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TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS AND CANTICLES
WITH COMMENTARY
•\M
V
nA
cyiOHOS_
ROEHAMPTON I TRINTED BY JOHN GRIFFIN.
h
TRANSLATION
OF THE
PSALMS AND CANTICLES
WITH COMMENTARY
BY
JAMES M'SWINEY,
Priest of the Society of Jesus
"I WILL PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL PRAY WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING ALSO. I WILL SING WITH THE SPIRIT, AND I WILL
SING WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO." (i Cor. XIV. 15.)
ST. LOUIS. MO. :
E. HERDER, PUBLISHER
17. s. BROADWAY
LONDON :
MANRESA PRESS
ROEHAMPTON, S.W.
I 90 I
MAR 2 7 1952
•Wibil Obstat:
C. TOWNSEND, S.J.
CENSOR DEPUTATUS.
i° die Martii, 1901.
imprimatur:
* FRANCISCUS, EPUS. SOUTHWARC.
Die 2 Martii, 1901,
TO OUR LADY,
THE ALL-HOLY, SPOTLESS, SUPREMELY-BLESSED,
GLORIOUS THEOTOKOS, AND EVER -VIRGIN MARY,
THE HOMAGE OF HER MOST UNWORTHY SERVANT.
INDEX TO INTRODUCTION.
Prolegomena .....
Names of the Psalter
Formation and Division of the Psalter .
Author of the Psalms
Titles and Superscriptions of the Psalms
Text and Versions of the Psalter.
The Divine Names ....
The Messianic Psalms ....
page
ix
xiii
xv
xvi
xvii
xxi
xxvii
xxx
INTRODUCTION.
The following bi-columnar translation of the Hebrew-
Masoretic text, and of the Vulgate version of the Psalter
is the outcome of studies undertaken for the purpose of
throwing light on the many obscurities of the Vulgate
Psalter, a task incumbent on every ecclesiastic and
Regular, who would attain to an intelligent and devout
relish of these inspired hymns, which in all ages have
constituted the main portion of the prayer of the Church.
Personal experience of the help to be derived from the
collation of the Gallican, or Breviary Psalter, with other
ancient versions, and with the original text, encourages
the hope that, to some extent, at least, this work may
serve the clergy as a substitute for the voluminous com-
mentaries, from which so many of them are debarred by
scanty means, and want of leisure. It may also help the
laity to a deeper understanding, a more familiar knowledge
of the Psalms, and thus to recover for them the place they
held, until of late, even in the private devotions of almost
every class of the Faithful. Of the manifold advantages
accruing therefrom, but one need be mentioned — the
public prayer of the Church, as distinguished from the
great central Act of worship, would be more numerously
frequented, more keenly relished, if the Psalms were
better understood. For, without depreciating the several
formula of popular piety, commended as they are to us
by the authorship, or practical approval of eminent, and
even hallowed names, by the wide-spread usage of those
who are gone before us, and above all by the Indulgences
X INTRODUCTION.
wherewith the Chief Pastors sanction and encourage
them, it is surely permitted to entertain the conviction
that the more general use of the Psalter as a hand-book of
devotion would quicken that spirit of prayer, which is the
main, almost the sole resource of the Church in these dark
and perilous times, while it would bring the expression of
popular devotion into closer unison with that which the
Church in all ages has chosen as the authentic utterance
of her religion, of those sentiments towards God she ever
strives to foster in the hearts of those she has begotten
" by water and the word of life." But far more relevant
is it to the purpose of this work to call attention to what
the authentic exponents of the mind of the Church, the
canons of Councils, the Fathers and Doctors tell us of
the view she takes of the Psalms. Leaving to criticism
the vexed questions of their human authorship, chrono-
logical sequence, &c, she treasures them as the Divine
record of the thoughts and affections of the Heart of her
Spouse, the Word Incarnate, as the rendering, at once
Divine and human, of the supreme and Catholic prayer
uttered by " God made manifest in the flesh," which, by
the abundant outpouring of the Spirit abiding in Him, He
sheds abroad in the hearts of those who are given to Him
of the Father. The blended strains of jubilant thanks-
giving and praise, of earnest supplication, of heart-broken
woe, of sorrow which cannot be comforted, recall to her
not the accents of King or Seer, of David, of Solomon,
for, " Lo, a greater than Solomon is here," it is the voice of
the Bridegroom giving utterance to the adoration, thanks-
giving, and praise, ever ascending as goodly incense from
Jesu's Heart, wherein, we, who partake of His Spirit, are
graciously allowed to join ; it is the echo in time of the
ceaseless hymn chanted by the countless myriads of " the
Church of the first-born," in, with, and through the Only-
INTRODUCTION. XI
Begotten, by Whom the Angels laud the Divine Majesty,
and the heavenly choirs render to It the homage of awe-
struck worship. To justify this appreciation, it suffices to
remember that, like the other holy men of God, the several
authors of these inspired poems " spoke as they were
moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 St. Peter i. 21), and that,
as the result of the Divine purpose, the Psalms, for the
most part at least, after the lapse of thirty centuries,
are still the all but exclusive medium of communication
between the Father of an infinite Majesty, and the brethren
of His Christ, the savoury food of every soul earnestly
desiring the better gifts. Now, since the Spirit of God is
the main author of these sacred canticles, He cannot but
have had in view the Christ of God, the end of even-
thought and counsel of the Divine Mind, the Head, and
Exemplar of all the elect, Who alone is essentially holy,
the source of light, love, and salvation to angels as well as
to the disinherited race of Adam. Further, in the light of
Divine Faith, we behold the Christ in living union, with
the just of every age, who with Him form but one body,
quickened, and receiving growth and motion from His
Spirit. Moved by this Spirit, and conformed, for the
nonce at least, in mind and heart to the Christ, these
inspired singers could give utterance but to His thoughts,
and unconsciously further the Divine purpose of uniting
the sons of adoption, the members of the Christ, in one
harmonious strain of prayer, thanksgiving, and praise._
As St. Augustine wearies not of repeating, it is the
Christ Who is speaking in the Psalms, either in His own
Person, or in that of His members, the Mediator, the
High Priest of our confession, who alone can offer adequate
worship to the Father, but also the Head, the mouthpiece,
so to speak, of His Church harassed by truceless conflict
with the powers of darkness, by ever-recurring vicissitudes.-
xii INTRODUCTION.
We may thus account for the universal, and, until of late,
the all but exclusive use of the Psalter as the manual of
both public and private prayer. This unquestionable fact
might be pleaded in justification of the avowed object of
this translation ; it is, however, alleged as a proof of the
mind of the Spirit, since the place they have held in the
worship of the Church, both of the Elder, and of the
New Covenant, must have been foreseen and intended by
their Divine Author. Hence, it is evident that they are
the Divinely dictated expression of the religion of the
Church in the successive stages of her growth and
development, that their local colouring, the subjective
dispositions of their human authors are but the symbolic
presentment of an Ideal, i.e., of a higher, because heavenly
reality. To take but a few instances — Jerusalem is " the
city of the living God," the goal of the pilgrimage of His
purchased people ; the Tabernacle, the innermost Sanctuary
foreshadow the Temple, "the Tabernacle not made with
hands," the Sanctuary where Jesus is ever pleading in our
behalf. The all but exclusively grammatical, and baldly
literal exposition presented in the following pages, may be
deemed inconsistent with these lofty views as to the
import and purpose of the Psalter. But, it may not be
forgotten that a thorough insight into the literal meaning
of these " spiritual canticles " is an essential pre-requisite
for the due understanding of their liturgical use, and of
their prophetic foreshadowings, as well as of their inex-
haustible wealth of mystical lore. As Ven. Cardinal
Tommasi most truly observes : " Est hie (scil. sensus
literalis) veluti basis et fundamentum supra quod ceteri
sublimiores sensus assurgunt."1 (The literal sense is, as it
were, the basis and foundation whereon the more recondite
1 ( f. Summ. Thcol. Ft. I. qu. I. a. 10.
INTRODUCTION. xili
/meanings are built up). It is only on this founda-
tion we may safely ground the liturgical and mystical
interpretation of the Psalms, or of the other Scriptures,
which else, degenerate into the vagaries of arbitrary v*
comment, the phantasies of piety " not according to
knowledge." It may further be pleaded that, while
ascetic, or ascetico-mystical treatises on some of the
Psalms, or on the Psalter as a whole, are within easy
reach of our English-speaking brethren in the Faith, there
are none but non-Catholics works to supply those who are
debarred from consulting Latin, or foreign authors for a
trustworthy exposition of the literal meaning of the
Psalms. But while insisting on the paramount necessity
of mastering the literal sense of these inspired poems,
in order to the union of light with unction, we no less
emphatically assert that to be understood aright, and to
be relished with profit, the Psalms are to be studied, not
as a collection of old Hebrew lyrics, but as the prayer
and praise welling up from the Heart of Him in Whom
centre the faith, trust, and adoring love of all the sons of
adoption.
NAMES OF THE PSALTER.
It does not appear how the Psalms, as a whole, were
anciently designated. Their present Hebrew designation
is T'hillim, Sepher Thillim (=" Praises," " Hymns," " Book
of Hymns"). But in the actual superscription of the Psalms,
the word fkilldk is applied only to Ps. cxliv. (145), which
is indeed a Psalm of praise. The Book of Psalms heads
the third and last great division of the Hebrew Scriptures,
which is styled the ICtliubJuui, or Hagiographa.1 As in
1 The Jews divide the Hebrew Scriptures into (1) the " TSrdh" (=law,
instruction), containing the five books of Moses ; (2) " Nebhitm" ( = Prophets),
both the "former,"' i.e., the compilers of Joshua, Judges, Samuel (our
xiv INTRODUCTION.
this division the Psalms occupy the first place, the Old
Testament is frequently summed up as " the Law, the
Prophets, and the Psalms " (St. Luke xxiv. 44). But, as
the Psalmists give frequent utterance to forms of prayer,
other than praise and thanksgiving, this designation were
misleading, unless we take it as referring to the use
made of their strains in public worship. In the earliest
version of the Old Testament Scriptures, commonly, but
erroneously ascribed to the Septuagint (the seventy-two
Elders), for brevity sake represented in the following
annotations by LXX., Thillint is rendered -^raX/jboi, whence
the Vulgate, " Liber. Psalmorum " ( = " Book of Psalms "). Cf.
St. Luke xx. 42 ; Acts i. 20. One of the primary meanings
of -ty-dWeiv (psalleiu) is a twitching, twanging with the hand
of a tightened cord, then, by an easy transition, the accom-
paniment of a song on stringed instruments, which, as is
well known, were used by the choirs of Levites in the
Temple services. Finally, the notion of instrumental
accompaniment fell into the background, and " Psalm "
came tp mean " a song," " a hymn," such, especially,
as are addressed to God. Another name, given to a
portion of the Book of Psalms is Tephilloth (=" prayers ").
Appended to the 2nd Book, at the end of Ps. lxxi. (72),
is the notice : " The prayers of David, the son of Yishay,
are ended." In the following Books a few other Psalms
are entitled : " Prayers," a title, as a general title, borne
out by the contents of most of these Psalms. The word
1 and 2 Kings), and Kings (our 3 and 4 Kings), and the "latter Prophets,"
viz., Isaias, Jcremias, Ezechiel, with the xii. Minor Prophets. The third
division comprises Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the five Megilldth ( "rolls,"'
" volumes ") arranged according to the sequence of the festivals on which they
are read — Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, then Daniel,
Esdras, Nehemias, and Paralipomena (Chronicles) I and 2. This arrangement
"{ the Hagiographa is somewhat modified in the Spanish MSS. and in the
Talmud ; the former beginning with Chronicles, the Talmud with Ruth, as
a kind of Prologue to the Psalter, as David descended from Ruth.
INTRODUCTION. XV
" Psaltery " (tyaKrtfpiov), by which Kinnor and ncbJiel are,
for the most part, rendered in LXX., denotes, in the first
instance, a stringed instrument, then the songs sung
thereto; as used to designate the Book of Psalms, "Psalter"
involves a figure of speech akin to our calling a hymn-
book, " Lyra Innocentium."
FORMATION AND DIVISION OF THE
PSALTER.
In the Hebrew text, the Psalms are divided into five
Books, after the analogy of the Torah, or Pentateuch.
These books are distributed as follows : Book I. contains
Pss. i. — xl. (41); Book II., Pss. xli. (42) — lxxi. (72);
Book III., Pss. lxxii. (73) — lxxxviii. (89); Book IV.,
Pss. lxxxix (90) — cv. (106) ; Book V., Pss. cvi. (107) — cl.
Each of the first four Books closes with a Urdkdh (a
" blessing," or " doxology "). In accordance with this is the
Midrash on Ps. i. 1 : " Moses gave to the Israelites the
Five Books of the Law, and corresponding to these, David
gave them the Book of Psalms, which consists of Five
Books." The date of this division, and of the final com-
pilation of the Psalter in its present shape can be only
conjectured. It cannot be later than the Greek version of
1 Machabees (B.C. 120 — 100), as in that book we find
quotations from a Greek translation of the Psalms corres-
ponding somewhat to the LXX. Psalter.1 On the very
reasonable principle of not taking prophetic foresight for
granted, failing proof, Pss. xliii. (44), lxxiii. (74), lxxviii.
(79), are assigned to the period of the Syrian persecution.
Even admitting the popular tradition that Esdras and
Nehemias took in hand the task of collecting and revising
the Scriptures, there is no reason to believe that they
1 1 Machab. ii. 63 ; vii. 17 ; be. 23.
XVI INTRODUCTION.
completed it, or that the Psalter, or any other Scriptures,
save possibly the Law, assumed its final shape in their
days. The several questions as to the formation of the
Psalter — did it grow out of earlier collections? — What is
the law, or plan of its arrangement ? — Is it the work of one
or of several collectors ? have exercised the mind of critics,
with the sole result of plainly showing that they admit of
no satisfactory solution. The view least open to objection
is that the collection of the Psalms was the work of several
centuries, which helps to account for the anomalies of the
compilation in its actual shape.
THE AUTHOR OF THE PSALMS.
The Psalms are the utterance of the Spirit " that spoke
by the Prophets," so that this question is concerned only
with His human organs. In synodal decrees (Cf. 3 Carthage,
can. 47 ; Trent, Sess. 4, De can. Script), the Psalms are
attributed to David ; " Psalterium Davidicum " is, for the
most part, their title. In Hebr. iv. 7, and in many of the
Fathers, en David, J 10 David, ( = "in David/' "David") is
the usual introduction to a quotation from the Psalms. In
the Talmud (Pesachim, fol. 117 a), Rabbi Meir ascribes
all the Psalms to David. The current Rabbinic tradition
is, that the Psalter contains, with David's Psalms, poems
by ten men of old, Adam, Melchisedcch, Moses, &c. Many
of the Fathers (St. Augustine among others) hold the
same view as R. Meir, which is rejected by St. Jerome
(Epist. 134 ad Cyprian), St. Hilary (Prolog, in Pss.), and
also by Eusebius of Cajsaraea, together with most modern
commentators. The designation " Psalms of David " is
fully justified by the fact that, in the Hebrew text, the
name of the Prophet-king is prefixed to 78 Psalms.1 If
1 In LXX., besides the Psalms mentioned above, David's name is prefixed
to fourteen others. With but few exceptions, the Vulgate follows LXX. herein.
INTRODUCTION. xvii
we admit the old Rabbinic canon, which enacts that all
anonymous Psalms are to be ascribed to the author named
in the superscription last preceding, this number would be
considerably augmented. This rule, however, may be
deemed to hold good only for the earlier Books, to extend
it further would land us in glaring absurdities. Thus, all
due deductions being made, we may fairly assign half the
Psalter to David. About a third of the Psalms are
anonymous, adespota (" without master," or " owner,"
" orphaned," as the Rabbis style them). These date from
divers periods, having been composed either before,
during, or after the exile. The twelve Psalms entitled
" To Asaph," and the Korachite Psalms (eleven, if Pss. xli.
and xlii. (42, 43) be reckoned as one), will be dealt
with further on. The text ascribes two Psalms to Solomon,
lxxi. (72) and cxxvi. (127), but this can hardly denote
authorship. One Psalm, Ixxxix. (90), is attributed to
Moses, "the man of God," and may be accounted the most
ancient in the collection, as internal evidence favours the
ascription. The group of fifteen Psalms to which the
Vulgate gives the title " Canticum Graduum " (Song of the
Steps), " the Gradual Psalms " of the Roman Breviary are
obviously of post-exilic origin. They were probably sung
by the pilgrim-bands going up to Jerusalem for the great
festivals.
TITLES AND SUPERSCRIPTIONS OF THE
PSALMS.
The superscriptions of the Psalms are mainly of three
kinds: (1) Those which mark their musical or liturgical
character ; (2) Those which assign them to particular
authors ; (3) Those which connect them with certain
historical events. Dom Calmet observes most truly that
the Titles of the Psalms have ever proved a crux to
c
XV111 INTRODUCTION.
commentators. Though positive enough in asserting their
views, the Rabbis themselves, by the divergence of their
interpretations, and, at times, by a candid confession of
ignorance as to what these Titles imply, show that we
cannot get beyond conjecture more or less plausible. We
may infer their antiquity from the fact that they were in
the text used by LXX., who were unable to explain them.
In many cases, the Titles in their version diverge from
those of the present Hebrew Psalter, chiefly by way of
addition. As will be seen, Titles are more frequently
wanting in Books 4 and 5, than in the first three. The
authenticity of these Titles is an open question, since their
inspiration and canonicity have been doubted, without let
or hindrance, by Catholic divines of note, and a cursory
glance at a Polyglot will discover manifold and marked
varieties in these superscriptions, in the several versions
used by Churches in Catholic communion. To allege the
wording of the Tridentine decree (Sess. 4. " On the
Canonical Scriptures") were to prove too much, as if it
include these Titles, we must needs accept those in the
Vulgate, which unquestionably are insertions of a later
date. Further, the decree contains the restrictive clause —
" Prout in Ecclesia legnntur" (as they are read in the
Church). Now, though in the Synagogue services the
Titles are read, or sung equally with the rest of the Psalms,
they are invariably omitted in the public prayer of the
Church, and are absent from our liturgical books. Thus
are they left to the disputes of critics, who, as we might
expect, are by no means unanimous. Of their several
conflicting views, the most probable is that which admits
as genuine the superscriptions of the original text, save
when they clash with the contents of the Psalm, or the
historical situation it implies. This does not mean thati
the Titles added, or amplified by LXX. deserve wholesale
INTRODUCTION. xix
rejection, as when they are not the fruit of conjecture, of
dim and uncertain traditions, they record the views of the
earliest experts in Biblical criticism, and, as a closer study
cannot fail to discover, supply many a valuable liturgical,
or historical detail. As an attempted explanation of most
of these Titles is given in the annotations to each Psalm,
Ave need here only supply omissions.
"To David (I'Ddvidh)" cf. "le livre a Pierre" ( = Peter's
book).1 This may, save in some few cases, be safely
rendered " of," or " by David." But it may be questioned
whether the ascriptions "To Asaph," "To the sons of Core"
(r Asaph, IWney QoracJi) imply authorship. With Arabic
poets and writers the prefix li frequently denotes the
author {Lam auctoris), but the indefiniteness of the
Hebrew /' ("to," "for," &c), which vaguely indicates a
relation of some kind or other, requires that we should not
invariably take it to imply that the names to which it is
prefixed designate the writers of the respective Psalms.
" The sons of Core " were descendants of the Levite, whose
awful punishment is recorded Numbers xvi. 32, 33. "The
sons of the Corai'tes " are mentioned once, in the time of
Josaphat (2 Paral. (Chron.) xx. 19), as choristers, but there
is no intimation that they were Psalmists. With this may
we couple the fact that Heman (not Heman the Ezrachite,
or son of Zerach ( = Zara), of the tribe of Juda), one of the
three Choir-masters appointed by David (1 Paral. (Chron.)
xxv. 1 — 5), was of the race of Core. He had fourteen sons,
all of whom were musicians. (Ibid. xxv. 5, 6.) There may
then have been fourteen families of professional singers,
who might fitly be called " the sons of Core," hence
lib'iuy Qorach (" to the sons of Core ") implies that the
Psalms thus inscribed were given to these musical descen-
dants of Core the Levite, to be sung, or set to music,
1 Literally, "the book to Feter.
XX INTRODUCTION.
rather than Coraitic authorship, a theory lacking historical
basis, as it is nowhere hinted that any Corai'te ever
composed a single Psalm. As regards Asaph, he is
coupled with David (2 Paral. (Chron.) xxix. 30), as a
Psalmist and a Seer, but with the probable exception of
Ps. xlix. (50),1 we cannot assert that his works are included
in the Psalter. From the same source we learn that he
was a musician (1 Paral. (Chron.) xv. 19; xxv. 1), appointed
with two others as Choir-master over the fourth division of
the Levites. There are, moreover, historical traces of the
sons of Asaph, as a musical school or guild, both before
and after the Captivity (2 Paral. xxix. 13 ; 1 Esdras iii. 10 ;
Nehem. vii. 45 ; xi. 22) ; V 'Asaph may, therefore, be the
generic designation of a race of choristers, of a musical
school, even as Aaron is of the priesthood descended from
him, as it was well known that the sons of Aaron were
appointed to be priests. As Core did not hold the office
of musician, when his descendants are mentioned as a
musical guild, the more definite designation, "sons of
A
Core," was needed. We conclude, then, that F Asaph
indicates that the Psalms to which it is prefixed were handed
to the choir bearing his name, to be set to music, and to be
sung in the Temple worship.
" To (or " for ") the Chief Musician," or " Precentor,"
as we say, "the Choir-master" {LamnatstscacJi). It occurs
fifty-five times in the Titles, and at the end of the Song of
Habacuc (iii. 19). The rendering given in the following
pages is that adopted by Oimchi, Rashi, and Aben Ezra.
The primary meaning of the verbal root ndtsach is
" he shone," " was famous," " conquered," whence it came to
betoken "superiority," "superintendence" (2 Paral. (Chron.)
ii. 2; xxxiv. 12); "leading in music" (1 Paral. xv.
17 — 22) ; shading off further into the meaning of
1 To thi.s we may perhaps add Ps. Ixxx. (Sij.
INTRODUCTION. XXI
" completeness," " perpetuity," which we meet with in the
LXX. rendering eis to telos (Vulgate, In finem, "unto the
end," " for the end ") ; cf. la-netsach (" for ever "). Targum
always renders it " to be sung." The Chaldee verb ntsach,
" he excelled," " conquered," accounts for St. Jerome's
" Victori " (to the Conqueror) in the titles of the Psalter
translated from the " Hebrew Verity," and in Hab. iii. 19;
for Aquila's ra> vikowoim (to the bringer of victory) ;
Symmachus, iTrivl/cios (triumphal); Theodotion, ei? to viko<;
(for victory) ; to nikopoio, epinikios, eis to nikos.
"S-l-k" or, as vowel-pointed," Seldh," occurs only in Psalms
which have "for the Chief Musician," or mismor (a song),
both indications of a musical accompaniment, prefixed, and
in Hab. iii. 3, 9, 13. As far as we can guess, it may be a
musical sign marking a pause in the chant, during which
the instruments played an interlude. It seems generally,
but not invariably, to mark a transition of thought in the
mind of the poet. LXX. (followed by Symmachus,
Theodotion, Syriac) renders it hid^raX^ia, meaning {perhaps)
a musical interlude of a forte character. By others it is
rendered " Pause ; " Targum renders it " for ever," so, too,
Aquila (ael) and St. Jerome {semper). Neither etymology
nor the context give any clue to this interpretation. The
Vulgate invariably omits it. (See " Selah " in Smith's
Dictionary of the Bible.)
TEXT AND VERSIONS OF THE PSALTER.
The Hebrew original text, as now found in MSS. and
in print, is known as the " Masoretic " ( = traditional) text,
from MasoraJi (tradition), and in the present connection,
the vocalization, or vowel-pointing, and accoitnation of
the till then vowelless text of the Old Testament, after the
pronunciation handed down in the synagogues and
schools, by the so-called " Masorets," or " Masters of the
XX11 INTRODUCTION.
Masorah." Their labours extended probably from the
6th or 7th, to the 10th or nth century of our era. One of
the earliest and most important portions of the Masorah is
the collection of marginal emendations (Qeri, " read "), to be
read instead of the Ketlubh or " written [text]." The
accents, be it observed, serve both to mark the intonation
of each word, and the punctuation of the subordinate
clauses. The vowel-pointing was gradually elaborated in
imitation of the Arabian grammarians, who followed
herein a Syrian precedent. The Masoretic, or present
printed Hebrew text, fairly reproduces the original. We
say " fairly," as it is certain that neither the Psalter, nor
any other book of the Hebrew Canon has been handed
down unscathed by the lapse of ages, and the unavoidable
mishaps of repeated transcription. Further, without dis-
paraging the " Prophets," and " Hagiographa," the Jews of
the early centuries of our era, to enhance the authority
of the "Law" (Tordh), placed them on a lower level, and
in contra-distinction to the " Law," applied to them the
term Qabbdlah (^received [teaching], tradition). Hence
the strict rules in force with regard to the copying of
the " Law," were relaxed in the case of the rest of the
Canon, so that blunders, mutilations, and corruptions are
far more likely to have crept into the transcripts of
the Prophets and Hagiographa than into those of the
Pentateuch.
The oldest known version of the Psalter is that con-
tained in the Alexandrian version of the Old Testament,
commonly known as the Seventy (Septuagint, LXX.).
As the story, or legend of its origin, under Ptolemy
Philadelphus (about B.C. 285), concerns the Pentateuch
only, it needs no further mention here. We may gather
from the Prologue of Ecclesiasticus that the Greek transla-
tion of the Hebrew Scriptures had been completed, when
INTRODUCTION. xxiii
Jesus, the son of Sirach, came to Egypt (about B.C. 131).
Whatever our judgment of the Septuagint Pentateuch, the
Greek version of the other Hebrew Scriptures, of the
Psalms, among others, leaves much to be desired.
In numerous passages the translator gives a slavishly
literal rendering of his text, and deals with Hebrew idioms
in a manner which suggests the question : Did he under-
stand the original Hebrew ? Thus, when the context
shows that the Hebrew Future, as it is called, should be
rendered as a Present, or Aorist, it appears as a Future in
the translation ; where the Hebrew Preterite is obviously
a Present, or Futurum exactum, or an Imperfect, or
Pluperfect of the Conjunctive mood, it is rendered as a
Greek Preterite. The like unintelligent literalism is met \
with in the rendering of prepositions, conjunctions, forms
of comparison, &c. Besides certain mistranslations of
words, from a dread of anthropomorphism, the translator
scruples not to give his own rendering ; consonants of the
square (the so-called " Assyrian ") script are mistaken one
for the other ; the vocalization, accentuation, and division
of words and clauses diverge from the Masoretic text, all
which will account for the differences between our two
versions. On the other hand, nothing can more unmis- ',
takably betoken the dogmatism of ignorant prejudice, than
to ascribe, as a matter of course, the divergences last
mentioned to the blundering of the Alexandrian translator,
as it is far from improbable that this version was made at
a time of transition from the older script, which had a close
affinity to the Samaritan character, to that in present use.
' If this be so, it may be, and frequently is, the case, that his 1
text was truer to the original than that of the Masorah ;
nor, generally speaking, can the differences of vocalization
prove more than that, besides the traditional reading
stereotyped, so to speak, by the Masorets, other traditions
XXIV INTRODUCTION.
no less trustworthy were current in certain schools.1 It is
also to be noticed that, with but few exceptions, the New
Testament quotations from the Psalms are taken from
the LXX.
In the early part of the second century of our era, the
Hellenist Jews and Judai'zing Christians being dissatisfied
with LXX., Aquila of Sinope,' a Jewish proselyte, made a
literal translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, so
literal indeed as to be obscure. To remedy this he revised
his version with an exactness and ingenuity which witness
to his complete mastery over both languages. His con-
temporary, Theodotion, an Ebionite of Ephesus, published
a version, which was, in the main, an attempt to bring LXX.
into closer agreement with the Hebrew. His version of
Daniel has been adopted by the Church instead of that of
LXX., which varies too widely from the original. To the
translation of Theodotion succeeded that of Symmachus
(about A.D. 200), another Ebionite. Taking the LXX. as
the basis of his work, he performed his emendations from
the original Hebrew with a masterly hand. He is
deservedly praised for the purity and perspicuity of his
style. To these may be added three other Greek versions
of the Old Testament, comprising the Psalter. As the
names of their authors were unknown to Origen, he refers
to them as " Fifth " (E. v.), " Sixth " (S'. vi.), " Seventh "
(Z\ vii.J, according to the column they occupy in his
Hexapla. Of these Greek versions, with the single
exception of LXX., only fragments are now extant.
The Chaldee Targum, or Aramaic Paraphrase of the
Psalms, has been credited to Jonathan ben Uzziel, of the
school of Hillel, hence a contemporary of our Lord.
Waiving the controversy to which this ascription gives
occasion, it suffices to state that this Targum gives us the
1 Such too is the opinion of a very learned Rabbi.
*»_
INTRODUCTION. XXV
Jewish interpretation current in the early centuries of our
era, and embodies many a valuable tradition of a more
ancient date. The Syriac version of the Psalms referred ^
to as (" Syr.") was made from the Hebrew. It shows,
however, the influence of the LXX. and of the Chaldee
Targum. Its probable date is about A.D. 160. Occasional
references occur, here and there, to the Rabbinic com-
mentators, mainly to Rabbi Sh'lomoh ben Yits'chaqi {i.e.,
R. Solomon son of Isaac, represented by the initials Rashi,
and erroneously by Yarchi), of Troyes, in Champagne
(A.D. 1036-40 — 1 104-5); to Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra
(Aben Ezra, Ab. Ez.), of Toledo, d. A.D. 1168; and to the
great Hebrew grammarian, lexicographer, and commentator
of the twelfth-thirteenth century, Rabbi David Qimchi, of
Narbonne, son of Joseph and brother of Moses Qimchi.
The earliest Latin version of the Scriptures is
commonly said to have been made in Pro-consular Africa,
about the middle of the second century. It was called the
Vulgate, i.e., "the current," "the common edition" (Vulgata,
communis editio), a name corresponding to the Koiv-q
e/cSoo-i?, koinee ekdosis (common edition), of the LXX. In
the fourth century a revision (of the Gospels at least) seems
to have been made in North Italy, hence styled " Itala,"
and " Vetus Itala " (the Old Italian), when it was gradually
superseded by St. Jerome's version. In the Old Testament
it fairly rendered the uncorrected LXX. with all its
excellencies and shortcomings. In course of time, ;
however, it was so corrupted by careless interpolations,
clumsy emendations, and by the blunders of ignorant
scribes as to justify St. Jerome's complaint : " Among the
Latins there are as many forms of text as there are copies!"
To reduce this chaos to order St. Jerome was commissioned
by Pope St. Damasus (A.D. 383) to revise the Latin version
of the New Testament. He undertook at the same time
XXVI INTRODUCTION.
his first correction of the Psalter. This he did, not on
Origen's corrected Hexaplar text, but on the old koivi]
edition of LXX., which was the source of the old Vulgate.
This first revision is known as the " Roman Psalter,"
probably from its having been made for the use of the
Church of Rome, which retained it until the reform of the
Breviary, under St. Pius V., when the present Vulgate, or
Gallican Psalter, was substituted. Since then, it is in use
only in the Vatican Basilica, Milan Cathedral, and
St. Mark's at Venice. It is further still retained in the
parts of the Missal taken from the Psalter, and in the
Invitatory Psalm (xciv. [95]) of the Nocturns, which in the
third Nocturn of Epiphany is that of the Gallican Psalter.
"In a short time the old error prevailed over the new
correction." (St. Jerome, Pref. to the Book of Psalms.) So
at the urgent request of SS. Paula and Eustochium, he set
about a new revision of the Latin Psalter, taking for his
text that of Origen's Hexapla preserved in the library of
Csesaraea. To represent as far as possible the reading
of the Hebrew, he adopted Origen's notation, marking
additions by an obelus (*J-), omissions by an asterisk, to
indicate the additions and omissions of the LXX., the
latter he supplied from Theodotion's version. It is said
that this new revision was introduced by St. Gregory of
Tours into the Churches of Gaul, whence the name
" Gallican." These critical signs were unfortunately by
degrees neglected, hence their disappearance from the
Vulgate and Breviary Psalter, which, apart from a few-
changes, is substantially identical with the Gallican Psalter.
Besides these two revisions of the old Latin Psalter, the
second of which may well be termed a re-translation, we
find in the works of St. Jerome a translation of the Psalms
from the original Hebrew — "juxta Hebraicam veritatem "
(according to the Hebrew verity) — {circa A.D. 400), to
INTRODUCTION.
XXVll
which frequent reference is made in the following pages.
As we may gather from his Preface to this version, its
purpose is rather polemical than liturgical, and on account
of the familiarity of the people with the old Latin version,
through its use in public prayer, it failed to get embodied
in the Hieronymian Vulgate. His version of the other
Books of the Hebrew Scriptures had, in the age of
St. Isidore of Seville (De Offic. Eccles. i. 12, circ, A.D. 630)
obtained general currency throughout the West, without
any authoritative pressure, solely by its superior excellence.
In the course of the seventh century the elder Vulgate fell
into disuse, save as regards the deutero-canonical Books
of the Old Testament1 and the Gallican Psalter, which are
contained in the present Vulgate, consequently the Vulgate
Psalter is little better than a reproduction of that of the
LXX., which it follows in numbering the Psalms otherwise
than in the Hebrew text, as will be seen in the subjoined
table :
Hebrew.
LXX. and Vulgate.
alms 1-8.
1-8.
„ 9, 10.
9.
» 11-113-
10-112.
114,115-
113.
116.
114,115.
,, 117-146.
116-145.
147-
146, 147.
148-150.
148-150.
At the beginning of the tenth century Saadia Gaon, a
native of Egypt, translated the Psalms and most of the
Books of the Old Testament into Arabic.
THE DIVINE NAMES.
In the Hebrew column the Divine Names are merely
transliterated, with a view to enable the reader to pass
1 St. Jerome is said to have translated Tobias from a Chaldee text.
XXVlll INTRODUCTION.
judgment on the childish theory which discovers a clue to
the date and authorship of a Psalm in the use of one or
other of the Divine Names.
1. 'Ad/ioudy, 'Adhouay (strictly "my lords," "lords," a
Plural of excellence). Cf. " We " of Papal and royal rescripts,
" You " addressed to a single person, in common inter-
course.
2. 'El, " strong," " mighty," " a mighty one," " might,"
"strength;" a generic name of Deity. In Plural ('clim)
used of false gods ; Ifueyclim, " sons of gods," i.e., " Angels"
(Pss. xxviii. (29) 1 ; lxxxviii. (89) 7).
3. 'Eloa/i, "God," with few exceptions, occurs only in
poetry, and mostly designates the true God. Its Plural
(^elo/um) is used in Hebrew of (1) gods in general, whether
true or false; (2) of angels (cf. Heb. i. 6 ; ii. 7, 9);1 (3) of
judges and other dignitaries. When used as a Plural of
majesty of the one true God, it is mostly construed with a
Singular verb, or adjective. It is probably to be referred
to the Arabic 'aliha, "he was amazed," "stood in awe of,"
or to 'alalia, " he worshipped," denominatives (probably) of
Ilalmn, Halt, " God," in primary sense (probably), " an
object of awe, of worship," with definite article, Allahu,
Allah, for al-Ilahu, the true God.
4. "Elydn, " lofty," "exalted," " Supreme," " Most High."
5. Y H V H (=Jeliovdli), the sacred tetragrammaton
(word of 4. letters ; name of 4. letters'). According to Jewish
tradition, it was pronounced but once a year by the high-
priest on the day of Atonement, when he entered the
Holy of Holies. But Maimonides {More Nevochim, i. 61)
asserts that its use was confined to the blessings of the
priests, and restricted to the sanctuary. The true pro-
nunciation of this Name is entirely lost, the Jews scrupu-
lously avoiding all mention of it, and substituting in
1 In both passages "angels "stands for 'Eldhim of the text.
INTRODUCTION. XXIX
its stead, either shem1 ("the Name"), or Adhondy, or
'Elohzm, as it may happen to be written with the proper
vowels of either of these words. It is usually read with
the vowel-points of 'Adhonay, with the sole difference that
the initial /( = Y6dh = Y in York) receives a simple instead
of a compound Sk'va. When it is coupled with 'Adhondy,
it is pointed with the vowels of 'Elo/um. This custom,
which originated in reverence, was founded on a mistaken
rendering of Lev. xxiv. 16. That it existed in the days of
the LXX., may be gathered from their invariably rendering
JHVH by Kvpios, Kyrios ( = Vulg., " Dominus," " Lord," in
Anglican version, "LORD"). It is probable that after
the last siege of Jerusalem, the true pronunciation had all
but, if not entirely, disappeared, nay, that it had been lost
long before. Josephus,2 of the priestly race, mentions it as
a matter on which he was forbidden to speak ; Philo, in
his Life of Moses,5 allows none to hear or utter the
Incommunicable Name, but those whose organs are
purified by wisdom. Thus the ancient writers fail to
throw any light on the question. The view that / liovah is
the true Tetragrammaton is now exploded, as such a form
were utterly meaningless, and no substantive could be thus
formed from a root with He for its third radical. The
sole argument in its favour is its appearance as a compound
in Hebrew proper names, as in " JVwshaphat," "Jcram,"
while others, for the same reason, scout ]eho-, ]o- as a
barbarous form, and deny that fhovdh Y'hovdh can be the
true pronunciation. Some of the Germans transliterate it
"Jahveh," others "Jahaveh," the correct equivalent of
which in English would be " Yativeh" or " Yahaveh"
(better, perhaps, " Ya/i'we/i"), forms at least in accordance
1 The Samaritans, in reading the Pentateuch, substitute for JHVH,
shfrna, "the Name."
2 Antiquities, ii. 12. 3 Life of Moses, chap. iii.
XXX INTRODUCTION.
with etymological principles. But despairing of certainty
as to the vowels, with Hupfeld, we retain merely the
consonants and write " JHVH," premising that J standing
for initial Y6dh = Y in " yet," not j in "judge." A plausible
guess as to the meaning of this word refers it to the
substantive verb hdyah, "he was," of which hdvdh (Jtdwdh [?])
was the older form, and takes it as representing God's
eternity, Self-existence. Another view assigns to it the
causative sense of " the giver of being," " He that makes to
be." Be this as it may, it is clearly a mistake to regard
JlwvdJi as a modern Rabbinic invention, and to deny it
the credit of an ancient origin.
THE MESSIANIC PSALMS.
Messianic Psalms are those wherein the Spirit of
prophecy refers directly or mediately to the Person and
work of the Messiah (Hebrew Mds/ime/i = Xpio-ros, C/iristos,
*l Christ," " the Anointed Saviour,") to His sufferings, or to
the glories that should follow. It matters not whether the
poet was conscious or no of such reference. No believer
may deny that there are Psalms belonging to this category,
as this is demonstrated by proofs both in- and extrinsic.
Christian commentators, however, are not agreed as to the
distinguishing characteristics and number of the Messianic
Psalms. A distinction must be made (i) between those
vouched for as such by the New Testament writers, and
by the unanimous consent of the Church ; these are Pss.
2, 8, 15, 18 (?), 21, 34 (?), 39, 40, 44, 67, 68, 71, 77, 96, 10 1,
108, 109, 116, 117 (Vulgate numbering). (2) And Messianic
Psalms, the tenor of which affords grounds more or less
decisive for classing them as such, e.g., Pss. 20, 23, 46, 84,
86, 88, 95, 98, 106, 131, &c. To these may we add Psalms
the Fathers and ancient commentators explain for the
most part as Messianic, although a merely grammatico-
INTRODUCTION. XXXI
historical exegesis may fail to bear out this mode of
interpretation, e.g., Pss. 3, 17, 48 (v. 16), 54, 58, 66, 69, 70,
Sj, no, &c. This does not include Psalms referred in
the festal Offices, by mere "accommodation " to the Christ
or His Church, as their liturgical use in no wise betokens
that the Church intends to declare their Messianic import.
Still, generally speaking, such reference grounds a pre-
sumption that these Psalms are either wholly, or in part,
typically Messianic. We must further distinguish Psalms
exclusively Messianic from Psalms only typically Messianic.
The former are Psalms which in their literal sense refer to
Christ and His Church, and admit of no other reference,
e.g., Pss. 2, 15, 21, 44, 71, 109. The latter, or the simul-
taneously Messianic, are Psalms which taken literally, refer
to Old Testament personages, facts, or institutions of
typical import, which admit, nay, require, in the mystic
sense, to be taken as standing foreshadowings, or
prophecies of the Christ. As is well known, the
Old Testament, with its worthies, laws, &c, is for
St. Paul cncia rwv /xeWovToov, skia ton mellonton, " the
shadow of the 'things to come, but the substance is
Christ's." (Col. ii. 17.) As in the organic realms of Nature,
each successive growth is outlined in its immediate prede-
cessor, so may the same law of gradual development be
traced in the Economy of redemption. Between the Proto-
Evangel (Gen. iii. 15), and the manifestation of God in the
flesh, as between the seed-corn and the fully ripened fruit,
we may observe a series of developments knit together by
an organic nexus, which as they proceed, set forth with
ever increasing definiteness the Christ and His kingdom.
From this standpoint, which is that of the New Testament
writers, the leading personages, the institutions, whether
civil or religious, of the elder Dispensation typify the
Christ in His Person, or in His Church. Hence many
XXXl'i INTRODUCTION.
Psalms, which, in the grammatico-historical sense, apply,
say to David, and to the vicissitudes of his chequered
career, point through him to an infinitely higher reality,
are prophetic, or simultaneously Messianic. The unity of
purpose which is the law of God's action in history, assures
us that we fail to discover numberless points of contact
between the two Covenants. The illumination vouchsafed
to the Apostles gave them a far deeper insight into the
Old Testament than we may pretend to ; thus, to speak
but of the Psalms, they discovered many a typical present-
ment of the suffering or glorified Christ, in passages where
critical exegesis finds naught but an obscure allusion to
some past event. Even as the Apostles, other minds
enlightened from above may unfold hitherto latent, but
closer correspondences of the Elder with the New Cove-
nant, but in this case, we lack the guarantee of inerrancy,
which, from the standpoint of Catholic teaching, binds us
to the implicit acceptance of the typically Messianic
comments of the inspired writers. To this latter class
may we refer Pss. 8, 18, 34, 39, 40, 67, 68, 77, 96, 101, 108,
116, 117, all of which are interpreted in a Messianic sense
by the writers of the New Testament. To these may be
added, as admitting in certain verses a typically Messianic
application, Pss. 3, 4, 5, 10, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 26—29, 46,
48, 53—56, 58, 63, 66, 69, 70, 72, 75, 76, 84, 85, 87, 93, 95,
97, 98, 106, no, 113, 119, 138, 139, 140 — 142. The follow-
ing Psalms admit of an interpretation bearing upon the
Church of Christ and her history — Pss. 45, 47, 78, 79, 86,
121, 126, 147 — with reference to the heavenly Sion and
everlasting rest, Pss. 8^, 94.
Notandum. — As suggested by a reviser, I have adopted
YaHWcH as the transliteration of the Tetragrammaton. Jehovah !
is impossible. Van, or Waw, as in Arabic, is more correctly repre-
sented by our w, the v sound is a Persian and Turkish peculiarity.
THE PSALMS.
3Boofe fftrst.
Words within brackets are wanting in the present Hebrew text ; words
conjoined by hyphens are represented by one word in the present Hebrew,
and Gallican, or Vulgate Psalter.
PSALM i. [Hebrew] PSALM i. [ Vulgate.}
i. Happy the man who i. Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of has not walked in the counsel
the wicked, nor stands in the of the ungodly, and has not
way of sinners : Nor sits in stood in the way of sinners :
the seat of scoffers. And has not sat in the chair
of pestilence.
2. But in the law of 2. But his pleasure is in
YtfHW^H is his delight ; the law of the LORD ; And
And in His law does-he- in His law will-he-meditate
meditate day and night. day and night.
3. And he-shall-be like a 3. And he-shall-be as a
tree planted by the streams tree planted by brooks of
of waters, That yields its waters, that yields its fruit
fruit in its season, Whose in its season ; And its leaf
leaf also withers not: And shall not fall-off : And what-
all that he-does he-carries- soever he-does shall-prosper.
through-successfully.
4. Not so the wicked : 4. Not so the ungodly
But they are like the chaff [not so] : But as the dust
which the wind drives-away. which the wind scatters-
away [from the face of the
earth].
5. Therefore the wicked 5. Therefore the ungodly
shall not stand in the judg- shall not arise in judgment :
B
PSALM 2.
ment : Nor sinners in the Nor sinners .in the counsel
assembly of the just. of the just.
6. For YtfHWt'H knows 6. For the Lord knows
the way of the just : But the the way of the just : But the
way of the wicked shall-be- way of the ungodly shall
lost (i.e., perish). perish.
This Psalm is distinct in character from all others, it is
exclusively gnomic. Of its author we know nothing, but
Jeremias may be said to refer to it (xvii. 5 — 8). It has no
inscription, probably because it was considered a prefatory ode,
and was not accounted a Psalm, as, not to mention Origen,
Tertullian, and S. Hilary, Codex D. in Acts xiii. 33,1 quotes the
next Psalm (Ps. ii.), as the first Psalm. It is a compendium
of the whole Psalter, and its contents may be summed up as
follows : " Only in union with God's will, by the observance of
His law, is real and lasting happiness to be secured ; separation
from God is misery."
v. 1. Lit. "O the happinesses of the man" — "Well is it with
such a man ! " " Walks," " stands," " sits," in Scripture and
Oriental parlance denote the whole of our existence ; they
further mark the several downward steps on the broad road
ending in perdition, yielding to seduction, obstinacy in sin —
confirmation in wickedness. " Chair," cathedra, not as in
Ps. cvi. (107), 32, the "chair of doctrine," of rule, but "the
assembly," "the coterie." "Scoffers," the Seventy (LXX.)
translate somewhat freely — "of pests" — pestilent-men; Vulgate
takes the abstract for the concrete word. v. 3. Or, "in
whatsoever he does he shall prosper." v. 6. " Knows,"
"Approves of," cf. Isai. Ii. 7.
PSALM 2. PSALM 2.
1. Why do the Gentiles 1. Why did the Gentiles
(nations) tumultuously-as- rage : And the nations
semble : And the peoples meditate vain-things ? (Acts
meditate a vain-purpose? iv. 25.)
1 "Codex D," a Greek and Latin MS. of the sixth century, given by
Beza to the University of Cambridge, A.D. 15S1.
PSALM 2.
2. The kings of the earth 2. The kings of the earth
take-their-stand, and princes stood-up, and the rulers
sit together in council : gathered - themselves to-
Against YaHW^H, and gether : Against the Lord,
against His anointed. and against His Christ.
3. [Come !] Let-us-burst- 3. [Saying] Let-us-break-
asunder their bands : And through their bonds : And
cast-away their cords from let-us-cast-away their yoke
us. from us.
4. He-that-sits in the 4. He-that-dwells in the
heavens laughs : Adonay heavens shall-laugh them to
mocks at them. scorn : And the Lord shall-
mock them.
5. Then shall-He-speak to 5. Then shall-He-speak to
them in His wrath : And in them in His anger : And in
His hot-anger shall He put His fury trouble them,
them to confusion.
6. I, however, have-estab- 6. But I-have-been-estab-
lished My King upon Tsiy- lished king by Him on Sion
yon (i.e. Sion) the mountain His holy mountain : De-
of My holiness (i.e. My holy daring His ordinance :
mount).
7. I-will-tell of a decree : 7. The Lord said to me,
YaHWeH said to me, My Thou art My son : To-day
son art thou : I this day have-I-begotten thee. (Acts
have-begotten thee. xiii. 33 ; Heb. i. 5 ; v. 5.)
8. Ask of Me, and I will- 8. Ask of Me, and I-will-
give the nations [for] thine give thee the nations [for]
inheritance : And [for] thy thine inheritance : And the
possession the extremities of ends of the earth [for] thy
the earth (or, the uttermost- possession.
parts of the earth).
9. Thou-shalt-break-them 9. Thou-shalt-rule them
with a rod of iron : Like the with a rod of iron : Thou
vessel of a potter shalt-thou- shalt dash them in pieces as
dash-them-in-pieces. a potter's vessel. (Apoc. ii.
2;; xix. 15).
10. Now therefore, Kings, 10. Now therefore under-
PSALM 2.
be-ye-wise : Be-ye-instruct- stand, ye Kings : Be-in-
ed, judges of the earth. structed, all ye judges of the
earth.
ii. Serve YaHWeH with u. Serve the Lord with
fear : And rejoice with fear : And rejoice [in Him]
trembling. with trembling.
12. Kiss-ye the chosen- 12. Accept correction, lest
one, lest He-be-angry, and [at any time the Lord] be-
ye-be-lost on the way ; for angry : And ye - should-
soon is His anger kindled : perish from the [right] way
O the happiness of all that (just way) :
take-refuge in Him! 13. Whensoever His wrath
shall be suddenly kindled,
Blessed are all they that
trust in Him.
It has been observed that in a certain MS. of the Acts, and
by some of the Fathers, this is quoted as Psalm /., which is
favoured by the Talmud. The preceding Psalm may have been
taken for a proem to the Psalter, or again, from its lacking a
title, Ps. ii. may have been taken for a continuation of Ps. i.
This Ps. is directly and literally Messianic (See Acts iv. 25,
xiii. 33; Heb. i. 5, v. 5; Apoc. ii. 27, xii. 5, xix. 15). Till
the twelfth century, the Jewish tradition favoured this reference.
Talmud (Succah, § 52) states that v. 8 is traditionally referred to
Messiah, the son of Joseph. So, too, in Zohar, is the first clause
of v. 12 understood. The Midrash on the Psalms interprets this
Ps. in like manner. Rashi openly avows that its literal reference
to David was adopted " in order to answer Hamminnn ( = " the
heretics," i.e., the Christians). Aben Ezra admits that it applies
either to David, or to Messiah. Though referring it to David,
Qimchi mentions the Messianic interpretation with approval.
v. 1. "Vain" — is specified in v. 3. v. 6. "Established,"
firmly established, so, too, the Syriac ; Targum, " I have magni-
fied;" Arabic follows LXX. Tsiyyon ( = Sion) = " parched,"
"sunny." "Holy mount," Mount Moriah, being separated from
Mount Sion by a very narrow depression, is frequently con-
founded with it. "My holy mount" shows that this is a
Divine utterance, hence not to be put in the mouth of the king.
PSALM 3. 5
v. 7. " I will tell — decree." Syriac joins this with v. 6, and
renders {literally), " It shall be declared concerning Mine edict."
v. 9. "Break," by others rendered "Rule," cf. Apoc. ii. 27, xix. 15.
" Break " seems to be required by the parallel word in hemistich b.
v. 10. "Instructed," so also the Syriac. v. n. " Rejoice," &c.
Targum, "Pray to Him in fear;" Syr. "Lay hold on Him in
fear." If this be the right rendering, it will mean "rejoice at
being called to worship Him, but worship with awe." Possibly,
however, it means — -"Tremble ye in fearfulness." v. 12. "Kiss
ye," &c, rendering proposed by Jennings and Lowe ; S. Jerome,
Symmachus, " Worship purely " (Adorate pure) ; Aquila, " Kiss
with discernment " [eklektos). LXX., Vulgate, /Ethiopic,
Arabic, and Targum (" receive instruction ; " LXX. " lay hold
on instruction," "accept correction") agree here. Rashi, "Arm
yourselves with purity of heart ; " Qimchi, " Do homage to me
the pure of heart." "Kiss," i.e., "do homage to the son"
appears first in the Syriac, and is favoured by Aben Ezra, by
S. Jerom, too, in his commentary (" Adorate filium," worship
ye the son). This is mainly due to the fact that bhar is the
Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew ben, " a son." The meaning
is probably, " Lay hold of, take to yourselves this instruction,
this warning," viz., of v. 10. Further, in Acts iv. 25, 26, this
Psalm is ascribed to David. How account for his choosing
an obscure foreign word, for what could be quite as well
expressed in Hebrew ? Bhar in signification of " son " is all
but unknown in Biblical Hebrew ; it occurs in Prov. xxxi. 2,
but this is a later passage, not free from other Chaldaisms,
An admissible rendering were, " Kiss ye the chosen one," i.e.,
" Do homage to the king chosen by God ; " so Qimchi. " Mine
elect" (chosen-one) is a Messianic title in Isai. xlii. 1. v. 12. " Be
lost," roam-about, wander at random in the evil course you
have chosen ; literally, " go astray on the way," " lose your-
selves."
PSALM 3. PSALM 3.
[Title]. 1. A Psalm, to 1. A Psalm of David,
Davidh : in his flight from when he fled from the pre-
the faces of (i.e. from, from sence of his son Absalom,
before) Abhshfilom his son.
(2 Kings (Sam.) xv. 14.)
6 PSALM 3.
2. YtfHW^H, how many- 2. Lord, why are they
are my foes ! Many are they that afflict me multiplied ?
that-rise-up against me. Many rise-up against me.
3. Many are saying of me : 3. Many say concerning
There is no safety for him in my soul, There is no deliver-
'Elohim (i.e. God). Selah. ance for him in his God.
4. But Thou, Y^HW^H, 4. But Thou, O Lord,
art a shield about me : art my helper : My glory,
My glory, and the lifter-up and the-one-that-lifts-up my
of my head. head.
5. With my voice will-I- 5. I-cried to the Lord with
cry to YtfHW^H : And He- my voice : And He-heard
has-answered me from His me from His holy mountain,
holy mountain. Selah.
6. I laid-me-down and 6. I-lay-down and slept:
I - slept ; I - awaked : For I awaked : For the Lord
YtfHW^H was - upholding was-upholding me.
me.
7. I will not be afraid of 7. I will not be afraid of
ten-thousands of the people : thousands of people : That
That have - set - themselves beset me round about,
against me round-about.
8. Arise, YaHWeH, save 8. Arise, O Lord, deliver
me, 'Elohay (i.e. O my God) ! me, O my God ! For Thou-
For Thou-hast-smitten all hast-smitten all who were
mine enemies on the jaw- without cause mine enemies :
bone ; Thou - hast - broken Thou-hast-broken the teeth
the teeth of the wicked. of sinners.
9. To YtfHW^H [belongs] 9. Deliverance is the
the deliverance : Upon Thy Lord's : And upon Thy
people be Thy blessing, people is Thy blessing.
Selah.
A morning prayer " in dark and evil days." v. 3. " Saying of
me," lit. "to, of, concerning my soul," i.e., by synecdoche, "of my
person," " of myself," of which it is the equivalent in most Semitic
languages, v. 5. As if to say, " Ere I cry, He will have answered
me." " Holy mountain " — lit. " the mountain of His holiness,"
PSALM 4. 7
i.e., Sion. v. 6. Might be rendered "For all the while He
( = YH) was upholding me." v. 7. LXX. "Myriads of people."
v. 8. LXX., followed here by Arabic version, read in their text
I' chinnam (rather, 'at chinnam, in vain , Ezech. vi. 10), instead
of lechi (" the cheek ") of the Hebrew. A double Accusative in
in text after " smitten." Gesenius, " Thou hast broken the jaw-
bone of all mine enemies," i.e., deprived them of all power to do
me further harm, as with beasts of prey. Qimchi takes this as
a Preterite of habit, "Thou art wont to — often hast Thou
delivered me and smitten my foes, so do Thou now." v. 9. Lit.
" To YH " is the deliverance, i.e., which we await.
PSALM 4.
1. [Title]. To (i.e., for) the
Chief-Musician on stringed-
instruments ; A Psalm of
David.
2. When I call (lit. In my
calling), answer me, O God
of my justice ; In distress
Thou-hast- made-room for
me : Be-gracious to me, and
hear my prayer.
3. Sons of man, how long
[will ye turn] my glory into
dishonour ? [How long]
Will - ye - love vanity, and
seek-after falsehood ? Selah.
4. But know - ye that
Y<7HW<?H has - ennobled
[him who is] devoted to
Him : YrtHW^H will-hear,
when I-call to Him.
5. Be-angry, but sin not :
Commune with your own
heart upon your bed, and
be-quiet. Selah.
PSALM 4.
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David among the Songs.
2. When I called upon
[Him], the God of my justice
heard me ; in tribulation
Thou-hast-made-room for
me : Pity me and hearken
to my prayer.
3. Sons of men, how long
[will ye be] dull of sense?
Wherefore do - ye - love
vanity, and seek falsehood ?
4. But know-ye that the
Lord has - done - wondrous
things for His holy-one :
The Lord will-hear me,
when I cry to Him.
5. Be angry, and sin not :
Feel-compunction on your
beds for what you say in
your hearts (Eph. iv. 26).
8 PSALM 4.
6. Sacrifice sacrifices of 6. Offer the sacrifice of
justice : And trust in justice, and trust in the
YtfHWVH. (Deut. xxxiii. Lord ; Many say, Who will-
19). shew us good-things?
7. Many say, Who will- 7. The light of Thy coun-
shew us [any] good? Lift- tenance has-been-displayed
up over us the light of over us, O Lord : Thou-
Thy countenance, YaHWcH hast-put gladness into my
(Num. vi. 24, foil.) heart.
8. Thou-hast-put gladness 8. With the fruit of their
into my heart : More than corn and wine [and oil] :
[that of] the time, when their They have been enriched,
corn and wine are-abundant.
9. In peace will I both lay 9. In peace will I both lie
me down and sleep ; For 'tis down and sleep :
THOU, YaHWeH, alone: 10. For Thou, O Lord,
makest me dwell in safety. only hast-caused me to dwell
securely.
An evening prayer, corresponding to Ps. iii. In the West it
is the 1 st Psalm at Compline; in the Greek Office it is the first
in Stasis 2 of the Saturday late Vespers, v. 2. " My justice," the
vindicator of my right, of mine innocence, v. 3. " Sons of men."
Cf. Ps. xlviii. (49) 3 ; Isai. ii. 9. B'ney'hh ( = men of rank),
b'ney'dddm ( = "the vulgar herd"). The former are sons of
" somebody " of importance. Cf. Spanish, hidalgo ( = hijo d'a/go
= son of somebody). The divergence of LXX. and consequently
of Vulg., may be accounted for by their mistaking k for b, easily
confounded in Hebrew script {Kbhodi Kkilimm&h-= my glory to
shame — present text, while they read kabhdey lebh, Idmmah ( =
" heavy of heart, why ? "). Further, their text was without vowels,
which had be supplied by an unwritten tradition (\b, instead of
\k). v. 4. "Devoted to Him," dutifully disposed towards Him,
"pious," "godly." v. 5. "Be angry," so Eph. iv. 26; the verb
in text means agitation with fear, anger, grief, even with joy
(Isai. xiv. 9). Targum, " Tremble at Him." " Commune," &c.
— " probably " reflect upon what is said in v. 4, in the retirement
and silence of night. "Be quiet" — "cease," "be silent;" this
verb means cessation from action, as well as from speech. LXX.
PSALM 5. £>
" feel compunction " for upbraiding me, for rebelling against me.
v. 6. Sacrifices such as the godly are wont to offer, v. 7. " Make
the kindly favour of Thy countenance to shine upon us." LXX.
" Thy light has been displayed upon us ; " they probably read
(had) in their text, ndsas ("he raised a banner") and so may
mean, "Thy light is lifted up as a banner (seemeion), over us," to
which we may rally in the conflict, v. 8. May refer to the
supplies sent by Mephisobeth, 2 Kings (Sam.) xvi. 1. "Time."
LXX. "fruit (karpoil, for kairoii), probably a scribe's blunder, as
the Veins Itala ( = the early Latin version), and many of the
Fathers have a tempore (from (than) the time) ; Origen also
observes that many of the older MSS. of LXX. read " from the
time" not as now, "from the fruit ;" Syriac renders "from the
time." "Oil" is probably an adaptation to Deut. xxviii. 51;
Osee ii. 8. A contrast seems to be implied between the joy given
to David from on high, and the plenty enjoyed by his foes,
v. 9. " Alone ; " if referred to David, it may mean, " Isolated
though I be, Thou makest," &c, or, " me especially." Cf. Ps. iii. 6.
PSALM 5.
1. To the Chief-Musician,
to the flutes ; a Psalm, to
David.
2. Give-ear to my words,
YtfHW^H ; Consider my
meditation.
3. Attend to the voice of
my cry, my King, and my
God : For to Thee do-I-pray.
4. YaHWeH, in-the-morn-
ing shalt - Thou - hear my
voice : In the morning will-
I-direct [my words] to Thee,
and will-look-forth.
5. For Thou art not a
God (i.e., 'El) that - has-
pleasure in wickedness : Evil
PSALM 5.
1 . For the end, concerning
her-that-inherits, A Psalm of
David.
2. Give ear to my words,
O Lord : attend to my cry
(lit. " Understand my cry.")
3. Attend to the voice of
my supplication, my King,
and my God.
4. For to Thee will-I-
pray : O Lord, in the
morning shalt-Thou-hear my
voice.
5. In the morning I-will-
stand - before (wait upon)
Thee, and will-look-forth :
10
PSALM 5.
shall not sojourn with Thee
(The evil-man).
6. Proud-fools shall not
stand before Thine eyes :
Thou-hatest all workers of
iniquity.
7. Thou - shalt - destroy
them that speak falsehood ;
The bloodthirsty and de-
ceitful man YaHWeH
abhors.
8. But as for me, in the
abundance of Thy loving
kindness will - I - come - into
Thy house : I-will-bow-me-
down towards Thy holy
temple in Thy fear.
9. YtfHW^H, lead me in
Thy justice because of mine
adversaries : Make Thy way
straight before my face.
10. For there is no sin-
cerity in his mouth ; Their
inmost part is wicked-
nesses ; Their throat is an
open grave : They - flatter
with their tongue.
11. Hold-them-guilty, O
God ; Let-them-fall by their
own counsels ; Drive them
out in the multitude of their
transgressions : For they-
have-rebelled against Thee.
For Thou art not a God
that-desires iniquity ;
6. Neither shall the evil-
doer dwell with Thee ; Nor
shall the unjust continue in
Thy sight.
7. Thou hatest all them
that work iniquity ; Thou
shalt destroy all them that
speak falsehood. The Lord
abhors the bloody and de-
ceitful man.
8. But I, in the abundance
of Thy mercy, will - enter
into Thy house : I will
worship toward Thy holy
temple in Thy fear.
9. Lead me, O Lord, in
Thy justice on account of
mine enemies : Make my
way straight before Thy
face.
10. For there is no truth
in their mouth : Their heart
is vain ;
1 1. Their throat is an
open sepulchre. They-use-
deceit-with their tongues.
Judge them, O God. Let-
them-fall by reason of their
own devices ; According to
the abundance of their un-
godliness cast them out :
For they have provoked
Thee, O Lord.
PSALM 5. II
1 2. So shall all that-take- 1 2. But let all that trust in
refuge in Thee rejoice, Thee be-glad in Thee, They
They shall ever shout-for- shall exult for ever, and
joy, because Thou-protect- Thou - shalt - dwell among
est-them : They also that them : And all that love
love Thy name shall exult in Thy name shall-rejoice in
Thee. Thee.
13. For Thou wilt-bless 13. For THOU wilt -
the just-man, YaHW^H : bless the just man : Lord,
As [with] a shield, [with] Thou - hast - compassed (lit.
good-will Thou-wilt-compass crowned) us with Thy good-
him. will as with a shield (as with
the shield of Thy good-will).
A morning prayer, hence assigned for Lauds in the ferial
Office on Monday. The poet is in danger, murderous and crafty
foes are plotting against him. The mention of "Thy house,"
" Thy holy Temple " favours the date of Absalom's insurrection
as that to which the Psalm is to be assigned. Relying on his
steadfast adhesion to God, vv. 2 — 9 state the grounds of his
trust ; the remaining vv. are a prayer for his own deliverance, and
for the undoing of his foes by God, as hating sinners.
v. 2. " Consider," attend to. " Meditation," //V. " muttering ; "
S. Jerom. "murmur." A contrast between the whispered, or
mental supplication, and the "cry" of v. 3, rendered by
Gesenius (Heb. Lex.), "fervent cry." v. 4. "Direct," "order,"
" arrange," " set in order " (so Targum) ; term used for the laying
the pieces of the victim in order (Lev. i. 8) ; for laying in order
the fuel for the sacrificial fire {Ibid. i. 7), for the due arrangement
of the burnt-offering on the altar {Ibid. vi. 12). The morning
prayer is probably viewed here as a morning sacrifice, just as in
Ps. cxl. (141), the evening prayer is likened to the evening
sacrifice. " Look-forth " with steadfast hope for Thine aid. v. 5.
"Evil," or "an evil man" but " wickedness " seems to require
the former rendering.
v. 6. "Proud-fools," braggarts, insolent boasters. v. 7.
"Bloodthirsty," lit. — "the man of bloods," "the shedder of
innocent blood," so Targum. v. 8. "House," the Tabernacle on
12 PSALM 6.
Sion (2 Kings (Sam.) vi. 17), repeatedly called "the House of
Yahweh ; " to this day, the Bedawee calls his tent his " hair-
house " = " house of hair."
v. 9. "Justice," in the observance of Thy law. "My face,"
" Thy way," so Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion, and as S. Jerom
observes (Letter to Sunia and Fretela), the older MSS. of the
LXX. " Make Thy way (the path of duty) straight and level
before me." v. 10. " Inmost part, wickednesses," rather, "destruc-
tion " resulting from hatred. Lowe and Jennings discover a
climax in this v.
Their inmost part is a yawning gulf, a place of ruin and
destruction, their throat is an open sepulchral entrance to it, their
tongue (/it., " they-make-smooth their tongue"), is a smooth
entrance. Briefly, they plan the most destructive schemes, and
cajole their victims by honied words, v. 11. "From," or "by
means of" their devices. v. 12. " Protectest " " coverest,"
"defendest." v. 13. "Compass," LXX. and Vulg. more literally
"crown."
PSALM 6. PSALM 6.
1. For the Chief-Musician I. For the end, a Psalm of
on stringed - instruments, David, among the hymns,
basso ; a Psalm to David. for the eighth.
2. YrtHW^H, rebuke me 2. O Lord, rebuke me not
not in Thy wrath : And in Thy wrath : Neither
chasten me not in Thy hot- chasten me in Thine anger,
anger.
3. Be - gracious to me, 3. Have-mercy on me, O
YrtHW^H, for I am - Lord, for I am sick : Heal
withered - away : Heal me, me, O Lord, for my bones
Y<zHW>H, for my bones are-vexed.
are-shaken.
4. And my soul is-shaken 4. My soul also is griev-
sore : But Thou, Y^HW^H, ously vexed : But Thou,
how long? (lit. till when?). O Lord, how long?
5. Return, YallWJeH, de- 5. Return, O Lord, deliver
PSALM 6.
13
liver my soul. Save me for
Thy loving kindness' sake.
6. For in death there is no
remembrance of Thee : In
Sheol who shall give Thee
thanks ?
7. I-am-weary with my
groaning ; I make my bed to
swim every night : I-water
my couch with my tears.
8. Mine eye wastes-away
for grief : It-grows-old be-
cause of all mine adversaries.
9. Depart from me, all ye
workers of iniquity : For
YrtHW^H has - heard the
voice of my weeping.
10. YaHWeH has-heard
my supplication : YtfHW^H
will-receive my prayer.
1 1. All mine enemies shall-
be - ashamed and sore
shaken : They - shall - turn-
back, they-shall-be-ashamed
in-a-moment.
my soul : Save me for Thy
mercy s sake.
6. For in death no man
remembers Thee : Who will
give Thee thanks in the
grave ?
7. I-am-wearied with my
groaning : Every night I-
wash my bed : I-water my
couch with my tears.
8. Mine eye is-troubled
because of indignation: I-
am-worn-out because of all
mine enemies.
9. Depart from me, all ye
that work iniquity : For the
Lord has-hearkened to the
voice of my weeping.
10. The Lord has-hear-
kened to my supplication :
The Lord has-accepted my
prayer.
11. Let all mine enemies
be-put-to-shame and sore
troubled : Let - them - be
turned-back and grievously
put-to-shame speedily.
Plaint of the godly man under persecution ; first of the
vii. Penitential Psalms. Title, "Basso," lit. "for the octave,"
the 8th, it may mean for male voices, cf. 1 Paral. (Chron.) xv. 21.
v. 3. "Bones" for "bodily frame." v. 4. "How long [wilt
Thou delay Thy succour]?" Cf. Ps. lxxxix. (90) 13; Isai. vi. 11.
v. 6. Cf. Ecclus. xvii. 26, 27. "Remembrance" must be here taken
to mean "worship," "praise," as we infer from the "give Thee
thanks" of the 2nd hemistich. " Sheol" = the grave, or the
nether world of disembodied spirits. "Hell," with its usual
connotation, is a misleading rendering, v. 7. "I water," &c.
14
PSALM 7.
Gesenius (Heb. Lex.), " I dissolve (as it were) my couch," &c.
Targum, "I wash." v. 8. "Eye," "features," "aspect," "my
looks." S. Jerom, " My eye is dimmed " (caligavit), " Grief,"
0v/xo5 of LXX. (thymos), stands for any strong feeling. " It grows
old," S. Jerom, Consumptus sum, " I am worn out, wasted away
by all mine enemies." vv. 9, 10. Preterites here may be taken
as Preterites of confidence ; " has heard " = " will surely hear."
PSALM 7.
1. Shiggayon of David,
which he sang to YaHW^H :
concerning the words of
Kush a Benjaminite.
2. YrtHW^H, my God, in
Thee do - I - take - refuge :
Save me from all my perse-
cutors, and rescue me :
3. Lest he-tear my soul
like a lion : Crushing [my
bones], while there is no
deliverer.
4. YtfHW^H, my God
('Elohay), if I-have-done
this : If there-be any ini-
quity in my hands ;
5. If I-have-requited him
that was at peace with me
with evil : (Nay, rather
have-I-set him free who was
mine enemy causelessly) ;
6. Let the enemy pursue
my soul, and overtake [it] :
Yea, let him tread-down my
life to the earth : And lay
my glory in the dust. Selah.
7. Arise, YaHW<?H, in
Thy wrath, uplift - Thyself
PSALM 7.
1. A Psalm of David,
which he sang to the Lord
because of the words of
Chusi son of Jemini.
2. O Lord, my God, in
Thee do I trust : Save me
from all that persecute me,
and deliver me ;
3. Lest at any time he
seize my soul as a lion :
While there is none to ran-
som, nor to save.
4. O Lord my God, if I-
have-done this : If there be
iniquity in my hands :
5. If I-have requited with
evil those that requited me :
May I deservedly perish
empty by means of mine
enemies :
6. Let the enemy pursue
my soul, and overtake it, Let
him trample my life on the
ground : And lay my glory
in the dust.
7. Arise, O Lord, in Thy
wrath, and be-exalted in the
PSALM 7.
15
against the pride of mine
adversaries : And awake for
me, Thou who hast decreed
justice (lit. judgment) :
8. So shall the congrega-
tion of the peoples surround
Thee : And over it return-
Thou on high.
9. YaHW^H judges the
peoples : Vindicate me,
YaHW^H, according to my
justice, and to mine inno-
cence in me (or, be it done
to me).
10. Oh, let the wickedness
of the wicked come-to-an-
end, but establish-Thou the
just : For the just God
searches the hearts and reins.
11. My shield is upon
God : Who saves the upright
in heart.
12. God is a just judge:
And God (i.e., 'El) shows-
His-indignation every day.
13. Surely He-will again
whet his sword : He-has-
trodden His bow, and made
it ready.
14. He has also prepared
for Himself the weapons of
death : He makes his arrows
burning ones {or, fiery
[shafts]).
15. Lo, he-travails with
iniquity ; Yea, he-has-con-
utmost-boundaries of mine
enemies : And awake, O
Lord my God, according to
the decree Thou-didst-com-
mand :
8. So shall the congrega-
tions of the peoples surround
Thee : And for this cause
do-Thou-return on high.
9. The Lord judges the
peoples : Judge me, O Lord,
according to my righteous-
ness, and to mine innocence
that is in me.
10. Let the wickedness of
sinners come - to - an - end,
then shalt - Thou - establish
the just-man, O God that
searchest the hearts and
reins. (11) Just [is]
My help from the Lord :
Who saves the upright in
heart.
12. God is a just judge,
strong and patient : Will
He-be-angry every day?
13. If ye be not converted,
He will furbish (brandish)
His sword : He-has-bent
His bow, and made it ready.
14. And on it He-has-
fitted instruments of death :
He-has-made His arrows for
the raging-ones.
15. Lo, he-travails with
injustice : He-has-conceived
1 6 PSALM 7.
ceived mischief and has- trouble, and brought-forth
brought-forth falsehood. iniquity.
16. He-has-dug a pit, and 16. He-has-opened a pit,
deepened it : And is-fallen and dug it up : And-is fallen
into the chasm he-has- into the ditch which he-
wrought, made.
17. His mischief shall-re- 17. His trouble shall-re-
turn upon his own head : turn upon his own head :
And his violence shall-come- And his iniquity shall-come-
down upon his own crown. down on his own crown.
18. I-will-give-thanks to 18. I-will-give-thanks to
YaHW^H according to His the Lord according to His
justice : And will-hymn the justice : And will-sing to the
name of YaHWeK "El-yon Name of the Lord Most
(i.e., Most High). High.
David (as there is no reason for questioning this ascription),
declares his unshaken trust in God, his innocence of the charges
brought against him, he is ready to undergo the penalty they
involve, if proven ; may God maintain his right, he promises
thanksgiving, in full assurance that he will be righted. The
occasion that prompted this ode is probably the incident narrated
1 Kings (Sam.) xxiv. 1 — 8; cf. Ibid. xxvi. passim. v. 1.
"Shiggayon" occurs only here, and (in Plural) in Hab. iii. 1.
Meanings assigned conjectural ; Aben Ezra takes it for the first
word of a song, to the air of which this Psalm was to be sung ;
Qimchi, for a kind of melody (with variations of music) ;
Gesenius (Heb. Lex.) renders it "hymn." "Concerning" so
Deut. iv. 21. " Kush" means an Ethiopian, but is here a proper
name ; of whom ? we know not. " The words of K " may be
his false accusations, or his hostile " doings." " Ben-jaminite,"
Vulg., LXX., and S. Jerom, " Son of Yemini," either suits the text,
v. 5. S. Jerom, "If I have retaliated on them that repay evil to
me, and sent mine enemies empty away." Targum renders 2nd
clause, "And if I have afflicted them that vexed me." As the
text now stands, if the "and" at the head of the latter half of
the verse be taken in the adversative sense — "Nay, rather," &c. —
we may render, " Nay, rather have I set him free who for no
PSALM 8. \-j
reason was mine enemy." " Syriac, If I have repaid evil to my
benefactor, and have afflicted them who without cause were mine
enemies." v. 6. "Soul," "life," "glory," are equivalent to "me,"
"myself." v. 7. S. Jerom, " Elevare indignans super hostes
meos" (Lift Thyself up in wrath over mine enemies). Vulg. and
LXX. here have "boundaries," as in the vowelless text, both
words have the same consonants. R. Qimchi with Vulg., "in
the judgment Thou hast decreed," i.e., "according to the decree,
Thou hast commanded." v. 8. "Over it," the congregation of
the tribes "On high." Targum, "to the house of Thy majesty,"
or, to Thy judgment-seat on Sion, or in heaven. Vindicate Thy
dignity by letting it no longer appear as if the ungodly were to
have the upper hand. v. 9. Targum, "And according to my
perfection repay me." v. 10. LXX., followed by Vulg. have
detached '■'•Just" from the end of this verse, and transferred it to
v. n. v. 11. God bears my shield, He looks to my defence;
He protects me. According to their wont, LXX. eschew the
metaphor, and give the sense thereof. " God is my help and
defence." v. 12. And 'El ( = God). LXX. render it as an
adjective "mighty," "strong," so too S. Jerom and Targum, "And
in His might He is angry," &c. No interrogation here, in LXX.
the Latin translator has misread the negative mee as an interroga-
tive particle; the text, taken literally, may be rendered, "And
God foams with wrath every day."
v. 13. "Trodden," as a large bow is bent and strung by
putting the foot against it. v. 14. Targum, Rashi, Qimchi,
" His arrows against the persecutors " (hot pursuers). S. Jerome,
"He makes His arrows in order to burn, i.e., "fiery darts, fiery
bolts, an allusion to thunder-bolts. vv. 15 — 17. The schemes
of the ungodly are figured by a pit-fall, by a badly-built house
which falls on the builder's head. v. 18. "EFyon, high, exalted,
hence, " Most High ; " cf. Arab. "Aft.
PSALM 8. PSALM 8.
1. To the Chief-Musician 1. For the end, concerning
on the Gittith, a Psalm to the wine-presses, a Psalm of
David. David.
C
i8
PSALM 8.
2. YaHWeH 'Adoney-nu
(i.e. our Lord), how glorious
is Thy Name in all the
earth! Who hast-set Thy
glory upon the heavens.
3. Out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings
Thou - hast-firmly - founded
strength, Because of Thine
adversaries : To restrain the
enemy and the self-avenger.
4. When I-consider Thy
heavens, the work of Thy
fingers : The moon and
stars, which Thou - hast -
established (set-firm).
5. What is man, that
Thou-art-mindful of him ?
And the son of man, that
Thou-visitest him?
6. For Thou-hast-made-
him to-fall-short but little of
'Elohim (i.e., the angels) :
and crownest him with glory
and honour.
7. Thou - makest - him -
to-rule over the works of
Thy hands : All-things hast-
Thou-put under his feet ;
8. Sheep and oxen, all of
them : Yea, also the beasts
of the field :
9. The fowl of the
skies, and fishes of the
sea : [Whatsoever] passes
through the paths of the
seas.
2. O Lord, our Lord, how
wondrous is Thy Name in
all the earth! For Thy
magnificence is - exalted
above the heavens.
3. Out of the mouth of
babes and sucklings hast-
Thou-perfected praise, be-
cause of Thine enemies :
That Thou - mightest - put-
down the enemy and the
avenger. (Matth. xxi. 16).
4. For I-will-behold Thy
heavens, the works of Thy
fingers : The moon and stars
which Thou - hast - estab-
lished.
5. What is man, that
Thou-art-mindful of him ?
Or the son of man, that
Thou-visitest him ?
6. Thou - madest him a
little less than angels :
Thou-hast crowned him with
glory and honour. (Heb.
ii. 7.)
7. And Thou-hast-set him
over the works of Thy
hands.
8. All-things hast-Thou-
put under his feet : Sheep
and all oxen, yea, also the
cattle of the field ;
9. The birds of the sky,
and the fishes of the sea :
Which pass through the
paths of the sea.
PSALM 9. 19
10. YaYPNeH, our Lord : 10. O Lord, our Lord,
How glorous is Thy Name how wondrous is Thy Name
in all the earth! in all the earth!
The witness of the starry firmament to the glory of the
Creator ; grateful acknowledgment of His condescension to man,
whom He has deputed as His vicegerent here below.
"Gittith," Targum — "upon the harp David brought from
Gath." LXX. seem to have read Gittoth, plural of gath (a trough
for treading the grapes) ; also a town of the Philistines. It may
mean a musical instrument used at Gath, or the air of a song of
the press-treaders. v. 2. S. Jerome, "O Lord, our Ruler"
(Dominator noster). " Glorious," lit. " bright." Other renderings,
the text being obscure : " For Thy glory is proclaimed above the
heavens;" "Who hast covered [set upon] the heavens with Thy
glory." Gesenius (imperative) "Set Thou Thy glory," &c, i.e.,
" Make it manifest to all " is inadmissible, unexampled. S. Jerom.
Who hast placed Thy glory upon the heavens." v. 3. " Babes,"
" children " rather. "Make to cease," to hold in check, to still.
"Avenger," Gesenius, "desirous of vengeance ; " cf. Ps. xliii. (44)
17, where it is applied to the heathen powers. "Founded
strength " exactly efle/xcAiWas /cpa-ros of Aquila (ethemeliosas
krdtos) ; S. Jerom, " Perfecisti laudem " (as in Vulg.) ; Syriac,
" Disposuisti laudem " (hast framed praise). v. 6. Cf. Heb. ii.
7—9 ; " Little less " may imply " but little inferior to," or, " a little
while lower than."
PSALM 9. PSALM 9.
1. To the Chief-Musician I. For the end, concerning
upon muth labben ; a Psalm, the secrets of the son, a
to David. Psalm of David.
2. (Aleph) I will - give- 2. I-will-give-thanks to
thanks to YaHWVH with all Thee, O Lord, with my
my heart : (Aleph). I-will- whole heart : I-will-recount
recount all Thy wondrous- all Thy wondrous-works,
works.
3. (Aleph). I-will-be-glad 3. I-will-rejoice and exult
20
PSALM 9.
and exult in Thee : (Aleph).
I-will-sing-praise to Thy
Name, "El'yon (i.e., Most
High).
4. (Beth). When mine
enemies turn back : They-
stumble and perish at Thy
presence.
5. For Thou-hast-main-
tained my right and my
cause : Thou-art-sitting on a
throne judging justly {or, a
just judge).
6. (Gimel). Thou-hast-re-
buked nations, Thou-hast-
destroyed the wicked : Their
name hast-Thou-blotted out
for ever and ever.
7. (He). The enemy ;
there is an eternal end of
[their] destructions ; yea,
Thou - hast - wasted cities :
Their name is-perished, their
[very name].
8. (Waw). But YallWeW.
sits [as King] for ever : He-
has-established His throne
for judgment.
9. (Waw). And HE shall-
judge the world in justice :
He-shall - administer - judg-
ment to the peoples in up-
rightness.
10. (Waw). And Y#HW<?H
will-be a high-tower for the
oppressed .- A high-tower at
1 lines [when they are] in
distress.
in Thee : I-will-sing to Thy
Name, Thou Most High.
4. When mine enemies
are-turned back ; They-
shall-be-feeble and perish at
Thy [angry] countenance.
5. For Thou-hast-main-
tained my cause and my
right : Thou-art-sitting on a
throne, that judgest justly.
6. Thou-hast-rebuked the
heathen, and the ungodly
has - perished : Thou - hast-
blotted-out their name for
ever, even for ever and ever.
7. The enemy's swords
have-failed utterly ; And
Thou-hast-destroyed their
cities : Their memorial is-
perished with a crash ;
8. But the Lord endures
for ever : He-has-prepared
His throne for judgment :
9. And He Himself will-
judge the world in justice :
He-will-judge the nations in
uprightness.
10. The Lord also is-be-
come a refuge for the poor :
A seasonable help, in afflic-
tion.
PSALM 9.
21
11. (Waw). And they-that-
know Thy Name will-hope
in Thee : For Thou hast not
forsaken them - that - seek
Thee, YaHW^H.
12. (Zayin). Sing-praise
to YaHWeH, who-dwells in
Tsiyyon (i.e., Sion) : Publish
among the peoples His
doings.
13. For [when] making-
inquisition for blood, He-re-
members them: He-forgets
not the cry of the poor
(lowly, meek).
14. (Cheth) Be-gracious to
me, YtfHW^H ; Behold mine
affliction [which I suffer] of
them-that-hate me : Who
liftest me up from the gates
of death ;
15. That I-may-publish all
Thy praise in the gates of
the daughter of Sion : I-
will-exult in Thy saving-
help.
16. (Teth). The nations
are-sunk-down in the pit
they-have-made : In the net
which they-hid is their own
foot taken.
17. YH" has-made-Him-
self - known, He - has - exe-
cuted judgment ; He-snares
the wicked in the work of
his own hands : Higgayon
Selah.
11. And let them that
know Thy Name hope in
Thee : For Thou, O Lord,
failest not them-that-seek
Thee.
12. Sing-praises to the
Lord, who dwells in Sion :
Declare His dealings among
the nations :
13. For [in] making-in-
quisition for blood, He-re-
members them : He-forgets
not the cry of the poor.
14. Have-mercy on me, O
Lord : Behold my affliction
[which I suffer] of mine
enemies :
15. Thou that liftest me
up from the gates of death :
That I-may-declare all Thy
praises in the gates of The
daughter of Sion.
16. I-will-exult in Thy
salvation. The nations are-
stuck-fast in the destruction
they-planned. In the very
snare which they-hid is their
own foot taken.
17. The Lord ls-known
[as] executing judgment :
The sinner is-taken in the
works of his hands.
2i
PSALM 10.
1 8. (Yodh). The wicked
shall-be-turned-back into
Sheol : All nations that for-
get God.
19. (Kaph). For the needy
shall not always be for-
gotten : Nor the expectation
of the poor perish for ever.
[Or] Shall the expectation . .
perish, etc. ?
20. Arise, YH", let not
man prevail : Let the nations
be-judged in Thy sight.
21. Put fear upon them,
Y<2HW<?H ; Let the nations
know that they are but men.
Selah.
[Lit. that men they are.]
18. Let sinners be-turned-
back into the nether-world :
[Even] all the nations that
forget God.
19. For the poor shall not
always be forgotten : The
patience of the poor shall
not perish for ever.
20. Arise, O Lord, let
not man prevail : Let the
heathen be-judged in Thy
sight.
21. Set, O Lord, a law-
giver over them : That the
heathen may-know that they
are men.
PSALM 10 (Hebrew reckoning).
1. (Lamedh). Why, YH",
standest-Thou aloof? [Why]
hidest - Thou - Thyself in
times of trouble?
2. Through the pride of
the wicked man, the afflicted
burns : Let-them-be-taken
in the plots that they-have-
devised.
3. For the wicked be-
haves arrogantly [according
to I the lust of his soul : And
the plunderer renounces,
contemns YaHW^H.
4. [As for] the wicked, in
1. Why standest-Thou
afar off, O Lord ? [Why]
dost-Thou-overlook [us] in
times of need, in distress?
2. While the ungodly acts-
arrogantly, the poor man is-
set-on-fire : They-are-taken
in the crafty-counsels which
they-have-devised.
3. For the sinner boasts-
him of the lusts of his soul :
And the unjust blesses him-
self.
4. The sinner provokes
PSALM 10.
23
his scornf ulness [he saith,]
' He will in nowise inquire ' :
' There is no God ' — is the
sum of all his thoughts.
5. His ways are-firm (i.e.
prosperous) at all time ; Thy
judgments are far above out
of his sight : [As for] all his
adversaries, he-puffs at them.
6. He saith in his heart, I
will in nowise be moved :
To generation and genera-
tion [I shall be one] who is
not in evil [plight].
7. His mouth is full of
perjury, deceit, and fraud :
Under his tongue are mis-
chief and iniquity [better,
"trouble "].
8. He-sits in an ambush of
covered-places ; In lurking-
places he slays the inno-
cent : His eyes lie-in-wait
for the hapless.
9. He-lurks in the covert
as a lion in his den ; He
lurks to seize the poor : He-
seizes the poor, when he-
draws him in his net.
10. He - stoops, he -
crouches : And the hapless
fall by his strong ones (i.e.,
strength, strong claws?).
11. He-saith in his heart,
God has - forgotten : He-
the Lord : According to the
abundance of his anger, He-
will not inquire (or, he will
not seek [after Him]).
5. God is not before him.
Defiled are his ways at all
times. Thy judgments are
far removed from his sight :
he will - gain - the - mastery
over all his enemies.
6. For he saith in his
heart, I shall not be moved
to all gen rations, [continu-
ing] without adversity.
7. His mouth is full of
cursing, bitterness and
fraud : Under his tongue
are trouble and pain.
8. He lies in wait with
rich-men in secret-places, to
murder the innocent-man :
9. His eyes are set against
the poor. He-lies-in-wait
under covert, as a lion in his
lair. He - lies - in - wait to
ravish the poor, to ravish
the poor, when he drags him
[after him].
10. He will bring him
down in his snare : He will-
stoop and fall, when he-has-
mastered the poor.
11. For he-says in his
heart, God has forgotten :
24
PSALM 10.
hides His face, He will
never take notice.
12. (Qoph). Arise, YaU-
WeU ; 'El (i.e. O God), lift-
up Thy hand : Forget not
the poor (or, meek, afflicted).
13. Wherefore does the
wicked contemn God ? [And] ungodly provoked God ?
say in his heart, Thou wilt For he says in his heart, He
He - has - turned - away His
face, so as never to look :
12. Arise, O Lord God,
uplifted-be Thy hand : For-
get not the poor.
13. Wherefore has the
not require?
14. (Resh). Thou - hast-
seen [it] ; for 'tis THOU that
beholdest travail and grief,
to set [it] in Thy hand :
With Thee the hapless one
leaves [it] ; THOU hast-been
the helper of the orphan.
15. (Shin). Break the arm
of the wicked : And as for
the evil-doer, Thou-shalt-
punish his wickedness,
Thou-shalt-find none.
16. YH" is King for ever
and ever : The nations are-
perished out of His land.
17. (Tau). YaHWeR,
Thou-hast-heard the desire
of the meek : Thou-wilt-
sustain their heart, Thou-
wilt-apply Thine ear ;
18. To right the orphan
and the oppressed : That
frail man from the earth may
no longer cause-terror.
will not require [it].
14. Thou-seest [it], for
THOU observest trouble and
grief, to deliver them into
Thy hands : The poor has-
been-left to Thee ; Thou-
hast-been a helper to the
orphan.
15. Shatter-Thou the arm
of the sinner, and of the
wicked-man ; his sin shall-
be-sought-for, and shall not
be found.
16. The Lord reigns for
ever, and to endless ages :
Ye Gentiles shall-perish out
of His land. *
17. The Lord has-heard
the desire of the poor :
Thine ear has-been-atten-
tive to the preparation of
their heart :
18. To right the orphan
and afflicted : So that man
may no longer magnify
himself upon the earth.
Pss. 9 and 10 (in the Hebrew reckoning) appear in LXX. and
Vulg. as one Ps. In favour of the tradition followed by LXX.
we may urge that Ps. 10 has no title : the two poems are marked
PSALM 10. 23
by the same peculiarities of expression (cf. ix. 10. and x. 1 ; ix. 20
and x. 12, 16, 18); the imperfect acrostic of Ps. 9 is continued
in Ps. 10 (and as though the Poet intended to adapt the non-
acrostic vv (2 — n) to the scheme at some future time), a leap
is made from Lamedh, the 12th, to Qoph, the 19th letter. On the
other hand, while Ps. 9 is a jubilant thanksgiving for the Divine
judgments executed upon hostile neighbours, in Ps. 10. the Poet
views it as still in the future, and seeks to hasten its accomplish-
ment by prayer. It may thus be deemed a supplement, rather
than a continuation of Ps. 9.
"Al-miitk labben in Title is rendered in Targum "on the
death of the (his) son;" it may mean, "on the death of Labbbi"
a person unknown to history. LXX., with Aquila, Theodotion,
&c, read "al "al'moth, (the secrets, hidden things) from "d/am
(he hid) ; if it be taken as the Plural of "a/md/i (a virgin), it may
be a musical direction — for maidens' [voices] Soprano. R. Qimchi
takes it for a musical instrument. But here, as elsewhere, we
have but contradictory guesses. The meaning is irrecoverably lost.
v. 4. S. Jerom. " When mine enemies shall have fallen back,
sunk to the ground, and have perished from Thy presence."
v. 6. " Blotted out," properly, " wiped out," " rubbed out," as
with a sponge. " Nations," in text go-ybn ( - Gentiles, heathen).
v. 7. " Destructions," wastings, ravages, desolations. LXX.,
with P'shitta Syriac and R. Rashi ; read here charaboth (swords)
instead of choi-aboth (ruins) of the present {pointed) text.
"Wasted," properly "plucked up," as plants. "Their [very
name]," or, " of them [I say]," but lit. = " they." S. Jerom,
" Cum ipsis " (along with them). LXX. connected hmh of their
voivelless text with hamah ( =- he made a noise), and render,
met' eechou (with a noise, a sound, a crash), v. 10. "A high
refuge," mis'gabh ( = a high tower, a lofty place, and hence,
inaccessible to enemies), rendered by LXX. (usually), " a refuge."
" In (at) times [when they are] in very distress," so literally ; but
Qimchi, " At times of cutting off," i.e., when all hope is cut-off
= "at times of desperation" — Valeat quantum. LXX., At fitting-
times, in affliction. S. Jerom here renders it, "an opportune
height" (elevatio) in trouble (angustia) ; at x., v. 1, "In times of
trouble" (angustiae). v. 13. "Poor," so LXX. and Vulg. —
26 PSALM 10.
"meek," an alternative rendering, v. 14. "Gates of death," cf.
"gates of daughter of Sion," i.e., the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
v. 17. Targum, "The judgment He has executed is manifest
before the Lord." " Higgayon." Gesenius (Heb. Lex. s.v.) " the
sound of the harp ; " he takes it for a musical sign. LXX.
6d.ee diapsalmatos (a song of?) ; Symmachus, melos diapsalmatos
(an air of?) ; Aquila, ddec aei (a song for ever?). It may be, for
aught that can be ascertained, a musical direction, v. 18. " Sheol,"
LXX. " Hades," Vulg. " infernum : " " hell " in Douai version ;
properly, the grave, or the nether world, the abode of disembodied
spirits ; cf. " He descended into hell " of our Baptismal Creed.
It has not the same connotation as " hell " has with us, assuredly
not in the Old Testament, v. 21. S. Jerome, "Pone, terrorem
eis" (Put fear upon them, Put them in fear). LXX., with a
vowelless text, read moreh ( = a doctor, a lawgiver) instead of
nwrdk (fear, or an object to be feared). In Aramaean use,
more, is "a ruler," "a lord." "Set over them one they will
fear."
Psalm 10 [in the Hebrew Psalter]. In the Latin Vulgate,
the verses of this Psalm are numbered as in the Hebrew Psalter
(1 — 18), as if it were a separate poem. v. 2. Targum, "the
afflicted suffers persecution;" S. Jerom, "the poor man burns
in the pride of the ungodly." " Let them be taken," &c, Targum.
Ab. Ezra, and Qimchi render this as an imprecation on the
persecutors. Quibus cogitant, for qua cogitant of Vulg. is due to a
literal rendering of the Greek idiom in LXX. (hois dialogizontai).
v. 3. "Glories," rather "speaks (acts, behaves) arrogantly,"
"according to his soul's lust." "The plunderer," "the spoiler
renounces," &c. [or,J " blesses the plunderer and contemns YH "
— an admissible rendering. Aben Ezra, " For he (the wicked)
praises the wicked [one of the same kidney] on account of the
lusts of his soul, and blesses the covetous [who] provokes the
Lord." "Bless," the Hebrew equivalent primarily means ("to
bend the knee ") "to greet," so in Gaelic, "to take leave of," so too
in Gaelic; "to imprecate;" but the meaning of "reviling," of
" blaspheming " [God] is questionable. Applying it in the third
acceptation we may fairly render it here, " he renounces . . .
God." LXX. transfer this last clause to v. 4. " The height
PSALM IO. 27
of his nose" lit. in text for " scornfulness," "arrogance," the pride
he shows in his countenance, rather than " anger," as rendered by
LXX. and S. Jerom. " He will not ( = in no wise) require "
= take cognizance of sin and wrong : cf. ix. 1 3, v. 1 3, infra.
v. 5. Targum, "All his ways will prosper." LXX. refer the verb
to chalal (he polluted, profaned). " Puffs," so literally ; Targum,
"will be angry," i.e., show his anger by a puffing of his mouth,
cf. Acts ix. 1. S. Jerom, "despicit," ( = looks down upon), thus, with
LXX., giving the sense of the verb, " puff," " blow." v. 6.
S. Jerom — " In every generation I shall be without ill ; " Syriac —
" I shall never be moved from planning evil ; " Targum — " from
doing evil." v. 7. Targum, " Curses," " Mischief," or " travail
and grief." v. 8. " He sits in a well-covered ambush ; "
chatserim (Singular, chatsir), " a covered," " enclosed place ; " the
" lair " of a beast of prey ; here, as in Nehem (2 Esdr.) xi. 27 ;
Gen. xxv. 16; it is rendered "villages." S. Jerom, "juxta
vestibula in absconditis " (he sits lurking by the forecourts in
lurking places), conformably with Symmachus. Targum — " in
the snares of courts." LXX. (if they translated from dictation),
may easily have mistaken the word for another akin to it in sound,
(" asherhn," rich men). Qimchi takes it for an unfenced hamlet.
"Eyes," Targum, "privily watch," "secretly observe." v. 10.
S. Jerom, " Et confractum subjiciet, et irruet viribus suis valenter "
(And he will crush and lay him low, and rush upon him violently
in (with) his strong ones) ; Targum, " And the poor-man will fall
by the strength of his snares." Gesenius understands it of the
strong limbs of the lions, viz., teeth, claws ; some few of " the
lion's whelps." v. 12. "Poor," "the afflicted" according to
the KHMbh {written text), but "meek," or "lowly" according to
Qeri (to be read) of the marginal emendation. v. 14. "To
give (set, put) [it] into Thy hand," to take it in hand, to make
it a matter of Thy care and concern.
v. 15. "Break . . . arm," shatter his strength: "arm,"
" hand " are constantly used to express strength. "Punish,"///.
" Seek out," take account of, not only to punish, but, as implied
by " Break the arm," &c, to deprive him of the power he has
misused, v. 17. "Sustain" ( = keep up, cheer): "prepare" is
the usual rendering of LXX., and Vulg. who here have taken
28
PSALM 10 (il).
iaklun of text for the verbal noun, "preparation, "disposition."
The verb is not precatory, as, like the jussive future, it would take
the apocopated form. v. 18. St. Jerom. "And that man of the
earth may in no wise continue to behave arrogantly." We may
render, " So that frail-man from the earth may no longer terrify "
— or, " So that frail-man may no more be terrified from off the
earth ;" the former is better suited to ix. 20, where "man" means
the persecutor.
PSALM 10 (11).
1. To the Chief-Musician,
to David. In Y^HW^H
do- 1 -take-refuge : How say-
ye to my soul : Flee [as] a
bird to your mountain?
2. For, lo! the wicked
bend the bow, They-make-
ready their arrow on the
string : To shoot in dark-
ness the upright in heart.
3. When the foundations
are-demolished : What can
the just do?
4. YH"-He is in the
temple of His holiness :
YH", in the heavens is His
throne ; His eyes behold,
His eyelids try the sons of
man.
5. YflHW^H tries the
just-man ; But the wicked
and the lover of violence :
His soul hates.
6. He-shall-rain upon the
PSALM 10 (11).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David. 2. In the Lord
put-I-my-trust ; how say-ye
to my soul : Flee to the
mountains as a sparrow ?
3. For, lo! the sinners
have - bent [their] bow :
They - have - prepared their
arro\vs for the quiver : That
they-may-shoot in darkness
the upright in heart.
4. For they have-pulled-
down what Thou didst-
frame : But what has the
just done?
5. The Lord is in His
holy temple ; The Lord, in
heaven is His throne : His
eyes look-upon [the poor],
His eyelids try the sons of
men.
6. The Lord tries the just
and the ungodly : But he
that loves iniquity hates his
own soul.
7. He shall rain upon
PSALM 10 (il). 29
wicked snares : Fire, and sinners snares : Fire, and
brimstone, and a scorching brimstone, and a stormy-
blast shall be the portion of blast shall be the portion of
their cup. their cup.
7. For YH" is just, He- 8. For the Lord is just,
loves just - deeds : The and loves just-deeds : His
upright shall - behold His face beholds uprightness,
face.
This Psalm obviously refers to a season of danger ; the Poet,
beset by jealous and malignant foes, receives friendly warning to
seek refuge in flight. The Psalm should, in all probability, be
assigned to the latter period of David's residence at the Court of
Saul. The reference by Delitzsch and others to the time of the
rebellion of Absalom is somewhat at variance with 2 Kings
(Sam.) xv. 13, 14.
vv. 1 — 3 are put into the mouth of the Psalmist's friends.
" Flee," the bird pursued by the fowler takes refuge in the
mountain forest ; the metaphor of a harried bird is continued in
the next verse. " Your mountain," in text har'khem ; LXX. may
have read k'mo (" as," " like as "), which the sense requires, and
as S. Jerom supposes (" ut avis" as a bird), v. 2. "Bend" lit.
" tread," as is usual in stringing a bow. v. 3. " Foundations " —
Gesenius, "columns," the pillars of the state, princes, nobles.
S. Jerom. For the laws are set at naught (dissipatse sunt), v. 4.
" Temple " not made with hands, as results from " heavens " in
hemistich b, cf. Acts xvii. 24 ; Ffeb. ix. 24. v. 5. " His soul
hates," LXX. and Vulg. "hates his soul." v. 6. "Scorching
blasts," viz., " a wind of " — denotes a pestilent wind, es simiim of
the Arabs, "a wind of burnings," i.e., "a burning wind." "Portion,"
&c, their lot, their doom. v. 7. "Just deeds," ///. "justices,"
&c. He judges uprightly ; S. Jerome, " Their faces shall behold
the upright {rectum), or that which is upright, cf. Ps. xvi (17) 3 ;
Prov. iv. 25. " Upright "( =ydsMr in text) maybe taken as an
adverbial accusative, " uprightly."
