Zech. 9. 10.

Matt. 21. 4, 5.

Ezra 3. 10.

Jer. 31. 10, &c.

Isai. 62. 4, 5. 1 Pet. 5. 5.

Rom. 5. 1, 2.

1 Pet. 1. 18, &c.

2 Cor. 10. 4. Heb. 4. 12.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him, that made him; and let the children of Sion be joyful in their King:

3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with tabret [timbrel] and harp;

4 For the Lord hath pleasure in his people, and helpeth the meek-hearted.

5 Let the saints be joyful with glory: let them rejoice [sing aloud] in their beds.

6 Let the praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hands;

-Let the congregation, &c. Let his praise be proclaimed, not only in private, but in the public assemblies of his chosen people. Ver. 5. Psalm cxLviii. 13.

2 That made him. The Psalmist can scarcely be thought to allude to the original creation of mankind; rather, he impresses upon his brethren the fact, that Jehovah had constituted "the children of Israel" his peculiar inheritance (Isai. xLiii. 1), taking them under his immediate protection, and bestowing on them a law, which was to be the foundation of all their civil and religious institutions. Deut. xxxii. 6. Isai. xxix. 23.

3 In the dance. It is utterly impossible to give any satisfactory account of the sacred dances, common among the ancient Israelites, especially, as, according to modern ideas, solemnity and gravity are wholly incompatible with the very act of dancing. Nothing, however, can be more certain, than that, accompanied by vocal and instrumental music, dances formed a prominent part of the national ceremony on public thanksgivings, and on the greatest occasions of religious joy and triumph. Exod. xv. 20. Judg. xi. 34. 2 Sam.

vi. 14.

4 And helpeth, &c. He bestows "salvation" on such, as meekly depend upon him; that is, he enables them to become victorious over all their enemies.

5 Be joyful with glory. Utter triumphant and exulting acclamations for the divine favor bestowed upon them.—In their beds. As they lie "in their beds," and, consequently, by night, as well as by day. But it has been supposed, that no mode of interpretation affords an intelligible sense to the passage, except that, which refers the word beds" to those couches, on which the eastern nations reclined at their banquets and ordinary meals.

6 Let the praises, &c. The Israelites seem to be now exhorted to go forth again, when commanded, with songs of triumph "in their mouth," and fight the Lord's battles. They, like other ancient nations, were wont to chant the divine praises, whilst advancing to the combat. 2 Chron. xx. 21. See on Psalm LX. 12. Perhaps the Psalmist wished to express this sense-let not my countrymen, however, be inconsiderate enough to lay aside all thoughts of warlike

7 To be avenged of the heathen, and to rebuke [execute punishments upon] the people; 8 To bind their kings in chains, and their nobles with links of iron;

9 That they may be avenged of them, as it is written. Such honor have all his saints.

PSALM CL.

Num. 31. 2, 3.
Judg. 5. 23.

Isai. 45. 14.

Deut. 7. 1, 2.

In this short Psalm the author exhorts all mankind, but especially the Levites, to praise the Lord with every species of musical instrument, and to unite in one general chorus of grateful acknowledgment to him for his mercies. It appears, like the last, to be a song of triumph on account of some deliverance or victory; though the particular occasion of it, equally with the name of the writer, is wholly unknown.

PRAISE God in his holiness: praise him | Gen. 1. 6, &c. in the firmament of his power.

2 Praise him in [for] his noble acts: praise Deut. 3. 24. him according to his excellent greatness.

3 Praise him in the sound of the trumpet: Ps. 33. 2: praise him upon the lute and harp.

108. 2.

preparations amidst the ease and the enjoyments of peace; but, at the same time that they are singing hymns of victory to Jehovah, let them be in readiness to gain fresh successes over the idolatrous enemies of Him and of themselves.

9 As it is written. These words are quite unconnected with the sentence, which follows and concludes the Psalm. What is written (in the revealed word) may mean, either the narratives of battles, which their forefathers had gloriously waged with the heathen nations, or direct commands from God for "all his saints" (see on Psalm xxx. 4) and worshippers to subdue and destroy them.-Such honor, &c. The honor of being engaged in the cause of Jehovah, and of gaining the victory, as instruments in His almighty hand.

1 In his holiness. By reason of his attribute of unspotted holiness. Psalm cxi. 9.- -In the firmament, &c. Because of the extraordinary might displayed by him, when he formed the expanse of the visible heavens, and placed therein the bright luminaries, which adorn it. Psalm viii. 3.

2 In his noble acts. For his "tokens and wonders" of mercy and justice, of wisdom and power, of faithfulness and truth, which he has ever shewn to his people.

3 The trumpet. It would be in vain to attempt an explanation of all the various kinds of musical instruments mentioned in this and the two following verses, since the Jews themselves confess, that they have no definite knowledge on the subject. See on Psalm xcviii. 7.

Isai. 38. 20.

1 Chron. 15. 16,19.

Ps. 103. 22.

Rev. 5. 13, 14.

4 Praise him in the cymbals and dances: praise him upon the strings [with stringed instruments] and pipe.

5 Praise him upon the well-tuned cymbals: praise him upon the loud cymbals.

6 Let every thing, that hath breath, praise the Lord.

READINGS of such Psalms, as occur in "the editio princeps of

the Common Prayer," dated May, 1549. No notice has been taken, either in this or in the following list, of "which" put for "who," or of “be” for “are.” Those passages, to which an asterisk is prefixed, are to be found also in a Psalter printed at Cambridge, 1630.

a The book employed for collation was one recently published by Dr. Cardwell, entitled "The two Liturgies of King Edward VI. compared," in the earlier of which we meet with seventy two Psalms, chiefly under the name of "Introits." It is to be egretted, that he has entirely omitted to give the old mode of spelling.

READINGS of a Psalter published 1577 by the "Printer to

b No copy of an earlier date than the present could be procured for the purpose

of collating the remaining seventy eight Psalms.