Genes, xxxii. 
 12. Exod. XXXV. 22. Amos iii. 15, etc. The ver- 
 sions of the ancient interpreters do not suggest a 
 reading different from that of the received text ; they 
 
 render 7^ in the sense in which we think it ought to 
 be taken. 
 
 (e) That the received reading of this clause does 
 not admit of a satisfactory explication, appears from 
 the different opinions respecting it that have prevail- 
 ed, among both ancient and modern interpreters. 
 Michaelis (in Collegio Critico) and Schnurrer (in 
 Disput. laud.) have detailed these opinions in all 
 their variety. I am unwilling to increase the num- 
 ber of conjectures to which the words have given rise. 
 That which Schnurrer has brought forward may be 
 esteemed the most satisfactory, on account of its easi- 
 ness. Instead of ^l^'^t^V he thinks we ought to 
 
 read 1^*1^, which may be the first person of the fu- 
 
 ture in Hiphil for ^H^^J^ proceeding from nHKK ; 
 
 in the same manner as VtK foi" ^^T^^^^ (Job xxxii. 
 
 11,) 2nj< for^nj^K (Prov. viii. 17) The same 
 
 form occurs — probably — Psalm cxliv. 12. In conse- 
 quence of this obscure and unusual form of the word, 
 this celebrated writer justly infers, that the ancient 
 interpreters, who were not deeply learned in the sub- 
 tleties of grammar, might very readily hesitate and 
 fluctuate in their opinions. The letter *] vau before 
 nn^j which does not appear to have been in the 
 
CUM NOTIS. 301 
 
 reading of Aquila, Symmachus, or the Vulgate, he 
 prefixes to the word 7^. With these admissions, 
 the whole proceeds smoothly, and in proper connec- 
 tion with what follows. 
 
 (/) The words of the text ^^IPI/tD IHS^ are ren- 
 
 T T •• - 
 
 dered by the greater part of interpreters : qui alium 
 Deum festinanter sequuntur ; "who hastily follow 
 another God." It has already been noticed rightly 
 by others, that the word IHt^ used absolutely, never 
 
 signifies another God, unless Jehovah himself uses it 
 to distinguish himself from that other supposed deity, 
 Isa. xlii. 8. xlviii. 1 1 . Then again, "nn^^ if it signify 
 
 feslinare, " to make haste,*' is not a transitive verb 
 which can be construed with the accusative. To ex- 
 press the meaning the entire formula, as in Deut. vi. 
 
 14, would have been required uD^ri^^ nPtt^ ^"IHD 
 
 • - T T 
 
 tD^nnj^ " They hasten after other gods. Symma- 
 chus without doubt preserved the true reading in his 
 translation z]g ra. h-Triaoi Ird^vmv. " They make haste 
 backwards." He read therefore inK* Comp. Isa. 
 
 T 
 
 i. 4. xlii. 17. To hasten backwards, is nothing else 
 than refusing to follow the Messiah, rejecting and 
 contemning all connection with him, as Schnurrer 
 rightly explains it. With regard to these obstinate 
 despisers of the Messiah, who are contrasted with 
 the D^Si^1")p> liis faithful persevering followers, it is 
 
 said uDni^l-VJ^ 131^ " they increase their sorrows," 
 
302 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 not their idols, for in this sense the word r)l!2'Vy is 
 
 never employed. How severely this was verified in 
 the case of the Jews who rejected the Messiah, is 
 sufficiently proved by the evidence of history. 
 
 {g) The Messiah appears in the character of a 
 priest ; for it belonged to the priest to present the 
 drink offerings, (Num.vi. 17,) and to make supplica- 
 tion to God on behalf of him who offered sacrifice. 
 The drink offerings of these despisers of the Messiah 
 are denominated bloody, — that is, detestable, — equal- 
 ly hateful to God as if, instead of wine, which was 
 sanctioned by the law, they had offered blood. Drink 
 offerings are mentioned here by synecdoche^ for all 
 kinds of sacrifices ; and the sense of the words is, 
 that those miserable persons who hated the Messiah 
 should bring upon themselves grievous evils, by their 
 obstinate neglect and rejection of those divine bless- 
 ings which, in the exercise of his priestly functions, 
 he should have been able to obtain for them. Schnur- 
 rer thus explains the passage, and in entire consis- 
 tency with truth. 
 