30 PSALM II (12).
PSALM 11 (12). PSALM 11 (12).
1. To the Chief-Musician I. For the end, a Psalm of
upon the Sh'minith, a Psalm David, for the eighth.
to David.
2. Help, YtfHWVH, for 2. Save me, O Lord, for
the godly-man is-no-more : the godly-man has-failed :
For the faithful fail from Truths are - become - rare
[among] the sons of man. among the sons of men.
3. Falsehood do - they - 3. Every-one has-spoken
speak every-one with his vanity to his neighbour :
neighbour : * Deceitful - Ian- Their lips are - deceitful,
guage-do-they-speak, with a they - have - spoken with a
double heart. double heart.
4. May Y«HW*?H cut-off 4. May the Lord destroy
all flattering lips : The all deceitful lips : And
tongue that speaks great- tongue speaking - great -
things : words :
5. Who have-said, We- 5. Who have-said, We
have - power over our will - magnify our tongue ;
tongues ; Our lips are our Our lips are our own : Who
own : Who is lord over us ? is our lord ?
6. For the plunder of the 6. For the misery of the
poor, for the groaning of destitute, and the sighing of
the needy, Now will-I-arise, the poor, Now will-I-arise,
saith YH" : I-will-set [him] saith the Lord : I-will-set
in the safety for which he- [them] in safety, I-will-deal-
pants. boldly with it ([or] I-will-
speak thereof openly).
7. The words of YH" are 7. The oracles of the
pure words, are silver to the Lord are pure oracles ; [As]
earth, smelted in a crucible : silver tried-in-the-fire, a test
Fined seven-times. (standard) for the [whole]
earth : Purified seven-times.
8. THOU.YII" shalt-guard 8. THOU, O Lord, shalt-
1 Ephcs. iv. 25.
PSALM II (12). 31
them : Shalt - protect him keep us and protect us from
from this generation for this generation for ever,
ever.
9. The wicked walk on 9. The ungodly walk
every side : Like the rising around : According to
of a tempest upon the sons Thine exaltedness Thou
of man. hast multiplied the children
of men.
This Psalm is assigned by Thalhofer to the period of David's
persecution by Saul, during which the Poet had many oppor-
tunities of seeing that steadfast fidelity is rarely to be found
among men. This (vv. 1 — 5) is the motive of his petition for
deliverance, which is met by a promise of redress (vv. 6, 7), and
passes into an expression of confident expectation (vv. 8, 9).
v. 1. "Sh'minith" (possibly), "in a lower octave," basso.
v. 2. The faithful, " the steadfast ; " in text, lit. "Faithfulnesses,"
but the parallelism of " the godly man " requires the concrete
term. v. 3. " Deceitful language," lit. " lip of smoothnesses,"
soothing, flattering — " lip " is constantly used for " language," cf.
Gen. xi. 1. "Double heart," in text, "heart and heart," cf.
1 Paral. (Chron.) xii. 33. v. 5. "To our tongue we will give free
scope," or, "Over our tongue we have power." v. 6. Lit. "For
the laying-waste (or, 'devastation') of the afflicted." "I-will-place
in safety hirn whom they reproach," i.e., "the afflicted," "the
oppressed," so Gesenius. S. Jerome, "Ponam in salutari
auxilium eorum " (I will place their help in safety). Thalhofer
conjectures, " I will place him in the safety he pants for." Syriac,
" I will work deliverance openly." LXX. " I will deal boldly
therewith, or, " I will speak [to them] thereof openly," interpreted
by Thalhofer, " I will deal with this case with the determination,
the energy of an upright judge ; " Old Itala, for in eo, reads in
eum (against him), viz., the ungodly oppressor. v. 7. " Words of
YH," i.e., the promises of v. 6. "Silver fire-tried in "alii to
(for) the earth, refined seven times ; " " alii is met with nowhere
else, = hapax legomenon. Gesenius guesses — "a workshop" (sic) ;
Lee, "a crucible." "Earth" cannot stand here for "earthy
matter;" "dross." LXX. dokimion tee g^ = Vulg. "probatum
terrse;" but Sokljxlov (a test), is invariably a noun, cf. 1 Peter i. 7 ;
32
PSALM 12 (13).
hence Thalhofer proposes, " a test (standard) current throughout
the world ('the land'), or, throughout Palestine." Mere
guesses !
v. 9. Rising of a storm, &c, so Gesenius (Heb. Lex.) ;
S. Jerom, " When the vilest of men are exalted," Targum,
"as a leech which sucks the blood of the sons of men." Guesses
one and all ! Zulloth of text is read only here, rendered in
Vulg. midtiplicasti (Thou hast increased), which hardly renders
cpolyorcesas of LXX. ( = Thou takest great care of, esteemest).
Thalhofer, " As befits Thy Majesty, Thou promotest the welfare
of the sons," &c. " In all directions advance the wicked, like the
rising of a storm," &c.
PSALM 12 (13).
1. To the Chief-Musician ;
a Psalm, to David.
2. How long, YtfHW^H,
wilt-Thou-forget me alto-
gether? How long wilt-
Thou-hide Thy face from
me?
3. How long shall-I-take
counsels in my soul ; [while]
grief is in my heart daily?
How long shall mine enemy
exalt-himself over me?
4. Look, answer me,
YaHWeU, my God: En-
lighten mine eyes, lest I-
sleep in very death ;
5. Lest mine enemy say,
I - have - prevailed against
him : Mine adversaries
would-rejoice if I-should-be-
moved :
6. As for me, I-have-
trusted in Thy loving-kind-
PSALM 12 (13).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David. How long, O
Lord, wilt Thou not cease
to forget me? How long
wilt - Thou - turn-away Thy
face from me?
2. How long shall-I-take
counsel in my soul, [having]
sorrow in my heart daily?
3. How long shall mine
enemy be-exalted over me?
4. Look, and hearken to
me, O Lord my God : En-
lighten mine eyes, lest I-
sleep in death ;
5. Lest at any time mine
enemy say, I-have-prevailed
against him : They that
afflict me would-rejoice if I-
should-be-moved :
6. But I-have-trusted in
Thy mercy ; My heart shall-
PSALM 13 (14).
33
ness ; My heart shall-rejoice exult in Thy salvation ; I-
in Thy salvation ; I-will- will-sing to the Lord, who
sing to YH" : Because He-
has - dealt - bountifully with
me.
has dealt bountifully with
me ; [and I-will-sing-psalms
to the Name of the Lord
most high.]
The hypothesis that this Psalm refers to the time when David
was fleeing from Saul is more suitable to its content than any
other. The imperilled servant of God craves, and to all seeming,
craves in vain, help and deliverance. Has God then forgotten
him ? He is ever busy with fresh devices to baffle his persecutors,
but, to his sorrow, they fail, and he is ever in danger of death.
The thought of past mercies reanimates his trust, his heart dilates
with the assurance of relief, and gloomy forebodings give place to
gratitude, v. 4. Lit. " Lest I sleep the death." v. 5. Targum,
"I have lorded it over him." " If [it so happen] I . . . moved,"
Targum, " If I should swerve from Thy paths."
v. 6. " And I will sing psalms," &c, this last clause is
wanting both in Hebrew and in S. Jerome.
PSALM 13 (14).
1. To the Chief-Musician ;
to David. The fool says in
his heart, " There is no
God." They-have-corrupted,
they-have-made-abominable
[their] doing ; There is none
that does good.
2. YaHW^H looked-down
from the heavens upon the
sons of man : To see if there
were any understanding,
That-did-seek-after-God.
3. The whole [mass of
D
PSALM 13 (14).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David. The fool saith in
his heart, There is no God :
They have corrupted [them-
selves], and are - become -
abominable in their pur-
suits ; There is none that
does good [there is not even
one].
2. The Lord looked-down
from heaven upon the sons
of men : To see if there
were any that understood,
That sought-after God.
3. They are all gone out
34 PSALM 13 (14).
them] is-turned-aside ; they- of the way, they are to-
are-corrupt together ; There gether become good - for -
is none that does good ; no, nothing ; There is none that
not even one. does good, no, there is not
even so much as one.
Their throat is an open sepulchre ; with their tongues they
deal deceitfully (Ps. v. 11); The poison of asps is under their
lips (Ps. cxxxix. (140) 4).
Whose mouth is full of cursing and of bitterness (Ps. ix. (10)
7) ; Their feet are swift to shed blood (Isai. lix. 7, 8).
Destruction and misery are in their ways ; and the way of
peace they have not known (cf. Isai. lix. 7, 8) ; There is no
fear of God before their eyes (Ps. xxxv. (36) 2).
4. Have all the workers 4. Will not all the workers
of iniquity no knowledge? of iniquity know? Who eat-
Who-eat-up My people [as] up My people, as a morsel of
those-who-eat bread : They bread ?
call not upon YHWH.
5. Then they were ex- 5. They call not upon the
ceedingly afraid : For God Lord, Then were they
is in the generation of the thoroughly alarmed, [where
just ; there was no fear : ]
6. Ye - may - frustrate the 6. For the Lord is in the
counsel of the afflicted : But just generation. Ye - have-
YH" is his refuge. confounded the counsel of
the poor, Because the Lord
is his hope.
7. Who will - give (i.e. 7. Oh, that the salvation
Would that) the salvation of of Israel were come out of
Yis-ra-el (i.e. Israel) were Sion! When the Lord
come out of Sion! When brings-back the captivity of
YH" brings - back the His people, let J acob exult,
captivity of His people, let Israel be glad.
Ya-"aqobh (Jacob) shall -
rejoice, Israel shall-be-glad.
Psalm lii. (53) with but a few slight divergencies, is a repetition
of this Psalm. Admitting the ascription " to David," the
■
PSALM 14 (15).
35
historical situation to which we may refer this Psalm is rather
the period of Saul's persecution than that of Absalom's revolt,
v. 1. "Fool," in a collective sense. "Heart," the centre of
personality, the seat of thought and of will. " No, not even
one," transferred from v.
v. 2. " Looked-down " — the verb in
text expresses bending forward, as when looks down from
a window ; felicitously rendered diekypsen by LXX. v. 3.
" Corrupt," putrid, fetid ; in Arabic, the verb is applied to milk
turned sour. The unnumbered vv. are wanting in text and in the
earlier Greek MSS., but occur in Codex Vaticanus of LXX., in
the Arabic, and Vulg. S. Jerom ascribes this interpolation to the
unwarrantable liberty taken by a copyist, who, finding them in
Rom. iii. 13 — 18, foisted them into this Psalm, v. 5. The proof
of God's care for His faithful ones strikes terror into their
oppressors. " Where no fear was " — interpolated from Ps. Hi.
(53) 6. v. 7. Probably a liturgical appendage at the time of the
captivity, or at some other period of national calamity.
PSALM 14 (15).
1. A Psalm, to David.
Y«HW^H,who shall-sojourn
in Thy tabernacle? Who
shall-dwell in the mount of
Thy holiness?
2. He - that - walks per -
fectly, and works justly :
And speaks truth in his
heart.
3. He allows no slander
on his tongue, Nor does evil
to his friend : Nor takes-up
a reproach against his neigh-
bour.
4. In whose eyes a vile-
person is-despiserl,But them-
PSALM 14 (15).
1. A Psalm of David.
Lord, who shall-sojourn in
Thy tabernacle? Or who
shall - dwell in Thy holy
mountain ?
2. He that walks without
stain, and works justice :
3. Who speaks truth in
his heart, who speaks not
deceitfully with his tongue ;
Neither does he evil to his
neighbour : Nor takes-up-
a reproach against those-
nearest to him.
4. In his sight an evil-
doer is-set-at-nought, But
36 PSALM 14 (15).
that-fear YH" he honours : he-glorifies them - that - fear
Should-he-swear to-do-harm the Lord : He-swears to his
[to himself], yet he will not neighbour, and disappoints
change. [him] not.
5. He puts not out his 5. He has not put out his
money to usury, Nor accepts money to usury, Nor re-
a bribe against the innocent, ceived bribes against the
He that does these-things innocent. He that does
shall never be moved. these-things shall never be
moved.
" Holiness becomes Thy House, O Lord, for ever " (Ps. xcii.
(93) 5) ^s trie burden of this Psalm. From the close resemblance
of this Ps. with Ps. xxiii. (24), we may gather that the date of
their composition was that of the translation of the Ark to Mount
Sion. The Poet insists on the necessity of inward purity and
godliness, as the informing, or quickening principle of ceremonial
worship. Isaias seems to have had a reminiscence of this Ps.
when replying to the question, xxxiii. 14, he says (v. 15) "He
that walks in justice ( = justly)," &c.
v. 1. "Sojourn," as a guest. v. 2. "Perfectly" — in
integrity of conduct ; LXX. " blameless." v. 3. Text (literally)
" He moves not his feet," i.e., he goes not here and there for the
purpose of prying, of detraction, of slander : a somewhat abrupt
transition from the foot to the tongue. v. 4. Targum, " Des-
pised is he in his own eyes and worthless ; " so too Qimchi,
Ab. Ezra, &c, but such a man might be lowly in his own eyes,
think little of himself, he could not habitually at least deem
himself "worthless." "Swear to do harm" = "to his own hurt," cf.
Lev. v. 4, where this expression occurs, "to do good, or to do evil"
(" to himself," of course), with reference to arduous, or rash,
promissory oaths and vows. LXX., with some early versions,
render it, " He swears to his neighbour," which in the vowelless
text were almost undistinguishable from " to do harm." S. Jerom,
"He swears to afflict himself" (ut se affligat). "Change" [his
mind], the word, in its technical sense, implies the substitution of
an offering for one that has been vowed ; the commutation of
a vow.
PSALM 15 (16).
37
PSALM 15 (16).
1. Mikh'tam, to David:
Preserve me, 'El (i.e. O
God), for I-take-refuge in
Thee.
2. I-said to YtfHW^H,
'Adonay (i.e., my Lord) art
THOU : My good is not at
all beyond Thee.
3. To the holy-ones that
are in the earth, they : And
the illustrious-ones in whom
is all my delight [I said (?)]
4. Multiplied-be their sor-
rows who to another [god]
offer-gifts : I will in no wise
pour out their libations of
blood (or, may I never pour
out, etc.) : And may I never
take up their names upon
my lips.
5. YH" is the portion of
mine inheritance, and of my
cup : Thou castest my lot
(maintainest my condition ?).
6. The measuring - lines
are-fallen for me in pleasant-
places : Yea, [mine] inheri-
tance is fair with me (i.e., I
have a beautiful heritage).
7. I-will-bless YH", who
has given me counsel : Yea,
in the nights have my reins
instructed me.
PSALM 15 (16).
1. A monumental-inscrip-
tion of David. Keep me, O
Lord, for I-have-hoped in
Thee.
2. I-said to the Lord,
THOU art my God : For
Thou needest not my good-
deeds (?).
3. As for the saints that
are in His land, He-has-
wondrously-fulfilled all my
desires in them.
4. Their infirmities have-
been-multiplied ; afterwards
they-hasted. I will by no
means assemble their meet-
ings for bloodshed : Neither
will-I-make-mention of their
names with my lips.
5. The Lord is the portion
of mine inheritance and of
my cup : THOU art He who
restores mine inheritance to
me.
6. The lines have-fallen
to me in goodly - places :
Yea, I have a goodly
heritage.
7. I-will-bless the Lord
who has-given me under-
standing : My reins, too,
have-instructed me even till
night.
38
PSALM 15 (16).
8. I-have-set YH" before
me continually : Since He is
at my right-hand, I shall
not be moved.1
9. Therefore, my heart
was-glad, and my glory has-
rejoiced : My flesh also
shall-dwell in safety (i.e.
confidently).
10. Because Thou wilt
not abandon my soul to
Sheol : Thou wilt not give
8. I-behold the Lord con-
tinually before me : For He
is at my right-hand, that I
should not be moved.
9. Therefore my heart
was-glad, and my tongue
exulted : Moreover, also my
flesh shall-rest in hope :
10. Because Thou wilt not
leave my soul in the nether-
world : Neither wilt-Thou-
up Thy godly-one to see suffer Thy holy-one to see
corruption {or, the pit). corruption.2
1 1. Thou wilt make me to 11. Thou-hast-made-known
know the path of life ; Ful- to me the ways of life ;
ness of joy is with Thy Thou-wilt-fill me with joy
countenance : Delights are with Thy countenance : De-
in Thy right-hand for ever- lights are in Thy right-hand
more. for ever.
The ascription to David is confirmed by Acts ii. 25 ; xiii. 35.
St. Peter distinctly asserts (Acts ii. 31) the prophetic consciousness
of David in the composition of this Psalm, but yet a consciousness
subject to the limitations he mentions in his first Epistle, i. 10, 11.
v. 1. "Mikh'tam," meaning unknown; Gesenius (Heb. Lex. s.v.)
connects it with miklitdbh ( = a writing) ; " on the ground that the
primary meaning of the roots of both words is " to engrave ;"
Targum, " The upright engraving of David." Others guess " a
golden song," connecting it with kethem ( = Hebr. "fine gold").
" Monumental inscription " is close enough to Targum, and as
good a guess as any other ; much better than the Rabbinical
solution that it is an abridgment of the words rendered, "after
his wound was healed." v. 2. "I have said;" not, "thou hast
said,"' a wart, a defective form for 'amarfi ("I have said"), so LXX.,
Syr.,Vulg. 'Adonay (lit. = "my lords"), plural of Majesty; (not "my
God," as in Vulgate). "My good (happiness; welfare) by no
means on Thee," i.e., confers nought on Thee, or, "is not due to
1 Acts ii. 25.
Arts ii. 25, seq. ; xiii. 35.
PSALM 15 (16). 39
me from Thee." Cf. the Arabic and Gaelic idiom, " silver is to
me upon him," i.e., he owes me money ; thus David Qimchi and
Aquila, if taken literally (my goodness is not at all upon Thee).
Symmachus, " My good is not without Thee," which agrees
with S. Jerom, " Bene mihi non est sine te" ( = it is not well with
me, without Thee). Joseph Qimchi, "The good I do reaches
not as far as Thee ; " Targum, " is not given outside of Thee,"
or, " except from Thee." Jennings and Lowe give as literal
rendering, " My happiness [is] not at all beyond Thee," a rendering
akin to that of Symm. and St. Jerom, and to Ps. lxxii. (73) 25.
LXX. have rendered the preposition "al rendered "upon," "beyond
Thee," in the more usual meaning, "with regard to," "concerning,"
and render as above, in Vulg., " My welfare has no reference to
Thee," "needs not be added to Thine," in a word, "Thou
needest it not." vv. 3, 4. "As for the saints," "To the saints."
The rendering of the Hebrew text given above is open to the
exception that, in the present text the Maqqeph ( = " binder ") joins
into one the three closing words of v. 3. (Kol-cheph'tsi-bham),
[ = all-my-delight-in-them], thus excluding [is] from the text, and
literally requiring " and the illustrious-ones of all-my delight in
them." The text seems to have suffered somewhat at the hands
of blundering scribes, and we are reduced to conjectures, more or
less ingenious, v. 4. " Sorrows," rendered " idols " by Targum
("They multiply their idols, afterwards they hasten to offer gifts"),
Symmachus, and S. Jerom. The verb rendered " they hasten
(maharu) occurs Exod. xxii. 15 in the sense of "giving a dowry
to a future wife ; " it may be so taken here, as idolatry is con-
stantly treated as a sort of adultery — " Offer gifts to," " endow ; "
" another " i.e., " a strange, a false god." Acker ( = another),
rendered in LXX. " afterwards," in the vowelless text is easily
mistaken for achar ("behind," "after," "afterwards.") "May I
never pour out," "I will by no means pour out (offer.) "&c.
" Of blood," to be referred to the character of the offerers, rather
than to the matter of their libations. "Their names," i.e., of other,
of strange gods, cf. Exod. xxiii. 13. v. 5. "Castest," "main-
tainest," " supportest," "ensurest." v. 6. "Lines" (text, chabalhn
= cables) "are fallen unto me in pleasantnesses" ( = pleasant-
places) : Yea, mine heritage is beautiful with me." " Lines " =
40
PSALM 1 6 (17).
land measured out by " measuring lines." Mine allotment is
quite to my mind. v. 7. " Reins," in Scripture phrase, the
moral conscience, its behests, warnings, reproaches, v. 8. " At
my right hand," as my protector, v. 9. "Glory" = "my soul;"
cf. Ps. vii. 6 ; xxix. (30) 13; cvii. (108) 2 ; LXX. and Vulg. "my
tongue," so too, Acts ii. 26. " In hope," S. Jerome, " Confidenter,"
= "fearlessly," " securely." v. 10. " Hell," in text, SK61, the Hades
of LXX., assuredly not " Gehenna," as results from the parallel
expression ("Corruption," "the pit") in hemistich b. "Holy-one,"
pious-one; in Ketlubh (text — "written"), Thy "holy-ones,"
corrected in Qeri (the marginal emendation, — "holy-one").
v. 11. "In Thy hand" held in store for Thy faithful servants.
PSALM 16 (17).
1. A prayer, to (i.e., of)
David. Hear, YaHWeH,
the right ; attend to my
cry ; Give-ear to my prayer ;
Without lips of deceit
2. Let my sentence come-
forth from Thy presence :
Thine eyes do - behold
rightly.
3. Thou-hast-proved my
heart, Thou - hast - visited
[me] at night ; Thou-hast-
tried me as with fire, Thou-
didst-find nothing : I-am-
purposed, my mouth shall
not transgress.
4. As for the works of
man, by the word of Thy
lips : I have-kept me from
the ways of the robber.
5. My steps have-held-
PSALM 16 (17).
1. A prayer of David.
Hearken, O Lord, to [my]
just plea ; attend to my peti-
tion : Give-ear to my prayer
not [uttered] with deceitful
lips.
2. Let my sentence come-
forth from Thy presence :
Let Thine eyes behold
equitably.
3. Thou-hast-proved my
heart and visited [it? me?]
by night ; Thou-hast-tried
me as with fire, and iniquity
has not been found in me.
4. That my mouth may
not speak the words of
men : On account of the
words of Thy lips I have
observed hard ways.
5. Direct my steps in Thy
PSALM 1 6 (i;).
41
fast to Thy paths : My foot-
steps have-been-unmoved.
6. I call upon Thee, for
Thou-wilt-answer me, 'El
(i.e., O God) : Incline Thine
ear to me, and hear my
speech.
7. Give-a-wondrous-mani-
festation of Thy loving
kindnesses,Thou-that-savest
by Thy right-hand, them-
that-take-refuge [in Thee] :
From those that rise-up
[against them]. (Or, that
rise-up against Thy right-
hand.)
8. Keep me as the apple
of the eye : Hide me in the
shadow of Thy wings,
9. From the wicked that
oppress me : My deadly
enemies [who] surround me.
10. They - have-closed-up
their fat : With their
mouth they speak proudly.
11. At each step we
take they now compass us :
They-set their eyes to cast
[us] down to the ground.
12. His likeness [is] as a
lion that is-greedy to raven :
And as a young-lion lurking
in secret-places.1
1 Cf. Psalm
paths : That my footsteps
slip not.
6. I call, for Thou -
heardest me, O God : Incline
Thine ear to me, and hear
my words.
7. Give-a wondrous mani-
festation of Thy mercies,
O Thou that savest them-
that-hope in Thee :
8. Keep me as the apple
of the eye from those-that-
resist Thy right hand :
Screen me under the shadow
of Thy wings,
9. From the face of the
ungodly who afflict me.
Mine enemies have - com-
passed-about my soul,
10. They-have-closed-up
their fat : Their mouth
speaks haughtiness.
11. They have now cast
me out and compassed me
round about : They-have-set
their eyes [so as] to bow
them down to the ground.
12. They lie-in-wait for
me as a lion ready for prey :
And like a lion's whelp
lurking in secret-places.
ix. (10) 9.
42
PSALM 1 6 (17).
13. Arise, Y^HW^H, con-
front him, cast him down :
Deliver my soul from the
wicked [by] Thy sword ;
(or, [who is] Thy sword) ;
14. From men [by] Thy
hand, YH", From men
whose portion in life is of
the world ; And with Thy
hidden - store Thou - fillest
their belly : They-are-sated
with sons : And they-leave
their remainder to their
babes.
15. As for me, I-shall-
behold Thy face in justice :
I-shall-be-satisfied, when I-
awake, with Thy likeness
[or], may I behold Thy face.
... May I be satisfied, etc.
13. Arise, O Lord, fore-
stall him, trip him up : De-
liver my soul from the un-
godly, Thy sword
14. From the enemies of
Thy hand. O Lord, from
the few, from off the land
scatter them in their life :
With Thy hidden - stores
their belly has-been-filled.
They are satisfied with
children, and leave the rest
[of their substance] to their
babes.
15. But I shall-appear in
justice before Thy face : I-
shall-be-satisfied when Thy
glory appears.
v. 1. "Prayer," earnest supplication of David, a title pre-
fixed to five Pss., xvi. (17), Ixxxv. (86), lxxxix. (90), ci. (102), cxli.
(142). The situation agrees well with what is recorded of David,
1 Kings (Sam.) xxiii. 25, seq. The Psalm consists (1) of a
prayer to God based on the consciousness of His integrity (vv. 1
— 5) ; (2) An appeal against his persecutors, for that God never
deserts them that trust in Him; (3) vv. 10 — 12 describe his
enemies; (4) A final appeal (vv. 13 — 15). "The right,"
St. Jerom "justum," ("what is just," Or, "me a just man");
LXX. and Vulg. may be fairly rendered, " my just request, or
claim." v. 2. " Rightly," in text lit. " Uprightnesses," to be taken
as an adverbial accusative ; cf. colloquial " see fairy v. 3.
" Tried-as-with-fire," ///. as in text. "I purposed . . . transgress,"
exception may be taken to the several (attempted) renderings of
this clause. In text zammotlii (rendered "I am purposed,") with
the accent on last syllable, as in text (for zammotkay, " my
PSALM 1 6 (17). 43
(mostly evil) thoughts, purposes," of which, by the way, ("nothing
has been found "). By shifting the accent to the penultimate,
we get — " My determination." But further, the verb rendered
" transgress," when used absolutely, never bears that meaning in
Biblical Hebrew. Delitzsch suggests the emendation, " Thy
mouth," instead of " my mouth," so as to lead to the rendering,
" My thoughts go not beyond Thy mouth," i.e., Thy behest.
S. Jerom, " And foundest not that my thoughts pass through
(transire) my mouth," which may imply strict conformity of
speech with thought and intention ?
Thalhofer gives as rendering of text : " Think I evil, it passes
not through my mouth." As for the doings of men — on account
of the words of Thy lips ( = Thy Law), I carefully observe the
path of the wicked (in order to avoid it). LXX. run the two last
words of v. 3 into v. 4. " That my mouth may not speak," &c.
v. 4. "I kept me," shunned, kept aloof from. "Violent."
S. Jerome, " latronis," " of the robber." LXX. may mean,
" I have hidden myself in places hard to discover." v. 5.
St. Jerom, with LXX., construes in Imperative, " Uphold," &c.
v. 7. St. Jerom, "from those that resist Thy right hand." v. 8.
" Apple of the eye " ///., " as the little-man daughter of the eye,"
i.e., the pupil, wherein is mirrored the image of a man in minia-
ture. Bath ( = "daughter " may be a contraction of babath, "the
opening, entrance" of the eye. v. 9. "Deadly enemies," ///.,
" Enemies in soul," eager to undo him ; so Targum and
Ab. Ezra. St. Jerom here agrees with LXX. and Vulg v. 10.
St. Jerom, " They are inclosed in their own fat," properly —
" They have closed up their heart." "Fat," "fatness of heart,"
implies the obtuseness of the moral sense, a frequent result of
prosperity and plenty.
v. 11. "Step," in Singular, hence, "every step we take."
S. Jerome, " Incedentes adversum me " ( = Advancing against me).
LXX. read (had in their text ?) instead of ashshure-nu ( = our
step), dshMunni ] ( = they have poured me out), " casting me out."
"Compassed me" in text ( = Ket/ubh) ; "us" in marginal emen-
dation (= Qeri). "Set their eyes," rendered as in the Hebrew
column by Thalhofer, who qualifies (in loco), the LXX. and Vulg.
1 D and R are easily confounded in the present Hebrew script.
44 psalm 1 6 (17).
rendering as " servilely literal." v. 12. " His likeness " (dimyono,
the word occurs only here in Biblical Hebrew), so, too, St. Jerom,
but LXX., connecting it with dimmah (he likened, compared, the
Piel of ddmcih), render it hyp'elabon me in the sense of "thinking,"
" purposing ; " " They were minded [to seize upon me] as a lion,"
&c, as rendered by Euthymius. " Susceperunt " of Vulgate is
an unintelligent rendering of LXX., and contrary to fact, as they
had not yet seized their quarry. " His likeness " singles out the
most prominent of his foes. (vv. 13, 14). St. Jerom, " Deliver my
soul from the ungodly, who is Thy sword ; 13. From the men of
Thy hand, O Lord, who are dead in the deep ( = in profundo) ;
whose portion [is] in life, and whose belly Thou hast filled with
Thy hidden things. They shall be sated (saturabunhir) with
children, and shall leave their leavings to their babes." Anglican
Version (non-revised) follows Ab. Ezra, Qimchi, and others, by
supplying " [who is] Thy sword ; " " men [who are] Thy hand,"
a reference to the patent fact that the wicked are often God's
instruments for the chastening and trial of His chosen ones ;
cf. S. Augustine (Tract, on Ps. liv.), " From men whose portion,"
&c, or " from men of the world," who, as Qimchi explains, are
men " whose whole desire and pleasure are in this world." In
Codex Alexandrin. of LXX. we read ap'oligon ( = a paucis = from
the few) as in Vulg., a rendering of mathhn (rendered " men ")
sanctioned by Gesenius (Heb. Lex. s.v.), in Gen. xxxiv. 30,
" a few men." The Vatican Codex of LXX. reads instead,
apolyon apo gees (destroying from the earth), in some copies,
apollydn (destroying, &c). " Their portion," taken as an
Imperative by LXX., " divide them," separate, scatter them.
" Thy hidden [store]," hidden for fear of loss, of theft, &c, hence
"treasure." " They-are-.ra&^" (so lit.) with sons (children);
LXX. (Cod. Vatican.). "They have been filled with swinish
[pleasures]," filthy enjoyments ( = veibn, instead of vion = " sons "
of Codex Alexandria). ; they have a numerous posterity, to whom
they leave what remains of their wealth after a life of sensual
excess, (v. 15). Either a prophecy, or a prayer. "Behold,"
" gaze upon." S. Jerom, " I-shall-be-satisfied, when I awake in
Thy likeness," cf. 1 St. John iii. 2. Targum, "I shall be satisfied
at the time at which the glory of Thy countenance shall awaken."
PSALM I/ (18).
45
American Revisers of Revised Version, " I shall be satisfied with
beholding Thy form." LXX. render f miinathe-kha (Thy form,
image, likeness) "glory," as synonymous with the visible token of
God's presence in the national sanctuary, with the Talmudic
She kind h (Shechinah), the Divine presence, or indwelling. In
contrast with the sordid aspirations of his persecutors, the Poet
confidently looks forward to the consolation of appearing before
God in the place set apart for His worship, and gives utterance to
the blissful anticipation of seeing Him face to face on awaking
from the sleep of death.
PSALM 17 (18).
1. For the Chief-Musician ,
to the servant of YaHW^H,
to David, who spoke to YH"
the words of this song : in
the day YH" delivered him
from the hand of all his
enemies, and from the hand
of Shaul (Saul).
2. And he said : I-ten-
derly-love Thee, Y<?H VWH,
my strength.
3. YH"is my rock, and my
fortress, and my deliverer ;
My God, my rock, I-will-
take-refuge in Him-. My
shield, and the horn of my
salvation, my high-tower.
4. I-will-call-upon YH",
worthy - to - be - praised : So
shall-I-be-saved from mine
enemies.
5. The cords of death
PSALM 17 (18).
1. For the end, of David
the servant of the Lord ;
who spoke to the Lord the
words of this song, in the
day in which the Lord
delivered him out of the
hand of all his enemies, and
out of the hand of Saul :
And he said :
2. I-will-love Thee, O
Lord, my strength.
3. The Lord is my firm-
stay, my refuge, and my
deliverer ; My God is my
helper : I - will - hope in
Him : My protector, and
the horn of my salvation,
and my defender.
4. I-will-praise and call-
upon the Lord : So shall-
I - be - saved from mine
enemies.
5. The pangs of death
46
psalm i; (18).
have-enclosed me : And the
torrents of Bheliyya"al have-
affrighted me. (Bheliyya"al,
i.e., Belial).
6. The cords of Sheol
were-round-about me : The
snares of death rushed upon
me.
j. In my distress I-called-
upon YtfHWVH ; And cried-
for-aid unto my God ; He-
heard my voice from His
temple : And my cry before
Him came into His ears.
8. Then the earth shook
and trembled ; The founda-
tions also of the mountains
quaked and were-shaken :
When [wrath] was-kindled
for Him (i.e., Because He
was wroth).
9. There went-up a smoke
in His wrath, And fire out of
His mouth devoured : Coals
were-kindled by it.
10. And He bowed the
heavens, and came-down :
And dark-clouds were under
His feet
11. And He-rode on a
k'rubh (i.e., cherub), and did-
fly : Yea, He-flew upon the
wings of the wind.
12. He made darkness
His hiding-place, His tent
round - about - Him : Dark-
compassed me : And the
floods of iniquity troubled
me exceedingly.
6. The pangs of the
nether - world came - round-
about me : The snares of
death rushed in upon me
unexpectedly.
7. In my distress I-called-
upon the Lord ; And cried
unto my God ; He-heard
my voice out of His [holy]
temple : And my cry before
Him came into His ears.
8. Then the earth shook
and trembled, The founda-
tions also of the mountains
were-disturbed, and were-
shaken : Because He-was-
wroth with them.
9. There went - up a
smoke in His wrath, And
fire blazed - out at His
presence : Coals were -
kindled by it.
10. And He-bowed the
heavens, and came-down :
And darkness was under
His feet:
1 1 . And He mounted on
cherubim, and flew : He -
flew on the wings of the
winds.
12. And He-made dark-
ness His secret-place, His
tent round-about Him :
PSALM 17 (18).
4;
ness of waters, thick-clouds
of the skies.
13. At the brightness
before Him His thick-clouds
passed : Hail and coals of
fire.
14. YaHWeH also thun-
dered in the heavens, And
"El'yon (i.e., the Most High)
uttered His voice : Hail and
coals of fire.
15. And He-sent-out His
arrows, and scattered them ■.
Yea, lightnings many, and
He-put them to flight.
16. Then the channels of
waters appeared, And the
foundations of the world
were - laid - bare, At Thy
rebuke, YH" : At the blast
of the breath of Thy
nostrils.
17. He-sent from on high,
He-took me : He-drew me
out of great waters.
18. He-delivered me from
my strong enemy : And
from them - that - hated-me,
when they - were - stronger
than I (i.e., too strong for
me).
19. They-came-upon-me-
suddenly in the day of mine
affliction : But YH" was my
stay :
20. And He-brought me
out into a broad-place : He-
Dark water in the clouds of
the air.
13. At the brightness
before Him the clouds
passed-by : Hail and coals
of fire.
14. The Lord also
thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered
His voice : Hail and coals
of fire.
1 5. And He - sent - forth
His arrows, and scattered
them : He-multiplied light-
nings, and routed them.
16. Then the springs of
waters appeared, And the
foundations of the world
were - exposed, at Thy
rebuke, O Lord : At the
blast of the breath of Thy
wrath.
17. He-sent from on high
and took me : He-drew me
to Himself out of many
waters.
18. He-rescued me from
my mighty enemies : And
from them that hated me ;
for they were stronger
than I.
19. They seized upon me
unawares, in the day of mine
affliction : But the Lord was
my protector :
20. And He-brought me
out into a wide-place : He
48
psalm i; (18).
delivered me ; because He-
was-well-pleased in me {or,
delighted in me).
21. YH" rewarded me
according to my justice :
According to the cleanness
of my hands did-He-requite
me :
22. For I-have-kept the
ways of YH" : And have
not wickedly-departed from
my God.
23. For all His judgments
are before me : And His
statutes I put not away from
me.
24. I was also blameless
with Him : And I-kept me
from mine iniquity.
25. Therefore has YH"
requited me according to
my justice : According to
the cleanness of my hands
before His eyes.
26. With the beneficent
Thou - wilt - show-Thyself-
beneficent : With a blame-
less man Thou-wilt-show
Thyself-blameless ;
27. With the pure Thou-
wilt - show - Thyself - pure :
And with the perverse
Thou-wilt-act-perversely.
28. For Thou wilt-save
the afflicted people : But
haughty looks Thou-wilt-
bring-down.
delivered me, because He-
has-pleasure in me.
21. The Lord rewards me
according to my justice :
According to the cleanness
of my hands will-He-reward
me :
22. For I-have-kept the
ways of the Lord : And
have not impiously-turned-
away from my God.
23. For all His judgments
are before me : Nor have-I-
put-away from me His
precepts.
24. And I-shall-be blame-
less with Him : And will-
keep myself from mine
iniquity.
25. Therefore shall the
Lord reward me according
to my justice : According to
the cleanness of my hands
in His eyesight.
26. With the holy Thou-
wilt-be holy : With an inno-
cent man Thou wilt be
innocent ;
27. With the excellent-
man Thou-wilt-be excel-
lent : and with the perverse
Thou-wilt-deal-perversely.
28. For 'tis THOU that
wilt - save the afflicted
people : But wilt-humble
the eyes of the proud.
PSALM 17 (18).
49
29. For Thou wilt-light
my lamp : YaHW^H my
God will - enlighten my
darkness :
30. For by Thee could-
I-charge a host : And by
my God could-I-leap-over a
fortress-wall.
31. God,-perfect is His
way : The word of YH" is
fire-tried : A shield is He to
all that take-refuge in Him.
32. For who is 'Eloah
(i.e., God) save YH"? And
who is a Rock, beside our
God?
33. The God that girds
me with strength : And
makes my way blameless
(perfect).
34. He - makes my feet
like [feet of] hinds : And
sets me upon my high-
places.
35. He-teaches my hands
to war : So that mine arms
can-bend a bow of copper.
36. Thou hast also given
me the shield of Thy salva-
tion ; And Thy right-hand
has - upheld me, and Thy
condescension has - made
me-great.
37. Thou-hast-made-room
29. For 'tis THOU that
lightest my lamp, O Lord :
My God, enlighten my
darkness.
30. For by Thee shall-I-
be-rescued from temptation :
And by my God could-I-
pass-over a wall.
31. As for my God, His
way is undefiled : The
oracles of the Lord are-tried
by fire : He is a protector of
all that hope in Him.
32. For who is God, save
the Lord? And who is
God, except our God?
33. The God that girds
me with strength : And
makes my way blameless :
34. Who makes my feet
as hart's [feet] : And sets me
upon high-places :
35. Who teaches my
hands for war : And Thou-
hast-made mine arms [as] a
brazen bow.
36. Thou hast also given
me Thy saving protection ;
And Thy right-hand has-
upheld me ; And Thy
chastening has fully re-
formed me ; [yea, Thy
chastening itself shall - in-
struct me].
37. Thou-hast-made-room
50
PSALM I/ (18).
for my steps under me :
And mine ankles have not
slipped.
38. I - will - pursue mine
enemies, and overtake them :
And I will not turn-back till
they-are-consumed.
39. I - will - wound them
that they shall not be able
to rise : They - shall - fall
under my feet.
40. For Thou-hast-girded
me with strength for the
battle : Thou - hast - cast -
down under me those-that
rose-up-against me.
41. Thou hast also made
mine enemies turn their
backs to me : That I-might-
cut-off them-that-hate me.
42. They - cried - for - aid,
but there was none to save :
To YaKWeH, but He-
answered them not.
43. Then did-I-beat them-
small as dust before the
wind : As the mud of the
streets did - 1 - empty (i.e.,
cast) them out.
44. Thou - hast - delivered
me from the contentions of
the people ; Thou-hast-set
me at the head of nations :
A people I-know not shall-
serve me.
45. At the hearing of the
ear, they-will-obey me : The
for my goings under me :
And my footsteps did not
fail.
38. I - will - pursue mine
enemies, and overtake them :
And I will not turn back till
they-are-consumed.
39. I-will-dash them to-
pieces, that they be not able
to stand : They-shall-fall
under my feet.
40. For Thou-hast-girded
me with strength for war :
Thou-hast-cast-down under
me those - that - rose - up
against me.
41. Thou hast also made
mine enemies turn their
backs before me : And hast-
destroyed them-that-hated
me.
42. They-cried, but there
was none to save them :
[Even] to the Lord, but He-
hearkened not to them.
43. Then I - beat them
small as dust before the
wind : I-pounded them as
the mire of the streets.
44. Thou-wilt-deliver me
from the gainsayings of the
people ; Thou-wilt-make me
head of the Gentiles :
45. A people whom I-
knew not served me ; As
PSALM \y (18).
51
sons of the stranger shall-lie
(i.e., yield - feigned - obedi-
ence) to me.
46. The strangers are-
wearied - out : And shall-
tremble out of their close-
places.
47. Live YH" ! and
blessed be my Rock : And
exalted be the God of my
salvation :
48. The God, who exe-
cutes vengeance for me :
And subdues nations under
me.
49. My deliverer from
mine enemies : Yea, Thou-
liftest me up out of the way
of them-that-rise-up against
me : Thou-didst-rescue me
from the violent man.
50. Therefore I-will-give-
thanks to Thee.YH", among
the nations : And to Thy
name will-I-sing-praise.1
5 1 . Great - deliverances
gives He to His king, And
shows loving kindness to
His anointed, To David and
to his seed, for evermore.
soon as they heard [the
report of my victories], they-
submitted to me ;
46. Strange sons (i.e.,
strangers) paid me feigned
homage {lit. " lied ").
Strange sons are-enfeebled-
by-old-age : And fell-away
from their paths through
lameness.
47. The Lord lives ; and
blessed be my God : And
exalted be the God of my
salvation :
48. Thou, O God, avengest
me, and subduest peoples
under me : My deliverer
from mine [angry] enemies :
49. Thou-wilt-lift me up
out of the reach of those -
that - rise - up against me :
Thou-wilt-rescue me from
the unjust man.
50. Therefore I-will-give-
thanks to Thee, O Lord,
among the nations : And
will-sing to Thy Name.1
51. He-magnifies the de-
liverances of His king, and
deals mercifully with David,
His anointed, and with his
seed for evermore.
A thanksgiving ode composed, most probably, at the close of
the chequered career of the Prophet- King, though we cannot
assert that it was the latest of his Psalms. The writer of 2 Kings
1 Romans xv. 9.
52 PSALM \y (18).
(Sam.), xxii. gives it with a few important differences, which may
be, either the blunders of the scribe, who copied it from the
archives of David's reign, or, possibly, may be a second edition,
so to speak, of this Psalm penned by the Poet-King himself. It
is an autobiography of David, opening with an outburst of loving
gratitude (vv. 2- — 4), motived by the Divine interventions in the
perils that threatened him (5 — 20) ; the reasons hereof are the
character of God and of His providential dealings (21 — 31);
the victories and success ascribed by David to the Divine
predilection (32 — 46) ; a renewed acknowledgment that his
prosperity is wholly due to the Divine favour (47 — 51).
v. 2. " I love," the word in text (rac/iam) denotes the most
tender affection, v. 3. " Rock," " fortress," here, as throughout
their version, LXX. eschew metaphor, and give instead that which
is meant thereby, apparently, lest the heathen, into whose hands
their version might fall, should charge them with materializing
the idea of God. " I will-take-refuge " = " I take refuge." " Horn
of salvation," as the horn is the weapon, both de- and offensive
of horned animals, the seat of their strength, in the symbolism
of the Divine Scripture, it designates strength, boldness, pride ;
" horn," i.e., the agent of my deliverance by prostrating my foes,
v. 4. " Praised " = " worthy of praise" on account of past mercies
which inspire the trust expressed in hemistich b. " So shall I be
saved," &c. LXX. read the active instead of the Pual, or passive
participle, "praising," instead of " laudabilem " (laudable, praise-
worthy), as in Vulgate 2 Kings (Sam.) xxii. 4. vv. 5, 6. "Cords of
death," "of Sheol;" "Sheol," not (here at least), Gehenna, "the
place of torment," but the grave, or the nether world. " Torrents
(floods) of Bheliyy"al," Targum, and the companies of the
perverse; lit., " streams of ungodliness."
" Belial," as it is usually transliterated, means either :
"without yoke," or "without profit," "a ne'er do well," "a
worthless person ; " in all cases moral not physical evil is meant.
The perils wherewith the poet is threatened have their origin in
the malignant plots of his wicked enemies. "Belial," "Beliar"
(2 Cor. vi. 15), is a name of Satan, thus rendered in the passage
(2 Cor. vi. 15) in P'shittah Syriac.1 "The snares of death
1 '• Or what concord lias Messiah with Satan ?"
psalm i; (18). 53
anticipated me," i.e., (according to Gesenius), " rushed upon me
suddenly, unexpectedly." Targum, " Armed men anticipated me
with arms of slaughter."
v. 7. " In my distress," lit. " in distress to me." " Temple,"
His palace, His heavenly abode, heykhal, " temple," " palace."
" And my cry-for-help I uttered in His presence," so Qimchi.
vv. 8 — 20. The Poet describes his deliverance as if prefigured by
that of Israel at the Red Sea, and as if accompanied by the
phenomena that attended the Sinaitic Theophany. v. 8. "When
wrath was kindled to Him," "When (because) He was angry."
v. 9. " Smoke in His nose," so literally, or, as in Anglican
version, " Out of His nostrils." " Nose, Nostrils," i.e., anger,
which is shown by hard breathing, v. 11. " Cherub," probably
a collective Singular for " Cherubim," the Old Testament type of
created life in its highest power, and utmost perfection. " And
flew-swiftly on the wings," &c. v. 12. Hides in darkness that
none may approach Him ; " hiding " the place, and also the
action of hiding. An obvious reference here to Exod. xv., where
a cloud hides Israel from their foes during the night. v. 13.
Variously paraphrased by Qimchi and Aben Ezra. It probably
means, "at the brightness of His angry countenance the clouds
rifted asunder, fled, so to speak, in terror, passed [away in] and
discharged hailstones, thunderbolts ; " a reference to, or remini-
scence of the seventh Egyptian plague (Exod. ix. 23, 24). v. 14.
"Voice," lit., " He gave His voice," i.e., thundered, cf. Ps. xxviii.
(29), "The voice of the Lord." v. 16. "Channels of waters,"
" Water courses," " the bed of the sea appeared " (Exod. xv. 8) ;
(2 Kings (Sam.) xxii. 16). " Laid bare" "exposed," cf. Hab. iii. 8.
"Blast," cf. Exod. xiv. 21, "A strong east wind" divided the
Red Sea. v. 17. "He sent," better, "He stretched-out [His
hand] from on high ; " allusion to the passage of the Red Sea
continued in vv. 18 — 20. v. 24. " Mine iniquity," which I was
prone to, which had been mine, but that I withstood temptation.
This may refer to his sparing Saul's life, 1 Kings (Sam.) xxiv.,
xxvi. So, too, v. 34. — -" My high places," mine, because 1 was
put in safety upon them. v. 26. Chesedh means piety towards
God, kindness to our fellows. Tn this and v. 27 we find a maxim
that is often misunderstood : the rule of God's dealings with us.
54 PSALM 17 (18).
As we treat Him and our fellows, so deals He with us. To apply
this, as some ascetics have done, as a warning against bad
company, deserves St. Jerom's severe censure of those who deem
it a proof of ingenuity, when they wrest Scripture texts at their
own whim and fancy {Ep. ad Paulimtm, 52, a/. 103, No. 7). Cf.
1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 30. "Act perversely," for the wicked deem
God's punishments unjust ; He " acts perversely " from their
point of view. v. 28. " Afflicted people," all that are unjustly
oppressed, v. 29. " Lamp," the extinguished lamp is the symbol
of the misfortune, the undoing that befall the wicked (Job xviii.
5; xxi. 17. Proverbs xxiv. 20); its lighting, that of Divine
favour, of prosperity (4 (2) Kings viii. 19). v. 30. Cf. Song of
Moses, Deut. xxxii. 30; vv. 31, 32, are evidently based on the
same, Ibid, xxxii. 4, 31. v. 32. " God," in text 'Eloah.
Singular form, unknown, save in Deut. xxxii. 15, 17; occurs
frequently in Job and in the Hebrew part of Daniel, once in
Pss. xlix., cxiii., cxxxviii., Prov., 2 Paralip. (Chron.), 2 Esdras ;
twice in Habacuc. v. 33. " Girds with strength," not bodily
merely, but, as hemistich b shows (" blameless," " perfect "), with
moral also. v. 34. " High-places," hence out of the enemy's
reach, v. 35. "Copper," or "bronze," as brass was, as far as can
be ascertained, unknown to the Hebrews. Hyperbolical, no
inference can be drawn as to the material of bows. v. 36.
" Condescension " — to inferiors ; before the will of God, " meek
resignation." ["Yea, Thy chastening," &c, has crept into LXX.
from Theodotion's version, it is wanting in the text. According
to LXX., the Poet means "The passing afflictions I suffer at the
hand of mine enemies purify, train me, so as to become worthy
of a great victory." v. 37. Thou hast given me plenty of room
to move about, and a firm foothold. v. 40. "Cast down,"
"prostrated." v. 41. Literally, ''And mine enemies Thou hast
given to me neck," or, " Thou hast made mine enemies back,"
i.e. put them to flight, v. 44. "Contentions," at the time of his
accession to the throne, and when Absalom strove to dethrone
him. "Nations," the neighbouring heathen people, many of
whom were brought under subjection by David, v. 45. "At the
hearing of," &c. =■ " As soon as they hear of me;" the report
of my victories will of itself induce them to surrender, to yield
PSALM 1 8 (19).
55
submission enforced by fear, hence, not real, hence ///., "They
shall lie to me." v. 46. " Wearied " " Worn out," their national
strength is paralyzed, their plans of resistance to David (" paths ")
must be abandoned, they must yield with shame ("limp out of").
Masora — " They-shall-tremble out of their close places," as
explained by Gesenius, " They shall go out trembling from their
fortresses, and give them up to me ; " cf. Mich. vii. 1 7 ; Osee
xi. 11. "Violent man " = Saul probably. v. 51. He magnifies
the salvations," &c, in text, " Magnifying," &c, in apposition to
" Thy Name " of v. 50, " to Thee that magnifiest," &c. Who
affordest great safety, glorious victories.
PSALM 18 (19).
1. For the Chief-Musi-
cian ; a Psalm, to David.
2. The heavens are-telling
the glory of 'El (i.e., God) :
And the firmament declares
the work of His hands.
3. Day to day utters
speech : And night to night
discovers knowledge.
4. It is not a declaration,
neither are they words :
Whose voice cannot be
heard.
5. Into all the earth is-
gone-forth their strain ; And
their words to the end of
the world : In them has-He-
set a tent for the sun,
6. And he is like a bride-
groom coming - forth from
his nuptial - chamber : He
PSALM 18 (19).
1 . For the end ; a Psalm
of David.
2. The heavens are-telling
the glory of God : And the
firmament proclaims the
work of His hands.
3. Day to day utters
speech : And night to night
proclaims (shows) know-
ledge.
4. They are not speeches
nor words : Whose voices
are not heard.
5. Into all the earth their
voice is gone forth, And
their words to the ends of
the world. (Rom. x. 18.)
6. In the sun has-He-set
His tabernacle : And he,
like a bridegroom coming-
56
PSALM 1 8 (19).
rejoices as a strong-man to
run [his] course.
7. From the end of the
heavens is his going-forth
(i.e. rising), And his circuit
unto the ends thereof : And
nought is-hid from his heat.
8. The law of Y^HW^H
is without-blemish, refresh-
ing the soul •. The testimony
of YH" is trustworthy,
making-wise the simple ;
9. The precepts of YH"
are right, rejoicing the
heart : The commandment
of YH" is bright, enlighten-
ing the eyes ;
10. The fear (i.e. worship)
of YH" is clean, enduring
for ever, The judgments of
YH" are truth: Just alto-
gether (i.e. strictly just).
11. More desirable are
they than gold, yea, than
much fine - gold : And
sweeter than honey, and the
dropping of honeycombs.
12. Moreover, Thy servant
is-admonished by them : In
keeping them there is great
reward.
13. [His] errors, who can
discern? From hidden-sins
clear-Thou me.
14. From presumptuous
[sins J also restrain Thy
out of his nuptial-chamber :
Rejoices as a giant to run
[his] course.
7. His going-forth is from
the furthermost heaven, And
his course into the [other]
extremity thereof : And no
one is-hid from his heat.
8. The law of the Lord is
spotless, converting souls :
The testimony of the Lord
is trustworthy, it makes
babes wise ;
9. The precepts of the
Lord are right, rejoicing the
heart •. The commandment
of the Lord is bright, en-
lightening the eyes.
10. The fear of the Lord
is holy, enduring for ever,
The judgments of the Lord
are true, justified altogether.
11. More to be desired
are they than gold and much
precious stone : Sweeter
also than honey and the
honeycomb.
1 2. For Thy servant care-
fully - observes them : In
keeping them there is great
reward.
13. [His] transgressions
who can discern? From
my hidden - faults purge -
Thou me.
i.|. From strangers pre-
serve Thy servant; If they
PSALM 1 8 (19).
57
servant ; Let them not have
dominion over me ; then
shall-I-be-blameless : And I
shall - be - clear from much
transgression.
15. May the words of my
mouth be acceptable, and
the meditation of my heart
before Thee : YaHW^H,
my Rock, and my Re-
deemer !
have no dominion over me,
then shall-I-be blameless :
And I-shall-be-clear from
grievous sin.
15. So shall the sayings
of my mouth, and the medi-
tation of nly heart before
Thee be ever pleasing : O
Lord, my helper, my Re-
deemer !
This Psalm hymns the two-fold manifestation of God, in the
starry firmament, and in the perfection of His law (both as graven
in the conscience, and as revealed in the Pentateuch). The
sudden transition from the former to the latter has suggested (to
Ewald among others) the inference that this Psalm is made up
of two fragments. The former, an unfinished poem of the time
of David ; the latter is ascribed to some unknown poet of the
latter years of the Davidic dynasty, not earlier than the reign of
Josias. But this very abruptness of the transition is a bold stroke /
of genius, of self-conscious power. The sun in the firmament
is to the poet an image of God's all-quickening influence, but
still more glorious is His self-revelation by the spiritual sun, the
Law to wit, He has given to the chosen race — Torath YaHWeH.
v. 2. Cf. Rom. i. 20; Plato (Legg. x. 1). "Firmament," the
expanse ; in Hebrew, that which is stretclud-out above the earth.
v. 3. "Utters," the primary meaning is u gashes forth" "bubbles
forth" as a fountain. As the waters of a stream flow on uninter-
mittingly, the alternations of light and darkness proclaim
unceasingly the glory, i.e., the knowledge and praise of God.
The verb expresses the uninterrupted succession of day and
night, which witness to the Creator, v. 4. By Aben-Ezra and
Qimchi this is taken to mean that though silent, speechless they
be, they are genuine witnesses, v. 5, however, shows that their
language is audible ( = intelligible) everywhere. "Hearing," in
Scripture language, implies understanding, cf. French entendre.
v. 5. "Strain," or "tone," qdv, the word in the text, means "a
58 psalm 1 8 (ig).
cord," "a plumb-line," " a rule." LXX. give "sound" (phthongos),
Symmachus ("sound," eechos), Aquila kation, a "rule," "measuring
line." qav, means also "a harpstring," hence "a sound." "In
them," viz., " the heavens ; " the rendering of LXX. implies by
"tent" that God's indwelling in creation is not essential to Him,
as created existence is merely contingent, and hence, aptly figured
by a tent. v. 8. God revealing Himself in Nature is called '£/;
as the Lawgiver, the Deity of Revelation, He is mentioned by His
Covenant-Name, cf. Exod. vi. 3. " Law . . . without blemish,"
perfectly adapted to man's welfare and destiny. " Refreshing the
spirit," cf. Ps. xxii. (23) 3. This implies relief from sorrow, solace
in grief (cf. " rejoicing the heart " of v. 9), rather than conversion
from sin. "Law," "testimony," "precepts" (or "statutes"),
"commandments," "fear," "judgments" are the several aspects of
the Divine Law. "Testimony," probably "the Ten Words," the
Decalogue written "on the tablets of the testimony, Exod. xxxii. 15.
"Trustworthy," firm, "constant," a sure guide to those that
were easily led astray, but for it, " Making wise the simple," cf.
2. Tim. iii. 15. Qimchi understands by testimony " all that witnesses
to the Covenant between God and His people, not only the
Decalogue, but the several ritual injunctions, v. 9. "Precepts,"
" statutes," inclusive perhaps of religious ordinances, in the
performance whereof the hearts of the pious rejoice. " Bright,"
"clear," in text bdrd/i, which occurs Cant. vi. 10; cf. Ps. cxviii.
(119) 105; Prov. vi. 23. v. 10. "Fear," as contrasted with the
lewd and sanguinary rites of heathenism, the "fear," i.e., worship
of the Lord is " clean," its end being the perfection of moral
purity; as expressing the essential dependence of the creature, "it
endures for ever." "Judgments," not only punitive sentences, but
the Divine precepts addressed to us as free agents, responsible for
our determinations, hence are they "strictly just."
v. 1 2. " Moreover " (gam in text) emphasizes " is admonished ; "
phylassei ( = " keeps") may be accepted as a paraphrastic
rendering, "is admonished," i.e., "is careful as regards them," i.e.,
"carefully keeps them." "Reward," strictly, "result," hence
"wages," "recompense," cf. Prov. xxii. 4. v. 13. " Errors " =
Who may tell how often he has offended unawares ? " Hidden
[sins]," or " Hold me innocent of sins I know not of" with which
PSALM 19 (20).
59
my conscience fails to reproach me. v. 14. "Presumptuous
[sins.]" LXX. evidently read zerhn, ( = strangers), instead
zedim ( = the proud, they who do evil designedly), and may
be rendered as meaning idolaters, or Israelites estranged from
God; "Let me not ( = preserve me from) come under the
powerful ('have dominion,'1 ' domitiati,') corrupting influence 'of
strangers ' (idolaters), who may lead me to commit grievous
sin." "Restrain," "preserve," in Vulgate, "parce" ( = spare,
"pardon"), but it occurs in Lucilius and Ennius in the sense
of "serva" ( = preserve, save), soson. St. Augustine and some
ancient Psalters read dominata, which has given rise to the
interpretation of alienis as referring to "the sins of others" " of
strangers." "Let them not have dominion," &c. "If they have
not dominion," &c, are permissible renderings. " Much trans-
gression," [into which otherwise I might have fallen] : LXX.
render " much " in the Positive ; St. Jerom., as in Vulgate,
"maximo," "very great," grievous.
PSALM 19 (20).
1. For the Chief Musi-
cian ; a Psalm, to David.
2. YaHW^H answer thee
in the day of trouble : The
Name of the God of
Ya"aqobh (i.e., Jacob) set-
thee-on-high :
3. Send thee help from
the sanctuary : And from
Sion sustain thee ;
4. Remember all thy
offerings : And pronounce
thy burnt - offering fat.
Selah.
5. Grant to thee accord-
ing to thy heart : And fulfil
all thy purpose (counsel) !
PSALM 19 (20).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David.
2. The Lord hear thee in
the day of trouble : The
Name of the God of Jacob
protect thee.
3. Send thee help from
the sanctuary : And from
Sion protect thee ;
4. Remember thine every
meat - offering : And may
thy whole-burnt-offering be
fat.
5. Grant thee according
to thy heart : And fulfil all
thy counsel.
6o
PSALM 19 (20).
6. We-will-shout-for - joy
because of thy deliverance,
And in the Name of our
God we - will - raise - the -
standard : YH" fulfil all thy
petitions.
7. Now know-I that YH"
saves His anointed ; He-
will-answer him from the
heavens of His holiness :
With the saving might of
His right hand.
8. Some [make mention]
of chariots, some of horses :
But we will-make-mention
of the Name of YH" our
God.
9. They shall-stumble and
fall : But we shall-rise-up,
and stand-firm.
10. YH", save the king!
May-He-answer us in [the]
day we-call !
6. We will rejoice at thy
victory, And in the Name of
our God shall-we-be-magni-
fied : The Lord fulfil all thy
petitions.
7. Now know-I that the
Lord saves His anointed ;
He-will-hear him from His
holy heaven : By mighty-
deeds is the deliverance of
His right-hand.
8. These [glory ?] in
chariots, those in horses ;
But we will-call-upon the
Name of the Lord our God.
9. They are - entangled
and fallen : But we are-
risen and set-upright.
10. Lord, save the king:
And hear us in the day
when we-call-upon Thee.
This Psalm is obviously a public prayer for a warrior going
forth to battle ; that this warrior was the king may be gathered
from v. 10, and from the next Psalm. Qimchi and Aben Ezra
surmise that David was not the author, but the subject of this
Psalm. The Syriac title heads it thus, "To David, when he
prayed to be delivered from the Ammonite war.'" This is as
suitable as any other occasion in David's life; cf. v. 8 ; 2 Kings
(Sam.) x. 18; 1 Chron. xix. 18, where mention is made of the
slaughter of the Syrian cavalry and charioteers.
v. 2. "Trouble," =" peril." "Name,"/.*., God Himself, so
far forth as made manifest to us. "Set thee on high." LXX.
"help" "protect," by putting one out of the reach of danger,
hence in Ps. xc. (91) 14, "I will protect him ( protegam
eum), in text, "I will set him on a high place," out of the
PSALM ig (20). 6l
reach of his foes. v. 3. The Tabernacle was then on Sion.
"Sustain," support, prop thee up. St. Jerom, roboret ( = strengthen),
v. 4. "Meat ( = food) offerings," in text minchoth, unbloody
offerings of meal, oil, wine, &c, whether constituting a sacri-
fice apart, or, an adjunct to the burnt-offering, the holocaust.
"Fat," R. Qimchi, "May it turn into ashes," by sending
down fire on the victim. The fire from above, 1 Paral.
(Chron.) xxi. 26 ; or the complete consumption of the victim by
the altar fire, Ecclus. xlv. 17. Rashi, "May He accept them,
like holocausts of fat sheep," as the beasts, to be acceptable,
were required to be in prime condition. Either rendering marks
favourable acceptance ; cf. Malachi i. 8. v. 6. " Raise (wave)
banners," erect a trophy, wave banners in token of victory.
LXX., followed by Syriac, read n'ghadel for the nid'gol (from
deghel = banner) of the present text. " Be magnified," either
passively, "we shall be praised for our victory," or, "we will
glory in our victory," "we will triumph." St. Jerom, " Ducemus
c/ioros" ( = we will dance) : Syr. "we will prevail." v. 7. St. Jerom
and Ab. Ezra punctuate somewhat differently. " He will hear
him by the power of the deliverance (saving might) of His right
hand." v. 8. The Sixtine edition of LXX. reads (as rendering
for "make mention of"), "we shall be magnified" =we will
glory, "make our boast of." Vulg., " We will call upon." The
" mention " is a laudatory mention, and implies indirectly self-
congratulation, taking credit to oneself for the happy issue.
" These [boast] of the chariot, these of horses, but our boast is in
the Name," &c. "Trust" is due to a suggestion of Rashi.
War-horses, cavalry, and hence, war-chariots were forbidden by
Deut. xvii. 16. Solomon first introduced them. (3 (1) Kings,
x. 26, foil.)
v. 9. " Stumble " (more ///.), " bowed — brought down." LXX.
" They are entangled ; " obligati of Vulg. is possibly a scribe's
blunder for obliquati ( = " turned aside," " bent, twisted awry ; "
cf. " bowed down "). The verbs in text are mostly in the Perfect
tense, " the Preterite of Confidence ; " the victory was yet to be
won, as is shown by v. 10, hence are they correctly rendered in
the Future, v. 10. In the present punctuation we must read,
"YH," save-Thou : "Let the king answer us, when we call;"
62
PSALM 20 (2l).
but, " King " never occurs absolutely as a Divine title ; the
warrior for whom the prayer is made is a king, the king of Israel,
the Lord's anointed, M'shicho = " His Mashlach = Messiah " =
Christ = " anointed." (v. 7.)
PSALM 20 (21).
1. For the - Chief - Musi-
cian ; a Psalm, to David.
2. YaHWeH ! on account
of Thy strength the king is-
glad : And on account of
Thy salvation how greatly
does-he-rejoice !
3. Thou-hast-given him
the desire of his heart :
And hast not withheld the
longing of his lips. Selah.
4. For Thou-meetest him
with blessings of good-
ness : Thou-settest on his
head a crown of fine-gold.
5. He-asked life of Thee,
Thou - gavest [it| him:
Length of days for ever-
more.
6. Great is his glory in
Thy salvation : Splendour
and majesty dost-Thou-l;iy
upon him.
7. For Thou-settest him
to be blessings for ever :
Thou - gladdenest him with
joy in Thy presence.
8. For the king trusts in
YtfHWtfH : And through
PSALM 20 (21).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David.
2. Lord, on account of
Thy strength, the king is-
glad : And on account of
Thy salvation greatly does-
he-rejoice !
3. Thou - hast - given him
his heart's desire : And hast
not disappointed him of the
request of his lips.
4. For Thou - hast - met
him with blessings of kind-
Thou-hast-set on his
of precious
a crown
ness :
head
stone.
5. He-asked life of Thee,
and Thou-gavest him length
of days for ever and ever.
6. Great is his glory in
Thy salvation : Glory and
majesty dost-Thou-lay upon
him.
7. For Thou-makest him
most blessed for ever :
Thou-gladdenest him with
joy with Thy countenance.
8. For the king trusts in
the Lord : And through the
PSALM 20 (2l).
63
the loving - kindness of mercy of the Most High he
"El'yon (i.e., the Most High) shall not be moved,
he shall not be moved.
9. Thy hand shall-reach 9. May Thy hand be felt
all Thine enemies : Thy by all Thine enemies. May
right-hand shall reach them- Thy right hand reach all
that-hate Thee. that hate Thee.
10. Thou - shalt - make 10. Thou shalt-make them
them as a fiery oven in the as a fiery oven, at the time
time of Thy countenance : of Thy presence : The Lord
YH" shall-consume them in
His wrath, fire shall-devour
them.
11. Their offspring shalt-
Thou - destroy from the
earth : And their seed from
among the sons of man.
12. For they-have-spread-
out against Thee evil :
They-have-devised a plot
they could not [carry out].
shall-bewilder them in His
wrath, fire shall - devour
them.
11. Their offspring shalt-
Thou - destroy from the
earth : And their seed from
among the children of men.
1 2. For they - have - in -
tended evils against Thee :
They - have - imagined a
device which they can by
no means perform.
13. For Thou-shalt-make
them [turn their] back :
With Thy remnants Thou-
1 3. Therefore shalt-Thou-
cause - them - to - turn the
shoulder (i.e., back) : Thou-
aimest [Thine arrows] on wilt-prepare their face.
Thy strings against their
faces.
14. Be - Thou - exalted, 14. Be-Thou-exalted, O
YH", in Thy strength : Lord, in Thy strength : We-
We-will-sing and hymn Thy will - sing and hymn Thy
power. powerful-deeds (or, mighty
acts).
An Epinikion, or song of victory in thanksgiving for the
deliverance prayed for in Ps. xix. (20), compare v. 5 of Ps. xix.
with vv. 2, 3 of this Ps. As for the reference of this poem to the
triumph of the Christ, " the king " of vv. 2, 8 appears in the
Targum as "the king, the Messiah." Qimchi owns that it may
64 PSALM 21 (22).
have been written by David, " in the Spirit" with reference to his
Son. Rashi says that such reference is in accordance with the
Rabbinical interpretation, but rejects it for polemical motives (" to
answer the heretics who have erred in that matter "), and applies
it to David. But David's history, both in its trials and its glories,
typifies the earthly record of his Great Descendant, in Whom the
Davidic promises (2 Kings (Sam.) vii. ; 1 Chron. xvii.) found
their literal fulfilment, cf. v. 5 of the present Psalm, " life,"
" length of days."
v. 3. "Longing" in text, 'a'res/iet/t, which occurs nowhere else
in the Scriptures. LXX., de'eesis ( = supplication) ; Vulg., voluntas
( = desire); Syr., "preparation;" Targum, "exposition," "de-
tailed statement." The meaning is determined by the context,
and by the parallelism — " desire " in hemistich a. This verse
recalls v. 5 of the foregoing Psalm, v. 4. " A crown," cf.
2 Kings (Sam.) xii. 30 ; 1 Chron. xx. 2. After the capture of
Rabbah, David took and put on the golden crown of "their
king" (maPkdm), and in 1 Chron. xx. 2, "Mal'kam" may
be an idol (cf. Sophon (Zeph.) i. 5), but, as pointed in the
text, it means " their king." v. 5. This can apply literally to the
" Son of David " only. v. 6. Thou hast given him a glorious
victory, v. 7. Thou grantest him such success in his under-
takings, that he will be ever after deemed a type of every
blessing. Text, lit. " There settest him blessings for ever ; "
cf. Gen. xlviii. 20; for the contrary, Jerem. xxiv. 9. vv. 8 — 14.
Addressed to Him who had appointed David His anointed
Vicegerent, Ps. ii. v. 10. "Countenance" — inflamed with
wrath; in v. 7. "Thy countenance gladdens him." v. 12.
" Spread out," as a snare, a net, an ambush. Targum, " They
have planned against Thee evil devices, but they were of none
avail against Thee." St. Jerom, for "evil" has "scelus"
( = a crime).
v. 13. Lit. "Thou shalt set them ( = make them) shoulder,"
turned so as to show their backs, cf. Ps. xvii (18) 41. Hemistich
b. the rendering of LXX. fails to make any but a merely conjec-
tural sense (en tois periloipois sou = in (with, on) Thy remnants,
&c. [ ? ]'). They omitted'the preposition before " their face" ("their
face," instead of " against their face "), and were led to render
PSALM 21 (22).
65
" strings " " remnants," a rendering justified by one of the
meanings of the verb whence the word is derived, were it not
that the word in the text invariably means " cord," " string."
St. Jerome, " Funes tuos firmabis contra facies eorum " ( = Thou
shalt make fast Thy strings against their faces) ; Aquila, en tots
kdlois sou edrdseis epi prbsopon avton ( = On Thy cords shalt
Thou fix [Thine arrows] against their face), akin to St. Jerome's
rendering, v. 14. An epiphonema by the whole choir.
PSALM 21 (22).
1. To the Chief-Musician
upon ' The hind of the
dawn ; " a Psalm, to David.
2. 'Eli, 'Eli (i.e., my God),
why hast - Thou - forsaken
me? Far from my deliver-
ance (i.e., from availing me)
are the words of my groan-
ing.
3. My God, I-cry in the
daytime, but Thou-answer-
est not : And at night, and
am not silent (cease not), or,
find no rest ( ?) •.
4. Yet THOU, O Holy-
One : Art-throned on the
praises of Israel.
5. Our fathers trusted in
Thee : They - trusted, and
Thou-didst-deliver them :
6. They - cried to Thee,
and were - rescued : They-
trusted in Thee, and were
not put to shame.
7. But I am a worm, and
a nobody : A reproach of
PSALM 21 (22).
1. For the end, concerning
the morning aid, a Psalm of
David.
2. My God, my God [look
to me], why hast-Thou-for-
saken me? Far from my
deliverance are the words of
my transgressions.
3. My God, I-cry in the
daytime, but Thou wilt not
hear : And at night, and [it
shall not be accounted] for
folly to me.
4. But THOU, the praise
of Israel, dwellest in the
sanctuary.
5. Our fathers trusted in
Thee : They-trusted, and
Thou-didst-deliver them.
6. They - cried to Thee,
and were - saved : They-
hoped in Thee, and were not
ashamed.
7. But I am a worm, and
not a man : The reproach
66
PSALM 21 (22).
mankind, and a scorn of the
people.
8. All that-see me jeer at
me : They - open the lip,1
they-wag the head,
9. [Saying,] Commit [it]
to YtfHW^H; He-will-de-
liver him : Let-Him-rescue
him, since He - delights in
him.
10. But Thou art my
taker-out of the womb :
Making-me-to-hope on the
breasts of my mother.
11. Upon Thee was-I-cast
from the womb : THOU art
my God from my mother's
belly.2
1 2. Be not far from me ;
for trouble is near : For
there is no helper (or, none
to help).
13. Many bulls have-com-
passed me : Strong-bulls of
Baslian have-surrounded me.
14. They-gape upon me
with their mouth : [As] a
ravening and roaring lion.
1 5. I-am-poured-out like
waters, And all my bones
are-out-of -joint ; My heart is
like wax : It-is-melted in the
midst of my bowels.
16. My strength is-dried-
up like a potsherd ; And my
of m'en, and scorn of the
people.
8. All that see me jeer at
me : They railed with [their]
lips, and shook the head,
(St. Matt, xxvii. 39-43)
9. [Saying,] " He-trusted
in the Lord, let-Him-rescue
him : Let-Him-save him,
seeing that He-delights in
him."
10. For Thou art He
that drew me out of the
womb : My hope from my
mother's breasts.
11. Upon Thee was-I-cast
from the womb : THOU art
my God from my mother's
belly.
12. Stand not aloof from
me ; for trouble is close at
hand : For there is none to
help.
13. Many bullocks have-
compassed me : Fat bulls
have beset me round.
14. They - opened their
mouth against me : As a
ravening and roaring lion.
1 5. I-am-poured-out like
water, And all my bones
are-loosened : My heart in
the midst of my belly is like
melting wax.
16. My strength is-dried-
up as a potsherd ; And my
1 Gesenius, "They cleave the lip,'' i.e., open the mouth wide-in scorn.
2 V. 11. " Since my mother bore me."
PSALM 21 (22).
67
tongue cleaves to my jaws :
And Thou-hast-brought me
into the dust of death.
17. For dogs have-com-
passed me ; The crowd of-
evil - doers have - encircled
me : They-pierced my hands
and my feet.
18. I-may-count all my
bones : They-looked, they-
gazed upon me :
19. They - parted my
garments among them :
And on my vesture they-
cast lots. (St. Matt, xxvii.
35 ; St. John xix. 24.)
20. But Thou, YaUWeU,
be not far off : O my
strength, haste-Thee to help
me.
21. Deliver my soul from
the sword : Mine only-one
from the power of the dog.
22. Save me from the
lion's mouth : Thou wilt
surely answer me [and de-
liver me] from the horns of
the buffalos.
23. I - will - declare Thy
Name to my brethren : In
the midst of the church will-
I-praise Thee. (Heb. ii. 12.)
24. Ye - that - fear
YaHWeH, praise Him; All
tongue cleaves to my
throat : And Thou hast
brought me down to the dust
of death.
17. For [many] dogs
have-surrounded me ; The
assembly of the wicked has
beset me round : They-
pierced my hands and my
feet.
18. They-counted all my
bones : They-observed and
gazed upon me :
19. They-parted my gar-
ments among them : And
cast lots on my raiment.
20. But Thou, O Lord,
remove not my help afar-
off : be-ready for mine aid.
21. Deliver my soul (i.e.,
life), O God, from the
sword : Mine only-one from
the hand (i.e., the power) of
the dog.
22. Save me from the
lion's mouth : And my low-
liness from the horns of the
unicorns.
23. I - will - declare Thy
Name to my brethren : In
the midst of the church will-
I-praise Thee.
24. Ye that fear the Lord,
praise Him ; All ye the seed
68
PSALM 21 (22).
ye the seed of Jacob, glorify
Him : And revere Him, all
ye the seed of Israel.
25. For He has not de-
spised, nor loathed the afflic-
tion of the afflicted ; Neither
did-He-hide His face from
him : But when he-cried to
Him, He-heard.
26. Of Thee shall be my
hymn in the great church :
I-will-pay my vows before
them-that-fear Him.
27. The meek shall-eat,
and be - satisfied ; They-
shall-praise YtfHW^H that
seek-after Him : May your
heart live for ever!
28. All the ends of the
earth shall-remember and
turn to YH": And all the
families of the nations shall-
worship before Thee.
29. For to YH" [belongs]
the kingdom : And He-is-
ruler over the nations.
30. All the fat-ones of the
earth shall-eat and worship •.
All they-that-go-down to
the dust shall-bow-down
before Him : And he who
cannot keep-alive his soul.
31. A seed shall-serve
Him : Hc-shall-be accounted
as Lord (i.e., 'Adonay) to
[that] generation.
of Jacob glorify Him : Let
all the seed of Israel fear
Him.
25. For He has not de-
spised, nor has-He-scorn-
fully-rejected the supplica-
tion of the poor ; Neither
has - He - turned - away His
face from me : But when I-
cried to Him, He-heard [me].
26. Of Thee shall be my
hymn in the great church :
I-will-pay my vows in the
presence of them-that-fear
Him.
27. The poor shall-eat and
be-satisfied ; They that seek
the Lord shall-praise Him :
Their hearts shall-live for
ever.
28. All the ends of the
earth shall-remember and
turn to the Lord : And all
the families of the nations
shall-worship before Him.
29. For the kingdom is
the Lord's : And He shall-
rule over the nations.
30. All the fat-ones of
the earth have-eaten and
worshipped ; All they that
go-down to the earth shall-
fall-prostrate before Him.
31. My soul also shall-live
to Him : And my seed shall-
serve Him.
PSALM 21 (22). 69
32. They-shall-come and 32. The generation that-
shall-declare His justice : is-coming shall-be-reported
To a people that shall-be- to the Lord ; [The heavens]
born [shall they tell] that also shall - proclaim His
He-has-done [it]. justice to a people that
shall-be-born, whom the
Lord has -made.
This Psalm falls into two main divisions. In vv. 2 — 23
mournful complaint is intermingled with supplication ; vv. 23 —
end contain an expression of joyous hope. The Gospel record
(St. Matt, xxvii. 35, 39, 46 ; St. Mark xv. 34 ; St. John xix. 24 ;
Heb. ii. 11, 12) dispenses us from proving that this is a Messianic
Psalm. The assertion of Theodore of Mopsuestia that the
writers of the N. Testament applied this Psalm to the sufferings of
the Christ by mere " accommodation " was anathematized by the
Fifth (Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II., Conference 4,
Article 22). It is, therefore, as Strauss says, "a programme of
Christ's Crucifixion " drawn up by the Spirit of prophecy. The
earlier Rabbinical authors are of the same mind. Allowing that
the question whether this Psalm is directly, or only typically
Messianic, is an open one, Catholic commentators, with scarce
an exception, assign to it an exclusively Messianic, i.e., prophetic
import. The marked individuality of the sufferer, his desperate
condition — a prisoner, despoiled, exposed to insult and outrage —
bar its indirect, or typically Messianic interpretation. At no time
was the position of David such as is described in this plaint, nor
could he, or any other of those to whom the Psalm is supposed to
refer (Ezechias [?], Jeremias [?]), by the partisans of its historical
sense, expect such important and far-reaching results from his
sufferings, and subsequent deliverance. As may be seen in
several verses, the affliction complained of is strictly personal
(see vv. 18, 19), which dispenses us from discussing the theory
of Qimchi and Rashi — that the Poet personifies his nation — and
demonstrates the utter impossibility of an interpretation pro-
ceeding from the historical to the higher, or mystic sense, v. 1.
Aben Ezra takes the words of the title {ctyyeleth hash-shachar) for
the beginning of a song to the tune whereof the Psalm was to be
yo PSALM 21 (22).
sung. The divers renderings of this tide may be classed
as follows : Ayyekth ( = hind) is referred to the hdp. legbm.
'Eyd/i///i, a lengthened form of dyal ( = strength),1 hence, " help,"
as rendered by LXX. and Symmachus. Targum, "On the stre?igth
of the perpetual morning sacrifice," connecting it (may be) with
the lambs (" sons of rams "), that were sacrificed. St. Jerome,
" For the morning stag," thus agreeing with such as retain the
literal sense of these words (" hind," " dawn "), but explain them
figuratively ; " hind " standing for persecuted innocence, " dawn"
for speedy deliverance. Others, again, take the " dawn " for the
subject of this poem. In Arabic poetry, the morning sun
shedding its first beams is called " gazelle," comparing, according
to the use of the language, " rays " to " horns." In the Talmud,
the first blush of daylight is called " the hind of the dawn."
Rashi, with some others, take it for a musical instrument, v. 2.
Aramaic being His maternal tongue, the Crucified adopted the
Aramaic form of this clause, 'Eli, 'E/i, Fmah stibaq'tani, instead
of the Hebrew (as in text), Ell, E/i, /amah "azabh't&nt. " [Look]
to me," an alternative rendering in LXX. of the second 'E/i, read
by them 'clay ( = to me), thus necessitating the complementary
[" Attend," " look "]. " Words of my sins," or as LXX. may be
rendered, " the account of my transgressions," instead of " my
groaning ; " LXX. probably read, by metathesis, shigh'athl ( = my
error) for sha-agha-t/ii ( = of my groaning ; " my cry," in Talmud)
of the present text. The verse may be construed interrogatively :
" Why keepest Thou aloof from delivering me, and from the
words of, &c. ? " " Words of my sins " may stand for " my sinful
deeds" ox for "words uttered in my sins" which, therefore, avail
me not. v. 3. " Folly," an obscure rendering ; it may mean,
" I cry not without good reason." " No silence," no rest, no ease
from pain ; the word in text occurs but thrice in the Psalms, and
nowhere else. Save LXX. and Vulgate, all the other versions
render it " silence." v. 4. " Thou art the constant theme of
Israel's praise, be not then deaf to supplication." Aben Ezra
interprets it to mean the Sanctuary; cf. Isai. lxiv. 11. v. 7.
Cf. Isai. liii. 3. v. 8. "They open with the lip," they distort their
mouths with malignant laughter — grins; cf. Lam. ii. 15, 16.
1 See v. 20.
PSALM 21 (22). 71
LXX., " they utter blasphemous railings ; " cf. St. Matt, xxvii.
39 — 43; St. Luke xxiii. 35, who uses the same verb as LXX. in
this v. 8. v. 9. {Literally), "Roll [it away from thyself] " "unto"
or "upon" God; cf. Ps. xxxvi. (37)5; Prov. xvi. 3. Here
rendered as an Imperative. It can also be the Perfect as rendered
in Targum ("He praises before YHWH") and in LXX., who give
the sense of the word St. Matt, xxvii. 43, "He trusted in God,"
&c. ; Revised Version (in margin), " He trusted in YH, that
He would deliver him." v. 10. "My extricator from . . . womb;"
Targum, " Who didst take me out." Better perhaps, " my
breaking forth," so Hengstenberg. It may be said of God, as
being the primary cause of birth, even as He is called
"blessing," "joy," and "salvation," &c. Confining, as we do,
the Psalm to the region of prophecy, the sufferer thanks
God for His miraculous conception and birth. v. n. Or,
"Thou art my God, since my mother bore me." v. 12.
"Many," (perhaps) "mighty." v. 13. "Robust [bulls] of
Bha-shan," a fertile tract in the tribe of Manasses, extending
from the border of Gilead on the south, to Mount Hermon
on the north; formerly the Kingdom of Og (Deut. hi. 13).
These brutes are introduced because the foes of the victim
display the brutal character of these beasts. v. 15. "Like
waters," expressive of utter exhaustion (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) xiv.
14); of extreme fear (Jos. vii. 5). "My bones" (///.) "have
separated themselves," " loosened," by the forcible stretching-out
of the body on the Cross. Here, and in v. 16, we are reminded of
the burning thirst, the inflammation of the wounds, and the pressure
of blood on the brain and heart, accompanying and causing death
by crucifixion, v. 17. "Dogs," St. Jerome renders "venatores"
(hunters). The Masoretic reading — " like a lion my hands," &c,
is at variance with all the ancient versions, which here read a
verb, not to mention a Hebrew Codex in the Colbert Library
(No. 626), dating from the thirteenth century. LXX., oryxan
( = they digged) ; St. Jerome, "vinxerunt" ( = they bound), but in
some MSS. fixerunt, for transfixerunt ( = transfixed, pierced) ;
Symmachus, and Aquila (in his second edition), "they bound;"
but in his first, eeschynan ("they befouled"). The present reading
is doubtless due to a scribe's blunder, writing kd-ari, for kd-aru,
72 PSALM 21 (22).
and the Masoretic editors, for polemical purposes, have given it
the preference, v. 18. "I may tell (count) all my bones;"
cf. Job xxxiii. 21. His frame is so stretched out on the Cross,
that He could count His bones ; His enemies gaze on His suffer-
ings with malignant joy. v. 19. See St. Matt, xxvii. 35 ; St. John
xix. 23, 24. v. 20. " My strength," in text 'eydlut/d, read nowhere
else in the Hebrew Scriptures, v. 21. "My soul " = life. "Mine
only-one," />., my life = " my single one," besides which I have
no other; Targum, "the spirit of my body;" LXX., "mine only-
begotten ; " St. Jerome, " Solitariam meam," my desolate [soul
deprived of all aid], v. 22. " Answer me," a pregnant construction
here, the cause for the effect; "Thou wilt surely answer me [and so
deliver me] from the horns of the buffalos." In text the verbs
are in the Past tense, to mark firm assurance that this prayer
will be granted. Rc-mhn ( = buffaloes) may, according to Arabic
usage, be the oryx, a huge and fierce kind of antelope, but cf.
Ps. xxviii. (29) 6, where bar-rc-tmm ( = " son of unicorns")
corresponds to "calf" in hemistich a. It is said that the unicorn
has been discovered in Thibet, but, despite LXX., the re-cm is not
a one-horned beast, cf. Deut. xxxiii. 17. Further, the unicorn
has never been seen in Palestine, where the buffalo is common
enough. In the unpointed (- vowelless) text, "rahie affliction"
and "answerd'st me" are easily confounded, v. 23. Cf. Heb.
ii. 10 — 14, which proves the general acceptance of the Messianic
import of this Psalm in the early Church, and sets forth the unity
of the Christ with His redeemed. " Declare . . . Name," fulfilled in
the Divine Liturgy (Unde et memores, &c), and, by His representa-
tives, in the Canonical Hours; by Himself personally, in the
" Church of the first-born." v. 26. "Thou art [the subject of] my
praise," or with LXX. [the cause of, &c], i.e., " From Thee comes
my praise." "Vows," thank-offerings vowed for deliverance.
v. 27 refers to the joyous sacrificial feast which followed the
thank-offering, to which the poor, widows, and orphans were
invited. To this sacrificial banquet corresponds the Eucharist,
whereof the "poor," the "meek," the "afflicted" race of Adam
partake, as the pledge and anticipation of the bliss which is
the sacrificial meal of the Church Triumphant. To these does the
inspired Poet, in the warmth of his congratulation, address the
PSALM 22 (23). 73
words—" may your heart live for ever," i.e., may the gladness of
this banquet ever abide with you ! cf. by contrast — " his (Nabal's)
heart died within him " (1 Kings (Sam), xxv. 37). vv. 28, 29.
The dying Saviour foresees, as the fruit of His self-immolation,
the return of the "ends of the earth," of the races of mankind,
who had hitherto " forgotten " the true God, to His worship.
The Kingdom of God shall burst the narrow boundaries to which
it has hitherto been confined, v. 30. Rich and poor, high and
low alike, are to partake of the truth and grace, the fulness
whereof is in the Christ, and of the Holy Eucharist. " And
he . . . his soul alive;" either the disinherited, the down-
trodden in the social scale, are bidden to this Eucharistic feast
(cf. St. Matt. xi. 5), or for those about to die is this Table set —
Holy Viaticum (?), Pharmakon athanasias ( = remedy of immor-
tality), as St. Ignatius calls it, " the symbol of the Resurrection,"
so the Second Council of Nicaea. v. 32. Or, with Revised Version
(in margin), " It shall be counted to the Lord for [His] generation,"
(in text), " It shall be told of the Lord to the [next] generation."
Or again, "It shall be told concerning the Lord to a generation."
LXX., followed by Vulgate, joins "they shall come" of v. 32 to
v. 31, and give this sense: The future (coming) generation
shall be reported to the Lord [as having returned to Him], and
for all future ages shall they declare to them that join this
generation ( = "the people that shall be born"), whom God has
made. "God's justice" (not punitive justice, but His gracious
condescension, and loving-kindness to those He begets anew, by
the word of truth). " Cceli " ( = " the heavens shall proclaim," &c.)
is an interpolation peculiar to the Vulgate, not justified by the
text, or by any other version ; it was probably an allusion to the
Apostles, the " heaven-sent " heralds of the Gospel.
PSALM 22 (23). PSALM 22 (23).
1. A Psalm, to David: I. A Psalm of David:
YaHW^H is my shepherd ; The Lord is my shepherd ;
I shall not want. I-shall-want nothing.
2. He - makes - me - to-lie- 2. In a place where
down in pastures of tender- pasture is, there He-ma kos-
74
PSALM 22 (23).
grass : He-leads me beside
waters of rest (or, " of rest-
ing-places ").
3. He-restores my soul :
He-guides me in the paths
of uprightness for His
Name's sake.
4. Yea, though I - walk
through the valley of the
shadow-of-death, I-will-fear
no evil ; for THOU art with
me •. Thy rod and Thy staff,
they comfort me.
5. Thou spreadest a table
before me in the presence
of mine enemies : Thou
hast-anointed my head with
oil ; my cup is an overflow-
ing (i.e., runs over).
6. Nought but goodness
and loving-kindness shall-
follow me all the days of
my life : And I-will-dwell
in the house of YflHW^H
for length of days.
me dwell : He-nourishes me
at the water of repose.
3. He-has-refreshed my
soul : He-has-guided me
into the path's of justice, for
His Name's sake.
4. Yea, even should-I-
walk in the midst of the
shadow of death, I-will-fear
no evils, for THOU art with
me : Thy rod and Thy staff,
these have-comforted me.
5. Thou-hast-laid a table
before me in the presence
of mine oppressors : Thou-
hast - thoroughly - anointed
my head with oil, and mine
overflowing (lit., inebriating)
cup, how goodly it is!
6. Thy mercy also shall-
follow me all the days of my
life : And [this] that I-may-
dwell in the house of the
Lord for length of days.
This Psalm was sung in the Church of Constantinople, at the
Communion of the newly-baptized. It breathes the spirit of
perfect confidence and of peace, and may well be attributed
to the latter days of the whilom shepherd of Bethlehem.
St. Augustine (Maurist Edition, vol. v. p. ion) says that the
catechumens had to learn it by heart before Baptism, so as to
recite it daily in thanksgiving for "the waters of rest" (i.e., holy
Baptism), providential guidance (vv. 3, 4), and for the Table of
the Lord (v. 5).
v. 1. " My shepherd," so Thalhofer. SS. Ambrose, Augustine,
and others, " pascit we" ( -- feeds me, leads me to pasture).
PSALM 23 (24). 75
LXX., poimainei me {lit, shepherds me). " Regit " of Vulg. brings
out the notion of gentle sway ; cf. Homer, poimeties laon, i.e.,
kings, chieftains, lit., "shepherds of peoples." v. 2. "Waters of
resting-places," i.e., "well-watered oases," not u still waters,"
"gently flowing streams," but as LXX., anapauseos ( = of rest,
refreshment). " He leads me," the verb in text, rendered in LXX.
and Vulgate, " He nourished," " reared " (educavit), bears the
special sense of "leading to water," hence of "providing for,"
"sustaining." v. 3. "Restores my soul," i.e., "provides me with
refreshment." v. 4. "Valley." LXX. read Vgho (in the midst)
instead of bghcy ( = in valley) of present text. " Shadow of death "
( = tsaPmaveth), as vocalized in the present text ; if not taken as a
compound word, but pronounced (tsal'mut/i), it must be rendered
"gloom," "the valley of gloom" = imminent danger, deep
darkness. "Rod, staff," shepherd's staff (cf. Lev. xxvii. 32;
Jerem. xxxiii. 13), instrument and emblem of his care for his
flock. v. 5. "Spreadest," "settest in order," " preparest,"
" layest a table." From the shepherd guarding and guiding his
flock, the Poet passes to the figure of a mighty and liberal
protector bidding his protege to a luxurious banquet, " in the
presence of," "under the very nose of his enemies." LXX.,
exenaniias = vis a vis, "opposite," "over against." "My cup — over-
flowing," ///., " My cup is an overflowing," the abstract noun for
the adjective. Reva-yah ("an overflowing"), in Gesenius (Lex.
Hebr.) = "abundance," "abundant drink." Rdvah, from which
it is derived, means to sate with liquids ; another verb is used for
fulness of solid food. LXX. have wrongly drawn the initial words
of v. 6 (akh tov = " nothing but," " only goodness ") into v. 5,
hos krdtiston = as the best [wine (?)]. Vulg., " how goodly ! "
v. 6. "Follow," ///., "pursue," suggested, may be, by "enemies"
of v. 5 ; "will " (as it were) "force itself upon me," "That I may
dwell," "And I shall," &c. R. Qimchi prefers the rendering,
" And I shall-return [and dwell] in the house of," &c.
PSALM 23 (24). PSALM 23 (24).
1. A Psalm, to David: 1. On the first day of the
To YflHWt'H [belong] the week; a Psalm of David.
earth and the fulness there- The earth is the Lord's, and
;6
PSALM 23 (24).
of : The world and they-
that-dwell therein :
2. For He has-founded it
on the seas : And on the
floods has-He-made-it-fast.
3. Who shall-go-up into
the mountain of YH" ?
And who shall-stand in the
place of His holiness?
4. The pure in hands, and
the clean of heart ; Who has
not lifted up his soul to
vanity : And has not sworn
deceitfully.
5. He shall - receive a
blessing from Y^HWcH :
And justice from the God
of his salvation.
6. This is the generation
of them - that - seek - after
Him : That-seek Thy face
[even] Jacob. Selah.
7. Lift-up your heads, ye
gates ; And be-ye-uplifted,
ye doors of old : And the
glorious King shall-come-in.
8. Who is this glorious
King ? YtfHW^H strong
and mighty : YH" mighty
in battle.
9. Lift-up your heads, ye
gates ; And be-ye-uplifted,
ye doors of old: And the
glorious King shall-come-in.
the fulness thereof : The
world and [all] that dwell
in it.
2. For He has-founded it
on the seas : And on the
rivers has-He-made-it-fast.
3. Who shall go up to the
mountain of the Lord? Or
who shall-stand in His holy
place ?
4. He-that-is-innocent in
his hands, and clean of
heart : Who has not taken
his soul in vain : Nor sworn
deceitfully [to (against ?) his
neighbour].
5. He shall - receive a
blessing from the Lord :
And mercy from God his
Saviour.
6. This is the generation
of them-that-seek Him :
That-seek the face [of the
God] of Jacob.
7. Lift-up your gates, ye
princes ; And be-ye-up-
lifted, ye ancient doors :
And the glorious King shall-
come-in.
8. Who is this King of
glory? The Lord strong
and mighty : The Lord
mighty in battle.
9. Lift-up your gates, ye
princes ; And be-ye-up-
lifted, ye ancient doors :
And the glorious King shall-
come-in.
psalm 23 (24). J?
10. Who is this glorious 10. Who is this King of
King ? YrtHWt'H Tsebha- glory ? The Lord of
6th (i.e., Sabaoth) : He is hosts : He l is the King of
the glorious King. Selah. glory.
As there is no reason for questioning the ascription " to
David," we may take it that this beautiful ode was a processional
hymn sung at the transfer of the Ark to the Davidic tabernacle
on Mount Sion. The occasion may have been its removal from
the house of Obed-edom to the " City of David " (2 Kings
(Sam.) vi.). "The Lord mighty in battle" (v. 8), seems, however,
to point to the bringing back of the Ark from a field of victorious
conflict, and, indeed, we gather from 2 Kings (Sam.) xi. n, that
the Ark accompanied David's army in the Ammonite war. Yet
may it be said that the latter half of the Psalm (vv. 7 — 10) was
inspired by the memory of the connection of the Ark with former
triumphs. The change following the Selah at v. 7, has suggested
to Ewald and others that this Psalm is made up of two distinct
fragments. But, given the occasion, a more natural explanation
is that vv. 1 — 6 are a prelude sung while the procession
advanced, to proclaim the Omnipotence, the creative power of
Him who was to be worshipped in Sion, and the dispositions
required in those that would visit His sanctuary (" the place of
His holiness"). The addition to the Title by LXX. (Cod.
Vatican.) refers to the ritual use of the Psalm, which was sung
in the Temple, and is still used in the Synagogues as a proper
Psalm for Sunday, v. 2. "Seas," cf. Gen. i. 9, 10. " Floods," salt-
water currents, cf. Jonas ii. 4, where the Singular occurs with the
same meaning, v. 4. " Soul," naphshd in text, the concupiscent
tendency, well rendered by Schegg, "Who seeks not his pleasure
in vanities;" "has not fixed his desires on falsehood of any kind."
The Q'ri, or marginal emendation of the text, naphshi (my soul),
though favoured, with but one exception, by the Hebrew
authorities, and by the Alexandrian Codex of LXX., necessitates
a strained interpretation, bolstered up by a reference to L\oil.
xx. 7. This suffices to show that the Masora, like Homer, " nods
He, referring to God, is expressed both in text and translation.
78
PSALM 24 (25).
at times." v. 5. "Justice," i.e., conformity to the Divine type ; but
it will correspond more closely with " blessing," if taken (as in
Ps. ex. (in) 3 ; cxi. (112) 3) to mean God's gracious beneficence;
cf. St. Matt. vi. 1, where justice plainly stands for "almsdeeds."
v. 6. The rendering of the text as above is favoured by Targum
and Qimchi, by Aben Ezra also. Syr. and LXX. supply " face
[of the God of ] Jacob;" an interpolation to fill up the hiatus in the
sense. "This the generation," Sec, i.e., "such are they (with refer-
ence to the description in v. 4) that seek the Divine Presence,
and are the true offspring of Jacob ; " cf. St. John i. 47 ; Rom. ii.
28, 29. vv. 7, 9. "Gates" of the citadel of Sion ; "ancient"
(not " everlasting ") doors of the Jebusite stronghold. LXX.,
taking "heads" (= "lintels") to mean "princes" disjoin the
affix "your" from "heads" an unwieldy construction. Instead of
vestras, the old Latin Psalters read vestri. v. 10. " Lord of hosts,"
in the text " YaHWeH " [ = the Lord of] " Tsebhaoth " = " of
hosts," of the angelic choirs, of the material, visible heavens with
their constellations arranged, so to speak, in military order. LXX.,
" Lord of virtues, powers ; " at times the New Testament writers
transliterate it " Sabaoth ; " " Lord of armies."
PSALM 24 (25).
PSALM 24 (25).
1. To David. (Aleph).
To Thee, Y«HW^H, do-I-
lift-up my soul.
2. My God (Beth), in
Thee I-trust. Let me not
be ashamed: Let not mine
enemies triumph over me.
3. (Ginicl). Yea, none
who wait-on Thee shall-be-
put-to-shame : Die wan
tonly faithless shall-be-put-
to shame.
1 . For the end, a Psalm of
David. To Thee, O Lord,
have- I-lif ted up my soul.
2. My God, in Thee do-
I-trust. Let me not be put
to shame : Let not mine
enemies laugh-me-to-scorn.
3. For none that wait-on
Thee shall in any wise be-
ashamed : | But j let all be-
ashamed that
wantonly.
transgress
PSALM 24 (25).
79
4. (Daleth). Make-me to-
knovv Thy ways, YaHW^H :
Teach me Thy paths ;
5. (He). Guide me in
Thy truth (Waw ?), and
teach me ; For THOU art
the God of my salvation :
On Thee do-I-wait all the
day
6. (Za-yin). Remember,
YtfHW^H, Thy tender-
mercies and Thy loving-
kindnesses : For they are
of old.
7. (Cheth). The sins of
my youth and my trans-
gressions remember not ;
According to Thy loving-
kindness remember THOU
me : For the sake of Thy
goodness, YaHW^H.
8. (Teth). Good and up-
right is YaHWdT : There-
fore will-He-instruct sinners
in the way.
9. (Yodh). He-will-guide
the meek in judgment : And
He-will-teach the meek His
way.
10. (Kaph). All the paths
of YrtHW^H are loving-
kindness and truth : To
those-who-keep His cove-
nant and His testimonies.
11. (Lamedh). For Thy
Name's sake, YH" : So do-
Thou-forgive mine iniquity,
for it is great.
4. Make - known to me
Thy ways, O Lord : And
teach me Thy paths.
5. Guide me in Thy truth,
and teach me ; For Thou
art God my Saviour : And
on Thee have-I-waited all
the day.
