Jer. 10. 6, 7. Lev. 10. 3. 1 Sam. 2. 2. Job 9. 19. Job 38. 11. Ex. 14. 26, &c. 1 Chron. 29. 11, 12. Ps. 50. 12. Job 26. 7. 7 And, what is he among the gods, that shall be like [likened] unto the Lord? 8 God is very greatly to be feared in the council [assembly] of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them, that are round about him. 9 O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto thee? thy truth, most mighty Lord, is on every side [round about thee]. 10 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: thou stillest the waves thereof when they arise. 11 Thou hast subdued Egypt, and destroyed it: thou hast scattered thine enemies abroad with thy mighty arm. 12 The heavens are thine: the earth also is thine: thou hast laid the foundation of the round world, and all that therein is. 13 Thou hast made the north and the south: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name. the supposed abode of those mighty angelic beings, who seem to be mentioned in the following verse, and of whom it is there affirmed, that no one is sufficiently great to be compared to Jehovah, and, consequently, that no one can hinder the fulfilment of His will. But by "the clouds" the angels themselves may be signified, as by "the gods" all earthly potentates. See on Psalm LXXXI. 1. 8 God is very greatly, &c. Instead of this being the case, Jehovah, to whom alone all power in heaven and earth belongs, is himself to be the object of every religious reverence, even among the heavenly multitudes.- That are round, &c. That are in attendance upon him, either as ministers to do his pleasure, or like the guards who surround the persons of their sovereigns. 1 Kings xxii. 19. Job i. 6. 9 Lord God of hosts. See on Psalm xxiv. 10.-Thy truth, &c. The faithfulness of God can by no means be separated from him; for, wherever He is, there all his attributes must, of necessity, be ever present. 12 Thou hast laid, &c. Nothing more is, of course, meant, than to express the creation of the world and of the fulness thereof, by a common metaphor taken from a building. Still, as the spherical shape of the earth was scarcely an object of general belief until nearly a century after the time of our old translators, there exists some difficulty in determining the sense attached by them to the epithet round," which they have introduced into their version without any authority from the Hebrew or the Greek. Can a reference be intended, either to the circuit of the horizon, or to the extreme bound of the earth, considered as a level surface? 66 13 Tabor and Hermon. These two mountains shall also celebrate thee as their maker, and as the giver of their fertility. The Hermon now mentioned is not the same with the one, whose name occurs 14 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy | Josh. 4. 24. hand, and high is thy right hand. 15 Righteousness and equity are the habita- Prov. 16. 12, &c. tion of thy seat [throne]: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. 16 Blessed is the people, O Lord, that can rejoice in thee: they shall walk in the light of thy countenance: 17 Their delight shall be daily in thy name; and in thy righteousness shall they make their boast. 18 For thou art the glory of their strength; and in thy loving-kindness thou shalt lift up our horns; 19 For the Lord is our defence [shield]; the Holy One of Israel is our King. 20 Thou spakest sometime in visions unto 1 thy saints [holy one]; and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people. John 1. 16, 17. John 14. 21, &c. Isai. 46. 13. 2 Isai. 45. 24, 25. 1 Isai. 29. 18, &c. Sam. 16. 18. 1 Kings 11. 34. Psalm XLii. 8, but stands in the tribe of Issachar, and is put for the east of Palestine, as Tabor is for the west. The land of Israel seems, very naturally, to have been designed by the Psalmist to represent the whole world, which he had just before asserted to be the work of God. 14 And high, &c. Nothing is so high, which God's power cannot reach. Or, since that hand must be raised high, which is to inflict an effective blow, the divine power may be described, as superior to that of every adversary. Ver. 41. 15 Righteousness and equity, &c. These attributes constitute the foundation of thy throne, which does, as it were, rest upon them. Thou judgest or rulest (see on Psalm ii. 10.) righteously and equitably. 16 That can rejoice, &c. Who live the objects of thy favor, and who are, therefore, enabled to rejoice in thy salvation.-The light, &c. See on Psalm iv. 7. 18 Thou shalt lift up, &c. The reason is given in the next verse, why the Psalmist expected his people to be soon raised from their miserable condition, and to be reinstated in their ancient splendor. -Our horns. See on Psalm xviii. 1. 20 Thy saints. This may be another instance of a plural for a singular (see on Psalm LXXviii. 65), and refer to Samuel or Nathan, here styled a holy or religious person, that is, one favored and accepted by God. I have laid help, &c. I have imparted strength to one of the sons of men, and made him mighty, enabling him to render assistance to others, that thus, in due time, he should shew himself an eminent deliverer of the Israelites.- -Chosen out, &c. David was raised from the sheepfolds to become the first royal personage of his family. Psalm LXXviii. 71, 72. 1 Sam. 16. 1, 12. Ezek. 30. 24, 25. 2 Sam. 7. 10, 13. Luke 4. 29, 30. Luke 19. 14, 27. John 17. 26. 2 Cor. 1. 20. 1 Kings 4. 21. Rev. 11. 15. 1 Chron. 22.10. Ps. 2. 7. 1 Chron. 14. 17. Rev. 1. 5. Col. 1. 15, &c. Dan. 2. 44. - Jer. 9. 13, &c. J Kings 11. 31. 21 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. 22 My hand shall hold him fast, and my arm shall strengthen him. 23 The enemy shall not be able to do him violence; the son of wickedness shall not hurt him. 24 I will smite down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. 25 My truth [faithfulness] also and my mercy shall be with him; and in My name shall his horn be exalted. 