 {h) The phrase is taken from the circumstances 
 of the priests and Levites, who, having no inheritance 
 assigned to them in the division of the land, were 
 provided for from the sacrifices and other offerings 
 consecrated to Jehovah. From this, Jehovah was 
 said to be " their portion and their inheritance," 
 Num. xviii. 20. Deut. x. 9 ; xviii. 2, etc. 
 
 (i) I thus explain "H^^tDlT^ following SchuUens, 
 
 ( iji Institt. L. Hebr.) who derives the term from the 
 i^rabic cognate, signifying amplum latum esse: " to 
 
CUM NOTIS. 303 
 
 be large or extensive." In the conjugation Hiphil, 
 the sense is, amplam et latam sorlem mild tribuis ; 
 *' thou assignest to me an ample and large portion." 
 By the greater part of interpreters, the word is taken 
 for the participle in Kal. of the verb "n/tDD, fulcire, 
 
 ' - T 
 
 sustinere ; *' to support, or sustain." The former 
 sense, however, seems more suitable, because the 
 extension of the Messiah's kingdom over the whole 
 inhabited earth is there predicted. 
 
 {k) The word "iDSi^ is found no where else in the 
 
 — T 
 
 Hebrew Scriptures. In the Chaldee and Syriac 
 dialects it signifies pulchrum esse; " to be fair 
 or beautiful;" and, construed with 7^, its sense 
 is to please. Dan. iv. 24. 
 
 (/) The term vy*i signifies not only to consult^ but 
 
 also to predict future events. Num. xxiv. 14. The 
 Arabic cognate means to advise, chiefly by predicting 
 things future. 
 
 (m) The Hebrew, literally rendered, means, etiam 
 noctu pungunt me renes mei : " also by night my reins 
 stimulate me." 
 
 {n) Hebr. a dextra mihi est, non dimovebor: '' He 
 is on my right hand, I shall not be moved." 
 
 (o) It has already been proved by many exposi- 
 tors, that the term 7^^^, was used by the Hebrews 
 
 for the place in which, after the body was committed 
 to the sepulchre, departed souls, as they supposed, 
 were assembled together, without regard to their 
 state, whether happy or miserable. The inspired 
 poet predicates with respect to himself, that his soul 
 
304 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 should not become a permanent inhabitant of ^iJ^t!^, 
 
 with the souls departed, nor his body remain for 
 ever in the domicile of the grave. 
 
 (p) Many learned men are of opinion, that the 
 reading of the received text, ^n^Dn» in the plural 
 
 number, may be defended on good grounds ; while 
 they admit, at the same time, on the authority of the 
 Apostles, Peter, (Acts ii. 25,) and Paul, (Acts xiii. 
 35,) that the word is primarily/ used for the one 
 Messiah, the sole subject of this Psalm. I confess, 
 however, that to me the marginal reading, in the 
 singular number, appears preferable. In the first 
 place, I much doubt if the word here can be pro- 
 perly understood as being what learned men call the 
 pluralis eminentiae, and thus capable of a significa- 
 tion in the singular number. This Hebraism is con- 
 fined to abstract^ and has no place in concrete nouns, 
 except in 7]/^ and ]"^*^^^^ which signify dominion, 
 and C^Ct^l'^p in two passages (Hos. xii. 1 ; Prov. 
 
 ix. 10), used for the name of God. In all other 
 cases they are abstract nouns, such as blindnessesy 
 joyjuhiesses, salvations, wisdoms. (Vide Glassii 
 Philol. s.) Secondly, after examining, without pre- 
 judice, all that Brunsms, the latest defender of the 
 common reading, has written in its support, I can- 
 not be induced to think that, on the authority of a few 
 Spanish manuscripts, — (for in some, even of the 
 Spanish manuscripts, the singular number is found,) 
 — which he esteems as of great value, the authority 
 of so many other Hebrew manuscripts, exhibiting 
 
CUM NOTIS. 305 
 
 the word in the singular number, is to be over- 
 looked. An appeal, too, in support of the marginal 
 reading, may be made to the ancient versions, and 
 to the apostolical quotations above referred to, — all 
 which authorities are abundantly strengthened, if 
 the Hebraism, according to which the plural number 
 is defended, be found inapplicable. (Vid. Michaelis 
 in Collegio critice, Lilienthal in Comment, crit., et 
 Brunsius 1. 1. qui recentissimos lectionis vulgaris de- 
 fensores nominavit.) 
 