6. Remember Thy com-
passions, O Lord, and Thy
mercies : For they are from
everlasting.
7. The sins of my youth
and my follies remember
not, [O Lord] ; According
to Thy mercy remember
Thou me : For Thy good-
ness' sake, O Lord.
8. Good and upright is
the Lord : Therefore will-
He - instruct sinners in the
way.
9. He-will-guide the meek
in judgment : He-will-teach
the meek His ways.
10. All the ways of the
Lord are mercy and truth :
To such-as-seek His testa-
ment (covenant) and His
testimonies.
11. For Thy Name's
sake, O Lord, wilt-Thou-be-
merciful to my sin ; for it is
great.
8o
PSALM 24 (25).
12. (Mem). Who is the
man that fears YaHW^H?
Him shall-He instruct in the
way he-should-choose.
13. (Nun). His soul shall-
dwell in good (i.e., pros-
perity) : And his seed shall-
inherit the land.
14. (Samekh). The coun-
sel of YrtHWcH is with
them-that-fear Him : And
[He is] for-making-them-to-
know His covenant.
15. (A-yin). Mine eyes
are continually toward YH" :
For He shall-pluck my feet
out of the net.
16. (Pe). Turn-Thee to
me, and be-gracious to me :
For desolate and afflicted
am I.
17. (T sad he). The
troubles of my heart are-
enlarged : From my straits
bring-Thou me out.
18. (Resh). Consider mine
affliction and my travail :
And forgive all my sins.
19. (Resh). Consider mine
enemies, for they-are-many :
And they-hate me with
violent hatred. (Lit., hatred
of violence.)
20. (Shin). Keep my soul,
and deliver me : Let me nol
be ashamed for I - take -
refuge in Thee.
21. (Tav). Let integrity
12. Who is the man that
fears the Lord ? He-shall-
instruct him in the way he
(He ?) has-chosen.
13. His soul shall-dwell in
prosperity : And his seed
shall-inherit the land.
14. The Lord is the stay
of them-that-fear Him : And
His covenant is for their
enlightenment. Or, is to
make this plain to them.
15. Mine eyes are con-
tinually to the Lord : For
He shall-pluck my feet out
of the snare.
16. Look upon me, and
have-mercy on me : For I
am lonely and poor.
17. The troubles of my
heart are-multiplied : From
my straits do-Thou-deliver
me.
18. Consider mine afflic-
tion and my travail : And
forgive all my sins.
19. Consider mine ene-
mies, for they are many :
And they - hate me with
unjust hatred.
20. Keep my soul, and
deliver me: Let me not be
ashamed, for 1-put my trust
in Thee.
21. The guileless and up-
PSALM 24 (25). 8l
and uprightness preserve right cleave to me : For I-
me : For I-wait on Thee. have-waited for Thee.
22. (Pe). Redeem Israel, 22. Redeem Israel, 0
O God : Out of all his God : Out of all his afflic-
troubles. tions.
The records of David's life afford no indication of a definite
occasion for this Psalm. It is an acrostic, or alphabetical Psalm,
an incomplete specimen whereof has been met with in Ps. ix.
(9 and 10 in the Hebrew text). Of the six other alphabetical
Psalms, xxxiii. (34), xxxvi. (37), ex. (in), cxi. (112), cxviii. (119),
cliv. (145), ex., cxi., and cxviii. are the only ones in which the
system is so strictly adhered to that every letter is represented by
a verse, or clause, or group of verses. The same system is
closely followed in Proverbs xxxi. 10 — 31, and in Lamentations
i. — iv. Waw (or vdv) is omitted, unless indeed we assume as
probable that the copulative " and teach me " in v. 5 represents
this letter, as also in Ps. xxxiii. (34) 6. In Biblical Hebrew, at
least, v, the copulative conjunction and vavim ( = hooks) are the
only words beginning with Vdv, or Waw. Qpph (a) is left out at
v. 18, which, with v. 19, begins with Resh { = r). The last verse
with Pe (p) for initial may be a ritual addition of later date. The
Psalm consists of a plaint and prayer for aid in troublous times,
a prayer grounded on the poet's consciousness of his fidelity, and
the firm conviction, here and there expressed, that Providence
awards peace and prosperity to the godly.
v. 1. "I-lift-up," in text, " I-carry to Thee," implying separation,
emancipation from worldly attachments, and self-surrender to
God. v. 3. " Faithless," who deal treacherously with their fellows,
hence, "transgressors." v. 5. "Truth," i.e., the Law, a prayer
for that inward light and inspiration needed for the due fulfilment
of the Divine behests. v. 6. "Of old," either from the begin-
ning of the Poet's life, or from that of Israel's history as a nation,
v. 7. " Transgressions," the corresponding word in text seems to
imply misdeeds less venial than the follies, the frailties, " the
ignorances " {i.e., " the sins of ignorance ") of LXX. and Vulgate.
"Remember Thou me," "Thou" emphatically expressed in
text ; " Thou, who art revealed to us as the Merciful, the
G
82 . PSALM 24 (25).
Compassionate." v. 8. " Way," " judgment," " testimony,"
" covenant," the several designations of the Law, as in Ps. cxviii.
(iiq). v. 10. "Truth," or faithfulness to promises. v. 11.
Possibly "[Act Thou] for Thy Name's sake;" "so shalt
Thou " (or in precative sense, " So do Thou ") " forgive," &c.
" For it is great," here as in parallel text (Jer. xiv. 7), " For " =
"because," not "though." v. 12. "He should choose," "He"
= the God-fearing man, but Targum and LXX. understand it of
God, a defensible rendering — " The way wherewith He is well-
pleased." v. 13. "Shall dwell at ease" (so Revised Version):
lit., " in good." " Inherit (possess) the land " promised to their
Fathers, bestowed on Israel as an heritage (Lev. xxv. 23) ; under
condition of obedience to the Law ; else, they were to be driven
from it. So, " inherit the land " is equivalent to having God's
favour and blessing, in a word, to be happy (cf. St. Matt. v. 4).
v. 14. "Secret," i.e., the familiar converse of the Lord is
enjoyed by His faithful worshippers, they possess His confidence.
"And [He is] for making them to know His covenant" (so
literally) ; or, " His worshippers possess His confidence and His
covenant for their instruction," i.e., to impart to them supernatural
knowledge ; or, again, " His covenant " (i.e., He has bound
Himself by promise) "to instruct them." LXX. have read y'sodli
(foundation, base), and render it "strength;" Aquila, apbrrheeton
( = secret); Symmachus, mysteerion (mystery, secret); Theodotion,
homilia (assembly), v. 16. "Desolate," quite alone, solitary.
LXX. wrongly here, and Ps. xxi. (22) 21, monogenees (^only-
begotten, only child). v. 17. Another admissible rendering:
"The troubles of my heart do Thou enlarge ( = expand, i.e.,
relieve) ; and from my straits bring Thou me out." Or, " Anguish
is my heart, relieve Thou it; From my straits," &c. v. 21.
St. Jerome, "Simplicitas et sequitas servabunt me" ( = Single-
mindedness and fair dealing shall preserve me). LXX. render
abstract by the concrete, which is hardly consistent with the
"desolate" of v. 16. v. 22. Cf. l's. xwiii. (34) 23; exxix.
(130) 8.
PSALM 25 (26).
83
PSALM 25 (26).
1. To David. Right me,
YaHWeH, for I have -
walked in mine integrity :
In YH" have I also trusted,
[therefore,] may I not totter
(or, I shall-not totter).
2. Examine me, Y<?H-
W^H, and try me : Test-as-
with-fire my reins and my
heart.
3. For Thy loving-kind-
ness is before mine eyes :
And I-walk in Thy truth.
4. I - have - not - sat with
men of falsehood (i.e., false
persons) : And I-will not-
go-in with concealed-ones
(i.e., crafty men, hypocrites).
5. I-hate the assembly of
evil-doers : And with the
wicked I will not sit.
6. I-will-wash my hands
in innocency : So will-I-com-
pass Thine altar, YaHWVH ;
7. To - make-to-be- heard
the voice of thanksgiving :
And to tell all Thy won-
drous-deeds.
8. YrtHW^H, Move the
habitation of Thy house :
And the dwelling-place of
Thy glory.
g. Take not away my soul
PSALM 25 (26).
1. For the end. A Psalm
of David. Judge me, O
Lord, for I have-walked in
mine innocence : And
hoping in the Lord, I shall
not succumb.
2. Prove me, O Lord, and
try me : Purify-as-with-fire
my reins and my heart.
3. For Thy mercy is be-
fore mine eyes : And I-
delight in Thy truth.
4. I have not sat with the
council of vanity : Neither
will-I-go-in with wrong-
doers.
5. I-hate the assembly of
wicked-doers : And with the
ungodly I will not sit.
6. I-will-wash my hands
among the innocent : And
will-compass Thine altar, O
Lord ;
7. That I-may-hear the
voice of praise : And may-
declare all Thy wondrous-
works.
8. Lord, I-love the beauty
of Thy house : And the
dwelling-place of Thy glory.
9. Destroy not my soul,
84 PSALM 25 (26).
with sinners : Nor my life O God, together with the
with bloody men ; ungodly : Nor my life with
bloodthirsty men ;
10. In whose hands is 10. In whose hands are
wickedness : Their right- iniquities : Their right-hand
hand is-full of bribes. is-filled with bribes.
11. But I, may-I-walk in 11. But I have-walked in
mine integrity : Redeem me, mine innocence : Redeem
and be-gracious to me. me, and be-merciful to me.
12. My foot stands in an 12. My foot stands in an
even-place : In the assem- even place : In the assem-
blies will-I-bless YaHWt'H. blies will-I-bless [Thee], O
Lord.
Thalhofer refers this Psalm to the time of Saul's persecution.
It may, however, be fairly urged that the mention of the hypocrisy
and bribery of the wicked faction (vv. 4, 10), to whom he stands
opposed, point rather to the rebellion of Absalom, to his currying
popular favour (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) xv. 6), while vv. 6, 7 remind
one of the despondent terms of David's address to Sadoc, when
about to take flight. The diction of this Psalm shows some
slight resemblance to Ps. xxiv. (25) and the following, and
grounds a probability that they are the work of the same poet.
v. 1. "Judge," i.e., vindicate my right, "right me." "Totter,"
cither a future of confidence, or Optative. Codex Vatican, of LXX.
i' ads on mecsalevthd (I shall not be moved), other Codd. read, con-
formably to Vulgate, on nice astheneeso (I shall not be faint), i.e.,
my cause will prevail before Thy judgment; I shall not be defeated,
non-suited, v. 2. " Prove," " Examine," mayhap, by tribulation.
"Test," "try as with fire;" the verb in text means "melting,
lining precious metals by fire," hence, "proving," "testing,"
"purifying." "Reins," the seat of the affections; "Heart," the
centre of the higher spiritual life. v. 3. "I walk," I fashion
my conduct after the kindness and fidelity to promises that
characterize God's dealings. In Psalm i. 1, we have seen that
"walk," "sit," "go in," apply to conduct, v. 4. "Concealed-
ones," cloaking their evil designs under high-sounding pretences,
v. 6. "Wash," cf. Deut. wi. 0; St. Malt, xxvii. 24; a token of
guiltlessness. As is well known, vv. 6 — 12 are recited by the
PSALM 26 (27). 85
celebrant of the Divine Liturgy, at the washing of the fingers,
after the oblation of the elements. St. Cyril of Jerusalem
(Cateches. Mystagog. v.) observes, "This betokens that ye should
be cleansed from all sins, and stains ; since, as by the hands are
meant our doings, the washing thereof fitly denotes the purity of
our actions." " Compass," in the language of the Talmud and
in Rabbinical diction.1 This verb means sitting, reclining at table,
and may well be taken here to express reclining at a banquet
round the altar, on what remained of a thankoffering. Observe
the contrast between " the assembly of evil-doers " and the godly
worshippers with whom the Poet reclines round the altar, v. 7.
Or, "that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving," &c. ;
LXX., "To hear," perhaps more correctly. v. 8. "Beauty,"
the ornaments, and costly furniture that render the Tabernacle a
meet dtvelling for God ; well expressed by LXX., evprepeian
(becoming appearance). " Glory," the Sh'-khinah, or manifesta-
tion of the Divine Majesty. v. 9. Gesenius (Hebr. Lex. s.v.)
gives "take away," "destroy," as another of its meanings. " Gather
not my soul" ( = my person), &c, let me not be involved in the
fate awaiting those described here, and in v. 10. " Bloody men,"
lit., "men of bloods." v. n. "Redeem," cf. Ps. xxiv. (25), 22;
i.e., "Deliver me [from that fate]." v. 12. "Even-place" = in
security ; a place free from cliffs and precipices.
PSALM 26 (27). PSALM 26 (27).
1. To David. YtfHW-jH 1. [A Psalm] of David,
is my light and my salva- [before he was anointed],
tion ; of whom shall-I-be- The Lord is my light and
afraid? YH" is the strong- my salvation; whom shall-
hold of my life ; at whom I-fear ? The Lord is the
shall-I-tremble ? protector of my life ; before
whom shall-I-tremble ?
2. When evil-doers drew- 2. When evil-doers drew-
nigh against me to eat my nigh against me to eat up
flesh, mine adversaries, and my flesh : Mine enemies that
1 Cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xvi. 11 ; Cant. i. 12 {mesabh— couch, triclinium).
86
PSALM 26 (27).
my foes to me : They it is
that stumbled and fell.
3. Were an army to en-
camp against me, my heart
would not fear ; Though
war should-rise-up against
me : In spite of this I would-
feel-safe.
4. One [thing] have I
asked of Y^HW^H, that
will-I-seek-after ; That I-
may-dwell in the house of
YH" all the days of my life :
To gaze upon the glory of
YH", and to survey His
Temple.
5. For He-hides me in
His place-of-covert, in the
evil time ; In the secret-part
of His tabernacle He-con-
ceals me : On a rock He-
sets me up.
6. And now shall my head
be - lifted - up above mine
enemies round about me ;
And I-will-sacrifice in His
Tabernacles sacrifices of
trumpet-sound : I-will-sing,
yea, I-will-chant-psalms to
YaHWeU.
7. Hear, Y^rHW^H, my
voice, I cry - aloud : Be-
gracious also to me, and
answer me.
8. To Thee has my heart
said, Seek-ye My face : Thy
face, YH", will-I-seek
afflict me. They themselves
fainted and fell.
3. Though an army were-
set-in-array against me, my
heart shall not be afraid ;
Though war were-to-rise-up
against me : In this will-I
trust, [am-I-confident]
4. One [thing] have-I-
asked of the Lord, that will-
I-earnestly-seek ; that I-
may-dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my
life : That I-may-behold the
pleasantness of the Lord,
and survey His Temple.
5. For He-hides me in
His Tabernacle : In the day
of troubles He-shelters me
in the secret-part of His
Tabernacle ;
6. On a rock He-sets me
up ; And now He-has-lifted-
up my head over mine
enemies. I-went-round and
offered in His Tabernacle
the sacrifice of shouting : I-
will-sing, even sing-a-psalm
to the Lord.
7. Hear, O Lord, my
voice wherewith I-cry [to
Thee ; ] Have-mercy on me,
and hearken to me.
8. My heart said to Thee,
My face has - earnestly -
sought Thee : Thy face, O
Lord, I-will-seek.
PSALM 26 (2;). 8/
9. Hide not Thy face from 9. Turn not Thy face
me ; Repel not Thy servant away from me ; Turn not
in anger; Thou-hast-been away from Thy servant in
my help : Cast me not off, anger ; Be Thou my helper,
neither forsake me, O God forsake me not, neither over-
of my salvation. look me, O God my Saviour.
10. Should my father and 10. For my father and
my mother forsake me : Yet my mother have - forsaken
YaHWeH would-take-me- me : But the Lord has -
up (i.e., adopt). taken me up.
1 1 . Teach me Thy way, 1 1 . Teach me in Thy
YH" ; And guide me in a way, O Lord ; And guide
plain path : Because of mine me into a right path : Be-
enemies. cause of mine enemies.
12. Give me not up to 12. Deliver me not over
the desire of mine adver- to the desires of them-that-
saries : For false witnesses afflict me : For unjust wit-
are-risen-up against me, and nesses are-risen-up against
the breather-out of cruelty me, and injustice has-lied to
(violence). herself.
13. [I should have lost all 13. I-believe that I-shall-
hope] Unless I-had-believed see the good-things of the
[it would be given me] to Lord in the land of the
see the goodness of YH" in living.
the land of the living.
14. Wait on YflHW^H ; 14. Wait on the Lord;
Be-firm, and let thy heart Be of good courage, and let
take-courage : Yea, wait- thy heart be-strengthened :
thou on YaHW^H. Yea, wait on the Lord.
This Psalm falls into three divisions. (1) Hope in God,
though hemmed in by foes (vv. 1 — 3). (2) Yearning to take
refuge in the Sanctuary (vv. 4 — 6). (3) Prayer for deliverance
(vv. 7 — 14). From v. 4 Aben Ezra infers that David wrote this
Psalm in his old age, cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) xxi. 17. The Vulgate
addition to Title is to be met with in some copies of LXX.
Codex Vatican., for instance, v. 1. " Light," as darkness often
stands for adversity, the Deliverer is regarded as the " Light " of
88 PSALM 26 (2;).
him he rescues, cf. Mich. vii. 8; Isai. lx. 1. v. 2. "Mine
adversaries, and my foes to me ( = even mine)." " To me "
denotes the transit, or passing on of enmity to its object, an Arabic
idiom, no mere pleonasm. "Eat flesh," in Syriac, means "to
accuse," " to slander." v. 4. " One-thing," unafn (LXX., mian\
Fern, for Neuter, lost in the Shemitic languages (if they ever had
it). "Pleasantness," "brightness," "beauty," "grace," "favour,"
so Gesenius (sub voce, no "am). He renders it, " the glory of YH."
It may mean, either the majesty of Divine worship, or may imply,
"enjoying His favour." "Visit," "survey," St. Jerome, " Et
attendam templum ejus " ( = and that I may contemplate His
Temple). A now discarded Rabbinical gloss was, "to attend
early." " To gaze with delight on," " To meditate [on the mani-
festation of God's presence] in the Temple," are possibly what
is meant, v. 5. Like a man secreting a fugitive in the recesses
of his tent, or dwelling. " For " connects this with v. 4, gives
the reason of the Poet's yearning, in that he knows that, as a
friend of God, he will be protected ( = delivered) from all peril.
v. 6. " Round about me." LXX. read instead of the preposition
in text, the verb with which they begin the next clause. Thus
rendered, " went around " may have the same ritual sense as in
the foregoing Psalm, v. 6. "I will compass," &c. "Trumpet-
sound," jubilation, cf. Num. x. 10. v. 8. This somewhat obscure
clause may perhaps be paraphrased : " In my distress my heart
( = conscience) reminds me of Thy precept," " Seek ye My face
( = Presence) ;"— " That will I seek." LXX. (Codex Vatican.),
Old Itala, " I have diligently sought Thy face ; " the Complu-
tensian Polyglot and Aldine, as also Symmachus, as in Vulgate
(Symm. ezeetei, sought) ; St. Jerome, " My face has sought ; "
" Quaesivit vultus meus ;" Targum, "Seek thou My face, Thy face,
YH", will I seek." v. 12. "Breather-out of violence" (cruelty);
Gesenius, " breathing-out wickedness ; " St. Jerome, " et apertum
mendacium " ( a barefaced lie). LXX. read the Participle
("breathing-out") as the personal verb, in the sense of " uttering,"
in accordance with the context (" false witnesses," ///., " witnesses
of falsehood "), and drew the lu (the first syllable of the next
verse, l//le, unless) to v. 12, to complete the sense; lu (to itself)
= heavleci, sibi. v. 13. The text plainly needs supplementing,
PSALM 27 (28).
89
either at the beginning, or at the end, by some such phrase as
["I had been undone"], ["I had lost all hope] — unless," &c.
It is also suggested that the lule may be equivalent to "if" in
Psalm xciv. (95) 11, ("If they should enter," &c.), and serve
as the formula of an oath, or of a strong asseveration, or denial.
LXX., St. Jerome, and Vulgate drop the negative altogether.
PSALM 2; (28).
1. To David. To Thee,
YaHW^H, do-I-call ; My
Rock, be not silent from
me ; Lest Thou-be-silent
from me : And I-become-
like them-that-go-down into
the pit.
2. Hear the voice of my
supplications, when I-cry to
Thee : When I-lift-up my
hands toward Thine inner-
most-sanctuary.
3. Draw me not away
with the wicked, and with
the workers of iniquity ;
Who speak peace with their
neighbours : But evil is in
their hearts.
4. Give to them according
to their work, and according
to the wickedness of their
deeds ; According to the
work of their hands give to
them. Render their requit-
ing to them.
5. Because they attend
not to the works of
PSALM 2; (28).
1. A Psalm of David him-
self. To Thee, O Lord,
have-I-cried ; My God, turn
not away silently from me ;
Lest Thou being-silent to-
ward me : So I-should-be-
likened to them-that-go-
down to the pit.
2. Hearken, [O Lord,] to
the voice of my supplication,
when I-pray to Thee :
When I-lift-up my hands
toward Thy holy Temple.
3. Draw me not away
with sinners, and [destroy]
me not] with the workers of
iniquity ; Who speak peace
with their neighbour : But
evils are in their hearts.
4. Give them according
to their works, and accord-
ing to the malignity of their
devices ; Give them accord-
ing to the works of their
hands : Render their recom-
pense to them.
5. Because they have not
attended to the works of
go PSALM 27 (28).
YaHWcH ; nor to the the Lord, even to the works
operation of His hands : of His hands : Thou-shalt-
May-He-break them down, pull them down, and shalt
and not build them up (i.e., not build them up.
rebuild them).
6. Blessed be YH" : Be- 6. Blessed be the Lord:
cause He - has - heard the Because He-has-hearkened
voice of my supplications. to the voice of my petition.
7. YH" is my strength 7. The Lord is my helper,
and my shield ; In Him and my defender ; In Him
does my heart trust, and I- does my heart trust, and I-
am-helped ; Therefore my am helped ; Therefore has
heart rejoices-exceedingly : my flesh revived : And wil-
And with my song will-I- lingly will-I-give-thanks to
praise Him. Him.
8. YH" is their strength 8. The Lord is the
{rather, a strength to His strength of His people :
people) : And a fortress of And the saving protector of
protection to His anointed is His anointed.
He.
9. Save Thy people, and 9. Save Thy people, [O
bless Thine inheritance : Lord], and bless Thine in-
And be-a-shepherd to them, heritance : Rule them also,
and lift them up for ever and lift them up for ever,
(bear them up for ever).
The ascription, or Title, is confirmed by the vv. 8, 9,
"Anointed," and by the Poet's identifying his cause with that
of God's people. The Psalm may be referred to the time of
Absalom's revolt. v. 1. "Lest, Thou being silent." "Pit,"
Hades, the grave, the nether world — the Poet's life is threatened,
v. 2. "Sanctuary," Aquila, Symmachus, and St. Jerome {"oraathtm"
oracle) derive the corresponding word (d'bhlr) from dibber (he
spoke). LXX. nabn ( - temple) is preferable, as the word is
connected with Arab, dubr (hinder - part), i.e., the west end of
the Tabernacle, or Temple, where the Most Holy Place (Holy
of Holies) was situate. "Toward," in worshipping, he faces
the place specially hallowed by the token of God's Presence.
PSALM 28 (29).
91
v. 3. " Draw me not " [into destruction] " with the wicked,"
i.e., his foes, who are described in the foregoing Psalm ; cf.
Ps. xxv. (26) 9, 10. v. 4. " Deal with them as they have dealt
with me," cf. Ps. cxxxvi. (137) 8, where it is more fully developed,
v. 5. As "building up" is a frequent Scriptural term for posterity,
this verse implies the extirpation of the race of those here
mentioned, v. 7. LXX. and Vulgate, "My flesh . . . flourished
anew," a variant which points to a divergent reading in the text
of the Alexandrian translators. "With my song," lit., "from (by
means of) my song." v. 8. " Their strength," the present
reading is Idmd, "their;" by inserting another m, we get I'ammo,
" to His people," which is supported by LXX., and corresponds
to v. 11 of next Psalm, v. 9. "Shepherd," feed, pasture =
poimanon of LXX.
PSALM 28 (29).
1. A Psalm, to David.
Ascribe to YrtHW^H, ye
sons of gods (i.e., angels ?) :
Ascribe to YH" glory, and
might.
2. Ascribe to YH" the
glory of (i.e., due to) His
Name : Bow-down to YH"
in vesture of holiness (in
holy vestments) — in holy
attire (array).
3. The voice of YH" is
upon the waters ; The 'El
(God) of glory thunders :
YH" is upon waters many
(great, mighty).
4. The voice of YH" is in
power (i.e., powerful) : The
voice of YH" is in majesty
(i.e., full of majesty).
PSALM 28 (29).
1. A Psalm to David [for
the close of the feast of
Tabernacles]. Bring to the
Lord, ye sons of God ;
[Bring to the Lord young
rams ; ]
2. Bring to the Lord glory
and honour ; Bring to the
Lord the glory [due] to His
Name : Worship the Lord
in His holy court
3. The voice of the Lord
is upon the waters ; The
God of majesty thunders :
The Lord is upon many
waters.
4. The voice of the Lord
is mighty : The voice of the
Lord is full of majesty.
92
PSALM 28 (29).
5. The voice of YH"
shatters cedars : Yea, YH"
shatters the cedars of
L'bhanon.
6. He makes them also
to skip like a calf •. Lebanon
and Sir'yon like a young
buffalo.
7. The voice of YH"
cleaves the flames of fire.
8. The voice of YH"
shakes the desert ; Ya-H-
VJeH shakes the desert of
Qadesh.
9. The voice of YH"
makes hinds to calve, and
strips the woods bare : And
in His temple, each-thing
thereto belonging says,
" Glory."
10. YaHWeH took-His-
seat for the Flood : Yea,
YH" sits King for ever (as
King for ever).
1 1. YaHWt'H will - give
strength to His people •.
YH" will-bless His people
with peace.
5. ['Tis] the voice of the
Lord shattering the cedars :
Yea, the Lord shatters the
cedars of Libanus.
6. He also beats them
small like a calf of Libanus :
And the beloved is as a
young unicorn.
7. I 'Tis] the voice of the
Lord dividing a flame of
fire ;
8. A voice of the Lord
who shakes the desert : Yea,
the Lord shakes the desert
of Cades.
9. The voice of the Lord
who prepares the hinds [to
calve], and lays-bare the
thickets : And in His temple
every-one says, " Glory."
10. The Lord made the
Flood His dwelling : And
the Lord will-sit a King for
ever.
11. The Lord will-give
strength to His people : The
Lord will-bless His people
with peace.
The addition to the Title ["for the close," &c] seems to
have been wanting in Origen's Hexapla, and St. Jerome omits
it in his version. Still, most of the Creek Fathers accept it.
Thalhofer agrees with the view of Delitzsch, who, on very slight
grounds, explains this addition as implying that this Psalm was sung
on the last day of the feast of Tabernacles (I .XX., Levit. xxiii. 36,
exbdion). Bui in the [.resent use of the Synagogue, Ps. lxiy. (65)
is the proper Psalm for the octave-day of Tabernacles, while the
PSALM 28 (29). 93
present Psalm is sung on Pentecost, i.e., the fiftieth day after the
15th of Nisan, on which the Giving of the Law is commemorated.
The accompaniments of the Sinaitic Theophany, as recorded in
Exod. xix. 16; xx. 18; xxiv. 17, show that this Psalm, the theme
of which is the might of God made manifest in the thunder-
storm (" The voice of the Lord "), is most appropriate for the
occasion. This addition may, perhaps, refer to some unknown
peculiarity of the Alexandrian Synagogue ritual. The Psalm falls
into three parts: (1) vv. 1 — 3, "Gloria in exce/sis," "Ye angels
of the Lord bless the Lord." (2) vv. 3 — 9, subdivided into three
strophes : [a) vv. 3, 4, the distant rumbling, and bursting forth
of the storm ; (/;) vv. 5 — 7, the northern mountain range is
shaken by the crash of the thunder-peals ; (c) passing over
Palestine, the storm exhausts its fury on the southern deserts
(vv. 8, 9). (3) The thunder-shower, suggesting a retrospective
glance at the Flood. " He who opened the cataracts of heaven is
still enthroned as King, at whose will, strength and peace shall
be bestowed on the people of His predilection " — Pax hominibus.
v. 1. "Sons of gods" = " Sons of God," or "Sons of the
mighty," interpreted by most ancient commentators of " the
mighty ones," the rulers of the earth. By Targum, and by most
modern authorities, understood to mean the " Angelic hosts ; "
cf. Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 6. It can also mean " sons of rams "
( = young rams), hence, to shirk the difficulty, LXX. and Vulgate
combine the two meanings, v. 2. "Vesture" — holy vestments,
festal, or priestly garb. "Glorious Sanctuary" were admissible.
LXX. take it to mean the magnificent dwelling wherein the
Holy One abides, and translate accordingly. vv. 3 — 9. " The
voice of the Lord " (the thunder), repeated seven times (cf. Apoc.
x. 3, foil.), so, too, the Incommunicable Name. The rise,
progress, and ravages of the storm, here attributed to the
thunder, are now described. " The waters," the storm-clouds ;
as may be seen, the lightning is considered as a mere adjunct
to the thunder, v. 4. The bursting of the storm. " In power,"
"in majesty" (cf. Ps. Ixxvi. (77) 14, "in holiness"), i.e., is
"powerful," "full of majesty," "is holy," so too St. Luke iv. 32,
en exousia ( = "with authority," authoritative); Apoc. xviii. 2.
v. 6. The divergence of LXX. from the present text may be
94 PSALM 28 (29).
accounted for by the slight difference (in Hebrew script) between
yai>qidh (he caused to leap, to tremble) of the text, as it now
stands, and yidhiq (" he shall crush," " beat small "), between
fr-qydh and y'dnyq, before the introduction of vowel-points.
"Sirion" (in text, Sir'ydn, Shir'yon), cf. Deut. iii. 9, the Sidonian
name of Mount Hermon, from its fancied resemblance to a
breast-plate, cf. 6capa$ ( = thorax, a breast-plate), a mountain of
Magnesia so-called. The name may have been suggested by the
glittering snow-capped summit of Hermon. LXX. read yeshurun
(the pet name of the chosen race), by metathesis; and here, as
elsewhere, render it " beloved," " Son of unicorns," i.e., a young
unicorn, to be rendered "a young wild ox," "a young buffalo."
Thalhofer suggests the following gloss on the reading of LXX. :
" God, in His might, shatters the cedars of Libanus, ' breaks
them small,' as easily as He could destroy a young horned
animal grazing on that range : but for all that, or, because He
is able to destroy whatever is mightiest, Israel, His beloved,
strengthened by Him, abides firm and unmoved. The animal
(unicorn, buffalo) here mentioned cannot be brought under the
yoke, and is famed for its strength" (cf. Job xxxix. 9 — n).
v. 7. "Cleaves," makes the lightnings to appear broken, to go
zig-zag, sends forked lightning shafts. vv. 8, 9. The storm
bursts forth in the northern mountain-range, it sweeps over
Palestine, and its fury is spent over the desert of Cades in the
south. "Cades" (so Vulgate) included in the desert of Sin, or
/in, and the most savage part of the Arabian waste, N.W. of the
desert of Pharan (Numb, xxvii. 14; xxxiii. 36). v. 9. "Hinds
to calve," they drop their young through terror. Lowe and
Jennings suggest another rendering, on somewhat plausible
grounds, and which the parallelism seems to require: "The
voice . . . makes the trees to shake," or, "shakes the trees, and
strips the woods [of their foliage]," or, "strips them by barking
or destroying die trees." Targum, "obliges the hinds to bring
forth." "Temple": the universe. v. 10. Loth Latin and
('■reek Codices oscillate between " dwells " and " makes-to-dwell;"
SS. Augustine, Ambrose, with Arnobius and the Roman Psalter,
adopt the former, St. Jerome takes both. Thalhofer's opinion is
that the original reading of LXX. was dwells {katoikei), and that
PSALM 29 (30).
95
the present reading {katoikiei, "makes to dwell") is due to a
mystic reference of the verse to the waters of Baptism, the
habitable, comfortable (wohnlich) stream. The sense seems to
be that God manifested Himself as Judge and King at (at the
time of?) the Flood, and remains such for evermore, v. n.
God will strengthen His people, who will be thus free from
attacks from without — -"peace." It may further imply strength
to resist evil, and so bless them with " peace."
PSALM 29 (30).
1. A Psalm, a Song for
the Dedication of the house ;
to David.
2. I - will - extol Thee,
YtfHW^H, for Thou-hast-
raised (drawn) me up : And
hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me.
3. YH", 'Elohay (i.e., my
God) : I-cried to Thee, and
Thou-hast-healed me.
4. YtfHW^H, Thou-hast-
brought-up my soul from
Sheol : Thou-hast-kept-me-
alive [thus separating me]
from those-that-go-down to
the pit.
5. Sing-praises to YH",
ye pious-ones of His : And
give-thanks to the memorial
of His holiness (Exod. iii.
15) (i.e., to His holy me-
morial [Name]).
6. For [there is] a mo-
ment in His wrath, Life in
His favour ; In the eventide
PSALM 29 (30).
1. A Psalm and Song at
the dedication of the house,
— of David.
2. I-will-exalt Thee, O
Lord, for Thou-hast-lifted
me up : And hast not caused
mine enemies to rejoice over
me.
3. O Lord, my God : I-
cried to Thee, and Thou-
hast-healed me.
4. O Lord, Thou - hast
brought-up my soul from the
nether-world : Thou-hast-
delivered me from [among]
those-that-go-down to the
pit.
5. Sing - psalms to the
Lord, ye saints of His : And
give - thanks to His holy
Memorial.
6. For anger is in His
wrath, but life in His
favour ; At even weeping
96
PSALM 29 (30).
weeping may - come - in - to
lodge, but at morn [there
is] a shout-of-joy.
7. As for me, I said in my
prosperity : " I shall never
be moved."
8. Y^HW^H, of Thy
favour Thou-hadst-estab-
lished my mountain in
strength : Thou-didst-hide
Thy face ; I-was-troubled.
9. [Then] I-cried to Thee,
YH" ; And to 'Adonay [my
Lord] I-made-supplication :
10. What profit is there
in my blood, when I-go-
down to the pit ? Shall the
dust praise Thee ? Can it
declare Thy truth ?
1 1 . YH", hear, and be-
gracious to me : YH", be-
Thou my helper.
1 2. Thou - didst - change
for me my mourning into
dancing : Thou-didst-loose
my sack-cloth : And didst-
gird me with gladness ;
13. That [my] glory
might-sing-praise to Thee,
and net be silent :
YrrHWtfH, my God, for ever
will-I-give-tlmnks to Thee.
may-take-up-its abode, but
at morn there shall be glad-
ness.
7. As for me, I said in my
prosperity : " I shall never
be moved."
8. Lord, in Thy good-
pleasure, Thou-hadst-added
strength to my beauty ; But
Thou-didst-turn-away Thy
face, and I-was-troubled.
9. [Then] to Thee, O
Lord, I-cried : And to my
God I-made-supplication.
10. What profit is there
in my blood, when I - go -
down to destruction? Shall
dust praise Thee? Or can
it declare Thy truth ?
1 1 . The Lord heard, and
took-pity on me : The Lord
is-become my helper.
12. Thou - didst - change
for me my mourning into
joy ; Thou-hast-rent-off my
sackcloth : And hast-girded
me with gladness ;
13. That my glory may-
sing-praise to Thee, and that
1 be not pricked [with re-
morse : ] O Lord my God,
for ever will-I-give-thanks
to Thee.
Prescinding from the statement in the Title, this Psalm is
plainly a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance from malignant
foes, such as are described in Pss. xxiv. (25), xxvii. (28). Aben
Ezra opines that David wrote this I'salm for the dedication of
PSALM 30 (31). 9;
his house, on his recovery from illness. But one word ("healed,"
in v. 3) gives countenance to this view, and it is at times used
for deliverance from straits (Ps. vi. 3 ; Jerem. xvii. 14). Its
reference to Areuna's threshing-floor [pace Thalhofer), is hardly
borne out by its tone, or contents. All that may be gathered
from the Title is that David was held to be the author, and that,
on some occasion, for " the Dedication of the House." The
most noted clinukkath hab-bayith (dedication of the house) is the
reconsecration of the Temple, under Judas Machabeus, in
memory whereof Kisleu 24, with an octave (mentioned by
St. John x. 22), has been kept ever since. It is likely that this
part of the Title is merely an indication of the ritual use of this
Psalm for the occasion of this commemoration. The persecution
avenged by the Machabaean victories, and the solemn reconcilia-
tion of the whilom profaned Sanctuary, account for the selection
of this Psalm, with its tone of grateful, yet humble joy.
v. 2. " Raised," primarily the verb denotes the drawing up
of a bucket out of a well. It fitly figures deliverance from " the
pit." v. 3. A pregnant construction ; cf. Ps. xxvii. (28) 1.
v. 5. "To His Holy Memorial [Name]," i.e., "to His Holy
Name." v. 6. The parallelism requires, " His anger [lasts] but
a moment, His favour for a lifetime." v. 8. " Mountain," the
stronghold of Mount Sion (?). LXX., "Beauty," "glory," having
read hadKry ( = my beauty) instead of har'ry ( = my mountain) ;
D and R are easily confounded in Hebrew script. v. 10.
" Blood " shows that the Poet had escaped a violent death.
v. 12. "Sackcloth," the garb of mourning girded with a rope,
in exchange for which "he is girded with joy." v. 13. "My"
has evidently fallen out of the text, but is retained in LXX.
"Glory," i.e., the immortal soul made after the likeness of God.
" Pricked with remorse, sorrow," so as to be unable to sing, — " to
be silent."
PSALM 30 (31). PSALM 30 (31).
1. To the Chief-Musician; I. For the end, a Psalm
a Psalm, to David. of David, [on his being
beside himself for anguish].
(cf. v. 23.)
H
98
PSALM 30 (31).
2. In Thee, YrtHW*H,
do-I-take-refuge ; let me
never be ashamed : In Thy
justice deliver me.
3. Incline to me Thine
ear ; deliver me speedily :
Be-Thou to me a rock of
defence, and a house of
fortresses, to save me.
4. For my rock and my
fortress art THOU : And for
Thy Name's sake Thou-
wilt-lead me and wilt-guide
me.
5. Thou - wilt - bring me
out of that net they-have-
laid - privily for me : For
THOU art my stronghold.
6. Into Thy hand I-
commend my spirit : Thou-
hast-redeemed me, Y«H-
W^H, 'El (i.e., God) of truth.
(St. Luke xxiii. 46.)
7. I - have - hated (Thou
batest) the worshippers of
vain illusions : But I trust in
YH".
8. I-will-be-glad and re-
joice in Thy mercy ; For
Thou - art - wont - to - have -
consideration for mine afflic-
tion : Thou-hast-taken-cog-
nizance of the distresses of
my soul :
9. And hast not shut me
up into the hand of the
enemy : Thou-hast-set my
feet in a large-place.
2. In Thee, O Lord, do-
I-trust ; let me never be
ashamed : In Thy justice
deliver me.
3. Incline Thine ear to
me ; hasten to rescue me :
Be-Thou to me for a pro-
tecting God, and for a house
of refuge to save me.
4. For my strength and
refuge art THOU : And for
Thy Name's sake Thou-wilt-
lead me and wilt - maintain
me.
5. Thou- wilt-bring me
out of the snare which they-
have-hidden for me : For
Thou art my protector.
6. Into Thy hands I-com-
mend my spirit : Thou-
hast - redeemed me, Lord
God of truth.
7. Thou-hatest them that
idly worship vanities : But
I trust in the Lord ;
8. I-will-be-glad and re-
joice in Thy mercy ; For
Thou - hast - looked - upon
mine affliction : THOU-hast-
saved my soul from dis-
tresses ;
9. And hast not shut me
up into the hands of the
enemy : Thou-hast-set my
feet in a large place.
PSALM 30 (31).
99
10. Be-gracious to me,
YtfHW(?H, for I am in dis-
tress : Mine eye wastes-
away with grief, my soul
and my belly.
11. For my life is-spent
with grief, and my years
with sighing ; My strength
fails because of mine
iniquity : And my bones
are-wasted-away.
12. By reason of all mine
enemies I-am a reproach,
And especially so to my
neighbours, and a fear to
mine acquaintance : They-
that-see me out-of-doors :
Flee from me.
13. I-am-forgotten like a
dead-man out of mind : I-
am like a vessel going-to-
pieces ;
14. For I-have-heard the
slander of many, Fear on
every side ; Taking-counsel
together against me : They-
plot to take my life.
15. But I trusted in Thee,
YH": I-said, "Thou art
my God."
16. In Thy hand are my
times : Deliver me from the
hand of mine enemies, and
from my persecutors.
17. Make Thy face to
shine upon Thy servant :
Save me in Thy loving-
kindness.
10. Have-mercy on me,
O Lord, for I-am-afflicted ;
Mine eye is troubled with
indignation, my soul and my
belly.
11. For my life is-spent
with grief and my years with
groanings ; My strength is
weakened through poverty :
And my bones are troubled.
12. On account of all
mine enemies I-am become
a reproach ; But especially
so to my neighbours, and a
fear to mine acquaintance ;
They-that-saw me out-of-
doors : Fled from me.
13. I-am forgotten like
one-dead out of mind : I-
am become like a broken
vessel ;
14. For I-have-heard the
defaming of many that dwell
round about ; While they-
gathered together against
me : They-devised to take
my life.
15. But I trusted in Thee,
O Lord : I-said, " THOU art
my God."
16. In Thy hands are my
lots : Deliver me from the
hand of mine enemies, and
from them-that-persecute me.
17. Make Thy face to
shine upon Thy servant :
Save me in Thy mercy.
100
PSALM 30 (31).
18. YaHW^H, let me not
be-ashamed ; for I-have-
called-upon Thee : Let the
wicked be-ashamed, let-
them-be-silent in Sheol.
19. Let lying lips be-
dumb ; That speak against
the just man arrogance, with
pride and scorn.
20. How great is Thy
goodness, which Thou-hast
laid-up for them-that-fear
Thee ; [Which] Thou-hast-
wrought for them-that-take-
refuge in Thee, before the
sons of man !
21. Thou-shalt-hide them
in the secret-place of Thy
presence from the plottings
of man ; Thou-shalt-conceal
them in a tent from the strife
of tongues.
22. Blessed be YaHWeH :
For He - has - wondrously -
shown His loving-kindness
to me in a fortified city (lit.,
a city of defence).
23. As for me, I-said in
my perturbation, " I-am-cut-
off from before Thine
eyes ; ' Yet Thou-didst-
hear the voice of my sup-
plications, when I-cried to
Thee.
24. Love YH", all ye His
pious-ones ; YH" preserves
18. O Lord, let me not
be ashamed ; for I-have-
called-upon Thee : Let the
ungodly be ashamed, and
be-led-down to Hades (i.e.,
the grave, the nether-world).
19. Let deceitful lips be-
come speechless, which
speak iniquity against the
just, with pride and scorn.
20. How great is the
abundance of Thy good-
ness, [O Lord,] which Thou-
hast-laid-up for them-that-
fear Thee ! [Which] Thou-
hast-wrought for them that
trust in Thee, in the pre-
sence of the sons of men !
21. Thou-wilt-hide them
in the covert of Thy pre-
sence from the vexation of
men ; Thou-wilt-screen them
in [Thy] tabernacle from the
strife of tongues.
22. Blessed be the Lord :
For He - has - wondrously-
made-manifest His mercy to
me, in a fortified city.
23. But I said in my
terror, " I-am-cast-out from
the sight of Thine eyes ; "
Therefore Thou - hast -
hearkened to the voice of
my supplication, when I-
cried to Thee.
24. Love the Lord, all ye
His saints ; For the Lord
PSALM 30 (31). 101
the faithful : And plentifully seeks for truth : And richly
requites the proud doer. requites proud doers.
25. Be - strong, and let 25. Do manfully, and let
your heart take-courage : your heart be strengthened :
All ye - that - hope in All ye that hope in the
YaHW^H. Lord.
On account of several striking coincidences of diction, and
situation, some critics assign this Psalm to Jeremias. But, as
that Prophet's writings teem with phrases and expressions
borrowed from earlier authors, it may well be that the above-
mentioned points of contact may be accounted for by his having
laid an old Davidic Psalm under contribution. The addition to
the Title (LXX. eks/dseos = oi ecstasy; Vulgate, pro ecstasi=iox
an ecstasy) is wanting in the text, and was to be found in some
few copies of LXX. in the time of Theodoret. There is no trace
of it in the earlier Greek and Latin Psalters. It seems to be an
explanation suggested by v. 23 {in excessu mentis), v. 2 is
repeated almost word for word in Ps. lxxi. (72) 2. "Justice," in
vindication of Thy justice, v. 3. " Rock." As is their wont,
LXX. eschew the metaphor, and render it "God." v. 6.
" Redeemed " refers to former habitual deliverances. " God of
truth," faithful to Thy promises, "God of faithfulness." v. 7.
Save the Chaldean Paraphrase, all the ancient versions read,
" Thou hatest," so too many leading Hebrew scholars. " Obser-
vantes " of Vulgate may here be taken to mean " worshippers ; "
cf. Virgil, Georg. iv. 212, "Observant regem," "Vain illusions,"
false gods, vain emptinesses (cf. Deut. xxxii. 21), or, the wiles,
the superstitious practices of his foes. v. 8. " Consideration,"
epeides in LXX., in the same sense as respexit ( = looked upon,
regarded) of St. Luke i. 48. v. 9. "Shut up into," delivered
over to the power of, &c, cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xxiii. n. These
Preterites may be rendered as consuetudinal Presents, as
expressing the general character of Providential government,
v. 10. "Mine eye," probably "my features are emaciated,
have fallen away through grief, vexation, "anger" — so LXX.,
en thymoi (with indignation). "Myself, my soul and body;"
St. Jerome, " caligavit oculus " ( = mine eye is grown dim).
102 PSALM 31 (32).
v. 11. "Mine iniquity," rendered by LXX. "poverty," misery,
suffering; they reject the notion of guilt. v. 12. "By reason
of" (LXX. para), which may be rendered, as in Vulgate,
" More than all," &c, but bears the meaning given above (cf.
1 Cor. xii. 15, para tofito = " on that account;" "along of that").
v. 13. "Out of mind," lit., "out of heart," St. Jerome and
Vulgate, "a corde" (cf. Italian scordarsi = to forget); "I am
clean forgotten, no more thought of;" cf. Deut. xxxi. 21, "out of
mouth," i.e., " forgotten so as never to be nwitioned? " Going
to pieces," lit., " a perishing vessel," any instrument, or article of
furniture hopelessly worn out. v. 14. "Fear on every side"
— " fear " (in the text ma-ghor = fear, sojourn, an abode), taken
by LXX. in the third signification, v. 15. Better, "I trust,"
"I say." v. 16. " Times," = the divers events, the vicissitudes of
my life (cf. 1 Paral. (Chron.) xxix. 30). vv. 20 — 23. This
plaintive narrative of his gives place to confidence and grateful
anticipation of the Divine interposition on his behalf, v. 20.
"Laid up," lit., "hast hidden," cf. Apoc. ii. 17, "hidden manna."
" Before " (perhaps) — " despite," " under the nose of the sons
of," &c, cf. Ps. xxii. (23) 5. v. 21. "Plottings." St. Jerome,
"a duritia viri " (from the harshness, the oppressiveness of
man) ; ruklisey ( = plottings [?]) occurs only here in the Scriptures.
" In a tent," booth, cot, any shelter. St. Jerome, " in umbra "
(in a shaded place, under cover), v. 22. "Fortified city," a
historical allusion now lost. v. 23. " Cut off." St. Jerome,
"projectus sum" (I am cast forth). "In my haste," " alarm "
( = b }choph 'z/). v. 24. " Faithful," so too St. Jerome, but Gesenius
with LXX., "fidelities," "truths."
PSALM 31 (32). PSALM 31 (32).
1. To David, a Mas'kil. 1. Of David himself [a
Blessed (lit., O the happi- Psalm] of instruction ;
nesses) of him - who - is- Blessed are they whose ini-
exempted from transgres- quities are forgiven, and
sion ; covered [with respect whose sins are covered,
to] sin.
PSALM 31 (32).
IO3
2. Blessed [lit., as above]
is the man to whom
YtfHWVH imputes not ini-
quity : And in whose spirit
there is no guile.
3. While I-kept-silence,
my bones wasted-away :
Through my groaning all
the day long.
4. For day and night Thy
hand was-heavy upon me :
My vital - moisture was -
changed (i.e., dried - up)
[as] with summer droughts.
Selah.
5. I - acknowledged my
sin to Thee, and mine
iniquity I covered (i.e., hid)
not ; I-said, " I-will-confess
my transgressions to
YaHWeH:" And Thou
forgavest the iniquity of my
sin. Selah.
6. Therefore, let every
pious-man pray to Thee,
while Thou mayest be
found ; Surely at the over-
flowing of mighty- waters :
They shall not reach unto
him.
7. THOU art my hiding-
place, fronl trouble Thou-
wilt - preserve me ; With
songs of deliverance wilt-
Thou-compass me about.
Selah.
8. I-will - make - thee-to-
understand, and instruct
2. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord imputes not
sin : And in whose spirit
there is no guile. (Rom
iv. 7.)
3. Because I-was-silent,
my bones grew-old : While
I-groaned all the day long.
4. For day and night Thy
hand was-heavy upon me :
I turned in my misery, while
the thorn was-fastened in
[me].
5. I-acknowledged my sin
to Thee, and mine iniquity
I-covered (i.e., hid) not ; I-
said, " I-will-confess against
myself mine iniquity to the
Lord : " And THOU - for-
gavest mine ungodly sin —
the ungodliness of my sin.
6. Therefore shall every
holy-one pray to Thee in a
fit time ; [As to] the flood
of great waters to him [the
holy-one] only they shall not
come-nigh.
7. Thou art my refuge
from the affliction that com-
passes me about : My joy,
deliver me from them-that-
beset me.
8. I-will-give thee under-
standing, and instruct thee
/
104
PSALM 31 (32).
thee in that way wherein
thou - shalt - walk : I - will-
counsel [thee,] Mine eye
shall be upon thee (i.e., I-
will-favour thee).
9. Be-ye not as horse, as
mule, without understand-
ing ; With bit and bridle his
mouth [is] to-be-held-in :
[Else] they will not-come
near thee.
10. Many sorrows shall
be to the wicked-man ; But
he that trusts in Y^HWcH :
He-encompasses him about
with loving-kindness.
11. Be-glad in YH", and
rejoice, ye just : And shout-
for-joy, all ye upright in
heart.
in this way wherein thou-
shalt-walk : I-will-fix Mine
eyes upon thee.
9. Be ye not as horse and
mule, which have no under-
standing ; With bit and
bridle constrain-thou their
jaws : [Else] they will not
come nigh thee.
10. Many are the scourges
of the sinner ; But him-that-
hopes in the Lord mercy
shall-compass-about.
11. Rejoice in the Lord,
and exult, ye just : And
glory, all ye upright in heart.
The second of the seven Penitential Psalms. " Humble con-
fession leads to forgiveness " is the burden of the Psalm. Mas'ki/,
rendered in LXX. syneseos, eis synesin, in Vulgate, intellectus
(of, for understanding, instruction), is the title of thirteen Psalms
(31, 4i, 43, 44, 51— 54, 73, 77, 87, 88, 141). Of the many attempted
explanations of the term (none of which are wholly satisfactory),
that which is probably the primary meaning of the word, is " an
instructive, a didactic poem," which approaches the sense in
which it occurs in Ps. xlvi. (47) 8. " Sing ye hymns i?itelligently "
(mas'kil) or "skilfully." LXX., sy?utos. St. Jerome gives as
title "David eruditio" (David's instruction). v. 1. Pardon is
here expressed by a reversal of the usual terms ; instead of " he
has had transgression taken away from him," the Poet has :
" he who is taken away with respect to transgression," i.e.,
"exonerated [from] transgression," in a word, "whose misdeeds
are forgiven." "Covered with respect to sin." "Covered,"
"imputes not," have been falsely interpreted by the heresiarchs
PSALM 31 (32). 105
of the sixteenth century. " In whose spirit no guile " (cf. St. John
i. 48), shows that there is no notion here of a mere " covering
up," "putting out of sight," but of a real inward trans-
formation (see Mohler's Symbolism, § 13). v. 2. "Guile,"
self-deception, false excuses, palliation, if not denial of guilt.
v. 3. His frame wore out amid the inward conflicts, the
spiritual strife of his semi-repentant hesitation, v. 4. St. Jerome,
" I turned myself (tossed about) in my misery, while summer
glowed continually " (cum exardesceret sestas jugiter). The
rendering of the present Hebrew text is at best conjectural. " My
moisture " (leshaddi), i.e., my vital juices, my sap, " was changed
in (with) the droughts of summer (harvest)," is a closely literal
rendering. But, per co?itra, leshadh occurs only here and Numb.
xi. 8, where it means "a cake;" by LXX. and Theodotion it is
rendered eis talaiporian (into misery) ; Symmachus, " into
corruption." C/iar'boney (droughts) occurs here only in this form ;
LXX. read (had in their text) qots (thorn) for qd-yits of present text
( = summer, harvest). The Old Itala reads in serumnaw (into
distress) ; aerumna mea (my distress) of Vulgate may be accounted
for by a blundering scribe taking the final m for mea (my). In
the vowelless MSS., LXX. would have had the same text, or all but
the same. If we accept the present Hebrew text, we may read,
" My vigour is dried up by the parching heat of summer," i.e., as
a plant languishes under the parching heat of summer, and
withers, so am I consumed with the fever of remorse. " The
thorn fastened " of LXX. comes to much the same, " the pricks
of self-reproach." v. 5. " Against myself," LXX. read "aldi
(against me), instead of "a/ey (concerning) of present pointed
text. " The impiety of my sin "=" mine impious sin," LXX. and
Old Itala, "the impiety of my heart." v. 6. Lit., "at the time
of finding," ere it be too late. When Thou mayest be found.
v. 7. The result of penitent confession and supplication ; he
shall be screened from the dread visitations of God's wrath —
" the flood, inundation of mighty waters." Hemistich b may be
rendered, " Even should mighty waters burst forth, yet to him
(the pious-man, or the penitent for whom he intercedes) they
shall not come nigh." " Flood " here figures overwhelming
calamities. v. 7 b. " Thou shalt cause me to raise unceasing
106 PSALM 32 (33).
hymns of thanksgiving for deliverance, whithersoever I go."
St. Jerome, " Thou art my protection, Thou wilt guard me from
the foe ; My saving praise " ( = laus mea salvans), " Thou wilt
compass me about." v. 8. God is introduced as answering the
Poet's prayer. Hemistich b (perhaps), " I-will give [thee] counsel ;
Mine eye shall be upon thee." The divergence of LXX. from
the Hebrew may be accounted for by a change of one or two
letters. St. Jerome, " I-will-think of thee with Mine eye " (cogitabo
de te oculo meo), v. 9. A warning to mankind, " With bit,"
&c, " Lest they come," &c, so Aben Ezra and Qimchi ;
"[Else (or, "because")] they will not come," &c. ; lit., [there is]
no coming near to thee. St. Jerome, " Qui non accedunt ad te "
(who approach thee not). Syriac, "Which [men] restrain with
a bridle from their youth " is the rendering of hemistich a.
The several disparate meanings assigned to "edh'yo ("his
mouth," LXX., and St. Jerome, " their jaws "), the fact too that
li-blilom ( = " for binding," " for restraining ") occurs nowhere else
in Biblical Hebrew, though bearing that meaning in Chaldee and
Syriac, justify Thalhofer's suspicion that the text of hemistich b
is somewhat corrupt, and that a verb is missing after " [there is]
no . . . coming near," &c. The several renderings of the
Masoretic text are conjectural.
PSALM 32 (33). PSALM 32 (33).
1. Rejoice in YtfHW<?H, 1. A Psalm of David,
ye just - ones : Praise is Rejoice in the Lord, ye just :
comely for the upright. Praise becomes the upright.
2. Give-thanks to YH" 2. Give - thanks to the
with harp : With ten- Lord on the harp : Play to
stringed lute sing-praises to Him on a ten-stringed lute.
Him.
3. Sing-ye to Him a new 3. Sing to Him a new
song : Play-skilfully with song : Play [to Him] skil-
joyous-sound. fully with a loud-noise.
4. For the word of 4. For the word of the
PSALM 32 (33).
107
YaHW^H is upright: And
all His work is in truth.
5. He - loves uprightness
and justice : The earth is-
full of the loving-kindness
of YaHWeH.
6. By the word of
YaHWeH the heavens were-
made : And all the host
thereof by the breath of His
mouth.
7. He-gathers the waters
of the sea together as a
heap : He - lays - up the
depths in storehouses.
8. Let all the earth fear
YH": Let all the inhabi-
tants of the world stand-in-
awe of Him.
9. For He spoke, and it-
was : He commanded, and
it-stood-fast.
10. YaHWeH frustrates
the counsel of the nations :
He thwarts the thoughts of
the peoples.
11. The counsel of YH"
stands for ever : The
thoughts of His heart to
generation and generation.
12. Happy is the nation
whose God is Y^HW^H :
The people He-has-chosen
for His own inheritance.
Lord is upright : And all
His works are in faithfulness
(i.e., are faithful).
5. He - loves mercy and
judgment : The earth is full
of the mercy of the Lord.
6. By the word of the
Lord the heavens were
established : And all the
host thereof by the breath
of His mouth.
7. He-gathers the waters
of the sea together as [in]
a wine-bag : Laying-up the
depths in storehouses.
8. Let all the earth fear
the Lord : Let all the in-
habitants of the world
tremble before Him.
9. For He spoke, and
they-were made : He com-
manded, and they - were
created.
10. The Lord frustrates
the counsels of the nations :
He - sets - aside also the
thoughts of peoples, [and
brings-to-nought the coun-
sels of princes].
1 1. But the counsel of the
Lord endures for ever : The
thoughts of His heart from
generation to generation.
12. Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord :
The people He-has-chosen
for His own inheritance.
io8
PSALM 32 (33).
13. From the heavens
YH" looks : He-beholds all
the sons of man ;
14. From the place of His
abode He - looks - forth :
Upon all the inhabitants of
the earth ;
15. He that is the sole
fashioner of their hearts :
That considers all their
works.
16. There is no king
saved by the multitude of an
army : A strong-man is not
delivered by great strength.
17. The horse is a de-
ceptive-thing for safety :
Neither will - he - cause - to-
escape by his great power.
18. Lo, the eye of YH" is
upon them-that-fear Him ;
Upon them - that - wait - for
His loving-kindness ;
19. To deliver their soul
from death : And to-keep-
them-alive in famine.
20. Our soul has-waited
for YaHWeU ■. Our help
and our shield is He.
2i. For in Him shall our
heart rejoice : Because we-
have-trusted in His holy
Name (lit., the Name of His
holiness).
22. Let Thy loving-kind-
ness, YH", be upon us:
According as we-have-hoped
in Thee.
13. The Lord looks-out of
heaven : He-beholds all the
children of men ;
14. From the abode He-
has - prepared - for Himself
He-looks-on all that dwell
on the earth :
15. He that fashions the
heart of each-one : That
knows all their works.
16. A king is not saved
by reason of a great army :
And a giant is not delivered
by the greatness of his
strength.
17. A horse is not-to-be-
relied - upon for safety :
Neither can-he-deliver-him-
self by his great strength.
18. Lo, the eyes of the
Lord are upon them-that-
fear Him : And upon them
that hope in His mercy ;
19. To deliver their souls
from death : And to feed
them in famine.
20. Our soul waits for the
Lord : Because He is our
helper and protector.
21. For in Him shall our
heart rejoice : And we-have-
trusted in His holy Name.
22. Let Thy mercy, O
Lord, be upon us : Accord-
ing as we-have-hoped in
Thee.
PSALM 32 (33). 109
With Pss. i. and ii., this is the last of the " orphan "■ Psalms
(as the Rabbis call Psalms destitute of title), of the 1st Book. An
old Jewish canon, which may be deemed to hold good for the
earlier, but not for the later Books, enacts that all anonymous
Psalms be accounted the compositions of the authors named in the
superscription last preceding, which may account for the LXX.
ascribing this Psalm " to David." We divide it as follows :
(1) vv. 1 — 3. An invitation to the just to praise God. (2) vv. 4 — 19.
For He is the Creator, subdues the nations, watches over His true
worshippers. (3) vv. 20 — 22. Protestation of hope, prayer. While
the absence of title has led some authors to regard this as
a continuation of the foregoing Psalm ; the fact that it contains
scarcely one original verse, that, for the most part, it is culled
from the post-Exilic Psalms, which, however, may have borrowed
from it (an alternative not less probable), is alleged in proof of its
late origin.
v. \a recalls Ps. xcvi. (97) 12. "Praise . . . upright," cf. Ps. cxlvi.
(147) 1. v. 2. Cf. Ps. xci. (92) 4. Aben Ezra renders : " with the
psaltery [and] an instrument of ten strings." v. 3. " New song,"
characteristic of the post-Exilic Psalms ; cf. Pss. xcv (96) 1 ; xcvii.
(98) 1 ; cxliii. (144) 9 ; cxlix. 1 ; Apoc. xiv. 3. v. 4. " Faithfulness,"
in fide, so St. Jerome and Vulgate, after LXX., i.e., fidelity to His
covenant, to His promises, v. 5. "Uprightness and justice" refer
here to God's providential dealings, not to man's acts. v. 6. "Host,"
or army of heaven. LXX., Swa/xis [dynamis); St. Jerome, "ornatus,"
their furniture, adornment, may be, the constellations, v. 7 refers to
Gen. i. 9, the work of creation. LXX. read nodh, " a wine-skin,"
instead of nedh, " a heap," which occurs six times in Biblical
Hebrew, and always of water; cf. Ps. lxxvii. (78) 13. "Store-
houses," a frequent Biblical trope for the places where rain, snow,
and hail were conceived to be reserved, v. 9. " It stood-fast,"
i.e., what He commanded was unchangeable; cf. Ps. cxviii. (119)
91. v. 10. Unless it was in their text, the appendage of LXX.
adds nought to the sense ; suggested, perhaps, by Ps. cvi. (107)
40 (?). v. 12. {Literally) " Oh ! the happiness," &c, cf. Ps. cxliii.
(144) 15; Deut. xxxiii. 29. v. 13. Literally, "the totality of
the sons of man." v. 14. St. Jerome, "de firmissimo habitaculo"
(from His most stable abode). i£ £tol(jlov (ex hetoimoii) of LXX.,
HO
PSALM 33 (34).
" praeparato " of Vulgate (prepared, established), results from their
reading makhon ("place") as a participle. v. 15. He knows
the secrets of the hearts, since He alone fashioned them, so Aben
Ezra; but R. Rashi refers the particle yachadh (altogether) to
" hearts." He created each heart individually, all without excep-
tion, v. 17. They will be disappointed who look to cavalry for
victory ; Despite his strength, the horse shall not cause [his rider]
to escape the foe, or as in LXX. and Vulgate, " shall not save
himself;" cf. Ps. xix. (20) 8. The Jews accounted war-chariots
and cavalry most efficient in warfare, v. 20. Cf. Ps. cxiii. (115)
9— 11.
PSALM 33 (34).
1. To David, when he-
changed his reason (i.e.,
feigned madness), before
Abimelekh : And he - ex-
pelled him, and he-went.
(1 Kings (Sam.) xxi. 14.)
2. (Aleph). I - will - bless
YtfHW^H at all times : His
praise shall be continually
in my mouth.
3. (Beth). In YH" shall
my soul glory •. The meek
shall-hear, and be-glad.
4. (Gimel). Ascribe - ye-
greatness to (i.e., magnify)
YH" with me: And let-us-
extol His Name together.
5. (Daleth). I - sought
YH", and He-answered me :
And from all mine alarms
He-delivered me.
6. (He). Men-look unto
PSALM 33 (34).
1. Of David, when he
changed his countenance,
before Achimelech : And he
let him go, and he-departed.
2. I-will-bless the Lord
at all times : His praise
shall be continually in my
mouth.
3. My soul shall-make-
her-boast in the Lord : Let
the meek hear, and rejoice.
4. Magnify-ye the Lord
with me : And let-us-exalt
His Name together.
5. I-sought the Lord dili-
gently, and He-hearkened
to me : And delivered me
from all my straits.
6. Draw-near to Him, and
PSALM 33 (34).
Ill
Him, and cheer-up. " And "
their faces can in no wise
be shamed.1
y. (Zayin). This poor-
man cried, and YH" heard
[him] : And saved him from
all his troubles.
8. (Cheth). The angel of
Y«HW<?H encamps round
about them-that-fear Him :
And delivers them.
g. (Teth). Taste and see
be-enlightened : And your
faces shall not be shamed.
J. This poor-man cried,
and the Lord heard him :
And saved him out of all his
afflictions.
8. The angel of the Lord
encamps round about them-
that-fear Him : And will-
deliver them.
g. O taste and see that
that YH" is good : Blessed the Lord is good : Happy
is the man that takes-refuge the man that trusts in Him.
in Him.
io. (Yodh). Fear YH", ye
His saints : For there is no
want to them-that-fear Him.2
ir. (Kaph). Young-lions
lack and are-hungry : But
they-that-seek YH" shall
not want any good-thing.
12. (Lamedh). Come, ye
children, hear me : I -will-
teach you the fear of
YtfHW^H.
13. (Mem). Who is the
man that desires life : Lov-
10. Fear the Lord [all] ye
His saints : For there is no
want to them-that-fear Him.
1 1 . The rich suffer-want
and hunger : But they-that-
seek the Lord shall not be
deprived of any good-thing.
12. Come, children, hear
me : I-will-teach you the
fear of the Lord.
13. Who is the man that
desires life : Loving to see
ing days, that he-may-see good days?
good?
14. (Nun). Keep thy
tongue from evil : And thy
lips from speaking guile ;
15. (Samekh). Depart
from evil, and do good :
Seek peace, and pursue it.
3 Waw may be represented in "And" of v. 6.
2 St. Columba's last verse, as he transcribed the Divine Scriptures. "Here
I must stop ; Baithene, write out the rest." A.D. 597.
14. Keep thy tongue from
evil : And thy lips that
they-speak not guile.
15. Turn-away from evil,
and do good : Seek peace,
and pursue it.
112
PSALM 33 (34).
16. (Ayin). The eyes of
YH" are on the just : And
His ears [are open] to their
cry;
17. (Pe). The face (i.e.,
the anger) of YrtHWeH is
upon them-that-do evil : To
cut-off the remembrance of
them from the earth.
18. (Tsadhe). [When]
men cry, YH" hears : And
delivers them from all their
troubles.
19. (Qoph). Nigh is YH"
to the broken-hearted : And
He saves those-that-are-
crushed in spirit (i.e., of a
contrite spirit).
20. (Resh). Many are the
afflictions of the just : But
from all of them YH" de-
livers him.
21. (Shin). He-keeps all
his bones : One of them is
not broken (i.e., Not one of
them).
22. (Tau). Evil shall-slay
the wicked-man : And the
haters of the just-man shall-
be-[held]-guilty.
23. (Pe). YaHW^H re-
deems the soul of His
servants : And none of
them - that - take - refuge
in Him shall - be - held -
guilty (i.e., be condemned,
punished).
16. The eyes of the Lord
are over the just : And His
ears [are open] to their
prayers.
17. But the face of the
Lord is against such-as-do
evil : To destroy their re-
membrance from the earth.
18. [The just] cry, and the
Lord hears them : And de-
livers them from all their
troubles.
19. The Lord is near to
the broken-hearted : And
He-will-save the lowly in
spirit.
20. Many are the afflic-
tions of the just : But from
them all the Lord delivers
them.
21. [The Lord] keeps all
their bones : Not one of
them shall-be-broken.
22. The death of sinners
is most - miserable : And
they that hate the just-man
shall-be-held-guilty (or, go-
wrong).
23. The Lord redeems
the souls of His servants :
And none of those that
hope in Him shall - go-
wrong.
PSALM 33 (34). 113
This is another alphabetical Psalm ; after v. 1, which contains
the Title, vv. 2 — 22 follow the order of the alphabet. In v. 6
He and Waw are conjoined ? Pe is repeated in the last verse, as
was observed in Ps. xxiv. (25). The genuineness of the Title
has been hotly disputed, but internal evidence favours the
probability of at least the inscription "to David." The incident
mentioned in the Title is recorded 1 Kings (Sam.) xxi. 10 — 15.
" Abi-melekh " (King's father, father-king) in LXX. and Vulgate.
" Achi-melech " is called Achis (Achish) in 1 Kings xxi., but
Abi-melekh may have been an hereditary title of the Philistine
dynasts of Gath, cf. Pharaoh, Melchisedech, Agag. v. 3.
" Shall glory," or " make her boast ; " laudabitiir ( = shall be
praised) of LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome must be taken here in
a reflective sense, "shall praise herself." "Meek," they who
submit patiently to persecution, to affliction. v. 4. In text,
"Magnify to" — hence "Ascribe greatness to." v. 6. "Cheer
up," literally, "shine," "give light," " brighten," in Aramaean use;
in Hebrew, the verb means " to floiv together" — like a river, hence
St. Jerome, " Look ye to Him," et confluite (and flow together).
LXX. render this v. 6 somewhat freely, v. 8. " Encamp," so
LXX. ; " Immittet " of Vulgate is, as Thalhofer says, " servilely
literal ; " St. Jerome, " circumdat " (encompasses), v. 1 1. " Young
lions," not mere cubs, but in the vigour of youth, and well able to
forage for themselves. LXX. eschew the figure, and render
"the rich," i.e., the wealthy and mighty oppressors. v. 13.
LXX. render freely, so too, 1 St. Peter iii. 10 — 12, who loses sight of
the interrogative form of the verse. v. 13 b. Amounts to this
— " wanting to live a long and prosperous life." Do you want to
live long and happily, keep, &c. v. 17. "The face," the anger,
the angry face, cf. Pss. ix. 4; xx. (21) 10. v. 21. Lit., "one
of them is not broken," i.e., "not one of them," &c. v. 22.
" Slay," ///., " put to death ; " St. Jerome, " interficiet impium
malitia" (wickedness shall slay the ungodly man). LXX. read
(or had[?]) initial Be (the definite article), instead of Tau of the
text (the preformative of 3rd Person feminine, Future, Singular).
"The death," instead of "shall slay." v. 23. The initial Pe
shows that v. 23 is supernumary, not that it does not belong to
the Psalm, cf. Ps. xxiv. (25) 22.
I
H4
psalm 34 (35).
PSALM 34 (35).
i. To David. Contend,
YaHW^H, against those-
that - contend - against - me :
Fight against them - that-
fight-against-me.
2. Take - hold of shield
and buckler : And stand-up
as my help. Or, for my
help.
3. Draw - out also the
spear, and shut-up (i.e., stop
[the way]) against my per-
secutors : Say to my soul,
' Thy salvation am I."
4. Shamed-be-they and
disgraced that - seek my
soul : Ldt-them-be-turned
back and confounded that-
plan my hurt.
5. Let-them-be as chaff
before the wind : And the
angel of YH" thrusting
[them] down :
6. Be their way darkness
and slipperinesses (i.e.,
utter-slipperiness) : And the
angel of YH" pursuing
them.
7. For without - cause
have-they-hid for me their
net : A pit without-cause
have-thcy-dug for my soul.
PSALM 34 (35).
1. Of
Thou, O
injure me
David. Judge -
Lord, them-that-
: Fight against
them-that-fight against me.
2. Seize arms and buckler :
And arise for my help.
3. Unsheath a sword, and
stop [the way] against my
persecutors : Say to my soul,
" I am thy salvation."
4. Let them-that-seek my
soul be-ashamed and con-
founded : Let them that-
plan-evils against me be-
turned back and put-to-
shame.
5. Let-them-be as dust
before the wind : And the
angel of the Lord driving-
them-into-a-corner :
6. Let their way be dark-
ness and slipperiness : And
an angel of the Lord pur-
suing them.
j. For without - cause
have-they-hid for me their
destructive snare : For no-
reason have-they-reproached
my soul.
psalm 34 (35).
115
8. Let destruction come
upon him unawares : And
let his net which he-has-hid
catch him : With a crash let
him fall into it.
9. And my soul shall-be-
joyful in YaHWeB. ■. It-
shall-rejoice in His salva-
tion.
10. All my bones shall-
say, "YH", who is like
Thee ? Who deliverest the
poor from him that is too
strong for him : Yea, the
poor and the needy from his
plunderer."
11. Witnesses to violent-
wrong rise-up : They-ques-
tion me [in things] which I-
wot not of,
12. They-reward me evil
for good : Bereavement is to
my soul (i.e., so that my soul
is bereaved).
13. But as for me, when
they-were-sick, my clothing
was sackcloth ; I-afflicted
my soul with fasting : Yea,
my prayer - may - it - return
into mine own bosom !
14. As [if it were] a
friend, a brother of mine, I-
went-about : As one sorrow-
ing for a mother I-bowed-
down mourning.
15. Yet at my limping
(i.e., mine adversity) they
8. Let-there-come to him
a snare he-wots-not-of ;
And let the trap which he-
has-hid catch himself : May-
he-fall into that very same
snare.
9. But my soul shall-exult
in the Lord : it-shall-de-
light in His salvation.
10. All my bones shall-
say, " Lord, who is like
Thee? Delivering the poor
from them-that-are-stronger
than he : Yea, the poor and
the needy from them-that-
plunder him."
11. Unjust witnesses rise-
up : They - question me
about things which I-wot-
not-of.
1 2. They - rewarded me
evils for good : Barrenness
to my soul.
13. But as for me, when
they gave me trouble, I-
put-on sackcloth, I-humbled
my soul with fasting. And
my prayer shall-return into
mine own bosom.
14. As if [it were] our
neighbour [or] brother, I-
behaved-kindly [to them] :
As one-mourning and sad-
dened, so did-I-bow-down.
15. Yet they - rejoiced
against me, and gathered
n6
psalm 34 (35).
rejoiced, and gathered-them-
selves - together ; Abjects
gathered - themselves - to-
gether against me, and
[men] I-know not •. They-
tore (i.e., slandered me), and
ceased not ;
1 6. As vile backbiting
parasites : They gnashed
upon me with their teeth.
17. 'Adonay, how long
wilt-Thou-look-on? Rescue
my soul from their destruc-
tions : Mine only-one from
the lions.
18. I - will - give - Thee-
thanks in a great assembly :
Among a numerous people
will-I-praise Thee.
19. Let not those who are
causelessly mine enemies re-
joice over me : [Nor] those-
that-hate me for-no-reason
wink with the eye.
20. For not peace do-
they-speak ; But against
the quiet-ones of the land
they-plan deceitful-things.
21. Yea, they-opened their
mouth wide against me :
They-said, Heach, Heach,
our eye has-seen [it].
22. Thou - hast - seen it,
themselves - together :
Scourges were heaped upon
me, and [by men] I-knew
not.
16. They were scattered,
but repented not ; They-
tempted me, they-sneered
at me most contemptuously •.
They-gnashed their teeth
upon me.
17. Lord, when wilt
Thou - look - on ? Restore
my life [by rescuing it] from
their malignity : Mine only-
one from the lions.
1 8. I-will-give-thanks to
Thee in a great assembly :
Among a numerous people
will-I-praise Thee.
19. Let not those who are
wrongfully mine enemies
rejoice over me : Who hate
me for-nothing, and wink
with the eyes.
20. For to me indeed
they-spoke peaceably : But
when speaking conformably
with the anger of the popu-
lace, they-planned deceits.
21. Yea, they-opened their
mouth wide against me :
They-said, Well done! Well
done ! our eyes have-seen
[it].
22. Thou - hast - seen, O
psalm 34 (35).
11/
YtfHWdrE, keep not silence :
'Adonay (i.e., Lord), be not
far from me.
23. Arouse - Thee, and
awake to my judgment :
To my cause, my God and
my Lord. ['Adonay.]
24. Right me, Y^HW^H,
my God, according to Thy
justice : And let them not
rejoice over me.
25. Let them not say in
their heart : " Heach, our
desire [is come to pass] : "
Let them not say, ' We-
have-swallowed him up."
26. Let-them-be-ashamed
and confounded together
that rejoice at my hurt : Let-
them-be-clad with shame
and disgrace that act-arro-
gantly against-me.
27. Let-them-sing-for-joy,
and be - glad that - desire
justice [be done] to me :
Yea, let-them-say continu-
ally, YH" be-magnified :
Who delights in the pros-
perity of His servant.
28. And my tongue shall -
tell of Thy justice : Thy
praise all the day long.
Lord, keep not silence :
Lord, withdraw not from
me.
23. Arise, and attend to
my judgment : To my cause,
my God and my Lord.
24. Right me, O Lord my
God, according to Thy
justice : And let them not
rejoice over me.
25. Let them not say in
their hearts, Well done !
Well done ! [it is pleasing]
to our soul : Let them not
say, We-have-devoured him.
26. Let them be put both
to shame and confusion that
rejoice at my woes : Let-
them-be-clad with shame
and confusion that speak
arrogantly against me.
27. Let-them-exult and
rejoice that desire my right :
Yea, let-them-say continu-
ally, The Lord be-magni-
fied, who desire the pros-
perity of His servant.
28. And my tongue shall-
speak of Thy justice : Thy
praise all the day long.
This Psalm may be an amplification of David's expostulation
in 1 Kings (Sam.) xxiv. 16, cf. v. 1. It can be easily divided into
three strophes, each of which (vv. 9, 10; 18; 28) concludes
with a promise of thanksgiving: (1) vv. 1 — 9, 10; (2) 11 — 18;
(3) 19 — 28. The same thoughts recur throughout, but strophe
u8 psalm 34 (35).
(i) is characterized by imprecations; (2) by sorrowful reminis-
cences ; (3) by humble petitions for deliverance.
v. 2. "Shield" (magen) ; probably a round target to protect
the face and upper parts, containing half the material of the
" buckler," cf. 2 Chron. ix. 15, 16. St. Jerome, "Scutum et hastam "
(shield and spear). " Shield and buckler," a figure of complete
defence and protection, v. 3. "Shut," stop the way, make a
barrier " to meet," i.e., to oppose, to thwart, the pursuers.
S'gftor ( = shut) has been taken to mean " a battle-axe." " Draw
out the spear and the battle-axe," &c. v. 5. "Chaff," cf.
Ps. i. 4. " Coarctans," pressing them hard. v. 6. " Darkness,
slipperiness," or "slippery places," as frequently in Hebrew,
nouns are used as predicates, instead of adjectives. The second
hemistich of v. 6 were more appropriately placed at v. 5 b,
"pursuing" is prior to "thrusting down." v. 7. Lit., "the pit
of their net," " their netted pit, pit with a net." LXX. as usual
render shachath (pit) by diaphthord ( = destruction, corruption).
ShacJiath ought to begin hemistich b. " They dug " [chdpKrti),
LXX. read cha'phu, " they reproached," the transposition of one
letter (r) making all the difference, v. 8. "Crash," Syriac, "in
the pit [which he has dug] let him fall," cf. Prov. xxvi. 27.
v. 10. "All my bones " = my whole bodily frame, cf. Ps. 1.
(51) 10. "Who is like," &c, cf. Exod. xv. 11. vv. 11 — 16.
The violence and ingratitude of his persecutors, cf. 1 Kings
(Sam.) xxiv. 18. v. 11. Witnesses to violence, whose testimony
furthers violent injustice, v. 12. "Bereavement [is] to my soul,"
i.e., "so that I am bereaved." His wife, Jonathan his friend,
torn from him, his parents compelled to seek safety in Moab.
v. 13. My mourning-garb and fasts were no mere show, for
in my secret prayers I craved boons for them I would gladly
receive. v. 14. "Went about," "I behaved;" here, as else-
where, LXX. have rendered this verb as meaning "to live,"
" to behave so as to be pleasing to another." In connection
with a sufferer, this implies kindly and sympathetic dealings.
v. 15. Lit., "In my limping," St. Jerome, "in infirmitate mea"
(in mine infirmity, when I was sick). " Abjects," nckhhn : of
text, so Targum and R. Qimchi ; St. Jerome, percutientes (smiters),
which agrees with Gesenius (Heb. Lex. s.v.), "smiting (with the
psalm 34 (35). 119
tongue)," "railers," "slanderers," cf. Jerem. xviii. 18. "They
tore," i.e., cursed, reviled, slandered. Targum, followed herein
by R. Rashi, glosses this clause: "Were they to tear asunder
(or, pierce) my skin, they would not fetch blood," — "so wan
am I," continues Rashi, which may enable us to bear with
equanimity the wide divergence of LXX. from the present text.
Nekhhn in LXX. is rendered " scourges," " plagues " (/Wriyes,
mastiges), in the active sense. Targum, ascribed to Jonathan
ben Uzziel, " they that smite me with their words," not
very different from percutientes of St. Jerome, or from LXX.
v. 16. St. Jerome, "In simulatione verborum fictorum " (with
the feigning of false words). Targum, "With honied words."
The text literally, "In ( = with? as?) profane, impious-persons,
mockers for a cake ; they gnashed upon me their teeth." Lowe
and Jennings suggest, " As vile slanderous parasites they gnashed
upon me with their teeth," taking " mockers," &c, for the fawning
parasites, who, for the sake of good cheer, revile, or mock
according to the whim of their host. v. 16. In LXX., "They
were scattered and repented not, they tempted me," &c, with
the change but of four letters can be fully borne out. It is in no
wise safe to infer that they are wrong, when they diverge from
the present Hebrew text. " Tempted " instead of " impious
persons " comes from a difference of two letters. LXX. read
bechanuni (they tempted me) for be chatiphey of present text.
v. 1 7. " How long . . . look-on " — without putting an end to it ?
cf. Hab. i. 13. "Restore" me ( = my soul) to its former prosperity,
v. 19. "Wink," a sign of malignant gratification, cf. Prov. x. 10.
v. 20. LXX. read here 11 ( = to me), for Id ( = not) of the text.
" Quiet [folks] of the land " may be either peaceable people who
harm no one, or the rich living at ease. Targum, " Against the
just of the land, who are peaceable in this world." Rashi, " the
crushed ones of the land." Ab. Ezra, " in the clefts of the earth."
Codex Vatican, of LXX. omits "of the land" (yfjs, gees). " But in
anger devised deceits ; " the Roman Psalter, SS. Ambrose,
Augustine, and Cassidorus, " et super iram dolose cogitabant "
(and besides being angry, they plotted craftily). But Symmachus,
Aquila, St. Basil, &c.,and almost all the Latins, read u of the land"
after "anger" according to the original text of LXX. "Loquentes"
120
PSALM 35 (36).
" speaking " — to themselves secretly) is interpolated by the Latin
translator.1 " Anger of the land " may mean, the disfavour in
which the poet was held by the vulgar, the mobocracy, cf. "people
of the earth," filii terra:. It may mean that, taking their cue from
popular prejudice, his enemies plot, devise deceitful things,
literally, "words of deceit." v. 21. "Opened wide," laughing,
jeering at my misfortune. " Our eye sees " — what we wished to
behold. " Thou hast seen " of next verse takes up the word of
his enemies, " our eye has seen " his overthrow, v. 25. "Heach
our soul," so in text, " our desire " [is come to pass], "just what
we wanted." " To our soul " of LXX. [" this sight is most
gratifying] to our soul."
PSALM 35 (36).
1. To the chief-Musician;
to the servant of Y^HW^H,
to David.
2. An oracle of transgres-
sion to the wicked in the
midst of his heart : There is
no fear of God before his
eyes.
3. For he-dissembles be-
fore Him (lit, flatters Him
in His sight) : To attain his
iniquitous-end (viz.), to hate.
4. The words of his
mouth are iniquity and
deceit : He-has-ceased to-
be-wise [and] to-do-good.
5. He-plans iniquity on
his bed ; He-takes-his-stand
PSALM 35 (36).
1. For the end ; to the
servant of the Lord, to
David.
2. The wicked, that he
may sin, says within him-
self : [That] there is no fear
of God before his eyes.
(Rom. iii. 18.)
3. For he-deals craftily in
His sight : With regard to
the discovering his iniquity
and hating it.
4. The words of his
mouth are iniquity and
guile : He-refuses to learn
how to do good.
5. lie-plans iniquity on
his bed ; He-takes-his-stand
1 But the Vulgate is a literal rendering of the Alexandrian Codex of
LXX., "in iracundia terrx loquentes." Thalhofer, however, deems it an
interpolation.
PSALM 35 (36).
121
on a way not good : Evil he-
abhors not.
6. Y«HW*H, in the
heavens is Thy loving-good-
ness : Thy faithfulness
[reaches] to the skies.
7. Thy justice is like the
mountains of God ; Thy
judgments are a great deep :
Man and beast Thou-pre-
servest, Y^HW^H.
8. How precious is Thy
loving-goodness, O God !
And the sons of man find-
refuge under the shadow of
Thy wings.
9. They-a're-drunk with
the fatness (i.e., rich plenty)
of Thy house : And of the
river of Thy delights Thou-
makest-them-drink.
10. For with Thee is the
fountain of life : And in
Thy light we - shall - see
light.
11. Continue Thy loving-
kindness to them-that-know
Thee : And Thy justice to
the upright in heart.
12. Let not the foot of
pride come upon me : Nor
the hand of the wicked-ones
cause-me-to-wander.
13. There are the workers
of iniquity fallen : They-are-
thrust-down, and shall not
be able to rise.
on every way that is not
good : Evil he-hates not.
6. Lord, Thy mercy is in
the heaven : Thy truth
[reaches] to the clouds.
7. Thy justice is like the
mountains of God ; Thy
judgments are a great
abyss : Men and beasts
Thou-preservest, O Lord.
8. How hast-Thou-multi-
plied Thy mercy, O God!
So the children of men find-
safety in the shelter of Thy
wings ;
9. They-shall - be - plenti-
fully-filled with the fatness
of Thy house : And of the
torrent of Thy delights
shalt-Thou-make - them - to-
drink.
10. For with Thee is the
fountain of life : And in
Thy light we - shall - see
light.
11. Continue Thy mercy
to - them - that - know Thee :
And Thy justice to the up-
right in heart.
12. Let not the foot of
pride come against me : Nor
the hand of sinners move
me.
13. There are all the
workers of iniquity fallen :
They - are - driven - out, and
cannot stand.
122 * PSALM 35 (36).
This Psalm may be referred, either to the period of Saul's
persecution, but, more probably, to that preceding Absalom's
rebellion. Its contents may be summed up as follows : the
malignity and influence of the wicked is such as might well
dishearten the just (vv. 2 — 5). In abrupt contrast thereto are
set the loving-kindness and mercy of God (vv. 6 — ro). Under
His protection, the just man triumphs over his godless oppressors,
whose speedy undoing is anticipated in the closing prayer (vv.
TI— J3)-
vv. 2, 3, as the present text stands, may be literally rendered,
" [There is] an oracle of {i.e., uttered by) transgression to the
wicked-man, in the midst of my (?) (his ?) heart : There is no fear
of God before his eyes. 3. For he flatters himself in his eyes :
To finding his iniquity, and to hating." We have here the
description of a thorough reprobate. " The fear of God is not
before his eyes." As a natural result, his ingrained depravity, his
perverted self-will, usurp the functions of conscience, and dictate
to him ("In the midst of his heart"), that he needs care neither
for God, nor for man. " My heart ; " " his heart " is the reading
of LXX., Syriac, Arabic, and of some Hebrew MSS. Accepting
this reading {his heart), both text and Vulgate, which differ only
through divergences in the vowel-points, may be rendered :
" There is an oracle ( = a secret utterance) concerning trans-
gression to the wicked, in the midst of his heart, [that he needs
have] no fear of God before his eyes." In other words, the man
is determined, fully resolved to go on sinning, the reason for
this is, " there is no fear," &c. Rabbi Lowy suggests : " Trans-
gression [itself] preaches to the wicked" [so deem I] "in the
midst of my (?) heart ; that [there need be] no fear of God before
his eyes. 2. For he flatters Him " [i.e., dissembles before Him),
"in His sight, to attain his iniquitous purpose (- to fulfil his
purpose), [viz.] to hate." Lowe and Jennings suggest : " There
is an oracle of transgression (-from transgression) to the wicked
in the midst of his heart." The accents show that "trans-
gression " is to be construed, " of transgression." v. 3. By the
same is rendered : " For He ( = God) has-dealt-smoothly with
him — as he thinks— as regards discovering his iniquity [and]
hating [it]." Vulgate may be paraphrased, " For he deals deceitfully
PSALM 35 (36). 123
in His (God's) sight [well aware that God sees him], so that his
iniquity becomes most hateful ; " so Thalhofer, LXX. v. 3 may
be either, " He (the wicked man) deludes himself with regard to
the discovering of his iniquity, and with regard to hating it;"
or, " He deceives himself, in that he thinks that God discovers
not his iniquity and hates it not " (hates it, but will not punish
it [?] ); or, again : the wicked man is self-deluded, in that he
discovers not his own iniquity, and so hates it not. The former
is the rendering of Symmachus (toO evpe8rjvaL kolL fiio-r]8r}vai, tou
hevretheenai kai miseetheenai), i.e., with regard to its being
discovered and hated, and is conformable with the rendering
of LXX. ; the latter is found in St. Augustine, in the Roman
Psalter, "ut inveniret iniquitatem suam et odium (that he
may discover his iniquity and hatred [of it ?]). LXX. plainly
means, " he fears not God, for that he dreams that though God
is well aware of his wrong-doing, He punishes it not." God's
" finding," discovering sin is equivalent to His taking cognizance
thereof, cf. Gen. xliv. 16. vv. 6, 7. God's loving-goodness to
man, His faithfulness to promises, are boundless. His judgments,
i.e., expressions of His purposes concerning mankind, are unfathom-
able. " Mountains of God " ('Et). The Divine Names {'El, 'Elohim,
YaHWVH) are appended to a noun to express superlative
excellence; e.g., Gen. xiii. 10, a garden of YIf" = a very fertile
garden ; " a prince of 'Elolihn" = a most powerful prince ; " cedars
of 'El" = goodly cedars; cf. Jonas iii. 3; Acts vii. 20.
" Mountains of God " = lofty, vast mountains ; cf. Greek thespesios
(divinely sounding), v. 9. "Drunk with the fatness," &c, so literally
for — " they are plentifully filled with the inexhaustible abundance
of," &c. v. 10. "Life," literally, "lives;" in Hebrew and Syriac,
"life" is designated by a Plural noun, cf. English "riches," hence
in Psalm lxii. (63) 4, "Better is Thy loving-kindness than lives"
(vitas in Latin) = life. v. 12. "Foot . . . come against," "come
upon me," Let me not be trampled upon by the proud oppressor,
v. 13. "There," the poet beholds in anticipation the overthrow
of these persecutors, and sets vividly before us the time and place
thereof.
124
PSALM 36 (3;).
PSALM 36 (37).
1. To David. (Aleph).
Be not incensed because of
evil-doers : Envy not the
doers of iniquity.
2. For like the grass they
shall soon be - cut - down :
And like the greenness of
grass (i.e., green herb) shall-
they-wither.
3. (Beth). Trust in YaH-
W^H, and do good : Dwell
in the land, and cherish
faithfulness.
4. Delight-thee also in
YH" : And He-shall-give to
thee the petitions of thy
heart.
5. (Gimel). Roll thy way
upon YaHW^H, and trust
in Him : And He shall-work
[in thy behalf].
6. And He shall make thy
justice to go forth as the
light : And thy right as the
noon-day.
7. (Daleth). Be-still to
YH", and wait for Him ; Be
not incensed because of him-
who-prospers in his way :
At the man that makes
plots.
8. (He). Cease from anger,
and forsake wrath : Be not
incensed, [it tends] but to
evil-doing.
PSALM 36 (3;).
1. [A Psalm] of David.
Contend not with the
wicked : Neither do-thou-
envy the doers of iniquity.
2. For like grass they
shall soon wither : And
shall soon fall away like the
green herbs.
3. Trust in the Lord, and
do good : And dwell in the
land, so shalt-thou-be-fed
with the wealth thereof.
4. Delight in the Lord :
And He-shall-grant thee
the petitions (desires) of thy
heart.
5. Disclose thy way to the
Lord, and hope in Him :
And He shall-effect [it].
6. And He-shall-bring-
forth thy justice as the
light : And thy judgment
as the noonday :
7. Submit thyself to the
Lord, and supplicate Him.
Contend not with him that
prospers in his way : With
a man that - does unjust-
things.
8. Cease from anger, and
forsake wrath : Contend not,
so as to do evil.
PSALM 36 (3;).
125
9. For evil-doers shall-be-
cut-off : But those-that-wait-
on YH", they shall-inherit
the land (or, earth).
10. (Waw). For yet a-
little-while, and the wicked
shall-not-be : Yea, thou-
shalt - attentively - mark his
place, and he (or, it) shall-
not-be.
11. But the meek shall-
inherit the land : And shall-
delight-themselves in the
abundance of peace.
12. (Za-yin). The wicked
plots against the just : And
gnashes upon him with his
teeth.
13. 'Adonay shall-laugh
at him : For He-sees that
his day is-coming.
14. (Cheth). The wicked
have-drawn (lit, opened) the
sword, and have-bent their
bow ; To cast - down the
poor and needy : To-slay
the upright of way (i.e., up-
right in conduct).
1 5. Their sword shall -
enter into their own heart :
And their bows shall-be-
broken.
16. (Teth). Good (i.e.,
better) is a little [belonging]
to the just-man : Than the
abundance of many wicked.
1 Cf. St.
9. For evil-doers shall-
be-exterminated : But those-
that-wait on the Lord, they
shall-inherit the land.
10. For yet a-little-while,
and the sinner shall not be :
Yea, thou-shalt-seek for his
place, and shalt not find [it].
11. But the meek shall-
inherit the land : x And shall-
delight-themselves in the
abundance of peace.
12. The sinner watches
the just-man : And gnashes
his teeth upon him.
13. But the Lord shall-
laugh at him : For He-
foresees that his day is-
coming.
14. Sinners have - un -
sheathed the sword, they-
have-bent their bow, To-
cast-down the poor and
needy : And to slay the up-
right in heart.
15. May their sword
enter into their [own] heart :
And may their bow be-
broken.
16. Better is a little for
the just-man : Than the
abundant wealth of sinners.
Matt. v. 4.
126
PSALM 36 (3;).
17. For the arms of the
wicked shall - be - broken :
But YtfHW^H upholds the
just.
18. (Yodh). YtfHW^H
knows the days of the per-
fect : And their inheritance
shall-be for ever.
19. They shall not be
ashamed (disappointed) in
the evil time : And in the
days of famine they-shall-
be-satisfied.
20. (Kaph). But the
wicked shall-perish, And the
enemies of YH", like the
beauty of the pastures (i.e.,
grass) : They - pass - away,
like smoke they-pass-away.
21. (Lamedh). The
wicked borrows, and repays
not : But the just deals-
graciously, and gives.
22. For those-he-blesses
shall-inherit the land : But
those-he-curses shall-be cut-
off.
23. (Mem). By YH" are
the steps of a man estab-
lished ; And He-delights in
his way.
24. Though he-fall, he
shall not be-utterly-cast-
down : For YH" upholds
his hand.
25. (Nun). I -have-been a
lad, yea, I-am-grown-old ;
Yet have-I-not-sccn the
17. For the arms of
sinners shall - be - broken :
But the Lord upholds the
just.
18. The Lord knows the
days (LXX., ways) of the
blameless-ones : Their in-
heritance shall-be for ever.
19. They shall not be
ashamed in the evil time :
And in the days of famine
they-shall-be-satisfied.
20. For the sinners shall-
perish ; But the enemies of
the Lord, at the moment of
their being honoured and
exalted : Utterly vanish like
smoke.
21. The sinner borrows,
and repays not •. But the
just-man is - compassionate,
and gives.
22. For they-that-bless
him shall-inherit the land :
And they-that-curse him
shall-be-utterly-destroyed.
23. The steps of a man
are-rightly-ordered by the
Lord ; And He-delights in
his way.
24. When he - falls, he
shall-not-be-crushed : For
the Lord holds His hand
under [him].
25. I - have - been - young,
indeed I-am-now-old ; Yet
I have not seen the just-man
PSALM 36 (37).
127
just-man forsaken : Nor his
seed begging bread.
26. All the day-long he-
deals-graciously, and lends :
And his seed is for a bless-
ing (i.e., is blessed).
27. (Samekh). Depart
from evil, and do good : So
shalt-thou-abide-securely for
ever.
28. For YaHW^H loves
judgment, And forsakes not
His pious-ones ; They-are-
preserved for ever : But the
seed of the wicked shall-be-
cut-off.
29. The just shall-inherit
the land : And shall-dwell-
securely therein for ever.
30. (Pe). The mouth of
the just-man utters wisdom :
And his tongue speaks judg-
ment.
31. The law of his God is
in his heart : None of his
steps shall-slide.
32. (Tsadhe). The wicked
watches the just : And seeks
to slay him.
33. YaHWeH will not
leave him in his hand : Nor
condemn him when he-is-
judged.
34. (Ooph). Wait on
YH", and keep His way,
And He-shall-exalt thee to
forsaken : Nor his seed
seeking bread.
26. He is ever compas-
sionate, and lends •. And his
seed shall-be-blessed (or,
for a blessing).
27. Turn-away from evil,
and do good : And dwell
for ever.
28. For the Lord loves
judgment, and forsakes not
His saints ; They are pre-
served for ever : [The un-
just shall-be-punished,] and
the seed of the wicked shall-
perish.
29. But the just shall-in-
herit the land : And dwell
upon it for ever.
30. The mouth of the
just-man utters wisdom :
And his tongue speaks of
judgment.
31. The law of his God
is in his heart : And his
steps shall not be tripped
up.
32. The sinner is-on-the-
watch for the just : And
seeks to slay him.
33. But the Lord will not
leave him in his hands : Nor
condemn him when he-is-
judged.
34. Wait for the Lord,
and keep His way, And He-
shall-exalt thee to inherit
128
PSALM 36 (37).
inherit the land : When the
wicked are-cut-off, thou-
shalt-see [it].
35. (Resh). I-have-seen
the wicked terrible : And,
spreading - himself like a
green untransplanted tree ;
36. When one-passed-by,
and, lo, he-was-not : Yea,
I-sought him, but he-could-
not-be-found.
3;. (Shin). Mark the
blameless-man, and behold
the upright : That a man of
peace has a posterity.
38. As for transgressors,
they-shall-be-destroyed alto-
gether : The [very] posterity
of the wicked [is] cut-off.
39. (Tau). But the salva-
tion of the just is of YH" :
Their fortress in the time of
trouble.
40. And YrtHW^H helps
them, and rescues them ;
He rescues them from the
wicked, and saves them :
Because they - have - taken-
refuge in Him.
the land : When sinners
perish, thou-shalt-see [it].
35. I-have-seen the un-
godly highly-exalting-him-
self : And lifting-himself-up
like the cedars of Libanus.
36. And I-passed-by, and,
lo, he was not : Yea, I-
sought him, but his place
could not be found.
37. Maintain innocence,
and behold uprightness :
For there is a posterity for
the peaceable man.
38. As for the unjust,
they-shall - be - utterly - de-
stroyed together : The pos-
terity of the ungodly shall"
perish.
39. But the salvation of
the just is from the Lord :
And He is their defender in
the time of trouble.
40. And the Lord shall-
help them, and deliver
them ; He-shall-rescue them
from sinners, and save
them : Because they-have-
hoped in Him.
The theme of this Psalm is that of Ps. lxxii. (73), the justi-
fication of God's ways to man, the vindication of Providence
from the unspoken charge of caprice in the distribution of the
goods and ills of this life. Its alphabetical arrangement is not
unsuited to its gnomic and didactic character. Its structure is,
in the main, tetrastichic. Unless we suppose Ayin to be repre-
sented in /'"o/dm (for ever) of v. 28, and count in the Tdu of
PSALM 36 (37). 129
v. 39, preceded as it is by the copulative Wdw ( = and), Ay in is
omitted; Tsddhe is repeated in vv. 29, 32. The poet is an aged
man (v. 25), and for aught that can be alleged to the contrary,
the ascription " to David " may stand.
v. 1. Lit., "Do not get hot," heat not thyself. St. Jerome,
"Noli contendere" (strive not), v. 3. "Follow after faithfulness,"
" cherish faithfulness ; " St. Jerome, pascere fide (feed upon faith) ;
Gesenius, " Seek after truth ; " Targum, " Dwell in the land, and
be strong in faith /" Anglican (Authorized Version), " [So] shalt
thou dwell . . . and verily thou shalt be fed." Revised Version
(in margin), "[So] shalt thou dwell . . . and feed securely;"
American emendation, "and feed on [His] faithfulness." LXX.,
"wealth," "abundance;" they read hamonah ( == its multitude,
abundance), instead of emiindh ( = truth, faithfulness) of present
text. v. 5. "Roll [away from thyself] thy way upon the Lord,"
so too St. Jerome. LXX., instead of got (roll), read gal (reveal,
discover), so too the Targum; cf. Ps. liv. (55) 23, "Commit thy
cares . . . and He shall work [in thy behalf]." v. 7. "Be still,"
"be-silent to YH"," so St. Jerome, "Tace Domino," i.e., be
quietly resigned to God's will. LXX., " entreat Him," as though
from chillah (he stroked, soothed, entreated). " Prospers in his
way " = succeeds in his undertakings. St. Jerome, " Qui facit
quod cogitat " (who does what he devises, realizes his purposes).
v. 8. "[It tends] only to [thy] harm," or "to evil-doing." v. 10.