26 I will set his dominion also in the sea, his right hand in the floods [rivers]. and 27 He shall call me, Thou art my Father, my God, and my strong [and the rock of my] salvation. 28 And I will make him my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. 29 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. 30 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven. 31 But, if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; 32 If they break my statutes, and keep not 22 My hand, &c. God is constantly represented as supporting his servants by his hand, lest they should stumble and fall. Psalm xviii. 35: Lxxi. 5. 25 In My name. Under My powerful auspices: or, because he glories in being a worshipper of Me, and is therefore "called by my name." Isai. XLiii. 7. 26 I will set, &c. He shall reign over the whole country lying between the Mediterranean sea and the river (see on Psalm iii. 3.) Euphrates. 28 My first-born. This was to be David's reward for pursuing the conduct mentioned in the previous verse. See on Psalm LXXviii. 52. I will raise him so high above all other kings in the world, that he shall become the most eminent type of the great "King of kings, and Lord of lords." 30 His seed also, &c. The Messiah is strongly pointed out, both here and in that portion of the Psalm, which immediately precedes. For, how applicable soever the expressions may be, in some respects, to David, they were pre-eminently fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who was really "the first-born of every creature," as 66 of his kingdom there shall be no end." my commandments; I will visit their offences | Jer. 5. 29. with the rod, and their sin with scourges. 33 Nevertheless, my loving-kindness will I 1 Cor. 15. 25. not utterly take from him, nor suffer my truth [faithfulness] to fail. 34 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips: I have sworn once by my holiness, that I will not fail David. Lev. 26. 44. Jam. 1. 17. 35 His seed shall endure for ever, and his John 12. 34. seat [throne] is like as the sun before me. 36 He shall stand fast for evermore, as the Isai. 54. 9, 10. moon, and as the faithful witness in heaven. Jer. 31. 35, &c. 37 But thou hast abhorred and forsaken 1 Chron. 28. 9. Rom. 11. 17, &c. thine anointed; and art displeased at him. Lam. 5. 16. 38 Thou hast broken the covenant of thy Isai. 5. 1, &c. servant, and cast his crown [profaned his crown by casting it] to the ground. 39 Thou hast overthrown all his hedges, and broken down his strongholds. 40 All they, that go by, spoil him; and he is become a reproach to his neighbours. 41 Thou hast set up the right hand of his enemies, and made all his adversaries to rejoice. 42 Thou hast taken away the edge of his sword, and givest him not victory in the battle. 43 Thou hast put out his glory, and cast his throne down to the ground. 44 The days of his youth hast thou shortened, and covered him with dishonor. 2 Chron. 15. 1,&c. Neh. 5. 9. Ezek. 5. 14, 15. Lam. 2. 17. 2 Dan. 7. 20, &c. Isai. 63. 18, 19. Heb. x. 10. 34 Once. Once for all: irrevocably. Rom. vi. 10. 36 The faithful witness, &c. The moon occurs, perhaps, twice in this verse. Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21. The epithet "faithful" may, however, be thought to agree better with the rainbow, which God, after the deluge, appointed as a lasting token of his merciful disposition towards man. Gen. ix. 12, &c. 37 But thou hast, &c. But now, notwithstanding these thy gracious promises, thou hast, &c. What follows is not by way of impious complaint, but only descriptive of the then sad state of the nation. 39 His hedges-strongholds. By hedges are meant the enclosures round the lesser towns, which served to secure them against thieves and robbers, though incapable of resisting the attacks of a regular army. They are here distinguished from walled fortresses or fortified cities. 44 The days, &c. The kingly power of David's family was announced as being destined to continue for ever, and, therefore, may Isai. 45. 15. Job 7.7: 14. 1. Ps. 49.8. Isai. 55. 3, 4. Ps. 69. 9. Luke 12. 45, 46. 2 Pet. 3. 4. 45 Lord, how long will thou hide thyself? for ever? and, shall thy wrath burn like fire? 46 O remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men for nought [in vain]? 47 What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? and, shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell [the grave] ? 48 Lord, where are thy old loving-kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth? 49 Remember, Lord, the rebuke, that thy servants have; and, how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people; 50 Wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed thee, and slandered the footsteps of thine Anointed. Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen, and Amen. be said to have been destroyed in its youth, since, if the Psalm was composed even during the Babylonish captivity, it had barely existed five hundred years. See on Psalm cxxix. 1. 46 How short, &c. How short is the duration of man's life. Psalm xxxix. 6. The Psalmist, who may here be thought to personate one of David's descendants, urges this consideration as a strong reason for the ceasing of God's anger, inasmuch as his own opportunity of enjoying the divine favor in the present world was rapidly passing away.- -For nought. Only to be miserable and to die. 47 Hell. See on Psalm xvi. 11. 49 In my bosom. The scoffs and taunts of his national enemies are compared to a burden, which he was compelled to bear constantly about with him. See on Psalm xxxv. 13. 50 Wherewith, &c. God was blasphemed, and the children of Israel derided, at this time, by the heathen nations, because He had, apparently, broken his promise of perpetuating the family of David on the throne; and because their expectation of heavenly interference in their affairs seemed vain and futile.—And slandered, &c. And ridiculed the slowness of the Messiah's approach to rescue us from our misfortunes. |