 PSALMUS XLV. 
 
 1. Praefecto chori rausici. In Hexachordo (a) 
 
 Korachitis traditus. Psalmus didacticus. Car- 
 men praestantissimi argumenti.(6) 
 
 2. Gestit animus proferre verba laeta, carmen dicam 
 
 in regem compositum, 
 Lingua mea est quasi stilus scribae periti. 
 
 3. Hominum es pulcherrimus, mira gratia et oris 
 
 suavitate praeditus, 
 Propterea Deus tibi semper benedicat. 
 
 4. Accinge gladium tuum femori, o heros ! 
 Decus et majestatem. 
 
 5. In hac tua majestate rem age feliciter pro veritate, 
 
 mansuetudine et justitia.(c) 
 Spargat dextra tua terrores.(rf) 
 
 6. Sagittae tuae acutae sunt, gentes tibi succumbent. 
 In corda hostium regis descendant. 
 
 7. Thronus tuus, o Deus, est aeternus. 
 
 Regni tui sceptrum est sceptrum aequissimum. 
 
 X 
 
306 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 8. Amas justitiam, odisti injustitiam, 
 
 Propterea iinxit te Deus, Deus tuus, oleo 
 laetitiae(e) prae sociis tuis. 
 
 9. Myrrham, aloen et casiam redolent vestimenta 
 
 tua, 
 E palatiis eburneis fides te (/) exhilarant. 
 
 10. Filiae regum sunt inter amatas tuas, 
 Dextrae tuae adstat pegina in ornatu aureo. 
 
 11. Audi, filia, vide et attende, 
 Obliviscere populi paternaeque doraas, 
 
 12. Tune tua rex capietur pulchritudine, 
 Tuus est dominus, tibi colendus. 
 
 13- Tyrus cum don is veniet^ 
 
 Te suppliciter venerabuntur nationes ditissimae. 
 
 14. Summo vero honore affieietur regis filia in interi- 
 
 ori palatio.(^) 
 Vestem habet auro intertextam. 
 
 15. In vestibus acu pictis addueitur ad regem. 
 Virgines amicae earn sequentes ad te ducuntur. 
 
 16. Adducuntur cum gaudio et exultatione, 
 In regium palatium intrantes. 
 
 17- Loco parentum filii tibi erunt(^) 
 Quos principes praeficies regionibus. 
 
 18. Celebrabo nomen tuum in omnes generationes, 
 Propterea te nationes praedicabunt in omnem 
 aeternitatem.(2) 
 
 Tiiis Psalm, according to the opinion entertained 
 by very many interpreters, is a nuptial ode, — an 
 epi(hala?7iium, composed by Solomon, on his mar- 
 riage with the king of Egypt's daughter. Some ad- 
 
CUM NOTIS. 
 
 307 
 
 mit that in its higher sense, it gives a figurative re- 
 presentation of another union, namely, that of the 
 Messiah and the church. This, I think, is by others 
 justly denied, for the argument of the Psalm, if closely 
 considered, does not admit of such a hypothesis. 
 Both in the beginning and in the conclusion of the 
 song, the inspired poet expresses his purpose of 
 praising the king ; (verse 2, 18,) but the praises he 
 bestows would be more suitable on almost any other 
 occasion, than on the celebration of a marriage. 
 Then there is no mention made of a bride, but of a 
 wife, standing on the right hand of the king, (verse 
 10.) At length the king is described as a father, 
 having a family consisting of sons and daughters. 
 The passage, verse 14 — 17) is not necessarily to be 
 understood as referring to a royal marriage ; but may 
 be explained equally well, as referring to any other 
 public solemnity. Besides all this, the praises as- 
 cribed to the king, whom the writer celebrates, could 
 not be given to Solomon in a song destined for 
 public use, without extreme adulation. In the epistle 
 to the Hebrews, (chap. i. 8,) we find the Apostle 
 Paul explaining the Psalm as having an express re- 
 ference to Christ, and affording proof of his divinity. 
 Trusting to his authority, I have no doubt that the 
 whole Psalm is prophetical ; and, like the second and 
 seventy-second, describes the great king, the Mes- 
 siah, who, as David knew, would at a future period 
 arise out of his family. The poetical imager-y, in- 
 deed, in which the king is described, is borrowed 
 from those circumstances, which, at that period, were 
 thought to contribute most to regal splendour and 
 