Wdw, omitted in the alphabetical Ps. xxiv. (25), and in Ps. xxxiii.
(34), is repeated some six times in this and v. n. v. 13. "Day
of the sinner's death," or retribution ; Targum, " Day of his
destruction." v. 14. "Have-drawn-out," lit., "have opened."
v. 1 6. " Than the [combined] riches of many wicked." Rabbim
(many, great), Nominative Plural, agrees rather with, determines
"wicked," than with the Singular noun hdmon (crowd, noisy
crowd, multitude, abundance). St. Jerome, " Quam divitise
peccatorum multse" (than the great riches of sinners); in some
copies, however, Quam divitiix impiorum (than the wealth of the
ungodly) ; LXX. construe " much," " many " with plouton,
(wealth), cf. Prov. xv. 16. v. 18. "Knows," foreknowingly
prepares a long and happy life for the upright, v. 20. " Beauty
of the pastures," i.e., grass, cf. v. 2 ; so Gesenius. By others,
J
I30 PSALM 36 (37).
" the fat of lambs," more literally, " the precious [part] of lambs,"
or " the precious lambs," i.e., lambs in prime condition, fit to be
set apart for the altar. Targum, " Like the glory of wethers, which
first are fattened, and then slaughtered, (or) sacrificed." St. Jerome,
"glorying like unicorns" (gloriantes ut monocerotes), reading karim
(lambs, pastures) of text as Kremhn, and mistaking ki y'gar for -
a participle, v. 21. The wicked are impoverished, the just prosper.
v. 22. St. Jerome agrees here with the text, "For the blessed by
him," &c. v. 23. "By the Lord." SS. Jerome, Augustine, and
several old Latin Psalters read here A Domino (by the Lord), which
is exactly the para kyriou of LXX. " Established," St. Jerome,
"firmantur" (are made steady, strong), v. 24. "Upholds his
hand," so LXX. and St. Jerome, or, alternative rendering,
"upholds him [with] His hand." v. 25. "I have even lived
to grow old." v. 26. "Lends," the Law enjoins lending to
the poor, without exacting interest, Deut. xv. 3, 7 — 10.
v. 26. "Is for a blessing," his race is a blessing to the world;
see Gen. xii. 2. v. 27. " If you depart from evil, ... in reward
thereof, you shall abide-securely for ever ; " cf. v. 3 ; Baruch.
ii. 21. v. 28. "[The unjust shall-be-punished]," this clause
is found in some copies of LXX. and nowhere else. The
copies that have it present these variants : Codex Vatican.,
" The blameless shall be avenged," (or) " cleared in judg-
ment ; " Codex Alexandria., "The lawless (dnomoi) shall
be punished," (or) "driven forth." The verse ought to end
with " His pious-ones," " His saints," v. 29 would then begin
with Vadium (for ever), so as not to omit Ayin, the initial letter
of "oldm; /' (to, for, until), being but a prefix, like the copulative
conjunction Wdw at v. 39, is disregarded. This clause looks
like an alternative rendering, and probably is the result of
attempts to supply a verse with initial Ayin, which is wanting in
the Psalm as it now stands, vv. 30, 31. He imparts with dis-
cretion the wisdom that is the main object of his thoughts and
affections, the norm of his conduct. " Steps slide," St. Jerome,
"non deficient" (shall not fail), implying the absence of moral
fickleness. v. 35. St. Jerome, " Vidi impium robustum et
fortissimum, sicut indigenam virentem " (I have seen the ungodly
man strong and in full vigour, like a green [tree] in its native
PSALM 37 (38). 131
soil), i.e., a tree green, flourishing, with outspreading branches,
not transplanted, but "indigenous," growing in its native soil.
Targum agrees with St. Jerome. LXX. may have had in their
text, "cedars of Libanus," the transposition of one, the mutila-
tion of another letter (they read 'ar'zey, cedars, instead of ez'rdch,
a non-transplanted tree ; the r of ra"andn (green, flourishing), may
have been taken for /, whence lb n n = Lebanon).1 v. 36. "/passed
by," so LXX. and St. Jerome, who thus evade the difficulty
of "he passed by," the subject whereof can hardly be
" the wicked ; " better then, to assume the indefinite, " One
( = on, French, German, man) passed by." Targum, "And
he (the wicked) passed out of the world, and, lo, he was
not." vv. 37, 38. St. Jerome, " Custodi simplicitatem, et vide
rectum : quia erit ad extremum viro pax" (" Keep single-minded-
ness, look to what is upright : for in the end a [good] man shall
have peace "), a rendering identical with that of Symmachus.
"Posterity," in text 'ac/iartik, which may mean "end," "issue,"
"future," "reward," "posterity," cf. Ps. cviii. (109) 13. LXX.,
'enkataleimma, "a remnant," "posterity." v. 38. "The [very]
posterity of the wicked is cut off," cf. the very same terms in
Ps. cviii. (109) 13, 14. v. 39 begins with Waw (=and), but as
a mere prefix, it is not counted in the alphabetical series.
PSALM 37 (38). PSALM 37 (38).
1. A Psalm, to David; I. A Psalm of David for
to-bring-to-remembrance. remembrance [concerning
the Sabbath].
2. YtfHW<?H, rebuke me 2. Lord, rebuke me not
not in Thy wrath : Neither in Thy wrath : Neither in
chasten me in Thy hot- Thy hot-anger chasten me.
anger.
3. For Thine arrows are- 3. For Thine arrows stick-
sent-down (driven) into me : fast in me : And Thy hand
And Thy hand lies-heavy Thou-hast - pressed - heavily
upon me. upon me.
1 It may also be said that LXX. render here according to the implied,
rather than to the literal meaning.
132
PSALM 37 (38).
4. There is no soundness
in my flesh because of Thy
wrath : No rest in my bones
because of my sins.
5. For mine iniquities are-
gone-over my head : As a
heavy burden they-are-too-
heavy for me.
6. My bruises stink ; they
suppurate : Because of my
folly.
7. I-writhe (or, am-de-
pressed[?]), I am-bowed-
down greatly : All the day
long I -go mourning.
8. For my loins are-filled
with burning : And there is
no soundness in my flesh.
.9. I-am-benumbed, and
am-sore crushed : I-groan-
aloud by reason of my
heart's moaning.
10. 'Adonay, before Thee
is all my desire : And my
groaning is not hid from
Thee.
11. My heart goes-round-
and-round, my strength has-
forsaken me : As for the
light of mine eyes, they
(sic) too [are] not with me.
12. My lovers and my
friends stand aloof from my
stroke : And my kinsmen
stand afar-off.
13. They too that-seek-
after my life lay-snares ;
4. There is no health in
my flesh because of Thine
anger : There is no rest for
my bones because of my
sins.
5. For mine iniquities
are-gone-over my head :
And as a heavy burden
they-press-heavily upon me.
6. My bruises stink and
fester : Because of my folly.
7. I-am-wretched and
bowed-down continually : I-
go mourning all the day.
8. For my loins are filled
with mockings : And there
is no health in my flesh.
9. I - am - afflicted and
brought-down very low : I-
groan-aloud by reason of
my heart's moaning.
10. Lord, all my desire is
before Thee : And my
moaning is not hid from
Thee.
11. My heart palpitates,
my strength fails me : As
for the light of mine eyes, it
too is-gone from me.
12. My friends and my
neighbours draw-near before
me and stand-still : And my
next-of-kin stand afar-off.
13. While they that seek
my life use violence ; And
PSALM 3/ (38).
133
And they-that-seek my hurt
speak mischievous - things :
And imagine deceits all the
day long.
14. But I-, as a deaf-man,
I-would not hear : And [I
was] as a dumb-man that
opens not his mouth.
15. Thus was-I as a man
that hears not : And in
whose mouth are no retorts.
16. For in Thee, Y^H-
WeH, do-I-hope : THOU
wilt-answer, Adonay 'Elohay
(Lord my God).
17. For I-said, Lest they-
should - rejoice over me :
When my foot stumbles,
they - magnify - themselves
against me.
18. For I am-ready to
fall : And my grief is con-
tinually before me.
19. For I - will - declare
mine iniquity : I-will-fear on
account of my sin.
20. But mine enemies are-
living, are - strong : And
numerous-are-they that-hate
me wrongfully.
21. They also that-render
evil for good : They-oppose
me, because of my pursuing
good.
22. Forsake me not,
YaHWeYL : My God, go not
far from me.
they that seek my hurt
speak lies : And plan deceits
all the day long.
14. But I-, as a deaf man,
I-would not hear : And [I
was] as a dumb-man that
opens not his mouth.
15. Yea, I-was as a man
that-hears not : And who-
has no retorts in his mouth.
16. For in Thee, O Lord,
do-I-hope : THOU wilt-hear
[me], O Lord my God.
17. For I-said, Lest [mine
enemies] rejoice over me :.
For when my feet stumble,
they - speak - boastingly
against me.
18. For I, I-am-ready for
scourges : And my grief is
continually before me.
19. For I - will - declare
mine iniquity : And will-
take-anxious-thought for my
sin.
20. But mine enmies are-
lively, and are stronger than
I : And they that hate me
wrongfully are numerous.
21. They that-render evil
for good slandered me :
Because I - followed - after
goodness.
22. Forsake me not, O
Lord, my God : Depart not
from me.
134 psalm 3/ (38).
23. Hasten to my help : 23. Exert Thee for mine
'Adonay, my salvation. aid, Lord [God] of my salva-
tion.
This Psalm is appropriately ranked among the Penitential
Psalms. Sickness, mental anguish, persecution sent in chastise-
ment of sin are the burden of this Psalm, which opens with the
same words as Ps. vi. What particular sin or sins were thus
visited is uncertain, as neither the Psalm, nor the brief records of
David's reign, speak with the fulness and precision that would
enable us to assign the Psalm to any occasion mentioned in the
annals of his chequered career. His sin with the wife of Urias
will here suggest itself. The grief and anxiety he suffered, while
the fruit of his criminal connection was hovering between life and
death, may well have resulted in bodily disease (see 2 Kings
(Sam.) xii. 16, and foil.). But the poet complains of "them that
hate him wrongfully" (v. 20); of those "that opposed him
because he pursued good." We are thus reduced to conjectures.
Considering the tone and circumstances of this plaint, the original
text exhibits an artificial arrangement the reader would hardly
expect. The Psalm is throughout divided into sections, each of
two verses. We meet therein with parallelisms, playing upon
words, expressive, but unusual verb-forms, and the rhythm has
been the object of special care.
v. 1. "To bring to remembrance" — either to God's, that He
may be pleased to help him, or the title of a sacrificial hymn, which
accompanied the az'Mrdh ( = the memorial sacrifice. See Lev. ii. 2,
9, 16 ; xxiv. 7 ; Numb. v. 26). It is read here and in Ps. lxix. (70) 1.
LXX. add, " For, — concerning the Sabbath," which may refer to
the ritual use of this Psalm on Sabbath, or else is unintelligible,
v. 3. "Arrows," inflictions of Divine justice, cf. Deut. xxxii.
32. "Sent down," "lies heavy," in text the Passive and Active
of the same verb ; literally, " Because Thine arrows are driven
into me: And Thy hand drives-on to me," "comes down upon
me [chastising me]." v. 5. His sins and the punishment they
entail he likens to an overwhelming flood, to a crushing burden,
v. 6. " Folly," i.e., wickedness in its natural connection therewith.
" Bruises," weals, livid marks of stripes that, as yet, draw not
blood, v. 8. " Loins," the seat of strength, of generative power
PSALM 37 (38). 135
especially; it may, like "heart," "bones," "reins," mean the
person generally. " Burning," inflammation, not, as Aben
Ezra renders it, a loathsome, nameless disease, or, with David
Qimchi, R. Rashi, Aquila, and St. Jerome, "vileness," "ignominy."
The rendering here adopted is that of the Chaldee Targum and
of Joseph Qimchi. v. 9. His inner distress vents itself in audible
groans, v. 11. "My heart palpitates." St. Jerome, "fluctuabat."
"The light of mine eyes it also," in text, gam hem {"they also"),
plural by attraction, v. 12. "Stand aloof," "aloof," lit., "from
before," i.e., "far away." "My stroke," "mine affliction," as sent
by God. Hemistich 2, lit., "And those-nigh me ( = my near
ones) stood at a distance." LXX., mistaking "from before,"
"aloof," as a verb (" drew near "), "opposite me," not "against
me." They come near enough to gaze on my misery, but will
not come nearer to relieve me, they stand at a discreet distance,
as if I were a leper, vv. 14, 15. Cf. Isai. liii. 7. v. 17. He
replies not to the taunts of his enemies, lest he should commit
himself. LXX., "Let them not rejoice, ... for if they boast at
my stumbling merely, what can I expect at their hands, if I were
utterly undone?" v. 18. "I am prone to fall," "to totter," "to tumble
on one side," and am never free from grief and pain. LXX.,
" scourges," considering the poet's sufferings as inflicted on him in
his defenceless state, by his enemies, v. Tg. "For," his readiness
to confess his sin shows why he acknowledges his danger of falling,
and why his affliction is continual. " I will fear ; " LXX.,
/xepifwyjaw ( = merimneeso, " take anxious thought ") ; St. Jerome,
"sollicitus ero," (a/.) contristabor, I will be anxious, or, I will be
sorry, v. 20. " Live," "are-lively," flourishing. Jennings and Lowe
suggest chinnam, "causelessly," instead of the present reading,
chayyhn (rendered " living "), and, with Hitzig, Houbigant, &c,
render " But those that are causelessly mine enemies are strong
[in number (?)] ; And those that hate me wrongfully are numerous."
v. 21. "Oppose me," are my adversaries, in text yis'tenu-ni,
" adversabantur mihi " of St. Jerome ; ///., " sataned me," whence
Satan, an enemy in war, adversary in court, the Adversary par
excellence. " Good," deeds of kindness to his enemies, who feeling
galled by being under obligation to him, persecute the Poet for
his kindness.
136
PSALM 38 (39).
PSALM 38 (39).
1. To the Chief-Musician
[viz.,] to Idhuthun : A
Psalm, to David.
2. I-said, I-will-guard my
ways, From sinning with
my tongue ; I-will-keep
a muzzle on my mouth :
While the wicked is before
me.
3. I made-myself-dumb
in-silent-resignation, I-kept-
silence without [getting
any] good [thereby] : Nay,
my pain was-intensified.
4. Hot-was my heart
within me ; While I-was-
musing, the fire burst-into-
flame : I-spoke with my
tongue :
5. Make - me - to - know,
YaHWeH, mine end, And
the measure of my days,
what it is : May-I-know how
frail I am.
6. Lo, Thou-hast-made
my days [as] hand-breadths
(palms) ; And my fleeting-
life is as naught before
Thee : Only altogether (i.e.,
naught but) a breath is any
man, [even] at his best.
Selah.
7. Only as a phantom
PSALM 38 (39).
1. For the end, a Song
of David, to Idithun.
2. I said, " I-will-take-
heed to my ways, That I-
sin not with my tongue,"
I-will-set a guard on my
mouth, While the sinner
stands before me.
3. I was-dumbfoundered,
and afflicted, and kept-
silence from good [words ?] :
And my grief was renewed.
4. My heart grew-hot
within me ; In my musing
fire burst-into-flame :
5. I - spoke with my
tongue ; Lord, make known
to me mine end, And the
number of my days, what it
is : That I - may - know
wherein I fall short (what
I lack).
6. Lo, Thou-hast-made
my days measurable [by a
span] ; And mine existence
is as naught before Thee :
Surely every man living is
vanity in every respect (i.e.,
altogether vanity).
7. Surely as a shadowy-
PSALM 38 (39).
137
does each-one go-about ;
Only in vain are - they-
disquieted : He - heaps - up
[riches], and knows not who
is to be the gatherer of
them.
8. And now, what can-I-
look - for, 'Adonay? My
hope, to Thee is it
[directed].
9. Deliver me from all
my transgressions : The re-
proach of the fool make me
not.
10. I-made-myself-dumb,
I-opened not my mouth :
Because 'twas THOU didst
[it].
1 1 . Remove Thy stroke
from me : Through conten-
tion with Thy hand I am-
worn-out.
12. When by rebukes for
iniquity Thou - chastenest-
man, Then Thou, like the
moth, makest his delights to
moulder away : Only a
breath is all mankind. Selah.
13. Hear my prayer,
YaHWeH, and give-ear to
my cry ; Hold not Thy
peace at my tears ; For a
stranger am I with Thee :
A sojourner, like all my
fathers.
image does man pass-by ;
Nay, to no purpose is-he-dis-
quieted : He-lays-up-store,
and knows not for whom
he-gathers it.
8. And now, what is mine
expectation? Is it not the
Lord? And my ground-of-
hope is with Thee.
9. Deliver me from all
mine iniquities : Thou-hast-
made me the reproach of
the foolish.
10. I-was-dumb foundered,
and opened not my mouth :
Because THOU didst [it].
11. Remove Thy strokes
from me.
12. By reason of the
strength of Thy hand in
rebukes I am - worn - out :
On account of iniquity
Thou-chastenest man : And
makest his life to waste-
away like a spider : Truly
every man is-disquieted in
vain.
13. O Lord, hear my
prayer, and my supplication,
give-ear to my tears, hold
not Thy peace ; For a
stranger am I with Thee,
and a sojourner, like all my
fathers.
138 PSALM 38 (39).
14. Turn-Thine-eyes from 14. Let me alone, that
me, that I -may-brighten-up : I - may - be - refreshed : Ere
Ere I-depart, and be no I-depart, and be no more,
more.
This Psalm may be divided thus: (1) vv. 2 — 4; (2) 5, 6;
(3) 7 — 11; (4) 12 — 14. Like Pss. xxxvi. (37) and lxxii (73),
it deals with the contrast between men's lot and their deserts.
His silent brooding increases his perplexity, which, at length,
forces a vent in a prayer for light to see the shortness of life, the
emptiness of worldly prosperity, of human effort and aspirations.
He realizes that he is in God's hands ; to Him does he turn for
relief. The pathos, aspiring faith, the depth of thought we
discover in this Psalm can hardly be equalled in the Psalter.
v. 1. " Idithun," or "Yedhuthun," most probably one of the
three chief directors of sacred music, in David's time (1 Paral.
(Chron.) xvi. 38, foil; xxv. 1 — 6; 2 Paral. vi. 12; xxxv. 15).
v. 2. " I said " in my heart, i.e., I firmly resolved. " Sin . . .
tongue," by murmuring against God in my trials. I refrained
from murmuring, though the wicked, whom, to my mind, God
should have long since humbled, paraded his prosperous lot in
my presence — "before me." v. 3. " Obmutui silentio," I
became dumb silently, i.e., in silent resignation, so St. Jerome,
who gives " tacui de bono," " I held my peace, concerning good ; "
according to Thalhofer, " I got no good, no relief, no rest
therefrom ;" or, " I held my peace, while I was far off good," i.e.,
though racked with pain (bodily, or mental, or with both) ; or
again, " I held my peace, turning away mine eyes from the to me
offensive prosperity of the wicked. "Intensified," lit, "stirred
up," " troubled." v. 4. The heat of repressed indignation provoked
by his silent musing over the contrast between his forlorn state
and the prosperity of his persecutors. The drift of these burning
utterances is set forth in the three next verses. The trials of life
are soon over, as life is short. Hence, in v. 8, he casts himself in
resignation on God's mercy, in hope of obtaining from Him some
mitigation. vv. 5, 6. " Hand-breadths," as we see from the
Alexandrian Codex of LXX., from SS. Gregory Nazianzen and
Chrysostom, the true reading is 7raA.aio-Tas {palaistas), more correctly
7raA.acrrus (pa/ashis), palms of the hand, four fingers' breadth, not,
PSALM 38 (39). 1 3g
as the Vatican Codex, 7raAaia? (palaids), " old " (evidently a scribe's
blunder). St. Jerome, " Ecce, breves posuisti dies meos " (Lo,Thou
hast appointed my days short). " My fleeting-life," " mine age,"
St. Jerome, " Et vita mea quasi non sit in conspectu tuo " (and
my life, as it were, is not in Thy sight) ; LXX., eY7roo-Ta(ns
(hypostasis), substance, existence. Targum renders it, "body;"
"duration," "longevity" were as good a rendering as any. "Only
altogether," i.e., "naught but a breath is every (=any) man at
his best" {lit., "set," "firmly fixed ") = in perfect health, cf.
Zach. xi. 16. St. Jerome, "Omnia enim vanitas, omnis homo
stans " (" All things " [ = universa of Vulgate] " are vanity, every
man standing firm "). Text lit., " Only in an image walks man "
( — 'zsh — " each one," "everyone," referring not to any class, but
to each individual, individuum vagum). " In an image," in text,
b'lselem, b of essence, rather than of comparison ; cf. French en
militaire, as a military man, as if " each one is but a shadowy
image, a phantom, soon to vanish." v. 8. " My hope," St. Jerome,
" praestolatio mea tu es " (Thou art my expectation). LXX.,
hypostasis, Vulgate substantia, the ground, the foundation of my
hope; hence, here, as elsewhere in LXX., equivalent to "faith,"
"trust," "reliance" (cf. Heb. iii. 14; xi. 1). "He lays up,"
"collects;" riches to be supplied (LXX., theesaurizei), as is shown
by the "them" at the close of the verse, cf. Eccles. ii. 18, 19,
where the same thought recurs. v. 9. " Make me not the
reproach," &c. ; the text corresponds with the parallelism far more
closely than "Thou hast made me," &c. v. 10. Retrospective:
long since have I been aware that my woes were sent by Thee,
hence I replied not to the railings of mine enemies, v. n.
"Through conflict with Thy hand," &c, it comes to, " I-am-worn-
out with resisting Thy [punishing] hand," i.e., "Thy chastise-
ment." v. 12. "His delights," ///., "that which is desirable in
him." LXX., " his soul," " his life " (\jrvxw, psycheen). St. Jerome,
" Et posuisti quasi tineam desiderabilia ejus," (And (then) Thou
hast made (makest) his desirable things like a moth). " Only a
breath," &c, the refrain, v. 13. Ambrosian Psalter, "lacrimis meis
ne sileas " (Hold not Thy peace at my tears). " Stranger, "ger, one
who travels about in a foreign land. "Sojourner," toshabh, a
foreign settler, naturalized foreigner. A reminiscence of the status
140
PSALM 39 (40).
of the patriarchs — "As all my fathers." v. 14. "Look away from
me," Turn away from me Thine angry glance, so Thalhofer.
St. Jerome, " Parce mihi, ut rideam antequam vadam," &c. (Spare
me, that I may laugh (cheer up, brighten) ere I depart). The
old versions and commentators render " brighten, cheer up,"
"That I-may-recover-strength," which is pretty close to — "be
refreshed " of LXX. and Vulgate, cf. Job. x. 20 ; xiv. 5, &c.
PSALM 39 (40).
1. To the Chief-Musician ;
to David, a Psalm.
2. Eagerly have-I-waited
for YtfHWeH : And He-
inclined to me, and heard
my cry.
3. He-brought-me-up also
out of a pit of destruction,
out of the miry clay ; And
He-set my feet on a rock,
He-steadied my goings.
4. And He-has-put into
my mouth a new song, praise
to our God : Many shall-see
and shall-fear : And shall-
trust in Y«HW<?H.
5. O the happinesses of
(i.e., happy) the man who
makes YaHWeH his trust,
And turns not to the proud,
and to lying apostates.
6. Much hast THOU done,
YaHW^H my God, in Thy
wonders and thoughts on
PSALM 3.9 (40).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David.
2. I-waited eagerly for the
Lord : And He-attended to
me,
3. And heard my prayers :
He brought me up also out
of a pit of misery, and out
of the slimy filth. And
He-set my feet upon a rock,
and ordered my goings
aright.
4. And He-has-put a new
song into my mouth, a
hymn to our God : Many
shall-see, and stand-in-awe,
and shall-trust in the Lord.
5. Blessed the man whose
hope is the Name of the
Lord, And turns not his
eyes to vanities and lying
phrensies (false delusions).
6. O Lord my God, Thou
hast-multiplied Thy won-
ders, and in Thy thoughts
PSALM 39 (40).
I4I
our behalf; There is none
to-be-compared with Thee ;
Would-I-declare and speak
[of them], They - pass all
telling.
7. Bloody-sacrifice and
unbloody - sacrifice Thou -
hast no delight in ; Ears
hast-Thou-bored for me :
Burnt - offering and sin-
offering Thou askest not for.
8. Then said-I, Lo, I-am-
come : In the roll of the
book it is written concerning
me,
9. To do Thy good-
pleasure, my God, I-delight :
Yea, Thy law is in the midst
of my bowels.
10. I-brought-glad-tidings
of [Thy] justice into the
great congregation ; Lo, I
will not refrain my lips :
YaKWeH, Thou knowest.
11. Thy justice I have
not covered up within (i.e.,
lit., in the midst of) my
heart ; I-have-declared Thy
faithfulness and Thy salva-
tion : I-have not hid Thy
loving-goodness and Thy
truth from the great as-
sembly.
12. Thou, O YaHWeH,
withhold not Thy tender-
mercies from me : Let Thy
loving-goodness and Thy
truth continually guard me.
there is none like unto
Thee : I-declared and spoke
[of them ; ] They-exceeded
number.
7. Sacrifice and offering
Thou-would'st not ; But ears
hast-Thou-prepared for me,
Whole-burnt-offering and
sin-offering Thou didst not
require.
8. Then said-I, Behold,
I-am-come : In the heading
of the book it is written
concerning me.
9. I-desire to do Thy will,
O my God : And Thy law
in the midst of my heart.
10. I - have - made - known
Thy justice in the great
congregation : Lo, I-will not
refrain my lips : Lord,
THOU knowest.
11. I have not hid Thy
justice within my heart ; I-
have-declared Thy faithful-
ness and Thy salvation : I
have not hid Thy mercy
and Thy truth from the
great assembly.
12. But Thou, O Lord,
remove not Thy tender-
mercies far from me : Thy
mercy and Thy truth have-
sustained me continually.
142
PSALM 39 (40).
13. For evils up to no
number (i.e., countless) have-
compassed me about ; Mine
iniquities have - overtaken
me, so that I am not able to
see : They-are-more than
the hairs of my head, and
my heart has-forsaken me.
14. Be-pleased, YaHWeH,
to deliver me, YH" make-
haste to help me.
15. Let-them-be-ashamed
and confounded together
that seek-after my soul to
destroy it ; Let-them-be-
turned backward, and dis-
graced : That-delight in my
hurt
16. Let-them-be-desolate
on-account of the reward
tending to their shame :
That-say to me, Heach,
Heach !
17. Let all those - that-
seek Thee rejoice and be-
glad in Thee ; Let-such-as-
love Thy salvation say con-
tinually : YaHWeH be-
magnified.
18. But I am poor and
needy; May 'Adonay think
of me ; My help and my
deliverer art THOU : My
God, do not delay.
13. For evils innumerable
have-surrounded me ; My
transgressions have-taken-
hold of me, so that I cannot
see : They-are-multiplied
more than the hairs of my
head, and my heart has-
failed (i.e., forsaken) me.
14. May-it-please Thee,
O Lord, to rescue me : Lord,
to help me take-thought.
15. Let them that seek
my soul to destroy it, be-
ashamed and confounded
together; Let them that
wish me evil be-turned back-
ward and put-to-shame.
16. Let them that say to
me, Well done ! Well done !
Forthwith receive shame for
their reward.
17. Let all those-that-seek
Thee exult and rejoice in
Thee ; And let such as love
Thy salvation say continu-
ally, The Lord be-magni-
fied.
18. But I am poor and
needy ; [Yet] the Lord cares
for me : Thou art my helper
and my defender: My God,
delay not.
Whatever the events in David's career referred to in this
Psalm as interpreted in its literal sense, whether to Saul's persecu-
tion, or, as some have inferred from v. 13, to Absalom's rebellion,
PSALM 39 (40). 143
the inspired writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews warrants its
application, in the typico-mystic sense at least, to the humilia-
tions, the obedience unto death, to the life-long expiatory sacrifice
of the Christ of God (Heb. x. 5 — 10).
The Psalm consists of two parts, (1) vv. 2 — 11, thanksgiving
for recent deliverance from great peril, and the way of manifesting
it. "Obedience better than sacrifice" (1 Kings (Sam.) xv. 22)
is the key-note to this part; (2) vv. 12 — 18, prayer for deliver-
ance from the snares of malignant foes. From v. 14 to the end,
the Psalm is repeated in Ps. lxix (70), with a few slight variations.
This is most probably their original place, as else v. 13 were an
abrupt finale, and the variations in Ps. lxix. are more reasonably
explained by this view than by its opposite, v. 2. "Eagerly,"
patiently, v. 3. " Pit of," &c. St. Jerome, " De lacu sonitus " (pit
of a crashing noise). " Mire of clay," cf. Plautus, Bacch.,
" lutulento cceno," " Directed " of Vulgate rather, " He made my
footsteps firm," "gave me a firm foothold." v. 4. "New song," a
hymn of thanksgiving, expression characteristic of post-Exilic
Psalms, v. 5. "The Name," LXX. read shem ( = name), instead of
sam (he put, made). St. Jerome, " Qui posuit Dominum con-
fidentiam suam " (Who has put ( = made) the Lord his trust).
" Turn-aside " {lit., turners aside) "to falsehood." Lying follies,
" false madness " of LXX. and Vulgate are probably " divination
with its epileptic accompaniments." v. 6. Stier, Hupfeld,
St. Jerome, " There is no (impossible, none can) lay (set [them]
in order) before Thee;" but better, "There is none to be com-
pared," &c. v. 7. Zebhach ( - bloody sacrifice), u min'c/idh ( = and
meal-offering), unbloody sacrifice (cf. Malach. i. n). "Ears hast
Thou dug" (bored, pierced) "for me." In Heb. x. 5, 10, and in
several old Latin Psalters and Fathers, we read — "a body hast
Thou prepared," &c, as in LXX. The reading dm'a, arm {otia,ota,
ears), occurs in three MSS. of LXX., and is Theodotion's rendering.
The hackneyed explanation of this variant, viz., that it is due to a
scribe's blunder will not hold. More probable is it that LXX.,
deeming the Hebrew clause unintelligible, eschewed the figure,
and rendered the phrase in its equivalent sense, which is, "Thou
hast made me capable of hearing, hence too, of obeying Thy law."
" Body " ( = o-w/xa, soma) may possibly have originated in Heb. x. 5,
144 PSALM 39 (40).
as it is required as the groundwork of the conclusion contained
in v. 10, "Through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ."
Further, in the Divine Idea, the purpose of the organic body is
the fulfilment of the behests of the will conformed to the dictates
of conscience, and God's commands, as St. Paul not obscurely
hints, Rom. xii. 1. The allusion in the text is to the fashion and
function of the ear (the auditory duct), but in nowise to the
ceremony betokening lifelong bondage (see Exod. xxi. 6 ; Deut.
xv. 17). v. 8. " Lo, I am come," here I am, Adsum, "In the
scroll," or "roll." St. Jerome, "in volumine" (in the roll) ; LXX.,
e'v Kc^aAtSi (en kephattdi), the head of the roller around which the
book was wound ; frequently of precious metal, and highly orna-
mented ; taken here, by synecdoche, for the volume whereof it
was the most conspicuous part. " Book," the Tordh, the Law,
the Mosaic Pentateuch, the Book par excellence. " Written," or,
"prescribed to me," "enjoined upon me," cf. 4 (2) Kings xxii. 13.
In Heb. v. 7, " Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is
written of me) to do Thy will, O God," cf. v. 9. But better suited
to the text and to the parallelism is the connection of "to do
Thy will" with "volui" (-1 delight), vv. 10, 11. Not only by
obedience, by personal sacrifice, but by proclaiming the Divine
mercies does he evince his gratitude, v. 11. " [Thy] justice," not
vindictive justice, for which "judgment" is the usual term, but
"beneficence," as frequently elsewhere, v. 13. He has been only
partially relieved, being still surrounded by inveterate foes.
"Iniquities," i.e., the penalties they entail (cf. Gen. xix. 15), press
so thick about me, that " I am in a fog," " I cannot see." As the
representative man, bearing in His Body the sins of our disin-
herited, degraded race, these words apply to the unspeakable
agony in Gethsemani. vv. 14 — 18 form a distinct poem (Ps. lxix.
[70]). v. 16. St. Jerome, "Pereant post confusionem suam " (Let
them perish after their confusion), " On account of the reward
tending to their shame," i.e., the reward consisting in their being
put to shame.
PSALM 40 (41).
145
PSALM 40 (41).
1. To the Chief-Musician;
a Psalm, to David.
2. Oh, the happinesses
of him that regards-with-
compassion the poor : In the
day of evil YaHW*H will-
deliver him,
3. YH" preserve him and
keep-him-alive, so that he-
shall-be-deemed-happy in
the land : And Thou wilt
not deliver him to the will
of his enemies.
4. YH" will-support him
on the couch of languishing :
Thou-turnest all his bed in
his sickness.
5. I said, Y<zHW<>H, be-
gracious to me : Heal my
soul ; for (though) I-have-
sinned against Thee.
6. Mine enemies speak
evil against-me : " When
shall-he-die and his name
perish ? "
7. And if he-come to see
(visit), He-speaks falsehood ;
His heart gathers iniquity to
itself : He-goes-forth out-
side, he-tells [it] (utters his
malice).
8. All that - hate me
mutter together against me :
K
PSALM 40 (41).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David.
2. Blessed is he that
takes-thought for the needy
and the poor : In an evil
day the Lord will-deliver
him.
3. The Lord preserve
and keep - him - alive, and
bless him on the earth : And
deliver him not to the will
of his enemies.
4. The Lord bring him
help upon the bed of his
pain (i.e., sick-bed) ■ Thou-
changest all his bed in his
sickness.
5. I said, Lord be-merci-
ful to me : Heal my soul ;
for I-have-sinned against
Thee.
6. Mine enemies speak
evil against me : " When
shall-he-die, and his name
perish ? "
7. And if one-came to see
[me], he-spoke vain-things ;
His heart gathered iniquity
to itself : He-went outside,
and spoke,
8. In like manner all mine
enemies whispered together
146
PSALM 40 (41).
Against me do-they-devise
my hurt.
9. A wicked purpose is-
poured-out upon him : And
may he-that-lies [sick] rise-
up no more.
10. Yea, the man of my
peace, in whom I-trusted,
who did-eat of my bread :
Has - lifted - up his heel
against me!
11. But Thou, Y^HW^H,
be-gracious to me, and raise
me up : That I-may-requite
them.
12. By this I-know that
Thou-delightest in me : In
that mine enemy triumphs
not over me.
13. And I-, in my sound-
ness (i.e., full strength)
Thou-didst-take hold of me :
And didst - establish me
before Thy face for ever.
14. Blessed be Y^HW^H,
the God of Yisrael (i.e.,
Israel), From everlasting
and to everlasting. Amen,
and Amen.
against me : Against me do-
they-devise my hurt.
9. They spoke (lit, set
down) against me a wicked
word : Shall he that lies
[sick] ever rise again?
10. For even my familiar
friend, in whom I-trusted,
who did-eat my bread :
Has - lifted - up his heel
against me. (St. John xiii.
18.)
n. But Thou, O Lord,
have mercy upon me, and
raise me up : And I-shall-
requite them.
12. By this I-know that
Thou-art-pleased with me :
Because mine enemy shall
not rejoice over me.
1 3. But Thou-didst-up-
hold me because of [mine]
innocence : And didst-set
me before Thee for ever.
14. Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel, from ever-
lasting to everlasting. So-
be-it, so-be-it.
Here, as in Psalm liv. (55), the Poet complains of a
malevolent conspiracy, headed by one who had been his trusted
friend and counsellor. We naturally revert to Absalom's rebellion,
and to the treason of Achitophel (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) xvii. 27).
This, however, is at best conjectural. St. John Chrysostom
brands as rash the denial of the Messianic import of this Psalm
(cf. St. John xiii. 18). v. 2. "Well is it with him that attends to"
PSALM 40 (41). 147
(cf. 2 Esdras (Neh.) viii. 13), "regards with compassion the
ddl" rendered "the poor," the afflicted by bodily disease, or in
mind, or by loss of property; "sick" suits the context better.
v. 3. " He shall be rewarded in this life." St. Jerome renders all
these verbs in vv. 3, 4 by the Future of the Indicative. " Blessed
upon earth," K't/iibh (or written text), " he shall be made happy."
Qrl (or marginal emendation), " so that he shall be deemed
happy." Chaldee Targum — "may He do good to him," in the
active sense ( = benefaciat ei). " Will," lit, " the soul," " the
desire." v. 4. " Will support him ; " or, " May the Lord support
him." Thou turnest all his bed; St. Jerome, "vertisti" (Thou
has turned, changed), Preterite of confidence (so sure to come to
pass, that it may be taken as done). " Make his bed " is excluded
by "all his bed." With Thalhofer, we may render, "Thou wilt
soon change his bed of sickness into a couch of gladness," or,
"Thou wilt soon, when he is sick" ( = in his sickness), "change
all his lying down" ( = his bed-ridden state, cf. Exod. xxi. 18;
2 Kings (Sam.) iv. 5) ["into full health"], "When he falls sick,
Thou wilt soon turn the bed-ridden sufferer into a hale man."
v. 5. He regards his sickness as a punishment of sin. " My soul "
may mean " me," " my person." From vv. 6 and 9, a dangerous
malady may be inferred, v. 7. "If one," "if he," either some
virulent enemy, or a covert reference to Achitophel. " In
idipsum " ( = in like manner, ep\ to avtb of LXX.), in text and
Vulgate begins v. 8, " Together against me all that hate me
whisper-among-themselves," &c. v. 9. Lit., " A word ( = thing) of
Beliyya"al," i.e., " A matter of iniquity," an evil caused by his
crimes. Our rendering is that of Gesenius (s.v. yatsaq), " Poured-
out on him," so Rashi, "is smelted into him," so to speak, which
comes close to the Targum, " will cleave fast to him ; " so too
Aben Ezra and Qimchi. St. Jerome, "Verbum diaboli infundebant
sibi " (a word of the devil did they pour into themselves, he that
lies down will never rise again). LXX., " They appointed "
(kalethenlo) a wicked word against me. Vulgate, They set up
(constituerunt) a spiteful word, &c. The "wicked word they
utter against me " is the question, " Shall he that is lying [on his
sick-bed] rise up again ? " The particle (mee) which introduces the
question requires a negative answer — "He will never recover,"
148 PSALM 40 (41).
their malignant wish being father to their utterance, v. 10.
"Mine own familiar friend," Achitophel (?), despite the sacred bond
of hospitality, has given me a great kick, " has lifted up his heel
against me." It is to be noted that in St. John xiii. 18, our Lord
omits the clause, "In whom I trusted." St. Jerome, "levarit
contra me plantam " (has lifted up the sole of his foot against
me). In its literal sense, this Psalm applies to David, as vv. 5 and
9 exclude a Messianic interpretation. The Anointed Saviour
applies v. 10 to the traitor in its typico-mystical sense, David
being a type of Him. Targum, " He has magnified himself
against me, with a view to underhand doings." v. 11. "Requite,"
as a divinely-appointed king, it was his duty to punish evil-doers ;
no revengeful utterance this. v. 12. A turn of fortune for the
better is here indicated. "Triumph over," //'/., "shout over me."
v. 13. "Soundness," in full health, and unalloyed prosperity.
" Take hold of me," to stay, to support me. St. Jerome, " Ego
autem in simplicitate mea adjutus sum a te, et statues me," &c.
(But I, in my single-mindedness have been helped by Thee, and
Thou wilt set me, &c.) v. 14. This tfrakah, "benediction," or
doxology (cf. the " Glory be to the Father," &c, in the Church
Psalmody), may have been added by the compiler. But as it is
the conclusion the preceding verse leads up to, and without it,
the Psalm would close abruptly, it is more reasonable to hold that
this Psalm was chosen by the compiler to close the first of the five
Books into which the Psalter is divided in the original text,
because it had this ending.
Book Second.
PSALM 41 (42).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
a Mas'kil ; to the sons of
Qorach.
2. As a hart [which] pants
for water-courses : So my
soul pants for Thee, O God.
3. My soul thirsts for
God, for the living God ;
When shall-I-come : And
appear before God?
4. My tears have-been
bread to me day and night :
While they continually say
to me, " Where is thy
God?"
5. These-things I-remem-
ber, and pour-out my soul
upon me, For I-used-to-go
with the throng, I-went-in-
procession with them to the
house of God, With the
voice of glad-shouting and
thanksgiving, a multitude
keeping-holiday.
6. Why dost-thou-bow-
thyself-down, my soul? And
moanest - thou upon me ?
PSALM 41 (42).
1. For the end, [a Psalm]
of instruction for the sons
of Core.
2. As a hart longs for the
water-springs : So does my
soul long for Thee, O God.
3. My soul thirsts for God,
the Strong, the Living-
One ; When shall-I-come :
And appear before God?
4. My tears have-been
bread to me day and night :
While they daily say to me,
" Where is thy God ? "
5. These-things I-remem-
ber, and pour-out my soul
within me ; For I-used-to-
go to the place of the
wondrous Tabernacle, [even]
to the house of God, With
a voice of exultation and
thanksgiving, the sound of-
those-at-a-banquet.
6. Why art-thou sad, O
my soul ? And why dost-
thou-trouble me ? Hope in
i5o
PSALM 41 (42).
Hope in God ; for I shall
yet give Him thanks [Who
is] the health of my coun-
tenance.
7. My God, my soul
bows-itself-down upon me ;
Therefore do-I-remember
Thee from the land of
Yar'den, And the Hermons,
from the hill Mits'ar.
8. Deep to deep is-calling
at the noise of Thy cata-
racts : All thy breakers and
Thy waves are - gone over
me.
9. By day YaUWeU will-
command His loving-good-
ness, And in the night His
song shall be with me : A
prayer to the God of my life.
10. I-will-say to God, my
Rock, Why hast-Thou-for-
gotten me ? Why go-I
mourning because of the
oppression of the enemy?
11. With a breakage in
my bones, mine adversaries
upbraid me : While they
continually say to me,
"Where is thy God?"
12. Why dost-thou-bow-
thyself-down, my soul, and
moanest-thou upon me ?
Hope-thou in God, for I
shall yet give Him thanks :
[Who is] the health of my
countenance, and my God.
God, for I shall yet give
thanks to Him ; [He is] the
salvation of my countenance,
7. And my God. My
soul is-troubled within me ;
Therefore do - I - remember
Thee from the land of
Jordan, and the Hermonim,
from the little hill.
8. Deep calls to deep at
the noise of Thy cataracts :
All Thy billows and Thy
waves are-gone over me.
9. By day the Lord com-
mands His mercy, And by
night His song [shall be].
With me is prayer to the
God of my life,
10. I-will-say to God,
Thou art my helper. Why
hast - Thou - forgotten me ?
And why go-I-about sad,
while the enemy afflicts me ?
1 1. While my bones were-
breaking, mine enemies that
afflict me upbraided me :
While they daily say to me,
" Where is thy God ? "
12. Why art-thou sad, O
my soul ? And why dost-
thou-trouble me ? Hope-
thou in God, for I shall yet
give Him thanks. [He is]
the salvation of my coun-
tenance, and my God.
PSALM 42 (43).
151
PSALM 42 (43).
1. Judge me, O God, and
plead my cause against a
nation not godly : From the
man of deceit and of ini-
quity deliver me.
2. For Thou art the God
of my defence ; Why hast-
Thou-rejected me? Why
go-I-mourning because of
the oppression of the
enemy ?
3. Send-out Thy light and
Thy truth ; let them lead
me : Let-them-bring me to
the mount of Thy holiness,
And to Thy tabernacles.
4. Then will-I- (That I
may) go to the altar of God,
To God ('El) the gladness of
my joy : And I-will-give-
thanks to Thee on a kinnor,
O God, my God.
5. Why dost-thou-bow-
thyself-down, my soul? And
why moanest-thou upon me ?
Hope-thou in God : for I
shall yet give Him thanks,
[Who is] the health of my
countenance, and my God.
PSALM 42 (43).
1. A Psalm of David.
Judge me, O God, and plead
my cause against an ungodly
nation : From the unjust and
deceitful man deliver me.
2. For THOU, O God, art
my strength ; why hast-
Thou - repelled me ? Why
go-I-about sad, while the
enemy oppresses me?
3. Send-forth Thy light
and Thy truth ; they have-
led me ; And have-brought
me to Thy holy mountain,
And to Thy tabernacles.
4. And I-will-go-in to the
altar of God, To God who
gladdens my youth. I-will-
give-thanks to Thee on the
harp, O God, my God.
5. Why art-thou sad, O
my soul ? And why dost-
thou-trouble me ? Hope in
God ; for I will yet give
thanks to Him, The salva-
tion of my countenance, and
my God.
As Thalhofer observes, Pss. xli. and xlii. (42, 43) formed
originally but one Psalm ; the diction and contents of both are
decisive on this point. The affliction, the aspirations, and the
expression thereof are identical in both Psalms. If we compare
152 PSALM 42 (43).
xli. (42) 10, with xlii. (43) 2; xli. 5, with xlii. 3, 4; xli. 6, 12,
with xlii. 5, we cannot but conclude that the latter is meant to
be a continuation of the former. Indeed, we have here a single
ode divided as follows, (1) xli. 2 — 6; (2) xli. 7 — 12; (3) xlii. 1 — 5;
each division closing with the refrain, " I shall yet give Him
thanks who is . . . and my God." The separation of part 3
from the two former cannot be accounted for ; it is at least as
old as the LXX. In 37 Hebrew MSS. collated by Kennicott, in
9 of De Rossi's, Pss. xli. xlii. are reckoned as a single Psalm.
Of the Hebrew MSS. in which Ps. xlii. (43) appears as a
separate Psalm, 4 only prefix the Title — "To David," which is
to be found in LXX., Syriac, and Vulgate. The leading feature
of Ps. xli. (42), yearning for communion with God in His
sanctuary, is that of Ps. lxxxiii. (84) also, which may be con-
sidered as a hymn of thanks for the fulfilment of the yearnings
contained in these two Psalms. The author of this didactic elegy
is, in all probability, David himself (as for the ascription " to the
. (for the) sons of Qorach," cf. Introduction, § " Titles of Psalms ").
The yearning for the centre of national worship corresponds to
David's utterances 2 Kings (Sam.} xv7~25, at the beginning of
his flight ; the^Jaunts of his_ enemies recall the reproaches of
Semei {Ibid. xvi. 7, 8). There is no solid objection to David's
authorship of this and of Ps. lxxxiii. (84).
v. 2. " As a hart," the epicene 'ayydl is here followed by the
feminine verb, as if 'ayyd/ were exclusively feminine. The Syriac
version and Rashi understand it to mean the peculiar cry of the
deer, but in Joel i. 20, it is predicated indiscriminately of "the
beasts of the field." "Desire," "eager longing," is the meaning
adopted in Targum and LXX. St. Jerome is peculiar — " Sicut
areola proeparata ad irrigationes aquarum ; sic anima mea praeparata
ad te, Deus " (As a small garden-bed prepared for water-courses ;
so [is] my soul \ < iared for Thee, O God), v. 3. For 'El, "the
living." 'El, besides being a 1 )ivine Name, means " might,"
"power," "mighty," "powerful," hence rendered in St. Jerome
and Vulgate, "strong," "mighty" (=fortem). Photius {Biblio-
theca) observes that the Trisagion so often repeated in the Offices
of the ( rreek Churches, but, in the West, sung with the Improperia,
mi Good Friday, is an adaptation of the "Strong," and of the
PSALM 42 (43). 153
" Living," in this v. " Appear before 'Elohim," the self-same
expression occurs in the Law with reference to the three solemn
feasts (cf. Exod. xxiii. 17; xxxiv. 23; 1 Kings (Sam.) i. 22).
v. 4. "Where thy God?" a taunt equivalent to "God, whom
thou art ever invoking, has forsaken thee" (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.)
xvi. 7, 8). v. 5. These memories embitter my grief, " and I pour
out my soul upon (within) me," a figure expressing boundless
sorrow, cf. Ps. xxi. (22) 15. As memory refers to the past, the
following verbs, though rendered in Future by LXX., Vulgate,
and St. Jerome, must be translated in the habitual Past. " I used
to go," as we read in several old Latin Psalters (ingrediebar, I
used to go into). "With the throng" of pilgrims going up for
the feasts ; bas-sakh ( = with the throng) occurs only here. LXX.
read bas-sakh (in (into) the tabernacle) ; St. Jerome renders it,
" Quia veniam ad umbraculum " (for I will come to the arbour),
in agreement with Gesenius, who doubts not that primarily it is
"a thicket of trees," "a thick wood," applied here to a dense
crowd (Hebr. Lex. s.v.). Rashi suggests the alternative render-
ing, "the covered carts "in which the pilgrims were conveyed.
Aben Ezra understands it of a tent on the Temple mount.
LXX. and Vulgate are as likely to be right. " Wondrous
tabernacle," in present text 'eddaddem ( = I will (used to) march-
in-procession with them) as far as the house of God, or, " I used
to lead them in procession," &c. LXX. read (or had) 'addirim,
or something similar ; the change of d into r (two very similar
letters in Hebrew script) would vindicate the rendering
("wondrous," "magnificent") of LXX. " Multitude . . .," Targum,
" with the people who come to celebrate the feast." St. Jerome,
" in voce . . . multitudinis festa celebrantis " (with the voice
(sound, noise) of a multitude celebrating festivals). Sonus of
Vulgate is probably a corruption of St. Ambrose, sonitus {of the
sound, noise) ; St. Augustine read soni (of the sound) ; LXX.,
eechou (of the sound of those who keep festival). " Epulantis "
(banqueting) of Vulgate may refer to the sacrificial repasts (cf.
Deut. xxi. 11, foil.), v. 6. "Why?" ("what about?") "art thou
downcast?" LXX., ti perilypos ei (why art thou very sad?),
_appropriated by the Christ, St. Matt. xxvi. 38. " Health of my
countenance," in present text, and in St. Jerome ("confitebor
154 PSALM 42 (43).
ei, salutaribus vultus ejus"), in Hebrew, "[For] the helps
( = deliverances) of His countenance " ( = "His presence ") ; " My
God" heads the next verse. It seems, however, from v. 12 of
this, and from v. 5 of the next Psalm, that the true reading is
that adopted by LXX. (Cod. Alex.), Vulgate, and Syriac, which
render [" Who is] the health of my faces ( = countenance), and
my God," taking the Waw final of v. 6 (as in present text) for
the copulative "and." This latter reading is now generally
accepted, v. 7. LXX., " my soul is troubled " (etardchthee), akin
to the utterance of the Christ, St. John xii. 27. "Upon me,"
"within me" = "in meipso" of St. Jerome. He bethinks him of
God in the land on the eastern bank of Jordan, in the N.E., the
scene of his wanderings. " Hermonim " (in text Cher'' mo mm), a
spur of Antilibanus, near the source of Jordan, consisting of
several mountains, and hence mentioned in Plural, "the Hermons,"
to denote either the three most conspicuous summits, or the
whole range. Mits"dr, a common noun meaning "littleness,"
"fewness;" so taken by LXX. and by Symmachus ; St. Jerome,
" a monte minimo " (from the very little mount). Probably the name
of a hill in N.E. territory, now unknown, vv. 8 — 12. Trust in God,
despite present distress, v. 8. " Deep," &c, in the^symbolism
of thlTDivine Scriptures, water-floods are a figure of calamity.
One affliction is followed by another, "calls to,"lumraons a
succeeding mishap. " Cataracts " (perhaps), the waterfalls at the
source of Jordan, or the torrents flowing from the mountains into
it. "All Thy breakers," Vulgate, "excelsa" (high waves); LXX.
here, as in Ps. xcii. (93) 4, mctcorismoi, there rendered by Vulgate
"elationes;" St. Augustine, "suspensiones," rain clouds suspended
in the air ; St. Jerome, " gurgites " (whirlpools), v. 9. God sends
to him help in the counsels he executes, by day ; at night, he will
sing a hymn of thanksgiving (" His song," objective Genitive),
and will offer a grateful prayer to the Source and Preserver " of
my life." v. 11. The taunts of mine enemies are to me as a
crushing blow that breaks the bones. Or, "When I am as
helpless, as if my bones were crushed, mine enemies taunt
me," &c. Or, " When reduced to dire extremity mine enemies,"
&c. v. 12. "I will yet," &c, the refrain as in v. 6, and v. 5 of
next Psalm.
PSALM 43 (44).
155
Psalm xlii. (43). v. 1. "Judge me," right me, vindicate my
right. "Plead," "strive [and deliver me] from an ungodly
nation," that is without love or pity (revolutionary cruelty).
"Deceitful, unjust man," (perhaps) Achitophel ? v. 2. "My
defence," refuge, stronghold, cf. v. 10 of preceding Psalm.
"Rejected," the verb denotes discarding through loathing, disgust.
v. 3. "Light," cf. Ps. xxvi. (27) 1. God's manifestation for the
relief of the Poet's straits, cf. Ephes. v. 13. "Truth," faithful-
ness to covenanted promises. No reference here to 'Uri/n
( = lights) and Thummim (perfections, integrity, not "truth").
" Lead," " bring," that I may attend Thy worship ; his banishment
for which he mourns in v. 5 of foregoing Psalm, v. 4. St. Jerome,
"ad Deum laetitiae exultationis meae" ( = to the God of the
joy of mine exultation). " Harp," in text Kinnor ( = lute, lyre).
v. 5. Refrain, as in vv. 6, 12 of foregoing Psalm.
PSALM 43 (44).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
to the sons of Qorach, a
Mas'kil.
2. O God, with our ears
have-we-heard, our fathers
have-told us : The work
Thou-wroughtest in their
days, in the days of old.
3. THOU, with thy hand
didst-dispossess nations, and
plant them in : Thou-didst-
discomfort peoples, but
cause - them - to - spread-
abroad.
4. For not by their own
sword did they get the land
in possession, Neither did
PSALM 43 (44).
1. For the end, for the
sons of Core, for instruction.
2. O God, with our ears
have-we-heard, our fathers
have - told us. The work
which Thou-wroughtest in
their days, in the days of
old.
3. Thy hand utterly-
destroyed nations, but them
Thou - plantedst - in : Thou-
didst - afflict peoples, and
drive them forth.
4. For not by their own
sword did-they-get-posses-
sion of the land, Neither did
1 56
PSALM 43 (44).
their own arm work-deliver-
ance for them ; But Thy
right-hand, and Thine arm,
and the light of Thy coun-
tenance, Because Thou-
favouredst them.
5. THOU art He, my
King, O God : Command
deliverances for Ya"aqobh
(i.e., victories for Jacob).
6. Through Thee will-we-
thrust-down our adversaries
with a horn : Through Thy
Name will-we-tread-down
them-that-rise-up-against us
(lit., " our risers ").
7. For not in my bow will-
I-trust : And my sword shall
not save me.
8. But Thou -didst - save
us from our adversaries :
And them-that-hated us
Thou-didst-put-to-shame.
9. By God do-we-offer-
praise all the day long : And
to Thy Name will-we-give-
thanks for ever. Selah.
10. But Thou-hast-re-
jected and disgraced us :
And goest not forth with
our hosts.
11. Thou-turnest us back
from the foe : And they-
that-hate us plunder for
themselves.
1 2. Thou-hast-given us
like sheep for meat : And
their own arm deliver them ;
But Thy right-hand, and-
Thine arm, and the illumi-
nation of Thy countenance,
Because Thou - wert - well-
pleased with them.
5. THOU art He, my King
and my God : Who com-
mandest deliverances for
Jacob.
6. Through Thee will-we-
toss our enemies with the
horn : In Thy Name will-
we-set-at-nought them-that-
rise-up against us.
7. For I-will not trust in
my bow : Neither shall my
sword save me.
8. For Thou - didst - save
us from our oppressors : And
put - to - shame them - that-
hated us.
9. Through God will we
continually offer praise :
And to Thy Name will-we-
give-thanks for ever.
10. But now Thou-hast-
rejected and put us to
shame : And goest not forth,
[O God,] with our hosts.
1 1 . Thou-hast-turned us
back from pursuing our
enemies : And they that
hate us spoil for themselves
(i.e., at their own whim).
1 2. Thou - hast - given us
like sheep for meat. And
PSALM 43 (44).
157
hast-scattered us among the
nations.
13. Thou - sellest Thy
people for nought: And
didst not make much by
their price.
14. Thou-makest us a re-
proach to our neighbours :
A scorn and a laughing-
stock to them - that - are-
round-about us.
15. Thou makest us a
by-word among the nations :
A shaking of the head
among the peoples.
16. All the day long is my
disgrace before me : And
the shame of my face covers
me,
17. For the voice of the
reviler, and blasphemer :
Because of the enemy and
the avenger.
18. All this is-come upon
us ; yet we have not for-
gotten Thee : Nor have-we-
dealt - falsely with Thy
covenant ;
19. Our heart is not
turned back : Nor has our
step (sic) declined from Thy
path ;
20. But Thou - hast-
crushed us into the place of
jackals : And covered us
with the shadow of death.
21. If we-have-forgotten
hast-scattered us among the
nations.
13. Thou-hast-sold Thy
people gratis: And there
was no crowd at their sale.
(Or, no profit by their ex-
change.)
14. Thou-makest us a re-
proach to our neighbours :
A scorn and a derision to
those around us.
15. Thou-makest us a by-
word among the Gentiles :
A shaking of the head
among the peoples.
16. All the day is my con-
fusion before me : And the
shame of my face fias-
co vered me,
17. For the voice of the
reviler and the slanderer :
Because of the enemy and
persecutor.
18. All these-things are-
come upon us ; Yet we have
not forgotten Thee : Nor
have-we-dealt unjustly with
Thy covenant;
19. Neither is our heart
turned back : Nor hast
Thou let our paths turn
aside from Thy way ;
20. But Thou-hast-laid us
low in a place of affliction :
And the shadow of death
has-covered us.
21. If we have forgotten
i58
PSALM 43 (44).
the Name of our God : Or
spread-out our palms to a
strange god :
22. Shall not God inquire
into this? For He knows
the secrets of the heart :
23. Yet for Thy sake are-
we-slain all the day long •.
We-are-counted as sheep
for the slaughter.
24. Awake, why sleepest-
Thou, Adonay ? Uprouse
Thee, reject [us] not for
ever.
25. Why hidest - Thou
Thy face : Forgettest our
affliction and oppression?
26. For our soul is-bowed-
down to the dust : Our belly
cleaves to the ground.
27. Rise-up for our help :
And redeem us for Thy
loving-goodness' sake.
the Name of our God : Or
spread-forth our hands to a
strange god :
22. Shall not God inquire
into this ? For He knows
the secrets of the heart.
23. Yet for Thy sake
are-we-slain all the day
long : We are counted as
sheep for slaughter. (Rom.
viii. 36.)
24. Awake, why sleepest-
Thou, O Lord? Arise, cast
[us] not off for ever.
25. Why turnest - Thou
Thy face away? Forgettest
our poverty and affliction?
26. For our soul is-
brought-down to the dust :
Our belly cleaves to the
ground.
27. Arise, [O Lord,] help
us : And redeem us for Thy
Name's sake.
A national plaint in time of oppression. Of the several periods
to which this Psalm is assigned, none befits the Psalm but that
of the Syrian persecution, which called forth the heroic resistance
of the Machabees. At no other epoch in Jewish history could
the disclaimer of national apostasy (vv. 18 — 23) have been in
accordance with fact. v. 3. " Dispossess," in text, the verb means
(1) "to take possession of for one's self," (2) hence, "to deprive,"
" to expel." LXX., " utterly destroyed ; " St. Jerome, " delesti "
(hast blotted out). " Nations," "peoples," cf. Josue ; the Hittites,
Canaanites, Amorrhites, with four others. "But them [ = our fathers]
Thou didst plant in " — the settlement of Israel in the Promised
Land is in Ps. lxxix. (80), likened to the planting of a vine-stock.
PSALM 43 (44). 159
" But them Thou didst spread abroad." St. Jerome, " emisisti
eos " (hast sent them out), which will bear the LXX. rendering
("and hast cast them (the heathen) out"), but the parallelism
demands that " Thou-didst send them out " be referred to the
spreading abroad of Israel like a goodly tree. v. 4. " Light," cf.
Josue xxiv. 12. v. 5. "Thou He," may mean, "Thou [art] He
who art my King," but, quite as likely, He is a Divine title,
cf. Deut. xxxii. 39; Ps. ci. (102) 28; Isai. later chapters passim.
"Jacob" (cf. Ps. lxxviii. (79) 7; probably a Machabaean Psalm).
" Jacob " = Israel. "My King," cf. Ps. lxxiii. (74) 12. v. 6.
The notion here is that of an enraged bull goring and trampling
down his opponent. LXX. renders the verb exactly ("thrust
with the horn," keratiofwmi) ; Vulgate takes it as " tossing with
the horn," as also St. Jerome. " Spernemus " (we will spurn) is a
too literal rendering of LXX., "we will bring to nought;"
St. Jerome, with text, (conculcabimus) "we will tread down,"
like an enraged bull with his hoofs, cf. Deut. xxxiii. 17. vv. 7, 8.
Cf. 1 Machab. iii. 19, foil. v. 9. St. Jerome, "In the Lord will
we rejoice;" Aquila (fragments), "will we make boast," not
indeed of our own strength, but for that we are His people.
Better, " we will offer praise," not to precisely, but through, or by
God. vv. 10 — 17 apply to the vigorous and chaste races who
have kept the Faith despite persecution. v. 11. St. Jerome,
" Thou hast turned our backs to the foe ; " Roman Psalter,
St. Augustine, "prge inimicis " ("at the sight of," or, "on account
of," the enemies). Vulgate seems to imply, " we who formerly
pursued the foe, are now compelled by Thee to flee before him."
v. 12. "As a flock (sheep) of (=for) meat, food." St. Jerome,
"Thou hast given us " (i.e., made us) " as a flock to be devoured "
(ad vorandum). v. 13. "For nought," in text, b'/b-hbn (without
wealth, for no wealth, for a mere trifle). "And hast not increased
[Thy gains] by their prices," or, as above, " Hast not made
much," &c. Symmachus, " And hast not increased their price,"
i.e., " Didst not set a high value upon them." Codex Vaticanus
of LXX. and most Greek copies read instead of allagais (ex-
changes, barter), alalagtnasi, rendered in old Psalters and
St. Augustine, "in jubilationibus" (paeans of victory, shoutb of joy),
in which case we should take it to mean, "the enemies, who
i6o PSALM 44 (45).
celebrated their victory with a joyous shout, were few in number."
The Latin versions, with most Latin Fathers, render alalagmasi
in the sense of "barter," "truck." vv. 14, 15. Cf. Deut. xxviii. 37;
Ps. xxi. (22) 7, 8; Lam. ii. 15, 16. v. 16. As in Lam. i. 12 — 16,
the national complaint is uttered in first person singular, v. 1 7.
" For the voice" = by reason of the voice. " Enemy and avenger,"
cf. Ps. viii. 3. " Persecutor (persequentis) of Vulgate, is probably
due to a scribe reading ekdiokontos ( = of the persecutor) for
ekdikoitntos, the same as ekdikeet'een of Ps. viii. 3. vv. 18 — 23.
Though to all seeming forsaken of Thee, to Thee we cling.
v. 19 £. LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) and Vulgate lit. rendered, "Yet
hast Thou turned aside our paths from Thy way j " but as in
text, so in versions, the negative of first hemistich extends to the
verb in second hemistich, as required by the parallelism, " Thou
hast given us the grace not to turn aside," &c. v. 20. But Thou-
hast-crushed-us down into the place of tannim (by some rendered
"of jackals"), i.e., the waste, symbolizing a forlorn condition,
" And covered upon us ( = overwhelmed us) with deepest gloom."
v. 21. " If" [on account of the ills we are suffering] we forget . . .
Surely the Searcher of hearts will inquire into this. v. 23. "Far
are we from swerving from Thee," for on the contrary, "we are
daily suffering for Thy Name's sake," cf. Rom. viii. 36. vv. 24 —
27. Prayer for speedy relief and deliverance, v. 26. "Our soul,"
i.e., we ourselves ; sitting, lying prostrate in the dust, a mark of
intense affliction, v. 27. St. Jerome, " Redeem us for Thy mercy's
sake."
PSALM 44 (45). PSALM 44 (45).
1. For the Chief-Mu- I. For the end, for them
sician, upon Shoshannim, that shall be changed, to
to the sons of Qorach : the sons of Core ; for in-
Mas'kil, a Song of loves. struction, a Song concerning
the beloved.
2. My heart wells-forth- 2. My heart casts-up a
gladsome the matter - 1 goodly matter. I address my
PSALM 44 (45). l6l
speak ; My work is for a works to the king : My
king : My tongue is a pen ; tongue is the pen of a rapid
A rapid writer. writer.
3. Beautified - art - thou 3. Fairer art thou in
more than any other of the beauty than the sons of
sons of man ; Grace is- men ; Grace is-poured-forth
poured on thy lips : There- on thy lips : Therefore has
fore has God blessed thee God blessed thee for ever,
for ever.
4. Gird thy sword on thy 4. Gird thy sword on thy
thigh, O mighty-one : [Gird thigh, O most - mighty-
on] thy glory and thy warrior,
majesty,
5. And [in] thy majesty 5. In thy comeliness and
prosper-thou, ride-thou (i.e., in thy beauty ; bend [thy
ride on prosperously), In the bow], press-forward-victori-
cause of truth and meek- ously, and prove-thee-a-
ness [and] justice : And thy king ; In behalf of truth, of
right-hand shall-teach thee meekness, and of justice :
terrible-things {or, Let thy And thy right-hand shall-
right-hand teach, &c). guide thee wondrously.
6. Thine arrows are 6. Thine arrows are sharp
sharpened, (Peoples shall- (Peoples shall - fall under
fall under thee) : In the thee) : In the heart of the
heart of the king's enemies, king's enemies.
7. Thy throne, O God, is 7. Thy throne, O God, is
for ever and ever : A sceptre for ever and ever : A sceptre
of equity is the sceptre of of equity is the sceptre of
thy kingdom. thy kingdom.
8. Thou-lovest justice, 8. Thou - lovest justice,
and hatest wickedness : and hatest iniquity : There-
Therefore, God, thy God fore God, thy God, has-
has-anointed thee with the anointed thee with the oil
oil of gladness above thy of gladness above thy
fellows. fellows. (Heb. i. 8, 9.)
9. Myrrh, and aloes [and] 9. Myrrh, and stacte, and
cassia are all thy garments ; cassia [exhale] from thy
From out of ivory palaces garments, From out of ivory
L
1 62
PSALM 44 (45).
stringed-instruments make
thee glad.
10. Kings' daughters are
among thine honoured-
women : The queen has-
taken-her-stand at thy right-
hand in gold of 'Ophir.
11. Hearken, daughter,
and consider, and incline
thine ear : And forget thy
people, and thy father's
house ;
12. And the king shall-
delight-in thy beauty : For
he is thy lord, and bow-
thee-down to him.
13. And the daughter of
Tsor (i.e., Tyre) with a gift :
Yea, the richest of the
nation shall - intreat thy
favour (lit, " stroke thy
faces ").
14. Altogether splendour
is the king's daughter in the
inner [apartment] -. Of em-
broidery of gold is her
clothing.
15. In embroidered ap-
parel she-is-led to the king :
Virgins, her companions,
following her : Are-brought
unto thee ;
16. They - are - led with
rejoicings and exultation :
They-enter into the king's
palace.
17. Instead of thy fathers
palaces, from which gladden
thee
10. Kings' daughters for
thine honour. The queen
stands-by at thy right-hand
in vesture inwrought-with-
gold [arrayed in divers-
colours].
1 1 . Hearken, daughter,
and see, and incline thine
ear : Forget also thy people,
and thy father's house ;
12. So shall the king
desire thy beauty : For he
is the Lord [thy God], and
they-shall-worship him.
13. And the daughters of
Tyre, yea, the richest of the
nation shall-intreat thy face
(i.e., favour) with presents.
14. All her glory [is that]
of the king's daughter from
within : In golden fringed
garments,
15. Arrayed in divers-
colours. Virgins are-brought
to the king after her : Her
companions are-brought to
thee ; [i.e., to the king]
16. They - are - brought
with gladness and exulta-
tion : They are-led into the
king's palace.
17. Instead of thy fathers
-SALM 44 (45). 163
shall-be thy sons : Thou- sons are - born to Thee :
shalt-establish them princes Thou-shalt-establish them
in all the land. princes over all the earth.
18. I-will-make thy name 1 8. They - shall - celebrate
memorable in every genera- thy name in every genera-
tion and generation : There- tion : Therefore shall the
fore shall the peoples give nations give thee thanks for
thee thanks for ever and ever, and for evermore,
ever.
This Psalm may be viewed as an epitome of the Canticle of
Canticles, and, most probably, in its direct and literal sense, or,
at least, in its typico-mystic import, is unquestionably a bridal-
song, wherein "the Spirit that spake by the Prophets" hymns
the nuptials of Incarnate Wisdom with regenerate humanity, in
the unity of His holy and Catholic Church. Not to mention the
inspired writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, or the unanimous
consent of the Fathers, the Rabbinical authorities, with the
exception of R. Rashi, agree with the Targum in referring it to
David's Anointed Son. The title itself (Afas'ki/, instruction, an
instructive, or didactic poem) points to the same conclusion. If,
with a modern school, we view it as a mere wedding-ode in
honour of the marriage of Solomon, whose antecedents, history,
matrimonial ventures, and peaceful reign suggest weighty objec-
tions to this view, or of Joram, a theory less open to exception,
it is difficult to account for the insertion in the Psalter of a
merely secular ode, as Ewald observes, "expressly dedicated to
a king. For some prosperous King of Judah, not God, is the
poet's theme, the object and aim of this eulogy. . . . The song
is unparalleled in the Psalter, and savours rather of the poetry of
this world."
v. 1. "Shoshannim," ///., "the lilies;" according to A. Ezra,
the initial words of a song, indicating the melody to which this
Psalm was to be sung. R. Qimchi and certain Latins connect it
with shfch (Hebrew for "six"), and render it, "on a .svlr-stringed
lyre." LXX. have evidently vocalized the vowelless text from
shanah ( = he repeated, changed). Hyper ton alloidtheesomenon
( = for those who are to be changed), which may mean (for
164 psalm 44 (45).
alternate [strains]). Thalhofer, however, credits the LXX. with
an insight into the Messianic import of the poem, and asserts
that they refer hereby to the change to be wrought by the Christ
in the mental, moral, and bodily sphere, and in Nature itself, a
notion they might have gathered from the prophecies. " Song of
loves," ydhidhoth (loves) may be a corruption for the Singular
y'dhuihuth ( = delight). The Psalm is thus divided: (1) v. 2, a
preface by the Poet, to which corresponds v. 18; (2) vv. 3 — 10,
the kingly bridegroom's beauty, bravery, just rule, the splendour
of his Court; (3) vv. 11 — 16, exhortation to the bride to behave
dutifully — her wedding-gifts — dress, the procession which escorts
her to the palace; (4) v. 17, the promise of a numerous pos-
terity, v. 2. " Wells-forth," "overflows," "boils-over," "bubbles-
up ; " " My heart is brimfull," rdchash in text, is read only here in
the Hebrew Scriptures, a ct7r Xey6/x. " Gladsome the matter," /#.,
"a good word" (or, subject-matter), "Speaking am I." "My works,"
lit., "deeds," "doings" — iroiri^ara (poieemata = poems), verses, or
strophes of the song. By some taken for an emphatic Plural,
" my poem, equal in excellence to numerous compositions."
"Rapid," in Targum, "an accustomed" (i.e., "trained by frequent
exercise"), "a skilled scribe." v. 3. " Beautified " = " made
beautiful ; " in text a reduplicated passive form (yoph-ya-phitha).
Gesenius is of opinion that the initial reduplication (yoph-) is a
scribe's blunder; LXX., with all the ancient versions, take this
initial reduplication as adding emphasis to the meaning (so too
Aben Ezra), hence do they seek to bring out its sense by such
repetition as " beauteous in beauty " (cf. the counterpart, Isai. lii.
14). "Grace," courtesy of address, cf. Prov. xxii. 11; Eccles.
x. 12; 3 (1) Kings x. 8; St. Luke iv. 22. " Grace," the charms
of " the Manhood taken up into God," both in Its outward and
moral aspects (cf. St. Jerome's Letter to Principia). It may be
too the "glory" He claims, St. John xvii. passim., "Therefore,"
the gifts above-mentioned are tokens (not reasons) of the Divine
blessing. vv. 4 — 6. Hardly compatible with the reign of
Solomon, which, as his name (Sh'lomoh - peaceful) implies, was
undisturbed by war. v. 4. " Glory," " majesty," the several
insignia of military pomp. v. 5. "And in thy majesty," probably
an unintentional repetition from the foregoing verse, to be rejected.
PSALM 44 (45). 165
LXX. render it, Zvtuvov enteinon (bend [thy bow]) ; Vulgate,
intende, reading it as the Imperative of ddrakh (he trod, strung
a bow). " Ride," r'khabh, rather, " drive on," i.e., drive in thy
war-chariot to victory (cf. 3 (1) Kings xxii.); the Hebrew kings
went to battle in a chariot, not on horseback. " In the cause of,"
"in behalf of," "on account of" virtue generally. "Drive on,"
as the champion of whatever is right. St. Jerome, " On account
of the meekness of justice" = to vindicate oppressed innocence,
to champion rights violated in the person of the lowly. Or,
" Let thy right hand teach thee," &c. v. 6. Or, " May thine arrows
be-sharp." "The king's," equivalent to "your," "Your Majesty's
enemies." v. 7. Both LXX. and Heb. i. 8. render "O God;"
"Thy divinely constituted throne," "thy throne is God" I^Elohini
in text), and the like, are but arbitrary comments, invented to
serve a purpose, v. 8. " God, Thy God," St. Augustine, on the
authority of the Greek version, holds that the former " God " is
in the Vocative ; so, too, St. Jerome (Letter to Principia). v. 9.
"Aloes and cassia," both Plural in text. "Palaces (temples) of
ivory," the walls whereof are inlaid with ivory (cf. 3 (1) Kings
xxii. 39, "Achab's ivory house"). "Whence," or, "by which
they-have-gladdened thee ; " St. Jerome, " by which (quibus) they
have gladdened thee;" LXX. 1$ wv (ex Aon); Vulgate, "ex quibus"
(out of which, with which), in text, minni, thus taken as a poetical
form of ntin (from). Others interpret minni, " more than I, have
they gladdened thee." Targum takes it for " Armenia," as in
Jer. li. 27 ("Minni"). Others prefer to see in minni an allusion
to the Minnaei, a tribe of South Arabia, who were said to have
had houses adorned with ivory, and would render, " from palaces
of Minnsean (Armenian [?]) ivory they have gladdened thee." It
is far more usual to take it to be either the apocopated form
of minnim (= "strings" [of a musical instrument], "slender
threads "), cf. Syriac mennd ( = hair), the Plural of which, mennin,
is the rendering in Syriac version for kinndr (- harp), in Ps.
xxxii. (33) 2 ; or it is a Singular noun, used as a noun of
multitude, meaning " players on stringed instruments." Gesenius
(s.v.), " out of the ivory palaces the strings (i.e., concerts of music)
gladden thee." LXX. and Vulgate take these words in connection
with v. 10, "Honoured women," not the "virgins" of v. 15, but
1 66 psalm 45 (46).
the ladies of the king's harem. " Queen " (in text, shcghal),
primarily "a concubine," but used here and in Neh. (2 Esdras)
ii. 6 of the queen consort (cf. Dan. v. 3). " Gold of Ophir,"
St. Jerome, "in diademate aureo " (in a golden diadem). 'Opfiir,
a region in India, or in South Arabia. " [Arrayed . . . colours],"
not in text, interpolated here from v. 15; wanting too in
St. Jerome, v. 11. "Daughter," usual address by a teacher;
Talmud, however, says that in Western Aramaic, b'nath, Vrath is
used for "a bride." v. 12. " Delight in," preferable to "desire,"
no need to desire what he possesses. "Lord" (in text 'ad/ion,
"lord," or "master"), frequently used of a husband. "[Thy
God]," neither in text, nor in LXX., an interpolation of some
scribe. " Bow down," " do homage," make open acknowledg-
ment of his authority over thee. LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) connect
this with v. 13, "And the daughters of Tyre shall-do-homage to
him with presents." v. 13. " Daughter of Tyre," i.e., the Tyrians,
cf. "The virgin, the daughter of Sion," Isai. xxxvii. 22. Athalia
was of the royal family of Tyre. " The rich of the nation "
(either Tyrian or Jewish), may mean "the richest of the nation."
v. 14. "In the inner," &c, lit., "to within," corresponding to
St. Jerome's intrinsecus ( = inwardly) ; properly, according to
Gesenius (s.v.), "to the wall" [of the room, or court], that is,
opposite the door, so as to meet the eye of all coming in. He
explains it, "All splendid [sits] the daughter of the king (i.e., the
queen) by the wall, i.e., she is seated on the throne." LXX.
(Cod. Vatican.), has "the daughter of the king of Esebon
( = Heshbon)," a blunder for Icrojtfev, esothen (within, from within)
of Cod. Alexandria of LXX. vv. 17, 18, as the pronouns are
Masculine, are addressed to the king. v. 18. The poet implies
that this ode will perpetuate the king's memory, be a lasting
memorial of his "name." Why did he not mention his name?
PSALM 45 (46). PSALM 45 (46).
1. For the Chief-Mu- 1. For the end, for the
sician, to the sons of Qorach : sons of Core ; concerning
upon "alamoth, a Song. secret-things, a Psalm.
PSALM 45 (46).
167
2. God is to us a refuge
and strength : A help in
afflictions, is-He-found con-
stantly.
3. Therefore do we not
fear, though the earth
change-its-place : And the
mountains totter [and fall]
into the heart of [the] seas.
4. Let its waters roar, let-
them-foam : Let the moun-
tains quake at its swelling.
Selah.
5. A river [there is] the
streams whereof gladden
the city of God ■ The holy-
place of the tabernacles of
"El'yon (i.e., Most High).
6. God is in the midst
of her ; she shall not be
moved : God shall-help her
at the dawn (appearance) of
morning.
7. Nations were-clamour-
ing, kingdoms tottered : He-
uttered His voice, — the
earth melts.
8. YaHW^H Ts'bhaoth is
with us : A high-fortress to
us is the God of Ya"aqobh.
Selah.
9. Come-ye, behold the
works of YaHWeH: Who
makes devastations in the
earth ;
10. Making wars to cease
to the end of the earth ; He-
breaks the bow, He - cuts
2. Our God is a refuge
and strength : A help in the
afflictions that have-come
sorely upon us.
3. Therefore will we not
fear, when the earth is-
troubled : And the moun-
tains are-removed into the
heart of the ocean.
4. Their waters may-roar
and be-stirred up : The
mountains may-quake at its
violence.
5. The streams of a river
gladden the city of God :
The Most High has-hal-
lowed His tabernacle.
6. God is in the midst of
her ; she shall not be
moved : God shall-help her
toward the morning dawn.
7. Nations were-troubled,
kingdoms tottered : He-
uttered His voice, — the earth
quaked.
8. The Lord of hosts is
with us : Our upholder is
the God of Jacob.
9. Come, and behold the
works of the Lord : What
wonders He - has - achieved
in the earth,
10. Putting-an-end to wars
as far as the end of the
earth ; He-crushes the bow,
1 68 psalm 45 (46).
the spear in sunder : The and breaks the weapons in
chariots He-burns in the fire, pieces : And the bucklers
He-burns with fire.
11. Let-be, and know 11. Leave-off [your at-
that I am God : I-will-be- tempts], and know that I am
exalted among the nations, God : I - will - be - exalted
I-will-be-exalted in the among the nations, I will be
earth. exalted in the earth.
12. YaHWcH Ts'bhaoth 12. The Lord of hosts is
is with us : A high-fortress with us : Our upholder is the
to us is the God of God of Jacob.
Ya"aq6bh. Selah.
The similarity in tone and style displayed by this and the
two following Psalms justify our referring them to one and the
self-same occasion. Hengstenberg and others suppose this to
be the victory of Josaphat over the hostile confederacy of the
neighbouring tribes, narrated in 2 Paral. (Chron.) xx. But there
is much in these Psalms to remind us of the miraculous over-
throw of Sennacherib's host, to which indeed Thalhofer refers it.
The holy city itself is beleaguered by a foe who bade formal
defiance to the God of Sion ; the threatened city is delivered by
the direct intervention of Divine power, in fulfilment of the
promise (Isai. xxxvii. 35). We may assert that Isaias had this
invasion in his mind when uttering the prophecies, the burden
whereof is "imwdnu- 'El ( = Emmanuel = God is with us). His
challenge (viii. 9, 10) is an echo, nay, the very key-note of these
triumphal odes (cf. vv. 6, 8, 12 of this Psalm). Their resemblance
to Psalm lxxv. (76), regarded as far back as the days of the LXX.
(cf. "Title" in LXX. and Vulgate) as written in thanksgiving
for the Assyrian rout, is also to be noticed (cf. Ps. lxxv. 4 with
v. 10 of this Psalm; lxxv. 9 with v. 7 above). A cursory com-
parison of Ps. lxxv. with the two following that under present
consideration, will bring to light other coincidences of thought
and expression. The present Psalm is divided into three parts,
each ending with Selah. (1) vv. 2—4, God defends Israel, when
the mighty ones of the earth band together for its utter ruin.
PSALM 46 (47), 169
(2) vv. 5 — 8, description of His recent intervention. (3) vv. 9— -
12, He has proved Himself the God of armies.
v. 1. "Upon "alamoth," connected by LXX. with "a/am (he
hid). It may mean "for treble voices," or be the name of a
musical instrument (cf. 1 Chron. xv. 20, " Psalteries on "alamoth
[set to "alamoth]). v. 2. Found, lit., " exceedingly," i.e., " ever
present," "constantly." vv. 3, 4. The social convulsions resulting
from invasions are here figured by a return to primaeval chaos ;
"the changes of the earth," the mountains subsiding into the
ocean, whence they emerged at the dawn of time. ... v. 5,
LXX. read qddash ( = he hallowed), present text has q'd/iosli
( = holy). The metaphor is not unlike " the river of delights " in
Ps. xxxv. (36) 9. v. 6. "Dawn," lit., "at the turning itself (the
drawing on) of morning," cf. Isai. xxxvii. 36, "at early morn, they
were all corpses." LXX. (in Cod. Vatic.) render to prosopo
(with [His] countenance), whence the vultu suo of the Breviary
Response br. (Adjuvabit earn Ds. vultu suo). Cod. Alexandr.
has to pros proi proi (towards the morning), v. 7. The clamour
and dismay caused by the Assyrian invasion, which threatened
not Judah only, but the mightiest kingdoms. "Voice," thunder,
or His judgment, and in one night the Assyrian power was
shattered ; " the earth melts," for very fear {i.e., the earthly
powers), at the behest of God. The former part of the verse,
" Nations were clamouring — Kingdoms tottered, may refer to the
numerous countries that had fallen before the Assyrian host, cf.
4 (2) Kings xix. 12, 13, 17. v. 8. "With us," cf. Isai. viii. 9, 10,
"A high-tower to us is the God of Jacob." v. 10. By His inter-
vention He brings wars to a definitive issue, v. n. Address to
the heathen invaders. " Let be," " let alone." I have shown,
and will show My might among the Gentiles, even as I have
given proof thereof by the overthrow of the Assyrians.
PSALM 46 (4;). PSALM 46 (4;).
1. For the Chief -Mu- 1. For the end, for the
sician ; to the sons of sons of Core, a Psalm.
Oorach, a Psalm.
2. All ye peoples, clap 2. Clap your hands, all ye
170
PSALM 46 (47).
[the] hand : Shout to God,
with the voice of triumph.
3. For YaHWeH Most-
High is terrible : A great
King over all the earth.
4. He-subdues the peoples
under us : And the nations
under our feet!
5. He-chooses for us our
inheritance : The glory of
Jacob whom He-loves.
Selah.
6. God is-gone-up with a
shout: YrtHW^H with the
sound of a trumpet.
7. Sing-praises to God,
sing-praises : Sing-praises to
our King, sing-praises.
8. For God is King of all
the earth : Sing-ye mas'kil
(a fitting psalm [ ?]).
9. God is king over the
nations : God has - taken-
His-seat upon the throne of
His holiness (i.e., His holy
throne).
10. The princes of nations
are - gathered - together [to
be] a people of the God of
Abh-raham ; For to God
[belong] the shields of the
earth : He is highly exalted.
nations : Shout-joyously to
God with the voice of
exultation.
3. For the Lord Most-
High is terrible : A great
King [is He] over all the
earth.
4. He-subdues the peoples
under us : And the nations
under our feet.
5. He-chooses for us His
inheritance : The beauty of
Jacob which He-loves.
6. God is-gone-up with a
shout-of joy : And the Lord
with the sound of a trumpet.
7. Sing-praises to our God,
sing-praises : Sing-praises to
our King, sing-praises.
8. For God is King of all
the earth : Sing-ye with
understanding. $JuM
9. God reigns over the
nations : God sits upon His
holy throne.
10. The princes of peoples
are-gathered-together with
the God of Abraham ; For
the mighty gods of the earth
are greatly exalted.
Qimchi and other authorities refer this Psalm to the Messianic
age. Taken in its historical import, its theme may be the
solemn translation of the Ark (2 Kings (Sam.) vi. 5 ; 1 Par.
PSALM 46 (4;). I/I
(Chron.) xiii. xvi.). It may, however, with equal probability, be
assigned to the same occasion as the foregoing and following
Psalm.
v. 2. Lit, "Strike-ye [the] palm" -" clap hands." "Peoples,"
i.e., Gentiles called upon to glorify God for Israel's success, cf.
Pss. xcv. (96)— xcvii. (98). Both here, and in v. 4, "peoples"
are the heathen, v. 3. Or, "YH" is most high [and] terrible."
v. 5. St. Jerome exactly as in text, as to first hemistich — " Gloriam
Jacob quam dilexit " ( = " the glory of Jacob which [glory, to
wit] He loved''). Instead of avrov, avtou (His), many MSS. of LXX.
have eavTw, heavto (for Himself); the Roman Psalter, "elegit nos in
hereditatem sibi " (He chose us as an inheritance for Himself).
"Glory of Jacob" in apposition with "inheritance," both meaning
the Promised Land granted anew to Israel, by the overthrow of
the would-be spoiler, v. 6. " Gone up " to Heaven, whence He
had descended for the rescue of His people, who with the voice
of thanksgiving and triumphant exultation greet His return.
v. 7. St. Jerome " Canite " (sing-ye). v. 8. St. Jerome, " Canite
erudite ( = sing skilfully), either as regards the chant, or the
contents of the song. 'Mas'kil may be used adverbially here,
then the Vulgate is right, or it may be a noun, then it will mean
a Psalm composed (as regards melody, or wording) with skill.
v. 10. St. Jerome, "Principes populorum congregati sunt; populus
Dei Abraham : quoniam Dii scuta terrae vehementer elevati
sunt " ( = The princes of nations are gathered together ; a people
of the God of A. : for the gods the shields of the earth are
greatly exalted). LXX. read "im (with) for "am of present text,
hence, " with the God of Abraham : For of God (Oeoi, theou) are
the mighty ones of the earth, they are greatly exalted." Dn (the
gods) of Vulgate may be a lapsus styli for Dei ( = of God, God's).
" Shields " = rulers, cf. Osee iv. 18. "Exalted" repeats "He is
gone up" of v. 6. The old Italic Psalter reads, "For to God
( = Deo) [belong] the mighty ones of the earth, they are greatly
exalted;" LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) will bear the same rendering,
" For God's mighty-ones," &c.
172
PSALM 4; (48).
PSALM 47 (48).
1. A Song, a Psalm; to
the sons of Qorach.
2. Great is YaHWVH, and
to be highly praised : In the
city of our God, in the
mountain of His holiness.
3. Beauteously elevated,
the joy of the whole earth,
are Mount Tsiyyon, [and]
the angle of the north : The
city of the great King.
4. God makes - Himself-
known in her palaces for a-
high-tower.
5. For, lo, the kings met :
They-passed-along together.
6. They saw, then were-
they - astounded : They-
were - confounded, bewil-
dered ;
7. Trembling took-hold of
them there : Pain, as of a
woman-in-travail.
8. With an East wind :
Didst - Thou - shatter the
ships of Tar'shish.
9. As we-have-heard, so
have-we-seen in the city of
YaUWeH Ts'bhaoth, in the
city of our God : God will-
establish her for ever. Selah.
10. We-have-thought of
PSALM 47 (48).
1. A Psalm of praise for
the sons of Core, on the
second [day] of the week.
2. Great is the Lord, and
greatly to-be-praised : In
the city of our God, in His
holy mountain.
3. Firmly-stands Mount
Sion, to the joy of the whole
earth, [on] the sides of the
north : The city of the great
King.
4. God is-known in her
palaces, when He-under-
takes-to-protect her.
5. For, lo, the kings of
the earth were-assembled :
They-came together.
6. [When] they saw, then
were-they amazed ; They-
were troubled, terrified ;
7. Trembling seized them,
There were pangs ; As of a
woman-in-travail.
8. With a furious gale
didst-Thou-shatter the ships
of Tharsis.
9. As we-have-heard, so
have-we-seen in the city of
the Lord of hosts, in the
city of our God : God has-
founded her for ever.
10. We-have-thought of
PSALM 47 (48). 173
Thy loving - goodness, O Thy mercy, O God : In the
God : In the midst of Thy midst of Thy temple,
temple.
11. As is Thy Name, O 11. As is Thy Name, O
God, So is Thy praise to the God, So too is Thy praise to
ends of the earth : Thy the ends of the earth : Thy
right-hand is-full of justice. right-hand is full of justice.
12. Let Mount Sion be- 12. Let Mount Sion re-
glad, Let the daughters of joice, And let the daughters
Y'hudhah rejoice : Because of Juda exult : Because of
of Thy judgments. Thy judgments, [O Lord].
13. Walk-round Sion, and 13. Walk-round Sion, and
make - the - circuit thereof : make - the - circuit thereof :
Tell-ye her towers. Tell-ye of her towers. (Tell
ye her towers.)
14. Set your heart (i.e., 14. Mark - well her
Mark- well) to her outwork, strength, contemplate - in -
Pass-through her palaces : detail her palaces : That
That you may-tell [it] to a you-may-tell the next gen-
generation following ; eration ;
15. That such is our God 15. That such is our God
for ever and aye : HE will- for ever and aye : He shall-
guide us-[unto] death ( ?). guide us for evermore.
This Psalm dwells on the details of the deliverance com-
memorated in the two foregoing poems. The city miraculously
preserved from imminent destruction, the hallowed Mount
crowned with the Temple are a standing manifestation of God's
might, of His grandeur, and call for grateful praise. Next, we
are told (vv. 4 — 9) of a hostile league banded together against
Sion, but forced to retire panic-stricken ; a fresh confirmation of
the records of God's ever watchful care over Israel. This deliver-
ance is celebrated with festive rejoicings and thanksgiving
(vv. 10 — 12). Great as was the peril, the towns of Juda, the walls
and palaces of their metropolis, will be seen to be unscathed.
Such mercies may not be forgotten, but are to be recorded for
future generations (vv. 13 — 15).
v. t. "A song" { = Shir) implies "praise." "Second of the
1^4 PSALM 4/ (48).
week," in LXX. may refer to the custom (if such there were) of
the Greek-speaking synagogues, who may have sung this Psalm
on Mondays, v. 3. " Beautiful in height," i.e., " Mount Sion rises
beautifully," is one of many guesses, noph ( = height ?) occurring
here only in the Hebrew Scriptures. Targum, " Fair as a bride-
groom." With Joseph Qimchi noph is "climate," hence he
renders it as referring to the salubrity of Mount Sion and of the
city. David Qimchi takes it to mean "track," "region" — the
most beautiful spot on earth. St. Jerome (specioso germine)
seems to agree with the view that noph nuph (in Talmud =
"branch") refers to the olive-groves planted around the city.
LXX. translate freely — The city of the great king is well-rooted
(well-planted), &c. " Angle," lit, " the two sides (Dual) of the
north." By some this verse is understood to set forth the three
main features of the city; (1) Mount Sion; (2) the N.E. side,
including Mount Moriah and the Temple ; (3) the city taken as
a whole. "City of the . . . King," cf. St. Matt. v. 35. vv. 5—8
describe the enemies' overthrow. The allied kings (the vassals,
may be, of Sennacherib) joined their forces, "crossed" the
Euphrates, or "passed through Palestine." v. 6. "They saw,"
they soon experienced what God had in store for them, " then
were they astounded." &c. v. 7. "Terror" (St. Jerome, "horror")
made them suffer the pangs of parturition, v. 8. " Ships " (cf.
Isai. ii. 16); the proud and arrogant enemy swept away by the
wrath of God, as by a gale from the East. Literally, these were
large ships of burden trading to the Phoenician settlement of
Tarshish, Tharsis, or Tartessus ( = several variants of the same
name), situated near Cadiz. In the Hamitic tongue (probably
that of the Phoenician sea-board, when the early settlers sailed to
Spain), it is said to mean "a younger brother," a meet name for
a colony, vv. 9, 10. The present deliverances vouch for all that
is recorded of God's special love for Israel. He has preserved,
and will continue to preserve, "the city of our God," cf. Job
xlii. 5. v. 10. "Thought on," lit., " compared," compared present
mercies with those handed down to us by tradition. " Suscepimus "
of Vulgate comes from too literal a rendering of v7re\d(3ofj.ev
(hypelabomcn) of LXX. v. n. All who hear of our deliverance
("Thy Name") will praise Thee, who hast executed righteous
PSALM 48 (49).
175
vengeance on our foes. v. 12. "Mount Sion," Jerusalem and its
inhabitants. "Daughters of Judah," towns and villages saved
from devastation by the overthrow of Sennacherib. " Daughters"
for "towns," cf. Numb. xxi. 25; Jos. xvii. 16. vv. 13 — 15. Go
and see for yourself that Jerusalem is unscathed, and, under
God's protection, and will evermore so abide. " Tell ye in her
towers," " in " of LXX. and Vulgate (not in text), may mean,
"when standing on her towers, you survey, &c, tell what has met
your eye." Pass through (flass'g/t of text), occurs nowhere else
in the Hebrew Scriptures ; in Chaldee it means " divide into
pieces ; " but " division " applied to mental acts passes into the
meaning of discerning, distinguishing. Gesenius, "divide her
palaces," i.e., "go-round them," or, "accurately contemplate," &c.
v. 15. "Unto (until) death." LXX., "for evermore;" perhaps,
only a musical direction ?
PSALM 48 (49).
1. For the Chief-Mu-
sician ; to the sons of
Qorach, a Psalm.
2. Hear this, all ye
peoples -. Give-ear, all ye in-
habitants of the world :
3. Both sons of man (i.e.,
low) and sons of some-one
(i.e., high) : Rich and poor
alike.
4. My mouth shall-speak
wisdom : And the medita-
tion of my heart understand-
ing.
5. I-will-incline mine ear
to a parable : I-will-disclose
my dark-saying on [i.e., to
the accompaniment ofj the
harp.
PSALM 48 (49).
1. For the end, to the
sons of Core, a Psalm.
2. Hear these [words,] all
ye peoples : Hearken, all ye
that dwell in the world :
3. Both sons of [mean]
men, and sons-of [great]
men : Rich and poor alike.
4. My mouth shall-speak
wisdom : And the medita-
tion of my heart under-
standing.
5. I-will-incline mine ear
to a parable : I-will-solve my
problem on the harp.
i;6
PSALM 48 (49).
6. Why should-I-fear in
the days of evil : [When] the
iniquity of them-that-dog-
my-heels compasses me?
7. Who trust in their
wealth : And boast-them-
selves in the abundance of
their riches ;
8. One of them can in no
wise redeem another (i.e., lit.,
a brother) : He-cannot-give
to God a ransom for him :
9. (For too dear is their
life's redemption, And it-fails
for ever ; or, he-must-let-it-
alone for ever) :
10. So that he-should-
live-on interminably : Not
see the pit (or, corruption).
11. For he-must-see [it];
Wise-men must-die ; Alike
the fool and brutish-man
must-perish : And leave
their wealth to others.
12. Their inward [convic-
tion] is [that] their houses
[are to last] for ever, Their
dwellings to generation and
generation : They-proclaim
their names over lands.
13. Nevertheless man
abides not in honour : He-
is-like the beasts that perish.
14. This is the way of
6. Why should-I-fear in
the evil day? The iniquity
of my heel shall-compass
me :
7. They that trust in their
strength : And boast-them-
selves in the abundance of
their riches.
8. A brother cannot re-
deem, shall a man redeem?
He-cannot-give to God a
ransom for himself,
9. Or his life's redemp-
tion-price, Though he labour
for ever,
10. And live to the end.
1 1 . Shall he not see cor-
ruption, When he-sees wise-
men dying ? Alike the
senseless-man and the fool
must - perish : And they-
must-leave their riches to
strangers :
12. And their sepulchres
are their houses for ever ;
Their abodes in all genera-
tions : They - have - called
their lands after their own
names.
13. But man, being in
honour, understands not :
He-puts - himself - on-a-level
with senseless cattle, and is
like to them.
14. This way of theirs
PSALM 48 (49).
•77
them whose [attribute is]
folly : Yet their posterity
approve their sayings ;
Selah.
15. Like sheep they-are-
folded in Sheol ; Death is-
their-shepherd ; And the up-
right shall-rule over them in
the morning ; And their
form is for corruption, Sheol
shall be its dwelling1.
16. Yet God will-redeem
my life from the power of
Sheol : For He-will-take me.
Selah.
1 7. Fear not, when one is-
enriched : When the glory
(i.e., wealth) of his house is-
increased :
18. For when he-dies he-
shall - take nothing : His
glory shall not descend after
him.
19. Though in his lifetime
he-bless his soul : And men-
praise thee when thou pros-
perest ;
20. [Yet] shall-it-come to
the generation of his fathers :
Who nevermore see the
light.
21. Man that is in honour,
and understands not : Is
comparable to the beasts
[that] peris' v
M
leads them to a fall : Yet
afterwards men will-approve
their sayings.
15. Like sheep, they are
laid in the nether-world ;
Death shall-be-their-shep-
herd ; And the just shall-
rule over them in the
morning ; And their help
shall - wear - away in the
nether-world far off from
their glory (or, so as to have
no longer any glory).
16. Yet God will-redeem
my life from the power of
the grave : When He-shall-
take me.
17. Fear not when one is
enriched : And when the
glory of his house is in-
creased.
18. For when he-dies, he-
shall - take nothing : Nor
shall his glory descend with
him.
19. His soul is indeed
blessed in his lifetime : He-
will-praise thee, when thou-
dost-good to him :
20. He - shall - go to the
generation of his fathers :
He shall nevermore see light.
21. Man, being in honour,
understands not : He is
comparable to the senseless
cattle, and is like them.
I?8 PSALM 48 (49).
Both in the text and in the versions (LXX. and Vulgate) a
Psalm most difficult to understand. Its close connection with
Pss. xxxvi. (37) and lxxii. (73) is obvious at a glance; they deal
with the anomalies of this life, the prosperity of the wicked, the
afflictions of the just. But, while in Ps. xxxvi. (cf. vv. 25, 29),
the rectification is looked for in some turn of fortune brought
about by God's fatherly care for His faithful servants, in this, and
in lxxii., the issue, which is to justify God's ways to men, is pro-
rogued to the life to come. In both Psalms we are impressed
with the poet's firm conviction that, in the next world, there will
be a due apportionment of rewards and of punishments. A
comparison of the two Psalms will bring to light several striking
coincidences of thought and expression. Still there are differ-
ences ; in lxxii. the author unveils to us his inner conflict with
unbelief; while here, the poet's faith is firmly established; his
utterance is that of a teacher, whose line of thought and forecasts
belong rather to the late Prophetic, than to David's time.
After an exordium (vv. 2 — 6) comes a "parable" setting forth
the hopes and aspirations of the worldly-minded and of the godly
(vv. 7 — 15); the Psalm closes with an epilogue dealing with the
drawbacks of worldly prosperity, v. 2. He addresses thoughtful
men of all countries and conditions, " Both VncyWdam ( = sons of
man, sons of the ground ?), and b'tiefish (sons of man, of
somebody) " = " low and high," in a word, all dwellers in this
transitory state (elided = fleeting life). " Ye that dwell in time" were
as good a rendering; cf. 1 St. John ii. 17 — koV/xos, kbsmos ( = the
world), v. 4. "Wisdom," "understanding." Plurals ("emphatic
Plurals") in text; wisdom both theoretical and practical, v. 5.
The poet here speaks, not in his own, but in the person of all
perplexed inquirers. " I will-incline," &c. I will keep mine ear
open to the Divine inspiration imparting to me the true view of
the lot of the oppressors and the oppressed ; or, I will prepare to
deal adequately with my subject-matter. " Parable " (in text
tfias/ui/), not a mere "similitude," but meaning here a hortatory
illustration. "My dark-saying," ehulhatlu ; St. Jerome, "my
enigma;" LXX., iriH>ft\r)n<i ( pro/dee ?u a); Vulgate, "propositionem "
( = subject-matter, theme); eh'idhali (lure = the knotty problem so
difficult to solve by unaided human reason; or, "an utterance
PSALM 48 (49). i;p
full of deep meaning"), v. 6. The beginning of the "parable,"
wherein are set forth and contrasted the respective hopes of the
just and of the well-to-do worldlings. " Iniquity of my heels,"
i.e., of them that lie in wait for me, " dog my heels" persecute me.
v. 7 characterizes these persecutors, their haughty insolence, and
arrogant bearing towards the poet. Chel, rendered " strength " by
LXX., St. Jerome, and Vulgate (that is one of its meanings), but
the parallelism requires "wealth." vv. 8 — n. Literally, "A
man" ( = "one," cf. German man) "cannot redeeming redeem"
( = can in nowise redeem) a brother ( = a fellow-man)," i.e.,
" though never so rich, he cannot redeem his fellow from death."
v. 9 may be taken as a parenthesis. LXX. had the same text,
but have vocalized it somewhat differently, e.g., y'qdr (price) for
yeqar (it will be costly = " too dear"). LXX. seem to have taken
ekopiasen {kopian = kopazein) in the sense of "leaving off"
(quiescet of St. Jerome), which is pretty close to the text, " he-
must-let-it-alone " — or " it fails for ever," i.e., the attempt to save
any man from death must surely fail. Vulgate takes it to mean
getting worn out by toil or trouble, and may (perhaps) mean —
" Nor the ransom-price of his life " (death being the penalty of
sin), labour as he may (in amassing wealth ?), though he live
and strive for ever. v. 10 is the apodosis of v. 8. v. n. "Wise
men," " fools," " the brutish (carnal, sensual) man " designate the
universality of mankind, v. 12. A description of the arrogant
worldlings of v. 7. For qir'bam (their innermost thought, con-
viction) of present text, LXX., Targum, and many Rabbis, read
qib'rdm (their grave). "They proclaim," &c. (perhaps) "they
would fain immortalize their names by calling their lands by
their names." St. Jerome—" they have called lands by their own
names." v. 13. Rather, "Man [being] in honour, abides not"
(in text bal-yalhi), instead of which LXX. read as in v. 21, yabin
(he understands, considers not = <?« syneeke). This may mean that
man, be he who he may, despite the pomp of his surroundings,
must perish like the beast, nidh-mu ([that] perish), which, as
R. Qimchi allows, may mean "likened to;" St. Jerome's
"exaequatus est" (is put on a level). Targum, "The sinner shall
not abide in honour with the just : he is like the brute which is
held in no account." v. 14. lit., "This their way to whom is
iSo PSALM 48 (49).
folly." "This" refers to v. 12. "Approve," R. Qimchi,
St. Jerome, and others, prefer "run" {current), i.e., "their pos-
terity run " ( = regulate their conduct) by their maxims. Another
rendering of hemistich a, "This the way of theirs is their con-
fidence." For "folly," "confidence," LXX. have skdndalon
(scandal, stumbling-block, an occasion of fall), probably reading
mikKshol (stumbling-block) instead of kesel of the present text.
Targum, " But at their death, they shall pay with their mouth the
penalty of their sins in the world to come," evidently eluding the
difficulty, v. 15. "Like sheep they place [them] in Sheol," i.e.,
they thrust them down thither. " Morning," when the just are
released from the gloom of death, they shall be left a prey to
corruption; cf. Malac. iv. 3. "Their form" (tsurdm), tsur
(stone, rock ; hence, refuge), here rendered figura ( - shape) by
St. Jerome, charakteer (distinctive mark) by Aquila, to krataibn
(might) by Symmachus, agreeing with "strength " of R. Qimchi,
and approximating to boeetheia (auxilium, help) of LXX. and
Vulgate. Revised Version renders, " And their beauty (al. form)
shall be for Sheol to consume, that there be no dwelling for it."
LXX. and Vulgate render miz'bul (dwelling-place) "glory," may
be in the sense of a magnificent abode. In Vetus Itala and
some few Greek MSS. we read, " a gloria sua expulsi sunt " (they
are driven forth from their glory), v. 16 replies to "What (why)
should I fear?" &c, contrasts the lot of the worldling with that
awaiting the upright; cf. Ps. Ixii. (73) 24. "Take," "receive,"
may perhaps refer to the assumption of Enoch, of Elias (Gen. v.
24; 4 (2) Kings ii. 10). vv. 17 — 21. An epilogue. " Fear not,"
&c, for God's dealings with man are not confined to this life.
v. 18. "Nothing," lit., "not the all'' (id hakkol), common
Hebraism, v. 19. "Bless his soul " = bless himself, congratulate
himself on his wealth (cf. St. Luke xii. 19; xvi. 25). Be not
dazzled by the prosperity of the ungodly, nor by the flattery that
usually pays homage to it. v. 20. " It *' = his soul, himself.
"Light" of life, cf. Iv. (56) 14. v. 21. "Understands not," whose
thoughts and aspirations are limited to this life.
PSALM 49 (50).
l8l
PSALM 49 (50).
1. A Psalm, to Asaph.
'El, 'Elohim, YaHWeH, has-
spoken, and called the earth :
From the rising of the sun,
unto the going-down there-
of.
2. Out of Tsiyyon, the
perfection of beauty, God
has-shone-forth.
3. Our God shall-come,
and shall by no means keep
silence ; A fire shall-devour
before-Him ; And around
Him it-is-stormed exceed-
ingly (i.e., it shall be very
stormy).
4. He - shall - call to the
heavens above : And to the
earth, that He-may-judge
His people : (Heb. x. 30.)
5. Gather My pious-ones
together unto Me : That-
have-made a covenant with
Me over sacrifice.
6. And the heavens de-
clare His justice : For God
He is judge. Selah.
7. Hear, My people, and
I-will-speak ; Israel, and I-
will - testify against thee :
God, [even] thy God am I.
8. Not for thy sacrifices
can-I-find-fault with thf e :
Nay, thy burnt-offerings are
before Me continually.
PSALM 49 (50).
1 . A Psalm of Asaph. The
God of gods, the Lord has-
spoken, and summoned the
earth from the rising of the
sun to [its] going-down :
2. Out of Sion [comes] the
excellence of His beauty ;
3. God, our God shall-
come manifestly, and shall
not be silent ; A fire shall-
be-kindled before Him ;
And around Him [shall
rage] a violent storm.
4. He-shall-summon the
heaven above : And the
earth, that He-may-judge
His people : (Heb. x. 30.)
5. Gather-ye His saints
together unto Him : That
made a covenant with Him
upon sacrifices.
6. And the heavens de-
clare His justice : For God
is judge.
7. Hear, My people, and
I-will-speak, Israel, and I-
will-testify to thee ; I am
God, thy God.
8. I-cannot-find-fault with
thee on account of thy sacri-
fices : For thy holocausts
are before Me continually.
1 82
PSALM 49 (50).
9. I-will-take no young-
bull out of thy house : [Nor]
he-goats out of thy folds ;
10. For to Me (i.e., Mine)
is every beast of the forest :
The quadrupeds on the hills
of a thousand (or, where a
thousand are).
11. I-know every fowl of
the mountains : And the
wild-beasts of the field are
with (beside) Me (in My
mind[?]).
12. If I-were-hungry, I
would not tell thee : For the
world is Mine and the ful-
ness thereof.
13. Will-I-eat the flesh of
bulls? Or drink the blood
of he-goats?
14. Offer to God the sacri-
fice of thanksgiving : And
pay thy vows to "El'yon (i.e.,
Most High):
15. And call upon Me in
the day of trouble : I-will-
deliver thee, and thou-shalt-
glorify Me.
16. But to the wicked
God saith, " What to thee to
declare My statutes: And
that-thou-takest My cove-
nant upon (i.e., in) thy
mouth ?
1 7. " Since thou hatest
correction : And castest My
words behind thee.
1 8. " When thou - seest
.9. I-will-take no bullocks
out of thy house : Nor he-
goats from thy flocks.
10. For all the beasts of
the forests are Mine : The
cattle on the mountains and
oxen.
11. I-know all the fowls
of the sky : And the beauty
of the field is with Me (i.e.,
Mine).
12. Were - I - hungry, I
would not tell thee : For
Mine is the world and the
fulness thereof.
13. Will-I-eat the flesh of
bulls? Or drink the blood
of goats?
14. Offer to God the
sacrifice of praise : And pay
thy vows to the Most-High :
15. And call upon Me in
the day of trouble : I-will-
deliver thee, and thou-shalt-
honour Me.
16. But to the sinner God
says, " Why dost-thou-de-
clare My precepts : And
take-up My testament in thy
mouth ?
17. " Whereas thou-hatest
instruction : And castest My
words behind [thee].
1 8. " If thou - sawest a
PSALM 49 (50).
I33
a thief, thou - hast - thy-
pleasure along with him :
And with adulterers is thy
portion ;
19. " Thou - givest thy
mouth to evil : And thy
tongue frames deceit.
20. " Thou - sittest [and]
speakest against Thy
brother : Against the son of
thy mother thou-givest a
thrust (i.e., slanderest).
21. " These - things hast-
thou-done, and I-was-silent ;
Thou-deemedst that I was
altogether like thee : I-will-
confute thee, and set-proofs-
in-order before thine eyes."
22. Now do-consider this,
ye-that-forget God : Lest I-
rend [you]-in-pieces, and
there be no deliverer.
23. Whoso - offers - the-
sacrifice of thanksgiving
glorifies Me : And [such a
one] prepares a way [where-
by] I-will-show him the sal-
vation of God.
thief, thou - rannest - along
with him : And didst-cast-
in thy lot with adulterers.
(Cf. 1 St. Peter iv. 4.)
19. " Thy mouth over-
flows with wickedness, And
thy tongue frames deceit.
20. " Thou - sittest and
speakest against thy
brother : And didst-set a
stigma on thine own mother's
son ;
21. " These-things hast-
thou-done, and I-was-silent ;
Thou - thoughtest wickedly
that I-should-be like thee :
I-will-confute thee, and set
[thine offences] before thine
eyes."
22. Look to this, ye that
forget God : Lest He-carry
[you] off, and there be none
to deliver.
23. The sacrifice of praise
honours Me : And there is
the way wherein I-will-show
him the salvation of God.
A Divine rebuke of sheer routine and of spiritless formalism
in public worship. The tone and contents of the Psalm
harmonize with Isai. i. and Micheas vi. 6 — 8. The superscrip-
tion " To (for) Asaph " — Targum, " By the hand of Asaph " — does
not necessarily imply authorship, though this be not wholly
improbable. In 2 Paral. (Chron.) xxix. 30, Asaph is mentioned
as an author, which, however, is no certain proof that his works
are still extant. The form and character of the Psalm se< m
184 PSALM 49 (50).
incompatible with so early a date as the Davidic period, and
favour the view that the Title and its rendering in the Targum
may be taken to imply that the Psalm was handed to an Asaphite
musical guild to be set to music, and sung by them. That such
a guild, or school, was instituted by David, is stated 1 Paral.
(Chron.) vi. 31 — 39; xv. 16, 17. In the proem (vv. 1 — 6),
God appears in fire and storm, summoning the nations from the
ends of the earth to witness His judgment of His people,
vv. 7 — 15. He needs not external sacrifices, but accepts hearts
detached from sinful affections, the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and
the due fulfilment of vows. vv. 16 — 21. He rebukes such as,
under a pretence of zeal for ritual observance, lead abominable
lives, vv. 22, 23 sum up the menaces against hypocrites, and
demand the inner self-renouncement of a grateful heart.
v. 1. "El, 'Elohim, YrtHW«?H," hardly translateable ; a triplet
of Divine Titles in apposition. 'EI, the God of sovereign might ;
1 Elohim, the Judge, the object of worship ; YHWH, the Eternal,
Immutable, the covenant God. Targum, " The mighty God, the
Lord;" R. Qimchi, "The Judge of judges;" cf. Jos. xxii. 22,
for the same accumulation of Titles. v. 2. " Perfection of
beauty" is said of Sion, cf. Lam. ii. 15; 1 Machab. ii. 12.
LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome (?) apply it to God; LXX., "The
excellence of His beauty ; St. Jerome, " From Sion with perfect
beauty (perfecto decore) God has appeared." LXX., Vulgate,
render " shone forth," " shall come manifestly," and run it into
v. 3. v. 3. " Keep silence," an emphatic negative. " Fire," i.e.,
lightnings, " storm," the usual accompaniments of a Theophany ;
cf. Exod. xix; Pss. xvii. (18) 8—16; lxxvi. (77) 17 — 19;
xcvi. (97) 4. vv. 4 — 6. Preparation for judgment, v. 4. The
universe is summoned to witness the justice of God's judgment.
"To judge," &c, that He may judge, cf. Heb. x. 30. v. 5.
"Saints," i.e., Israel. "Saints" is the usual designation of the
faithful in the Apostolic writings ; cf. Exod. xix. 6. " By (//'/.,
"over") sacrifice," "Made covenant," ///., "Cutting, striking My
covenant" (cf. "strike a bargain"), from the custom of slaying
and dividing victims, when forming any solemn league, or
covenant, v. 6. An anticipatory glance at the issue of this
Divine assize, v. 7. " Hear" recalls the Sfima (" Hear") of Deut.
PSALM 49 (50). 185
vi. 4, and introduces a Divine expostulation, v. 8. Cf. Isai. i. 1 1
— 14. v. 10. "Cattle," in text, blnmoth ( = " quadrupeds "), tame
beasts grazing on the hills, differing from those which serve for
daily use, and are kept near the homestead; "Oxen," the
rendering of 'eleph in text by R. Moses, LXX., Syriac, Vulgate,
but by St. Jerome, "in montibus millium" ( — on the mountains
of thousands). In Singular, 'e/eph = " a thousand," a round
number here indefinitely put. 'A/dphim (Plural of 'eleph) is used
for "cattle" 'e/eph never. The construction in text is, however,
very anomalous ; the rendering " upon a thousand hills " (/it.,
" hills of a thousand ") may pass ; " hills where a thousand
( = thousands) [are, graze, feed]." v. 11. "Wild beast," in text
ziz ; LXX. seem to have read ziv, which, in the Talmud, is used
for " splendour," and render " the beauty of the field," a reference,
may be, to the produce that was the matter of unbloody offerings
(minchdh). "With, beside Me," i.e., I know them, and can take
them when and where I please. St. Jerome renders " wild
beast," &c, " Universitas agri" (all that is in the field), v. 14.
Whatever the sacrifice, the preparation and disposition of heart
required for its acceptance ever praises, magnifies God, whether
the offerer, conscious of guilt, implores the Divine mercy, or
craves help from above, or pours forth his thanks. " Praise,"
"thanksgiving," here are the several acts of interior worship,
v. 16. A transition from the warning of such as have over- valued
outward, material sacrifices, to the reproof and threatening of
hypocrites. " Upon thy mouth," ever speaking of it, continually
admonishing others. "Covenant," i.e., My commandments, cf.
Ps. xxiv. (25) 14. v. 18. "Pleasure along with him ;" St. Jerome,
"thou consentedst with him," but LXX., Targum, RR. Rashi,
Qimchi, Aben Ezra, "thou rannest along with him," cf. 1 St. Peter
iv. 4. " And with adulterers thy portion," as their companion and
accomplice, v. 19. St. Jerome, " Os tuum dimisisti ad malitiam,"
" Thou lettest thy mouth go (as if unbridled) to evil, thy tongue
binds together, frames," &c. v. 20. "Sittest" — not in judgment ;
deliberate action is here meant. "Thrust," or "wound," in text
dophi, which is aw. Aey, i.e., occurs not elsewhere ; rendered
(conjecturally) " a thrust," " wound ; " St. Jerome, " thou didst
fabricate reproach" (fabicabaris opprobrium). The "scandal,"
1 86 PSALM 50 (51).
"stumbling-block" of LXX. is as likely to be correct as the other
guesses. " Thou didst set a stigma on thy mother's son " is
suggested by the parallelism, v. 21. "Silent." Targum, "I waited
for thy conversion," "Thou thoughtest," &c. Aben Ezra,
Qimchi, " thou fanciedst that thy secret sins were hid from Me,"
"Thou thoughtest wickedly" {iniqite of Vulgate, anomian of LXX.),
whence, "existimasti iniquitatem " (thou thoughtest the wicked-
thought, &c, of Vetus Itala). "Wickedly" comes from con-
founding two very similar words by LXX., " iniquity "( = kawwoth),
and "to be," "being" ( = heyoth), easily confounded in the un-
pointed text — " Thou thoughtest that being I shall-be " ( = essendo
ero), i.e., " that I really was like thee." St. Jerome, " Existimasti
me futurum similem tui " (thou thoughtest that I would be such
as thou), vv. 22, 23. Epilogue. Punishment threatened, and the
essence of acceptable sacrifice set forth, v. 23. " There." LXX.
read sham (there), for sam ( = placing, disposing). St. Jerome,
" And whoso orders [his] way " (qui ordinat viam), to him will I
show, &c.
Notandum. — In Codex Alexandrin. of LXX., thirty Psalms
are lacking, from Ps. xlix. (50) 19, exclusive, to lxxix. 11.
PSALM 50 (51). PSALM 50 (51).
1. For the Chief - Mu- 1. For the end, a Psalm
sician ; a Psalm, to David, of David,
2. At the coming to him 2. When Nathan the
of Nathan the prophet ; prophet came to him, after
After he-had-gone-in to he - had - gone - in to Beth-
Bath-shabha." sabee.
3. Be-gracious to me, O 3. Have-mercy on me, O
God, according to Thy God, according to Thy great
loving-goodness : According mercy : And according to
to the multitude of Thy the multitude of Thy tender-
tender-mercies blot-out my mercies blot-out mine ini-
transgressions. quity.
4. Wash me thoroughly 4. Wash me yet more
PSALM 50 (51).
18;
(frequently) from mine ini-
quity : And cleanse me from
my sin.
5. For I am-continually-
conscious of my transgres-
sions : And my sin is ever
before me.
6. Against Thee, [against]
Thee, the only-One, have-I-
sinned, and have-done the
evil-thing in Thy sight : So
that Thou-wilt-be-justified,
when Thou-speakest, And
be-clear when Thou-judgest.
7. Behold, I-was-brought-
forth in iniquity : And in sin
did my mother conceive me.
8. Behold, Thou-desircst
(or, Thou delightest in) truth
in the reins : And in the
hidden - part Thou - shalt-
make-me-to-know wisdom.
9. Unsin me with hyssop,
and I-shall-be-clean : Wash
me, and I-shall-be-whiter
than snow.
10. Make-me-to-hear joy
and gladness. Let the bones
rejoice [which] Thou-hast-
crushed.
1 1 . Hide Thy face from
my sins : And blot-out all
mine iniquities.
12. Create for me a clean
heart, O God : And renew
from mine iniquity : And
cleanse me from my sin.
5. For I am-conscious of
mine iniquity : And my sin
is continually before me.
6. Against Thee only
have-I-sinned, and have-
done evil before Thee :
That Thou - mightest - be-
justified in Thy sayings, and
mightest - overcome, when
Thou - art - judged. (Rom.
iii. 4.)
7. For, behold, I-was-con-
ceived in iniquities, and in
sins did my mother conceive
me.
8. For, behold, Thou-
lovest truth : the unascer-
tained and hidden-things of
Thy wisdom Thou-hast-
manifested to me.
9. Thou-shalt-sprinkle me
with hyssop, and I-shall-be-
cleansed ; Thou-shalt-wash
me, and I-shall-be-made-
whiter than snow.
10. Thou-shalt-make me
to hear joy and gladness,
[And] the afflicted bones
shall-rejoice.
11. Turn-away Thy face
from my sins : And blot-out
all mine iniquities.
12. Create a clean heart
in me, O God : And renew
1 88
PSALM 50 (51).
a steadfast spirit in mine in-
terior.
13. Cast me not away
from Thy presence : And
take not Thy holy Spirit
from me.
14. Restore to me the joy
of Thy salvation : And
uphold me with a willing
spirit.
15. [Then] will-I-teach
transgressors Thy ways :
And sinners to Thee shall-
return.
16. Deliver me from
blood - guiltiness, O God,
Thou God of my salvation :
My tongue shall-sing-aloud
of Thy justice.
1 7. 'Adonay, open-Thou
my lips : And my mouth
shall-declare Thy praise.
18. For Thou-delightest
not in sacrifice ; else would-
I-give [it] : In burnt-offer-
ing Thou-takest no pleasure.
19. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit ; A
broken and contrite heart :
O God, Thou wilt not
despise.
20. Do - good in Thy
favour to Tsiyyon : Build-
Thou the walls of Yeru-
shalaim.
a right spirit within my
bowels.
1 3. Cast me not forth from
Thy presence : And remove
not Thy holy Spirit from
me.
14. Restore to me the joy
of Thy salvation : And
strengthen me with the
ruling Spirit.
1 5. [Then] will - I - teach
the unjust Thy ways : And
ungodly-men shall-turn to
Thee.
16. Deliver me from
blood-guiltiness, O God,
Thou God of my salvation :
And my tongue shall- joy-
fully-declare Thy justice.
17. Lord, Thou - shalt-
open my lips : And my
mouth shall-declare Thy
praise.
18. For if Thou-desiredst
sacrifice, I would surely have
given [it] : Thou takest no
pleasure in whole-burnt-
offerings.
19. Sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit ; A contrite
and humbled heart, O God,
Thou wilt not despise
(LXX, "God will not de-
spise ).
20. Do-good, [O Lord,] in
Thy favour to Sion : That
the walls of Jerusalem may-
be-rebuilt.
PSALM 50 (51). i8g
21. Then shalt-Thou-de- 21. Then shalt - Thou-
light in sacrifices of justice, accept a sacrifice of justice,
burnt-offering, and whole- offerings, and holocausts:
burnt-offering: Then shall- Then shall-they-lay bull-
they-offer young-bulls upon calves upon Thine altar.
Thine altar.
With the exception of the two last verses, probably added to
the Psalm during the Babylonian captivity, there is no valid
reason for assigning this Psalm to a poet of a later age, who
undertook to set forth the thoughts and emotions of David, on
the occasion mentioned in the Title. The facts referred to in
v. 2 are recorded in 2 Kings (Sam.) xi. xii. v. 3. " Transgressions,"
my deliberate acts of rebellion against Thee. David had flagrantly
violated the Fifth, Sixth, and Ninth Commandments, v. 4. In
the footnote, or marginal emendation of the text, the Ketibh (the
written text, is directed to be read ( Q'ri, to be read), so as to
give two Imperatives. "Multiply thou, wash thou me," the
former qualifying the latter adverbially, i.e., " Wash me much."
St. Jerome, " Multum lava me." "Wash," the verb applies
properly to the washing of garments, not to that of the body, cf.
the Greek plynein, loiiein. On this v. R. D. Qimchi observes,
"Sin is on the soul what a foul blot is on a garment." v. 6.
" Against Thee, the only One" = "Thou only Self-existent One"
(cf. Job. xiv. 4); or, "against Thee alone," as the wrong done to
Urias, so far forth as it was sin, was an affront done to God alone.
" Done evil," &c, that which was evil in Thy sight. " That Thou
... be justified," &c. " That " here may well be taken as " that "
final, "so that no one may deem Thy sentence (2 Kings (Sam.)
xii. 10 — 14) too severe. " Be clear." Targum, " Make me clean."
LXX., St. Jerome, " Mayest overcome" taking the verb in the
Syriac meaning (z'ko, to overcome). " Art judged," LXX. and
St. Jerome make the pronominal suffix the object, instead of the
subject, v. 8. " Truth," man's conformity with his Ideal. " Reins "
(tuchoth, read only here, and in Job. xxxviii. 36), to be taken
ethically, " in the conscience," synonymous with " the hidden-
part " of hemistich b, which may be rendered, " And so Thou
wilt impart to me wisdom inwardly," or, "And inwardly may
igo psalm 50 (51).
(shall) wisdom instruct me." St. Jerome here agrees with LXX.
vv. 9, 10. As the imperatives which follow show, the verbs are to
be rendered as optatives, v. 9. "Unsin" (sic), cf. "to skin,'*' "to
weed." " Hyssop," figurative reference to the Mosaic rite of
purification from leprosy (Lev. xiv. 6. seqq.), from contact with
a corpse (Num. xix. 6). v. 10. St. Jerome, " Ossa quae confregisti "
(the bones which Thou hast broken), "crushed" rather in text,
denoting complete prostration of mind and body from remorse,
and fear of God's judgments, v. 12. "Right spirit," steadfast,
"stabilem" (stable, steady) of St. Jerome, proof against the
allurements of passion, "upright" ( = rectum), v. 13. "Holy
Spirit," not the Third Person, but the spirit of the kingly dignity
(cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xvi. 13); or Divine grace (Isai. lxiii. 11).
v. 14. "And with [Thy] freely bestowed Spirit uphold Thou
me." Gesenius (s.v.), " ready spirit ; " LXX., "governing, directing
spirit;" St. Jerome, " Spiritu potenti" and strengthen me [confirma
me, with Thy powerful spirit), v. 16. "Deliver me from (Hi.)
bloods," in text, damim = blood violently shed, the murder of
Urias, and, may be, of those that fell with him. v. 18. St. Jerome,
" Non enim vis ut victimam feriam ; nee holocaustum tibi placet "
(For Thou desirest not that I should slay a victim, nor does a
holocaust please Thee). In text the verb rendered "desirest," is
the same as in v. 8. " Thou desirest (delightest in) truth."
v. 19. "Sacrifices of God," i.e., pleasing to God. vv. 20, 21.
Probably a later addition, as is said above. "Jerusalem " is but
seldom named in the Davidic Psalms, but far more frequently in
the later ones. Build = rebuild, v. 20. "Sacrifices of justice,"
such as the Law requires, hence offered in the spirit of true
piety; by Aben Ezra interpreted, peace-offerings. "Burnt-offering
and whole-burnt-offering," in text, "dl&h v' khalil ( = kdiil =
"complete," " entire"), a sacrifice in which the whole was burnt.
Qimchi and Gesenius hold that both words mean the same.
For a homiletic paraphrase of this Psalm, called by
St. Augustine, a "Psalm of penance," see P. Calabre, a.d. 1723.
PSALM 51 (52).
191
PSALM 51 (52).
1. To the Chief -Mu-
sician ; a Mas'kil, to David.
2. When Doegh the
Edomite came and told to
Shaul (i.e., Saul) and said to
him : " David is-come into
the house of Achi-melekh."
3. Why boastest-thou of
mischief, O mighty-man ?
The loving-kindness of God
[endures] all the day.
4. Thy tongue devises
mischiefs : Like a sharpened
razor, thou worker of deceit.
5. Thou-lovest evil more
than good : Lying rather
than to speak justice. Selah.
6. Thou-lovest all words
of swallowing-up, Thou de-
ceitful tongue.
7. God also shall-demolish
thee for ever, He-shall-
snatch thee away, and pluck
thee out of [thy] tent : And
root thee out of the land of
the living. Selah.
8. The just also shall-see
[it], and fear, And shall-
laugh at him,
9. Behold the man that
has not made God his
stronghold ; But trusted in
PSALM 51 (52).
1. For the end, an in-
struction by David.
2. When Doeg the Idu-
rriaean came and told Saul,
and said to him : " David is-
come into the house of
Achimelech." (1 Kings
(Sam.) xxii. 9, foil.)
3. Why boastest-thou of
wickedness, thou mighty-
one for wrong-doing?
4. All day long thy tongue
devises injustice : Like a
sharpened razor, Thou-
workest deceit.
5. Thou-lovest evil more
than good : Injustice rather
than to speak justice.
6. Thou-lovest all words
of destruction, Thou deceit-
ful tongue.
7. Wherefore God shall-
destroy thee for ever, He-
shall-pluck thee out, and
utterly-remove thee from thy
dwelling : And thy root
from the land of the living.
8. The just shall-see and
fear, and shall-laugh at him,
[and say,]
9. Behold the man that
has not made God his
helper ; But trusted in the
I92 PSALM 51 (52).
the abundance of his wealth : abundance of his wealth :
[And] strengthened-himself And was-strengthened in his
in his iniquity. vanity.
10. But as for me, [I am] 10. But as for me, [I am]
like a green olive-tree in the like a fruitful olive-tree in
house of God : I-trust in the the house of God : I-trust
loving-goodness of God for in the mercy of God for ever
ever and ever. and evermore.
n. I - will - give - Thee- II. I - will - give - Thee-
thanks for ever, because thanks for ever, because
Thou-hast-done [it] : And I- Thou-hast-done [it] : And
will-proclaim before Thy I-will-wait on Thy Name ;
pious-ones Thy Name that for [it is] good, in the pre-
it is good. sence of Thy saints.
Though addressed to an individual, this Psalm conveys to the
just this i?istruction, to wit, that, despite the malice and the
gainsayings of the mighty, their trust in God should never waver.
The merely negative objections alleged against the title need not
detain us. It is allowed that the language of the poem is
thoroughly Davidic. It opens with a scathing rebuke of Doeg
(v. 7). His plots will turn to his own undoing, a matter of rejoicing
to the just (vv. 8, 9) ; but David will prosper and proclaim God's
loving goodness.
v. 3. " Mighty-man," in text gibbor, rendered in Psalm
xliv. (45) 4, "Potentissime " ( = thou most mighty), used
here sarcastically. The goodness of God, working "daily" or
"all the day," "continually," in David's behalf, will show the
emptiness of his boast. LXX. here have taken chesedh ("loving-
kindness") in its secondary sense, "envy," " reproach," as in
Prov. xiv. 34; Lev. xx. 17. v. 4. "Mischiefs." St. Jerome, "insidias"
(ambushes) ; he carries out his crafty plots with pitiless cruelty.
" Worker of deceit," in text refers to Doeg, not to " tongue."
v. 6. "Words of swallowing up." St. Jerome, "verba ad devoran-
dum " ( = devouring words); his report to Saul which brought
about the massacre of Achimelech and his family. LXX.,
katapontismoti, (lit., of drowning in the sea). "Deceitful tongue"
may be rendered in Vocative, as in Vulgate, or, as by LXX.,
SS. Jerome, Augustine, and Qimchi, in the Accusative, "[And]
PSALM 52 (53). Ig3
the deceitful tongue." v. 7. As he dealt with others, so shall
God effectually deal with him. " Demolish," " pull down," said
of buildings. " Snatch away," better, " seize," except here, used
of raking away fire from a hearth, taking up live coals. St. Jerome,
terrebit (shall terrify). " Pluck out," so St. Jerome, LXX., and
Targum, "remove," "transfer." "Uproot." LXX. have taken it
for the noun, "and thy root" (=thy posterity), as might easily
occur with an unpointed text. " Tent," his dwelling, but Aben
Ezra infers from 1 Kings (Sam.) xxi. 7, the Tabernacle of the
Lord. Valeat quanhim ! v. 9. " Iniquity " — the same word is
rendered "mischiefs" in v. 4. "In his iniquity." St. Jerome,
" Confortatus est in insidiis suis " (has strengthened himself in
his crafty plots). But Targum, "In his riches." vv. 10, 11,
applied in the Divine Liturgy to the holy Apostles (Introit of
Mass for Eves of Apostles), as they have " borne fruit " here below,
and flourish for ever in " the House of God." " / will wait
o?i .. . Name" so LXX., St. Jerome, Vulgate, " expectabo "
(same meaning), but Thalhofer (Erkliirung, &c, p. 313) quotes,
with seeming approval, an emendation proposed by Hitzig,
consisting in a change of the first radical letter of " I will wait "
('aqavveli, in text), instead of which 'achavveh ( = I will proclaim),
which makes better sense than " I will wait on (trust in) Thy
Name, for it is good, in the sight of Thy pious-ones," or, " It (Thy
Name) is good," &c.
PSALM 52 (53). PSALM 52 (53).
1. To the Chief-Musician, 1. For the end, for Mae-
upon (i.e., set to [?]) Macha- leth ; [a song] of instruction
lath ; a Mas'kil, to David : of David. Saith the fool in
his heart, " There is no
God:"
2. Saith the fool in his 2. Corrupt are-they, and
heart, " There is no God : " are become abominable in
They - have - committed-cor- iniquities ; There is none
rupt and abominable wicked- that does good.
ness ; There is none that
does good
N
194
PSALM 52 (53).
3. God looked-down from
the heavens upon the sons
of man, To see if there were
any that did-wisely : That
sought God.
4. Every one of them is-
gone-back, they are together
become-putrid ; There is
none that does good ; Not
even one.
5. Have the workers of
iniquity no knowledge ?
Who devour My people
[as] they-would-eat bread :
[And] call not upon God.
6. There were - they - ex-
ceedingly - afraid, [where]
there was no [cause of] fear :
For God has-scattered the
bones of him-that-encamped
against thee : Thou-hast-
put-[them] to-shame, for
God has-despised them.
7. Oh, that the deliver-
ance of Is'rael were come
out of Sion! When God
restores the captivity of His
people : Ya"aqobh shall-re-
joice, Israel shall-be-glad.
3. God looked-down from
heaven upon the sons of
men, To see if there were
any that-understood : [or]
that-sought-after God.
4. All have-deviated, they
are together become un-
profitable : There is none
that does good : There is
not even one.
5. Will none of the
workers of iniquity know ?
Who devour My people like
a morsel of bread.
6. They have not called
upon God. There were
they greatly afraid, where
there was no [cause of] fear.
For God has-scattered the
bones of men - pleasers :
They-are-put-to-shame, for
God despised them.
7. Who will-bring the
salvation of Israel out of
Sion ? When God turns
the captivity of His people :
Jacob shall-exult, Israel
shall-be-glad.
This Psalm is for the most part a mere repetition of Psalm
xiii. (14), and, most probably, is an adaptation of the latter to
some signal overthrow of a Gentile invader, may be, to that
recorded in 4 (2) Kings xix. (cf. especially vv. 10 — 12). It is, how-
ever, referred by De Muis and others to the Syrian persecution,
(cf. 1, 2 Machabees). " Machalath,", the instrument on which
the accompaniment to the Psalm was to be played — or, the
subject-matter, "sickness," "punishment for blasphemy" —
psalm 53 (54).
195
so Targum. v. 2. Or, "They have committed corrupt and
abominable wickedness." Instead of "doing" of Psalm xiii. (14),
here we have " wickedness'' v. 3. " God," in Ps. xiii. ('Elo/iim)
occurs thrice, "YHWH" four times, here we have "God"
^Elohim) seven times, v. 5. "All," which, in the former Psalm,
stands before " workers of iniquity," is omitted here. " No
knowledge," think they to escape punishment ? v. 6. " Who
encamped against thee " (in text, chonakh). LXX. probably read
chanan (was gracious), or chaneph (twice by them rendered
" hypocrite "). The similarity of final k, n, p, may easily mislead
readers and scribes.
PSALM 53 (54).
1. To the Chief-Musician
on neginoth, a Mas'kil, to
David ;
2. When the Ziphim came
and said to Shaul : " Is not
David hiding-himself with
us ?"
3. O God, by Thy Name
save me : And in Thy might
vindicate me.
4. O God, hear my prayer :
Give-ear to the words of my
mouth.
5. For strangers are-risen
up against me, And fierce-
men have-sought my life :
They have not set God
before them. Selah.
6. Lo, God is my helper :
Adonay is with them-that-
uphold my soul.
7. He-shall-(may-He) re-
quite the evil to mine ene-
PSALM 53 (54)-
1. For the end, among
the hymns of instruction by
David.
2. When the Ziphites
came and said to Saul : " Is
not David hid with us ? "
(1 Kings (Sam.) xxiii. 19;
xxvi. 1.)
3. Save me, O God, by
Thy Name: and by Thy
might judge me.
4. O God, hear my
prayer : Give ear to the
vords of my mouth.
5. For strangers are-
nsen-up against me, And
mighty-men have-sought my
life : They have not set God
before them.
6. For lo ! God assists
me : And the Lord is the
helper of my soul.
7. Let the evils [threat-
ened] revert upon mine
196 PSALM 53 (54).
mies : Destroy them in Thy enemies : Utterly-destroy
truth. them in Thy truth.
8. With willing-heart will- 8. Willingly will-I-sacri-
I-sacrifice to Thee : I-will- fice to Thee : And I-will-
give-thanks to Thy Name, give-thanks to Thy Name,
YaHW<?H, for it is good. O Lord ; for it is good.
9. For He-has-delivered 9. For out of all affliction
me out of all trouble : And hast - Thou - delivered me •.
mine eye has-seen [my And mine eye has-looked-
desire] upon mine enemies. down upon mine enemies.
The Inscription is borne out by the tenor and context of the
Psalm, the main divisions of which are marked by the Seldh,
v. 5 ; (1) a prayer for deliverance (vv. 3—5) is followed (2) by a
protestation of grateful trust in God's favour. This Psalm is
invariably the first at Prime, which Amalarius accounts for as
follows : " Quando inchoamus in prima hora diei vitare persecu-
tiones et insidias diaboli, cantamus hunc Psalmum pro toto
itinere diei." v. 3. " Name," His essence and power as known to
us by His gracious manifestations, v. 5. " Strangers," probably
the Ziphites who had dealt so treacherously with him. " Fierce,"
"violent.'' LXX., St. Jerome, Talmud, with Vulgate, "fortes,"
" mighty-men," i.e., Saul and his armed bands, v. 6. " Upholds
my soul," i.e., "guards my life;" "soul" here, as in v. 5, is
synonymous with " life." v. 7. In text (K'tibh — written) we read,
" Let the evil [threatened] revert upon mine enemies ; " LXX.,
following the Q'ri, " He shall return ( = cause evils to revert)
evils upon mine enemies." St. Jerome, " Redde malum insidia-
toribus meis " ( = Render evil to them that lie in wait for me).
Vetus Itala follows LXX., "avertit" (He makes to revert).
" Truth," in token of Thy faithfulness to Thy promises to me.
v. 8. "Free-will offering," in text, biri-dha-bhah : which betokens,
either a willing heart, or the third class of peace-offerings, to
which one was bound, neither by precept, nor by vow, but were
wholly spontaneous. "It is good," "so to do," or, "Thy Name
is good." v. 9. The verb may be rendered by the habitual
Present ; it denotes the confidence and scorn of perfect security.
Targum, " Mine eye has seen vengeance upon," &c.
psalm 54 (55).
197
PSALM 54 (55)-
1. To the Chief-Musician,
on neginoth ; a Mas'kil, to
David.
2. Give ear to my prayer,
O God : And hide-Thee not
from my supplication :
3. Attend to me, and
answer me : [When] I-am-
troubled in my meditation,
and moan ;
4. Because of the voice of
the enemy, on account of the
oppression of the wicked ;
For they set mischief in
motion against me, And in
wrath they-persecute me.
5. My heart writhes within
me : And the terrors of
death are-fallen upon me.
6. Fear and trembling are-
come upon me : So that
horror has-overwhelmed me.
7. Then said-I, Would
that I had wings like the
dove! [Then] would-I-fly-
away, and settle-down [at
will : ]
8. Lo, [then] would-I-
wander afar - off : [And]
lodge in the desert. Selah.
9. I - would - hasten my
escape : From stormy wind,
from tempest.
10. Frustrate [them], O
PSALM 54 (55).
1. For the end, among
Songs of instruction by
David.
2. Hear my prayer, O
God : And disregard not my
supplication :
3. Attend to me, and
hearken to me. I am
grieved in my brooding, and
troubled ;
4. At the voice of the
enemy, because of the op-
pression of the sinner. For
they-bring iniquity against
me, and wrathfully vex me.
5. My heart is sore-pained
within me : And the fear of
death is-fallen upon me.
6. Fear and trembling
are-come upon me : And
darkness has-enveloped me.
7. Then said-I, Would
that I had wings like a
dove's ! Then would-I-fly-
away, and be-at-rest.
8. Lo, I-flee afar-off ; And
have - taken - up-mine-abode
in the wilderness.
9. I-wait for Him, who
can-deliver me from faint-
heartedness and tempest.
10. Cast [them] down, O
Ig8
psalm 54 (55).
Lord, divide their tongue :
For I-have-seen violence
and strife in the city.
ii. Day and night they-
[i.e., the factious] go-about
it on its walls : Iniquity also
and mischief are in the midst
thereof.
12. Destruction is in the
midst thereof : And oppres-
sion and fraud depart not
from its streets.
13. For 'tis not an enemy
who reproaches me, else I-
could-bear [it] ; 'tis not one-
who-hates me that has-mag-
nified-himself against me ;
Or I - should - have - hidden
from him.
14. But thou! a man mine
equal : Attached to me (or,
my companion), and mine
intimate-friend.
15. [We] who together
used-to-hold-sweet familiar-
intercourse ; In the house of
God we-walked in the
throng (we-used-to-walk).
16. Let death seize-them-
unawares, Let - them - go-
down alive into Sheol : For
wickedness is in their
dwelling, in their heart.
17. As for me, I-will-call
upon God: And YaUWeH
shall-save me.
18. Evening, morning, and
at noon, I-will-entreat and
Lord, divide their tongues :
For I-have-seen injustice
and strife in the city.
1 1 . Day and night ini-
quity goes-round-about it on
its walls : Mischief also is in
the midst thereof,
12. And wrong. And
usury and fraud depart not
from its streets.
13. For had mine enemy
upbraided me, I-could-have-
borne it ; And if one that
hated me had-spoken vaunt-
ingly against me : I could-
have-hid myself from him.
14. But thou! O man like-
minded, my guide and mine
acquaintance,
1 5. Who together with me
usedst-to-partake of dainty-
meats : We-used-to-walk in
the house of God in concord.
16. Let death come upon
them, Let-them-go-down
alive into Hades : For ini-
quity is in their dwellings, in
the midst of them.
17. But I cried to God:
And the Lord shall-save me.
18. Evening, morning, and
at noon, I-will-declare and
fSALM 54 (55).
199
moan : And He-shall-hear
my voice.
ig. He-has-redeemed my
soul in peace, so that none
may-approach me : Though
numerous were those against
me.
20. God shall - hear, and
afflict them [or, answer
them], even He-that-sits-
enthroned of old. Selah.
[Those] who have no
changes, and fear not God.
21. He-has-put-forth his
hands against those-who-
were-at-peace with him :
He-has-violated his cove-
nant.
22. Smooth-were the oily-
utterances of his mouth, But
his heart was war : Softer
than oil were his words, Yet
were they drawn-swords.
23. Cast thy burden upon
YaHWeH, and He shall-
sustain thee ; He will never
suffer the just-man to-be-
moved.
24. But Thou, O God,
shalt-bring-them-down to
the pit of destruction ;
Bloodthirsty and crafty men
shall not halve their days
[Shall not live out half their
days] : But I will-trust in
Thee.
proclaim [my distress] : And
He-shall-hear my voice.
19. He-shall-redeem my
soul in peace from them-that
draw-nigh to me : For many
were against me.
20. God shall-hear and
humble them, Even He
that exists before the ages.
For they suffer no reverse,
And they-fear not God.
21. He-has-reached-forth
his hand for retribution.
They - have - profaned His
covenant.
22. They - were - scattered
at the wrath of His coun-
tenance ; And his heart
drew - nigh [them (?)].
Smoother than oil were his
words, yet are they darts.
23. Cast thy care upon
the Lord, and He shall-feed
thee ; He shall never suffer
the just man to-be-tossed-
to-and-fro.
24. But Thou, O God,
shalt-bring-them-down to
the pit of destruction ;
Bloodthirsty and crafty men
shall not live out half their
days : But I will-trust in
Thee, O Lord.
200 PSALM 54 (55).
The main divisions of the Psalm may be thus briefly indicated :
(1) Supplication and complaint (vv. 2 — 9) ; (2) a sketch of the
demoralization of the city, of Achitophel's treason, with occasional
imprecations (vv. n — 16); (3) the Psalm closes with a cheering
soliloquy, interrupted, here and there, by the plaint of outraged
friendship, and an expression of trust that God will intervene in
the poet's behalf, for his vindication and the undoing of his
enemies. A certain resemblance between v. 8 of this Psalm and
Jeremias ix. 2, has misled Hitzig into assigning it to Jeremias.
To his mind, the "false friend" (vv. 14, 15) is Phassur (Pashur).
The more general, and by far the more plausible, view ascribes
it to David, at the time of Absalom's rebellion (2 Kings (Sam.)
xv.). The treacherous ingrate is Achitophel, the whilom trusted
counsellor and favourite. The reference to Saul's inveterate
enmity is barred by vv. 7, 8.
v. 2. " Hide Thee not," by disregarding, cf. Isaias lviii. 7.
v. 3. "Troubled," lit., "tossed up and down by anxieties."
v. 4. "Voice of . . . enemy," the reproaches cast at him, or the
openly proclaimed designs of Absalom. " Oppression," more lit.
"pressure." v. 7. "Wings," in text, 'ebher, lit., a wing-feather,
v. 8. "Wander far," lit., " I-would-go-far to flee, to wander;"
"go far" is used abverbially ; cf. phthdnd, lanth&nd with participles.
"Desert," incompatible with the period of Saul's persecution,
v. 9. " Hasten," LXX. read here a verb meaning confident expect-
ation. " Escape " (miptildt, a noun in the pointed text) they
read as a participle ("enabling-to-escape — delivering"). "Stormy
wind," in text, " wind of storm " (Ruach so"ah, Gesenius, " a
rushing wind "), but as sd"d/i occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew
Scriptures, LXX. are quite as likely to have conjectured the
meaning ; they refer it to a psychical condition ; Ruach, means
"spirit" also. v. 10. "Frustrate [them]," ///., "swallow up,"
cf. Isaias xix. 3, where it occurs in exactly the same meaning.
"Divide . . . tongue," //'/., "slit their tongue," a reference to
Gen. xi. 7, 9, " Send them confusion of tongues," bring their
counsels to naught by discord, which will sap their strength —
cf. David's prayer, on hearing of Achitophel's defection (2 Kings
(Sam.) xv. 31). "City," Jerusalem, the demoralized state of
which forced him to leave it. v. 12. Destruction, havvoth in text,
PSALM 54 (55). 201
mostly used in plural ( = " destructions "). "Violence," perhaps,
"Oppression" were better, v. 13. LXX. have taken the negative
16 in the sense of lu (if). " Magnified," Targum, " risen up
against me." v. 14. But [it was] Thou! emphatic. "Equal,"
whom I reckoned equal with myself; as dear to me as myself.
" Attached to me," mine associate, intimate, familiar friend ; in
text, 'alliiph, meaning also, " leader," in which sense LXX. seem
to take it (heegemon) ; Targum, " My preceptor, who didst teach
me;" St. Jerome, "dux" (guide, leader), v. 15. "Sweet inter-
course," in text (///.) " [We] who together sweetened intercourse,"
i.e., "who, as being familiar friends, held sweet discourse."
LXX. have rendered sodh ( = familiar — conversation), as synony-
mous with tsdidh (food, provision) ; "who together ( = in company
with me) didst sweeten meats," i.e., " who wast my most agreeable
messmate." St. Jerome, taking sodh in one of its meanings
(" secret "), renders " Qui simul habuimus dulce secretum " (We
who had together sweet confidential-discourse), to whom I
imparted all my secrets. " Throng," the crowd hastening to the
Tabernacle, on the festivals. Aben Ezra and Qimchi render " in
company;" Ewald, with LXX., "in concord," i.e., we were close
companions in private and public life. v. 16. " Let death," &c.,
so the Qeri, or marginal correction. " Seize," ///., deceive [and
rush] upon them, i.e., "let it surprise them." The text (Ketibh\
however, is preferred, "Desolations [come] upon them!" "Shed/,"
rendered " hell," not in its usual connotation, rather, " the grave,"
the nether world ; a tacit reference, probably, to Num. xvi. 32,
foil. v. 17. Confident recourse to God. v. 18. "Evening," &c,
i.e., " continually," or at the times fixed for prayer ; cf. the
Angelus bell. v. 19. "Has redeemed," Preterite of confidence,
" He will assuredly redeem." " From them that approach me,"
so too St. Jerome, who continues, " Multi enim fuerunt adversum
me" (for many were they against me). LXX. renders word for
word, "for they were with me in many [cases?]." "With me,"
Aben Ezra interprets to mean angelic protection ; by others, his
partisans among the priests and magnates, but the tenor of the
Psalm is at variance with such explanations. v. 20. "Shall
hear " judicially. " Afflict." LXX., St. Jerome, " humble them."
Revised V., "answer them;" "answer," "afflict," or "humble,"
202 PSALM 54 (55).
are easily confounded in Hebrew script. "Sits enthroned,"
implies judgment, hence St. Jerome's " Qui judex est ab initio "
(who is Judge from the beginning). " Of old," qedliem, eternity
without beginning. " Changes " from prosperity to evil fortune ;
by Targum, taken of change of mind, repentance. A somewhat
strained explanation, " they can give naught in exchange, to
redeem their souls (?)." v. 21. Syriac, "They" (i.e., the rebels)
" stretched forth the hand against their neighbour and profaned
his covenant." The text has evidently the traitor in view; LXX.
and Vulgate refer it to God. " In requiting " of LXX. arises
from their having read a word but slightly differing from that
in present text, with which St. Jerome agrees. "Covenant" of
friendship and fealty, v. 22. Text (lit.), " They-made-smooth [as]
butters (sic) his mouth, but his heart war; softer than oil his
words, but they drawn-swords," i.e., " His mouth was as smooth
as butter, but his heart was war ; softer-were his words than oil,
yet were they drawn swords." " His," either the traitor's of
vv. 13 — 15, or a collective singular, the factious, who, while
resolved on David's undoing, sought to beguile him with honeyed
words. This rendering is based on that of Targum, Symmachus,
St. Jerome, Aben Ezra ; Lowe and Jennings suggest an emen-
dation in the pointing (vowel-pointing) of the initial ;;/ of
"butters," "buttered things" as favoured by the parallelism —
" Smoother than butter," &c. LXX. have rendered the initial
verb {chaVqu = they divided) in passive sense, "They were
divided (scattered) ; " for macJi madth ( = buttered things, cates) of
present text, me chamath (from hot-anger) ; for tfrabh (war), they
read vay-yufrabh (he drew nigh) ; they had no vowels in their text,
and the letters of " butter," and " from (by) wrath," differ but
slightly, v. 23. Perhaps, a covert taunt. "Burden," "Commit
to God [that which] He has given thee (or) laid upon thee," i.e.,
" thy lot." " Thy wealth " is another suggestion by Lee (Hebr.
Lex. s.v.). Cf. Al IVahhdbu (Arab. The Munificent), hence, " Thy
benefactor." "Cast [thyself] upon YH", thy benefactor;"
Targum, "Thy hope;" LXX., "care," i.e., anxiety for wants and
desires; but more usually rendered " burden " ( = cares) by Jewish
authorities. St. Jerome, " Projice super Dominum caritatem
tuam " (Cast . . . thy dearth [?]). If this be a specimen of the
PSALM 55 (56).
20^
" buttered words" "just" is a sneer at David's claim to righteous-
ness, despite his grievous fall. v. 24. The poet, instead of
rebutting the taunt, turns to God.
PSALM 55 (56).
1. To the Chief-Musician,
upon Yonath 'elem r'choqim,
To David, a mik'tam : When
the Pelish'tim laid-hold of
him in Gath.
2. Be-gracious to me, O
God, for man pants for me :
All day long he, fighting,
oppresses me.
3. Mine enemies pant [for
me] all day long : For many
are proudly fighting against
me.
4. What time I-am'-afraid :
I will-trust in Thee.
5. In God I-will-praise
His word ; In God have-I-
put-my-trust, I will not fear :
What can flesh do to me ?
6. All day long they-dis-
tort my words : All their
thoughts are against me for
evil.
7. They-gather-together,
they-lurk, They mark my
steps : While they-waited
for my soul.
PSALM 55 (56).
1. For the end, concerning
the people that is removed
far from the Sanctuary, by
David, for a memorial-
inscription, when the Philis-
tines laid-hold of him in
Geth.
2. Have-mercy on me, O
God, for man has-trodden
me down : All day long he,
warring, afflicts me.
3. Mine enemies have-
trodden me down all day
long : For there are many
warring against me.
4. I-am-afraid of the
height of the day: Yet do
I trust in Thee.
5. In (through) God I-
will-praise my words : In
God have-I-put-my-trust, I
will not be afraid ; What
can flesh do to me?
6. All day long they-exe-
crate my words : All their
devices are against me for
evil.
7. They-dwell-near, and
lurk, They mark my steps.
Even as they-have-waited
for my soul,
204
PSALM 55 (56).
8. For [such] iniquity is
there escape for them? In
wrath bring - down the
nations, O God.
9. Thou - notest my
moving-about [wandering] ;
put THOU my tears in Thy
bottle : Are they not in Thy
reckoning ?
10. Then shall mine ene-
mies turn back in the day
I-call ; This I-know, that
(since) God is for me.
11. In God will-I-praise
[His] word: In YaHWeK
will I praise [His] word.
12. In God have-I-put-
my-trust, I-will not be-
afraid : What can man do to
me?
13. Upon me, O God, are
Thy vows : I-will-render
thank-offerings to Thee.
14. For Thou-hast-de-
livered my soul from death ;
[Hast Thou] not [delivered]
my feet from thrusting-
down ? That I-may-walk
before God in the light of
the living (or) life.
8. Thou wilt on no
account save them : In
anger crush the peoples. O
God,
9. I-have-declared my life
to Thee ; Thou-hast-set my
tears before Thee. Even
according to Thy promise,
10. Then shall mine ene-
mies be-turned back, in
what day soever I-call-upon
Thee : Lo, I-know that
Thou-art my God.
11. In God will-I-praise
the word, In the Lord will-
I-praise the saying : I-have-
hoped in God, I-fear not ;
what can man do to me ?
12. Upon me, O God, are
vows, Which I-will-
by thank-offerings to
Thy
fulfil
Thee ;
13. For Thou-hast-de-
livered my soul from death,
and my feet from sliding,
That I - might - be - well-
pleasing before God in the
light of the living-.
PSALM 55 (56). 205
This Psalm is the utterance of a warm-hearted man, whose
sense of fair dealing is stung to the quick by the ingratitude of
Saul. It were impossible, therefore, to break it up into distinct
parts. The historical situation to which it corresponds is David's
first visit to Achis ( = Achish), King of Geth (1 Kings (Sam.) xxi.
IO — 1 5) ; to this, rather than to his later visit (1 Sam. xxvii.) the
Inscription seems to refer. The words Ydnath, &c, are variously
rendered. Aben Ezra takes them for the indication of a popular
tune. "The dove of silence ( = silent dove) of those far off
( = exiles)," or of "distant places," by LXX., Aquila, Symmachus,
and Qimchi, is supposed to figure captive Israel far from the
Sanctuary, and unable to sing the songs of Sion. LXX. for
"dove" render "people," referring to Ps. lxxiii. (74) 19; cf.
Osee. vii. 11. St. Jerome's rendering, " For the dumb dove," &c,
confines its reference to David. This Psalm follows liv. (55) in
the Psalter, apparently on account of vv. 7, 8 of liv., a later
composition, but not sung in public worship, as it seems, till
sometime after the present Psalm.
vv. 2,3. " Pants," like a wild beast hastening in pursuit of its
prey. LXX., Targum, St. Jerome, " treads me down," reading
the verb, as if from shuph (perhaps = " he bruised, crushed "),
instead of sha-aph ( = " he breathed hard, panted, hastened ").
v. 3. " Marom," rendered "proudly," "with height of spirit;" in
Ps. xci. (92) 9, a Divine title (" Height "), and so taken here by
Targum, Aquila, and (perhaps) by St. Jerome (altissime), which
may be rendered as "on a vantage-ground," cf. Ps. lxxii. (73) 8.
Our Vulgate runs it into the next verse, but Cod. Vatican of LXX.,
Roman Psalter, that of Verona, Cassiodorus, Augustine, Arnobius,
render, " Mine enemies have trod me down all the day from t/u
height of the day ; for many are they that war against me ; They
shall be afraid, but I," &c. St. Hilary, " From the height of days
I will not fear, for the many, that war against me, shall fear."
"Height of day" may mean, either the dawn, or noon, and
Vulgate may be explained, " I fear the light of day, as it enables
my foes to track me, yet do I trust in Thee." v. 5. " His words."
Symmachus, "Through God will I praise His word," i.e., the
Promise made to him at his unction by Samuel. "My words"
of LXX. and Vulgate, as the promise was made to him.
206 psalm 55 (56).
" Flesh "- mankind = " man " ('dddm) in v. 12. v. 6. "My
words." St. Jerome, " Sermonibus me affligebant " (they vexed me
with words). " Words " often means " things," " concerns,"
"interests," whence, with Hitzig, we may render, "they injure my
interests," "they thwart my purpose." v. 7. Symmachus, "They
gathered themselves together privily," so too St. Jerome. LXX.,
" They dwell near," settle in the neighbourhood {para) of their
intended victim to spy his movements, while lying in wait, &c.
" They lurk," " they hide [themselves]," or " they set men in
ambush." " Even as (according as) they waited," &c, is by
Vulgate referred to next verse ; in text it belongs to v. 7, a
connection which the several attempts at explanation fail to
justify, v. 8. Syriac, "They said, For him there is no deliverer,
wherefore in the wrath of nations do Thou judge them."
St. Jerome, " For no one among them is saved ; in wrath God
shall bring down (detrahet) the peoples." Mendelssohn, taking
it assertively, " In vain is their escape," " On account of wicked-
ness [there is, as they fancy,] escape for them." " Crush " of
Vulgate comes from mistaking katdxeis (Thou shalt bring down)
of LXX. for an inflection of katdgnymi (I shatter), a blunder
St. Jerome notices in his letter " ad Suniam." " O God," in
LXX. begins v. 9. v. 9. " Moving about," " wanderings," the
several stages of my flight from Saul. LXX. evade the literal
rendering — "my life," [wretched as it is]. In text, "Thou
countest ( = keepest account of) my wandering ; " Symmachus and
St. Jerome — " mine inner things " (interiora, a/, secretiora mea),
may be, from confounding nddhi ( = my wandering) of text with
sodhi ( = my secret). St. Jerome, " Set my tear in Thy sight,"
equivalent to " before Thee " (enopibn sou) of LXX. and
Symmachus, which renders the sense ; " storing them in a skin-
bottle," is equivalent to bearing his tears and griefs in mind.
" [Are they] not in Thy reckoning (record) ? " as if to say, " Why
should I entreat Thee not to forget my tears, since Thou recordest
them so as never to lose remembrance ; " interrogation equivalent
to emphatic assertion. " Surely my tears are registered in Thy
book." LXX., not knowing what to make of the hap. legem.
\literally, "once said," occurs nowhere else], siphrdthekkd ( = Thy
book? Thy register? reckoning?), render it, "even according to
PSALM 56 (5;). 20;
Thy promise," referring it to a gracious promise to bear in
mind the woes of the persecuted fugitive. While LXX. con-
nect this clause with v. 9, Vulgate joins it to the next verse.
Targum, " Is not the sum of my misery in Thy reckoning ? "
St. Jerome, " My more secret [things] hast Thou numbered, set
(put) my tear (lacrymam) in Thy sight " (in conspectu tuo, al. in
utre tuo, " in Thy skin-bottle ") ; " but not in Thy narrative "
( = sed non in narratione tua). v. 10. The construction is some-
what awkward. St. Jerome, "This I know that (because) Thou
art my God." v. 11. "Word," God's promise, v. 12. "What
can man," &c, neither LXX. nor St. Jerome render this
interrogatively, which, however, is required by the present text.
v. 13. "Upon me. . . . Thy vows," i.e., the vows I have made to
Thee are incumbent upon me. Syriac reverses this, " Upon
Thee are my vows;" LXX., "The vows of Thy praise, which I
will pay, are upon me ; " so many old Latin Psalters (laudationis
tua?, tibi, "of Thy praise," "of praise to Thee;" St. Augustine,
laudis tibi, of praise to Thee). " Which I will pay," &c, is not,
nor is it to be rendered interrogatively, v. 14. "[Hast Thou] not
[delivered] my feet from an overthrow [a thrusting down ?],"
equivalent to "Surely Thou hast delivered." "Walk before
God," LXX., both here, and in Ps. cxiv. (116) 9, have in view
the tenor of a godly life the Hebrew verb implies, and render
accordingly. " In the light of the living," or, may be, " of life ; "
cf. St. John viii. 12, Ps. cxiv. (116) 9, "in the land of the living."
PSALM 56 (5;). PSALM 56 (57).
1. To the Chief-Musician, 1. For the end, Destroy
al tash'cheth ; to David, a not : by David, for inscrip-
mikh'tam : When he-fled tion-on-a-monument, when
from the face of Shaul into he-fled before Saul into the
the cave. cave.
2. Be-gracious to me, O 2. Have-mercy on me, O
God, be-gracious to me ; For God, have-mercy on me, For
in Thee my soul takes- in Thee has my soul
refuge ; Yea, in the shadow trusted ; And in the shadow
208
PSALM 56 (5;).
of Thy wings will-I-take-
refuge : Until hostility
(wickednesses) have-passed-
away.
3. I-will-cry to 'Elohim
"El'yon : To God that-per-
fects [all things] for me.
4. He-shall-send from the
heavens, and save me, [He
whom] my panting-foe blas-
phemes— Selah : God shall-
send His grace and His
truth.
5. My soul (i.e., as for me),
amid lions am-I-prostrate ;
Devouring-flames are the
sons of man ; their teeth are
spears and arrows : And
their tongue a sharp sword.
6. Be-Thou-exalted above
the heavens, O God : [Be]
Thy glory above all the
earth.
7. A net have-they-pre-
pared for my steps ; One-
has-bowed-down my soul ;
They-have-dug a pit before
me ; They-are-fallen into
the midst-thereof. Selah.
8. Fixed-is my heart, O
God, fixed-is my heart : I-
will-sing, yea, will - sing-
psalms.
9. Wake-up, my glory ;
awake, nebhel and kinnor :
I -will-awake the dawn.
of Thy wings will-I-hope :
Until the iniquity have-
passed-away.
3. I-will-cry to God Most-
High : To God who has-
benefited me.
4. He-sends from heaven
and delivers me, He-gives
to shame them-that-trampled
upon me : God has-sent-
forth His mercy and His
faithfulness,
5. [And has-delivered] my
soul from the midst of lions'
whelps : I - lay - down - to-
sleep, [though] troubled.
The sons of men — their
teeth are arms and darts,
and their tongue a sharp
sword.
6. Be-Thou-exalted above
the heavens, O God, And
Thy glory above all the
earth.
7. They-have-prepared a
snare for my feet ; and
have-bowed-down my soul ;
They-have-dug a pit before
me : And are-fallen into it
[themselves].
8. My heart, O God, is
ready, my heart is ready : I-
will-sing, yea, I-will-sing-a-
psalm.
9. Wake-up, my glory ;
awake, psaltery and harp :
I-will-awake early.
PSALM 56 (5;). 209
10. I- will-give-thanks to 10. I -will-give-thanks to
Thee, 'Adonay, among the Thee, O Lord, among the
peoples : I -will-sing-psalms peoples : And sing-a-psalm
to Thee among the nations, to Thee among the Gentiles.
11. For great is Thy 11. For great is Thy
loving-goodness unto the mercy even to the heavens :
heavens : And Thy truth And Thy truth to the clouds,
unto the skies.
12. Be - Thou - exalted 12. Be - Thou - exalted
above the heavens, O God : above the heavens, O God,
[Be] Thy glory above all the And Thy glory above all
earth. the earth.
The diction and tone of this Psalm are unquestionably Davidic,
and remind one of those which are assigned to the period of
Saul's persecution. With Thalhofer, we refer it to David's taking
refuge in the cave of Odollam (1 Kings (Sam.) xxii. 1), rather
than to his sojourn in the wilderness of Engaddi (3id. xxiv. 4, ff.).
It is difficult to distribute the contents of the Psalm under con-
secutive headings, or marked divisions, but after the second
Selah (v. 7), confidence increases, and complaint and entreaty
give place to praise. Psalm cvii. (108) reproduces parts of this
Psalm and of Ps. lix. (60). The Hebrew text presents consider-
able difficulties, especially at vv. 4 — 8. The parallelism of the
several verses is far more apparent in the LXX. than in the present
text.
v. 1. 'Al tasKcteth, " Destroy not," Targum. "Upon affliction, at
the time when David said, Destroy not," &c, Rashi and Qimchi
take it for the burden of the poem. Aben Ezra deems it a mere
indication of the tune. It occurs in the title of the two following
Psalms, and that of Ps. lxxv. (76). St. Jerome, "To the conqueror;
that thou destroy not David lowly and simple, when he fled,"
&c. v. 3. "Perfects," i.e., completes, completely performs all
that is needed on my behalf. LXX. read, instead of gomer
(perfecting) of present text, gome/ (requiting). St. Jerome, " To
God mine avenger " (ultorem meum). v. 4. Text, chereph shoaphi
(he has reproached my panting [foe]); for "panting," cf. vv. 2, 3
of foregoing Psalm. Or, " Should my panting [foe] have reviled
O
2IO PSALM 56 (57).
me," so Gesenius. Chereph denotes blasphemy (Isai. xxxvii. 23,
24), it never occurs with God as the subject. Thus much may
be urged in favour of the rendering adopted above, despite its
awkward ellipsis. The abrupt transition and unchastened style,
corresponding to mental agitation and anguish, account for the
difficulties met with in this, and in the next verse, which, to a
great extent, render the translation a matter of conjecture, v. 5.
LXX. here supply ["And He rescued "]. The present text, word
for word, " My soul, in the midst of lions will I (do I) lie-down,
flaming-ones (i.e., breathing out fire and flames), the sons of man;
Their teeth," &c. Aquila and Symmachus render, " My soul,"
( = " as for me," " I ") : " flaming ones " they join as an epithet to
" lions," rendering it respectively, by " fierce," or " greedy," and
by "bold" (al. "flaming"). St. Jerome, "My soul has slept
(dormivit) in the midst of raging (ferocientiuni) lions : The sons of
men their teeth," &c. LXX. can hardly have read lohathn (flaming-
ones) in their text; as they render, "I lay down to sleep troubled"
while in Ps. ciii. (104) 4, irvp <£A.eyov, pyr phlegon (a flaming fire)
is their correct rendering. With Syriac and Theodotion, LXX.
connect "I slept troubled" with "among [lions'] whelps." Syriac,
" And He has rescued my soul from dogs : Because I slept
troubled." " The teeth of the sons of man [are] spears and
arrows," &c. v. 7. Literally, " One-has-bowed-down my soul,"
an instance of the frequent use of the impersonal active for the
passive, "my soul is bowed down." " Dug a pit," cf. Ps. vii. 16.
v. 8. "Fixed," as in Ps. 1. (51) 12, the firm and ready disposition
of the will. This, with vv. 9 — 12, recurs in Ps. cvii. (108) 1 — 5,
with but slight differences, v. 9. " Psaltery and harp," approxi-
mate rendering of the corresponding names in text. " I will
awake the dawn," so Rashi, cf. Ps. cxviii. (119) 147; a not
unusual poetic figure. St. Jerome, " I will rise at morn " (surgam
mane). A psychological gradation may be here indicated.
"Soul" (my soul, naphshi), the emotional and passive part of
his nature. " Heart," his mind, which, enlightened by faith, is
established in confidence. " Glory," his spirit, his higher nature.
PSALM 57 (58).
211
PSALM 5; (58).
1. For the Chief-Mu-
sician, 'al-tash'cheth ; to
David, a mikh'tam.
2. Is it true that justice
is silence (i.e., silent [?]).
Speak-ye : Do-ye -judge up-
rightly the sons of man ?
3. Nay, in heart ye-work
wickedness in the land : Ye-
weigh-out the violence of
your hands (i.e., your violent
deeds).
4. The wicked are-apos-
tate from the womb : They-
go-astray from the belly,
speaking falsehood.
5. Their venom is like the
venom of a serpent : As of
the deaf asp (or, adder)
[that] stops its ear ;
6. Which will not hearken
to the voice of charmers :
[Nor] of the enchanter
versed in spells.
7. O God, break their
teeth in their mouth : The
jaw - teeth of young - lions
do - Thou - wrench - out,
Y«HW<?H.
8. Let-them-melt-away as
waters [which] are-taking-
themselves-off : [When ] he-
shoots-out his arrows, [let
them be] as if they-were-
blunted.
PSALM 57 (58).
1. For the end, Destroy
not ; by David, for inscrip-
tion-on-a-monument.
2. If ye indeed be judges :
Judge uprightly, ye sons of
men.
3. For in heart ye-work
iniquities : Your hands con-
trive wrongs in the land.
4. Sinners are-estranged
from the womb : They-go-
astray from the birth ; they-
speak lies.
5. Their venom is-like
[that] of a serpent ; As of a
deaf asp that stops its ears ;
6. Which will not hearken
to the voice of charmers :
Or of enchanters enchant-
ing skilfully.
7. God shall-crush their
teeth in their mouth : The
Lord shall - break the
jaw-teeth of lions.
8. They - shall - come to
naught like running water :
He-bends His bow, until
they-be-undone.
212
PSALM 5; (58).
9. [Let them be] as a slug
which dissolves as it-goes-
along : [As] the abortion of
a woman, [which] can never
see the sun (or, can in no
wise see, etc.).
10. Ere your pots can-feel
[the heat of] the bramble :
He-shall-whirl it away, alike,
the green [wood], and the
glowing [fuel].
11. The just shall-rejoice,
when he-sees the vengeance :
He-shall-bathe his footsteps
in the blood of the wicked.
12. So that [every]-man
shall-say, There is indeed a
reward for the just-man :
There is truly a God that
judges in the earth.
9. As melted wax they-
shall-be-destroyed : The fire
is-fallen, and they never
see the sun.
10. Ere your thorns feel
the white-thorn, He shall
swallow them up as living,
as in wrath.
1 1 . The just-man shall-
rejoice, when he - beholds
the vengeance : He-shall-
wash his hands in the blood
of the sinner,
12. So that each one
shall-say, There is indeed a
reward (lit, fruit) for the
just-man : Truly there is a
God that judges them in the
earth.
The title assigns this Psalm to David, but mentions no
particular occasion in his life. Among the several more or less
probable guesses as to the date of its composition, v. 2, illustrated
by 2 Kings (Sam.) xv. 2 — 6, may be reasonably taken as an answer
to Absalom's disparagement of his father's judicial methods,
whereby he paved the way for his rebellion. We may divide the
Psalm as follows: (1) The denunciation of the flagrant wrongs
perpetrated by the pretended zealots for justice (vv. 2, 3).
(2) A forcible picture of Absalom's early wickedness and hardness
of heart (vv. 4 — 6). (3) Prayer for swift vengeance on the
factious (vv. 7 — 10). (4) Their punishment will show that
justice is not a mere name, but that there is One who judges
justly in the earth (vv. 11, 12).
v. 2. The present pointed text bears rendering only thus :
" Is there indeed that silence of justice ye speak of? Would
PSALM 57 (58). 213
ye judge fairly (uprightly) the sons of men?" (cf. 2 Sam. xv.
3, 4.) 'Elem, the second word in text, is thus rendered "silence,"
silencing — "Is justice indeed dump?" Qimchi renders it
"congregation," viz., Saul's counsellors who approved of his
murderous intent. But, in the unpointed text, it may well stand
for 'elim ( = gods, judges), and then, with Mendelssohn, we may
render, " Do ye indeed speak justice, ye gods ? Do ye judge
uprightly the sons of men ? " LXX., instead of 'eleni, read 'u/dm
(indeed). The Syriac evidently takes it as an ironical expostula-
tion, "Thus in truth do ye speak justice, do ye judge equitably,
ye sons of men." Targum, " Whether in truth, because the just
are silent in the time of strife do you appear to yourselves to
speak justice? In uprightness judge ye the sons of men.
Behold ye all of you speak unrighteousness in the land," &c.
St. Jerome's rendering is, word for word, that of Vulgate, v. 3.
" In the land," openly, publicly. "Violence . . . hands " = violent
actions. Secretly scheming injustice, they openly override the
claims of justice by sheer violence. Syriac, "And your hands
are engaged {implicate) in crime." A reply to the preceding
question, v. 4. If this refer to Absalom and his set, the poet
may be understood to say that he had forewarnings of Absalom's
perverseness from his earliest years. " Apostate " = turned away
from godliness and morality, v. 5. " Their venom," ///., " venom
to them," i.e., " venom have they ; " chamath in text means
" hot-anger," hence LXX. and St. Jerome eschew the figure of
speech, and render " rage " {Juror). v. 6. " Charmers," //'/.,
"whisperers," " mutterers " of magic formulas. "Deaf," not
naturally, but untameable, savagely intractable, v. 7. A trans-
ition from reptiles to the hunting of beasts of prey. v. 8. Syriac,
" Be they contemned as waters spilt, and he shall shoot forth his
arrows, until they be destroyed." Rashi agrees with Syriac in
rendering "melt away," in the sense of "contemned," "despised,"
" brought to naught ; " he further agrees with LXX. and Syriac in
taking God as the subjects of " shoots his arrows ; " in text, " he
treads his arrows," pregnant construction, the bow is strung by
putting the foot on, or against it (cf. "fire a shot "). Rashi,
" Until they be cut off." Gesenius, " [When] he sends his arrows
[they shall be] aj if cut off at the point, blunted, headless."
214 PSALM 57 (58).
v. 9. Shab'l&l (rendered "slug," St. Jerome "worm;" "wax" by
LXX., Syriac, and Ewald) is a air. Acyo/x, occurs nowhere else.
"Dissolves," in text a noun = " melting," "liquefaction;" in-a-
state-of-melting it goes along. " [Let them melt away] as a slug
that melts as it goes," i.e., it emits slime, moistening its path,
so that (according to the vulgar belief) the longer it goes, the
more it dissolves, until at last it wastes away. Targum, "As a
crawling snail which slavers its path." "Abortion," "untimely
birth." LXX. and Syriac have read n-ph-l'-sh-th of the original
vowelless text, naphal 'esksM/i, ("there fell [upon them] fire");
present text, nepheFesheth ( = untimely-birth of a woman). Targum,
"As an abortion and a blind mole which sees not the sun." v. 10.
A very obscure verse, an apostrophe to the factious, warning them
that God will confound their plots, even as a sudden blast sweeps
away the green (" living") and glowing (old twigs easily catching
fire) thorn-fuel under the traveller's camp-kettle. Vulgate gives
the rendering of LXX. (but " He shall swallow you up," Vulgate
" them "), which, in the main, is adopted by Symmachus.
Sirothey-khem (Plur. of sir = z. thorn, a pot, Siroth, feminine form
of Plural) repeatedly means " pots ; " sirim, Masc. form (with the
doubtful exception of Amos iv. 2), means "thorns," "briers."
Qimchi, "Ere your pots can feel [the heat of the kindled]
buckthorn." Rashi, " Ere your thorns feel [themselves to have
grown into] a buckthorn, living (fresh, flourishing) as they will
then be, so shall fury as a whirlwind sweep it away." Ab. Ezra
reports as current in the Jewish school, " Ere [men] perceive
that your thorns are a buckthorn, as one living {i.e., as an angry
man is wont) so, in wrath, as a whirlwind, shall (God) sweep them
away." He adopts as his own, "Ere your thorns grow into
a buckthorn bush, in their greenness (=as living-ones) God shall
uproot them, as one in anger is wont to uproot, and cast away a
sapling." LXX. have in view a husbandman promptly uprooting
an intrusive bramble, ere it puts forth thorns. St. Jerome, " Ere
your thorns grow into a blackthorn ; as living-ones, as in wrath,
a storm shall sweep them away." Syriac (v. 9), "As wax that
melts and disappears before fire, they shall be destroyed ; the fire
is fallen, and they beheld not the sun." (v. 10), " Let their thorns
become thorn-bushes, and let their anger thrust them away."
PSALM 58 (59).
215
v. 11. " Bathe in blood," i.e., the foe shall flee before him bleeding,
v. 12. "Reward," ///., "fruit," "God judging," text 'Elohim
shoph'tim ( = judicantes, Participle Plural), which renders admis-
sible, "Truly there are gods ( = judges) that judge in the earth."
PSALM 58 (59).
1. To the Chief-Musician,
'al tash'cheth, to David, a
mikh'tam ; When Shaul sent
[men] : And they-watched
the house to kill him.
2. Deliver me from mine
enemies, O my God : Set-
me-on-high out-of-the-reach
of - them-that-rise-up-against
me.
3. Deliver me from the
workers of iniquity : And
save me from bloodthirsty
men.
4. For, lo, they-lay-snares
for my life ; The violent
gather - themselves-together
against me : Not for my
transgression, and not for
my sin, YaRWhB. !
5. Without fault [of mine]
they run and marshal-
themselves : Awake to meet
me, and see!
^ 6. Yea, Thou, YaHWt'H,
God of hosts, the God of
Israel, Rousc-Thee to visit
all the nations : Show not
PSALM 58 (59).
1. For the end, Destroy
not ; by David for inscrip-
tion-on-a-monument ; when
Saul sent, and watched his
house, to kill him. (1 Kings
(Sam.) xix. 1 1.)
2. Deliver me from mine
enemies, O God : and from
them-that-rise-up against
me rescue me.
3. Deliver me from the
workers of iniquity : And
save me from bloodthirsty
men.
4. For, lo, they-hunt-after
my soul ; Mighty-men have-
rushed-in upon me.
5. Not my wrong-doing,
or my sin [is the cause
thereof], O Lord : Without
iniquity I-ran and directed
[my course aright] :
6. Awake to meet me, and
behold. And THOU, O
Lord God of hosts, God of
Israel, prepare-Thee to visit
2l6
PSALM 58 (59).
mercy to any that commit
iniquity treacherously. Selah.
7. They-return at evening,
they-growl like the dog :
And go-round-about the
city.
8. Lo, they-foam at the
mouth ; Swords are in their
lips : " For who hears ? "
[say they].
9. But Thou, Y«HW<?H,
dost-laugh at them : Thou-
mockest at all the Gentiles.
10. O my strength, for
Thee will-I-watch : For God
is my high-tower.
1 1 . My God with His
loving-kindness shall-meet
me : God shall-let-me-see
[my desire] upon them-that-
lie-in-wait for me.
1 2. Slay them not, lest my
people forget ; Make-them-
wanderers by Thy power,
and bring - them - down :
'Adonay, our shield.
13. Let the utterance of
their lips [be accounted] sin
of their mouth ; And let-
them - be - taken in their
pride ; And for the cursing
and lying they-utter.
all the Gentiles. Have no
pity on any that-work ini-
quity.
7. They-shall-return at
evening and hunger like
dogs, and go-round-about
the city.
8. Lo, they-utter [a lie]
with their mouth, but a
sword is in their lips : For
[say they], Who hears ?
9. But Thou, O Lord,
shalt-laugh at them : Thou-
shalt-set-at-nought all the
nations.
10. My strength will - 1-
keep [looking] 1 1 Thee :
For Thou, O God, art mine
upholder ;
11. [As for] my God, His
mercy shall - come - to - meet
me ;
12. God shall-show me
[vengeance] upon mine ene-
mies. Slay them not, lest
my people forget : Scatter
them by Thy power, and
bring-them-down, O Lord,
my defender.
13. [For] the sin of their
mouth, and the utterance of
their lips ; let them even
be taken in their pride ;
And for [their] cursing and
lying they - shall - be - de-
nounced,
PSALM 58 (59).
217
14. Exterminate, in
wrath ! exterminate, that
they-be-no-more : And that
men-may-know that God is-
ruling in Ya'aqobh, Unto
the ends of the earth.
Selah.
15. Aye, they-return at
evening, they-growl like the
dog : And go-round-about
the city.
16. As for them, they-
wander-about for food : If
they be not satisfied, then
they-murmur.
17. But as for me, I -will-
sing of Thy strength ; And
will-exult every morning
over Thy loving-goodness :
For Thou-art my high-
tower, and my refuge in the
day of my trouble.
18. My strength, to Thee
will-I-sing-praise : For God
is my high-tower, my
gracious God.
14. In the utter destruc-
tion ; [they shall perish] in
the wrath of utter destruc-
tion, and shall-be no more :
So shall men know that God
rules over Jacob, and the
ends of the earth.
15. They-shall-return at
evening, and hunger like
dogs, and go-round-about
the city.
16. As for them, they-
roam-to-and-fro for food :
If they be not filled, then
they-murmur.
17. But as for me, I-will-
sing of Thy strength ; And
will - exult every morning
over Thy mercy : For Thou
art my supporter and my
refuge in the day of my
distress.
iS. My helper, to Thee
will - I - sing - praise : For
Thou, O God, art my sup-
porter, my God, my mercy.
In tone and diction, this Psalm has much in common with
the four preceding Psalms. There is no reason for questioning
that it was composed at the time of David's persecution by Saul,
and it seems certain that it was occasioned by some attempts on
the life of the poet. If the accuracy of the title (which, by the
way, is disputed) be admitted, the history is given in 1 Kings
(Sam.) xix. 11 — 18. The Psalm opens with a prayer for deliver-
ance from murderous foes (vv. 2 — 8); (2) vv. 9 — 14, confidence
that his prayer will be heard ; (3) he again describes the
machinations of his foes (vv. 15, 16) ; (4) a renewed expression
of trust in God's protection (vv. 17, 18).
2l8 PSALM 58 (59).
v. 1. LXX and Vulgate render "watched" in singular,
implying that what Saul did by others was his own act and deed,
v. 4. " Lay-snares," or " weave plots," or " lie in ambush."
LXX., " they have hunted." v. 5. " Run," " marshal,"
military terms, the latter denoting the array of troops for
executing a plan determined upon. LXX., " I ran and directed,"
possibly the final n dropped from katevthyna ( = I directed),
katevthyna\ji\ ( = they directed). St. Jerome, "I have not acted
wickedly, but they run and prepare themselves." v. 6. "Gentiles,"
in text goyim ; an appeal to God as universal judge. On
the strength of this term, certain commentators refer the Psalm
to the struggle of the Jews with the Seleucidse. The view that
David applies this word to those of his race who were no better
than goyim ( = heathens) is unsupported by the usus loquendi.
" Selah " here marks the close of the prayer, v. 7. " They return of
an evening " (every evening), " like the dogs," the scavengers of
Eastern cities, v. 8. "Foam," the verb properly means "to
gush out," like water; it occurs in Ps. xviii. (19) 3. "Day to
day pours forth" &c. St. Jerome, " Loquuntur in ore suo "
(they speak [utter] with their mouth, swords are in their lips),
"quasi nemo audiat " ( = as if no one could hear) ; the expression
of their fancied impunity, v. 9. But not so, they will soon learn
their mistake, v. 10. "His strength" is unintelligible, and at
variance with the ancient versions. St. Jerome and Vulgate
render it " fortitudinem meant" in Accusative ; to krdtos viou (my
strength) of LXX. might well be taken as Vocative, so Thalhofer,
and may thus be rendered as the text. v. 11. The text {k'thibh,
written), "The God of His gracious-goodness shall meet me;"
the marginal correction (Q'ri, read), "The God of my loving-
kindness (gracious goodness)," &c. " God shall let me see," &c.
(Or) — "God shall cause me to look [calmly] on mine enemies."
v. 12. "Lest my people forget." LXX., " Lest they forget Thy
law" in some MSS., " 7 'hy people." Thalhofer renders "my
people " as the object, the complement, not the subject of
"forget." "Cause them to wander to and fro." Targum, "Drive
them from their homes." v. 13. In text and in Vulgate, "On
account of" has to be supplied, as is done in Targum, and by
Aben Ezra. Targum, " For the sin of their mouth, and the
PSALM 59 (60). • 219
utterance of their lips, let them be taken in their pride " (dropping
" and " before " let . . . taken " as redundant). "Sin of mouth " =
" sin of the tongue." Text as it stands — " The sin of their mouth
[is] the utterance of their lips," i.e., " every word they speak is a
sin." " Be denounced," so LXX., or, with Thalhofer, " Let them
be spoken of " (they shall be spoken of) as examples of Divine
vengeance, when the end, the consummation thereof, which
advances by slow degrees, shall be made manifest in " the wrath
of consummation" ( = consummate, unmitigated wrath), v. 14.
As his indignation grows in intensity, from "Slay not" (v. 12), he
passes unwittingly to " Exterminate [them]." " Unto the ends of
the earth," according to the accent, should be connected with
" may know," not taken as asserting God's universal dominion.
Cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xvii. 46. v. 18. A refrain differing but
slightly from v. 10. LXX. read 'Elohay ( = my God), in present text
'Elohey [God of " my loving-kindness"), i.e., "my gracious God."
St. Jerome — " Deus misericordia mea" (God my mercy), i.e.,
"Who has mercy on me," even as " my salvation " means "my
Saviour."
PSALM 59 (60). PSALM 59 (60).
1. For the Chief-Musician I. For the end, for them
upon Shushan "Ediith ; a that shall-be-changed ; for
mikh'tam to David, to teach, inscription-on - a - monument
by David himself, for in-
struction.
2. When he-waged-war 2. When he-had-burned
with 'Aram naharayim, and Mesopotamia of Syria and
with 'Aram of Tsobhah, and Sobal, and Joab had-re-
Yoabh returned and smote turned, and smitten Idumaea
of 'Edhom in the Valley of in the valley of salt — twelve
Salt twelve thousand [men], thousand. (2 Kings (Sam)
Viii. 3, foil.)
3. O God, Thou-hast-cast 3. O God, Thou-hast-cast-
us-off, Thou-hast-broken us- us -off, Thou - hast - broken-
220
PSALM 59 (60).
up : Thou-hast-been-angry ;
grant us restoration.
4. Thou hast made the
land to quake, Thou-hast-
rent it : Heal the breaches
thereof, for it-quakes (it is
shaken).
5. Thou hast made Thy
people experience hardship :
Thou - hast - made-us-drink
the wine of reeling.
6. Thou - hast - given a
banner to them-that-fear
Thee, For fleeing [to it]
from before the bow. Selah.
7. That Thy beloved may-
be-delivered : Save [with]
Thy right-hand, and answer
me.
8. God has spoken in
[by (?)] His holiness ; I -will-
exult, I will-divide Shekh-
em : And the valley of
Sukkoth will-I-measure-out.
9. To me [i.e., Mine is]
Gil'"adh, and mine Menash-
sheh ; 'Eph'rayim too is the
defence of my head : Ye-
hudhah is my lawgiver ;
10. Moabh is the pot of
my washing ; Upon Edom
will-1-cast my shoe : Pe-
lesheth, shout-aloud because
of me.
us-down : Thou-hast-been
angry ; yet hast-Thou-pitied
us.
4. Thou hast made the
land to quake, and hast-
troubled it : Heal the
breaches thereof, for it-has-
been shaken.
5. Thou-hast-shown Thy
people hardships : Thou-
hast-made-us-drink the wine
of sorrow (or, of stupor,
amazement).
6. Thou - hast - given to-
them - that - fear Thee a
banner, That they-might-
flee from before the bow :
That Thy beloved may-be-
delivered :
7. Save with Thy right-
hand, and hear me.
8. God has spoken in His
holiness (sanctuary [?]) ; I-
will - rejoice, and divide
Sichem : And measure-out
the valley of tents.
9. Mine is Galaad, and
mine is Manasses ; Ephraim
also is the strength of my
head : Juda is my king :
10. Moab is the caldron
of my hope ; Over idumaea
will-1-stretch-out my shoe :
The foreigners are subjected
to me.
PSALM 59 (60). 221
11. Who will-escort me 11. Who will-escort me
into the fortified city? Who into the fortified city? Who
has-led me to Edom? will - escort me as far as
Idumasa ?
12. Was it not THOU, O 12. Wilt not Thou, O
God, [who] hadst-cast us God, who-hast-cast us off?
off? And wouldest not, O And wilt Thou not, O God,
God, go forth with our go forth with our forces ?
hosts ?
13. Give us help from 13. Give us help from
trouble : For vain is the trouble : For vain is the
salvation (help, deliverance) help of man.
of man.
14. Through God we- 14. Through God we-
shall-do valiantly : For 'tis shall-do valiantly : For 'tis
HE that shall-tread-down He that shall - bring - to-
our adversaries. nought them-that-harass us.
"A/ shtishan "edhuth, either, according to Aben Ezra, the
name of a familiar air [or, to be sung to the air of the song
known as] the "Lily of Testimony," or, as Gesenius (Hebr. Lex. s.v.
shushan), "pipes of song," as it were, a lyric poem. LXX. connect
shushan, in some way, with shanah ( = he changed). The contents
of the Psalm agree with the date of its composition, as assigned
in the Title. The annals of David's reign record two successful
wars against the Syrians (2 Kings (Sam.) viii. 3, ff ; x. 7, fif. ; cf.
1 Chron. xviii.) ; the former is most probably that referred to here.
At its close, Joab and Ab'shay ( = Abisai) led David's forces
against the Edomites, who, probably, had availed themselves of
the absence of the army, to invade, or to threaten Judah. They
were routed in the Valley of Salt (to the south of the Dead Sea).
The Title assigns the victory to Joab; in 2 Sam. viii. 13, David
is the victor; but in 1 Chron. xviii. 12, the victory is ascribed to
Abishai (Abisai), Joab's brother. This discrepancy involves no
contradiction, as the success of David's arms may well be credited
to him, and, though Joab was commander-in-chief of the detach-
ment sent to ward off the Edomites, it may well be that his
brother led the troops that routed the invaders, so that the victory
222 PSALM 59 (60).
might well be credited to each. Aram (///., "highland"), Syria
" of the two rivers," i.e., Mesopotamia, whose kings seem to have
been vassals of the King of Soba (between the Orontes and
Euphrates, N.E. of Damascus), so that a war with him would
involve hostilities with Syria. In 2 Sam. viii. 13, 18,000 (not
12,000) is the number of the slain ; a discrepancy not unfrequent
in these matters. The Title may have been based on a book of
Annals, nor is it unlikely that some scribe blundered in copying
the figures.
v. 3. " Broken," as the ranks of a defeated army are broken,
cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) v. 20; Judges xxi. 15. " Grant restoration,"
"restore [us] again," restore to us Thy favour. "Pitied" of
LXX. is perhaps suggested by the recent Syrian victories, v. 4.
The danger threatening Israel is here figured by an earthquake
cleaving the ground into rifts and chasms, v. 5. " Experience,"
lit., "Thou hast shown," "made Thy people to see." "Wine of
reeling." " Wine," " reeling," " staggering," is all that the present
text allows; "wine of reeling" is a construction not admitted by
the vowel-points of "wine." If the accuracy of the Masoretic
text be asserted, the only sense to be made of the hemistich is —
" Thou hast given us wine [of wrath] to drink, intoxication-wise,"
i.e., to intoxication, taking " reeling " ( = intoxication) in the sense
of a noun used adverbially. St. Jerome, " Potasti nos vino consopi-
ente " (Thou hast drenched us with stupefying wine). Katanyxeos
of LXX. apparently means " of torpor," " of stupefaction," wine
inducing torpor, cf. Rom. xi. 8, -n-vevfj-a (pnevma or piieuma)
Karavv'^ea)? (a spirit of torpor). Aquila, (Anon karoseos (wine of
heaviness, drowsiness). "Wine of compunction," "of sorrow,"
" of remorse," so-called, may be, with reference to its after-effects,
v. 6. " That they may muster [around it] from before the bow," so
rendered by LXX., Syriac, Symmachus, St. Jerome, and Vulgate.
But Targum, " Because of His truth," in text, mip-pney qoshet
(lit., "from the faces of," i.e., "from before"), "the bow." The
main objection to the latter rendering (that of Targum, Anglican
Version, &c), is that mip-pney never bears the meaning
"because," "for the sake of," which the Targum here affixes to
it. Thou hast given to them that fear Thee a banner to lift up
for themselves for the sake of [Thy] truth, i.e., " to show forth
PSALM 59 (60). 223
Thy faithfulness to Thy promises." "Selah," if not a musical
direction, is here out of place, as v. 7 is closely connected with
v. 6, as an ejaculatory prayer to a thanksgiving. " Thy beloved," as
in Deut. xxxiii. 12 ; and the name given to Solomon, vv. 7 — 14
are, with slight variations, repeated in Ps. cvii. (108), from v. 7 to
the end. v. 8. " In His holiness." St. Jerome, " in His sanctuary,"
alluding, perhaps, to an oracle received from the High Priest, by
means of 'Urim and Thummim ; but cf. Ps. Ixxxviii. (89) 36.
" By My holiness," so that it is to be understood rather of the
promise made by God through Nathan (2 Kings (Sam.) vii.
12 — 16). vv. 8 — 10 are taken by some interpreters as an utterance
of God, who as King and Leader of Israel identifies Himself
with them. "Portion out," or "divide" [into lots], refers to the
division of Chanaan by Joshua, so too " measure," " mete out."
" Sichem," a city in Mount Ephrai'm, between Mounts Ebal and
Gerizim, where now stands Nablous; probably mentioned here
as the central town of the region west of Jordan. "Valley of
tents" ("huts," " booths " = " Succoth "), Jacob's first halting-
place on his return from Mesopotamia (Gen. xxxiii. 17, 18); in
the tribe of Gad (Josh. xiii. 27), apparently near Peniel ; any
closer identification is conjectural. " Galaad " ( = Gilead), the
name of a mountain district south of the River Jabbok, with a
city of same name, in the tribe of Manasses (Num. xxvi. 29). It
is applied to the mountain tracts between Arnon and Bashan,
inhabited by the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and by the half-tribe of
Manasses. "Galaad" and "Manasses" may be taken to denote
the trans-Jordanic region, " Ephrai'm " and " Juda," the leading
tribes to the west of Jordan (cis-Jordanic). These two last tribes
were, politically, the most important, Ephraim in the north, Juda
in the south \ by these four names the whole land and nation are,
so to speak, summed up. v. 9. " Strength " [of head], i.e., helmet,
with an allusion, perhaps, to Deut. xxxiii. 17. "Lawgiver," so
St. Jerome; "leader," "sceptre," or staff {baton) of command.
St. Jerome is justified by Deut. xxxiii. 21. "Sceptre," "staff,"
suggests a reference to Gen. xlix. 10 ; Num. xxi. LXX. render the
word in the concrete sense, " King " (Bao-iA.evs, vasilevs = king).
v. 10. The neighbouring nations, who had so frequently harassed
the chosen race, are to be reduced to the most abject subser-
224 PSALM 60 (6l).
vience. In Moab he will wash the filth from his hands and feet.
" The pan of my trampling down," as a Greek translator renders
it. " Pot of my hope," Symmachus (lebees tees amerimnias mou, the
caldron of my freedom from care) comes pretty close to it. The
commentators on Vulgate may explain it (if they can). It seems
that LXX. mistook raclisi (my washing) of text, for the Chaldee
r'chats (he hoped). " Upon Edom," his dirty shoe will be thrown.
" Moab," " Edom," seats of hostile power, so far forth as the
direct meaning is concerned, will be the place, as it were, the
out-of-the-way parts of the house, where all that decency would
hide is stowed out of sight. " Casting a shoe upon," implies not
taking possession of land. In Ruth iv. 7, taking off the shoe
signifies the cession, the transference of a right, as is plain from
the explanation there given. "P'lesheth." St. Jerome, "Palaestina"
( = Palestine) ; LXX., allbphyloi ("those of another tribe" in
Vulgate "alienigeni," foreign-born, foreigners). Philistia, the
country of the Philistines along the sea-coast. Shout aloud
("jubila super me," shout-for joy over me, of St. Jerome), a
scornful taunt justified by David's crushing victories over the
Philistines. "Triumph over me [now], if you can." "Moab,"
" Edom," " Philistia," mark the course of conquest from east,
along the south, to the west, or sea-coast. In the parallel
passage (Ps. cvii. (108) 10), "Over Philistia will-I-shout-aloud."
v. 11. "Fortified city," may mean any of the Syrian strongholds,
such as Rabbah (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) xii.), or, if Edom be the
poet's aim, then Petra, Bosra. v. 12. David answers the question,
v. 13. "Help from trouble," or, "from the adversary." v. 14.
By this help we shall achieve strength, "do valiantly."
PSALM 60 (61). PSALM 60 (61).
1. For the Chief-Musician 1. For the end, among
upon Neghinath. To David, the Hymns of David.
2. Hear, O God, my plain- 2. O God, hearken to my
tive-cry : Attend to my supplication : Attend to my
prayer. prayer.
3. From the extremity of 3. From the ends of the
PSALM 60 (6l).
225
the land to Thee will-I-cry,
when my heart languishes :
To a rock higher than I lead
me,
4. For Thou-hast-been a
refuge for me ; A strong
tower from the enemy.
5. I -will-dwell in Thy tent
for ever : I-will-take-refuge
in the shelter of Thy wings.
Selah.
6. For Thou, O God,
hast-heard my vows : Thou-
hast-given the inheritance of
those-that-fear Thy Name.
y. Days to the days of the
king wilt-Thou-add : His
years [wilt Thou prolong] as
a generation and a genera-
tion.
8. He-shall-abide for ever
in the presence of God :
Appoint loving - goodness
and truth, [that] they-may-
preserve him.
9. So will-I-hymn Thy
Name for ever: At my ful-
filling my vows day by day
(i.e., When I shall daily fulfil
my vows, or, That I-may-
fulfil, &c).
earth to Thee have-I-cried,
when my heart was-in-
anguish : Thou - didst - lift
me-up on a rock — Thou
didst-guide me ;
4. For Thou-hast-been
my hope : A strong tower
from the enemy.
5. I -will-dwell in Thy
Tabernacle for ever : I-will-
take-shelter under the covert
of Thy wings.
6. For Thou, O God,
hast - heard my prayer :
Thou-hast-given an inherit-
ance to those-that-fear Thy
Name.
7. Days to the days of
the king wilt-Thou-add :
And [wilt prolong] his years
to the time of two genera-
tions.
8. He-shall-abide for ever
before God : Who may-
search into His mercy and
truth ?
9. So will-I-sing to Thy
Name for ever and ever :
That I may daily fulfil my
vows.
The Davidic authorship of this Psalm may be taken for
granted. It dates from one of the persecutions David had to
suffer, either from that of Saul, or from Absalom's rebellion.
The Syriac version refers it to the time when he learned from
226 PSALM 60 (6l).
Jonathan Saul's resolve to slay him. But, as v. 5 more than
hints that the Ark was finally fixed on Mount Sion, and vv. 7, 8
plainly presuppose the promise communicated by Nathan
(2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 12); if too, as is most probable, "the King"
of v. 7 is David, the Psalm must have been written during his
flight from Absalom, and in trans-Jordanic land. The main
portions of the Psalm are divided off by the Seldh at v. 5. The
first part contains supplications ; the second passes on to out-
pourings of trust and gratitude.
v. 3. " Extremity of land," from the eastern bank of Jordan, or,
" the end of the earth," a hyperbole expressive of his sense of
distance from the Promised Land, and from God's sanctuary.
The Preterites in vv. 3, 4 may be rendered, either as " Preterites
of conjidence," or must be referred to a previous answer to prayer.
"Upon a rock," &c, i.e., "Thou wilt guide me to, [and set me]
upon a rock," &c. v. 5. "For ever," equivalent to "length of
days" (Ps. xxii. (23) 6), to "all the days of my life" (Ps. xxvi.
(27) 4). "Tent," or "Tabernacle," where, as God's guest, I shall
be under His special protection. It may mean his confident
expectation of returning to the place appointed for public worship,
v. 6. "Inheritance," that which they may lawfully claim. If
uttered during his flight from Absalom, it expresses his hopes of
a speedy restoration. If, with Delitzch, we date this Psalm at
the time immediately preceding the battle in the forest of
Ephrai'm (2 Kings (Sam.) xviii. 6), these Preterites are easily
accounted for. v. 7. "King" David himself, whose life Thou
wilt prolong. " His years," til etee of LXX., may be construed as
Nominative. "May his years be," &c, or, "His years shall last,"
&c. "Two generations," a double generation, just as Ps. xi.