308 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 dignity. Upon this hypothesis the Psalm is explain- 
 ed by Venema (in Comment), and Doederlein (in 
 Auctar ad Grotii Annotatt.) 
 
 (o) nD*^S!^'c!^* shoshan?iim from {^^ six, as tS^'^J^ 
 
 trichordium, an instrument of three strings, 1 Sam. 
 xviii.6, r)'^\tD^ octochordium. an instrument of eight 
 
 strings, Psalm vi, 1. The reading should perhaps 
 be CDOt^fii^. 
 
 (^) nll^l* *1^2i^) in the feminine form, occurring 
 only in this place, and in Psalm Ixxxiv. 2, -plD 
 r)1"l^*T quam desiderabiieSj sunt tuae habitationes : 
 
 *' how desirable are thy dwelling places." It seems, 
 therefore, not an unsuitable sense of this place, car- 
 men rerum desiderabilium .- " a song of desirable 
 things ;" a song on an agreeable subject. 
 
 (c) nD*n n /':>> prospere age, vehere : "^ proceed 
 
 prosperously, be carried forth," to wit, in thy royal 
 chariot against thine enemies. There is a Hendia- 
 dys in the words, the same idea being expressed in 
 both. The first stands in the place of an adverb. 
 The words p*lV"ni3V stand unconnected, instead 
 
 of pnyi ^\^^V• They are thus written in Cod. 131., 
 
 ' V V : T : " 
 
 and probably, also, in CodA^G., of Kennicott,and are 
 so translated in the Chaldee, the Septuagint, and the 
 Vulgate versions. Other interpreters explain the 
 words, as if they were written ply DI^V, jiistitia 
 
 afflicta : '^ on account of afflicted — unexecuted — 
 
CUM NOTIS. 309 
 
 justice. This is the sense given by the Syriac tran- 
 slator; and two of Kennieott's Codices^ nos. 268, 579, 
 have the corresponding reading. By either of the 
 readings, a good sense is elicited. 
 
 {d) r]J^t3^ niKll:) ^nim- The sense we have 
 given of these very difficult words seems most suit- 
 able to the context. The word ^IID is understood 
 as proceeding from HT jecit : " he threw, or cast," 
 
 T T 
 
 a sense in which it is used in other passages, — for 
 example, in Psalm xxvi. 13. The suffix is redun- 
 dant, as it often is. Doederlein explains the clause 
 in the same manner. 
 
 (e.) Doederlein observes rightly that there is no 
 reason to search for a remote, or profound sense in 
 this phrase '• the oil of joy." It is figurative, indeed, 
 but the meaning is certain : laetitia te majore perfu- 
 dit^ quam reliquos reges : " He hath conferred more 
 happiness upon thee, than upon the other kings," To 
 put a crown of honour upon the head of a person, 
 means simply to honour him : the figure is similar to 
 that in the clause before us. The fellows or com- 
 panions of the king whom he is said to excel in felicity, 
 dignity, warlike power, and extent of dominion, — in 
 all those circumstances that give happiness to a prince, 
 seem to be earthly potentates ; and, consequently, in 
 dignity greatly inferior to the Messiah. 
 
 (/) Among various conjectures respecting the 
 very difficuU words ^^H^ti^ *^/!Dj I have preferred 
 that of Doederlein, as being equally ingenious and 
 easy. In Psalm cl. 4. we find CD'JJtO among the 
 other instruments of music there mentioned ; and we 
 
310 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 find the word was understood by the Syriac transla* 
 tor to s\ gmfy Jides, "violins." This sense is per- 
 fectly suitable," — the choir of musicians, singing to 
 the sound of the violins^ meet thee on thine ap- 
 proach." KoeJder (in Repertorio, P. vi.) recapitu- 
 lates the conjectures of various other expositors. 
 [g.) The word n^D^jQ^ in other passages, signifies 
 
 T ■ 
 
 the interior part of a house. (Levit. x. IS. 1 Kings vi. 
 18.) I prefer, on this account, the same sense here ; 
 which, in other respects, is equally consistent with 
 the context as that proposed by Grotius and others, 
 who explain the term as referring to the personal 
 beauty of the queen. 
 