(12) 3, leb va leb (heart and hearts a double heart). Usque in
diem of Vulgate (until the day, the time of, the lifetime of),
heds heem'eras of LXX., may be due to a peculiar reading of K'mo
( = as) in text (K'y-m-y, as the days). So far forth as the Davidic
dynasty abides for ever, according to the promise given by
Nathan, the Son of Mary is the fulfilment of the hope (the
prophecy) contained in this verse (cf. St. Luke i. 32, ^^). So far
forth, also, is this Psalm Messianic (vide Targum). v. 8. " Who
may search ? " of LXX. and Vulgate. Answer ; " No one," as it
PSALM 6 1 (62).
227
will be evident to all that God's mercy and faithfulness to His
promises are the stay of David's throne. They will never be
missed, so as to need seeki?igfor. The Hebrew man (apocopate
for manne/i, "appoint," "order," "prepare") is here rendered by
LXX. in the Chaldee and Arabic sense of man (who ? = Hebrew
mi). St. Jerome drops it, rendering " Mercy and truth shall
preserve him." LXX. and Vulgate quite as likely to be right as
the Masoretic rendering. v. 9. St. Jerome simply, " Fulfilling
( = while I fulfil) my vows."
PSALM 61 (62).
1. To the Chief-Musician
on Yedhuthun ; a Psalm to
David.
2. Only to God (for God)
is my soul silent : From Him
is my salvation.
3. He only is my Rock,
and my salvation : My high-
tower ; I shall not be greatly
moved.
4. How long will-ye-rush
upon a man, will-you-break-
in [upon him] all of you, [So
that he is] like a bowing
wall, [or] tottering fence ?
5. They-counsel only to
thrust-[him] down from his
exaltation ; They-delight-in
falsehood ; They-bless with
their mouth : But inwardly
they-curse. Selah.
6. But only for God be-
thou-silent, my soul : For
from Him is mine expecta-
tion.
PSALM 61 (62).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David for Idithun.
2. Shall not my soul
submit to God ? For from
Him is my salvation.
3. For HE is my God
and my Saviour : My pro-
tector ; I shall not be moved
any more.
4. How long will-you-
rush-upon a man? You-
would-slay [him] all of you,
as upon a bowed wall and a
broken-down fence.
5. In reality, they-consult
to thrust [me] down from
my dignity ; I-ran in thirst ;
With their mouth they-
bless : but within their heart
they-curse.
6. Nevertheless do thou,
my soul, submit to God -.
For of Him is my patient-
hope.
228 PSALM 6 1 (62).
7. He only is my Rock, J. For He is my God, and
and my salvation : My high- my Saviour : My helper ; I
tower ; I shall not be moved, shall not flee.
8. Upon God [do I rely 8. In God is my salvation
for] my salvation and mine and my glory : [He is] the
honour : The rock of my God of my help, and my
strength, and my refuge is hope is in God.
God {or, in God).
9. Trust in Him at all 9. Hope in Him, all ye
times, ye people ; Pour-out congregation of the people ;
your heart before Him : God Pour-out your hearts before
is a refuge for us. Selah. Him : God is our helper [for
ever].
10. Only a breath are 10. But vain are the sons
men of low degree, and men of men, false are the sons of
of high degree are a lie ; In men in the balances, so that
the balances they-must-go- they - deceive : They are
up : They are, [when] alto- altogether [formed] out of
gether, [lighter] than a vanity {or, all alike formed,
breath. &c).
11. Trust not in oppres- II. Trust not in wrong-
sion, And be not befooled doing, And covet not rob-
by unjust-gain ; If riches beries : If wealth flow-in,
flow-in : Set not [your] heart set not your heart [thereon],
[thereon].
12. One-thing has God 12. Once has God spoken,
spoken, These two have-I- These two-things have-I-
heard : That power [be- heard : That power is of
longs] to God : God :
13. Also to Thee, 'Adonay, 13. Thine also, O Lord,
[belongs] loving-kindness ; is mercy : For Thou ren-
For THOU requitest to a derest to every-one accord-
man according to his work ing to his works.
(i.e., actions).
The diction of this Psalm is thoroughly Davidic. Different
as is its subject from that of Ps. xxxviii. (39), the language is so
similar, that they must needs be assigned to the same author.
PSALM 6 1 (62). 22<5
It is not clear to what part of the poet's life this Psalm is to be
referred. The hypocritical foes, who plot to depose him " from
his dignity," may be either Saul's courtiers or Absalom's par-
tisans. The Psalm consists of three strophes of four verses, the
divisions being marked by the Seldhs. Strophes 1 and 2 express
the happiness and security of confidence in God, when enemies
are leagued against one. The last contrasts therewith the folly of
trusting in man.
v. 1. " Yedhuthun " (LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome,
Idithun) is taken by Rashi for a musical instrument; by
Qimchi, for the person to whom the Psalm was given to be sung,
or set to music ; by Aben Ezra, for an indication of the tune or
air. v. 2. Lit., " Only to 'Elohim is my soul silent," i.e., in
silent resignation, resigns itself in silent trust. American
Revisers — " In silence for God only my soul waits." v. 3.
"Rock." St. Jerome, "Shield. . . I shall not be moved any
more." These predicates are of frequent occurrence in the
Davidic Psalms, v. 4. " Man," in text, 'ish = Latin vir (a man,
a man at his best), hence Targum, " against the godly man,"
"rush upon (against)," "set upon;" LXX., "assault a man;"
Syriac and Targum, "rage tumultuously." "Will you break in?"
by LXX. and St. Jerome, "Ye slay," "ye will slay," the rendering
of Ben Nephthali and the Babylonian school. Ben Asher and
the Western Jews read it as Passive, "ye shall be slain, all of
you." But "wall," "fence," compel us to revert to the primary
meaning of rdtsach (" he broke," " he dashed in pieces"). St.
Jerome, " How long will ye lie in wait for a man ? ye slay, all of
you {interficitis omnes) as a leaning wall {mums inclinatus) and
a tumble-down fence (maceria corrnens)." v. 5. " Exaltation,"
" dignity," " regal estate " (cf. Ps. iv. 3, " My glory to shame").
" For they take pleasure in falsehood ; " so, too, St. Jerome.
" They ran (I ran) in thirst " of LXX. (edramon) may mean either
" /," or " they ran," comes from their vocalizing yir'tsii of text
( = they delight) as ydrutstsit ( = they ran) ; according to Eusebius,
their earlier copies had iv \f/cv8ei, en pseiidei ( = in falsehood),
instead of "in thirst" which, however, is questioned. The old
Itala has in sititn (unto thirst). St. Ambrose reads " tliey ran "
(cucurrerunt). vv. 6 — 8 repeat, with but slight variations, vv. 2
230 PSALM 6l (62).
and 3. Cf. v. 6 with Ps. xxxvi. (37) 7. v. 9. "Ye people,"
most probably addressed to his retinue, not to the nation, v. 10.
" Only a breath are the sons of [common] men {ffney 'dddm), a lie
the sons of [great] men {Fncy 'is/i) (cf. Ps. xlviii. (49) 3) ; in the
balances [they are] for going up : [Lighter are] they than a breath
altogether," so the present text. St. Jerome, " Nevertheless
{verumtamen), vanity are the sons of Adam, a lie the sons of man
(vi'ri) in deceitful balances ; they act fraudulently together
[frauduknter agu?it simut)" LXX. render, " But vain are the
sons of men ; false are the sons of men in the balances, so as to
deceive ; they are all alike ( = altogether) [formed] out of vanity ; "
rov dSLKTjcraL {toil adikeesai) ; Vulgate, ut decipiant — " that they
may, — so that they deceive." LXX. read la-ualoth ( = for going-
up) of text, as a form of "clival ( = he did wickedly, did wrong),
and so rendered the verse thus : In the scales (when put into
the scales), man's qualities are such as to wrong him who buys
them ; i.e., he is cheated, deceived by them, because they go up,
are too light, kick the beam ; the sum of their combined weights
is lighter than nothingness. " De (LXX. Ik, ek) vanitate " ( = from,
out of emptiness), may be too literal a rendering of the text,
" They are altogether [removed] from { = min) vanity ; " or,
adopting the Hebraism, LXX. may have meant : They are less
tha?i, more worthless than emptiness, less than nothing (in text
" than a breath altogether") ; or, they are outside the range of
vanity, and hence are themselves vain, empty, unavailing, v. 11.
"Trust not in oppression" {or "fraud"). St. Jerome, "in calumny"
{i.e., tricks of chicanery), " and in robbery, lest ye be disappointed."
Gesenius, " set not a vain hope on robbery." " Riches bear
fruit abundantly," or still more literally, " break forth with fruit."
vv. 12, 13. This twofold truth is recorded Exodus xx. 5, 6;
cf. Ps. cxliv. (145) 6, 7. St. Jerome, "one thing has God spoken."
A God of omnipotence in punishing the wicked, gracious and
merciful in rewarding the good.
PSALM 62 (63).
231
PSALM 62 (63).
1. A Psalm to David,
when he was in the desert of
Judah. (2 Kings (Sam.)
xxii. 5.)
2. O God, my God art
THOU ; earnestly-do-I-seek
Thee : My soul thirsts for
Thee, my flesh pines for
Thee : In an arid land, and
[is] fainting without water
{or, [it] languishes without
water).
3. Thus in the sanctuary
have-I-gazed upon Thee :
To see Thy power and Thy
glory.
4. For Thy loving-good-
ness is better than life ; My
lips shall-praise Thee.
5. Thus will-I-bless Thee
during my lifetime : In Thy
Name will - 1 - lift - up my
hands.
6. As with marrow and
fat shall my soul be-satis-
fied : And with lips of jubi-
lant-song shall my mouth
utter-praise ;
7. Whenever I-remember
Thee upon my bed : [And]
in the nightrwatches medi-
tate on Thee.
PSALM 62 (63).
1. A Psalm of David,
when he was in the desert
of Idumaea. (So Codex
Vatican, " IdumSea.")
2. O God, my God, I-
wake early to Thee. My
soul thirsts for Thee, for
Thee my flesh how often!
3. In a desert, trackless
and waterless land ; thus in
the sanctuary have-I-ap-
peared before Thee! That-
I-might-behold Thy power
and Thy glory.
4. For Thy mercy is
better than life ; My lips
shall-praise Thee.
5. Thus will-I-bless Thee
during my lifetime ; And in
Thy Name will-I-lift-up my
hands.
6. Be my soul filled as
with marrow and fatness :
And with jubilant lips shall
my mouth utter-praise ;
7. Forasmuch as I-re-
membered Thee on my
bed : [And] in the early-
hours meditated on Thee :
232
PSALM 62 (63).
8. For Thou-hast-been a
help to me : Therefore in
the shadow of Thy wings
will-I-sing-for-joy.
9. My soul cleaves after
Thee : Thy right-hand up-
holds me.
10. But they [are doomed]
to destruction, who seek my
life : They-must-come to
the lower-parts of the earth.
11. They-shall-pour-him-
out upon the hands of the
sword (i.e., They shall each
of them be delivered to the
power of the sword) : They-
shall-be a portion for jackals
(or, foxes).
12. But the king shall-
rejoice in God ; all that
swear by Him shall-glory ;
For the mouth of them-that-
speak falsehood shall-be-
stopped.
8. Because Thou-hast-
been my helper : Therefore
under the shelter of Thy
wings will-I-rejoice.
9. My soul cleaves to
Thee : Me Thy right-hand
has-upheld.
10. As for them, they
vainly seek my life : They-
shall-go into the lower-parts
of the earth :
11. They-shall-be-given-
over to the power of the
sword : They-shall-be por-
tions for foxes.
12. But the king shall-
rejoice in God ; All who
swear by Him (him [ ?])
shall-glory : For the mouth
of them-that-speak unjust-
things is stopped.
LXX. (Codex Vatican.) reads "Idumaea" in Title, probably a
scribe's blunder. That the Psalm is Davidic may be taken for
granted. Whether, with Rashi, we refer it to the time of Saul's
persecution, or to that of David's flight from Absalom, there are
circumstances connected with the latter event, which are more
consistent with the title and contents of this Psalm (cf. 2 Kings
(Sam.) xv. 23, 28; xvi. 2, 14; xvii. 16). The Syriac version,
however, expressly ascribes it to the former occasion ; but then,
how could David speak of himself (v. 12) as "king"? We may
divide the Psalm into two parts: (1) Yearning for communion
with God. (2) Steadfast hope that he will be avenged, and that
his rights will be vindicated.
v. 2. "To Thee do I rise earfy," so LXX. and St. Jerome
PSALM 62 (63). 233
" Earnestly " expresses more fitly the poet's eager longing.
Owing to the former rendering, and to the mention of " night-
watches" in v. 7, in the Apostolic Constitutions (so-called,
Bk. 2, 59; 8, 37), this Psalm is prescribed for the morning Office
in East and West. " Flesh pines," in text Kamah. St. Jerome,
" My flesh has desired Thee (desideravit te) ; " Symmachus,
himeiretai (longs for) ; Aquila, epetathee (strains after, is devoted
to). LXX., with Theodotion, render K-m-h of text, as if it were
Kam-mah ( = how much, how often), and as it occurs nowhere
else in the Hebrew Scriptures, they are quite as likely to be right
as the other translators. " My soul . . . my flesh," the poet's
yearnings, like every deep emotion, find outward expression in
the bodily frame. "Fainting," "weary;" Lowe and Jennings
suggest, "and [it, viz., my flesh] languishes without water."
"ayeph ( = languishing, weary) is a participial adjective, which
according to Gesenius (Hebr. Grammar, § no), agrees with
"land" ('erets). " Languishing" may be taken figuratively, as the
result of privation of the dew of God's blessing, and of religious
consolations. v. 3. "Thus," with such yearnings, "have I
appeared" (so LXX. and St. Jerome). "Gazed," "looked upon,"
"contemplated," "rested-in-contemplation." "To see," " that I
might behold," " realize ; " " that" is not = " to," " in order that,"
but is consecutive, i.e., shows the result of this "contemplation."
"Thy power and Thy glory," realized in the light of Faith, but
made manifest in the Shekhindh. v. 4. "Than life." LXX.,
St. Jerome, Vulgate, " than lives? as in Hebrew and Syriac " life,"
is expressed in a Plural form ; cf. English, " news," &c. v. 5.
" Lift up hands " = I will pray to Thee. v. 6. " As with," in text
Kemo, plainly shows that this is figurative of the delight he looks
forward to, when the union with God he so longs for, will be
realized. The "fat" of the peace-offering was laid on the altar
to be burnt, and removed from the part eaten at the sacrificial
meal. Text, "As with fat and fatness," &c. v. 7 is in close
connection with v. 6. v. 8. " I will sing," &c, or " I may go on
singing for joy." v. 9. "To Thee, Me," &C, in text purposely
juxtaposed, to show that the affection is reciprocal ; cf. Preliminary
Note ii. of the Contemplation "ad Amorem " {Spiritual Exercises).
v. 10. LXX., "In vain" comes from reading I'sho&h ( = for
234 PSALM 63 (64).
destruction) as I'sheva ( = in vain). St. Jerome, "But they seek
to slay my soul, may they go into," &c. Revised Version
(alternative rendering), "They shall be destroyed that seek my
soul." " Lower parts," &c. Sheol, thought to be under the
earth, the under world, v. 11. "They shall pour him (each one
of them)," &c. "They," here the verb is impersonal, so to speak,
as the French on, I'on, German man. Each one of these would-be
murderers shall be given over in a helpless condition to the
stroke of the sword: cf. Jerem. xviii. 21 ; Ezech. xxxv. 5, for the
same expression. " Portion for jackals," which feed upon dead
bodies, i.e., their remains will be left unburied. v. 12. "King"
David, a serious objection, by the way, to Rashi's view as to the
date of this Psalm. " Swear by Him." If, indeed, " Him," stands
for God, it means His worshippers ; so understood by Rashi,
Aben Ezra, and Qimchi. Cf. v. n. of the following Psalm,
" Swear by Him," cf. Deut. vi. 13. Thalhofer, however, because
Absalom's partisans were not idolaters, understands it of David's
loyal adherents.
PSALM 63 (64). PSALM 63 (64).
1. For the Chief-Mu- 1. For the end — A Psalm
sician ; a Psalm, to David. of David.
2. Hear, O God, my voice 2. Hear, O God, my
in my complaint : From the prayer, when I-earnestly-
fear of the enemy preserve supplicate : From the fear of
my life. the enemy deliver my soul.
3. Hide me from the 3. Thou-hast-sheltered me
secret - assembly of evil- from the conspiracy of the
doers : From the tumul- wicked : From the throng
tuous-throng of the workers of the workers of iniquity ;
of iniquity ;
4. Who have-sharpened 4. For they-have-sharp-
their tongue, like a sword : ened their tongues like a
Have-aimed their arrow — a sword : They - have - bent
bitter word, their bow — a bitter matter,
5. To shoot in the secret- 5. That they-may-shoot
PSALM 63 (64).
235
places at the blameless-one :
Suddenly do-they-shoot at
him, and fear not.
6. They-are-obstinate in
doing wickedly [lit, They-
strengthen for themselves an
evil word] : They-commune
of laying snares privily :
They-say, Who will-see
them ?
7. They-devise wicked-
things [lit., They search out
iniquities] ; They-have-ac-
complished a device care-
fully-devised : And the in-
ward-part of each-man and
heart are deep.
8. But God shot at them
with an arrow : Suddenly
come their wounds.
9. And they against whom
was their tongue, shall-
cause - them - to - stumble :
And every-one that-gazes-
upon them shall-shake the
head.
10. And all men shall-
fear ; And they-shall-declare
the work of God : And His
doing they-shall-well-con-
sider.
11. The just-man shall-
be-glad in YaHWeH, and
shall-find-refuge in Him :
And all the upright in heart
shall-glory.
in lurking-places at the
blameless-one.
6. Suddenly will - they-
shoot at him, and will not
fear. They - have - set - on-
foot for themselves a wicked
proposal. They-have-taken-
counsel how to-lay-snares-
privily : They - have - said,
Who will-see them?
7. They - have - devised-
vvicked-things [They-have-
searched - out iniquities] ;
They-have - wearied - them-
selves with a diligent search
(a scrutinizing search). Man
shall - approach, and the-
heart is deep ;
8. And God shall-be-
exalted. Arrows of babes
are their wounds ;
9. And their tongues
were - weakened against
themselves. All that saw
them were troubled ;
10. And every man was-
alarmed ; And they-related
the works of God : And
pondered His deeds.
11. The just-man shall-
rejoice in the Lord, and
hope in Him: And all the
upright in heart shall-be-
praised (i.e., shall glory).
236 PSALM 63 (64).
The ascription, "to David," may pass unquestioned. The
prominence here given to "slander" favours Rashi's assignment
of this Psalm to the time of David's retirement from the Court of
Saul. It opens with a prayer for preservation from crafty and
foul-tongued conspirators (vv. 2 — 5). It then sets forth their
daring and knavery (vv. 6, 7). But destruction shall surely come
upon them by means of their plots (vv. 8 — 10), to the joy of the
just.
v. 3. "Hide me," so St. Jerome. "Secret-assembly," "throng,"
the plots, the open violence, v. 4. "Who have sharpened,"
so LXX.; St. Jerome, like Vulgate, "Quia" (because, for). "Aim
arrows," lit, " tread " [their bows to string them and so to aim]
"their arrows." " Bitter word," "word," a slanderous imputation
is more likely to be the meaning of ddbdr, both here, and in v. 6;
St. Jerome, "a most bitter word" {verbum amarissimum), which
is better suited to the "complaint," than pragma ( = "thing") of
LXX. v. 6. "Obstinate," &c, so Gesenius. "Who will see
them?" i.e., the snares, but Syriac, "Who will see us?" v. 7.
Both text and versions are equally obscure. The difficulty
presented by LXX. (and Vulgate) is mainly due to a baldly
literal rendering. Save three words noted below, they have
translated according to the Lexicon meaning of the words, and
that, too, in the order of the text. Following their traditional
reading of the vowelless text, instead of qerebh {q-r-bli), "the inward-
part " of the Masoretic text, they read qdrabh ( = he approached) ;
for vay-ydrem ( = and He shall-shoot at them), they read vay-ydrum
(He [viz., God] shall be exalted) ; pith' dm (suddenly) they read
pethahn (simple ones, infants). In ancient and in mediaeval
Psalters the reading ad cor ( = to the deep heart) — the present
reading — alternates with et cor {and the heart, as in LXX.). The
Vulgate reading may mean, "a man (an enemy of mine [?])
approaches a heart fostering deep plans " (either his own heart,
or that of one he consults), i.e., he allies himself with him, and
accepts his devices. Mark the antithesis between " deep " and
"exalted" (vv. 8 — 10). The overthrow of his enemies will be
the direct outcome of their plots. " Suddenly " corresponds to
the same word in v. 5. Qimchi would repeat "Suddenly" —
"God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly: {suddenly) were.
PSALM 64 (65).
237
( = come) their wounds." According to the accentuation, which
is erroneously adapted to that of v. 5 b, this verse reads, " God
will shoot at them. With a sudden arrow came their wounds."
v. 9. LXX. render vaguely. St. Jerome, " Et corruent in
semetipsos Unguis suis : fugient omnes, qui viderint eos " (And
they shall fall together upon themselves by means of their
tongues : all that see them shall flee-away). Revised Version,
"So shall they be made to stumble, their own tongue being
against them : All that see them shall wag the head " (in
margin, as above), which requires the supposition of an ellipsis
of the relative pronoun. It implies that the victims of their
slander shall be the direct instrument of their undoing, v. 10.
" His doing," i.e., the overthrow of these crafty revilers. Aquila.
v. 9. Belee pdrachreema egene'etheesan hai pleegai avton (arrows
forthwith were their wounds) ; Symmachus, " Their wounds shall
be a sudden dart " {Belos aiphnidion esontai hai pleegai avton).
PSALM 64 (65).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
a Psalm, to David, a Song.
2. To Thee silence is
praise, O God, in Tsiyyon :
And to Thee shall the vow
be-paid.
3. Thou - that - hearest
prayer : To Thee all flesh
shall-come (lit, Hearer -of
prayer).
4. Facts of iniquity (i.e.,
iniquities) have-been-too-
strong for me : As for our
PSALM 64 (65).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David, [a Song of Jere-
mias and of Ezechiel for
the people of the trans-
migration, When they began
to go forth.]
2. Praise becomes Thee,
O God, in Sion : And to
Thee shall the vow be paid
[in Jerusalem].
3. Hear my prayer : To
Thee all flesh shall-come.
4. The words of trans-
gressors have-overpowered
us : But THOU wilt-pardon
238 PSALM 64 (65).
transgressions, THOU canst- our sins {or, Do Thou
pardon them. pardon, &c.).
5. The happinesses [of 5. Blessed is he whom
him] Thou - choosest, and Thou-choosest and adopt-
bringest-near, That he-may- est ; He - shall - dwell in
dwell in Thy courts ! We- Thy courts ; We-shall-be-
shall-be-satisfied with the filled with the good-things
goodness of Thy house : of Thy house : Holy is Thy
[With] the holiness of Thy temple,
Temple {or,Thy holy temple).
6. Terribly in righteous- 6. Wondrous through
ness dost-Thou-answer us, righteousness. Hearken to
O God of our salvation : us, O God our Saviour : the
[Thou] hope of all the ends hope of all the ends of the
of the earth, And of the earth, and of them [that are]
remote-parts of the sea ; on the sea afar-off.
7. Setting-fast mountains 7. Establishing (lit, pre-
by His might : Being-girded paring) the mountains by
with power ; Thy power : Being-girded
with strength :
8. Stilling the roaring of 8. Who stirrest - up the
the seas, the roaring of their depth of the sea, the roaring
waves : And the tumult of of its waves. The nations
the peoples : shall -be troubled,
9. They too that-inhabit 9. And they that inhabit
the uttermost - parts are- the uttermost - parts are
afraid at Thy signs : Thou afraid of Thy signs : Thou
makest the outgoings of the shalt make the outgoings of
morning and the evening to the morning and evening to
rejoice {or, to-sing-for-joy). rejoice.
10. Thou-hast- visited the 10. Thou-hast-visited the
earth, and saturated it, earth, and saturated it,
Thou-didst-abundantly en- Thou-didst-abundantly en-
rich it with a divine stream rich it. The river of God
full of waters : Thou-didst- is-full of waters, Thou didst-
prepare their corn, when prepare their food ; for such
Thou hadst thus prepared it is the preparation thereof,
(viz., the soil) :
PSALM 64 (65). 239
11. Watering its furrows, 11. Saturate its furrows,
levelling its ridges : With multiply its fruits : [the
abundant - showers Thou- crop] springing-up shall-re-
softenest it ; The produce joice in its drops.
thereof Thou-blessest.
12. Thou - hast - crowned 12. Thou-wilt-bless the
the year of Thy goodness: crown of the year of Thy
And Thy paths drop fatness, goodness : And Thy plains
shall-teem with abundance.
13. The pastures of the 13. The oases of the
desert drop [therewith]: waste shall-be-decked-with
And with joy do the hills verdure: And with re-
gird-themselves. joicing shall the hills gird-
themselves.
14. The pastures are- 14. The rams of the flock
clothed with flocks ; The are-clothed [with fleeces] :
valleys too are-covered-over The valleys abound in
with standing-corn : They- corn : They-cry-aloud, yea,
shout-for-joy, yea, they-sing. they-shall-sing-praise.
The addition to the Title is copied from certain second-rate
Codices of LXX., and is rejected by Theodoret as a recent
interpolation. From Jerem. xxxix. xl., we gather that the prophet
never went to Babylon ; nor, as far as is known, did Ezechiel
ever return to Judaea. The Psalm may be divided as follows :
(1) vv. 2 — 5. In the name of the nation the poet declares that the
praise most acceptable to God is silent, trustful resignation to His
guidance. For that He hears prayer, all mankind will have
recourse to Him. The nation, by its sins, is unworthy of being
heard ; but God is easily propitiated ; He pardons the crimes of
His chosen people and allows them the happiness of approach-
ing Him in the place He has chosen for His earthly abode.
(2) w. 6 — 9. The signs of His almighty power pervade all Nature,
striking terror by the manifestations of punitive justice, gladdening
the heart, when He shows forth His loving care. (3) vv. 10 — 14
describe God's goodness in rendering the earth fruitful, and the
teeming plenty which results therefrom.
v. 2. St. Jerome, "To Thee silence [ = silent resignation] is
240 PSALM 64 (65).
praise," &c. LXX., Vulgate, with Joseph Qimchi and Ewald,
" Praise becomes Thee." Targum, " In Thy sight praise is
accounted as silence." " In Jerusalem," wanting in text and in
Cod. Vatican, of LXX. ; the parallelism seems to require it.
v. 3. "All flesh," Hebraism for "all mankind," cf. Gen. vi. 12;
Isai. lxvi. 24 ; St. John xvii. 2. v. 4. " Words of iniquity," the
poet is overwhelmed by the number and grievousness of the
national sins. LXX. and Vulgate have in view, it seems, the
speeches of godless men. " But Thou," emphatic. We cannot
get rid of our iniquities, Thou alone canst pardon them. v. 5.
" Temple " supplies no proof of the post-Davidic origin of this
poem, as the Mosaic Tabernacle is often so called. v. 6.
"Terribly," or, "By terrible things;" St. Jerome, "Terrible in
justice, hear us, O God," &c. LXX. render it as qualifying
" temple " in v. 5. If, with some commentators, we refer the Psalm
to the invasion of Sennacherib, the slaughter of his army was
indeed " a terrible answer " to the prayer of Ezechias. " Remote
... of sea," lit., "and of the sea of them [or, "of parts"] afar
off," i.e., the furthermost continents and islands, v. 8. " Stilling,"
syntardsson of LXX. ( = " stirring up "), may probably be a
scribe's blunder for syntdsson (arranging, regulating). They
likewise read hd?nun, instead of limdji ( = tumult, multitude) of
the present pointed text, and connected it with v. 9, as in Vulgate.
v. 9. " Signs," manifestations of omnipotence, whether terrifying
or gladsome. " Outgoings," the rising and setting of the sun
(cf. Al Quran, xliii. 37). Arab dual, mashrikdn ( = "the two
Orients ") ; the whole world from E. to W. Vespere of Vulgate
requires correction ; the Gallican Psalter reads Vespercc (= of
evening, instead of " at evening ") ; Roman Psalter, Arnobius,
and Cassiodorus, Vesperi ; Codex of Verona, vespere (at
eventide). As Thalhofer remarks, the Vulgate text needs here
a correction, vesperoz for vespere. v. 10. "Divine stream" (lit., in
text, " a stream of 'Elohim "), i.e., a mighty stream, perhaps,
" Jordan," which overflows its banks all the time of the harvest
(Jos. iii. 15), about the time of the Passover (April), or the poet
looks back to the season of ploughing and sowing (Oct., Nov.),
the autumnal rains, which, falling from above, are a " divine," a
heaven-sent stream. Targum, " From the fountain of God in the
PSALM 64 (65). 241
heavens, which is full of rain." "When Thou hadst thus pre-
pared it ; " St. Jerome, " For thus didst Thou prepare it," viz., by
preparing the earth for tillage, and providentially tending the
sown fields, in the way described in v. 11. "Watering" (ravveh
in text), "levelling," "depressing," both by LXX. and St. Jerome
are rendered as Imperatives, which, as Thalhofer observes, suits
the context better than rendering them as Infinitives absolute,
equivalent to the Gerund \n-do. " Watering ; " LXX. and
St. Jerome, "inebriate." "Levelling its ridges" (or, "clods");
St. Jerome, "multiplica fruges " ("multiply the produce"), "with
rains irrigate it, and bless its fruit" (germini benedic). v. 12.
LXX. render somewhat freely, and transfer "Thou blessest"
from v. n. "Thou hast crowned," &c. ; the fruits of the earth
are here viewed as a crown wherewith God decks each year.
Seasonable rains show that this is "a year of Thy goodness,"
Thou hast crowned it by giving an abundant harvest. "Paths,"
"tracks," lit., "tracks of His chariot-wheels;" according to Rashi,
the skies ; to Qimchi, the clouds (cf. Nahum i. 3), " The clouds
are the dust of His feet." " Drop fatness," fertilizing rains, a
metonymy of cause for result, v. 13. " Pinguescent pascua
deserti " ( = the pastures of the wilderness shall grow fat), so
St. Jerome; LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) render "the mountains (i-a Sprj,
ta oree) of the desert," for an earlier rendering, 01 opoi (hoi Jibroi)
(fines, boundaries), as is proved by SS. Augustine, Hilary, and by
Arnobius, who read here fines. Probably LXX., like Symmachus,
had tol wpala (ta horaid), the speciosa of Vulgate ( = beauteous,
fruitful spots, "the oases"). "With joy," with produce that
gladdens man's heart, v. 14. "Pastures," in text, karim, plural of
Kar ( = "a lamb," a meadow, or "pasture," "a battering-ram," "a
saddle "), rendered here by Syriac, " the rich district." St. Jerome,
" Vestientur agnis greges" ( = " the flocks shall-be-covered [decked]
with lambs"). Targum, "The rams cover the ewes." LXX., "The
rams of the sheep (plural) are clothed [with wool (?)]." Tson in
text may be rendered " sheep " (collective plural), or " flocks."
As a result of abundant feeding, the sheep become fat, are clothed
with fat, with heavy fleeces. " Shout," . . . "sing," carry on the
personification of inanimate nature, or mean the joyous gratitude
of the nation cheered by the promise of abundant harvests.
242
PSALM 65 (66).
PSALM 65 (66).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
a Song, a Psalm : Shout-ye
to God, all [parts] of the
earth :
2. Sing the glory of His
Name : Render glory [to
Him] by His praise.
3. Say-ye to God, How-
terrible [a thing] are Thy
works ! Through the great-
ness of Thy might Thine
enemies shall-yield-feigned-
submission to Thee.
4. All the earth shall-adore
Thee, And shall-sing to
Thee : They-shall-sing to
Thy Name. Selah.
5. Come, and see the
works of God ; Terrible [is
He in] His doing toward the
sons of man.
6. He-turned the sea into
dry-land ; Through the river
they-passed on foot ; Then
did-we-rejoice in Him.
7. Ruling by His might
for ever ; His eyes observe
the nations : Let not the
refractory exalt themselves.
Selah.
8. O bless our God, ye
peoples: And make the
voice of His praise to be
heard ;
PSALM 65 (66).
1. For the end, a Song of
a Psalm [of resurrection].
Shout unto God, all the
earth :
2. O sing praises to His
Name : Give glory to His
praise.
3. Say to God, How awful
are Thy works, O Lord!
Through the greatness of
Thy power Thine enemies
shall-lie (i.e., pay feigned
submission) to Thee.
4. May all the earth
worship Thee, And sing-
praise to Thee : Let-it-sing
to Thy Name.
5. Come, and see the
works of God : [He is]
terrible in [His] counsels
beyond the sons of men.
6. Who turned the sea
into dry-land, They-passed
through the river on foot :
There did - we - rejoice in
Him;
7. Who by His might has-
dominion for ever ; His eyes
look upon the nations : Let
not them that provoke [Him]
be-exalted in themselves.
8. O bless our God, ye
Gentiles : And make the
voice of His praise to be
heard ;
PSALM 65 (66).
243
9. Who places our soul in
[the state of] life, Nor suffers
our feet to be moved.
10. For Thou, O God,
hast-tried us ; Thou-hast-
proved-us-with-fire, as silver
is-proved.
11. Thou - broughtest us
into a prison-hold : Thou-
laidest affliction on our
loins ;
12. Thou hast caused man
to ride upon our heads ;
We - came into the fire
and the waters : And Thou-
broughtest us out into
abundance.
13. I-will-come into Thy
house with whole - burnt-
sacrifices : I -will-pay Thee
my vows,
14. Which my lips have-
uttered : And my mouth
has-spoken, in my distress.
15. I-will-offer to Thee
holocausts of fat - lambs,
With the incense of rams :
I-will-sacriflce bullocks with
he-goats. Selah.
16. Come, hear, and I-will-
tell, all you that-fear God :
What He-has-done for my
soul :
17. I-cried to Him with
my mouth : And high-praise
was under my tongue.
18. If I-had-seen iniquity
9. Who quickens my soul
unto life! Nor suffers my
feet to be moved.
10. For Thou, O God,
hast-proved us : Thou-hast-
tried us with fire, as silver is
tried.
1 1. Thou - broughtest us
into the snare : Thou-laidest
afflictions on our back ;
12. Thou - didst - mount
men upon our heads. We-
passed through fire and
water ; But Thou-broughtest
us out into [a place of] re-
freshment.
1 3. I - will - go - into Thy
house with holocausts : I-
will-pay Thee my vows,
14. Which my lips framed :
And my mouth uttered in
my distress.
15. I-will-offer to Thee
whole-burnt-sacrifices full-
of-marrow, With the incense
of rams : I-will-sacrifice to
Thee bullocks with he-
goats.
16. Come, listen, and I-
will-tell, all you that fear
God- : What-great-things-
He-has-done for my soul.
17. I-cried to Him with
my mouth : And extolled
Him with my tongue.
18. If I-regarded iniquity
244 psalm 65 (66).
in my heart : 'Adonay would in my heart : The Lord
not have heard ; would not hearken ;
ig. But verily God has- ig. Therefore has God
heard : He-has-attended to hearkened : And has - at-
the voice of my prayer. tended to the voice of my
prayer.
20. Blessed be God : Who 20. Blessed be God : Who
has not turned away my has not turned away my
prayer, nor His gracious- prayer, nor His mercy from
goodness from me. me.
" Of resurrection " is wanting in Origen's Hexapla, but is to
be met with in many of the Fathers. The terms used in this
Psalm, the summons to the Gentiles to join in worshipping the
true God, the glance at the wonders wrought at the dawn of
Israel's existence as a nation, have led many, both ancient and
modern commentators, to refer this Psalm to the post-Exilic
period. This view, however, can hardly be reconciled with vv. 9,
17, and 18 especially. Further, the thanksgiving is to be accom-
panied by sacrifices in the Temple, which was not rebuilt till
some time after the return from captivity. The miraculous
deliverance from the host of Sennacherib supplies the historical
situation best suited to the contents of the Psalm (cf. vv. 9, 13,
17, 18), which were thus a prean for the defeat of the invader.
The addition to the Title may have been added on account of
v. 9, or by those who took this Psalm for a thanksgiving for
national restoration, which, by the way, is a type of our resurrection
with Christ in holy Baptism, the earnest of our resurrection at His
second coming.
v. 2 b. Literally, " Put-ye glory His praise," which may mean,
" Give glory [to Him] by His praise." Ibn Ezra, " Deem it your
glory to declare His praise." St. Jerome is here at one with
LXX. and Vulgate, v. 3 recalls v. 6 of preceding Psalm, and
may account for the place this Psalm occupies in the Psalter,
v. 5. " Towards the sons," &c, rather " than the sons of men,"
" above the sons," &c. v. 6. A glance at the Exodus. " River,"
Jordan (Jos. iii. 14). "There" is equivalent to "then;" the
verbs are to be rendered in the Preterite, v. 7. " Refractory,"
psalm 66 (6;). 245
the heathen who refuse to acknowledge the Divine King.
St. Jerome, " increduli," unbelievers, v. 9. As is said above,
hemistich b is hardly compatible with the post-Exilic date assigned
to this Psalm, v. n. ,Bham-metsitdhah = {i) "into the net;"
so St. Jerome, with the alternative rendering, obsidionem (siege,
blockade) ; (2) " fortress," " defence." Thalhofer prefers " prison-
fortress," as better suited to the context. " Loins " wearied by
the bearing of heavy burdens. Targum, "a chain." v. 12. Text,
" Thou hast caused men to ride upon our heads," expressing the
most abject slavery. St. Jerome's version here is word for word
that of Vulgate. "Abundance," "overflowing plenty," "a state
of abundance." Targum, " into respiration," where we could
breathe freely, v. 13. The Psalm is obviously liturgical, a thanks-
giving for some national deliverance. The High Priest may be
supposed to have sung the remaining verses when proceeding to
the thank-offering; or it was sung as a solo, not by the choir.
v. 14. " Vows " wrung from the nation in extraordinary distress,
or peril. St. Jerome, "Which my lips have promised." v. 15.
" Incense of rams," the smoke of the sacrificed rams. The ram
was not sacrificed for ordinary personal intentions, hence we may
suppose the speaker to be the High Priest sacrificing in the name
of the people, v. 17. "Under my tongue" (cf. Ps. ix. (10) 7).
St. Jerome, " in lingua mea " (with my tongue). Aben Ezra glosses
it, "in my heart." Thalhofer, "Scarce had I put up my prayer,
when the assurance of being heard inspired me with a hymn of
thanks, which I kept in readiness under my tongue." Old Itala,
exultavi (I exulted), v. 18. God is to be approached with a clean
heart, v. 19. St. Jerome, "Ideo" (therefore, on that account).
PSALM 66 (6;). PSALM 66 (67).
1. For the Chief-Musician L For the end. Among
on stringed-instruments : A the hymns, a Psalm of
Psalm, a Song. praise, by David.
2. God be-gracious to us, 2. God be-merciful to us,
and bless us : Cause His and bless us : Cause His
24b PSALM 66 (67).
countenance to shine upon face to shine upon us, [and
us. Selah. be-merciful to us].
3. To know Thv way (i.e., 3. That we - may - know
That Thy way may be Thy way upon earth: Thy
known) upon earth : Thy salvation among all nations,
salvation among all nations.
4. Peoples shall - praise 4. Let the peoples give-
Thee, O God: Peoples thanks to Thee, O God:
shall-praise Thee, all of them Let all the peoples give
(or, Let the peoples give- thanks to Thee.
thanks, &c).
5. Let the nations be- 5. Let the nations be-
glad, and sing-for-joy ; For glad and exult; For Thou-
Thou-judgest the peoples shalt-judge the peoples with
with equity : And leadest equity : And guidest the
the nations upon earth, nations upon the earth.
Selah.
6. Peoples shall - praise 6. Let the peoples give-
Thee, O God : Peoples thanks to Thee, O God :
shall-praise Thee, all of Let all the peoples give
them. thanks to Thee ;
7. The land has-given her 7. The land has-given her
increase : God, our own God, fruit : May God, our own
shall-bless us. God, bless us,
8. God shall-bless us : 8. May God bless us :
And all the ends of the earth And let all the ends of the
shall-fear Him, earth fear Him.
The date and authorship of this Psalm are uncertain, though
it may well be that the ascription "To David" in LXX. and
Vulgate is correct, as to him was vouchsafed a clear insight into
the Messianic future, wherewith this Psalm is mainly concerned.
True, modern critics regard it as a hymn of thanksgiving for an
abundant harvest, the result of the promise in Lev. xxvi. 3, seq.,
which would have suggested to the inspired poet the anticipation
of the blessings of the Messianic era, the spread of the knowledge
of the true God among the heathen, the reversal of the curse
pronounced against the earth (Gen. iii. 17, 18). Be this as it
psalm 6? (68). 247
may, the Psalm is a prophetic forecast of the priceless boons
vouchsafed by the manifestation of God in the flesh. It invariably
follows at Lauds Ps. lxii. (63), as its counterpart, as, while the
latter Psalm expresses our yearnings after God, and our unreserved
yielding of ourselves to Him, Ps. lxvi. (67) shows us God's
bestowing Himself upon us, with the fulness of His gifts.
v. 2. An adaptation for congregational use of the priestly
blessing (Num. vi. 24 — 26). It cannot have been pronounced
by a priest in the sacred place, as the priests took the greatest
care not to swerve from the Pentateuch formula. Observe, too,
the substitution of 'Elohim for YaHWcH. v. 3. Lit, "to
know " = in order that men may know, equivalent to St. Jerome's
" That Thy way may be known." " Way," the revelation by God
in His Christ of the economy of redemption and salvation (cf.
St. Matt. xxii. 16; Acts ix. 2; xix. 23; xxiv. 14; and the "open-
ing" Surah, or chapter, of Al Quran, w. 6, 7), where it means
"religion." vv. 4, 5. These Optatives are Futures in text, and
may be so rendered. "Judge," i.e., rule, as in Ps. Ixxi. (72) 2, 4,
12 — 14; Isai. xi. 3; 3 (1) Kings viii. 32; not punitive judgment,
v. 7. " Has given," a fait accompli, inspiring confidence of further
blessings, vv. 7, 8. Note the three-fold repetition of the Name,
expressing not only steadfast trust, or earnest supplication, but
foreshadowing the revelation of Trinity in Unity. " Our God,"
"fmmdnu-ei, " God with us."
PSALM 6; (68). PSALM 67 (68).
1. For the Chief - Mu- I. For the end, a Psalm
sician : to David, a Psalm, a of a Song by David.
Song.
2. Let God arise, scat- 2. -Let God arise, let
tered-be His enemies : Let His enemies be-scattered :
them also that-hate Him Let them also that hate Him
flee before Him flee before Him.
3. As smoke is-driven- 3. As smoke vanishes,
away, drive [them] away ; Let-them-vanish ; as wax
As wax melts before the melts before the fire : So let
248
PSALM 67 (68).
fire : Let the wicked perish
at the presence of God.
4. But let the just be-
glad ; let-them-exult before
God : Yea, let-them-rejoice
with gladness.
5. Sing to God, hymn
His Name ; Cast-ye-up-a-
highway for Him - that-
rides through the deserts :
YaH is His Name, therefore
exult-ye before Him.
6. A father of orphans,
and an advocate of the
widows : Is God in the habi-
tation of His holiness.
7. God settles the solitary-
ones in a household ; He-
brings-out the prisoners into
prosperity : But the re-
fractory dwell in a-land-of-
drought.
8. O God, at Thy going-
forth before Thy people :
When Thou - didst - march
through the waste ; Selah.
9. The earth quaked, The
heavens also dropped at the
presence of God, [even] that
Sinai : At the presence of
God, the God of Israel.
10. Thou, O God, didst-
send a gracious rain : When
Thine inheritance was-
weary, THOU didst - refresh
it.
sinners perish from before
God.
4. But let the just rejoice,
and exult before God : Let-
them - be - delighted with
gladness.
5. Sing to God, sing-
praises to His Name ; Make
a way for Him that rides
upon the west : (The Lord
is His Name), therefore
exult-ye before Him. [They-
shall - be - troubled at His
presence,]
6. [Who is] a father of
the orphans, and defender
of the widows : [Such is]
God in His holy place.
7. God, who settles the
solitary-ones in a household ;
He-leads-forth the bound
mightily : Them also that
act-provokingly, who dwell
in tombs.
8. O God, when Thou-
wentest - forth before Thy
people : When Thou-didst-
march through the desert ;
9. The earth quaked, Yea,
the heavens dropped [rain]
at th^ presence of the God
of Sinai : At the presence of
the God of Israel.
10. Thou, O God, didst-
set-apart a gracious rain for
Thine inheritance : For it-
was weary, but THOU didst-
restore it {or, refresh it).
PSALM 67 (68).
249
1 1 . Thy flock dwelt there-
in : Thou, O God, didst-pro-
vide of Thy goodness for the
afflicted.
12. 'Adonay gave the
word : The women - pro-
claiming-good-tidings were
a great company.
13. Kings of armies, they-
flee, they-flee : And she-
that-tarries at-home divides
the spoil.
14. When ye - lie - down
among the folds, [ye shall
be] very dove wings, covered
with silver : And her pinions
with yellowness of gold.
15. When Shadday (i.e.,
the Almighty) scattered
kings therein, [It was as if]
it-snowed on Tsal'mon.
16. A mountain of God is
the range of Bashan : A
many-peaked range is the
range of Bashan.
17. Why look-ye-jealous-
ly, ye mountains, ye peaks?
That mountain God has-
desired for His abode :
Surely YaHWeH will-dwell
[there] for ever.
18. The chariots of God
are two myriads, thousands
upon thousands : Adonay is
among them, Sinai [itself] is
in the sanctuary.
1 1 . Thy flock dwelt there-
in : Thou, O God, of Thy
goodness didst-provide for
the poor.
12. The Lord will-give a
word to them-that-declare-
good-tidings in a great host.
13. The King of the hosts
of the beloved, of the be-
loved, [will grant] to the
beauty of the house, to
divide the spoils.
14. Even should-ye-lie-
down amid the lots, [ye shall
be] as the wings of a dove
covered - with - silver : And
her tail-feathers with sheen
of gold.
15. When the Heavenly-
One scatters kings upon it,
They - shall - become - snow-
white on Selmon :
16. The mountain of God
is a fertile mountain : A
swelling (lit, curdled) moun-
tain, a fertile mountain :
17. Why look-ye-envious-
ly at the swelling moun-
tains? [This is] the moun-
tain wherein God is-pleased
to dwell : Surely the Lord
will abide [there] for ever.
18. The chariots of God
are ten thousand - fold,
thousands of rejoicing-ones :
The Lord is among them, in
Sinai, in the sanctuary.
^
PSALM 67 (68).
ig. Thou-didst-go-up on
high, Thou - didst - take-
captive a captive - band ;
Thou - didst - receive gifts
among men : Yea, even
[among] the rebellious, that
Yah 'Elohim might-have-a-
dwelling-place.
20. Blessed be 'Adonay,
day by day He-bears-our-
burden ; God is our salva-
tion. Selah.
21. God is to us a God
of deliverances ; And to
YaHWell 'Adonay [belong]
means-of-escape from death.
22. But God shall-smite
the head of His enemies ;
The hairy scalp of-him-that-
continues - to - walk in his
trespasses.
23. 'Adonay has-said, I-
will-bring [them] back from
Bashan : I-will-bring [them]
back from the depths of the
sea :
24. That thou - mayest-
move thy foot in blood:
That the tongue of thy dogs
[may have] its portion from
the enemies.
25. They-have-seen Thy
processions, O God : The
holy processions of my God,
of my King.
26. The singers came-
first, next the players-on-
19. Thou-didst-go-up on
high, Thou-didst-take Thy
captives ; Thou-didst-receive
gifts among men : Yea, even
those that believed not that
the Lord God dwells [here].
20. Blessed be the Lord
daily ; The God of our
salvation shall-prosper us.
21. Our God is the God
of salvation ; And the Lord
God has means-of-escape
from death.
22. But God shall-crush
the heads of His enemies ;
The hairy crown of-such-as-
go-on in their trespasses.
23. The Lord said, I-will-
bring-again from Bashan :
I will bring [them] again
through the depths of the
sea ;
24. That thy foot may-
be-dipped in blood : That
the tongue of thy dogs [may
be reddened] with that of
the enemies.
25. They have seen Thy
processions, O God : The
processions of my God. of
my King, who dwells in the
sanctuary.
26. First-came the princes,
followed by players - on-
Psalm 67 (68).
251
stringed-instruments : In the
midst of damsels sounding-
timbrels.
27. In the congregations
bless-ye God : [Even] 'Ado-
nay, [ye that are] of the
fountain of Israel.
28. There is young
Bin'yamin, their ruler, The
princes of Y'hudhah [and]
their council : The princes
of Zebulun, the princes of
Naph'tali.
29. Thy God has - com-
manded thy strength ; Con-
firm, O God, that - which
Thou-hast-wrought for us.
30. Because of Thy
temple at Yerushalaim : To
Thee shall kings bring gifts.
31. Rebuke - Thou the
beast of the reed- jungle, the
troop of bulls together with
the calves of the peoples ;
Trampling on those - that-
have-pleasure in silver. He-
scatters the peoples that
delight in wars {or, Scatter-
Thou the peoples, &c).
32. Nobles shall-come out
of Mits'raim : Kush will
cause her hands to run to
God (i.e., shall haste to
stretch out her hands, &c).
33. Ye kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God : Sing-
praises to 'Adonay ; Selah.
instruments : In the midst of
damsels playing-on-timbrels.
27. Bless God the Lord
in the congregations : [Ye
that are] of the fountains of
Israel.
28. There is young Benja-
min in ecstasy. The princes
of Juda, their rulers : The
princes of Zabulon, the
princes of Nephthali.
29. Command, O God,
Thy might ; Strengthen, O
God, that which Thou hast
wrought in us (among us).
30. Because of Thy temple
at Jerusalem, shall kings
bring to Thee presents.
31. Rebuke - Thou the
wild-beasts of the reed-
jungle ; the troop of bulls
together with the heifers of
the peoples [combine ( ?)]
to-drive-out those who are-
proved with (like [ ?]) silver.
Scatter-Thou the nations-
that wish for wars.
32. Ambassadors shall-
come from Egypt : ^Ethi-
opia shall-haste [to stretch-
forth] her hands to God.
33. Ye kingdoms of the
earth, sing to God : O hymn
the Lord ; Sing-praises to
God,
252 PSALM 67 (68).
34. To Him - that - rides 34. Who mounts on the
upon the heaven of heavens heaven of heaven eastward :
of-old-time : Lo, He-utters Lo, He - utters a mighty
His voice, a voice of might sound with His voice.
(i.e., a mighty voice).
35. Ascribe-ye might to 35. Give-ye glory to God ;
God ; Over Israel is His Over Israel is His majesty :
majesty, and His might is in And His power is in the
the skies. clouds.
36. Terrible [art Thou], 36. God is wonderful in
O God, out of Thy holy- His holy-places ; The God
places : The God of Israel, of Israel, He will - give
'tis HE gives strength and strength and power to His
power to [His] people, people. Blessed be God!
Blessed be God !
By rationalistic criticism this Psalm is assigned to the prophetic,
or to the Machabaean, even to the post-Machabsean period (Reuss,
Ewald, Olshausen, among others). R. Qimchi refers it to the raising
of the siege of Jerusalem, beset by the hordes of Sennacherib.
But the tradition embodied in the Title is by far the most
probable. (1) After Jeroboam's secession, the northern tribes
("Zabulon, Nephthali ") would not have joined the two southern-
most (Judah and Benjamin) in a religious function. After the
Captivity, descendants of the northern tribes were merged into
Juda, but these tribes had long since ceased to exist as distinct
tribes. (2) The poet's retrospective glance stops short at the
inauguration of the national sanctuary on Sion. (3) The absence
of any mention of Babylon or of Assyria, is fatal to Qimchi's view.
The Psalm is obviously a processional, the paean of a victory
sung, while the Ark was being brought back from the field to
the centre of national worship. According to Tholuck and
Hengstenberg, David's victory over the Syrians and Ammonites
(2 Kings (Sam.) xi. xii.) is the theme of the song. Their view is
singularly appropriate, as it is certain from Urias' answer (2 Sam.
xi. 11), that the Ark was borne into the field on that occasion.
The Psalm falls into two main divisions, each consisting of four
strophes: (1) vv. 2 — 7. Praise of the Almighty, Terrible yet
psalm 6; (68). 253
Merciful. (2) vv. 8 — 11. The pilgrimage through the desert
under the guidance of a special Providence. (3) vv. 12 — 15.
The conquest of Canaan ascribed to God's interposition in His
people's behalf. (4) vv. 16 — 18. Mount Sion the chosen dwelling-
place of the God of Israel. In the second division : (1) w. 19 — 24.
The recent victory an earnest that God will crush the heathen
foes of the theocracy. (3) vv. 25 — 28. The triumphal procession
in thanksgiving for the victory. (3) vv. 29 — 32. A forecast of the
conversion of the leading nations of the world. (4) vv. 33 — 36.
Closing doxology.
v. 2. The chant Moses was wont to intone, when the Ark was
borne forward on the march (Num. x. 35). This suggests to the
poet a rapid retrospect at the prominent events of Israel's history
from the Exodus to the inauguration of the Davidic sanctuary.
In text, the verbs are in the Future, to be rendered as Optatives
in vv. 2 — 4. v. 5. "Cast ye up," &c, or, as Gesenius, "make a
level road by casting up an embankment ;" cf. Isai. xl. 3 ; lvii. 14 ;
lxii. 10; Mai. iii. i. But Rashi, Ezra, Qimchi, and Targum,
" Exalt ye Him that rides upon the heavens." Targum, " Who sits
on the throne of glory in the heavens." " Rides through the
deserts" (or, desert-steppes) agrees with St. Jerome, "ascendenti
per deserta." In this sense, it refers to the transit of the Ark
through the desert, or to the march of David's forces through the
desert of Moab to the hostile encampment at Medibah (1 Paral.
(Chron.) xix. 17). LXX. have referred "arabhoth (deserts) to
"Erebh (evening), which points to what the poet had in his mind,
viz., the march through the S. W. wilderness. It may also be an
allusion to the dark clouds, the pavilion of God (cf. Ps. xvii. (18)
I2> x3)- Qimchi, "Who rides on the highest heavens," cf. v. 33.
"Yah His Name;" in text, "in Yah is His Name," rendered
literally by St. Jerome, " in Domino nomen ejus," meaning " Yah
is His Name" — Yah, a contraction of YaHW^H, i.e., He who
revealed Himself to us as the Eternal, the Immutable. The
prefixed B' ( = In) is called by grammarians " the Beth essentia"
hence Targum, LXX., and Vulgate, " The Lord in His Name "
(cf. Isai. xxvi. 4). " They shall be troubled . . . presence," neither
in text, nor in St. Jerome. How or whence LXX. foisted it into
their version, none can tell, unless it be taken as an alternative
254 psalm 67 (68).
rendering of the foregoing clause, v. 6. "Advocate," "defender,"
" avenger," mighty and terrible though He be (cf. Ps. liii. (54) 3).
v. 7. "Solitary;" St. Jerome, " solitarios ; " LXX., /xovoTponovs,
monotrbpous (those living alone), by Vulgate rendered according
to its etymology, but it may be taken in the sense of the text.
Symmachus, /tovaxos, monachbs (single, solitary). Vulgate may
have had in view the contrast between the various myths and
superstitions of the heathen, and the union of Israel in one
orthodox faith. In text, the reference is to the deliverance of
Israel from bondage, and the solitary desert, and their settlement
in the Land of Promise. "Prisoners" alludes to Egyptian
bondage. " Into prosperity," so Syriac ; Symmachus, eis a7ro'A.ucriv,
eis apolysin (into release, deliverance) ; LXX. and St. Jerome with
Vulgate, "with strength," understood by some to mean "firmly
bound," by others of the manifestation of Divine power in their
deliverance. Aben Ezra, "with chains." As the word occurs here
only, these various renderings are mere guesses. "Refractory;"
St. Jerome, " increduli " (unbelievers). Only the rebellious
[Israelites doomed for unbelief to die in the desert,] dwelt [=had
to dwell] in aridity (=a land-of-drought). Thalhofer glosses the
LXX. thus : " [He releases from the tomb] even those who by
their continual provocation, had incurred the doom of death
[" who dwell in tombs "], if they but repent." v. 8 begins a more
direct allusion to past history. " Waste," on the borders of Moab
and the Amorites (Num. xxi. 21). v. 9. A poetical description
of the phenomena accompanying the Sinaitic Theophany, which
reproduces, almost word for word, vv. 4, 5 of the Song of Deborah
(Judges v.). " Dropped [water]," in the Song, verse 4. " The
heavens also dropped, Yea, the clouds dropped water" {Ibid.),
i.e., rain, the natural accompaniment of a violent thunderstorm.
" [Even] that Sinai [quaked] at the presence of YaHWVH, the God
of Israel" (Ibid, verse 5). Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; Hab. iii. Vulgate
might be conformed with the text, by inserting a comma between
Dei (of God), and Sinai, "At the presence of God, Sinai [quaked]
at the presence of the God of Israel," but LXX. have " of the
God of Sinai." Several old Latin Psalters read, "At the presence
of God, Mount Sinai at the presence of the God of Israel." The
poet here completes by tradition the account given Exod. xix.
psalm 6; (68). 255
16 — 19. "Sinai, Sina," a mountainous region in the Arabian
peninsula, between the two gulfs (Heroopolitan and ^lanitic) of
the Red Sea. Of its three main summits, the lower towards N.E,
is Horeb ( = Hebr. " dry "), from which towards the south is the
ascent to Sinai (= perhaps, "clayey," "miry"). Mount St. Catharine
towards S.W. is the third summit, v. 10. Lit., "a rain of liberali-
ties;" Gesenius, "an abundant, copious rain." "Didst send,"
///., "didst scatter," "shake forth," "sprinkle;" in text, taniph, a
sacrificial term for the waving to and fro of the parts of the
victim reserved for God, ere laying them on the altar-fire,
which may have suggested to LXX. d^opiets, aphorieis ; in
Vulgate, " Segregabis " (wilt set apart). The " rain " here alludes
to the manna, whereby the pilgrim-host was refreshed, when ex-
hausted by the hardships of the march (Exod. xvi. 4 ; Ps. lxxvii.
(78) 24). v. 11. "Thine animals," so LXX. and St. Jerome
render chayyatH kha of text ; " the congregation of Israel," accord-
ing to Rashi, here likened to a flock whose shepherd is God.
" Therein," i.e., in the desert, but some understand it of Chanaan.
v. 12. The poet now passes to the series of victories won by
Israel under Josue and the Judges. In his enthusiasm he brings
the memory of bygone glories into the present. " Gave (gives)
the word," utters the decree awarding to Israel these victories
(cf. Hab. iii. 9). LXX., by mistaking the gender {Fern, in text) of
these heralds of victory, have given occasion to several arbitrary
applications of this verse. From Exod. xv. 20, seq. ; Judges v.
12 ; 1 Kings (Sam.) xviii. 6, 7, we learn that the Hebrew women
were wont to celebrate their victories with paeans and dances.
St. Jerome, " Lord, Thou shalt give the word to the women-heralds
{annunciatricibus) of the greatest strength {fortitudinis plurimtz)."
Thalhofer's explanation : " Word," either the news of the victory,
or the paean wherewith to celebrate it. " Virtute multa " (//'/.,
" with much power " of Vulgate), renders Bwd/xei TroXXf/ (dyndtnei
pollee) of LXX. (in Dative), probably to be understood of the
heralds, "to a numerous host of them" (?), while the Vulgate
virtute multa is referred to the " Lord." vv. 13, 14. The paean of
the women. Mighty though they be, " they flee," leaving their
treasure to be divided by the women in the tents. St. Jerome,
"Kings of armies shall be leagued together'' {/cvderabuntur),
256 psalm 6; (68).
"shall be leagued together, and the beauty of the house shall
divide the spoils." Syriac, " Kings of armies shall gather together,
and the beauty of the house," &c. Symmachus, " The kings of
the soldiers " (a/, squadrons) " were loved, they were beloved, and
(t) 3ta<xa, hee diaita) the mistress of the house shall distribute the
spoils." Both he and LXX. read, instead of yid-do-dhun (they will
flee) of present text, yedhldhuth (beloved), easily confounded in
the original vovvelless text. " The king of the hosts of the beloved
[people] [will grant] to the beauty of the house," &c. The LXX.
rendering, "beauty of the house," is supported by the Targum's
and Buxtorf's version of Jerem. vi. 2, where navah of this verse
(urivath here) is rendered " beautiful ; " cf. " The women in the
tent" (Judges v. 24.) v. 14. The women cheer the warriors by
the prospect of rest and plenty in the enjoyment of rich spoils.
" Folds," " stalls," in text, shephattayhn ; by Aquila and LXX.
rendered "lots;" portions of inheritance in Gen. xlix. 14; Judges
v. 16. Targum, in the passages just indicated, "boundaries;"
St. Jerome, "terminos" (boundaries). The Rabbins favoured the
rendering "pots," "pot-stands." "Though (like the vilest camp-
followers) you have now to lie among the pots " (an image
expressive of filth and degradation) " by reason of the oppression
of the enemy, ye shall yet be," &c, so Qimchi. v. 15. The poet
either resumes in propria persona, and concludes his narrative of
the wonders of the Exodus-age, or this may be taken as a con-
tinuation of the paean, which, as some opine, is borrowed with
v. 14 from an old war-song celebrating the victories of the early
settlement in Chanaan. "Tsalmon," a lofty mountain near
Sichem (Judges ix. 48) ; the name means " shady," as it was
thickly wooded. Snow on Selmon would be more striking than
on the other mountains. This may mean, as R. D. Qimchi
glosses it, the prosperity accruing to Israel from the defeat of its
foes, or the bleaching bones of the slain in the fearful massacres
of the invading Israelites (cf. Num. xxi. passim), or the polished
armour of the slaughtered foe (cf. 2 Mach. vi. 39). vv. 16, 17.
Having rehearsed the bygone tokens of Divine predilection for
the chosen race, the poet now shows its continuance in the recent
choice God has made of Sion as the seat and source of the power
which has given David so many victories. " Mountain of God,"
psalm 6; (68). 257
i.e., a lofty mountain-range. " Bashan," the northern part of the
region beyond Jordan, bounded on N. by Mount Hermon
(whence "the mountain of Bashan" may mean Hermon); on
S. by the brook Jabboq and Mount Gilead ; extending eastward
to Salchah. No individual hill is called " Hill of Bashan," but a
great part of the district is mountainous, whence the name 'Argob
(a heap of stones) and Trachonitis. It was celebrated for its rich
pastures and abundance of cattle. "Many-peaked;" LXX., "a
mountain curdled like cheese," "a condensed," or "a swelling
mountain " (?), a secondary meaning of gabKnunnim (peaks,
summits) in text. v. 17. " Look jealously ; " Targum, "leap ye;"
Aquila and Theodotion, epi^ere, erizete (quarrel, strive ye) ; Rashi,
"plot to the injury of," &c. "Curdled {sic) mountains" {oprj
T€Tvp(Dfji€va, oree tetyromena) in LXX. is construed as Vocative, in
Vulgate it is Accusative, and may mean, " Why (ye carnal-minded)
look ye wistfully at mountains favoured indeed by nature, pre-
ferring them to Sion God has chosen for His abode?" v. 18.
"Thousands upon thousands," lit., "thousands of iteration," i.e.,
"many thousands," so Aben Ezra. Targum, "two thousand
angels are drawing them [the chariots];" LXX., "thousands of
abounding (or, vigorous)-ones," corresponding to St. Jerome,
"millia abundantium." "Thousands of rejoicing-ones" (Vulgate
and Rashi) make it probable that LXX. formerly had ehOv/jLovvTwv,
evthymounton { = rejoicing-ones) instead of their present €v6t]vovv-
tcov {evtheenounton). As the word in the text thus diversely ren-
dered occurs here only, these renderings are conjectural. "The
chariot of God " symbolizes His victorious might against the foes
of the theocracy. He that is enthroned on Sion is escorted by
two myriads of war-chariots, driven by thousands of angels, as we
may infer from the text. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; 4 (2) Kings ii. n,
vi. 17; Dan. vii. 10. "Lord is in them, Sinai itself is in the
sanctuary," He, who surrounded by " ten thousands of holy-ones "
revealed himself as Lawgiver to Israel," on Sinai, is now made
manifest on Sion, over the tables of the Law, in the Shekhmah, as
Lawgiver to His people; in a word, the glories of Sinai are now
transferred to Sion. "A Sinai is [Sion] in holiness." v. 19 is
quoted (Eph. iv. 8) in its higher Messianic import. His altera-
tion ("and ££7^ gifts") finds a precedent in Targum, "Thou hast
258 PSALM 67 (68).
given gifts to them, [viz.] to the sons of men." Further, ere He
receives, the Christ of God must give, since, to be enabled to give
to Him, we must receive of His regenerating Spirit, the indwelling
source of the new life of Faith and of love. Hence receivedst
implies a previous giving. " Rebellious ; " LXX., airei6ovvTt.<;,
apeithonntes (disobedient, unbelievers) = " insuper non credentes ad
inhabitandum Dominum Deum " of St. Jerome. Thalhofer takes
a7r£i0ovvT£s of LXX. as Nominative absolute, and proposes the
following : " Even the unbelievers, as regards the dwelling [are
among these gifts]." LXX. transfer " the Lord God " to v. 20.
If the accent represented by the colon ("among men:") be
disregarded, it will read, " Thou hast received gifts ; among men,
yea, even the rebellious, to dwell [among them], O Yah, 'Elohim."
v. 20. Gesenius (s.v.), " if one lay a burden upon us," "God is
our salvation." St. Jerome, " portabit nos " ( = will carry us), cf.
Isai. xlvi. 3. " Prosper our way " of Vulgate is an etymological
rendering of LXX. (Kcn-euoSwo-ei, katevodosei = He will prosper us),
v. 21. "From death," in text lam-maveth ( = to, for, as concerns
death), or, may be, at the hour of death. Symmachus, at eh
ddvarov efoSoi {hai eis thanaton exodoi), which agrees with Qimchi's
gloss, " to God belong several ways of inflicting death." vv. 23, 24.
The promised subjugation of the foes of the theocracy. Neither
the glens of Bashan on the East, nor the depths of the Western
sea (the Mediterranean), shall screen them from vengeance.
LXX., lv (3v6oi<; [ovtos] OaXdo-o-qs, en bythois \ontas\ thalassees
(though [the enemies be] in the depths of the sea). Vulgate,
" Into the depth " {in prof nudum), is taken by Thalhofer to mean,
" I will bring them back, [in order to hurl them] into the depths,"
&c. St. Jerome and Cassiodorus render "from the depths," &c.
v. 24/', rendered by Rosenmiiller, " Lingua canum tuorum ex
hostibus, ex unoquoque eorum [bibit] " (The tongue of thy dogs
[shall lap the blood flowing] from the enemies, from each one
of them). Minnehu (from it, from him) is here taken from men
{= portion), "its [i.e., "the tongue's," &c] portion." v. 25.
" They have seen," equivalent to French Von a vu, a Preterite
of confidence " in holiness " {baq-qddesh), Ir = Beth essentia, hence
- " holy," the religious procession, not the war-march, is here
described, v. 26. " Singers." LXX., " Princes," they reading
PSALM 67 (68). 259
sdritn ( = princes) instead of Sharim ; St. Jerome, " cantores."
v. 28. " Benjamin the youngest," their ruler, takes the lead,
because, according to the promise (Deut. xxxiii. 12), the sanctuary
was within its borders, and Saul, the first King was of that
tribe. " Ruling them " = their ruler. St. Jerome, " continens eos "
(controlling them). LXX. have taken it for one word meaning
(inter alia), " to fall down astounded." " Council," " leading
officials," " company " (which supposes Juda to be mentioned as
the most populous tribe), are but so many guesses; so too
St. Jerome's "in purpura eorum " (in their purple [robes]), the
word in text (rigfi1 tndthani) occurs here only. These four tribes
represent the whole nation, all, in fact, who are " of the fountain-
head of Israel," i.e., his descendants (cf. the like metaphor in
Isai. xlviii. 1). v. 29. "Commanded," the word occurs Ps. xc.
(91) n ("To His angels has He given charge" &c). "Thy God,
O Israel, will, as heretofore, take care that thy strength fail not."
" Confirm," or " uphold in strength." v. 30. " From," or
" because of." " From Thy temple " the offerings kings shall bring
to Thee, shall rise before Thee. v. 31. An insoluble puzzle, as is
shown by the several attempts to make sense of it. " Beasts,"
perhaps the hippopotamus, or the crocodile ; seemingly = Egypt.
" Bulls, calves," may be, rulers and people, or nations mighty,
and otherwise. The rendering given above is borrowed from
Jennings and Lowe. Gesenius (s.v. mitiirappes), " Prostrating
himself" (i.e., submissively offering for tribute) with fragments of
silver. St. Jerome, " Rebuke Thou the beast of the reed, the
gathering (congregatio, Nominative) of the strong (fortium) among
the calves of peoples who kick against (cakitrantium) silver wheels :
Scatter Thou," &c. How LXX. came by their rendering is
hard to say. Did they read me-hithpares (from, i.e., in order there
may be no scattering, freely rendered, " cutting off," " excluding "),
instead of mith'rappes of present text? Yoxbe ratstsey ("fragments,"
a word that occurs here only), LXX. may have read tseruphey
( = proved, tested, fire-tried). In the Old Itala, and in several
Fathers, the negative particle (non) is inserted before "excludant,'
(that they may not shut out). " Scatter Thou," " He scattered,''
(Preterite of confidence), are variations due to the difference of
the vowel-pointing. v. 32. ChasKmanmm (rendered "nobles,"
260 PSALM 68 (69).
" princes "), in LXX. " ambassadors " — guesses one and all, the
word occurs here only, its meaning is lost. St. Jerome, " Offerantur
velociter ex /Egypto, ^Ethiopia festinet dare manus suas Deo"
( = Let [sacrifices] from Egypt be speedily offered, let Ethiopia
hasten to give its hands to God). His rendering of the latter
hemistich is that of Symmachus. " Ethiopia shall quickly stretch
forth her hands [in prayer] (so Targum) to God." Or, "her
hands shall quickly bring offerings." vv. 33 — end. " Heaven of
heavens," the earliest created heaven, cf. Deut. x. 14. "Of old."
St. Jerome, "a principio" (from the beginning). "Eastward"
of LXX. and Vulgate, is another meaning of qedhem in text.
After the utter overthrow of the enemies of His people, He
ascends in triumph to the region of light. " His voice." Vulgate
//'/., " He gives to His voice a voice of power." St. Jerome has the
same. Several Latin Psalters and Fathers read vocem suam
instead of voci sua: ( = to His voice), in apposition to vocem
virtutis ( = a voice of might, a mighty voice) ; LXX. render the
text word for word, ev rrj 4»<dvt) avrov <f>wvr]v, en tee phonee avtou
phoneen dynd?neos (in [with] His voice, a mighty voice [sound]).
v. 36. "Terrible," awful by the manifestations of power proceeding
from (St. Jerome, de [from]) His sanctuary; in text, "Sanctuaries."
R. Qimchi explains this Plural as meaning the holy place with its
several parts and manifold characteristics. " Power ; " in text,
"powers," much power. Gesenius (s.v.), "bulwarks."
PSALM 68 (69). PSALM 68 (69).
1. For the Chief - Mu- 1. For the end, for those
sician, upon Shoshannim, to who shall-be-changed (i.e.,
David. for alternate strains [?]), of
David.
2. Save me, O God : For 2. Save me, O God ; For
the waters are-come-in unto the waters are-come-in even
[my J soul. unto my soul.
3. 1-sink in deep mire, 3. I-am stuck-fast in deep
and [find] no foothold : I- mire, where there is no
PSALM 68 (69).
261
am - come into depths of
waters (i.e., deep waters),
and the flood overflows me.
4. I-am-weary with my
shouting ; my throat is-
dried-up ; Mine eyes fail,
waiting (as I do) for my
God.
5. More than the hairs
of my head are they-that-
hate me without-cause ; My
would-be-destroyers, [being]
mine enemies without-
reason, are-mighty : Then
I-restored [that] which I-
took not away.
6. O God, Thou knowest
my folly : And my guilti-
nesses are not hidden from
Thee.
7. Let not them - that-
wait on Thee be-ashamed
through me, 'Adonay YaH-
W^H of hosts ; Let not
them - that - seek Thee be-
made-to-blush through me :
0 God of Israel.
8. For on Thy account
1 - have - borne reproach :
Confusion has-covered my
face.
9. I-am-become estranged
from my brothers : And an
alien to the sons of my
mother.
10. For the zeal of Thy
house has - eaten - me - up :
And the reproaches of them-
footing ; I-am-come into the
depths of the sea, and a
storm has-overwhelmed me.
4. I-am-weary with shout-
ing, my throat is-become
hoarse : Mine eyes fail,
while I-wait for my God.
5. More than the hairs of
my head are-they that hate
me without cause ; Mine
enemies who persecute me
wrongfully are powerful :
Then had-I-to-make-up for
that which I took not away.
6. O God, Thou knowest
my folly ; And my trans-
gressions are not hidden
from Thee.
7. Let not them that wait
on Thee, O Lord, Lord of
hosts, be-ashamed through
me ; Let not them that seek
Thee be-disgraced through-
me, O God of Israel.
8. For on Thy account
I - have - borne reproach :
Shame has-covered my face.
9. I -am become estranged
from my brothers •. And an
alien to my mother's
children.
10. For the zeal of Thy
house has - eaten - me - up :
And the reproaches of them-
262
PSALM 68 (69).
that - reproach Thee are-
fallen upon me.
11. And I-wept, [and] my
soul was in-the-fasting-state
(i.e., and I fasted) : And
that-was to my reproach (lit.,
fa subject] of reproaches).
12. And I-made sackcloth
my garment : And I-became
a by-word to them.
13. They-that-sit in the
gate speak about me : And
[so do] the songs of the
drinkers of strong-drink.
14. But as for me, my
prayer is to Thee, YaH-
We'H ! [In] an acceptable
time, O God, in the great-
ness of Thy loving-kind-
ness : Answer me in the
truth of Thy salvation.
15. Deliver me out of the
mud, and let me not sink :
May - I - be - delivered from
them-that-hate me, and out
of deep waters.
16. Let not the flood
of waters overwhelm me,
Neither let the deep swallow
me up ; Nor let the pit close
its mouth upon me.
17. Answer me, Y<?H-
W^H ; for Thy loving-
kindness is good : Accord-
ing to the greatness of Thy
compassions turn-Thou to
me ;
that - reproach Thee are-
fallen upon me.
11. And I-covered my
soul with fasting : And that
was made my reproach.
12. And I-put-on sack-
cloth for my clothing : And
I-became a by-word for
them.
13. They that sit in the
gate talk against me : And
they that drink wine sing
about me.
14. But as for me, [I put
up] my prayer to Thee, O
Lord ; It is an acceptable
time, O God. In the multi-
tude of Thy mercy hear me :
In the truth of Thy salva-
tion.
15. Deliver me out of the
mire, lest I-stick-fast [in it] :
Rescue me from them that
hate me, and out of deep
waters.
16. Let not the water-
flood overwhelm me, Neither
let the deep swallow me up.
Nor let the pit shut its
mouth upon me.
17. Hear me, O Lord, for
Thy mercy is gracious : Of
the greatness of Thy tender-
mercies look upon me.
PSALM 68 (69).
2O3
18. And hide not Thy
face from Thy servant : For
I-am in distress, Answer me
speedily.
19. Draw-nigh to my soul,
and redeem it : Because of
mine enemies, ransom me.
20. THOU knowest my re-
proach, and my shame, and
my confusion : Before Thee
are all mine adversaries.
21. Reproach has-broken
my heart, and I-am-sick-
unto-death : And-I-looked
for commiseration, but there
was none ; And for com-
forters, but I-found none.
22. Nay, as my food they-
gave me gall : And for my
thirst they-would-make-me-
drink vinegar.
23. Let their table before
them become a snare, And
when - they - are - in - peace,
a trap.
24. Let their eyes be-
darkened, that they-see not.
And make their loins con-
tinually to shake.
25. Pour-out Thine anger
upon them : And let the fury
of Thy wrath overtake them.
26. Let their habitation
be desolate : And in their
tents let no one dwell.
18. And turn not Thy
face from Thy servant : For
I-am-afHicted ; hear me
speedily.
19. Take-heed to my soul,
and deliver it. Because of
mine enemies, rescue me.
20. THOU knowest my re-
proach, my confusion, and
my shame :
21. Before Thee are all
that afflict me. My heart
has - awaited reproach and
misery : And I-waited-for
one who would-sympathize,
but there was no one : And
for a comforter, but I-found
none.
22. They - gave me also
gall for my food : And for
my thirst they-would-make-
me-drink vinegar.
23. Let their table berore
them become a snare : And
a requital, and a stumbling-
block. (Rom. xi. 9, 10.)
24. Let their eyes be-
darkened, that they - see
not : And bow-down their
back always.
25. Pour-out Thine anger
upon them : And let the
fury of Thy wrath seize
them.
26. Let their habitation
be desolate : And in their
tents let no one dwell.
264
PSALM 68 (69).
27. For they-persecute
[him] whom THOU hast-
smitten : And they-talk to
the grief of Thy wounded-
ones.
28. Add iniquity to their
iniquity ; And let them not
come into Thy justice.
29. Let-them-be-blotted-
out of the book of the
living : And not be-written
with the just.
30. But as for me, I am
poor and in pain : Thy
salvation, O God, shall-set
me up-on-high.
31. I-will-praise the Name
of God with song : And will-
magnify Him with thanks-
giving.
32. And it - shall - please
YaHW^H better than a
young ox horning and
dividing-the-hoof.
33. The meek have-seen
[it,] and are-glad ; They-
that-seek God — and may
your heart live !
34. For YaHWeH
hearkens to the needy : And
despises not His prisoners.
35. Let the heavens and
the earth praise Him : The
seas and every moving-thing
therein.
36. For God will-save
Tsiyyon, and rebuild the
cities of Yehudhah : And
27. For they - persecute
him whom THOU hast-
smitten : And they-add to
the pain of my wounds.
28. Add iniquity to their
iniquity : And let them not
come into Thy justice.
29. Let-them-be-blotted-
out of the book of the
living: And not be-enrolled
with the just.
30. Poor am I and sor-
rowing : Thy salvation, O
God, has-upheld me.
3 1 . I-will-praise the Name
of God with a song : And
will - magnify Him with
praise ;
32. And it-shall-please the
Lord better than a young
steer, horning and dividing
the hoofs.
33. Let the poor see and
rejoice : Seek-ye God and
your soul shall-live.
34. For the Lord has-
heard the poor : And de-
spises not His fettered-ones.
35. Let the heavens and
the earth praise Him : The
sea and every creeping-thing
therein.
36. For God will-save
Sion, and the cities of Juda
shall-be-rebuilt : And [men]
PSALM 68 (69). 265
[men] shall-dwell there and shall-dwell there, and inherit
have-it-in-possession. it.
37. The seed also of His 37. The seed also of His
servants shall - inherit it ; servants shall-possess it :
And they - that - love His And they that love His
Name shall-dwell therein. Name shall-dwell therein.
The several reasons alleged for assigning this Psalm to
Jeremias (.cf. Jer. xv. 15 — 18 with the Psalmist's complaint of his
persecutors; Jer. xi. 19, 21, with v. 10, "The zeal" &c. ; Jer.
xxxviii. 6, with vv. 3, 15 ; vv. 35 — 37 read like a summary of
Jer. xxx. — xxxiii.), are worthy of notice, yet not so cogent as to
deprive of all probability the ascription "To David." The view
which assigns it to the period of Saul's persecution is not borne
out by the contents of the Psalm (cf. v. 9 with 1 Kings (Sam.)
xxii. 1 — 3) : not to mention other exceptions. The Psalm was
probably composed for public worship, and the theme chosen by
David is the struggle of persecuted virtue with its adversaries, in
order, it may well be, to indite a supplication for the sufferers for
justice' sake. The Psalm is usually regarded as Messianic, and,
indeed, no part of the Old Testament, if we except Ps. xxi. (22),
is more frequently quoted in the New. St. John ii. 17 cites v. 10 ;
at xv. 25, v. 5 (more likely than Ps. xxxiv. (35) 19) ; Rom. xv. 3,
"the reproaches of them," &c, from v. 10; St. Matt, xxvii. 27 — 30
is foreshadowed in v. 13; v. 22 finds its counterpart in St. Matt.
xxvii. 34, and is alluded to in St. John xix. 28 ; in Acts i. 20, v. 26
is quoted as fulfilled in the fate of Judas; Rom. xi. 9, 10 describe
the rejection of Israel by vv. 23, 24 of this Psalm. Theodore of
Mopsuestia was condemned by the Fifth (Ecumenical Council for
maintaining that these quotations were but mere accommodations
of a historical Psalm. This, however, must not be taken to imply
that it is directly and exclusively Messianic. It may well be that
David, while describing the persecution of the just in figurative
language, was led (unwittingly perhaps), by the Spirit, to describe
indignities whereof literal instances are recorded in the closing
scenes of the Redeemer's mortal life. vv. 33 — 37 may be a
liturgical addition to the Psalm, at the return from the Captivity,
as is not improbably the case with vv. 20, 21 of Ps. I. (51).
200 PSALM 08 (69).
v. 2. " Waters," " mire," frequently indicate deadly peril, or
calamity, v. 5. Referred to in St. John xv. 24, 25. " Mighty,"
or "numerous," "are in great force;" cf. "a regiment so many
strong." "Then" is both temporal and logical. "Restore," &c,
probably a proverbial saying meaning undeserved punishment ;
cf. Jer. xv. 10. vv. 7, 8. The just will be disheartened at the
sight of virtue persecuted, and, to all seeming, forsaken by God.
v. 9. During Saul's persecution no such estrangement fell to
David's lot. v. 10. " Of Thy house " = for Thy worship, objective
Genitive (cf. Jer. xx. 8, 9; Ps. cxviii. (119) 139). v. 11.
" Covered ;" LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) have " I bowed down my soul,"
&c. = " humiliavi " of Mozarabic Breviary ; several Greek Codd.,
however, have " I covered " (avveKaXv^/a, synekdlypsa) ; cf. Ps.
xxxiv. (35) 13. v. 12. "Sackcloth" (saq in text), the garb of
penance and of mourning, v. 13. "In the gate," not, as the
Targum glosses it, " the judges," but they that gather together in
the accustomed place of public concourse. " I am the butt of
the coarse jokes of every boisterous company of roysterers."
v. 14. " Acceptable time," ///., "a time of good-pleasure." " Truth,"
God's faithfulness to His promises of deliverance, v. 15. " Urgeat "
of Vulgate is a lively image of a violent rush of waters closing
suddenly over the head. v. 19. "Because of . . . enemies," "lest
they say, I have prevailed against him," Ps. xii. (13) 5 ; Ps. v. 9.
v. 21. " Expected," " looked for," hemmed in as I am by inveterate
foes. LXX. read with Syriac s&bh'rdh (she awaited), instead of
shablirah (she has broken) of present text (Sin — s, instead of
Shin = sh). " Sick-unto-death," " sore sick," mentally rather than
bodily. St. Jerome, " Et desperatus sum " ( - hopeless, beyond hope
of remedy). LXX. take it for a noun, whence " misery." Targum,
" Reproach has-broken my heart, and lo, it is vehement ! " v. 22.
" Gall," in text rosh, an infusion of some exceeding bitter plant,
perhaps, an extract or infusion of poppies (?) ; cf. St. Matt, xxvii.
34. "Wine" (the sour wine = " vinegar " of text) "mingled with
gall:" St. Mark xv. 23 mentions "wine mingled with myrrh."
St. Mark xv. 36, St. John xix. 28 — 30 may be taken as a second
fulfilment. Cf. Jer. viii. 14; Lam. iii. 15, 16; Ps. ci. (102) 10.
In the Psalm this may be a figurative expression for adding
bitterness to the grief of the persecuted saint, v. 23. " Table "
PSALM 68 (69). 267
stands for the divers means of sensual gratification. " May these
become a snare to entrap them," a "stumbling-block" ("a trap"
in text), in requital for their cruelty. Instead of iflisKldrrAm
("and to [them] at ease, in peace, security," i.e., "When they are
in peace [let it become] a trap"), LXX. have read the unpointed
text u-leshilliimhn (for requitals), so quoted Rom. xi. 9. LXX.
and Masorets had the self-same letters ; the divergent meanings
are due to the different pointing of the letters, or, to speak more
accurately, to the diversity of the traditional readings of the
text. St. Jerome agrees herein with LXX. and Vulgate, v. 24.
St. Jerome and Syriac are here at one with LXX. and Vulgate.
In text " loins," the tremor of loins expresses terror, weakness ;
cf. Nahum ii. 10; Dan. v. 6. v. 26. "Habitation," in text tirah,
primarily the circular encampment, or movable village, of the
nomad Arabs. The utter extinction of the race is meant (Acts i.
20 ; Luke xiii. 35). v. 27. "They talk" may mean, their favourite
topic is the pain they have been allowed to inflict ; or, with
St. Jerome, Ibn Ezra, Qimchi, " they take delight in talking about
my affliction, in order that they may render it more poignant."
St. Jerome, " Et ut affligerent vulneratos tuos narrabant " (they
describe ways and means of aggravating the sorrows of those
Thou hast wounded). LXX. read yas'phii (they added), for
y' sapper u of present text ("they told," "talked," "counted"); in
both, the letters are the same, the difference is in the pointing,
v. 28. Lit., "Give iniquity upon their iniquity." By "iniquity"
some understand "punishment," reatas poena, not reaius culpa:.
v. 29. Sepher chayyim ( = the Book of life [///., "of lives"], or
"of the living [in this world]);" cf. Exod. xxxii. 32 ; Isai. iv. 3 ;
Persian euphemism for homicide, "to make the tablet of existence
clear of his name." v. 30. " Set on high," put out of the reach
of harm. St. Jerome, with LXX. and Vulgate, " suscepit me."
v. 32. "A young ox," in text shor par; s/wr, a generic word,
without distinction of age or sex; par, determines both, "a young
bull." " Horning " shows its age, over one year, for, as Qimchi
says, under one year the beast was not a legal victim. A Jewish
tradition asserts the same, when the third year was passed.
"Cleaving hoofs" shows that it was a "clean beast" (cf. Levit.
xi.), fit for sacrifice, v. 32. "Seekers of," in text dor's hey ( = they
268 PSALM 69 (70).
that seek) ; LXX. read d-rsM (seek-ye) ; St. Jerome, " ye that
seek." The Psalm falls into three divisions. (1) vv. 2 — 22.
Description of persecution suffered on account of zeal for
God's worship. (2) vv. 23 — 29. Execration of the persecutors.
(3) vv- 3° — 37- Confident and grateful assurance of God's inter-
position. The imprecations (vv. 23 — 29) can scandalize those
only who are unable to place themselves with the Psalmist at the
standpoint of Divine retribution, and to sympathize with Its zeal
for the maintenance and vindication of the moral order. The
curse God cannot but fulminate and execute, we too may
utter, not indeed under the smart of personal wrong, but of our
zeal for God's honour. These, and similar passages (cf. Ps.
cviii. (109), are inspired, not by personal feeling, but by religious
motives. Faith in God, in His law and authority as just Judge,
seem to be imperilled by triumphant oppression ; zeal for justice,
even for that He executes by inflicting deserved punishment,
inspire these denunciations. It may be fully allowed that the
spirit here manifested is that of an elder and less perfect Covenant,
that it savours of unregenerate nature, as yet not kindled into
perfect love by the Spirit of God (cf. St. Luke ix. 55, 56). But
this love is no milk-and-water sentiment (cf. St. Matt, xxiii. 13 — 39 ;
Acts viii. 20; 2 Tim. iv. 14), nor is it incompatible with the
yearning for the triumph of God's justice, for the punishment of
the obdurate foes of His Name and Kingdom. Not that even
thus the desire for the conversion of the wrong-doers is excluded,
as, were they converted, they would cease forthwith their persecu-
tion of helpless innocence.
PSALM 69 (70). PSALM 69 (70).
1. For the Chief-Mu- i. For the end, [a Psalm]
sician ; to David, to-call-to- of David to - bring - to - re-
remembrance, membrance that the Lord
had-delivered him.
2. 'Elohim, I make haslc| 2. O God, exert-Thee for
to deliver me : Y^HW^H, to mine aid : Lord, make-haste
my help make-haste. to help me.
PSALM 69 (70).
269
3. Ashamed and con-
founded-be-they that-seek-
after my soul ; Let-them-be-
turned backward and put-to-
confusion : That-delight in
my hurt (i.e., wish me evil).
4. Let - them - be - turned
back on account of the
reward [tending] to their
shame : Who say, " Heach,
Heach."
5. Let all that-seek Thee
rejoice and be-glad in Thee ;
And let such-as-love Thy
salvation say continually,
" Magnified-be 'Elohim."
6. But I am poor and
needy ; 'Elohim, make-haste
to me ; My help and de-
liverer art THOU : Yali-
WeH, delay not
3. Let - them - be - con-
founded and ashamed, That
seek my life ;
4. Let - them - be - turned
backward and put - to-
shame : That wish me evil :
Let them forthwith be-
turned back with confusion,
That say to me, " Well,
Well."
5. Let all that seek Thee
exult and be-glad in Thee ;
And let such as love Thy
salvation say continually,
" The Lord be-magnified."
6. But I am needy and
poor ; God, help-Thou me ;
My helper and deliverer art
Thou : Lord, delay not.
With but few slight changes in the wording, this Psalm is an
d7ro(T7rao-/ia {apospasma), or detached fragment of Psalm xxxix.
(40) 14 — 18, detached probably for public worship; whether by
David (" To David "), or by another, is uncertain. " To call to
remembrance," Rashi takes to mean, "for supplication," alleging
Ps. xix. (20) 8, where he renders this word (naz'kir) as- Vulgate,
" invocabimus " (we will call upon). He further quotes 1 Par.
(Chron.) xvi. 4, as an additional proof. Targum on Amos vi. 10,
renders this word, " to pray." The addition to Title in Cod.
Vatican, of LXX. (es to cruxrai /xe Kvpiov, es tb sosai me Kyrion
= " that the Lord may save me "), was wanting in several Greek
MSS. in the days of St. Basil and of Theodoret. The clause
may have been transferred from v. 2 to the Title.
v. 2. St. Jerome, " Deus, ut liberes me" (God, that Thou
270
PSALM 70 (71).
mayest deliver me [hasten]). " Be-pleased " (of Ps. xxxix. (40)
14) is omitted ; 'Elohim ( - God) instead of YHWH. " To help
me," ///., "to my help." v. 3. "Confounded," or "put to the
blush;" "Together" (of xxxix. 15) is here omitted. "My soul"
in the former Psalm is followed by " to destroy it." v. 4. " Be-
turned-back" (in xxxix. 16), "Let them be made desolate, stupe-
fied, struck dumb [with amazement]." " Reward," //'/., upon the
heel of their shame, by LXX. rendered "immediately." "Heach;"
St. Jerome, " Vah ! Vah ! " — implying rebuke, reproach, malignant
joy. v. 5. In the former, "YHWH be magnified." v. 6.
" Hasten to me " (in xxxix. 18), " May 'Adonay ( = the Lord) think
of me." Ibid., 'Elohay (my God), but here, "YHWH."
PSALM 70 (71).
1. In Thee, YaHWeH,
do-I-take-refuge : Let me
never be-ashamed.
2. In Thy justice deliver
me, and cause-me-to-escape :
Bow-down Thine ear to me,
and save me.
3. Be to me a strong rock,
whereunto I may continually
resort ; Thou - hast - given-
commandment to save me :
For my Rock and my
fortress art THOU.
4. My God, rescue me
from the hand of the
wicked ; From the palm (i.e.,
grasp) of the evil-doer and
the violent-man.
5. For THOU art my
PSALM 70 (71).
1. A Psalm of David, of
the sons of Jonadab, and of
those who were first led
captive. In Thee, O Lord,
do-I-trust : Let me never be-
put-to-shame.
2. In Thy justice deliver
me, and rescue me : Incline
Thine ear to me, and save
me.
3. Be to me a protecting
God, and a stronghold, to
save me : For my stay and
my refuge art Thou.
4. Rescue me, my God,
from the hand of the sinner :
And from the hand of the
lawless and unjust-man ;
5. For THOU art He for
psalm 70 (71).
271
hope; 'Adonay Y^HW^H,
my trust from' my youth.
6. Upon Thee have-I-
been-stayed from the womb ;
THOU art He-that-took-me-
out of the bowels of my
mother : Of Thee [shall be]
my praise continually.
7. I-am as a wonder to
many : But THOU art my
strong refuge.
8. My mouth shall-be-
filled with Thy praise : All
the day long with Thy
glory.
9. Cast me not off in the
time of old-age : At the
failing of my strength for-
sake me not.
10. For mine enemies
speak about me : And they-
that-watch for my soul take-
counsel together ;
1 1 . Saying, God has-for-
saken him : Pursue, and
seize him, for there is none
to deliver.
12. O God, go -not -far
from me : My God, hasten
to my help !
1 3. Let-them-be-ashamed,
let-them-be-consumed that
are adversaries to my soul ;
Let-them-be-covered with
reproach and confusion :
That-seek my hurt.
whom I wait, O Lord :
Lord, my hope from my
youth.
6. Upon Thee have-I-
been stayed from the
womb ; From the belly of
my mother THOU art my
protector : Thou shalt ever
be the theme of my song-
of-praise.
7. I-am, as it were, a
wonder to many : But THOU
art a strong helper.
8. Let my mouth be-
filled with praise : [That I
may hymn Thy glory] : Thy
majesty all the day.
9. Cast me not off at the
time of old-age : When my
strength fails, forsake me
not.
10. For mine enemies say
to me : And they that watch
for my soul take counsel
together ;
11. Saying, God has-for-
saken him ; Pursue and seize
him, for there is none to
rescue.
12. O God, go-not-far
from me : My God, give-
heed to my help !
13. Let - them - be - con-
founded and utterly - fail
that-slander my soul ; Let-
them-be-covered with con-
fusion and shame : That
seek my hurt.
272
psalm ;o (71).
14. But as for me, I-will-
hope continually : And will-
praise Thee more and more.
1 5. My mouth shall-pro-
claim Thy justice, Thy sal-
vation all the day : Though
I-know not the numbers
[thereof].
16. I-will-come with the
mighty - deeds of 'Adonay
YaBWeU : I - will - make-
mention of Thy justice, O
Thou-who-alone-art.
17. O God, Thou-hast-
taught me from my youth :
And up to this-present-time
I - continue - to - declare Thy
wondrous-works,
18. Yea, also unto old-
age and grey-hairs, O God,
forsake me not ; Until I-
have-declared Thine arm to
a [whole] generation : Thy
might to every one [that] is-
to-come,
19. Thy justice, O God,
also [reaches] to the height ;
Thou Who hast-done great-
things : O God, who is like
unto Thee!
20. Who hast-shown me
distresses many and sore,
Thou - shalt - quicken me
again : And shalt-bring me
up again from the depths of
the earth.
21. Increase - Thou my
14. But I will ever hope:
And will praise Thee more
and more.
15. My mouth shall-pro-
claim Thy justice, Thy sal-
vation, all the day. Because
I-know not how to write a
book,
16. I - will - go - into the
mighty-deeds of the Lord :
Lord, I-will-make-mention
of Thy justice, of Thine
alone.
17. O God, Thou - hast-
taught me from my youth :
And until now I-continue-
to-declare Thy wondrous-
works,
18. Yea, even unto old-
age, and senile-decay ; O
God, forsake me not; Until
I-shall-have-declared Thy
strength (lit., arm), Thy
might to every generation
that is to come,
19. Thy justice also
[reaching] to the highest
[heavens], the great-things
Thou-hast-done : O God,
who is like unto Thee !
20. What afflictions many
and sore hast-Thou-shown
to me ! Yet hast - Thou-
quickened me again : And
hast-brought-me-back again
from the depths of the
earth ;
2 1 . Thou - didst - increase
psalm ;o (71). 273
greatness, And comfort me Thy grandeur, And didst-
anew. comfort me again.
22. I-will also give-thanks 22. I-will also therefore
to Thee with a psaltery, give - thanks to Thee on
Thy truth, O my God ; will- instruments of psalmody,
I - hymn to Thee on the [because of] Thy truth ; I-
harp : O Holy-One of Israel, will-sing-psalms to Thee on
the harp : O Holy-One of
Israel.
23. My lips shall-greatly- 23. My lips shall-exult,
rejoice, when I -sing-praises when I-sing to Thee : And
to Thee : And my soul, my soul, which Thou-hast-
which Thou-hast-redeemed. redeemed.
24. My tongue also shall- 24. Further, my tongue
celebrate Thy justice all the also shall - celebrate Thy
day long: For that they- justice all the day long,
have-been-ashamed, for that When they-shall-be ashamed
they-have-been-brought - to- and put-to-the-blush that
confusion that-seek my hurt, seek my hurt
The foregoing Psalm is "an orphan Psalm," being without
title in the original text. As it follows a Psalm inscribed "to
David," Ibn Ezra assigns it to the Prophet-King; so too the
Syriac version. If this were more than arbitrary conjecture, v. 18
would point to the time of Absalom's rebellion. The curiously
composite title, to be found only in LXX. and Vulgate, is self-
contradictory. It can mean only that it was a favourite prayer
with "the sons of Jonadab," and with the earlier exiles. The
sons of Jonadab, the son of Rechab (whence " Rechabites ") are
mentioned, 4 (2) Kings x. 15, 23 ; 1 Chron. ii. 55 ; and Jer. xxxv.
It is possible that when forced by the hosts of Nabuchodonosor
to abandon their nomad life, and to take shelter in Jerusalem —
which, for them, must have been a foretaste of the captivity — they
may have recited this Psalm as a prayer for national deliverance.
The Psalm is attributed to Jeremias, for reasons which, though
plausible, are not convincing. For the most part the Psalm is a
cento from Pss. xxi. (22); xxx. (31); xxxix. (40). The sudden
and frequent transitions from supplication to complaint, from
S
274 psalm ;o (71).
complaint to the denunciation of his persecutors, followed by
praise and renewed supplication, render the tracing of a definite
plan very difficult.
vv. 1 — 3 vary but slightly from the opening verses of Psalm
xxx. (31). "A strong rock," or "a rock of habitation;"
St. Jerome, " Robustum habitaculum," a strong habitation.
LXX., as is their wont, give the meaning of this figurative ex-
pression, " A protecting God." " Locum munitum " ( = a fortified
place, a stronghold) is either an alternative rendering of " Rock,"
or LXX., most probably, read (had in their text [?]) the self-same
words (differing but slightly from the clause under consideration),
as in Ps. xxx. (31) 3. St. Jerome, "Ut ingrediar jugiter" ( = that
I may continually enter), a safe and ever-ready refuge, v. 5.
"Hope;" LXX., "patience;" St. Jerome, "expectatio ;" i.e., the
ground and object of my trust and patient endurance, v. 6.
"Stayed," in Ps. xxi. (22) n, "I have been cast," "took me
out of," "drew me out of" (in text, ghozi, which occurs here only),
hence various renderings. Gesenius, " From my mother's womb
Thou hast conferred favours upon me." Delitzsch, " the cutter-
out of," " extractor from," denoting the separation of the foetus
from the womb in the present context. St. Jerome, with Vulgate,
" protector " = (r/ce7racrT^5 (skepastees) of LXX., probably a scribe's
blunder for €/co-7racrT7/s (ekspastees) ; in Ps. xxi. 10 they render
6 eKo-7rao-as /u.e, ho ekspasas me ( = " who didst draw me out of").
Others render it, " My benefactor," " One who dispenses, provides
for me." v. 10. Lit., "For mine enemies say to me," "speak
about me," "against me;" or, "mine enemies to me," as the
words stand in text, may be equivalent to " mine enemies," as
in Ps. xxvi. (27) 2. v. 13. "Adversaries," in text sdt'ney,
" satam'zing-ones," whence " Satan " (opponent, hinderer, adver-
sary, foe). " Slanderers " (LXX. and Vulgate) may possibly be a
fit rendering of the text (sot'nty). v. 14/;. Lit., in text, "And
I will add upon ( = to) all Thy praise." v. 15. In text, "For I
know not sephoroth" rendered " numbers," a guess, as the word
occurs nowhere else. Vulgate connects this clause with v. 16.
In most copies of LXX. it is rendered ypa/z/iaTcias {grammateias),
rendered in Vulgate " literaturam," by St. Jerome literaturas
( = learning, the arts of composition) ; Cod. Vatican, of LXX. lias
PSALM 71 (72). 275
7r/Day/AaT€ta?, pragmateias (meaning, inter alia, " a written treatise,"
"a systematic history," as distinct from a bald chronicle), but by
St. Augustine, Cassiodorus, and in several old Latin Psalters,
rendered " negotiationes " (business, trading transactions). Some
light may be gained from the parallel expression in Ps. xxxix. (40) 6
("They are more than I can tell"); cf. also Ps. cxxxviii. (139) 18
(" Should I count [them], they are more numerous than the
sand "). It seems to mean, " Incapable as I am of penning an
account of Thy gracious dealings, I will at least rehearse them in
a hymn of praise." v. 16. " I-will-come with," &c, "I will bring
forward the mighty deeds," &c. LXX., " I will go-in in the
might (ev Suracrreia, en dynasteia) of the Lord," glossed by Thal-
hofer, " I will enter the fore-court of the Temple in Thy might,
as borne up and delivered thereby;" or, "with Thy might, Thy
wondrous deeds to tell thereof, to celebrate them." St. Jerome,
"Ingrediar in fortitudine Domini Dei" (I will go in with the
might of the Lord God), which, seemingly, agrees with Qimchi's
"When I go forth to battle, I will rely on nought but His might."
" Alone," in LXX. aov povov (sou monou), of Thee (Thine only),
refers to "God," not to "justice." v. 18. "Generation," cf. Ps.
xxi. (22) 32. v. 20. "Shown," "made me see " = experience.
" Depths," i.e., " Sheol," the grave, a common expression for over-
whelming misery. Preterites here are Preterites of confidence,
"Thou wilt surely," &c. v. 22. "Psaltery" in text, pleonastically,
the instrument of a nebhel (kTi nebhel). " Harp," khinnor. For
nebhel, see Josephus, Antiq. Bk. 7.
PSALM 71 (72). PSALM 71 (72).
1. For Shelomoh, O God, 1. A Psalm, concerning
give Thy judgments to the Solomon.
king : And Thy justice to
the king's son.
2. May - he - judge Thy 2. O God, give Thy judg-
people with justice : And ment to the king : And
Thine afflicted - ones with Thy justice to the king's
judgment. son ; To-judge Thy people
with justice : And Thy poor
with judgment.
2;6
PSALM 71 (72).
3. May the mountains
bring-forth peace to the
people : And the hills, by-
justice.
4. May - he - judge the
afflicted of the people, Save
the sons of the needy : And
crush the oppressor.
5. [So that] men-may-fear
Thee with the sun : And
before the moon, to endless
generations.
6. May - he - come - down
as rain upon the raown-
meadow : As showers, a
watering of the earth.
7. In his days may the
just - man flourish : And
abundance of peace, till
there be no moon.
8. May-he-have-dominion
from sea to sea : From the
river to the ends of the
earth.
g. Before him may the
Nomads bow : And may
his enemies lick the dust.
10. The kings of Thar-
'shish and the isles shall-
render-tribute : The kings
of Shebha. and of Sebha
shall offer a present.
11. Yea, all kings shall-
fall-down before him : All
nations shall-serve him.
12. For he-shall-deliver
3. May the mountains
bring peace to the people :
And the hills justice!
4. He - shall - judge the
poor of the people, And save
the sons of the poor : And
bring-low the calumniator.
5. And he-shall-continue
as long as the sun : And
before the moon, to endless
generations.
6. He-shall-come-down as
rain on the fleece : And as
rain-drops dropping on the
land.
7. In his days justice
shall - spring - up ; And
abundance of peace, Till the
moon be-removed.
8. He - shall - have - do-
minion also from sea to sea :
From the river to the ends
of the earth.
9. The Ethiopians shall-
fall-down before him : And
his enemies shall-lick the
dust.
10. The kings of Tharsis,
and the islands shall-offer
presents : The kings of the
Arabians and of Saba shall-
bring gifts.
1 1 . Yea, all the kings [of
the earth] shall - worship
him : All nations shall-serve
him.
1 2. For he - shall - deliver
PSALM 71 (72).
277
the needy who cries : And
the afflicted, who has no
helper.
13. He - shall - spare the
weak and the needy : And
the souls of the needy he-
shall-save (or, deliver).
14. He-shall-redeem their
life from . fraud and from
violence : And precious shall
their blood be in his eyes.
15. May - he - live ! And
may-it-be given to him of
the gold of Shebha ; And
may - men - pray continually
for him : All day long may-
men-bless him.
16. May-there-be abund-
ance of corn in the land
[even] on the top of the
mountains ; the fruit where-
of shall-wave like Lebha-
non : And may-men-sprout-
out of the city like the
herbage of the earth.
17. Let His Name be for
ever! Before the sun let
His Name be-propagated ;
And may-men-bless-them-
selves in Him 1 May all
nations deem-Him-blessed.
18. Blessed be YaHWeH
God, the God of Israel :
Who alone does wondrous-
things :
19. And blessed be His
the poor from the mighty-
oppressor : And the needy
who has no helper.
13. He - shall - spare the
poor and the needy one :
And the souls of the poor
he-shall-save.
14. He-shall-ransom their
life from usury and from
wrong : And their name
[shall be] honourable before
him (or, precious before,
&c).
15. And he-shall-live, and
there-shall-be-given to him
of the gold of Arabia ; And
they - shall - pray for him
always : All day long shall-
they-bless him.
16. There - shall - be the
prop [of life] in the land
[even] on the tops of the
mountains ; The fruit there-
of shall-overtop Libanus :
And they [-men] shall-
flourish out of the city like
the grass of the earth.
17. Blessed-be His Name
for ever! His Name en-
dures longer than the sun ;
All the tribes of the earth
shall-be-blessed in Him : All
nations shall-magnify Him.
18. Blessed-be the Lord,
the God of Israel ; Who
alone does wondrous-things :
1.9. And blessed-be the
278 psalm y\ (72).
glorious Name for ever : Name of His Majesty for
And let the whole earth be- ever : The whole earth shall-
filled with His glory. 'Amen be-filled with His glory. So-
and 'Amen. be-it, So-be-it.
20. Ended-are the prayers 20. The hymns of David
of David, the son of Yishay. the son of Jesse are-ended.
Two Psalms only bear the name of Solomon, this, and Ps.
cxxvi. (127). The analogy of the other titles points to the con-
clusion that the ascription (li SKlomoh = " to Solomon ") indicates
the author of this Psalm, even as V David is taken as an indication
of authorship, save in cases where there are reasons for doubting.
By tradition, or by conjecture, LXX. have been led to regard
Solomon as the subject rather than the author. Several Greek
MSS., the Peshitta Syriac, and, among other Rabbinical com-
mentators, Qimchi, assign it to David. Of far greater moment is
the question, whether and to what extent is the Psalm Messianic.
Targum paraphrases as follows (v. 1) : "O God, give the course
of Thy judgments to the King Messiah, and Thy justice to the
Son of King David." The Midrash Tehillim ( = Commentary
on the Psalms) says of the king mentioned in v. 1 : " This is the
King Messiah, for it is said, ' And a stem shall go forth from the
root of Jesse.'" Saadia, on Dan. vii. 13, expresses the same
opinion. Not to mention the Fathers, and the mind of Holy
Church, an overwhelming majority of the Rabbins deem this
Psalm directly Messianic. The view that it is but typically or
indirectly Messianic implies that the unknown poet, dazzled by the
glories of Solomon's early reign, beheld in him the Messiah, and
awaited from him the fulfilment of the Messianic promises. But
if, with the authorities just mentioned, the Psalm be accounted
directly Messianic, the author pictures the Messiah and His
Kingdom by traits borrowed from the glories of Solomon, deeming
them an adequate type of the Messianic rule. The Psalm has no
strophic divisions. The main transitions of thought and aspiration
are at vv. 7, 8 ; 11,12; 15,16.
v. 1. "Judgment," in text mislipdt'im (judgments), denotes
the several decisions the king will have to pronounce. "Justice,"
the inward motive. Cf. 3 (1) Kings iii. 9, 28; x. 9. "King's
PSALM 71 (72). 279
son," i.e., by right of birth, of royal ancestry ; a title of the Christ,
as descendant and heir of David. The Futures in vv. 2 — 9 were
better rendered as Optatives ; the Psalm is a prayer, as well as a
prophecy, v. 3. "Mountains," "hills," i.e., the whole country, of
which (in Palestine especially) they are the characteristic features
(cf. Ezech. vi. 2; xix. 9; Joel iii. 18). "May the mountains
bring forth," produce, yield. " Justice ; " so too St. Jerome ; but
in text, LXX. {Cod. Vatican.), "in justice," "by means of," "on
account of;" cf. Isai. xxxii. 17. v. 4. "Sons of the poor,"
i.e., the poor. " Oppressor," rendered by LXX. " sycophant ; "
St. Jerome and Vulgate, "calumniator," i.e., one who, by fraudu-
lent claims, or false charges, wrests the law to his own profit, ruins
the simple and helpless by chicanery. This is the meaning of the
Latin word. In text, the oppression of the weak by fraud, or by
violence, is implied, v. 5. Addressed to God, probably. "Fear;"
so St. Jerome. LXX., " He-shall-continue," is due to a slight
change of the initial and final letter of the first word of v. 5.
" With the sun, before (in the presence of) the moon," i.e., as long
as the moon shines ; " ultra lunam," beyond (longer than) the
moon ; * these heavenly bodies being types of things fixed and
immutable. Qimchi observes that, if addressed to Solomon, it is
hyperbolical, not so, if understood of Messiah, as in His day the
earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. " Sun and
moon " are explained by the final dor dorim (generation of genera-
tions), v. 6. Gez (lit., " that which is shorn"), be it "fleece" (as
in Deut. xviii. 4 ; Jud. vi. 37), so rendered by LXX. and
St. Jerome, or " meadow." The old translators evidently thought
of Gedeon's fleece (Judg. vi.). Aquila's hrl Kovpav, epi kouran
(on a cropping of hair, or of grass) may be understood of either.
LXX., " As drops dropping on the earth ; " St. Jerome, " As drops
bedewing (irrorantes) the earth." "A watering," in apposition to
" showers " = " that water." v. 7. " Flourish," lit., " shoot," " bud
forth," carrying on the figure which describes the effects of the
rain. "Justice;" St. Jerome, "the just man " (justu s). "Until
... no moon," the like occurs also in Job xiv. 12. Targum
renders v. 6, " May he come down as the rain of good pleasure
on the grass that has been cropped by locusts " (a reminiscence,
1 "Ultra lunam," St. Jerome.
280 PSALM J\ (72).
perhaps, of Amos vii. 1), "and as drops of the late rain, that drop
upon the herbage of the earth." v. S. "Sea to sea" (cf. Exod.
xxiii. 31), the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. "River" {par
excellence), the Euphrates. The poet probably had in view the
actual extent of Solomon's dominions. Cf. Gen. xv. 18; Ps.
lxxix. (80) 12. As the promise to Abraham is expanded in that
made to David, it is quoted Ecclus. xliv. 23, in the very words of
this verse. But to return to v. 8, if, as we needs must, we view
the Psalm as a prophecy, " to sea " will mean the ocean, which,
according to early geographical notions, encompassed the globe.
LXX., showing that they deemed the Psalm to be Messianic, in
the direct and literal sense, " to the ends of the inhabited earth
(t^s oiKovfxevr)<;, tees oikoumenees)." v. 9. " Ethiopians ; " so, too,
St. Jerome, Aquila, Symmachus, individualizing the word in text
{tsiyyim = tribes, or animals of the desert). In Ps. Ixxiii. (74) 14,
LXX. render this word "Ethiopians;" Syriac, "islands." The
indomitable desert tribes, awed by his power, or attracted by the
justice and mildness of his rule, will do him homage, prostrate
themselves before him ( = " lick the dust "), convinced that
resistance is bootless, v. 10. " Tharsis," probably Tartessus, in
the south of Spain, the El Dorado of the Hebrews, or a collective
name for the several Phoenician settlements in Spain. " Isles "
(Nominative), the empires or countries on the Mediterranean
seaboard ; probably a designation of the West in general. " Render
tribute," in text yashibhu [lit., " bring back," " cause-to-return "),
refers probably to periodical payments, payments in response to
a claim (cf. "revenue"). "Shebha" (St. Jerome, "of Arabia"),
the great South Arabian kingdom, so-called because its inhabi-
tants descended from Sheba {Saba in Vulgate), the tenth son of
Jectan (=Joktan), Gen. x. 26, 28. "Sebha," either in the Yemen
(Arabia Felix), or, according to Josephus,1 the ancient name of
the Ethiopian isle and city of Meroe ; LXX., " Saba," a son of
Cush (Gen. x. 7). In a word, the rich and fertile regions of the
South shall acknowledge allegiance by costly presents ; in text,
'esh'kdr, collective Singular, occurs only here and in Ezech.xxvii. 1 5.
The poet doubtless had in his mind 3 (1) Kings v. x. 10, 25.
y. 11. "All nations," in text kol goyi tn (all the Gentiles), v. 12.
1 Antiq. 2, 10, § 10.
PSALM 71 (72). 28l
" For," he wins such submission, as is here described, by the
practice of every royal virtue. A potente (from the powerful-
one) ; so too St. Jerome, reading the self-same letters, but with a
different vocalization, taking, e.g., the M, preformative of "crying,"
for the Preposition " from ; " the verse occurs, with the difference
of but one word ("orphan"), in Job xxix. 12, where we read
vociferantem (crying) instead of a potente. v. 13. "Spare," so
St. Jerome ; yachos of text means also, " he shall pity," " be
grieved on account of." v. 14. "Precious," lit., "a matter of
weight," "no light matter," the shedding of their blood by
violence. Cf. Ps. cxv. (116) 15. LXX., "their name," but
Syriac, Aquila, and St. Jerome, "their blood." LXX. probably
had al/xa, haima ( = blood) changed by some scribe into ovo/xa,
onoma ( = name), or they may have read sh-m-m ( = " their name "),
instead of d-m-m (their blood), v. 15. "Live," cf. "Long live
the king ! " Aben Ezra interprets this, " The poor man (thus
protected) shall live ; [the king] shall give to him of the gold
brought to him [the king] from Arabia," &c. " Pray," " bless,"
in text, "may one give," "may one pray," impersonal, "one" =
French on, Von, German man. " Pray for him," LXX. (jrepl
avrov, peri avtou). Several old Latin Psalters read orabicnt (they
shall pray) ; St. Jerome, " et orabunt de eo " (concerning him, on
his behalf); some of these old Psalters read "pro eo" (=for
him). Prayer for Holy Church, for the coming of God's King-
dom, for its peace and extension, are prayers for Christ. Such
too were the " Hosannas " ( = " Save now," " Save, I pray "), which
greeted His entrance into Jerusalem. "Bless," by wishing for
His triumph over the powers of darkness, or by thanksgiving and
praise for the mercies He has won for us. " All day long " may
well refer to the Canonical Hours, v. 16. There shall be (may
there be) phissath-bar, variously rendered "abundance of corn,"
"a handful of corn;" Syriac, sugo, a quantity; Talmud, "Let
bread be for a prop in the land," &c. ; St. Jerome, " Erit
memorab'ile triticum in terra ; in capite montium," &c. (There
will be memorable wheat in the land : a corn-harvest noteworthy
for plenty [?] ; on the top [/*/., as in text, " head "] of the
mountains, &c). LXX., o-rr/piy/xa {stcerigma) ; Vulgate, " firma-
mentum " (support, stay, prop ; cf. Targum above). Srr/piy/m,
_'82 PSALM y\ (72).
perhaps, equivalent to a-r^piy/m aprov, artou (" staff of bread,"
Ps. civ. (105) 16), or, as supposed by some, a blundering trans-
formation of (t'itov Spdy/xa, sitou dragma ( = a sheaf, a handful
of wheat). " Firmamentum " is thought by some few to be
substituted for an earlier " frumentum " (corn). " Top of
mountains," or " unto the top," &c, the most barren parts of the
land. " Lebanon " is used here for the trees of Lebanon, as in
Isai. xl. 16. "Wave," or "rustle," lit., in text, "shall tremble;"
Ewald, "will be high," akin to the "shall be lifted up above"
of LXX., and of St. Jerome's " elevabitur." A forecast of the
plenty of natural produce that is to mark the Messianic period.
"They [men] shall sprout out, spring forth, flourish." Increase
of population is characteristic of the Messianic reign ; cf. Isai.
xlix. 20; Zach. ii. 4. Cf. Job v. 25, where the same metaphor
occurs, v. 17. St. Jerome, " Erit nomen ejus in aaternum" (His
Name shall be for ever). In text, " propagated," " continued in
his race," if with the Qeri ("read," "to be read," i.e., marginal
emendation) we read yinnbn ; but, if the verb be active, as in
the Kethibh ("written," the text), ydnnin, "May His Name send
forth new shoots." " Bless-themselves in Him," " invoke for
themselves the happiness and welfare they behold in Him."
This reflective form of the verb occurs in Gen. xxii. 1 8 ; xxvi. 4.
vv. 18, 19 are to be taken as an integral part of the Psalm. The
doxology, or berakah (blessing), is not affixed to the closing
Psalm of each Book, but, vice versa, the closing Psalm is given
that position, because it ends with a berakah. v. 20 is to be
regarded as a compiler's note. The notion that it is to be
interpreted as a meaning that David's whole desire is hereby
expressed, that he had nothing more to ask for, is far-fetched. It
can hardly be a Davidic Psalm. Job xxxi. 40 is not a case in
point.
ffiook ftbirfc.
PSALM 72 (73).
1. A Psalm to 'Asaph.
Truly God is good to Israel,
To the clean of heart!
2. But as for me, my feet
had almost tottered : My
steps had well-nigh slipped,
3. For I - was - indignant
with the boastful : When I-
saw the prosperity of the
wicked.
4. For there are no bands
(i.e., pangs [?]) to their
death ; But their strength is
firm.
5. They-are-not in the
trouble of man : Neither are-
they-smitten like mankind.
6. Therefore pride en-
circles-their-neck : Violence
covers them [as] a garment.
7. Their eye peers-forth
from out of [their] fat : The
imaginations of [their] heart
overflow [ ? | (or, they-have-
exceeded the expectations
of [their] heart).
PSALM 72 (73).
1. A Psalm of Asaph.
How good is God to Israel,
to the upright in heart!
2. But as for me, my feet
had ail-but tottered : My
steps had almost slipped,
3. For I-was-envious at
the transgressors : Behold-
ing the prosperity of sinners.
4. For they are in no
alarm about their death ;
And they are firm under
their affliction.
5. They-are not in the
trouble of men : And are
not scourged like [other]
men.
6. Therefore pride holds
them fast : They - are-
clothed with their injustice
[and impiety].
7. Their iniquity comes-
forth, as-it-were, from out
of fatness : They-press-for-
ward to whatever their heart
covets.
284
PSALM 72 (73).
8. They-scoff, and speak
oppression with perverse-
intent : They-speak from
on-high (or, loftily).
9. They-set their mouth
in the heavens : And their
tongue goes through the
earth.
10. Therefore his people
turn thither : And waters of
a full [cup ( ?)] are-drained
by them.
11. And they-say, How
does God know ? And
is - there knowledge in
"El'yon?
12. Lo, such are the
wicked : And the ever
undisturbed attain great-
power.
13. Surely in-vain have-I-
cleansed my heart : And
washed my hands in inno-
cence ;
14. For I - have - been-
plagued all the day : And
my chastisement was every-
morning.
15. Had-I-said, Let-me-
speak thus : Lo, I-had-been-
untrue to the generation of
Thy children.
16. Yet when I -pondered
that I -might-know this: It-
was too-difficult in mine
eyes ;
8. They-take-counsel, and
speak wickedness : They-
utter injustice in [their]
pride ( ?).
9. They-set their mouth
against heaven : And their
tongue goes - through the
earth.
10. Therefore do my
people turn hither : And
full days shall-be-found in
them.
1 1 . And they-say, How
does God know? And is-
there knowledge in the
Most-High ?
12. Lo, these are the
sinners ! And they - that-
prosper always, attain to
riches (or, prosper in the
world).
13. [And I-said,] In vain
then have - I - justified my
heart : And washed my
hands among the innocent
(or, in innocence) ;
14. And have - been
scourged all the day long :
And my chastisement was
every-morning.
1 5. Had - 1 - said, I-will-
speak thus : Lo, I-had-dis-
owned the generation of
Thy children.
16. And I-pondered that
1-might-understand this : It
was too difficult for me ;
PSALM 72 (73).
285
17. Until I-went into the
sanctuary of God : [Until] I-
considered their latter-end.
18. Truly, Thou-settest-
them in slippery - places :
Thou-castest-them-down to
ruins.
19. How are-they-become
a desolation in a moment !
Brought - to - an - end, con-
sumed with terrors!
20. As a dream, immedi-
ately after awaking : [So]
'Adonay, in awaking, dost-
Thou-despise their image.
21. For my heart was-in-
a - ferment : And I - was-
pricked in my reins :
22. Yea, I have been a
stupid-animal, and ignorant :
A behemoth have-I-been
with Thee.
23. Yet, as for me, I
am continually with Thee :
Thou - hast - held my right
hand ;
24. With Thy counsel
wilt-Thou-guide me : And
afterwards gloriously receive
me.
25. Whom have I in the
heavens? And with Thee,
I-delight not [in aught] on
the earth.
26. My flesh and my heart
17. Until I-go-into the
sanctuary of God : And [so]
understand their latter-end.
18. Surely, Thou-settest
[snares] for them, on account
of their crafty - dealings :
Thou - castest - them down,
when men-extol them.
19. How are-they become
a desolation ! Suddenly
they-come-to-an-end, they-
perish because of their
iniquity.
20. As a dream of-one-
awaking : So, Lord, in [Thy]
city wilt-Thou despise their
image (or, reduce their
phantom to nought).
21. For my heart was-on-
fire : And my reins were-
changed ;
22. Yea, I-am-become a
[mental] nullity, without
understanding :
23. As a beast-of-burden
was-I before Thee : Yet am
I always with Thee ;
24. Thou-hast-held my
right hand : Thou-guidest
me according to Thy will,
And receivest me with glory.
25. For what have I in
heaven? And beside Thee,
what can - I - desire upon
earth ?
26. My flesh and my heart
286 PSALM 72 (73).
may-waste-away ; The Rock have-failed : [But] the God
of my heart and my portion of my heart, and my portion
is God for evermore. is God for evermore.
27. For, behold, those-far 27. For, behold, they that
from Thee shall - perish : go-far from Thee shall-
Thou-hast-destroyed every perish : Thou-hast-destroyed
one that departs-wantonly all who depart - wantonly
from Thee. from Thee.
28. But as for me, to 28. But for me it is good
draw-near to God is good to-cleave-closely to God ;
for me ; I-have-made (lit., To put my trust in the Lord
put) 'Adonay YaHWeH my God : That I-may-proclaim
refuge : That I-may-tell of all Thy works [in the gates
all Thy works. of the daughter of Sion].
The Psalm presents several difficulties, both in the text and in
the versions. Its subject-matter is the ever-recurring problem,
the conciliation, to wit, of God's justice and goodness with the
prosperity and power of the wicked, and with the trials and
sufferings of those who try to serve Him. To the thoughtful Jew
this problem was more difficult than to any other. The Law,
while implying, had nowhere definitely promised a future life.
Its sanctions were temporal rewards and punishments, as was
necessarily the case, since it was primarily addressed to the
nation. The perplexity that appears in this Psalm is substantially
the same as in Ps. xxxvi. (37); xlviii. (49), and is akin, in part at
least, to that we meet with in Ps. xxxix. (40). It recurs also in
Job and Ecclesiastcs ; but it is dealt with differently. The Psalm
falls into two divisions : in the former, the poet states his thesis
at the very outset (v. 1). He next summarily depicts the mental
conflict, in which he had well-nigh made shipwreck of his faith
(vv. 2, 3). The prosperity of the ungodly, their influence,
domineering pride, seemingly unchecked, rack his soul with the
agonies of doubt (vv. 4— 11), and bring him to the verge of
atheism (vv. 12 — t 4). In the second, shrinking therefrom, he
seeks the restoration of his faith (vv. 15 — 17) by attending public
worship. In the fellowship of devout believers, in secret prayer
for light, lie obtains an insight into the instability of all he envies
PSALM 72 (73). 287
in the lot of the wicked, and the folly of the conclusions to which
he had been led (vv. 18 — 22). He expresses his conviction in
the ultimate triumph of good over evil, that peace and plenty are
to be found in cleaving close to God.
v. 1. "Truly," &c, the final result of his questionings, v. 2.
"Slipped," lit, "were poured out." v. 3. " Boastful," or " arro-
gant." v. 4. The widely different renderings of the ancient
versions, and the divergences of Hebrew commentators, suggest
doubts as to the integrity of the text. " Bands " {chartsubboth in
text occurs only here and in Isai. lviii. 6, " Loose the bands of
wickedness"). It may mean either: (1) They think not of death,
they never allow the thought of it to mar their pleasures (cf.
Vulgate, respectus) ; so rendered by Symmachus and St. Jerome.
(2) God thinks not, cares not to cut them off in their sins. (3) So
easy and painless is their death, that it inspires no dread either
in themselves or in others. " There are no deadly pangs (chains)
for them." To this may be referred Targum, "They are neither
terrified nor grieved on account of the day of their death ; "
dvaveuous, andnevsis (denial, refusal, reluctance [?]) of LXX. may
(perhaps) fall under this head. Aquila, " There are no deep
afflictions (Zva-vdOuai, dyspdtheiai) at their death." Some Rab-
binical commentators opine that the word in text (rendered
" bands ") is a syllabic sign for " terrors and pains," whether
bodily or mental. The oldest Latin Psalters have for respectus,
declinatio mortis (or morti), meaning either, " There's no avoiding
of death," or, " None would shrink (turn aside) from a death [so
painless as] theirs," which may come to the same as LXX.,
dvdvevo-i5, if taken as synonymous of u7rayopeuo-<.9 (apagorevsis),
" denial." Syriac, " They have no expectation of death," or,
"There is no end to their death." "Their strength is firm;"
Gesenius, " Their belly (body) is fat ; " St. Jerome, " And firm
are their vestibules " (or, " palaces," as some Rabbis have rendered).
v. 5. Lit., " In the trouble of man they are not : And with
mankind they are not plagued." v. 6. Gesenius, " Pride surrounds
them like a neck-chain," "like a collar;" cf colloquial, "collars
them." LXX., "grasps." A stiff neck is used poetically for the
seat of pride ; cf. Ps. lxxiv. (75) 6 ; Isai. iii. 16. St. Jerome, " Ideo
nutriti sunt ad superbiam " (Therefore are they suckled to pride) ;
288 PSALM 72 (73).
the Cistercian copy of his version reads, " Ideo suffocavit eos
superbia " (Therefore has pride choked them), v. 7. " Eye . . .
fat;" this may mean, as in Isai. vi. 10, their callous moral state,
or the visible result of their self-indulgence, cf. Job. xv. 27.
LXX., instead of "eye," "iniquity," by reading Waw instead of
the medial Ybdh. Hemistich b is explained by Qimchi and
Rashi, " They pass beyond the imaginations of their heart," i.e.,
their success, their good fortune, exceed their desires, their
expectations. St. Jerome's " transierunt cogitationes cordis " (a
baldly literal rendering), may mean as much. LXX., "They press
onward (succeed in attaining) to whatever their sensual heart
desires," they achieve all their lusts yearn for. Gesenius takes it
to mean (cf. Thalhofer), " Their feelings, thoughts, designs over-
flow, and pour themselves out in words ; " " The imaginations
(thoughts, plans) of the heart overflow," i.e., Their heart is so full
of malignant devices, that it overflows ; cf. Hab. i. 11. The early
Latin Psalters, for " affectum cordis," render more closely StdOeaiv
(diaihesin) of LXX., dispositionem, i.e., they attain to what their
heart purposes, v. 8. " Scoff," mock ; so St. Jerome. " From on
high;" St. Jerome's " de excelso," haughtily, proudly; Targum,
" They speak . . . from the height of their heart." v. 9. " In
the heavens ; " LXX., eis ovpavov (eis ouranbn) ; Vulgate and
St. Jerome, " in ccelum " (against heaven) ; so too Aben Ezra, but
not supported by the usage of the language. " In the heavens,"
denying (v. n) the power and Providence of God, they claim a
sort of divine authority for their behests ; their tongue spares no
one, nothing on earth ; they give free scope to their malice,
v. 10. Misled by their prosperity and by their tall talk, "my
people" ("my" LXX., Vulgate), in text "His people," the people
of God, or an individual is substituted for the mass of the godless
faction ( = their people). " Thither," to the way of the impious.
"Waters of fulness are drained by them," so text. "Waters;"
among several other divergent explanations, " waters " are taken
to mean sensual gratifications, or the numerous following these
wicked ones attract. LXX., Vulgate, "And full days shall be
found in them," i.e., either a long life, or days full of enjoyment.
St. Jerome, " Et quis plenus invenietur in eis?" (And who among
them shall be found full?). "And who?" "and days," "and
PSALM 72 (73). 289
waters," are scarcely distinguishable in the unpointed Hebrew
script, v. 12. " Lo, such is the state (viz., that described in vv.
4 — 10) of the wicked," best understood as spoken by those who
have turned to their ways. " Ever undisturbed " (in a bad sense),
"reckless," "careless." St. Jerome, like Vulgate, "Abundantes
in sagculo " (living in abundance in [this] world). LXX., eh tov
alwva, eis ton aidna ( - for ever, always), whence, in old Psalters,
" in sseculum " (for ever), inexhaustible wealth, which they increase
by the acquisition of fresh means of enjoyment, of influence,
" attain great power." v. 13. "And I said," wanting in text and
in St. Jerome, v. 15. If I had yielded to the temptation to utter
such doubts as (vv. 13 — 14), " Lo, I should deal falsely," &c.
St. Jerome, " I should have forsaken " (reliqui). LXX., " Broken
covenant." " Thy children," cf. Deut. xiv. 1 ; " Generation of
the just," Ps. xiii. (14) 5. v. 16. "Yet when I pondered in order
to solve [these perplexities], it was labour (weariness)," &c. ; cf.
Eccl. viii. 17. Vulgate, existimabam occurs in the later classics -
" I reflected," " pondered." Codex Verona and St. Augustine
render vweXafSov (hypelabon) of LXX., " suscepi cognoscere " (I
undertook to understand), v. 17. Communion with God, with
God's children in prayer and in worship calms this mental
conflict, and reveals to him the true standpoint — " What does it
all end in?" v. 18. Milan and Monte Cassino Psalter complete
the construction, " posuisti eis mala'''' (evils); Roman, "dis-
posuisti eis mala'''' (hast prepared evils for them). "Ruins," "ad
interitum " ( = to destruction), St. Jerome. LXX., "In being
( = when they were) lifted up" reading massublk from nasd (he
raised), instead of mashshuoth (destructions) ; Targum, pits ; it
occurs only here and in v. 3 of next Psalm, v. 19. "Consumed
with terrors;" St. Jerome, "Consumed as if they were not"
(quasi non sint), by dividing "terrors" into two words (not — to be).
v. 20. " In Thy city," so IXX. and St. Jerome ( = Jerusalem [?]) ;
" in the city," so Aben Ezra ; Rashi, " in anger ; " Targum and
Gesenius (doubtfully), "in arousing Thyself" ( = when Thou
arousest-Thyself), " Thou shalt despise " ( = cast out with con-
tempt) " their image " ( = phantom, pomp, and splendour that
have no substance, no reality). Qimchi, "in raising ( = awaken-
ing) [the dead]." v. 21. Self-reproach. Thalhofer suggests the
290 psalm 73 (74).
insertion of some such clause as, " Why did I ever entertain such
unbelieving thoughts ? lose sight of the conviction expressed in
vv. 18 — 20?" Answered in this verse, "For ( = because) my
heart was embittered" (with anger or sorrow). LXX., "on fire"
(i&Kavdr], exekavthee) in most Codices, but in Cod. Vatican., " My
heart has been gladdened." " I was pricked, goaded, pierced-
through (with grief) in my reins ; " LXX., " And my reins (the
seat of desire) have been changed" as though from shanah (he
changed), instead of shdnan (he sharpened), v. 22. " Yea, I
myself (emphatic) was stupid, brutish." " Brought to nothing " of
Vulgate is too literal a rendering of LXX. ; Thalhofer, "a [mental]
nullity." " Behemoth " (Egyptian, p-ehe-mou [or mout\) = " the-
ox-of-water" (or "of the water," /, feminine article suffixed), the
hippopotamus, emblem of colossal stupidity, v. 24. "Counsel,"
" With Thy counsel ; " so LXX., /3ov\fj {boulee), mis-rendered in
Vulgate, "By Thy will, favour." v. 25. "With Thee;" St. Jerome,
"tecum" ( = ditto). LXX., -rrapa aov, para sou (beside Thee).
" In communion with Thee I have no pleasure," &c. v. 26. May
be construed concessively, "Though my . . . heart fail," "My
heart may have failed." " Rock," " robur " (strength), St. Jerome ;
LXX., "God," as is their wont, cf. Job xiii. 15. v. 27. "Wantonly-
depart," lit., "fornicating;" cf. Osee. ii. Apostatize, as the
covenant with Israel is likened to the marriage-tie. Targum,
"Who wander (go astray) from Thy fear." v. 28. In text, "The
approach to, the drawing near to." " Works ; " St. Jerome,
" annuntiationes " (messages, declarations). " In the gates," &c,
is neither in text, nor in St. Jerome ; taken by LXX. from Ps. ix.
15, and copied from them by the Vulgate.
PSALM 73 (74). PSALM 73 (74).
1. A Mas'kil, to Asaph. 1. [A Psalm] of instruc-
O God, why hast-Thou-cast tion for Asaph. Wherefore
[us] - off for ever ? [Why] hast-Thou-rejected [us] for
does Thine anger smoke ever, O God ? [Why] is
against the sheep of Thy Thy wrath incensed against
pasture ? the sheep of Thy pasture ?
psalm 73 (74).
291
2. Remember Thy con-
gregation Thou - hast - ac-
quired of-old, [Which] Thou-
hast-redeemed [as] the tribe
of Thine inheritance: Mount
Tsiyyon, wherein Thou-hast-
dwelt.
3. Lift-up Thy footsteps
to the perpetual ruins :
Everything in the sanctuary
has the enemy laid-waste.
4. Thine adversaries have-
roared in the midst of Thine
Assembly : They-have-set-
up for tokens their own
tokens.
5. He (it)-was-known (i.e.,
He [the enemy]) appears
as one - striking upward :
With axes in a thicket of
the wood (or, in a woody
grove).
6. Yea, now they-smite-
down altogether the carved-
panels thereof: With hatchet
and hammers.
7. They- have -set Thy
sanctuary on fire : They-
have-defiled to the ground
the dwelling-place of Thy
Name.
8. They - said in their
heart, " Let- us -crush -them
altogether : " They - have-
burnt - down all the syna-
gogues (?) of God in the land.
2. Remember Thy con-
gregation which Thou-hast-
possessed from the begin-
ning, [Which] Thou-hast-
redeemed [as] the rod of
Thine inheritance, Mount
Sion, wherein Thou - hast-
dwelt.
3. Lift - up Thy hands
against their pride con-
tinually : [On account of]
all the ruin the enemy has-
wrought in the sanctuary.
4. And they that hate
Thee have-raised-a-boastful-
shout in the midst of Thy
festival. They -have- set -up
their ensigns for signs :
5. — in their ignorance.
In the gate, on the battle-
ment. As in a grove of
trees,
6. They-have-hewn-down-
its gates at once : With
hatchet and mattock have-
they-broken-it-down.
7. They - have - burned-
down Thy sanctuary with
fire: They- have -defiled to
the ground the Tabernacle
of Thy Name.
8. They-said in their heart,
the whole brood of them to-
gether : Let -us -abolish all
the festivals of God from the
land.
292 PSALM 73 (74).
9. Our signs we-see not. 9. Our signs we-see not :
There is no longer a pro- There is no longer a pro-
phet : Neither is there with phet : And He (God)-knows
us any who - knows how us no more.
long.
10. How long, O God, 10. How long, O God,
shall the adversary bias- shall the enemy reproach ?
pheme ? Shall the enemy Shall the adversary provoke
revile Thy Name for ever ? Thy Name for ever ?
11. Why dravvest-Thou- 11. Why turnest-Thou-
back Thy hand, yea, Thy away Thy hand, yea, Thy
right - hand ? From the right-hand ? [Bring it] com-
midst of Thy bosom [pluck pletely out of the midst of
it out (?)] make-an-end. Thy bosom.
12. Yet is God, my King 12. But God is our King
of old : Working deliver- before the ages : He-has-
ances in the midst of the wrought deliverance in the
earth. midst of the earth.
13. Thou didst-divide the 13. Thou, by Thy might,
sea by Thy might : Thou- didst - make the sea solid :
brakest the heads of the Thou-didst-shatter the heads
dragons on the waters. of the dragons in the
waters.
14. THOU didst-break-in- 14. Thou didst-shatter
pieces the heads of Liv'ya- the heads of the dragon :
than. Thou-gavest him as Thou-gavest him as food to
food to the people dwelling- the Ethiopian nations,
in-the-desert.
15. THOU didst - cleave 15. Thou didst - cleave
spring and brook : THOU springs and streams : THOU
didst-dry-up ever-flowing didst-dry-up the rivers of
rivers. 'Ethan.
16. Thine is the day, 16. Thine is the day,
Thine also the night : Thou Thine too the night : THOU
hast-prepared the luminary hast-prepared the dawn and
and the sun. the sun.
17. Thou hast-set all the 17. Tnou hast-set all the
borders of the earth : Sum- borders of the earth : Sum-
PSALM 73 (74).
293
mer and winter — THOU hast-
formed them.
18. Remember this, the
enemy has - blasphemed
YaHVvVH : And a foolish
people have-reviled Thy
Name.
19. Give not up to the
wild-beast the soul of Thy
turtle-dove : The life of
Thine afflicted forget not
for ever.
20. Have-regard to the
Covenant : For the dark-
places of the land are-filled
with the dwellings of vio-
lence.
21. Let not the crushed-
one turn - back ashamed :
Let the afflicted and the
poor praise Thy Name.
22. Arise, O God, plead
Thine own cause : Remem-
ber Thy reproach from a
fool all the day.
23. Forget not the voice
of Thine adversaries : The
noise of them - that - rise-
against Thee goes-up con-
tinually.
mer and spring — Thou hast-
fashioned them.
18. Remember this, the
enemy has-reproached the
Lord : And a foolish people
have-provoked Thy Name.
19. Give not up to the
wild-beasts souls that-give-
thanks to Thee. And the
souls of Thy poor forget not
for ever.
20. Look to Thy cove-
nant : For the mentally-
dark-ones of the land have
an abundance of dwellings
[acquired] by wrong.
21. Let not the afflicted
be-turned-back confounded :
The poor and the needy
shall-praise Thy Name.
22. Arise, O God, plead
Thy cause : Remember Thy
reproaches [that come] from
a foolish-man all the day
long.
23. Forget not the revil-
ings of Thine enemies : The
pride of them that hate
Thee goes-up continually.
We fail to discover in this Psalm a regular strophic division.
It opens with a complaint and supplication (vv. 1, 2) ; the
calamities of Israel, especially the destruction of the Sanctuary
(vv. 3 — 9); the poet calls on God for help (vv. 10, n), calling to
mind God's past wondrous benefits to Israel (vv. 13 — 15), the
manifestations of His might in the creation and regular succession
294 PSALM J?, (74).
of changes in Nature (vv. 16, 17) ; finally, a prayer for deliverance
from heathen oppression. The Psalm refers to the same calamity
as Ps. lxxviii. (79), but the latter dwells mainly on the wholesale
butchery of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, while this Psalm depicts
the desecration of the Temple, the ruthless destruction of its
ornaments, its pollution by the introduction of heathen worship.
Jewish history presents but two situations to which both Psalms
can be reasonably referred — the Babylonian invasion (b.c. 588),
and the Syrian persecution (b.c. 167). Those who, on a priori
grounds, maintain that the Old Testament Canon was finally
closed under Esdras, are, of course, compelled to assign it to the
former calamity. But several commentators, both among the
Fathers and Catholic and non-Catholic authors of a later date,
connect it with the insolent oppression of Antiochus Epiphanes,
recorded in 1 Machab. i. — iv. The contents of the Psalm can
be alleged in support of either view, but there are, here and there,
expressions which are more readily explained on the supposition
that the Psalm was composed in the time of the Machabees. It
is entitled a Mas'kil (a didactic ode), in that it is a model of
earnest and trustful prayer in times of overwhelming affliction.
"To Asaph" (=of, by A.), a member of the choral guild insti-
tuted by Asaph, the cotemporary of David, mentioned 1 Esdras
(Ezra) ii. 41 ; iii. 10; Nehem. vii. 45.
v. 1. "Sheep (flock) ... of pasture" frequently occurs in
the Psalms inscribed "to Asaph." v. 2. "Of old," refers to the
deliverance from Egypt. " Rod ; " so LXX. and St. Jerome ; by
Targum, "tribe." The word in text (shebhet) = "staff," "rod,"
" crook," " sceptre," " measuring rod," and (by metonymy) " the
lot, or portion measured off." v. 3. "Lift up Thy footsteps," in
Eastern parlance "come quickly," "dally not." "Ruins," places
long desolate, which seem as if they would never be rebuilt.
Rashi, " Raise Thy steps for everlasting destructions," i.e., for the
everlasting ruin of the enemy. LXX. here (as in the foregoing
Ps. v. 18) read massuoth (see above), instead of mashskudth.
Syriac, "against those who lift themselves up over them in strength."
LXX. are quite as likely to be right as the Masorah. "[On
account of] all the enemy has wrought," &c. ; so Aben Ezra.
" All manner of evil has the enemy wrought," &c, is permissible.
psalm 73 (74). 295
v. 4. "Roared," so literally. "Raised a shout;" Rashi refers
Lam. ii. 7 to this v. 4. " Assembly " = " place of assembly ; " the
word in text = " an appointed place, or time for meeting." It
originally designates the Mosaic tent or tabernacle, then the great
festivals. In Lam. ii. 6, the word occurs in both senses. LXX.
have in view the disturbance and violent interruption of public
worship (iopTrjs, /teortees = "festival "). "Signs," either military
standards, trophies, as LXX. seem to have taken it, or religious
emblems, as mentioned in 1 Machab. i. 54, 59 ; cf. iii. 48.
Perhaps both may be understood, the symbols of a foreign power
and cult. vv. 5, 6. Father Houbigant renders " One appears " (//'/.,
is known, makes himself known) "as a man lifting upward axes
in a dense wood." 6. " And now the gates thereof they break in
pieces altogether with hatchet and with hammer." Targum, " He
( = one) strikes with the hammer like a man who raises his hand
in a thicket of wood to hew it with the axes : Even so are they
demolishing the carved work altogether with a hatchet : And with
a two-edged axe are they smiting, [and] with hammers." The
kasJiil ( = hatchet [?]) and kelappoth ( = hammers, mallets [?]) of
v. 6 occur only here. A possible rendering of v. 6, "And now
they have altogether laid it bare " (///., "laid it open"): "With
hatchet and hammer they smite it down." v. 7. Lit., "They have
cast into the fire Thy," &c. ; cf. French, mettre a feu ; German,
in Brand legen. "Defiled," "profaned [by levelling it] to the
ground" (cf. Lam. ii. 2 ; Jer. xix. 13). v. 8. "In their heart,"" the
set purpose to abolish the Mosaic cult ; Nhiam in text ; LXX.,
"their kindred;" St. Jerome, "their progeny" (posteri eonwi) ;
Targum, " their sons ; " Rashi, " their rulers " (mos/i/ey/iem).
Qimchi was the first to suggest that it is a verb (ydna, " he acted
violently"). "Let us oppress (i.e., destroy) them all." "They . . .
burnt down " {incendemni) ; so St. Jerome, Aquila, and Sym-
machus. But LXX. (and, perhaps, Targum) take this as the
words of this "progeny," Ael/re, KaTaxavo-w/xcv, Devte, katakavsomen
(Come, let us burn down), but copras, heortas ( = feasts), which
follows, seems to show that the present (KaTcnravcrwfxtv, katapavso-
men, Let us put an end to) was the original reading. St. Jerome,
" solemnitates " ( = solemn feasts). Aquila, " All the synagogues."
"From the land" ( = LXX., airo tjJs ■)%, apo tees gees); Aquila,
296 PSALM 73 (74).
Symmachus, im, epi ( = on). The rendering " synagogues " seems
to indicate that the translators regarded this as a Machabcean
Psalm. The insolent profanation and vandalism complained of
(vv. 4 — 7) can hardly be referred to the Babylonian invasion. As
far as is ascertained, Nebuchodonosor interfered not with the
Jewish religion till nineteen years after his incursion, and then, at
Babylon, not at Jerusalem. On the other hand, fanatic hate of
the Mosaic cult prompted the enmity of Antiochus, which was
vented in edicts abolishing the Mosaic ritual, and finally culmi-
nated in setting up (Chislev. 15, B.C. 167) an altar to Zeus
Olympios in the Temple (1 Machab. i. 54 — 64). As is obvious,
the text, if it has not been tampered with, considers, both here
and in v. 4, the locale ; LXX., the festive seasons. We discover
no trace of " synagogues " before the destruction of the first
Temple. The mention of them here is a proof of the later date
of the Psalm. Still, with Thalhofer, may we doubt whether it
is probable that the Jews, at that period, would have classed
synagogues with the Temple, under one common designation —
"houses," "meeting-places of God." But, unless the text be
corrupt, the Plural {irwuadhcy 'El, "assemblies of God") cannot
be supposed to designate the Temple, v. 9. " Signs " may mean
miracles ; but, as in v. 4, it were better taken to denote religious
rites, observances; cf. 1 Mach. i. 45, 46, 60, 61. "No prophet"
could hardly have been said in the days of Jeremias, and when
Ezechiel and Abdias were being prepared for their mission. At the
time of the Syrian persecution the last prophet had been dead two
hundred and fifty years. "How long," inspired from above to
tell us when these afflictions shall end; cf. Ps. vi. 4. v. 10. How
long are these sacrilegious outrages to continue? v. n. Lit.,
"Why makest Thou to return Thy hand (viz., into Thy bosom?).
Bring it. . . Destroy [the enemy]," or " put an end " [to these
outrages]. St. Jerome, "consumens" (destroying); Targum, "Bring
it forth to redeem, put an end to the anguish." The hand en-
veloped in the folds of the robe denotes inactivity, non-interference;
cf. Prov. xxvi. 15. LXX. take it ("put an end") for an adverbial
Infinitive, ets Te'A.os, els tclos ( = completely), v. 12. " Vet," despite
this seeming inactivity. "My King," cf. link i. 12. " Midst of
earth," glossed by Theodoret, "in the sight of all men."' Past
PSALM n (74)- ^97
instances of wondrous power, to show that God can rescue His
people, v. 13. "Divide;" so Targum ; lit., "break up." LXX.,
regarding the result, "made solid," compacted the waters of the Red
Sea into solid walls (Exod. xiv. 22). "Dragons," thanninim in
text; "sea-monsters," rendered " whales," Gen. i. 21, a symbolical
name for the Egyptians; cf. Isai. li. 9; Ezech. xxix. 3. v. 14.
"Leviathan," perhaps the crocodile of the Nile, as in Job xli. 1.
"People," text //'/., "to the people, to the inhabitants of the
desert." The simplest explanation is that the corpses of the
Egyptians, when cast upon the shore, were devoured by the wild
beasts of the desert; cf. Prov. xxx. 25, 26. Qimchi's application
of it to the Israelites travelling through the desert is far-fetched,
v. 15. Pregnant construction. " Thou didst cleave [the rock at
Horeb (Exod. xvii. 6), and at Qadhesh — in Vulgate "Cades"
(Numb. xxiv. 8), whence] fountain and stream [gushed forth]."
In second hemistich antithesis, " dry up," the staying of the
current of Jordan (Jos. iii. 13 — 16). '"Ethan" (in text, 'Eythan),
taken by LXX. as a proper name ; St. Jerome, " flumina fortia "
(mighty rivers), ///., "rivers of continuance," i.e., continually
flowing. " Rivers," not poetic amplification, as shown in Targum,
"Thou didst dry up the ford of the streams of Arnon, and the
ford of Jabboq, and Jordan, which are mighty." "Arnon," cf.
Numb. xxi. 14. v. 16. "Luminary," collective Singular, rendered
"lights," Gen. i. 14 — 16. Targum, Aben Ezra, take it to mean
" moon." LXX. (Cod. Vaticati.), " sun and moon," whence " solem
et lunam " in Roman Psalter, St. Augustine, and Cassiodorus.
Several Greek MSS. have ^cuViv k. r/Xiov, phavsin kai heelion
(shining, giving light, and the sun). Vulgate renders the former
word, " Aurora." All the luminaries, and the sun their chief. Cf.
" His disciples and Peter," "Juda and Jerusalem," "the Greeks and
the Athenians." v. 17. "Summer and winter," so too St. Jerome.
The stable order of the visible world. " Formed," "fashioned,"
the same word as in Gen. ii. 7, 19. v. 18. "Foolish people,"
usual designation of Gentiles, cf. Deut. xxxii. 21; Ecclus. 1. 28.
v. 19. The divergence of the several renderings is due to the
ambiguity of chayyath^ which means (1) "alive" (feminine of chay,
living), (2) "a living thing," (3) "beast," (4) "a band, troop,"
(5) "soul," "appetite," "desire." Nephesh ( = soul, self) may
298 PSALM 74 (75).
mean desire, appetite. St. Jerome, " Give not up to the beasts
the soul learned in Thy Law, and the life of Thy poor-ones forget
not for ever." Targum, " Give not up to nations, who are like
the beasts of the field, the souls of those that teach Thy Law."
Gesenius, " Give not to the desire of a bloody-minded troop
Thy turtle-dove," i.e., Thine innocent people. " Life " (soul [?],
" company " [?]) " of Thine afflicted ones," &c. LXX. read,
had (?) todekha (giving thanks to Thee) ; the text has torekha (Thy
turtle-dove), v. 20. "Dark-places,"//'/., "darknesses;" Gesenius,
the secret-places of the earth (land [?]). Taken to mean the caves
and lurking-places of the land ( = Palestine), afford us no refuge
from our oppressors. They track us, and wreak their fury upon
us. LXX. render " dark -places " in Nom. Plural, applying it to
the mental and moral darkness of the settlers in the land, who
have plenty of dwellings ("they are filled"), having unjustly
appropriated the holdings of the natives, v. 21. "Turn back,"
return " from his recourse and supplication to Thee, disappointed,
in confusion." v. 22. "Fool;" Targum, "Remember how Thy
people is reviled all day long by the foolish king" (malka tiphsha),
alluding to Antiochus Epiphanes ( = Illustrious), nicknamed
Epimanes ( = frantic) by the Jews of a later day. v. 23. "[Forget
not] the clamour . . . [which] goes up continually."
PSALM 74 (75). PSALM 74 (75).
1. To the Chief Musician 1. For the end, " Destroy
[on] "Al Tash'cheth : " a not:" a Psalm of a Song
Psalm to Asaph ; a Song. for Asaph.
2. We - give - thanks to 2. We - give - thanks to
Thee, O God; We give Thee, O God, we give thanks,
thanks ; And [that] Thy and call upon Thy name.
Name is near : Thy won- We-will-declare Thy won-
drous-works declare. drous works.
3. When I-reach the ap- 3. When I-take the ap-
pointed-time : I will- judge pointed-time: I will-judge
uprightly {or, in equity). justly.
4. [When] the land was- 4. The land was-dissolved
PSALM 74 (75).
299
melting-away and all the in-
habitants thereof: I-Myself
set - up (fixed) its pillars.
Selah.
5. I-said to the arrogant,
Deal not arrogantly : And
to the wicked, Set not up
your horn on high :
6. Lift not up your horn
on high : Speak not inso-
lently with a [stiff] neck ;
7. For not from the East,
and not from the West : Nor
yet from the mountainous
desert [comes help (?)] ;
8. For God is Judge : He-
puts-down one, and lifts-up
another ;
9. For a cup is in the hand
of YrtHW^H, and the wine
foams ; It-is-full of mixture,
and He-pours from it ; Yea,
the dregs thereof must all
the wicked of the earth sip,
drink-up.
10. But as for me, I-will-
declare for ever: I-will-sing-
praises to the God of Jacob.
11. And all the horns of
the wicked will- 1 -cut-off :
[But] the horns of the just-
man shall-be-exalted.
with all that dwell in it
'Twas I set-fast its pillars.
5. I-said to the unjust,
Deal not unjustly : And to
the sinners, Lift not up the
horn.
6. Lift not up your horn
on high : Speak not un-
righteously against God ;
7. For not from the East,
nor from the West : Nor yet
from the desert mountains ;
8. For God is the judge ;
He puts-down one, and lifts-
up another ;
9. For in the hand of the
Lord there is a cup of pure
wine full of mixture. And
He-pours it from this into
that (i.e., from one cup into
another [?]) ; But its dregs are
not exhausted, all the sinners
of the earth must -drink
[thereof].
10. But as for me, I -will-
declare for ever : I-will-sing
to the God of Jacob.
11. And I-will-break all
the horns of the sinners :
But the horns of the just-
man shall-be-exalted.
Though no definitely marked historical situation or allusions
are presented by this Psalm, there is a strong probability in favour
of the view of many commentators, who refer it to the time of
3oo Psalm 74 (75).
the Assyrian raid, either as a thanksgiving after, or in immediate
anticipation of, the crushing defeat of the invaders. A comparison
of this and of Ps. xlv. (46) with the prophecies uttered by Isaias
on that occasion will show certain coincidences of thought and
diction. Its close resemblance to the Song of Anna (1 Kings
(Sam.) ii. vv. 1, 3, 7, 10), in several of its expressions, may also
be noticed.
v. 1. "Destroy not," probably the first words of some well-
known song. v. 2. Another rendering, " For Thy Name is near ;
[men = on raconte] have told Thy wondrous," &c. " Name
near," in help and protection ; cf. Isai. xxx. 27. St. Jerome, " And
according to Thy Name (juxta nomen tuum), they shall recount,"
&c. LXX., " We will call upon," comes from a difference of but
two letters in their text. v. 3. Lit, " When I shall have taken
the set-time," i.e., "When the time appointed in the counsels of
Providence is come." If a Divine utterance, it is a warning of
judgment at hand. If the reforming King Ezechias be the
speaker, "As soon as the land is cleared of invaders, I will
suppress wickedness." "Uprightly," lit, "uprightnesses" (sic).
" Equities," a frequent Shemitic idiom giving to a noun in Accu-
sative Plural an adverbial meaning, v. 4. "Melting" with terror,
dissolved, disorganized. '"Twas I," &c, cf. Song of Anna, v. 8.
v. 5. " Lift up horn," a rebuke of self-confidence, self-importance,
vain boasting, v. 6. Hemistich 2, lit., " Speak not with neck
insolence " (cf. Song of Anna, v. 3), i.e., " Speak not insolence
with a stiff neck." LXX. read for tsavvar (neck), tsur (rock),
which, when predicated of God, they render "God" or "Lord."
"Athaq ( = insolence, arrogance) they render freely, v. 7. "North "
is purposely omitted, as the Assyrian raiders came from the North
(cf. Joel ii. 20, "northern [army]"). "Desert of mountains " =
" the South," the Idumoean desert, the site of Horeb and Sinai,
beyond which was Egypt, whose alliance, despite the Divine
prohibition, was sought for by a godless faction. The closing
word, harim ( = mountains), is rendered " lifting-up " (i.e., help,
deliverance), on the authority of the Midrash, and (perhaps) of
Talmud; it is not countenanced by St. Jerome's "a solitudine
montium" (from the desert of the mountains), v. 8. "For 'tis
God is the Judge," the issues of the war are determined by Him,
PSALM 75 (76)
3d
who awards victory, or defeat, v. 9. "Cup," cf. Jerem. xxv.
J5 — 33 > Hab. ii. 15, 16. God's punitive justice, as manifested
in the slaughter of Sennacherib's host, and a warning to the
faithless in Israel — "All the wicked of the land" " Mixture,"
the herbs and other ingredients put into the wine to increase its
intoxicating, stupefying power. The contradiction between the
"cup of pure wine" and "mixture" is thus seen to be apparent
only. " Ex hoc in hoc " is, as Thalhofer observes, an unintelligent
rendering of LXX., " cup " in Greek being neuter. St. Augustine,
" ex hoc [calice] in hunc, [calicem]," meaning that God has often
poured out of His large cup a portion of the wine of His wrath
("from one cup into another"), and given it to drink to nations
that provoked His anger. For all that, the cup is not empty ;
" its dregs " (the bitterest part) still remain to be drained off, to
be drunk up by you sinners, v. 9. Symmachus, "Yet the dregs
thereof shall all the vile-ones of the land squeeze out and drink
up." v. 10. " Declare," viz., the praises, the wonders of God.
PSALM 75 {76).
1. For the Chief-Musician
on stringed-instruments : a
Psalm to Asaph ; a Song.
2. In Yehudah God is
known : In Is'rael great is
His Name.
3. In Shalem also is His
tabernacle : And His dwel-
ling-place in Tsiyyon.
4. There broke-He the
flaming-bolts of the bow.
The shield, and the sword,
and the battle. Selah.
5. Bright art THOU [and]
glorious from the mountains
of spoil :
PSALM 75 (76).
among
1. For the end
the Hymns, a Psalm of
Asaph ; a Song [against the
Assyrians].
2. God is known in Juda :
In Israel great is His Name.
3. And His place is in
peace : And His abode is
in Sion.
4. There broke - He the
powers of the bow : The
shield, and the sword, and
[the weapons of] war.
5. Thou shinest-forth
wondrously from the ever-
lasting mountains :
302
PSALM 75 (76).
6. The stout of heart are-
become-a-spoil, they-have-
slept their sleep : And n<>ne
of the men of might found
their hands.
7. At Thy rebuke, O God
of Jacob ; Both chariot and
horse are-overvvhelmed-w ith-
sleep.
8. THOU! Terrible art
Thou, And who can-stand
before Thee from the time
of Thy wrath ?
9. From heaven Thou-
madest - heard judgment :
Earth feared, and was-still,
10. When God arose to
judgment, To save all the
meek of the earth. Selah.
1 1. For the wrath of man
must-show-forth-Thy-praise:
Let [even] a remnant gird
itself with wrath (or, With
the remnant of wrath Thou-
girdest-Thyself).
12. Vow-ye, and pay-ye
to YrtHW^H your God:
Let all round-about Him
bring a present to the
Terrible-One —
13. He-cuts-off the spirit
of princes : He is terrible
to the kings of the earth.
6. The befooled in heart
have-been-bewildered ; they-
have-slept their sleep : And
all the men of wealth have-
found nought in their hands.
7. At Thy rebuke, O God
of Jacob : The riders on
horses have-slumbered.
8. Thou art terrible, And
who can-withstand Thee, at
the time of Thine anger?
9. From heaven Thou
madest heard judgment :
Earth trembled, and was-
still,
10. When God arose to
judgment, To save all the
meek of the earth.
11. For the inward-
thought of man must-
confess Thee : And the
remnants of the inward-
thought shall-keep a feast
to Thee.
12. Vow-ye, and pay-ye
to the Lord your God : All
ye that are round about
Him bring presents to the
Terrible-One,
13. And to Him who takes
away the spirit of princes :
To the Terrible - One to
the kings of the earth.
PSALM 75 (76). 303
This Psalm is a thanksgiving for a signal victory wrought
exclusively by the direct intervention of Divine Providence. No
other occasion befits the language of this paean of victory so well
as the overthrow of the Assyrian invaders, 185,000 of whom were
slain in one night ; no other deliverance of the many recorded
in the annals of Israel was so signal. The addition to the Title
by the LXX. may well be understood to refer to this event. The
tradition to which it witnesses is favoured by Rashi, and by most
modern commentators. The structure of the Psalm is regular ; it
is made up of four strophes, each consisting of three verses.
(1) vv. 2 — 4. Jerusalem, Sion, the dwelling-place of God, the
centre whence His might is made manifest. (2) vv. 5 — 7. The
sudden and utter destruction of the formidable hosts. (3) vv.
8 — 10. This manifestation of power is also a judgment, and a
warning to mankind. (4) vv. 11 — 13. This recent manifestation
of might and of justice should inspire godly fear and grateful
acknowledgment.
v. 2. " In Israel " befits the traditional assignment of the
Psalm to the miraculous overthrow of Sennacherib. Some
twenty years before his invasion, Israel and Juda were re-united
(cf. 2 Paral. (Chron.) xxx. 5). In this and in vv. 3, 4, special
stress is laid on the locality where " the arm of God has been
revealed." v. 3. "Salem," in text (o'SMlem, read by LXX. as
equivalent to Vshalom = in peace) ; the mention of " Sion " shows
that one place only is here indicated, viz., Jerusalem, as under-
stood by Targum and by the Rabbis. " Tabernacle," in text stik
(which = " lair ") ; if thus understood, the poet likens God to a
lion crouching in his lair, ready to spring upon the plunderers.
Cf. Ps. ciii. (104) 22; Jer. xxv. 38. v. 4. "There" (///.,
"thither"); cf. Ps. xlv. (46) 10. The poet was probably at a
distance from the scene of the event he celebrates. " Flaming
bolts,"///., "live-coals of the bow," the glittering arrow-heads in
their rapid flight; "the lightnings of the bow." "Battle," the
men, their weapons, and camp, all that appertains to war. v. 5.
As lightning Thou didst gloriously swoop down upon (or, return
from the mountain-camp of the spoilers). St. Jerome, " Mountains
of Captivity," Theodotion, "fruitful mountains" (tercpli, "a
fruitful branch," Ezech. xvii. 9). " Everlasting mountains " of
304 psalm 75 (76).
LXX. ; it is difficult to say whether or no they read terem or
mitterem ( = from or before the beginning), instead of tereph
("spoil," "prey"). "Mountains," perhaps those surrounding the
Pass of Beth-Horon, north-west of the city, identified by the Rabbis
and by other authorities as the scene of Sennacherib's discom-
fiture, cf. Isai. xiv. 25. The angel (God's agent and representa-
tive) is regarded as returning from the hostile camp, laden with
spoil, v. 6. Instead of " stout of heart," LXX. renders " foolish-
ones in heart," on account of their foolhardy attempt to plunder
the city of God. " Become a spoil," "let themselves be plundered."
LXX., "troubled," " disheartened," considering the effect of the
Divine visitation on the morale of the survivors. " Men of
might" (chayil'm text, meaning "strength of body," or "of mind,"
"army," "wealth"). LXX. have taken it in the last sense, with
reference to their expectation of sacking Jerusalem, which was so
signally baffled. " Hands," physical strength, " bewildered help-
lessness." Cf. " his hand was short," " his hands were weak,"
they were paralyzed at the time of visitation, bewildered, v. 7.
"Chariot and horse;" so too St. Jerome; but LXX. (not without
good reason), " the riders on horses." " Overwhelmed with sleep,"
lit., "fell astounded," "became senseless." v. 8. "Ex tunc ira
tua " (so Vulgate and St. Jerome), as Thalhofer observes, " a
slavishly literal rendering of the text " (" from then Thy wrath ").
LXX., <i7ro t>}s opyrjt; <tov, apo tees orgees sou (because of Thy
wrath). "When once Thou art angry," "When Thy wrath [is
enkindled] ; " ///., " From the time of Thy wrath." v. 10. " Still,"
either the earth, the land of Chanaan enjoyed peace, after the
rout of the invaders, or the worldly powers sank into the stillness
of death, at one word of the Lord; cf. Hab\ ii. 20. v. n.
Rendered by Mendelssohn, " For the fury of man must confess
Thee, [even though] a remnant gird itself with fury." St. Jerome,
" For the anger of man shall confess to Thee {confitebitur libi) :
With the remnants of anger shalt Thou be girded {reliquiis irce.
accingeris)." Jansen, quoted by Thalhofer, attempts a reconcilia-
tion of LXX. with the text. 'EvOdfuov, enthymion (in Vulgate
vaguely rendered "thought"), is, to his mind, a something
exciting the 6v/jlo<;, thymos ( = the temper). The Vulgate may
mean "a fell purpose," such as the Assyrians had against God,
psalm 76 (77). 305
i.e., His chosen people. Their complete overthrow, by a miracu-
lous manifestation of Divine power, has resulted in making their
purpose conduce to His glory. This purpose is still entertained
by the survivors of the Assyrian host ("the remnants of the
thought "), but the poet predicts that this too will conduce to
God's praise, or (perhaps) the " remnant " will be converted to
God (" shall-celebrate-a festive-day to Thee "). The LXX. read
t-ch-g-k, instead of t-ch-g-r of the text, or, maybe, t-ch-g-l-k (shall-
keep-feast-to Thee), v. 12. "All round about;" in the first
hemistich, the Jews are called upon to show their gratitude ; " all
round about," probably the neighbouring heathen tribes, who are
to bring gifts in token of homage. " Terrible-One," ///., "Fear,"
object of religious awe, reverence. " Bring presents ; " LXX.,
"they shall bring," whence in old Psalters offerent, adferent,
Future to be taken as Optative ; St. Jerome, " offerent " (shall
offer), v. 13. "Cuts off" = " prunes away," like a vine-dresser ;
cf. Isai. xviii. 5. So too Targum and Aben Ezra.
PSALM 76 (77). PSALM 76 (77).
1. For the Chief-Musician 1. For the end, for Idi-
on Yeduthun ; to Asaph, a thun, a Psalm of Asaph.
Psalm.
2. My voice [is lifted up] 2. I-cried-aloud with my
to God, and I -cry-aloud : voice to the Lord : With my
My voice to God, and He- voice to God, and He-gave-
will-give-ear to me (or, O do- heed to me.
Thou-hearken to me !).
3. In the day of my 3. In the day of my dis-
distress I-sought 'Adonay ; tress I-earnestly-sought God,
My hand was-stretched-out with my hands by-night
in-the-night incessantly : My before Him: And I was not
soul refused to-bc-comfortcd. deceived. My soul refused
to-be-comforted.
4. I -remember God, and 4. I-remembered God and
am-troubled : I -meditate, my rejoiced: I -pondered, and
spirit languishes. Selah. my spirit fainted.
U
306
PSALM 76 (77).
5. Thou-hast-held mine
eyelids: I -am -stricken so
that I-cannot-speak.
6. I-consider the days of
old : the years of bygone-
times.
7. I-will-give-my-mind to
my song, in the night : With
mine own heart will-I-com-
mune, While my spirit
makes-diligent-search.
8. Will 'Adonay cast-off
for ever? And will He be
favourable no more?
9. Has His loving good-
ness ceased for ever ? Does
His promise fail to genera-
tion and generation ?
10. Has God forgotten to-
be-gracious? Has He in
anger shut up His com-
passions ? Selah.
n. Then I-said, This is
my grief: The change of the
right-hand of "El'yon.
12. I-vvill - make - mention
of the deeds of YaH : For
I - will - call - to - mind Thy
wonders of old ;
13. And I-will-meditate
on all Thy work : And on
Thy doings will-I-muse.
14. O God, in holiness
(i.e., holy) is Thy way : Who
is a great God like to God ?
15. Thou, O God, dost
5. Mine eyes are-awake-
before the watches : I-was
troubled so that I-could-not
speak.
6. I-thought on the days
of old : And called-to-mind
years long-since-gone-by.
7. I-communed with mine
own heart by-night, And I-
pondered, and thoroughly-
searched my spirit [saying] :
8. Will God cast-off for
ever ? Or will He-be-well-
pleased no more?
9. Or will - He -cut -off
His mercy for ever : From
generation to generation ?
10. Has God forgotten to
pity ? Or will-He-shut-up
in His anger His tender-
mercies ?
1 1. And I - said : Now
have-I-begun : This is the
change of the right-hand of
the Most-High.
12. I - remembered the
works of the Lord : For I-
will - call - to - mind Thy
wonders from the beginning;
13. I-will-meditate also
on all Thy works : And
consider Thy doings.
14. O God, Thy way is
holy : Who is a great God
like our God ?
15. Tiiou art the God
psalm 76 (jy).
307
wonders : Thou-hast-made-
knovvn Thy might among
the peoples.
16. Thou-hast by Thine
arm redeemed Thy people :
The sons of Ya"aqobh and
Yoseph. [Selah.]
17. The waters saw Thee,
O God, the waters saw Thee,
they - were - in - travai 1 : The
depths also trembled.
18. The clouds
poured-out in water
skies uttered a sound
Thine arrows (i.e.,
nings) went-abroad.
19. The voice of Thy
thunder was with a whirl-
wind ; The lightnings gave-
shine to the world : The earth
trembled and quaked.
20. In the sea was Thy
way, And Thy paths in the
mighty waters : And Thy
footsteps were not known.
21. Thou - leddest Thy
people like a flock : By the
hand of Mosheh and 'Aharon.
were-
The
Yea,
light-
that dost wonders : Thou-
hast-made known Thy might
among the peoples ;
16. Thou-hast by Thine
arm redeemed Thy people :
The sons of Jacob and
Joseph.
17. The waters saw Thee,
O God, the waters saw Thee,
and were-afraid : The depths
also were-troubled.
18. Mighty was the roar
of the waters ; The clouds
uttered a sound : For Thine
arrows went-abroad :
19. The voice of Thy
thunder was with a rolling-
noise ; Thy lightnings gave-
shine to the world : Earth
trembled and quaked.
20. Thy way was in the
sea, And Thy paths in great
waters : And Thy footsteps
cannot-be-known.
21. Thou-didst-guide Thy
people as sheep : By the
hand of Moses and Aaron.
The poet — an Asaphide according to the inscription — bewails
both his own and some great national calamity ; impossible now
to determine the exact reference. The Psalm falls into two main
divisions: Part I. (vv. 2 — 10) consists of strophes of three
verses ; Selah at vv. 4 and 10 marks the closing verse of the first
and third strophe. Part II. (vv. 11 — 21) is divided into three
strophes, the first two (11 — 13, 14 — 16) consisting of three verses
each; the third consists of five verses (vv. 17 — 21). The close con-
nection of this Psalm with Hab. iii., the coincidences of thought
3o8 psalm 76 (yy\
and diction between Hab. iii. 10 — 15 and vv. 17 — 21 of this
Psalm favour, to some extent, its assignment to a date earlier
than the Captivity.
v. 2 might be construed as Optative, " And He gave ear,"
perhaps, more literally, " and do Thou give ear" "do Thou hearken"
&c. v. 3. " My hand ; " text {literally), " My hand was-poured-
out (niggrdh) in the night." Symmachus, with most moderns,
" My hand was stretched out," viz., in prayer. To avoid a con-
fusion of metaphor, Targum for "hand" substitutes "mine eye,"
as in Lam. iii. 49. The Rabbinical commentators (e.g., Rashi,
Qimchi) take it to mean the blow, or wound inflicted by the
hand, causing a running sore. Aben Ezra, the bodily strength
symbolized by the hand, cf. Ps. lxxv. (76) 6. LXX. for niggrdh
read negdd. Vulgate, " contra " = " coram eo " (before Him).
Syriac, " His hand chastised me in the night " (Syriac, naged, he
scourged). " Incessantly," ///., " and will not cease," better taken
as an adverbial clause, " without intermission." v. 4. The contrast
between the past wondrous deliverances and the seeming abandon-
ment of the present, aggravates his sorrow. LXX., " I rejoiced,"
the verb in text, by St. Jerome rendered conturbabar ( - 1 was
troubled, disquieted), means any utterance expressive of emotion ;
LXX. have taken it to mean joy. " Meditate " = give utterance
to my sad musings, " complain." " Spirit fails, faints," languishes,
v. 5. "Eyelids," ///., "watchers, guards of mine eyes," so that I
could not close them in sleep ; so Targum, Aquila, Theodotion,
Aben Ezra. LXX., " All mine enemies have anticipated the
night-watches" (so Cod. Vatican.). Codd. Complut. and Aldine,
" Mine eyes have," &c, whence Vulgate here, as in Ps. cxviii. (119)
148, " Mine eyes have anticipated the night-watches." St. Jerome,
" Prohibebam suspectum oculorum meorum " ( = " I kept mine
eyes from looking up," viz., to heaven [?]). " I am so agitated
that I cannot speak." Briefly, " My grief deprives me of sleep
and of coherent utterance." v. 7. "Song" sung to a stringed
instrument. In sleepless nights he will give his mind to the
composition of this Psalm, the main object whereof is to search
out the causes of the present misery. Or, he will rehearse his
hymn of praise for bygone mercies. "Make-diligent-search;"
LXX., " I dug up," " turned over " (io-xaWov, eskallon) " my
PSALM j6 (77). 309
spirit." St. Jerome, with Vulgate, " I swept my spirit." Roman
Psalter, " I sifted " (yentilabam), in order to discover what might
revive his confidence, vv. 8 — 10. Gloom, discouragement. "Cast
off;" primary meaning, "loathe," "cast off with disgust." v. 10.
"Shut up " = contract, stint; cf. Hab. iii. 2. v. 11. Gesenius,
" This has made me sick." We are in the dark here, as challothi
(as rendered by Gesenius) is variously rendered " sickness,"
" grief," " supplication," " consolation," " weakness " = (St. Jerome,
imbecillitas), and sh'noth may mean "years of," or "change,"
"changing of." Targum gives alternative renderings, (1) "My
sickness is, the strength of the. right hand of the Most High is
changed ;" (2) "This is my prayer, that the years of the end
should come from the right hand of the Most High." These two
renderings are combined by Mendelssohn, " It is mine to pray, to
change is in the power of the Most High." If " consolation " be
preferred, it will mean, " My consolation is the memory of the
wonders wrought by God in His people's behalf" (i.e., the wonders
he relates in the following verses), "in years gone by." Sym-
machus, "My sickness." Theodotion, "My pangs" (wSTvt?,
odines). A change of but one letter in the text, not to mention
a very slight modification of the vowel-points, would fully justify
the rendering of LXX. and Vulgate, v. 13. "Thy work" (cf.
Hab. iii. 2, "Thy work"), in Singular as is "wonders" in vv.
12, 15. v. 16. "Joseph," father of Ephraim, representing the
northern kingdom. He also preserved their lives from famine,
vv. 17 — 21. Cf. Hab. iii. 10, n, 15. The mode of the "re-
demption." vv. 18, 19 supply valuable incidental additions to
the history in Exodus, v. 17. "Waters in-travail," so too "the
mountains " (Hab. iii. 10, where the verb suits better the throes
of the earthquake), v. 18. "Arrows," as in Hab. iii. n, lightning
flashes, but by Qimchi, "hailstones." v. 19. "Whirlwind;" text,
gal'gal {bagalgal, in the wheel), taken to mean "sphere" by
Aben Ezra, hence Qimchi, "the sky," "the heaven;" or, with
"the rolling noise" of a rapidly-driven chariot, v. 20. The paths
by which they were led were covered by the waters ; no trace
thereof is discoverable, v. 21. The seemingly abrupt close of
the Psalm has led some to think that it was left unfinished.
,10
psalm 77 (78).
PSALM 77 (78).
1. A Mas'kil to Asaph ;
Give-ear, my people, to my
teaching : Incline your ears
to the words of my mouth.
2. I-will-open my mouth
in a parable : I-vvill-utter
dark-sayings of old-time,
3. [Things] which we-have-
heard and known : And our
fathers have-declared to us,
4. Let us not hide them
from their sons : Telling
(i.e., but tell) to the genera-
tion to come the praises of
YaHW*H : and His might,
and the wondrous - works
which He-has-done.
5. For He-set-up a testi-
mony in Ya"aqobh, And
appointed a law in Israel,
Which He-commanded our
fathers to make- known to
their children ;
6. In order that the follow-
ing generation might-know
[them], the children [who]
should-be-born: Should rise-
up, and tell [them] to their
children ;
7. That they - might - set
their hope in God, And not
forget the doings of God :
But keep His command-
ments,
PSALM 77 (78).
1. Instruction by Asaph.
Give-heed, my people, to my
law : Incline your ear to the
words of my mouth.
2. I-will-open my mouth
in parables: I -will- utter
sayings [hidden] from the
beginning.
3. All which we-have-
heard and known : And our
fathers have-told us,
4. They are not hid from
their children, in a following
generation ; [The fathers]
declaring the praises of the
Lord, and His mighty-deeds,
and the wonders which He-
has-done.
5. For He raised up a
testimony in Jacob, And
appointed a law in Israel,
Which He-commanded our
fathers to make known to
their children ;
6. That the next genera-
tion might-know ; The sons
to-be - born : That they-
should-arisc and tell [them]
to their children :
7. That they-might-put
their trust in God, And not
forget the doings of God :
But search into His com-
mandments :
PSALM J7 (78).
311
8. And might not be as
their fathers, A generation
refractory and rebellious : A
generation [that] prepared
not its heart : Nor was its
spirit steadfast with God.
9. The children of 'Eph'-
raim armed [and] shooting
with the bow : Turned-
back in the day of battle.
10. They-kept not the
covenant of God : And in
His Law they- refused to
walk ;
11. And forgot His doings:
And His wondrous-works
which He-had-shown them.
12. In the sight of their
fathers He-did wonders : In
the land of Mits'raim, the
field of Tso"an.
13. He-clave the sea, and
made-them-pass-over : And
made waters to stand as a
heap.
14. And He-led them
with a cloud by day : And
all the night with a light
of fire.
15. He-clave rocks in the
desert : And gave-[them]
drink abundantly as [from]
the depths.
16. He-brought streams
also out of [the] cliff; And
made waters run-down like
rivers.
8. And might not be as
their fathers, A perverse and
provoking generation ; A
generation that set not its
heart aright : Nor was its
spirit to-be-depended-upon
by God.
9. The children of Eph-
rai'm bending and shooting
with the bow. Turned-back
in the day of battle.
10. They-kept not the
testament of God : And
would not walk in His Law,
11. And forgot His bene-
fits : And His miracleswhich
He-had-shown them.
12. Before their fathers
He-did wonders : In the
land of Egypt, in the plain
of Tanis.
13. He-clave the sea, and
led them through : And made
the waters to stand as in a
bottle.
14. And He-guided them
with a cloud by day : And
all the night with the light
of fire.
15. And He-clave a rock
in the desert : And made-
them-drink as in a great
deep.
16. And He-brought water
out of the rock : And caused
waters to run - down like
rivers.
312
PSALM 77 (78).
17. Yet went-they-on still
to sin against Him: To pro-
voke "El'yon in the dry-
land.
18. And they - tempted
God in their heart : By
asking food for their greed.
19. Yea, they - spoke
against God ; They - said,
" Can God lay a table in the
desert ?
20. " Lo, He-smote [the]
rock, that waters gushed-
out, And streams over-
flowed ; Can-He give bread
also ? Can - He - provide
flesh for His people?"
21. Therefore, YaHWeU
heard, and was-wroth ; And
a fire was-kindled in Jacob ;
And anger also went-up
against Israel ;
22. Because they-believed
not in God : and trusted not
in His salvation.
23. Then He-commanded
the clouds above : And
opened the doors of the
heavens ;
24. And He-rained upon
them manna to eat ; And
the corn of the heavens gave-
Hc to them.
25. The bread of angels
did man eat : He-sent them
food to the full.
17. Yet they - continued
still to-sin against Him :
They - provoked the Most
High in the waterless-land.
18. And they - tempted
God in their hearts : In that
they - asked food for their
lusts. (Exod. xvi. 3, foil. ;
Numb. xi. 4, foil.).
19. And they - spoke
against God ; They - said,
" Will God be able to pre-
pare a table in the desert ?
20. " He, indeed, smote the
rock, and waters flowed, And
torrents overflowed ; But
can-He give bread also ? Or
can- He lay a table for His
people? "
21. Therefore the Lord
heard [this] and cast them
off: And a fire was-kindled
in Jacob ; And anger went-
up against Israel ;
22. Because they-believed
not in God : And trusted
not in His salvation.
23. Yet He - commanded
the clouds from above : And
opened the doors of heaven :
24. And He-rained upon
them manna to eat : And
gave them the bread of
heaven.
25. Bread of angels did
man eat: He -sent them
sustenance to the full.
PSALM 77l(7%\
313
26. He made an east-wind
traverse the heavens : And
by His power brought-along
the south-wind ;
27. And He-rained flesh
upon them as dust : And
fowl of wing as the sand of
the seas ;
28. And He-let-it-fall in
the midst of their camp :
Around their dwellings.
29. So they-ate and were
well sated : And He-brought
to them their desire.
30. They were not es-
tranged from their desire :
Their food was yet in their
mouths ;
31. When the anger of
God went-up against them,
And slew among their
healthy-men : And struck-
down the picked-men of
Israel.
32. For all this, they-
sinned still : And believed
not in His wondrous-works.
33. Therefore, He made
their days vanish in a
breath : And their years in
sudden-haste.
34. When He-slew them,
then they-sought-after Him :
Yea, they - returned and
sought God earnestly.
35. And they - remem-
bered that God was their
26. He-removed the south-
wind from heaven : And by
His power He-brought- in
the south-west-wind.
27. And He-rained upon
them flesh like as dust : And
winged fowl as the sand of
the sea.
28. And they-fell in the
midst of their camp : Round
about their tents.
29. So they-did-eat, and
were fully sated : And He-
supplied their desire.
30. They were not dis-
appointed of their desire :
While their food was yet in
their mouth,
3 1 . Then the anger of God
rose-up against them : And
slew the fattest of them :
And prostrated the picked-
men of Israel.
32. In the midst of all
this, they-sinned still : And
believed not in His won-
drous-works.
33. Therefore were their
days consumed in vanity :
And their years in sudden-
haste.
34. When He-slew them,
they - sought Him : Then
they - returned, and came
betimes to Him.
35. And they-remembered
that God is their helper :
314
PSALM 77 (78).
Rock : And 'El "El'yon their
Redeemer. [" Half the
Book," i.e., middle verse of
Psalter.]
36. But they-deluded Him
with their mouth : And lied
to Him with their tongue ;
37. For their heart was
not steadfast with Him :
Nor were - they - faithful in
His covenant.
38. But He, the Com-
passionate, covers iniquity
and destroys not ; Yea,
often turned-He His anger
away : And stirred not up
all His wrath.
39. And He-remembered
that they were [but] flesh :
A wind that-passes-by, and
comes not again.
40. How often did-they-
provoke Him in the desert :
Did-they-grieve Him in the
waste !
41. Yea, again and again
they - tempted God : And
afflicted the Holy-One of
Israel.
42. They-remembered not
His hand : [Nor] the day
when He - redeemed them
from the adversary.
43. How He-had-set His
signs in Mits'raim : And
His wonders in the field
of Tso"an,
And God, the Most High
their Redeemer.
36. But they-loved Him
with their mouth : And lied
to Him with their tongue.
37. But their heart was
not right with Him : Nor
did they show themselves
faithful in His covenant.
38. But He is compas-
sionate, and condones [their]
iniquity, and destroys [them]
not ; And many - a - time
turned His anger away :
And kindled not all His
wrath.
39. And He-remembered
that they- are [but] flesh : A
passing wind that-returns
not.
40. How-often did-they-
provoke Him in the desert :
Anger Him in the dry land ;
41. Yea, again and again
they - tempted God : And
provoked the Holy-One of
Israel.
42. They-remembered not
His hand: The day in which
He- redeemed them from the
hand of the oppressor.
43. How He-set His signs
in Egypt : And His portents
in the plain of Tanis,
PSALM J7 (78).
315
44. And turned their
rivers into blood : So that
of their streams they could
not drink.
45. He-sent among them
the gad-fly which devoured
them : And the frog which
wrought-them-ruin.
46. He - gave also their
produce to the cricket :
And their labour to the
locust.
47. He-killed their vines
with hail : And their
sycamores with frost {or,
huge hail-stones) :
48. And He - gave-over
their cattle to the hail :
And their flocks to the
lightning-flames.
49. And He-let-loose upon
them the burning of His
anger, wrath, indignation,
and affliction : A sending-
forth of messengers of woes
{or, A band of angels of
evil).
50. He-levelled a way for
His anger, He - spared not
their soul from death : But
delivered-over their lives to
the pestilence ;
5 1 . And smote every first-
born in Mits'raim : The
firstlings of manly-strength
in the tents of Cham.
44. And turned their
rivers into blood : And
their showers, that they
should not drink. (Exod.
vii. 19.)
45. He-sent against them
the dog-fly, and it-devoured
them : And the frog, and
it-destroyed them. (Exod.
viii. 24 ; v. 6.)
46. And He-gave their
produce to the mildew :
And their labours to the
locust. (Exod. x. 13, foil.)
47. He-killed their vines
with hail ; And their
mulberry-trees with frost.
48. And He - gave - over
their cattle to the hail : And
their main-property to the
fire.
49. And He - let - loose
upon them the fury of His
anger, wrath and indigna-
tion, and affliction : A
sending-forth of evil angels.
50. He-prepared a way
for His anger, He -spared
not their souls from death :
But delivered - over their
cattle to death ;
51. And smote every first-
born in the land of Egypt :
The first-fruits of all their
travail in the tents of Cham.
3i6
PSALM 77 (78).
52. But He-led-forth His
people like sheep : And
guided them in the desert
like a flock.
53. And He - led them
safely, so that they-feared
not : But as for their ene-
mies, the sea covered [them].
54. And He-brought them
to His holy border. To yon
mountain His right hand
had-acquired.
55. He-drove-out also the
nations before them, And
made - them - fall [as] an
inheritance by line : And
made the tribes of Israel
dwell in their tents.
56. But they-tempted and
provoked 'Elohim "El'yon :
and His testimonies they-
kept not ;
57. But turned-back and
broke-covenant, like their
fathers : They-were-turned-
aside like a deceitful bow.
58. For they - provoked
Him with their high-places:
And moved Him to jealousy
with their graven-things.
59. God heard [this] and
was-wroth : And greatly
abhorred Israel ;
52. But He-removed His
people like sheep : And
guided them in the desert
like a flock.
53. And He-guided them
safely, so that they-feared
not : But the sea covered
their enemies.
54. And He-brought them
into the mountain of His
sanctuary : This mountain
which His right hand had-
acquired. He-cast-out also
the nations from before
them : And divided the land
among them by a measuring-
line of allotment.
55. And made the tribes
of Israel to dwell in their
tents.
56. But they-tempted and
provoked the Most -High
God : And His testimonies
they-kept not.
57. But turned-back and
broke covenant, like their
fathers : And became like
a crooked bow ;
58. For they - angered
Him with their high-places :
And moved Him to jealousy
with their graven-things.
59. God heard [this] and
scorned [them] ; And greatly
despised Israel ;
psalm yy (y8).
3i7
60. And forsook the
Tabernacle of Shilo : The
tent He-had-pitched among
men ;
61. And gave His strength
into captivity : And His
glory into the adversary's
hand.
62. Yea, He - gave - over
His people to the sword :
And was-wroth with His
inheritance.
63. Its young-men fire
devoured : And its maidens
were not praised in the
marriage-song.
64. Its priests fell by the
sword : And its [their]
widows made no lamenta-
tion.
65. Then 'Adonay awoke,
as one out of sleep : like a
warrior exulting by reason
of wine ;
66. And He -smote His
adversaries in the hinder-
part : He-put them to a
perpetual reproach.
6y. He - rejected, more-
over, the tent of Yoseph :
And chose not the tribe of
'Eph'raim ;
68. But chose the tribe
of Yehudhah : Mount Tsiy-
yon which He-loved.
69. And He - built His
60. And rejected the
Tabernacle of Silo : His
tent where He dwelt among
men ;
61. And He - gave their
strength into captivity : And
their beauty into the enemy's
hands. (1 Kings (Sam.) iv.
11.)
62. He - gave - over also
His people to the sword :
And spurned His inherit-
ance.
63. Fire devoured their
young men : And their
maidens were not mourned
for.
64. Their priests fell by
the sword : And their
widows were not wept for.
65. Then the Lord awoke,
as one out of sleep : Like
a mighty-man overcome by
wine; (heated, excited by
wine).
66. And He - smote His
enemies in the hinder-parts :
He-put them to a perpetual
reproach.
6y. He - rejected, more-
over, the tent of Joseph :
And chose not the tribe
of Ephrai'm ;
68. But chose the tribe of
Juda : Mount Sion, which
He-loved.
69. And He - built His
318 psalm 77 (78).
sanctuary like the heights : sanctuary like [the horn] of
Like the earth He-has- the unicorns : In the land
founded for ever. which He-founded for ever.
70. And He-chose David 70. And He-chose David
His servant : And took him His servant ; And took him
from the sheep-folds ; up from the flocks of sheep :
From following the teeming-
ewes took-He him,
71. From following the 71. To tend Jacob His
milch-ewes took - He him, servant : And Israel His
To tend Jacob His people : inheritance.
And Israel His inheritance.
72. So he - tended them 72. So he-tended them in
in the integrity of his heart: the innocency of his heart :
And with the deftness of his And with the deftness of
hands he-guided them. his hands he-guided them.
The main purpose of this Psalm is fully set forth in vv. 1 — 8.
If, with Thalhofer, we assign it to David's reign, the Asaph of the
Title is probably his cotemporary, " Asaph, the Seer." But v. 9
mentions as the starting-point of the poem, a signal defeat of the
northern kingdom, in all likelihood that recorded in 2 Paral.
(Chron.) xiii., so it may reasonably be referred to a time when
the secession and the civil war were still fresh in men's minds,
say about the time of Asa, King of Juda. Had the Psalm been
written at a later period, e.g., in the days of Esdras, or of the
Machabees, as some contend, the poet would surely not have
stopped short at the establishment of the Davidic dynasty, and,
as may be inferred from v. 69, at the building of the Temple, nor
have omitted the warning conveyed by more recent events.
Whatever the date, the poet recalls the past as a lesson for the
present against the separatist tendencies of the northern tribes,
which were rife at David's accession (cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) ii, — iv.),
and even after the suppression of Absalom's rebellion (2 Kings
(Sam.) xx.), and, under Roboam, culminated in the secession of
the ten tribes, a religious schism, and, finally, in civil war. To
Ephraim the birthright of Reuben had been transferred (cf. Gen.
xlviii. 17, foil.; xlix. 3, 4, 22 ; 1 Chron. v. 1, 2), and under the
PSALM 77 (?8). 319
Judges it was the leading tribe, and hence could ill brook the
transference of the religious and political pre-eminence to Juda.
The poet vindicates this change from the charge of usurpation by
showing that it was a Divine appointment, necessitated, so to
speak, by the highest interests of the chosen nation, so frequently
imperilled by the overweening pride and by the idolatrous
tendencies of Ephraim. Rapidly sketching the main features of
the national history, the poet bids his countrymen ponder its
lessons, and acknowledge God's hand in David's promotion, and
in the hegemony of Juda.
v. 1. "Law," in text torak, bearing here, as frequently in
Proverbs, the sense of "teaching," "instruction." v. 2. "A
parable," a truth conveyed in a weighty, sententious form. History,
that of Israel especially, presents lessons and warnings to be
elicited by reflection and comparison (cf. irapafiaWeiv, paraballehi,
to set side by side, to compare). "Dark-sayings;" St. Jerome,
" enigmas," truths clothed in metaphors. This verse is quoted in
St. Matt. xiii. 35 as illustrating the Christ's method of teaching.
" Utter," ///., as also in St. Matt. loc. cit., " I will gush forth
with " (ipev£ojxai, ereuxomai). v. 9. " Ephraim being-equipped,"
&c. ; " Ephraim here, as so often in the prophets, stands for the
northern kingdom, whereof it was the leading tribe, especially
under the Judges. Targum, Rashi, and other Rabbis refer this to
a raid undertaken by that tribe before the Exodus, a legend
invented, perhaps, in explanation of 1 Par. (Chron.) vii. 21, 22.
The poet probably alludes to the ignominious defeat of Jeroboam
by the far inferior forces of Abias (2 Chron. xiii. 5 — 12). If this
be so, "covenant" and "law" of v. 10 are those which bind the
tribes of Israel to obey the successors of David. From the
recent punishment of their secession, the poet passes to the
lessons of the national history, vv. 12, 13. A brief mention of
the wonders in Egypt, interrupted here to be resumed at v. 43.
" Field of Tso"an" (in LXX. "Tanis"), a city near the east frontier
of Lower Egypt, on the east bank of the canal, which was formerly
the Tanitic branch of the Nile, built by the fust king of the
" shepherd " dynasty ; in Coptic, Djanee, or Djani, whence the
Greek and Hebrew name, and the Arabic san ( - " lowland,"
" netherland," so Gesenius, s.v.). It was the theatre of the
320 psalm 77 (78).
miracles of Moses, and the usual residence of Rameses II.,
identified by the Rabbis with the Pharaoh of the bondage.
" Field," "plain," may denote the district in which the city stood,
or a nome, or even a principality, as is supposed by some. v. 13.
" Heap " (so Exod. xv. 8). N'edh in text ; LXX. read nodh ( = a
leather bottle). v. 15. Rocks, tsurim, cf. Exod. xvii. 6, 7.
"Abundantly," or, " in abundance " — "as if [from] the depths,"
taking rabbdh of text as used adverbially. Targum, St. Jerome,
Aben Ezra, Qimchi, " as from great depths." Another rendering,
" He-gave-drink to the great [multitude] as from depths." v. 16.
"Cliff," in text sela", a word especially applied to the cliff, or rock,
at Qadesh ( = Cades), Numb. xx. 11. v. 17. "Went on sinning,"
" sinned yet more." The events mentioned in vv. 15, 16 occurred
after the raining down of the manna, v. 18. A refrain, so to
speak, recurring at vv. 41, 56. They formed a plan of putting
God's power to the test — " in their heart." This occurred in the
desert of Sin (cf. Exod. xvii. 3, 7; Numb. xi. 4, &c). "By
asking," ///., "to ask." vv. 19, 20. These questionings differ but
slightly from the historical record ; cf. Exod. xvi. 3, &c. ; xvii. 2,
3, 7; Num. xi. 4, &c. ; xx. 3, &c. v. 19. "Lay a table" occurs
also in Ps. xxii. (23) 5. vv. 21 — 29. The punishment of their
unbelief, v. 21. "Was wroth," lit., "poured Himself forth in
wrath," "poured forth wrath." LXX., K<xi uve/^aAeTo (anebaleto)
-distutit of Vulgate ( = And He delayed — the performance of
His promises [?] — His mercies [?] — their entrance into the
Promised Land [?]). Thalhofer renders it, " He rejected," viz.,
His people, and refers to Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 39, " Thou hast cast
off," &c. (avefiaXov k.t.X., anebalou, &c). St. Jerome, " Et non
distulit " (And He delayed not — His wrath [?]). In vv. 59
and 62 Vulgate renders the same word sprevit (He spurned).
" Fire," either a metaphor for God's fierce wrath, which suits the
parallelism ("and anger went up," &c.) better, or the poet alludes
to Numbers xi. 1 — 3, the fire that broke out at "Burning"
(Tab'erdh in text). "Anger went up," as flame, or smoke from a
furnace. The poet, as we may gather from vv. 15, 16, 20, 21,
&c, docs not tie himself down to strict chronological sequence,
but couples together similar events. The punishment of this
rebellion is presented as the effect of that preceding the sending
PSALM 77 (78). 321
down of the manna. The narrative (vv. 21 — 29) is freely borrowed
from Exod. xvi., but especially from Num. xi. v. 22. "Salvation,"
their recent deliverance from bondage, v. 23. " Doors of heaven,"
as in Gen. vii. 11; Mai. iii. 10. Hence "rained" in v. 24.
" Corn," as the manna came down in seed-like shape (cf. Exod.
xvi. 14). In Arabic this is called mann es-sema (manna of heaven),
to distinguish it from the product of the Tamarisca mannifera.
v. 25. "Bread of angels," so Wisd. xvi. 20; Targum, "food that
came down from the abode of angels ; " St. Jerome, " bread of the
strong ( = fortium)? v. 26. It is most probable, on account of the
similarity of the wording here to that of Num. xi. 31, that this
verse refers to the second supply of quails ; the first coincided
with the first sending down of the manna (cf. Exod. xvi. 13).
Literally, " He-made-to-journey [to go forth] an east wind . . .
and brought-along," &c. These two verbs recur in v. 52, in
describing God's guidance of Israel through the desert. LXX.
and St. Jerome, " He removed (abstulit) the south-east wind," the
rest as in Vulgate. The wind may either have been a south-east
from the yElanitic Gulf, or the quails migrating northwards may
have been driven by an east wind into the camp of Israel, v. 29.
"And He brought to them their lust," supplied what they had
longed for. v. 30. LXX., "They were not disappointed," Sec,
give here the negative side of the foregoing hemistich. In text,
"They were not estranged from their lust," not yet lost their
appetite, or come to the point of loathing their food: "Their
food was still in their mouth , " this and hemistich a of next verse
repeats Num. xi. 33. v. 31. That this plague was a Divine
infliction is shown by its not sparing their " fat ones," i.e., their
robust and healthy warriors, and striking down the elite, &c.
LXX., o-w€Tr68«rev, synepbdisen (He bound hand and foot, "laid
by the heels ") ; Targum, " fettered," hence " bowed down "
(St. Jerome, incurvavit), " prostrated ; " St. Augustine and several
old Psalters, cotnpedivit (same as LXX.). We have here, to all
seeming, a reminiscence of Num. xiv. 11. v. ^ " 1° a breath,"
i.e., " speedily," to agree with " sudden haste." " Vanity " (so
LXX., St. Jerome, Vulgate) is glossed by Ibn Ezra, after all their
wanderings they failed to enter the Promised Land; within thirty
years after the murmuring at Qadesh, 600,500 men died in the
322 psalm yy (7&).
desert ; cf. Ps. Ixxxix. (90) 9. vv. 34 — 39. A too faithful descrip-
tion of our dealings with God. v. 35. The middle verse of the
Psalter, according to the Masoretic computation, v. 36. " De-
luded," " deceived," by empty promises, by flattery, v. 37. As
St. Jerome has it, "their heart was not steadfast with Him ; nor
did they abide (permanserunf) in His covenant." v. 39. "A wind,"
&c, cf. Job vii. 7, 9 ; x. 21. v. 41. Lit., " And they turned back,"
Hebraism for "again and again," "repeatedly." "Vexed," ///.,
"caused Him to repent." v. 42. "[Nor] the day," so text, LXX.,
St. Jerome ; but Vulgate, " on the day." v. 43. The ten plagues
are not enumerated in historical sequence, save as regards the first
and the tenth. The third, fifth, sixth, and ninth are omitted,
v. 44. First plague. "Rivers," the Nile, with its several branches
and canals. "Showers," tanks of rain-water; cf. Exod. vii. 19.
v. 45. The fourth plague, Exod. viii. 20, &c, and the second,
Exod. viii. 1, &c. "Gad-fly," paraphrased by St. Jerome, "Every
kind of flies;" cccnomyiam of Vulgate. LXX., " a dog-fly." Aquila,
Trafxfxvlav, pammyiam ( = every kind of fly), agreeing with Rabbinical
commentators, who by "arbbh ( = gad-fly) understand miscel-
laneous swarms of insects. It is taken by some indiscriminately
for all kinds of noxious vermin. "Frog," collective Singular,
probably an Egyptian word. " Frogs " wrought ruin by defiling
everything, and by poisoning the air when dead. v. 46. " Cricket,
caterpillar;" St. Jerome, "brucho," most probably a locust not yet
winged ; in text, chasil, from its devouring everything. An exact
identification of the species is impossible, v. 47. "Vine," collective
Singular in text. "Their sycamores," in text shicfmotkam, neither
"sycamores" nor "mulberry-trees," but the Egyptian fig, the fruit
of a tree like the mulberry in size and foliage, the " fig-mulberry "
of LXX. and St. Luke xix. 4. " Frost" (in text, chandtndi), which
occurs here only; Gesenius, "ants;" perhaps, "hailstones" — a
mere guess. " Frost " is unknown in Egypt ; yet Aquila, eV Kpvei,
en kryci (icy cold). St. Jerome, "in frigore " ( = with cold).
v. 48. " He gave over ; " the verb thus translated is rendered
condusit by LXX. and Vulgate in vv. 50, 62 ; in v. 62 by
St. Jerome also (" He shut up"). " Lightning-flames," cf. Exod.
ix. 23, Fire mingled with hail. St. Jerome, strangely enough,
" And their cattle to birds " (volucribus). v. 49. " Sending-forth-
of," or " letting-loose," rendered by Gesenius, " a host, a band,"
PSALM 77 (78). 323
not necessarily of evil spirits (" messengers of ills "), but good
angels, ministers of Divine justice. Some surmise that Moses and
Aaron are here meant, as they announced and inflicted so many
plagues on the Egyptians, v. 50. " Life," in text chayyatham
( = and their life), may mean " cattle ; " so LXX. and St. Jerome,
"animantia" (animals), doubtless with reference to the destruction
of the first-bom of their flocks and herds (Exod. xi. 5). v. 51.