 {h.) The poet here, in Ijis address, turns himself 
 to the king, whose posterity, it is predicted, should 
 be not less celebrated and honourable than their royal 
 progenitors. By kings and princes we are to under- 
 stand, it would appear, professors of the Christian 
 religion. 
 
 {%.) The sense is : — This song, which I have sung 
 in honour of thee, shall never be forgotten : — in con- 
 tinuing to use it, the remotest posterity shall cele- 
 brate thy praise. 
 
 PSALMUS LXXII. 
 
 1. Salomoni — Deus ! trade regi tuum judicium, 
 Et jus tuum regis filio.(a) 
 
 2. Judicabit populum tuum juste, et afflictos tuos(6) 
 
 ex aequo. 
 
TUM NOTTS. 311 
 
 3. Nuntiabunt montes pacera populo, 
 Et colles salutem per justitiam.(c) 
 
 4. Causaiii aget miserorum, 
 Servabit egenos, coercebit violentos. 
 
 5. Te venerabuntur, dum sol, dum luna 
 Durabunt, aeternis seculis.((/) 
 
 6. Erit hie rex, quod rorans pluvia in terraro. de- 
 
 missam, 
 Instat imbrium, qui rigant terrain. 
 
 7. Florebit illius aetate pius, 
 
 Et summa pax, dum luna esse desinet 
 
 8. Imperabit ab uno mari usque ad alterum, 
 Ab Euplirate ad extremes usque terrae fines- 
 
 i). Submittent sese ei gentes remotissimae, 
 Atque hostes ejus ei subjieientur. 
 
 10. Reges Tartessi et regionum exterarum dona 
 
 afferent, 
 Reges Arabiae et iEthiopiae munera dabunt, 
 
 11. Venerabuntur eum omnes reges, 
 Omnes gentes ei erunt subjectae, 
 
 12. Liberabit enim inopem auxilium implorantem, 
 Atque afflictum, quern nemo defendit. 
 
 13. Curara habebit humilium et egenorum, 
 Eorumque vitam tuebitur. 
 
 14 A fraude et injuria eos vindix3abit, 
 Et cara ei erit vitae eorum defensio. 
 
 15. Vivet et aurum Arabiae ei ofFeretur, 
 
 Preces pro eo fient sedulo, et benedicetur ei 
 quotidie. 
 
 16. Frumenti in montium verticibus sparsi exigua 
 
 portio, 
 Fructus dabit strepentes, ut arbores Libani. 
 
3J2 DATHII VERSIO LATIN A 
 
 Florebunt cives, ut graraina terrae. 
 
 17. Nomen ejus in aeternum celebrabitur, 
 Quamdiu sol lucebit, durabit(e) ejus memoria, 
 Propter eum sese felices praedicabunt, 
 Omnes gentes eum celebrabunt. — (/) 
 
 18. Laudetur Jova Deus^ Deus Israelitarum, 
 Qui solus mira patrare potest. 
 
 19. Laudetur nomen ejus gloriosum in aeternum, 
 Atque ejus majestatem agnoscat totus terrarum 
 
 orbis. Amen ! Amen ! 
 
 20. Hactenus preces Davidis filii Isaei.(^) 
 
 I agree with those interpreters who ascribe the 
 composition of this Psalm not to Solomon, but to 
 David, or some other inspired prophet of his age. 
 From the tenor of the song, we are led to view it as 
 written, either by a father, expressing his hopes with 
 regard to the future happiness of a son, whom he 
 had appointed his successor in the kingdom ; — or by 
 a subject, expressing the high expectations he had 
 formed with respect to this king, David's successor. 
 It might be composed by Asaph, or some other in- 
 spired poet of that period. Solomon could not, 
 without the imputation of vanity, have predicted in 
 such strains, the glory of his reign, the admiration 
 with which he would be regarded by other nations, 
 and the happiness of his subjects, arising from his 
 prudence and virtue. But while David, or the in- 
 spired author, whoever he was, predicted the pro- 
 sperity of Solomon's reign, the promise given (2 
 Sam. vii.) of that greatest and best of kings, who was 
 afterwards to arise in the family of David, seems to 
 
CUMNOTIS. 313 
 
 have been brought before his mind. This is the 
 reason that the description given is, in various re- 
 spects, more suited to the reign of the Messiah, than 
 to the reign of Solomon. 
 
 (a) The inspired poet requests that God, the 
 king of his own people, would bestow on the prince, 
 whose praise he celebrates, the government of the 
 whole kingdom ; because this prince, in his adminis- 
 tration would i3rove himself just and impartial, even 
 as God himself, for whom he acted as vicegerent. 
 (See Michaelis et Knappius.) 
 
 (b) That is, such of God's people as might be in 
 that state, and who were, nevertheless, objects of 
 his peculiar care. 
 
 (c) To the verb IKS^S the noun ^)p must be 
 
 supplied, as in Isa. iii. 7. Jo^^ful tidings of safety 
 were proclaimed from elevated situations, with a 
 loud voice. The same image is used Isa. xl. 9. with 
 np*T*^2> I think tD'ib^ is to be repeated, pacem 
 
 'T T : • T 
 
 cum justitia conjunclam : " peace in union with 
 justice.'' 
 
 (d) The poet, in this clause, addresses God ; not 
 the king, of whom he speaks always in the third 
 person. The sense is, — this king shall establish and 
 preserve among his subjects the true religion, — theun- 
 corrupted worship of God. Michaelis, on this passage, 
 justly remarks that this could not, without extreme 
 flattery, be predicated of Solomon. Instead of 
 TjTJ^n^^ the reading of the received text, the Sep- 
 
 tuagint translators seem to have read *nnN^l ^a' 
 
314 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 (S\)[L'za^a[j.viu rZi r]'kl(x} \ and they are followed in this 
 rendering by the Vulgate and the Arabic, et per- 
 manebit cum sole •• " and he shall continue as long as 
 the sun." But there is no reason for altering the 
 common reading. It affords a meaning suited to the 
 context ; and is supported by a greater weight of 
 ancient authorities than the other. The Syriac, the 
 Chaldee, Aquila, Symmachus, and Jerome, all con- 
 cur with it. 
 
 (e) I can scarcely doubt that instead of pO^ ^"^^ 
 
 should read *'^3^ stabilietur, — permanebit : '^ shall 
 
 be established, — shall continue." The verb ]^^ is 
 not met with either in the Hebrew, or in the Cognate 
 tongues, and is explained, — merely by conjecture, — 
 augescere, — sobolescere,' — " to increase, or multiply," 
 because, as a noun in some of the dialects, it signifies 
 a Jish. In the Septuagint the word is rendered 
 haiLzVi'i'. in the Vulgate, and by Jerome, perseverabit .- 
 in the Chaldee, praeparatum est : in the Syriac, ex- 
 istet nomen ejus. AH these, without doubt, read 
 ^'^^^ " prepared, — established, — fixed," — the word 
 
 which we find in the parallel passage, Psalm Ixxxix. 
 38. The letters ^ Caph and ^ A^?m, it is evident, 
 may very easily be interchanged from their similarity 
 in form, (comp. Lilienthal in Comment, crit.) 
 
 (/) The Psalm ends with this verse. The fol- 
 lowing verses contain the doxology, added at the 
 end of this, and of the other books into which the 
 Psalms were divided. 
 
 {g) This verse is omitted in the Syriac and Arabic 
 
CUM NOTIS. 
 
 315 
 
 versions, also in seven of Kennicott's manuscripts. 
 It is omitted not only in such manuscripts as contain 
 Latin versions, namely, Nos. 73, 74, 97, but likewise 
 in others that have only the Hebrew text, Nos. 133, 
 201, 379, 591. It is found in the Greek, Latin, and 
 Chaldee translations, and without doubt was ap- 
 pended to the first, and most ancient collection of 
 David's sacred songs. In process of time, another 
 collection was added to the first, consisting of songs 
 composed by other sacred poets, in which are found 
 inserted certain hymns by David, that in the first col- 
 lection had been left out. At length the entire col- 
 lection was made, probably after the return of the 
 Jews from the captivity in Babylon ; and was di- 
 vided into five sections or books, corresponding in 
 number to the five books of Moses. (Com. Eichhorn 
 in Introduct. in Vet. Test. P. III.) 
 
 PSALMUS ex. 
 
 1. Psalmus Davidis — Dixit Jova Domino meo, sede 
 
 ad dextram meam,(a) 
 Donee hostes tuos tibi subjecero, ut scabellura 
 pedum tuorum. 
 
 2. Sceptrum tuum potens extendet Jova e Sione,(6) 
 Dominare hostibus tuis. 
 
 3. Populus tuus spontaneus die potentiae tuae vestitu 
 
 solenni procedet.(c) 
 Prae rore, qui ex utero aurorae prodit, ros tibi 
 erit prolis tuae, copiosior .{cl) 
 
 4. Juravit Jova, nee eum poenitebit, 
 
 Tu es sacerdos aeternus ex ordineMelchisedeki.(e) 
 
316 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 5. Jova(/) qui te adjuvat seu defendit, 
 Caedet reges, quando ira ejus exardescet. 
 
 6. Supplicium sumet de gentibus, omnia cadaveribus 
 
 implebit. 
 Calcabit capita hostium. per multas terras pros- 
 tratorum. 
 
 7. E torrente in via bibet(^) 
 Erecto capite prccedens. 
 
 The argument drawn from this Psalm, which 
 Christ employed against the Pharisees, (Matt. xxii. 
 42,) sufficientl}^ proves that David, in the Psalm, ce- 
 lebrated the Messiah as a King far superior to him- 
 self in glory and dignity. By the power of Jehovah, 
 the Messiah, — it is predicted, — should triumph over 
 all his enemies •, and his kingdom, having its origin 
 in Sion, that is, among the Israelites, should be ex- 
 tended over the whole of the inhabited earth. 
 
 («) The phrase, to sit at the right hand, indicates, 
 in other passages, the enjoyment of peculiar honour 
 and dignity, e.g. 1 Kings ii. 19. Matth. xx. 21. 
 Here, it therefore signifies that participation in 
 power and rule, which, by the promise of God him- 
 self, was conferred upon the Messiah. The phrase 
 is explained in this sense by the Apostle Paul, 
 (1 Cor. XV. 25), where, instead of sedere ad dextram: 
 " to sit at the right hand," he uses the term (SuffiXivsiv 
 " to reign,'' as an equivalent. In Heb. i. 13, 14, he 
 contrasts Xnrouoyuv, *' to minister or serve," with 
 Tia^i^itv sTi di^iag ^sou, " to sit on the right hand of 
 God." For the later expression we find chap. viii. 1. 
 sv di^toi Thv '^^ovou TYig iJ.iya}jjjcijvrig h tqT; ovsavoT;, " on 
 
CUM NOTIS. 317 
 
 the right hand of the throne of the majesty in the 
 heavens." 
 
 {b) God himself will bring it to pass, that the 
 kingdom of the Messiah, which should have its com- 
 mencement in Sion, — among the Jews, — should 
 afterwards be extended over other portions of the 
 earth. 
 
 (c) So dissonant are the opinions of interpreters, 
 both ancient and modern, with regard to the read- 
 ing and the sense of this verse, that to make a 
 selection from the multitude of their conjectures, — 
 several of which are exceedingly plausible, — seems 
 a matter of considerable difficulty. Recent inter- 
 preters assume that the reading of the received text 
 stands in need of emendation. They have been 
 led to think so, not so much from any difficulty 
 presented by the reading itself, as from the variety of 
 readings suggested by the ancient versions. From 
 this variety, almost every person who attempts to 
 explain the verse, selects one reading or another 
 from the ancient interpreters, and, by the help of 
 his own conjectures, moulds it so as to suit his own 
 particular fancy. The sense of the words, it may be 
 admitted, is somewhat difficult ; but the difficulty is 
 not such as to render them incapable of a consistent 
 explication. In passages of this description, I do 
 not consider it altogether safe to trust implicitly to 
 the ancient versions. There is reason for suspecting 
 that the authors of them, when they met with a diffi- 
 cult passage, sometimes ventured upon a guess with 
 regard to the meaning. In such cases, it can serve 
 no good purpose to add new conjectures to those 
 
318 DATHII VERSIO LATINA 
 
 already existing. A new, and perhaps an easy 
 sense may thus be made out, but a sense that pro- 
 bably never entered into the mind of the poet. I 
 have therefore followed the reading of the received 
 text, rejecting the connection of the words indicated 
 by the Jewish accents. Instead of joining ^"^inS 
 
 tJ^-jp, with the words following 'HlJi^D OPl'lD, 
 
 1 connect them with the words going before. By the 
 people who voluntarily offer themselves to the King, 
 I understand those who first professed their faith in 
 Christ : and joined themselves to him^, not only with- 
 out the hope of temporal gain, but even with the re- 
 nunciation of worldly possessions and expectations. 
 
 I have rendered the words ^7^n CDV!n» die potentiae 
 
 tuae : "in the day of thy power ;" and I understand 
 that day as referring to the time when, in conse- 
 quence of Peter's exhortation, — three thousand per- 
 sons made profession of the Christian faith. The 
 following clause, in which an astonishing increase of 
 the king Messiah's subjects is predicted, may be ex- 
 plained as referring to that event ; although not 
 limited to it alone, nor to any particular period of 
 time. — In the words tt^lp mn^? in, vestibus 
 
 splendidis : " in splendid robes," there seems to be 
 an allusion to the sacerdotal garments with which 
 the subjects of this prince should be invested. Ac- 
 cording to the interpretation of Peter (1. Ep. ii. 5. 9,) 
 they were all of them priests ; and honoured to ex- 
 ercise the functions of the priesthood. This verse 
 
CUM NOTIS. 319 
 
 seems to be more closely connected with the verse 
 following, than with that which precedes it. 
 
 {d) These words I have rendered and explained 
 without any alteration in the reading, by supposing 
 
 an ellipsis of the word 7JO, which, in the other 
 clause, precedes Dni* Lowth explains the pas- 
 sage in the same manner, (de Poesi S. Hebr. Prae- 
 lect. X.) and adduces examples of the same con- 
 struction and ellipsis ; Psalm iv. 8. Isa. x. 10. Job 
 XXXV. 2. The meaning of the comparison has been 
 explained already. 
 
 (e) Gen. xiv. 8. The points of resemblance be- 
 tween the priesthood of Melchizedeck and the priest- 
 hood of Christ, are treated of by the Apostle Paul, 
 Heb. vii. throughout. 
 
 (/) For ^^nj^, seventeen of Kennicott's manu- 
 
 T -; 
 
 scripts have niil*- This is right ; for the poet, pro- 
 
 T 
 
 ceeding in his address to the king, says, God would 
 defend him, which, in the first verse he had already 
 promised. The phrase here " to be at the right 
 hand," is different from that in the first verse, *' to 
 sit at the right hand." It occurs likewise in Psalm 
 xvi. 8 ; cix. 31. 
 
 {g) I cannot agree with Michaelis and Doederhin 
 in thinking that we are to understand the torrent 
 from which the conqueror drinks, as consisting of 
 the blood of his enemies. Although a fearful car- 
 nage of enemies may be poetically described as pro- 
 ducing a stream of blood, in which the victors might 
 
320 DATHII VERSIO LATINA. 
 
 dip or wash their feet, (as in Psalm Ixviii. 24,) they 
 are never said to drink such blood. The idea is ab- 
 horrent to human nature, and must have appeared 
 particularly shocking to the Israelites, who were pro- 
 hibited from the use of every kind of blood by the 
 laws of Moses. The divine poet represents the 
 hero as fatigued with the slaughter of his enemies ; 
 but, having refreshed himself from a stream of water 
 that occurred in his way, pursuing his course with 
 renovated strength. The case of Samson, (Judg. 
 XV. 18.) readily presents itself to the mind of the 
 reader. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 J. Thomson, Printer, Milne Square. 
 
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