Lit., " beginning of strengths,'' the first-fruits of their masculine,
genital vigour, their eldest-bom, equivalent to " first-born " of
hemistich a; cf. Gen. xlix. 3; Deut. xxi. 17. "Cham," cf. Gen.
x. 6. Because peopled by the race of Mesraim, the son of Cham,
v. 54. "Holy border;" in text, gebhul ; St. Jerome, " terminum
sanctificatum suum " (His hallowed border). LXX., "mountain,"
misled, perhaps, by its affinity with the Arabic jibal (mountain),
or, as Grabe surmises, a scribe's blunder for 6'piov, horion (border).
"His holy border," i.e., into the Holy Land. "Yon mountain,"
either Sion, the transfer of the Ark thither being regarded as the
great culminating act (cf. Ps. lxvii. (68) 17), or (as better suiting
the parallelism), "this mountain-land" of Palestine, cf. Exod. xv.
J3> I7- v- 55- "Made them fall," allotted to Israel, not the
heathen, but their /and, as an inheritance measured out and par-
titioned ; cf. Num. xxxiv. 2 ; Jos. xxiii. 4. vv. 56 — 58. The
frequent relapses of Israel under the Judges, v. 57. "Deceitful
bow," which disappoints by not hitting the mark aimed at.
St. Jerome, "Sicut arcus inutilis " (as a useless bow). LXX.,
Vulgate, " they were changed into a crooked bow," mistaking h'
(as, like) for V (in, into), as is easily done. v. 59. "And was
wroth," rendered here, as in vv. 21, 62, by St. Jerome, "et non
distulit;" Vulgate (vv. 59, 62), "sprevit" (He spurned); LXX.,
somewhat freely, v-n-epuSe, hypereide ( = He slighted) ; so too in
v. 62. Hemistich 2. LXX., e^ouSeVwcre (exondenose), rendered
here in Vulgate "reduced to nought," but cf. Ps. xiv. (15) 4, "set
at nought," " utterly set at nought." St. Jerome, " projecit
vehementer Israel " (cast forth Israel with violence), v. 60,
" Shilo," " Shiloh," " Shilo " (a place of rest), a town on a mountain
to north of Bethel. The Tabernacle was there from the time of
Josue (xviii. 10 ; Judges xviii. 31), till the rout of Israel at Apheq,
when the Ark fell into the hands of the Philistines (1 Kings (Sam.)
iv. 11). It was never brought back to Silo; the Tabernacle was
324 psalm 77 (78).
removed to Nob (1 Kings (Sam.) xxi.), to the house of Obededom,
and finally transferred to Sion by David. "Pitched;" Gesenius
suggests, " the tent [in which] He caused [His Name] to dwell
among men," or, "The tent He placed among men." v. 61.
"Strength," "glory," i.e., the Ark wherein His might and majesty
were made manifest. In text and St. Jerome, "His strength,"
&c. LXX., Vulgate, " Their strength," as Israel deemed the
presence of the Ark an earnest of victory, and, as the centre of
God's self-revelation, "their beauty," "their adornment," the Ark
was a token of God's special predilection, v. 63. " Fire " of war,
as Num. xxi. 28. "Maidens mourned not," so LXX. {Cod.
Vatican.). In other copies of LXX. the passive rendering, "were
not mourned for," seems to be a correction suggested by " were
not wept for " of next verse. It is most probable that the original
reading was tirr/vW-qaav, epeenetheesan (were [not] praised), which
agrees with Targum, and is that of Symmachus and Theodotion.
Aquila, "were not hymned" (v[Mvi]Or]crav, hytnneetheesan). No
weddings, hence no " marriage-song." v. 64. " Priests," Ophni
and Phinees slain at Eben-ezer.1 " Widows " refers, perhaps, to
the wife of Phinees, who died in premature child-birth (1 Kings
(Sam.) iv. 19, 20) ; or the desolation caused by war prevented the
widows from performing the usual funeral rites (?). vv. 65, 66.
The several defeats of the Philistines, under Samuel, Saul, and
David, v. 65. Lit., "as a sleeper." He renews His mercies; cf.
1 Kings (Sam.) vii. to. v. 66. "In the hinder parts," literally;
cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) v. 6, <\x. v. 68. "Juda," perhaps a general
name for the southern kingdom. The sanctuary was on the
borders of Juda and Benjamin ; the holy place and altars stood
within the territory of one tribe, the courts of the Temple extended
beyond the borders of the other; cf. Jos. xv. 63; Judges i. 21.
v. 69. " High places " (k'mo rdmim), but LXX., Targum, Theo-
dotion, and St. Jerome, "as [the horn] of unicorns" reading retnim
( = " unicorns," rather " buffaloes "). " Lofty as heaven," stable
as the earth, "which He founded for ever." v. 71. "Ewes giving-
suck," not the sucklings. "To tend," as a shepherd, v. 72. His
government was characterized by uprightness (St. Jerome, simplici-
tate) and skill (St. Jerome, prudentia - practical wisdom).
1 'El;cn-"czcr, "stone of hull)." (i Kings (Sam.) iv. 1.)
PSALM 78 (79).
325
PSALM 78 (79).
r. A Psalm to Asaph. 0
God, the Gentiles are-
come into Thine inherit-
ance ; They-have-polluted
Thy holy Temple ; They-
have - made Yerushalaim
ruinous-heaps (or, heaps).
2. They-have-given the
corpses of Thy servants [as]
food to the fowl of the
heavens : The flesh of Thy
godly-ones to the beasts of
the earth. (1 Machab. vii. 16,
170
3. They-have-poured-out
their blood like water round-
about Jerusalem: And there-
was-none to-bury [them].
4. We-are-become a re-
proach to our neighbours :
A scorn and derision to
those-about us.
5. How long, YtfHWeH,
wilt-Thou-be-angry for ever?
Shall Thy jealousy burn like
fire?
6. Pour-out Thy fury
upon the Gentiles that
know Thee not: And on
the kingdoms that call not
upon Thy Name.
7. For they-havc-devourcd
Ya"aq6bh : And laid-waste
his pasture.
PSALM 7S (79).
1. A Psalm of Asaph.
O God, the Gentiles are-
come into Thine inherit-
ance : They-have-polluted
Thy holy Temple : They-
have - made Jerusalem a
store-house for fruit.
2. They-have-given the
corpses of Thy servants as
meat to the birds of the sky.
The flesh of Thy holy-ones
to the wild-beasts of the
earth.
3. They-have-shed their
blood like water round
about Jerusalem : And there-
was none to bury [them].
4. We-are become a re-
proach to our neighbours :
A scorn and a derision to
them that are round about
us.
5. How long, O Lord;
wilt - Thou - be - angry for
ever? Shall Thy jealousy
burn like fire ?
6. Pour-out Thy wrath
on the Gentiles that know
Thee not : And on the
kingdoms that call not upon
Thy Name.
7. For they-havc-devourcd
Jacob : And laid his place
waste.
326
PSALM 78 (79).
8. Remember not against
us the iniquities of former-
generations : Let Thy ten-
der-mercies speedily meet
us : For we are exceedingly
enfeebled.
9. Help us, O God of our
salvation, for the glory of
Thy Name : And deliver us,
and cover over our sins for
Thy Name's sake.
10. Why should the Gen-
tiles say, " Where is their
God ? " Be - there - made-
known among the Gentiles,
in our sight : Vengeance for
the blood of Thy servants
which is-shed ;
1 1. Let the sighing of the
prisoner come before Thee :
According to the greatness
of Thine arm let-remain
(i.e., keep alive) the sons of
death.
12. And render to our
neighbours sevenfold into
their bosom : Their reproach
wherewith they - have - re-
proached Thee, Adonay.
13. So we Thy people
and the sheep of Thy pas-
ture will-give-thanks to Thee
for ever, unto generation and
generation, we -will -declare
Thy praise.
8. Remember not our
former iniquities ; Let Thy
mercies speedily meet us :
For we are exceedingly
impoverished.
9. Help us, O God our
Saviour ; and for the glory
of Thy Name, O Lord, de-
liver us ; And be merciful
to our sins for Thy Name's
sake ;
10. Lest haply they
should say among the Gen-
tiles, "Where is their God?"
Be - there - made - known
among the Gentiles, in our
sight, The avenging of Thy
servants' blood, which is
shed.
11. Let the groaning of
the prisoners come-in before
Thee : According to the
greatness of Thy power pre-
serve the children of the
slain.
12. And render to our
neighbours sevenfold into
their bosom : Their reproach
w herewith they - have - re-
proached Thee, O Lord.
13. But we Thy people
and the sheep of Thy pas-
ture will give thanks to
Thee for ever. Throughout
all generations will we dc-
clare Thy praise.
PSALM 78 (79). 327
The Psalm falls into no regular strophical divisions. With
Ps. lxxiii. (74) it bewails a dire national catastrophe, involving the
ruin of Jerusalem, the massacre of its inhabitants, and the pollu-
tion of the Temple (vv. 1 — 4). Next follows a prayer for mercy,
and for vengeance on the heathen enemy (vv. 5 — 12). It closes
with a declaration of the thanksgiving which God's merciful
visitation will elicit. In diction, subject-matter, and, most
probably, by the date of its composition, this Psalm is closely
connected with Ps. lxxiii. (74). With the same deep pathos and
picturesqueness of description, both bewail the same calamity,
with this difference, however, that the former lays special stress
on the destruction of the Temple, while in this, the poet laments
the wholesale butchery which made the city run with blood.
There are but two periods in the annals of the chosen race to
which either can apply — the Babylonian conquest, and the sack
of Jerusalem at the time of the Syrian persecution. Some of the
Fathers and of the later commentators assign both Psalms to the
earlier period ; while not a few of the former deem it a prophecy
of the calamities the chosen nation were to undergo at the hands
of Antiochus Epiphanes. Failing the slightest proof that the Old
Testament canon was closed before the Machabsean era, and as
prophecy must not be taken for granted under the exigencies of a
system, it seems far more reasonable to regard it as the plaint of
a cotemporary poet mourning over the woes of his fellow-country-
men. The " prisoner " of v. n seems to point to the Captivity,
but (as may be seen in 1 Mach. i. 34) the Syrian army carried off
captives. That vv. 6, 7 are found almost word for word in Jer.
x 25, would settle the question, if we could decide whether
Jeremias, as is his wont, quotes from the Psalm, or vice versa,
whether the Psalmist borrowed from the Prophet. Far more
formidable is the objection urged by Thalhofer and others
against the later date ; vv. 2, 3 of the Psalm are quoted in
1 Mach. vii. 16, 17, as a Scripture of long standing. "According
to the word which he [the Psalmist] wrote (typaij/e, egrapse)."
The quotation, save that it confounds vv. 2, 3, agrees with the
LXX. version. It may, however, be said that the historian
believed the Psalm to have direct reference to the calamities he
describes.
328 PSALM 78 (79).
v. 1. "Heaps." St. Jerome, "in heaps of stones" (in acervis
lapidum), in fulfilment of Mich. iii. 12, in the days of Ezechias,
copied by Jer. xxvi. 18. LXX. here and in Mich. i. 6 (where the
Sing, "heap" occurs), "the shed of a garden-watcher," or "a
temporary store-house for fruits" newly gathered, v. 2. "Thy
saints," in text chasidhey-khd ( = Thy pious ones), the Assidcei of
1 Mach. vii. 13 being derived therefrom. Israel, as set apart from
the heathen mass, and in covenant with God. Cf. St. Paul passim,
who calls the faithful in general " Saints." v. 4. An all but exact
repetition of Ps. xliii. (44) 14, the difference is only in the first
word. Cf. also Ps. Ixxix. (80) 7. "Neighbours," the tribes
dwelling round about the Holy Land, the Idumaeans especially,
cf. Abdias i. 8—14. v. 5. "Like fire," cf. Deut. xxxii. 22.
vv. 6, 7, quoted with a few slight changes in Jer. x. 25, who
expands his quotation, "and consumed them." " His pasture."
By Targum and Qimchi, " His sanctuary;" St. Jerome, " decorem "
(beauty, comeliness), but decus in Jer. x. 25, where the same word
(muue-hu, his pasture) occurs. As adjective, ndweh = inhabiting,
decorous, seemly ; as noun, a seat, a dwelling (of God, of men, of
animals, a pasture, where flocks lie down, and rest), Gesenius, Lex.
Heb. s.v. v. 8. "Against us;" text, lanu ("to us," "with respect
to us"), so that we should bear the penalty. St. Jerome, "our old
(veterum) iniquities." In LXX. the unusual position of fj/xSiv,
heemon (our, of us) suggests that some blundering scribe substi-
tuted it for r//uv, heemin ( = to, for us) ; pronoun before (not after)
"iniquities." "Meet us," anticipate our hopes, and that "speedily,"
"soon," "for we are become exceedingly reduced" (attenuati,
St. Jerome). v. 9. "Cover over" (so lit.), i.e., "overlook,"
"forgive." v. 10. "Wherefore," &c, cf. Joel ii. 17 ; Psalm cxiii.
(115) 10 ( = 2). "In our sight," ///., "before our eyes." v. 11.
"Prisoner," lit., "the bound-one," " fettered," i.e., the nation in
captivity at Babylon, or those the Syrians carried off. " Let
remain," i.e., "keep alive;" Targum, "release," "let loose;"
St. Jerome, "relinque" ( = leave Thou, viz., in life); LXX.,
7r£/H7roi',/(r<u, peripoieesai. " Posside " of Vulgate is rendered by
them "save," "keep alive," Gen. xii. 12; Exod. i. 16. Codex of
Verona, St. Augustine, "recipe in adoptionem " (-adopt). "Sons
of death " = those doomed to die. In Hebrew and Hellenistic
PSALM 79 (80).
329
Greek, "son of" expresses a marked prominent trait of char-
acter, "sons of pride," "of disobedience," or subjection to the
dominion of an outer influence, " sons of sorrow," &c. rc^ava-
Taj/xeVajv, tethanatomenon, of LXX. will bear the rendering "doomed
to die," cf. Plato, Latvs, 872. v. 12. " Seven-fold," for a large
but indefinite number. Our neighbours (v. 4) have overwhelmed
us with a deluge of woes. Repay Thou them seven-fold " into
their bosom." So LXX., eh ko\ttov, eis kolpon. Roman and
Verona Psalter, in sinum, instead of in sinu of St. Jerome and
Vulgate.
PSALM 79 (80).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
unto Shoshannim "Edhuth,
to Asaph, a Psalm.
2. Shepherd of Israel, give-
ear, Who leadest Yoseph
like a flock : That sittest-on
the Kerubhim, shine-forth.
3. Before 'Eph'raim, and
Bin'yamin, and Menashsheh,
Stir-up Thy strength and
come for our salvation.
4. O God, restore us : And
cause Thy face to shine, then
shall-we-be-delivered.
5. YrtHWeH 'Elohim
Tscbhaoth : How long wilt-
Thou fume notwithstanding
Thy people's prayer ?
6. Thou-feedest them with
the bread of tears : And
givest them tears to drink
threefold.
PSALM 79 (80).
1. For the end, for those
that shall be changed, a
testimony for Asaph, a
Psalm.
2. Ruler of Israel, hearken,
Who leadest Joseph like a
sheep : That art throned
above the Cherubim, mani-
fest-Thyself
3. Before Ephraim, and
Benjamin and Man asses.
Stir-up Thy strength and
come to save us.
4. O God, restore us :
Show Thy face, then shall-
we-be-delivered.
5. O Lord God of hosts ;
How long wilt Thou be
angry with the prayer of
Thy servant?
6. Thou-feedest us with
the bread of tears : And
givest us tears to drink by-
measure,
330
PSALM 79 (80).
7. Thou-makest us a strife
to our neighbours : And our
enemies laugh among them-
selves.
8. O God of Sabaoth,
restore us : And cause Thy
face to shine, then shall \vc
be delivered.
9. Thou-broughtest a vine
out of Mits'raim ; Thou-
didst-drive out the nations,
and plant it ;
10. Thou - didst -clear [a
way] before it : And it took
deep root, and filled the land.
n. The mountains were-
covered by its shadow : And
by its branches goodly cedars
(lit., "cedars of God ").
12. It - sent - forth its
branches to the sea : And
its shoots to the River.
13. Why hast - Thou-
broken-down its fences : So
tli at all that pass by the way
pluck it?
14. The boar out of the
wood crops it : And the wild-
beast of the field grazes off
it.
15. God of hosts, turn
again, we pray Thee ; Look-
down from the heavens, and
sec : And visit this vine,
16. And the stock which
Thy right-hand has-planted :
And I look] on the scion
7. Thou-makest us a strife
to our neighbours. And our
enemies deride us.
8. O God of hosts, restore
us : Show Thy face, then
shall we be delivered.
9. Thou-didst-transplant
a vine out of Egypt : Thou
didst cast out the heathen
and plant it.
10. Thou didst prepare
a way before it : And didst
cause its roots to strike, and
it-filled the land :
11. The shadow thereof
covered the mountains : And
its boughs goodly cedars.
12. It - sent - forth its
branches to the sea : And its
shoots to the River.
13. Why hast - Thou -
broken-down its fence? So
that all that pass by the way
pluck it [?].
14. The boar out of the
wood has-ravaged it : And
the wild-beast of the waste
grazes off it.
15. God of hosts, turn, we
pray Thee ; Look - down
from heaven, and see : And
visit this vine,
16. And fully-restore that
which Thy right-hand has
planted. And [look] upon
PSALM 79 (80). 331
Thou -didst -strengthen for the son [of man] whom
Thyself. Thou - didst - strengthen for
Thyself.
17. It is burnt with fire, it 17. It is burnt with fire
is cut down : They-perish at and dug-up : At the rebuke
the rebuke of Thy counten- of Thy countenance they-
ance. shall-perish.
18. Let Thy hand be upon 18. Let Thy hand be upon
the man of Thy right-hand : the man of Thy right-hand :
Upon the son of man Thou- Upon the son of man whom
didst-strengthen for Thyself ; Thou - didst - strengthen for
Thyself;
19. So will we not go-back 19. So will we not depart
from Thee : Quicken us, and from Thee : Thou - shalt -
we-will-call-upon Thy Name, quicken us, and we-will-call-
upon Thy Name.
20. YaHWell 'Elohim 20. O Lord God of hosts,
Tsebhaoth, restore us : And restore us : Show Thy face,
cause Thy face to shine, then shall-we-be-delivered.
then shall-we-be-delivered.
It is difficult to assign a definite historical situation for this
Psalm, all that is certain is that it was composed at the time of a
great national calamity. The addition to the Title in LXX.
("concerning the Assyrian'''' - virkp tov 'Acrcrvpiov, hyper ton
Assyriou) seems to identify it with one of the Assyrian invasions.
The mention of Joseph and of the three tribes in v. 2, has led
to the supposition that it was a prayer of, or for, the tribes of
the northern kingdom, after its subversion by the Assyrians.
While by other commentators, both ancient and modern, it is
referred to the period of the Machaba^an struggle. Much may
be said for the view connecting this poem with the situation
foretold in Osee (Hosea) v. 5, &c. The recurring refrain of
vv. 4, 8, and 20, expressed with increased earnestness at each
repetition, divides the Psalm (1) into a prayer for the nation;
(2) a remonstrance; (3) the parable of the Vine.
v. 2. "Joseph," the preserver, and second forefather of the
nation, a name linked with memories and lessons of unswerving
332 psalm 79 (80).
fidelity under trial. An allusion here to Gen. xlviii. 15 ; xlix. 24,
whence the imagery of the Psalm is, for the most part, borrowed.
" On the Cherubim," or, " Who dwellest above the Cherubim,"
i.e., the indwelling of God in the Temple, and tokens of His
presence therein, signified by the Talmudic term, Shekhinah
( = Shechinah), cf. Ps. xlix. (50) 2, in the text. "Shine-forth,"
alludes to the bright cloud over the Cherubim in the Holy of
Holies, v. 3. See Num. ii. 18—24. The three tribes here
named were stationed immediately behind the Ark, i.e., to the
west of the Most Holy Place, in the march through the desert.
As in the Egyptian temples, so in the Tabernacle, and later on,
in the Temple, the inner sanctuary was at the western end. As
Thalhofer observes, the terms of this prayer (vv. 2, 3) are incom-
patible with the supposition that it was uttered during exile or
captivity, v. 5. " Fume," " smoke," so too St. Jerome ; cf.
Ps. lxxiii. (74) 1. "Why does thine anger {lit, "nostril") smoke?"
&c. " Against the prayer ; " St. Jerome, " ad orationem " (at the
prayer); St. Augustine, "in orationem" (against the prayer), v. 6.
"Tears," cf. Ps. xli. (42) 4. "Threefold [draught]," so Targum
and St. Jerome, " tripliciter." In text, shalish, meaning (1) the
third of a measure, dry or liquid (of an ephah probably, cf.
"quart"); (2) a triangle (musical instrument); (3) a soldier of
the third rank. Cf. Prov. xxii. 20; Isai. xl. 12, ffshalish. vv.
9—17. The history of Israel is set forth in a parable, which is
met with in Isaias, Jeremias, and Ezechiel ; cf. St. John xv. 1 — 6,
where it is spoken of " the Israel of God." It is hardly to be
doubted that there is a reminiscence here of the blessing of
Joseph, Gen. xlix. 22 (cf. v. 16, infra, "the son," "the bough" [?]).
v. 9. "Thou broughtest " = Thou transplantedst, "Drive out"
(cf. Ps. xliii. (44) 3). v. 10. "Clear a way;" St. Jerome, "Thou
preparedst [away] before it," by exterminating the Chanaanites ;
cf. clearing the soil of stones, &c. Cf. Isai. v. 2, " Thou madest-
room before it." " Deep root;" the text may be rendered, "Thou-
madest its root to strike root," or "it made its root," &c.
vv. 11, 12. The boundaries of the Holy Land; "mountains" to
the South of Juda; " cedars " of Libanus to the North; "sea"
(Mediterranean) to West; " River " (Euphrates) to East. v. 12.
Cf. Ps. lxxi. (72) 8. An allusion here to 3 (1) Kings iv. 24. In
PSALM 79 (80). 333
Solomon's time, the borders of Israel extended from Tiphsah
( = Thapsacus), on the west bank of the Euphrates, "even to
Gaza." Cf. Deut. xi. 24; Jos. i. 4. v. 13. See Ps. lxxxviii. (89)
41, 42; cf. Isai. v. 5. v. 14. "Crops it," the corresponding
verb occurs nowhere else, so the various renderings are more or
less conjectural. St. Jerome, St. Augustine, and Psalter of Verona,
" vastavit," " devastavit " (ravaged). " Singular " (sic) wild-beast of
Douai version is due to an unintelligent rendering of LXX., yucmos
dyptos, monios agrios ; monios, " solitary ; " agrios, "wild " is glossed
by Hesychius, "the wild boar, which herds not with others," it
commits its depredations alone. With a view to the parallelism of
the two hemistichs, LXX. have given to "the boar out of the
wood " its other name, of frequent occurrence in Greek writers.
Ziz in text means "any moving thing," taken here poetically for
"wild beasts." v. 16. The initial word occurs here only, hence it is
by some (St. Jerome, "root;" Qimchi, "plant;" Targum, "bough,"
or "shoot") taken for a noun governed by "visit" of v. 15; by
Rabbis and others it is construed as the Imperative of an
uncertain verb. "Protect," "perfect," of LXX. and Vulgate =
" Restore." " Son," in text bin. If taken literally, the metaphor
is dropped ; if rendered " branch," or " scion " (as in Gen. xlix.
22), according to Qimchi and others "of that ilk," and Ewald,
the ambiguity of the word serves as a transition to the following
verses. Targum, "and [look upon] King Messiah." In the literal
sense it means Israel (see Exod. iv. 22; Osee xi. 1). " Madest
strong," Gesenius (s.v.), "hast chosen for Thyself." v. 17. "They
perish," i.e., " the Israelites." v. 18. " Man of right hand," under
God's special favour and protection (cf. Deut. xxxiii. 12). "The
son of man," a Messianic title, but the reference to v. 26 favours
the conclusion that the chosen nation is here meant. v. 19.
"Quicken us," our existence as a nation is in extreme peril, our
deliverance therefore will be a restoration to life.
534
PSALM 80 (8l).
PSALM 80 (81).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
on the Gittith, to Asaph.
2. Sing-joyfully to God
our strength : Raise-a-shout
to the God of Jacob.
3. Raise a psalm, and
sound the timbrel : The
pleasant kinnor with the
nabhel.
4. Blow the shophar at the
new-moon : At full-moon,
on the day of our feast.
5. For it is a statute for
Israel : An ordinance [due]
to the God of Jacob.
6. He-appointed it as a
testimony in Joseph, When
He went-forth-over the land
of Mitsraim : The saying,
" I -know-not," I -will-hear.
7. I-removed his shoulder
from the burden : His hands
were-quit of the task-basket.
8. In the affliction thou-
calledst, and I - delivered
thee, I-will-answer thee in
the thunder-covert : I -will-
prove thee at the waters of
Meribhah. Selah.
9. Hear, O My people, and
PSALM 80 (81).
1. For the end, concerning
the wine-presses, A Psalm
of Asaph.1
2. Exult ye in God our
helper : Shout-joyfully to
the God of Jacob.
3. Take up a psalm, and
bring-hither the timbrel :
The pleasant psaltery with
the harp.
4. Blow the trumpet at
the new moon : On the
auspicious day of your
feast.
5. For it is an obligation
for Israel : And an ordi-
nance [due] to the God of
Jacob.
6. A testimony He-ap-
pointed it in Joseph ; When
he came forth out of the
land of Egypt : He-heard a
language he knew not.
7. He freed his back from
burdens : His hands had-
slaved with the task-basket.
8. In distress thou-calledst
on Me, and I delivered thee.
I heard thee in the storm-
covert : I proved thee at the
water of Strife (contradic-
tion).
9. Hear, O My people,
1 Cod, Alcxandrin. "to (for) David.'"
PSALM 80 (8l).
335
I -will-testify to thee : Israel,
if thou would'st but listen to
Me!
10. There shall no strange
god be in thee : And thou
shalt not bow-down to the
god of a stranger.
11. I am Y*HW*H thy
God, Who brought Thee up
out of the land of Mits'raim :
Open-wide thy mouth, and
I-will-fill it.
12. But My people heark-
ened not to My voice :
Israel would not [obey] Me.
13. So I-gave them up to
the obduracy of their heart :
That they -should- walk in
their own counsels.
14. Oh that My people-
would-hearken to Me : That
Israel would walk in My
ways !
15. Suddenly would- 1 -
subdue their enemies : And
turn My hand on their adver-
saries.
16. The haters of YaH-
YWH should-crouch before
Him : And their time
should-be for ever.
17. Surely He fed him
with the fat of wheat : And
with honey out of the rock
would-I-satisfy thee.
and I-will-testify to thee:
Israel, if thou would'st but
hearken to Me !
10. There shall no new
god be in thee. Neither
shalt thou worship a strange
god.
11. For I am the Lord
thy God, Who brought thee
out of the land of Egypt.
Open thy mouth wide, and
I will fill it.
12. But My people heark-
ened not to My voice :
Israel gave no heed to Me.
13. So I-let-them go after
the lusts of their own heart :
They went on in their own
devices [or, They will go
on, &c.].
14. Had My people heark-
ened to Me : If Israel had
walked in My ways.
15. Soon would I -have -
humbled their enemies :
And have laid My hand
on those that afflicted them.
16. The enemies of the
Lord should have lied to
Him : But their time shall-
be for ever.
17. And He fed them with
the fat of wheat : And
satisfied them with honey
out of the rock.
336 PSALM 80 (81).
The date and name of the author of this poem are hopelessly
lost to us. Its title and resemblance to Pss. lxxvi. (77), lxxvii.
(78), must not be taken to favour the conclusion that it is
contemporaneous with either. To what Feast or Feasts does the
poet refer? The solution depends on the interpretation given to
the words in the text (v. 4), corresponding to " new-moon — full-
moon." The distinct mention of the deliverance from Egypt
favours the reference to the Passover. But many eminent critics
connect the exhortation of the Psalm with the Feast of Trumpets,
Tishri 1st, the beginning of the civil year ( = September, October),
Rosh hashshanah ( = the head, i.e., beginning of the year), and
with the Feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 15 — 22). In Lev. xxiii.
24, 25; Num. xxix. 1, &c, Israel is commanded to keep "the
new moon " of the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year, with
loud music, the blowing of cornets, with extra sacrifices, and the
observance of strict sabbatical rest from labour, hence its usual
name, " the Day of the trumpet-blast." As may be gathered
from Exod. xix. 16, 19 ; Osee v. 8 ; viii. 1 ; Joel ii. 1 ; cf. 1 Cor.
xv. 52; 1 Thess. iv. 15, the trumpet-blast is a symbol of God's
coming in judgment. Tishri 10 was "the day of expiation"
( =yom kippurbn). The Feast of Tabernacles — " our feast," v. 4 —
was both a harvest-home and " memorial " (zik/iro/i, Lev. xxiii.
24) of God's fostering-care during the desert-pilgrimage. The
Psalm is to this day sung in the synagogues on the Jewish New
Year's day.
v. 3. "Sound the timbrel; "in text, "Give the timbrel," and
the other instruments. ATdl>kel, a kind of lyre, said by St. Jerome
to have the form of an inverted equilateral triangle, v. 4. Shophdr,
a cornet, or trumpet, usually made of a cow's or ram's horn, still
used in the services of the Synagogue. " New moon," in old
Latin Psalters, "in the beginning of the month." "At the full
moon ; " St. Jerome, " in the middle of the month ; " by others, on
the appointed festival (cf. Prov. vii. 20). Hupfeld's rendering,
"Blow the cornet at the new moon of the seventh month, in
preparation for the festival of the full moon of the month," viz.,
" Tabernacles." Targum, " Sound the horn in the month of
Tishri, at the time when the moon covers itself (viz., new moon),
in the days of our feasts." v. 5. Statute, i.e., the praise and
PSALM 80 (8l). 337
jubilation and festival of vv. 2, 3 are of Divine appointment.
" Ordinance (//'/., " judgment ") due to the God of Jacob,"' rather
than "of the God," &c. v. 6. "Testimony," a manifestation of
the Divine will, commonly used of the whole code of laws, not,
as here, for a single law. "Joseph," may indicate that the poet
belonged to the northern kingdom. " When He ( = God) went
forth [in judgment], over [not "out of," as LXX. wrongly]
Egypt" (cf. Exod. xi. 4; xii. 12). Hemistich 2 of this verse
reads literally thus : " A lip ( = language, saying) I know not,
I will hear." LXX. renders this and v. 7 as a merely historical
reference. What language? Some ascribe it to the poet's
identifying himself with Israel of the bondage and Exodus ; cf.
Ps. cxiii. (114) 1 ("From a people of strange tongue"), an
identification recommended by the present Passover ritual,
conformably with Exod. xiii. 8. Others take it as the utterance
of the poet describing, in his consciousness of the Divine afflatus,
a language, intelligible indeed, but hitherto unknown to him,
because it is Divine. Again, the Psalmist sums up in his own
person, the whole of Israel, who, at Sinai, received a full revela-
tion of One until then but little known. So Delitzsch, Hupfeld,
and seemingly, LXX. (cf. Acts vii. 25). Lowe and Jennings
suggest that, with the verses following, it is the utterance of God
passing over Egypt in wrath, resolved to notice and to punish
( = " I will hear") the saying of Pharaoh, "I know not Y«HW*H"
(Exod. v. 2). As they truly observe, of the numerous attempted
explanations, this alone does not necessitate a change in the
reference of the 1st Person here, and in that of the verses following.
v. 7. "His hands," &c, "were quit of;" ///., "passed away
from ; " " recesserunt a cophino " of St. Jerome. LXX., " slaved "
(servierunt of Vulgate) is due to their reading d instead of r in
the corresponding verb in text, two letters easily confounded in
Hebrew script. "Basket;" in text, diuth ; either (1) a basket, or
(2) a pot. Baskets wherein the Israelites carried clay, or baked
bricks, suspended at each end of a yoke laid across the shoulder.
Specimens are found painted on the tombs at Thebes. Targum,
" His hands were freed from casting clay into the baking-pot ; "
cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 14; Job xli. 31, "pot," "caldron." v. 8.
" I-will-answer," " I-will-prove," may also, as is far more usual, be
w
338 PSALM 80 (81).
rendered in the past. "I answered," "addressed," "declared
My Law," to be referred to the Sinaitic Theophany ; Exod. xx.
18, 21. "Waters of Strife," it matters not whether Exod. xvii. 7,
or Num. xx. 13, be here meant. The purpose of the several
desert trials (cf. Exod. xvi. 4) is here set forth. The mention
here of the people's sin prepares the way for the following exhorta-
tion and expostulation. v. 9. " Hear " = Shema (cf. Deut. v.),
the second promulgation of the Decalogue, v. 11. "Open thy
mouth wide ; " glossed by Qimchi, " Only hearken to Me, and
ask what thou wilt." " Open wide," suggested by the nestlings
opening their beaks to be fed by the parent bird. v. 12. "And
Israel was not willing towards Me," " not willing to obey Me."
"Would not oblige, gratify Me," is perhaps as close to the sense.
St. Jerome, "believed Me not." v. 13. " Let go," used of slaves,
captives ; giving over to sin, the direst of God's punishments.
v. 14. "Had My people." "If" were better rendered as an
Optative particle. "Would that," &c. A transition here from
the history of the past, to warn his contemporaries of the con-
sequences of their continuance in the ways of their forbears, v. 15.
" Suddenly, " shortly, quickly. LXX., eV tw /xrjBevi, en to meedeni (in
no time); St. Jerome, "Quasi nihilum" (as mere nothing); Vulgate,
"at no cost, with no trouble would I put down," &c. v. 16.
" Haters of YH," because enemies of His people. " Submit,"
"crouch," lit, "lie to Him" i.e., yield feigned submission.
"Their time," according to Targum and Qimchi, the time, i.e.,
the blessed lot, prosperity of Israel ; but Rashi, Aben Ezra, the
punishment of the haters of God's people; so, too, Theodoret.
v. 17. " He fed thee," &c, rendered as a past in LXX., Syriac, and
Vulgate; borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 12, 13. "Fat of wheat,"
the finest of wheat. Targum, " goodness of bread." " Would
I satisfy," as I dealt bountifully with your fathers, so will I deal
with you, if you but hearken to Me. Needless to render it in the
past, as it supplies, as rendered here, the connection with vv.
14 — 16.
PSALM 8 1 (82).
339
PSALM Si (82).
1. A Psalm, to Asaph.
'Elohim takes-His-stand in
the assembly of 'El : In-the-
midst of the 'Elohim He-
judges.
2. How long will- ye -
judge unjustly: And raise
the face of the wicked ?
Selah.
3. Judge the helpless and
the orphan : Do-justice to
the afflicted and needy :
4. Rescue the helpless and
poor : From the hand of the
wicked deliver [them].
5. They-know not, and
they understand not ; In
darkness they walk-to-and-
fro. All the foundations of
the earth are-moved.
6. I, even I, said, Ye are
'Elohim : And sons of
"El'yon all of you.
7. Yet like mortal-man
must -ye- die : And in the
same way, ye Princes, shall-
ye-fall.
8. Arise, O God, judge
Thou the land : For Thou
shalt inherit all the nations.
PSALM 81 (82).
1. A Psalm of Asaph.
God takes-His-stand in the
assembly of gods : He
judges gods in the midst
[of them].
2. How long will- ye -
judge unjustly : and accept
the persons of sinners ?
3. Judge the needy and
the orphan : Do-justice to
the lowly and poor.
4. Rescue the needy : And
deliver the poor out of the
hand of the sinner.
5. They know not, nor
understand : They walk on
in darkness : All the foun-
dations of the earth are-
shaken.
6. I Myself have-said, Ye
are gods : And all of you
sons of the Most High.
7. But like men must-ye-
die : And fall like one of the
princes.
8. Arise, O God, judge
the land : For Thou shalt
inherit all nations.
There is no direct clue to the date or authorship of this
Psalm. As in most of those inscribed "to Asaph," God appears
as Judge, doing judgment on Israel, and on the nations of the
earth. The present Psalm is a solemn rebuke addressed by God,
340 PSALM 8l (82).
or by the poet in His Name, to those of His representatives who
degraded the administration of justice by partiality and bribery.
The analysis of the Psalm presents no difficulty. The judges are
warned that He, whose Name they bear, watches and presides
over their tribunals ; they are appealed to to discharge their duty
fairly and impartially, but in vain ; in heart and mind they are
hopelessly corrupt. The sublime dignity they desecrate will not
screen them from the common lot of mankind. Lastly, God is
entreated to exercise the functions so wofully perverted by those
who bear His Name.
v. 1. "Assembly of God" = His assembly. "Congregation of
YHWH " is frequently applied to Israel generally ; the assembly
that met for judgment is called " the assembly of the people
of God " (Judges xx. 3). The assembled judicature is an
assembly of God, because convoked and commissioned by
Him. "In the midst of the 'Elohim He judges." LXX., Vulgate,
St. Jerome, " In the midst [of them] He judges the gods." Gods,
the judges are thus designated, Exod. xxi. 6 ; xxii. 8, 28. In all
monarchical countries the judge is the direct impersonation of
the sovereign ; at the time this name was thus applied, God was
the sole sovereign of Israel. "Takes His stand," cf. Isai. iii.
13 — 15 ; Josaphat's charge, 2 Par. (Chron.) xix. 5 — 7. v. 2.
" How long ? " " Quousque tandem " of Cicero, 1 Cataline.
"Judge unjustly;" ///., "judge iniquity," the common Arabic
and Hebrew idiom whereby the noun in Accusative is taken
adverbially. "Raise [lift up] the face [lit, " faces"] of any one"
= primarily, "to comfort," "to favour," to show partiality. LXX.,
"Accept the person," which has passed into the New Testa-
ment idiom, v. 3. "Judge," vindicate the rights of, &c. "Do
justice," give them their due, not necessarily "acquit." v. 4.
The expostulation falls dead, these men are morally blind.
"Foundations" of the land, of the Jewish polity, of social order,
whereof justice is the mainstay, cf. Zach. viii. 16. v. 6. "I
myself," emphatic. " Sons of God," angels so called, Gen. vi. 2 ;
Dan. iii. 25. It expresses here an elevation above the rank of
the common of mankind, official, not personal, as is shown in
v. 7. In St. John x. 3.4 — 38, our Lord grounds on this verse an
argument a minor i ad majus. V. 7. " For all that, like mortal-man
PSALM 82 (83). 341
[ = " the rest of men ; " in text, 'ddhdm, rendered as a proper name
by St. Jerome and Rashi] must ye die. And like one of the
Princes [sdrirn in text]," &c. To avoid the anti-climax, Ewald
proposes, "And fall, ye Princes, together" {together, instead of
" like one "). Lowe and Jennings suggest, " And in the same
way, O Princes, shall ye fall." The sdrhn, or heads of tribes,
with the Elders or heads of subdivisions of tribes, shared
with the Levites the judicial office. In the regal period, in the
reigns immediately preceding the Captivity, the sdrhn appear as
an influential political body, and in the reign of Sedecias, they
seem to exercise the functions of a privy council, and of a
collective judicature (cf. 2 Chron. xxviii. 21 ; Jer. xxvi. 10, 16).
It is possible that this Psalm belongs to the period, when the
sdrhn were the chief members of the judicature, a period of
disorganization and of hopeless decay, which the Babylonian
Conquest brought to a fitting close, v. 8. The prayer comprises
not only the Jews, but " all nations."
PSALM 82 (83). PSALM 82 (83).
1. A Song, a Psalm, to 1. A song of a Psalm for
Asaph. Asaph.
2. O God, let [there] not 2. O God, who is like to
[be] silence to Thee: Hold Thee? Be not silent, neither
not Thy peace, and be not be-Thou still, O God.
still, O God.
3. For, lo, Thine enemies 3. For, lo, Thine enemies
make-an-uproar. And Thy make-an -uproar : And they
haters have -lifted -up the that hate Thee have-lifted-
head. up the head.
4. Against Thy people 4. Against Thy people
they-plot craftily : And con- they-plot malignantly : And
suit-together against Thy consult together against Thy
hidden-ones. saints.
5. They -say, Come, and 5. They-say, Come, and
let -us -cut -them -off from let-us-extirpate them from
342
PSALM 82 (83).
[being] a nation : And that
the name of Israel be-
remembered no more.
6. For they-have-devised-
a-counsel together : That
they-may-make a compact
against Thee :
7. The tents of 'Edhom,
and of the Yish'me"elim
(i.e., Ismaelites), Moabh, and
the Hagh'rim ;
8. Gebhal, and "Amtnon,
and "Amaleq ; Pelesheth,
with the inhabitants of
Tsor ;
9. Ashshur also is-joined
with them : They-have-been
an arm to the sons of Lot.
Selah.
10. Do-Thou to them as
to Midh'yan : As to Sis'ra,
as to Ya-bhin, at the torrent
of Qishon,
11. [Who] were-destroyed
at "Eyn-Dor : They-became
dung for the ground.
12. Make them — their
nobles — as "Orebh and as
Zeebh : Yea, as Zebach, and
as Tsal'munnahh all their
kings,
13. Who said, Let us take
to ourselves as a possession :
The dwelling-places of God.
14. My God, make them
like dust - whirled - about :
Like straw before the wind.
15. As a fire [that] burns
among the nations : And
let the name of Israel be-
remembered no more.
6. For they - have -taken-
counsel with - one - consent :
Together they-have-made a
confederacy against Thee :
7. The tents of the Idu-
masans, and the Ismaelites,
Moab, and the Agarenes ;
8. Gebal and Ammon and
Amalec, the Philistines with
the inhabitants of Tyre ;
9. Assyria too comes with
them : They-have-helped the
children of Lot.
10. Do-Thou to them as
to Madian : As to Sisara,
as to Jabin, at the torrent of
Cisson.
11. They-perished at En-
dor : They became as dung
for the land.
12. Make their princes as
Oreb and Zeb : And like
Zebee and Salmana ; all
their commanders,
1 3. Who said, Let-us-take-
to-ourselves the Sanctuary
of God, as an inheritance.
14. My God, make them
like whirling-dust ; Like
straw before the wind.
15. As a fire, which burns
PSALM 82 (83).
343
a forest : And as a flame
[which] kindles the moun-
tains ;
16. So pursue them with
Thy tempest : And with
Thy storm terrify them.
17. Fill their faces with
ignominy : Then shall-they-
seek Thy Name, YaHW^H.
18. Let -them -be -put-to-
shame and terrified ever-
more : Yea, let - them - be-
confounded, and lose-them-
selves [or, and be-perplexed] :
19. And [then] shalt-they-
know that THOU alone,
Whose Name is YaUWeU :
Art "El'yon over all the
earth.
a forest : As a flame setting
the mountains in a blaze ;
16. So pursue them with
Thy tempest : And with
Thy wrath terrify them.
17. Fill their faces with
ignominy: So shall- they -
seek Thy Name, O Lord.
18. Let -them -be -put-to-
shame and troubled ever-
more : Yea, let -them- be-
confounded and perish ;
19. And let-them-know
that Thy Name is LORD :
That THOU alone art Most-
High over all the earth.
The Psalmist implores the Divine aid against a hostile league,
having for its aim the utter extermination of Israel. The date
assigned by the Fathers and commentators ranges from the reign
of David, the invasion of Sennacherib (mainly on account of
v. 9), to the attempts of the Samaritans, in the time of Nehemias,
to hinder the rebuilding of the Temple, and even to the
Machabsean period, a view favoured by Ven. Cardinal Bellarmine.
With far more plausible, though by no means cogent reasons,
Qimchi and the majority of commentators assign, as the occasion
of the Psalm, the confederacy of foreign tribes against Josaphat,
recorded in 2 Par. (Chron.) xx. In v. 14 of the same we read
that Jehasiel, "a Levite of the sons of Asaph," cheered his
desponding fellow-countrymen with an assurance of victory. It
is possible that this Psalm may have been composed by this
inspired Levite. Such is the commonly accepted and least
objectionable view. But, after all, the attempt to connect this
Psalm with any incident recorded in the Inspired Annals, which
nowhere mention this formidable confederacy, is waste of time
344 PSALM 82 (83).
and toil. The Psalm is divided into two parts : (1) a description
of the danger, and enumeration of the foes; (2) (vv. 10 — 19), a
prayer for their overthrow, appealing to God's mighty deeds of
old.
v. 2. LXX., "Who shall be likened to Thee?" — rendering
according to the other meaning of the word in text, and changing
the negative into an interrogative proposition. " Be not appeased,"
show Thyself to our foes not mild and gentle, but a severe
Judge. St. Augustine, and Cod. Verona, " ne mitescas " (be not
meek), v. 3. " Uproar," tumult, v. 4. " They plot, both craftily
and malignantly, for the ruin of Thy people." Text, lit., "they
make-crafty [their] counsel," i.e., they take crafty counsel.
" Hidden-ones," whom Thou settest apart and protectest, cf.
Pss. xxvi. (27) 5; xxx. (31) 21; xvi. (17) 8. "Thy saints" of
LXX. and Vulgate is a free, but correct rendering, v. 5. " From
a nation," Vulgate following LXX., a slavishly literal rendering,
as Thalhofer observes, of the idiom in text = " from [being] a
nation " = that they be no more a nation, may cease to exist as a
nation, which is compatible with their existence in dispersion.
v. 6. Literally, " For they have counselled in mind [in text,
lebh, " heart "] together : " lebh may signify unanimity, but may
also be taken for the intelligence wherewith their plot was devised,
cf. Osee vii. 1 1 ; Prov. vii. 7 ; Job xii. 3, where it is rendered
"understanding." vv. 7 — 9. Tents, i.e., the nomads; in Arabic
the kindred word often means "a people." " Ismaelites " (cf.
Gen. xxv. 18), spread over the region south of Palestine, lying
between Egypt and the Persian Gulf. " Moab," E. of Dead Sea.
" Agarenes," E. of Palestine, in Gilead, driven out by the tribe
of Reuben, in time of Saul (1 Chron. v. 10, 18 — 20). "Gebal,"
still so called, probably in the mountainous district S. of Dead
Sea (cf. Arab, jibal, = " mountain "). "Amnion," S. and S.E. of
Reuben, Gad, and of the half-tribe of Manasses. "Amalek,"
dwelling S. of Palestine between Idumaea ( = Edom) and Egypt.
"Philistia," LXX. and Vulgate, "the foreign-born," with the
Tyrians inhabiting the coast of the Mediterranean (cf. Amos i. ;
Joel hi.), where they are mentioned as allied with Edom against
Israel. " Assyria," "Even Ashshur," whose presence in the league
is emphasized, probably on account of its distance. " They are
PSALM 82 (83) 345
become an arm to the sons of Lot," cf. Syriac, " son of the arm,"
i.e., "helper;" so too Arabic (cf. Quran, xviii. 49). "Sons of Lot,"
i.e., Moab, Amnion, mentioned again, probably, because they
were the leaders of the confederacy. Selah marks the transition
to the prayer. vv. to — 12. " Madian," Gedeon's victory
(Judges vii.), one of the most glorious in the national annals.
The allusions here, and in Isai. ix. 4 ; x. 26, complete the earlier
narrative. Isaias suggests that the slaughter is unparalleled in
history, as he places it alongside of the destruction of the
Egyptians and of Sennacherib's host. " Sisara," the Captain of
Jabin, the King of Asor (cf. Judges iv. 15, &c). "Cisson," the
gorge of C, the valley (Wadi) of C, which "swept away" the
corpses of the slain (Judges v. 21). "En-dor" ( = eye, i.e.,
fountain of habitation), a large, but now deserted village, in the
half-tribe of Manasses, four miles S. of Mount Thabor; not
mentioned in Judges iv. or v., as the exact site of the battlefield
is not given. " Oreb, Zeeb " ( = " crow," " wolf," Judges vii. 25),
"princes" (sdrhn), i.e., commanders of the hostile forces.
"Zebach, Tsalmmunna," " princes " {nesikhhn - anointed chiefs).
Targum, "their kings," Judges viii. 5 ; a glance back at "the day
of Madian." v. 13. "Who," i.e., the present confederacy. "Take
as a permanent possession," "dwelling-places," "habitations,"/'.*?.,
the chosen people, cf. Exod. xxix. 45. St. Jerome, "pulchri-
tudinem Dei" ( = beauty, ornament of God), cf. 2 Chron. xx. n.
v. 14. Lit. as in Vulgate, "Put them." "As a wheel," so LXX.
and Targum, but the parallelism shows that this " wheel " is dust,
or chaff whirled about by the wind (cf. Isai. xvii. 13). In
vv. 14 — 16, breathless pursuit and unsparing slaughter are figured,
vv. 17 — 19. The main object of the punishment prayed for is
that, failing all else, wrath may convince them that the Lord is
God. v. 19, Or, "then shall they know that as for Thee — Thy
Name is YaHW^H, the only Self-Existing, the Most High above
all the earth," cf. 2 Chron. xx. 29. "Thy Name " = Thou;
Qimchi, " He is His Name, His Name is He."
346
PSALM 83 (84).
PSALM 83 (84).
1. For the Chief-Musician
on Gittith : A Psalm to the
sons of Oorach.
2. How dear are Thy
Tabernacles, YaHWcH Tse-
bhaoth !
3. My soul yearned, yea,
and languished for the courts
of YHWH ; My heart and
my flesh shall-sing-for-joy
to the Living God.
4. Yea, the sparrow has-
found a house, And the
swallow a nest for herself,
where she - has - laid her
young ; Thine altars, YaH-
W*H Tsebhaoth : My King
and my God !
5. The happinesses of the
inhabitants of Thy house :
They-will-ever-praise Thee.
Selah.
6. Blessed the man whose
strength is in Thee : The
high-roads are in their
hearts ;
7. Passing through the
Vale of Bakha, they-make it
fountains : Yea, with bless-
ings shall the early-rain
cover [it].
8. They-go from strength
to strength : Ile-shall-appcar
before God in Tsiyyon.
PSALM 83 (84).
1. For the end, for the
wine-presses — a Psalm for
the sons of Core.
2. How dear are Thy
tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!
3. My soul longs, yea,
languishes for the courts of
the Lord ; My heart and
my flesh have-exulted in the
Living God.
4. Yea, the sparrow has-
found him a home, And the
turtle-dove a nest for herself
where she - may - lay her
nestlings, Thine altars, O
Lord of hosts : My King and
my God !
5. Blessed-they that dwell
in Thy house, O Lord :
They-will-praise Thee ever-
more.
6. Blessed the man whose
help is from Thee : In his
heart he-has-purposed to go-
up,
7. Through the Vale of
weeping, to the place which
he [He?]-has-appointed.
8. For the lawgiver will-
give a blessing, Thcy-shall-
go from strength to strength :
PSALM 83 (84).
347
9. YaHWeH 'Elohim Sa-
baoth, hear my prayer : Give-
ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
10. Behold, 0 God, our
shield : And look-upon the
face of Thine anointed.
11. For better is a day in
Thy courts than a thousand.
I-choose to-lie-on-the-thres-
hold in the house of my
God : Rather-than to-dvvell
in the tents of wickedness.
12. For a sun and a shield
is YHWH 'Elohim, Grace
and glory will YHWH give :
No good - thing will - He -
withhold from them - that-
walk in perfectness (i.e., per-
fectly).
13. YaHWVH Tsebhaoth:
Blessed is the man that-
trusts in Thee.
The God of gods shall-be-
seen in Sion.
9. Lord God of hosts,
hear my prayer : Hearken,
O God of Jacob.
10. Behold, O God, our
protector : And look upon
the face of Thine anointed.
11. For better is a day in
Thy courts than thousands.
I-chose to-be an abject in
the house of my God :
Rather than to dwell in the
tents of sinners.
12. For God loves mercy
and faithfulness : The Lord
will-give grace and glory :
13. He will not deprive
them that walk in innocence
of any good-things. O Lord
of hosts, Blessed is the man
that trusts in Thee.
The close resemblance of this Psalm with Pss. xli. xlii.
(42, 43), the recurrence of the same turns of expression, warrant
its reference to the period of Absalom's rebellion, and its ascrip-
tion to David. It may be taken as expressing the Royal Prophet's
joy at the prospect of his speedy restoration to the privileges of
public worship, if not of his gratitude for his recent deliverance
from the sorrows of the time of exclusion. The thoughts,
sentiments, and diction are throughout Davidic. " To (for) the
sons of Core ; " they are once mentioned as singers in the time of
Josaphat (2 Par. (Chron.) xx. 19), and it is far more in accord-
ance with the historical data, that the Psalm was given to pro-
348 PSALM 83 (84).
fessional musicians descended from Core the Levite, to be sung,
or set to music, than that they, or any one of that race, were the
authors thereof.
v. 2. "Lovely," "dear," "beloved;" Vetus Itala, "amabilia"
(amiable). v. 3. " Living God " ( = 'El Chay) occurs in
Ps. xli. (42) 3, but nowhere else in the same form. v. 4.
"Sparrow," "swallow." "Sparrow," cf. Ps. x. (n) 2. "Swallow,"
LXX. and Targum, " turtle-dove." This must not be taken
literally, as the second Temple, at least, had on its roofs hole
"orebh ( = prohibition of the crow). It may be taken to mean
that the persecuted and the helpless find protection and repose
before Thine altars. "Altars" here mean the Temple, or the
tent-temple of David, v. 5. " Inmates," the officials of the
Temple, or Tabernacle (so Jer. xx. 6). vv. 6, 7, 8. St. Jerome,
" Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee : Paths are in his
heart, v. 7. Passing through the vale of weeping, /on tern ponent
earn ( = they shall make it a spring) : With a blessing also shall
the teacher be clad, benedictiotie quoque amicietur doctor, v. 8. They
shall go from strength (fortitudine) to strength. They shall appear
before God (apud Deum) in Sion." LXX., Vulgate, " Blessed he
who is strengthened and sustained by Thee ; in his heart he has
purposed to go up " (" ascents," " goings up," literally, as Jerusalem
is built on a high table-land). Many old Psalters, instead of " in
corde suo" ( = in his heart), have "in corde ejus" ( = in His
heart), making God the subject of "purposed" — "to go up into
the vale of weeping" (LXX., tis tt/v xoiXaSa, eis teen koilada,
"into the vale," not in), "to the place" (LXX., cts tov toVov, eis
ion iopon, "to the place") "which he" (God, or the pilgrim [?])
" has appointed." Many old Psalters have in locum, " to the place,"
like LXX. Some few read — quern disposuisti ("which Thou
[ = God] hast appointed "). For mesilloth (highways) of text,
LXX. read ma"aloth ("ascents," "steps"). "Passing through,"
LXX. render "he purposed," a verb not unlike the word in the
text; instead of ma"yan ( = "a place of springs," "a fountain")
of the present text, they read md"dn ( = a place). Moreh, rendered
by LXX. and Hengstenberg, " a lawgiver," " a teacher " (St. Jerome,
"doctor"), in the sense of "early rain," occurs only in Joel ii. 23,
to designate the soft, gentle, autumnal rains which fell after the
PSALM 84 (85). 349
crops were sown. "Shall cover," "enshroud," "enwrap."
Possibly the verb (ya"tteh) may bear the meaning of the cognate
Arabic aid ( = " he gave"), so that we might render — "blessings
will an early rain bestow on it." " Blessings," berakhoth in text,
by Qimchi read berekhoth (=" ponds," " pools ") ; in the unpointed
text these words are indistinguishable. " Vale of bdMd," by all
ancient authorities = " vale of weeping." The Masora identifies
it with bekheh ( = " weeping "). It may be some arid, rocky ravine
with clumps of bekhaim (" balsam-trees," so called from weeping,
i.e., distilling white drops). Neither "highways" nor "vale of
weeping " are to be taken in an exclusively literal or ethical sense.
The route of worshippers going up to Jerusalem for the feasts,
and the trials, vicissitudes, and goal of the spiritual life, are both
included, v. 8. " Strength," ever renewed, despite the toils of the
journey. " God of gods ; " LXX. read V ( = " to," e short), as 'El
( = "God," e long), and are as likely as the Masora to be right.
v. 10. "Shield;" so too Pss. hi. 4; xvii. (18) 31, 36. LXX., as
usual, eschew the metaphor. "Protector," "defender," "Anointed;"
David, or the Levite poet, in his name. v. n. "A thousand"
—days elsewhere. "Lie at the threshold;" LXX., "to be cast
aside," equivalent to "abject" ( = abjectus) of Vulgate and
St. Jerome. The sons of Core were "keepers of the gates of
the Tabernacle," in David's time (1 Chron. ix. 19). " House of
my God," contrasted with " tents of," &c, suggests that the
Temple was not yet built, v. 12. u Sun," God is directly so called
nowhere else. "A sun and shield," so Aquila, Symmachus, and
St. Jerome. Whence LXX. and Theodotion got " The Lord loves
mercy," &c, is hard to say ; the freedom of their rendering is due
to their shrinking from aught savouring of anthropomorphism.
PSALM 84 (85). PSALM 84 (85).
1. For the Chief-Musician, 1. For the end, a Psalm
to the sons of Qorach, a for the sons of Core.
Psalm.
2. Thou-art-well- pleased, 2. Thou-hast blessed1 Thy
1 " Blessed " comes from reading cv86ia)(ras (cvtMrcsas), " art well pleased,"
as eii\6yr)(ras [evlogeesas), " hast-blessed."
350
PSALM 84 (85).
YaUWeH, with Thy land :
Thou-hast-brought-back the
captivity of Jacob.
3. Thou -hast-taken -away
the iniquity of Thy people :
Hast-covered all their sin.
[Selah.]
4. Thou - hast - withdrawn
all Thy wrath : Thou-hast-
turned-Thee from the heat
of Thine anger.
5. Turn -back to us, O
God of our salvation : And
take - away Thine anger
towards us (lit., with us).
6. Wilt - thou - be - angry
with us for ever : Wilt-
Thou-prolong Thine anger
to generation and genera-
tion ?
7. Wilt not THOU quicken
us again : That Thy people
may-rejoice in Thee ?
8. Show us Thy loving-
goodness, YrtHWfH : And
grant us Thy salvation.
9. I -will- hear what God
YHWH will-speak ; Surely
He -speaks peace to His
people, and to His pious-
ones : But let them not
turn-again to folly.
10. Surely His salvation
is nigh to them -that- fear
Him : That glory may-dwell
in our land.
11. Loving-kindness and
land, O Lord : Thou-hast-
turned-back the captivity of
Jacob.
3. Thou-hast-forgiven the
iniquity of Thy people :
Thou-hast-covered all their
sins.
4. Thou-hast-calmed all
Thine anger: Thou -hast -
turned-Thee from Thy fierce
indignation.
5. Turn us, O God our
Saviour : And turn - away
Thine anger from us.
6. Wilt - Thou - be -angry
with us for ever : Or con-
tinue Thine anger to all
generations?
7. O God, THOU wilt-
quicken us again : And Thy
people shall rejoice in Thee.
8. Show us, O Lord, Thy
mercy : And grant us Thy
salvation.
9. I - will - hear what the
Lord God will - speak in
[about (?)] me ; For He-will-
spcak peace to His people,
and to His saints : And to
those that return to [a
better] heart.
10. Surely His salvation
is nigh to them -that -fear
Him : That glory may-dwell
in our land.
1 1. Mercy and truth are-
PSALM 84 (85). 351
truth are - met - together, met -together : Justice and
Justice and peace have- peace have kissed [each
kissed [each other]. other].
12. Truth springs out of 12. Truth has-sprung-out
the earth : And justice has- of the earth : And justice
looked - down from the has - looked - down from
heavens. heaven.
13. Truly YaHW^H will- 13. For the Lord will-
give the good-thing : And give goodness : And our
our land will -yield its land will-yield its fruit,
increase.
14. Justice shall go before 14. Justice shall-go before
Him : And shall-make His Him : And shall-make His
[its (?)] footsteps into a path, footsteps into a path.
A post-exilic Psalm, to be assigned, in all probability, to the
time of Nehemias (cf. 2 Esdras (Nehem.) i. 3; iv. ; viii. 9, 10;
ix. 36, 37; Zach. vi. 12; viii. 12).
vv. 2 — 5. Thanksgiving for the restoration of the national
status, vv. 5 — 8. The Psalm here gives expression to a conflict
of opposing feelings, to be explained by referring to Nehem. i. 3.
vv. 9 — 14. The joyous tone of hope is resumed, since peace is
promised, on condition that the restored people return not to its
former sinful infatuation. The Messianic hopes kindled anew
by the recent deliverance here find an utterance akin to the
prophetic strains wherewith Zacharias heralds the glorious future
foretold by Isaias. v. 2. "Blessed;" LXX., agreeing with text,
" art-well-pleased," " takest pleasure in ; " St. Jerome, " placatus es "
( = art at peace with), v. 4. "Heat;" fierceness, fury, cf. " glozvhig
indignation." v. 5. "Turn back to us;" or, "turn as regards
us." v. 6. "For ever;" even after their return, the riduci
found no rest, the prospect opening before them was dashed by
the difficulties they had to encounter, v. 9. Answer to the fore-
going prayer. "In me" (i.e., about, concerning me) is not in
text. LXX. represent the poet as standing on his watch-tower
(cf. Hab. ii. 1), awaiting the Divine response. Or, his trust is
grounded on former promises to prayer (Isai. lvii. 19; Jer.
xxxiii. 6). " But (only) let them not return to folly ; " LXX. and
352 PSALM 84 (85).
St. Augustine, " And to those that turn the heart toward Him."
Arnobius and Roman Psalter, " Who are converted {qui conver-
tuntur) to Him." St. Gall, Codex of Verona, " Who turn to
Him ex corde suo (from their heart);" another reading of the
latter, " Who are converted ex cordc (from the heart)." Vulgate
stands alone ; its rendering may imply by that the heart marred
by sin (cf. Ps. xxxix. (40) 13) recovers itself, that the penitent
turns to a heart that realizes the claims of God and of duty
(cf. Prov. xxiii. 26). St. Jerome, " In order that they turn not to
folly." A slight change of a letter or two will account for the
LXX. rendering, l-k-s-l-h of text, l-b-m-l-h (b and k, s and m are easily
confounded), i.e., for "to folly," they read, "their heart (/-/>, i-b-m)
to Him." Possibly they may have taken s-l-h for Selah (?). Con-
version, change of heart, and not " turning to folly," are the
positive and negative aspects of the same ethical state, the con-
dition appended to God's promise of mercy (cf. Lev. xxvi. 3 foil.).
vv. 10 — 14. If not moved by the Spirit of prophecy, the poet
now gives utterance to the Messianic hopes their recent deliver-
ance had revived in the hearts of the chosen race. "Glory;" cf.
St. John i. 14 — 17. The Messianic import of these verses is more
obvious, if we remember that the Sofu ®eov, doxa Theou ( = the Glory
of God, the Shechinah) was absent from the second Temple, and
that its restoration was to mark the advent of the Mcssias. v. 13.
" The good ; " (in text, hat-idbK) = that which is good. St. Jerome,
"bonum." Over and above the spiritual gifts here promised, an
abundance of material blessings is foretold as an accompaniment
and consequence (cf. Lev. xxvi. 3, foil.; Zach. viii. 12). v. 14.
"Justice" (equity), cf. Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 15. "His footsteps;"
whose? LXX. plainly mean God's {avTov, avtou, of Him, His,
not avrrjs, aviees, her, i.e., " of Justice "). Or, with Hengstenberg,
"Equity goes before Him, and makes its footsteps a way."
"Shall set [us] in the way of His footsteps," "Shall mark out the
path men are to follow." St. Jerome renders here exactly like
Vulgate.
tSALM 85 (86).
;S3
PSALM 85 (86).
1. A prayer : to David.
Bow-down Thine ear, YaH-
YWH, answer me : For
afflicted and needy am I.
2. Preserve my soul ; for
I am pious ; Save Thy
servant, THOU, my God :
who-trusts in Thee.
3. Be - gracious to me,
'Adonay : For to Thee-do-
I-cry all the day long.
4. Gladden the soul of
Thy servant : For to Thee,
'Adonay, do- 1 -lift-up my
soul.
5. For TlIOU, 'Adonay,
art good, and ready-to-
forgive : And rich in good-
ness to all that-call-upon
Thee.
6. Give-ear, YaHWt'H, to
my prayer : And attend to
the voice of my supplica-
tions. (Ps. v. 2.)
7. In the day of my
distress I - will - call - upon-
Thee: For Thou-wilt-answer
me.
8. There is none like Thee
among the gods, 'Adonay ;
And nothing equals Thy
works.
9. All nations whom
Thou-hast-madc shall-come
X
PSALM 85 (86).
1. A prayer of David.
Bow - down Thine ear, O
Lord, and hearken to me :
For needy and poor am I.
2. Guard my soul, for I
am holy: Save Thy servant,
O my God, who-trusts in
Thee.
3. Be-merciful to me, O
Lord ; For to Thee do-I-cry
all the day long :
4. Rejoice the soul of Thy
servant : For to Thee, O
Lord, do-I-lift-up my soul.
5. For TlIOU, Lord, art
kind and gentle : And
plenteous in mercy to all
that-call-upon Thee.
6. Give ear, O Lord, to
my prayer : And attend to
the voice of my supplication.
7. In the day of mine
affliction : I - called - upon-
Thee. For Thou - didst-
hearken to me.
8. There is none like
Thee among the gods, O
Lord ; And there are no
[works] like to Thy works.
9. All tlic nations whom
Thou-hast-madc shall-come
354
PSALM 85 (86).
and worship before Thee,
'Adonay : And shall-glorify
Thy Name ;
10. For great art Thou,
and doing wonders : THOU
art God, the-only-Self-Exis-
tent.
11. Teach me, YHWH,
Thy way ; I- will -walk in
Thy truth : Unite my heart
to fear Thy Name.
12. I -will -give -thanks to
Thee, 'Adonay my God, with
my whole heart : And will-
glorify Thy Name for ever-
more.
13. For Thy loving-good-
ness is great towards me :
And Thou - hast - delivered
my soul from Sheol beneath.
14. O God, the proud are-
risen against me ; And a
congregation of violent-men
seek my soul : And have
not set Thee before them.
15. But THOU, 'Adonay,
art a God compassionate and
gracious : Slow to anger, and
rich in loving-goodness and
truth. (Exod. xxxiv. 6.)
16. Turn to me, and be-
gracious to me : Give Thy
strength to Thy servant ;
And save the son of Thy
handmaid.
17. Show me a token for
and worship before Thee,
O Lord : and shall -glorify
Thy Name.
10. For great art TliOU,
and doing wonders : Thou
art God alone.
11. Guide me, O Lord, in
Thy way ; That I-may-
walk in Thy truth : Let my
heart rejoice, that it may
fear Thy Name.
12. I- will-give-thanks to
Thee, O Lord my God, with
my whole heart : And will-
glorify Thy Name for ever-
more.
13. For Thy mercy is
great toward me : And
Thou - hast - delivered my
soul from the lowest hell.
14. O God, wicked -men
are-risen against me ; And
an assembly of violent-men
have-sought-after my soul :
And have not set Thee
before them.
15. But THOU, Lord God,
art compassionate and
merciful : Long - suffering
and rich in mercy, and true.
16. Look-Thou upon me,
and^ have-mercy upon me :
Give Thy strength to Thy
servant, And save the son
of Thy handmaid.
ij. Establish with mc a
PSALM 85 (86). 355
good, That they-who-hate token for good ; That they
me may - see and be - who hate me may see and
ashamed : Because THOU, be-ashamed : For then, O
YrtHWcH, shalt - have - Lord, Thou shalt - have -
helped me, and comforted helped me and comforted
me. me.
This is the only Psalm in Book iii. ascribed " to David," nor
are there any arguments worthy of consideration against the
authenticity of this ascription. That it is throughout Davidic
in diction will be obvious to any who will compare it with the
acknowledged Davidic Psalms. Thalhofer, however, inclines
to the view that it is a liturgical composition, which has grown
out of Davidic, and other model passages. It is impossible to
assign its exact date, but the persecution of Saul, or Absalom's
rebellion, are the most likely for the production of this poem.
There is no regular division into strophes, nor is it easy to trace
the connection between its several parts. Hupfeld denies that
there is any.
v. 1. "Afflicted and poor," the same plea as in Ps. xxxix.
(40) 1 8 ; lxix. (70) 6. v. 2. " Pious ;" in text, chdstdh, from chesedh,
a noun (in LXX. usually rendered "mercy"); but chesedh really
means (1) God's loving-kindness to man ; (2) our kindness to our
fellows ; (3) piety towards God, devotion to His worship (cf.
Ps. xcvi. (97) 10). v. 3. Or, "Be favourable to me." v. 4. "I lift
up my soul," cf. Ps. xxiv. (25) 1. v. 5. "Forgiving," ready to
forgive, in text sallach, which occurs nowhere else. This verse
is repeated in v. 15 (cf. Exod. xx. 6; Numb. xiv. 18, 19). v. 8.
Hemistich a, borrowed from Exod. xv. n. Targum, for "gods" —
"angels," but better rendered in the obvious sense ("gods"), as
they are deemed to be by their deluded worshippers, not as they
really are. Hemistich b, cf. Deut. iii. 24. Supply " neither [are
there any works] like," &c, or " No work can vie with Thy works."
v. 9. Cf. Isai. lx.; lxvi. 18 — 23; Jercm. xvi. 19 — 21 ; Soph. ii. 1 1 ;
Zach. xiv. 2 — 16. v. 10. "Alone," to the exclusion of all com-
petitors, or "the only Self-Existent.'' v. 11. "I will walk," &c.,
standing between two Imperatives, it had better be rendered as
an Optative — " May I walk," &c. " Unite," " make-one," i.e., collect
its affections, powers, and aims in one focus, that they may all
156
PSALM 86 (87).
be one in Thee. LXX., Vulgate, Syriac, " Let my heart rejoice,"
reading y-ch-d of the vowel/ess text yichad, Future of chadah ( = he
rejoiced), instead of yachedh of the Masoretic text, a reading
grounded on a tradition quite as likely to be correct as that
of the Masora. Symmachus, 'ivwo-ov, hendson ( = unite Thou);
St. Jerome, " Unicum fac cor meum " (make my heart single).
Then will he be able to "give thanks." v. 12. "With his whole
heart." In vv. 8 — n the text affords a specimen of a peculiar
system of rhyme, vv. 8 — io close with eyka, ekd; in v. 11, eka
occurs at the end of the chief clauses — " Thy way," " Thy truth,"
" Thy Name." v. ] 3. " My soul" = my life, myself. " Sheol," the
nether-world, the grave, not " hell " with its present connotation.
v. 14. All but word for word v. 5 of Ps. liii. (54); here "proud "
instead of "strangers." Zcdhn here, there ZaAm, a variant due,
perhaps, to a blundering scribe, v. 16. "Strength;" LXX.,
Kpdros, kratos (strength, might). Probably the Messianic interpreta-
tion of the Psalm (a supplication of the Christ for His investiture
with heavenly majesty) may have occasioned the Vulgate
" imperium " (empire, dominion). " Son of the handmaid "
= "home-born slave," as such he claims the protection of the
Master. The expression recurs only in Ps. cxv. (116) 16;
cf. Exod. xxiii. 12. v. 17. "Lor Good;" cf. 2 Lsdras (Nehem.)
v. 19; J erem. passim.
PSALM 86(87).
1. To the sons of Oorach :
A Psalm, A Song : 'Tis His
foundation on the mountains
of holiness.
2. YrtHVWH loves the
gates of Sion : More than
all the dwellings of Jacob.
3. Glorious-things are-
spoken of thee (lit, "in
thee"): O City of God.
[Selah.]
PSALM 86 (87).
1. A Psalm of song for
the sons of Core. His foun-
dations on the holy moun-
tains !
2. The Lord loves the
gates of Sion, More than
all the tents of Jacob.
3. Glorious-things arc-
spoken of thee: City of
God.
PSALM 86 (87).
357
4. I-will-mention Rahab
and Babhel as those-who-
know Me ; Behold Phelesh-
eth, and Tsor with Kush :
This (i.e., each of these) was-
born there.
5. And of Sion it-shall-be-
said, This one and that one
(lit., man and man) was-born
in her: And He, even the
Most-High has-founded her.
6. Y«HW«H shall-reckon
in registering peoples : This-
one was-born there. [Selah.]
7. And singers as well as
flute- players [shall say (?)],
All my fountains arc in thee.
4. I-will-mention Rahab
(i.e., Egypt) and Babylon
who-know Me. Lo, the
Philistines, and Tyre and
the people of the Ethiopians :
These were there [have
been there (?)].
5. Shall-it not be-said of
Sion, This one and that one
is-born in her : And the
Most- High Himself has-
founded her ?
6. The Lord shall-recount
[it] in the registering of
peoples and of princes : Of
those who were in her.
7. The dwelling of all
within thee is as [the dwell-
ing] of-those-that-rejoice.
The keynote of this Psalm is given in v. 9 of the foregoing.
The probable date of its composition is that period of the reign
of Ezechias, when the prospect of the accession of numerous
proselytes impressed the public mind. The contemporary
prophecies of Isaias tended to raise the expectation that God
would be acknowledged by the nations. The great Passover of
Ezechias had brought into religious fellowship, not only many of
the separated tribes, but " strangers " also (2 Chron. xxx. 25). The
offerings sent to the Temple, after the overthrow of Sennacherib's
host (2 Chron. xxxii. 23), may, in part at least, have been
presented by aliens. At this epoch, three of the five nations
mentioned in the Psalm, Egypt (Rahab) and Ethiopia ( = Cush,
or Kush) were allied with Judah. The embassies from Babylon
(recorded 2 Chron. xxxii. 31 ; 4 (2) Kings xx. 12) witness to
a friendly disposition towards the Jews. As for the Philistines
( = the "foreigners," aXK6<l>vXoi, allophyloi^ of I. XX.), what we read
of their defeat (4 (2) Kings xviii. 8), and of the vigorous measures
taken by this King for the suppression of idolatry, favours the
358 psalm 86 (87).
probability that the Jewish religion may have made some way
among them. The period of Jewish history to which we assign
this Psalm would naturally suggest its composition, and, by the
immediate and primary fulfilment of the inspired poet's forecast,
typify, at least, its complete realization in the Christ and His
Church. Hence, whether directly or typically Messianic, no
Psalm could be more appropriate to the Epiphany Octave.
v. 1. u His foundation," i.e., God's. Both in text and LXX.
His is masculine. Syriac, " His foundations are on His holy
mountain." "Mountains of holiness," lit., Sion, to which David
brought the Ark, Moriah, the Temple Mount. Like Rome, the
holy City was built on its own cluster of steep hills. Cf.
Ps. xlvii. (4S) 3; Isai. xiv. 32. v. 2. "Gates of Sion;" by
synedoche, a part for the whole (cf. Ps. ix. 15), or, as the most
prominent part of the city, the place for meetings and judgment.
" Dwellings," i.e., the others towns of Palestine, which, while
Jerusalem remained unscathed, had been ravaged by the Assyrian
hordes, v. 3. " With glorious [words, promises] is it spoken of
thee [by God]," whom the poet, in the verses following, introduces
as speaking — so literally. Selah marks the transition to a detailed
description of these glories, v. 4. " Rahab " = " ferocity," "inso-
lence," "pride." Egypt is so named twice by Isai. (xxx. 7 ; li. 9) ;
cf. Ps. Ixxxviii. (89) ii ; Isai. xix. 18 — 25. At the time assigned
above, Egypt was in alliance with Judah, to ward off the
advance of Assyria. In Isai. xxxvii. 9, Tirhakah (Vulgate,
Tharaca) is mentioned as going forth to attack Sennacherib
("And he heard concerning T, king of the Ethiopians," &c).
"As those," or, "Among those." "As [belonging] to the
number of those that know Me." " Know," in the deeper
sense so frequent in the Divine Scriptures (cf. Ps. i. 6;
xxxv. (36) n; St. John x. 14, 15). "This-one, that one,"
i.e., each of the above-mentioned. " Born ; " Vulgate reading,
with some Codd. of LXX., instead of eyeri' qdrjcrav, egenneetheesan
( = were born), lya> ijOijirav, egeneetheesan ( = were), renders "were
there," "was there." Talmud (Tr. Sanhedrin, 90), "A
stranger, who becomes a proselyte, is a child that is born,"
cf. St. John iii. 1 — 10. Syriac, "lie mindful of Rahab and
Babylon, who acknowledge Me. 1 .0, the Palestinians and
PSALM 86 (87). 359
Tyre and the people of the Ethiopians : That [man, nation (?)] was
born there." " People," in the unpointed original, the context
alone determines whether "am (- people) or "im ( = with) is
meant, v. 5. The poet repeats the Divine utterance of v. 4 in
his own person. St. Jerome, " But to Sion it shall be said, a man
and a man (vir ct vir)," &c. Syriac, " And to Sion it is said,
a giant-man is born in her, and he himself has founded her."
LXX. [Cod. Vatican), "Mother Sion [Sion is my mother (?)],
a man shall say; and a man is born in her," &c. This is fol-
lowed by Roman Psalter, Tertullian, St. Augustine, and by
several Latins. St. Jerome assigns the Mrjrrjp, Meeteer ( = mother),
of LXX. to a scribe's mistaking the interrogative /j.rJTi, meeti
( = Vulgate, Numquid?), for it. The fj-yrrip, meeteer, may perhaps
have originated from /w/ti (?). The three-fold " was born "
corresponds to the three-fold zeh ( = " one," " another," " a third ")
(Isai. xliv. 5). v. 6. St. Jerome, "The Lord reckoned (numeravit
scribens populos) [when] writing (i.e., registering) peoples ; he
was born in her (ipse natus est in ea)P v. 7. Many critics hold
that the text is mutilated. Waiving conjectural explanations,
we give the ancient renderings: LXX., for zfsMri m ( — " and
singers " — the initial word of v. 7, which they transpose to v. 6,
" in the writing of peoples and of princes," &c), read sdrtm
(princes) ; ma' on ( = a dwelling) for mayanay ( = my fountains) of
present text. Arabic, "The Lord shall relate in the book of
peoples and of princes who have been born in her, that the
dwelling of all who rejoice is in thee." Targum, " And they sing
songs in choirs [with dances (?)] ; all kinds of hymns over sacrifices
are sung in thee." Syriac, "The magnates who dwell in thee shall
rejoice, and all who are afflicted in thee." St. Jerome, " Et
cantores quasi in choris : omnes fontes mei in te" ( = "and
singers, as if in choirs [dances (?)] : All my springs [are] in thee ") —
evidently shirking the difficulty. Jennings and Lowe suggest,
"And all my well-springs [of delight] are singing aloud like
instrument players because of [///., in] thee." Valeat quantum.
360
PSALM 87 (88).
PSALM S7 (88).
1. A Song, a Psalm, to
the sons of Qorach ; to the
Chief-Musician on Mach'-
lath l"'annoth. A Mas'kil to
Heman the 'Ezrachi.
2. YaHWeH, God of my
salvation. By day have- 1 -
cried ; in the night [my
plaint is] before Thee.
3. Let my prayer come
before Thee : Incline Thine
ear to my cry.
4. For my soul is-sated
with-evils : And my life
draws-nigh to Sheol.
5. I-am-counted with
them-that-go-down to the
pit : I-am-become as a man
without strength.
6. Among the dead [am]
I-laid-prostrate, Like the
slain, lying in the grave,
Whom Thou-remembercst
no more : But they are-cut-
off from Thy hand.
7. Thou-hast-laid me in
the lowest pit: In darkness,
in the depths.
8. Upon me Thy fury lies-
heavily : And Thou-hast-
brought-down upon [me] all
Thy breakers. [Sclah.]
9. Thou-hast-put-far-away
PSALM 87 (88).
1. A Song of a Psalm, for
the sons of Core, for the end,
on Maheleth for responsive
[strains (?)], of instruction
for Eman the Ezrahite.
2. O Lord God of my
salvation : By day have- 1 -
cried, and at-night before
Thee.
3. Let my prayer come be-
fore Thee : Incline Thine
ear to my supplication.
4. For my soul is full of
misery : And my life draws-
nigh to the nether-world (the
grave).
5. I - am - counted with
them-that-go-down to the
pit: I-am-become like a man
without help,
6. Free among the dead,
Like the mortally-wounded
lying in the tombs, Whom
Thou-remembcrest no more :
But they are-rejected from
Thy hand.
7. Thcy-laid me in the
lowest pit : In dark-places,
and in the shadow of death.
8. Thy fury lics-hcavily
upon me : And Thou-hast-
brought-down upon me all
Thy billows.
9. Those - hast - removed
PSALM 87 (88).
361
mine acquaintances from
me; Thou-hast-made me an
abomination to them : [I am]
shut up, and cannot come-
forth ;
10. Mine eye has-wastcd-
away because of affliction ;
I - have - called - upon Thee,
YHWH, every day ; I-have-
stretched-out my hands to
Thee.
11. Wilt-Thou-do wonders
to the dead : Shall the shades
arise, and give-thanks to
Thee ? [Selah.]
12. Shall Thy loving-good-
ness be told in the grave :
[Or] Thy faithfulness in
'Abhaddon (i.e., the place of
destruction)?
13. Shall Thy wonders
be-known in the dark : Or
Thy justice in the land of
forgetfulness ?
14. But as for me, to
Thee, YaHW^H, have-I-
cried : And in the morning
my prayer comes-to-meet
Thee.
1 5. Why, YHWH, castcst-
Thou-off my soul : [Why]
hidcst-Thou Thy face from
me ?
16. Afflicted am I, and
ready-to-die from youth up :
I-have-borne Thy terrors
mine acquaintances far from
me, They-have-made me an
abomination to themselves :
I - am - delivered - over [to
durance (?)], and cannot
come-forth ;
10. Mine eyes are-dimmed
from poverty ; I -have-cried
to Thee, 0 Lord, all day
long : I - spread - forth my
hands to Thee.
1 1. Wilt-Thou-do wonders
for the dead ; Or shall physi-
cians raise [them] up, that
they - may - give - thanks to
Thee ?
12. Shall any-one tell of
Thy mercy in the tomb ; Or
Thy faithfulness in destruc-
tion ?
1 3. Shall Thy wonders be-
known in darkness : Or Thy
justice in the land of forget-
fulness ?
14. But as for me, to
Thee, O Lord, have-I-cried :
And at morning shall my
prayer come-to meet Thee.
15. Why, O Lord, dost-
Thou - reject my prayer :
Turnest-Thou Thy face from
me ?
16. Poor am I, and in
troubles from my youth up :
And [scarce] was I exalted,
362
PSALM 87 (88).
[until] I-am-distractcd [even
to distraction (?)] ;
17. Over me have-passed
thc-outbursts-of-Thy-wrath ;
And Thy terrors have-cut-
me-off.
18. They-came round me
like the waters all the day :
They - have -surrounded me
together.
19. Thou-hast-put-farfrom
me lover and friend ; And
mine acquaintances [are (?)]
darkness.
but I-was-brought-low, and
bewildered. (Cf. 2 Cor. iv. 8.)
17. Upon me have -passed
the-outbursts-of-Thy wrath :
And Thy terrors have-be-
wildered me.
18. They-have-compassed
me like water all the day :
Thcy-have-beset me together.
19. Thou -hast- removed -
far from me friend and
neighbour : And mine ac-
quaintances from [my] misery
[on account of my wretched-
ness (?)].
This is the saddest Psalm in the Psalter, a continuous wail
of sorrow, and on that account interpreted, by the older com-
mentators, of the Agony of the Christ, or of His desolation on
the Cross, an interpretation seemingly approved of by Holy
Church, as this Psalm holds the second place in the Third Nocturn
of Good Friday. The several guesses as to the author, and the
situation under which it was written need not detain us, being
worthless. The question as to its origin has been further com-
plicated by the seemingly irreconcilable statements of the Title,
which may be paraphrased as follows : " A song, a Psalm [handed]
to the sons of Core [to be set to music] and to the Corahite
[choirmaster] to be accompanied by stringed-instruments (macha-
lath, a harp, so Gesenius, s.v.), V"ann6th (for antiphonal singing).
A didactic ode by Eman the Ezrahite." Eman with Ethan (see
Title of next Psalm) is mentioned among the Corahite choir,
as appointed by David "to sound with cymbals of brass"
n Chron. xv. 19 j xvi. 41, 42), at the translation of the Ark
from the house of Obed-edom to Sion. Yet they can hardly
be identified with the sages of the same name mentioned in
3 (1) Kings iv. 31. Tt is sufficiently obvious that the calamity the
poet deplores is not n<t/i<»ia/, hut personal and individual. To
PSALM 87 (88). 363
Job under his trials, to Ozias struck with leprosy, to Jeremias in
his dungeon, this Psalm has been respectively assigned, on the
strength merely of some few coincidences of expression.
v. 2. The Masoretic text of this verse is somewhat difficult and
critically suspect. If rendered according to the accents (vv. 2, 3
being taken together), we have, " Lord God, at the time (row,
" day," of text), when I cry before Thee in the night (3) let my
prayer," &c. v. 4. " My life ; " the subject of this plaint is, most
probably, a grievous illness aggravated by isolation, by the desertion
of friends, and by the sense of Divine displeasure, v. 5. "Without
strength" or "vigour;" St. Jerome, "homo invalidus" (a weak
man) ; in text, \ydl, which occurs nowhere else. v. 6. " Free
among the dead ; " so St. Jerome, i.e., " set free " from the duties
of life, from the precepts of the Law, from bodily service, thus
Targum, Aben Ezra, Rashi. Cf. Latin defunctus. Gesenius {Hebr.
Lexic. s.v.), " My couch is among the dead," or, more usually,
"among the dead [I am] laid prostrate." Revised Version,
" Cast away among the dead." " Mortally wounded," the context
requires us to understand those who have died of their wounds =
"the slain." v. 7. "In the depths;" usually said of the sea, but
here Sheol. v. 9. In all probability, an allusion to leprosy, and
to the inforced isolation it involved (cf. Lev. xiii. 46 ; Job
xix. 8, 13V "Abomination;" in text, "abominations," for greater
emphasis. " I am delivered over [to durance]," either literally,
or figuratively (cf. Lev. xiii. 46 ; St. Matt. iv. 12). v. 10. "Mine
eye," &c, or mine appearance, aspect, " is attenuated by reason of
affliction" (cf. Num. xi. 7 ; Zach. v. 6V v. n. "Shades;" in text,
rephabn : St. Jerome, " shall giants rise up," taking the word for
the gentile name of the gigantic races of Chanaan, "the Rephai'tes."
LXX. read the self-same letters with a different (traditional)
vocalization. v. 12. '"Abhaddon," the place of destruction
(cf. Job xxvi. 6). Personified in Apoc. ix. n. v. 13. Cf. Job. x. 22.
v. 14. "Come to meet Thee," reach Thine ears sooner than Thou
expectedst, expressing the earnestness of the prayer, and the
intensity of the affliction. v. 15. Instead of "prayer," Codex
Alexandrin. and several other Greek codices have "soul ; " so too
the Old Itala, " animam meam " (my soul), i.e., my soul's yearnings
for solace and relief made manifest in prayer, v. 16. St. Jerome,
364
PSALM 88 (89).
"Poor am I and suffering, from my youth have I borne Thy
fierce anger (furorem), and I am-troubled (conturbatus)." LXX.
read nasatlu (I have borne) as a Passive ("I was exalted" by
God, or "I uplifted myself proudly "). 'imeykhA (Thy terrors) they
take as a participle of makak (he brought low). 'apkuinVi (1
am distracted) occurs nowhere else, and (to judge by the
Arabic) is correctly rendered by LXX. kfrrproprjQ-qv, exeeporeetheen
(I am quite at a loss, utterly perplexed, bewildered, in despair),
v. 18. "They;" viz., the tokens of Thy displeasure mentioned
in v. 17. The verbs denote continuous action, v. 19. St. Jerome,
hemistich b, " Notos meos abstulisti " (Thou hast taken away
mine acquaintances). The text, pur ct simple, " Mine acquaintances
[are (?)] darkness." Aben Ezra and Qimchi explain the text,
"As my friends and acquaintances keep aloof from me, it is just
as if they were hid in darkness." Most moderns prefer " Mine
[only] acquaintance [is] darkness" (cf. Job. xvii. 14; Ps.
lxi. (62) 10), a rendering favoured by b'machshakkim (in dark-
places) of v. 7, which denotes the real darkness of the grave, of
the nether-world. LXX. diverge, not from the text, but make
a slight change in the vowel-points, me cMshekh (" from, on account
of-darkness," taken in a figurative sense = " Misery," " wretched-
ness "), instead of the present mactishakJi ( = darkness).
PSALM 88 (89).
1. Mas'kil, to 'Ethan the
Ezrachi.
2. The loving-kindnesses
of Y^IIWVII I will forever
sin" : To q;cneration and
generation I - will - make -
known Thy faithfulness with
my mouth.
3. For [-have-said, For-
ever shall loving-goodness
be - built-up: As for the
heavens, Thou-wilt-establish
Thy faithfulness in them.
PSALM 88 (89).
1. [A Psalm] of instruc-
tion of Ethan the Ezrahite.
2. I -will for ever sing of
the mercies of the Lord : I-
will-declare Thy faithfulness
with my mouth to all genera-
tions.
3. For Thou - hast - said,
Mercy shall-be-built-up for
ever in the heavens : Thy
faithfulness shall -be -estab-
lished in them.
PSALM 88 (89).
365
4. I-have-made a covenant
with My chosen - one : I-
have - sworn to David My
servant,
5. For ever will-I-establish
Thy seed : And build-up
thy throne to all generations.
[Selah.]
6. And the heavens shall-
praise Thy wondrousness,
YH WH : Thy faithfulness
also in the assembly of the
holy-ones.
7. For who in the sky can-
be - compared with Y#H-
W*H: Is like to YHWH
among the sons of the
mighty ?
8. God greatly - to - be-
feared in the council of the
holy - ones : And terrible
above all that encircle Him.
9. YHWH, God of hosts,
Who is as Thou, a mighty-
One, YAH? And Thy
faithfulness encircles Thee.
10. Thou rulest the pride
of the sea : When its waves
arise, THOU stillest them.
11. Thou hast -crushed
Rahab, as one - that - is -
mortally - wounded : With
the arm of Thy might
Thou -hast -scattered Thine
enemies.
4. I - made a covenant
with My chosen-ones : I-
swore to David My servant,
5. I - will - establish thv
seed for ever: And build-
up thy throne to all genera-
tions.
6. The heavens shall-
praise Thy wonders, O Lord :
Thy faithfulness also in the
assembly of the holy-ones
(i.e., saints).
7. For who in the clouds
can -be -compared with the
Lord ? Is-like to the Lord
among the sons of God ?
8. God, Who is-glorified
in the council of the holy-
ones : Great and terrible
above all that are round
about Him.
9. Lord God of hosts,
Who is like to Thee? Mighty
art-Thou, O Lord : And
Thy faithfulness is round
about Thee.
10. Thou rulest the
power of the sea : THOU
calmest the tumult of its
waves.
11. Thou hast -laid -low
the proud-one, as one-that-
is-slain : With Thy mighty
arm Thou - hast - scattered
Thine enemies.
66
PSALM 88 (89).
12. Thine are the heavens,
Thine too the earth : The
world and the fulness there-
of TllOU hast-founded them.
13. The north and the
south, TllOU hast - created
them : Tabhor and Cher'-
mon rejoice in Thy Name.
14. Thine is an arm with
might : Thy hand prevails,
Thy right-hand is-exalted.
15. Justice and judgment
are the basis of Thy throne :
Loving-goodness and Truth
go-before Thy face.
16. O the happinesses of
the people that - know the
joyful-sound. Y^HW^H, in
the light of Thy countenance
do-they-walk :
17. In Thy Name do-they-
exult all the day : And in
Thy justice are-they-exalted.
18. For TllOU art the
glory of their strength : And
in Thy favour our horn
shall-be-exalted.
19. For to YIIWII [be-
longs] our shield : And to
the Holy-One of Israel our
king.
20. Then Thou-spakest in
vision to Thy pious-ones,
and saidst, I-havc-laid help
on a mighty-man : 1-havc-
12. Thine are the heavens,
Thine too the earth : The
round-globe of the world,
and the fulness thereof
THOU hast-founded.
1 3. The north and the
sea THOU hast - created :
Thabor and Hermon rejoice
in Thy Name.
14. Thine is an arm with
might :. May Thy hand be-
strengthened, and Thy right-
hand be-exalted,
15. Justice and judgment
are the stay of Thy throne.
Mercy and truth go-before
Thy face :
16. Blessed the people
that know the joyful sound.
They-shall-walk, O Lord, in
the light of Thy countenance,
17. And in Thy Name
shall-they-exult all the day :
And in Thy justice shall-
thcy-be-exaltcd.
18. For the boast of their
strength art THOU : And in
Thy good-pleasure our horn
shall-be-exalted ;
19. For of the Lord is our
protection, and of the Iloly-
Onc of Israel our King.
20. Then Thou-spokcst in
vision to Thy saints, and
saidst, 1 - have - laid help
on a mighty-one: I-have-
PSALM 88 (89).
367
exalted one-chosen out of
the people.
21. I - have -found David
My servant : With My holy
oil have-I-anointed him ;
22. With whom My hand
shall - be -established : Mine
arm also shall - strengthen
him.
23. The enemy shall not
exact upon him : Nor shall
the son of wickedness afflict
him.
24. And I - will - break -
down his foes before his
face : And plague them-
that-hate him.
25. But My faithfulness
and My loving - goodness
shall be with him : And in
My Name shall his horn be-
exalted.
26. And I - will - set his
hand on the sea : And his
right-hand on the rivers.
27. He shall-call Me, " My
Father art TilOU : My God,
and the Rock of my salva-
tion."
28. Also I-will-make him
[My] first-born : Highest of
the kings of the earth.
29. For ever will- 1 -keep
for him My loving - good-
ness : And My covenant is
faithful with him.
exalted one - chosen out of
My people.
21. I-have-found David
My servant : With My holy
oil have - I - anointed him.
(Acts xiii. 22.)
22. For My hand shall-
support him : Mine arm also
shall-strengthen him.
23. No enemy shall-gain-
an-advantage over him. Nor
shall the son of wickedness
presume to afflict him [or,
harm him again].
24. But- 1 -will-hew-down
his enemies before his face :
And put to flight them-that-
hate him.
25. But My faithfulness
and My mercy shall be with
him : And in My Name
shall his horn be-exalted.
26. And I - will - set his
hand on the sea. And his
right-hand on the rivers.
27. He shall - call - upon
Me, " THOU art my Father :
My God, and the stay of my
salvation."
28. Also I-will-make him
[My] first - born : Higher
than the kings of the earth.
29. For ever will-I-keep
for him My mercy. And
My covenant shall be faithful
to him.
368
PSALM 88 (89).
30. And I-will-make his
seed [to endure] for ever :
And his throne as the days
of the heavens.
31. If his sons forsake My
law : And walk not in My
judgments ;
32. If they-profane [vio-
late] My statutes : And keep
not My commandments,
33. Then will-I-visit their
transgression with a rod :
And their iniquity with
stripes.
34. But My loving-good-
ness will - 1 not - break - off
from him : Nor be-false to My
faithfulness (My promisej.
35. I will not profane My
covenant. Nor will-I-alter
the utterance of My lips ;
36. Once-for-all have-I-
sworn by My holiness : I
will not lie to David (lit., if
I-lic, &c).
37. His seed shall-be for
ever : And his throne as the
sun before Me.
38. As the moon [which]
is-establishcd for-evcr : And
is a faithful witness in the
sky. [Sclah.]
39. But THOU hast-cast-
off and rejected : Thou-hast-
becn-wroth with Thine an-
ointed !
30. And I-will-establish
his seed for evermore : And
his throne as the days of
heaven.
31. If his children forsake
My law : And walk not in
My judgments,
32. If they -profane My
precepts : And keep not My
commandments,
33. I -will -visit their ini-
quities with a rod : And
their sins with stripes.
34. But My mercy I-will
not utterly - remove from
him : Nor be-false to My
truth,
35. Neither will-I-profane
My covenant : Nor will-I-
make-void the utterances of
My lips.
36. Once have-I-sworn by
My holiness : I will not lie
to David :
37. His seed shall-endure
for ever,
38. And his throne as the
sun before Me, and as the
moon [which is] established
for ever : And is a faithful
witness in the sky.
39. But Thou hast-cast-
off,and set-at-nought. Thou-
hast - rejected Thine anoin-
ted !
PSALM 88 (89).
569
40. Thou - hast - abhorred
the covenant of Thy servant :
Thou - hast - profaned his
crown [by casting it] to the
ground.
41. Thou - hast - broken-
down all his hedges : Thou-
hast-made his strongholds a
ruin.
42. All that-pass-by the
way plunder him : He-is-
become a reproach to his
neighbours.
43. Thou-hast-exalted the
right-hand of his foes : Thou-
hast - gladdened all his
enemies.
44. Thou-hast also-turned
the edge of his sword : And
hast not made-him-to-stand
in the battle.
45. Thou -hast -made his
majesty to-cease : And hast-
cast his throne down to the
ground.
46. Thou - hast - curtailed
the days of his youth : Thou-
hast - covered - him with
shame. [Selah.]
47. How long, YaKWeH,
wilt - Thou - hide Thee for
ever ? Shall Thy fury burn
like fire?
48. Remember what a
mere-fleeting-life am I : For
what a-mere-nothing hast-
Thou-creatcd all the sons of
man !
Y
40. Thou-hast-made-void
the covenant of Thy servant :
Thou - hast - profaned his
hallowed-diadem [even] to
the ground.
41. Thou - hast - broken -
down all his hedges : Thou-
hast-made his stronghold a
terror.
42. All that-pass-by the
way plunder him : He-is
become a reproach to his
neighbours.
43. Thou-hast-exalted the
right-hand of- those -that -
afflict him : Thou - hast -
gladdened all his enemies.
44 Thou-hast-withdrawn
the help of his sword : Thou-
hast not stood by him in
battle.
45. Thou - hast - deprived
him of his majesty : And
hast-dashed his throne down
to the ground.
46. Thou - hast-shortened
the days of his youth. Thou-
hast-ovenvhelmed him with
shame.
47. How long, O Lord,
wilt - Thou - turn - away for
ever? Shall Thine anger
flame-out like fire?
48. Remember what my
being is : For is it to no
purpose Thou -hast -created
all the sons of men ?
tfo
PSALM 88 (89).
49. What man is he [that]
lives and shall not see
death ? [That] can-deliver
his soul from the hand (i.e.,
power) of Sheol ? [Selah.]
50. Where are Thy former
loving-kindnesses, 'Adonay ?
[Which] Thou sworest to
David in Thy faithfulness ?
51. Remember, 'Adonay,
the reproach of Thy servants :
My bearing in my bosom
[the reproach] of the whole
of many peoples ;
52. Wherewith Thine
enemies have reproached,
YaHWeR : Wherewith they
have reproached the foot-
steps of Thine anointed.
53. Blessed be YHWH
for evermore. Amen, and
Amen.
49. Who is the man that
lives and shall not see death ?
[That] shall-deliver his soul
from the power of the grave ?
50. Where are Thine
ancient mercies, O Lord, As
Thou-didst-swear to David
in Thy truth? [or, tvhidi
Thou sworest, &c]
51. Remember, Lord, the
reproach of Thy servants :
Which I bear in my bosom,
[the reproach] of many
nations ;
52. Wherewith Thine
enemies, O Lord, have re-
viled : Wherewith they have
reviled the altered - condi-
tion of Thine anointed.
53. Blessed be the Lord
for evermore. So be it, so
be it!
This Psalm is surely pre-exilic, as else the poet would have
mentioned the subversion of the Jewish polity, the destruction of
the City and the Temple. Its historical background connotes a
period of decadence. The Davidic dynasty is tottering to its
fall, the nation is at the mercy of its enemies. Assuming (as,
failing valid reasons to the contrary, we well may) the authenticity
of the ascription to " Ethan the Ezrahite," we identify him with
one of the sages of Solomon's time, mentioned in 3 (1) Kings iv.
31. He may have been one of the "old men" whose counsel
Roboam rejected (3(1) Kings xii. 8). None other could so vividly
feel and depict the contrast between the gloom of the present
disasters, when the brilliant promises recently conveyed by
Nathan seemed to have failed, and the glories of the preceding
PSALM 88 (89). 371
reigns were eclipsed. The secession of the ten tribes, with the
intestine feuds it occasioned, left the southern kingdom open to
foreign invasion. Sesac, the King of Egypt, overran Juda, " took
its fortified cities," and " the treasures of the house of the Lord,
and the royal treasures" (2 Chron. xii. 2 — 9; cf. 3 (1) Kings xiv.
25, 26). Under such circumstances, the poet naturally recalls
the miraculous deliverance of the Exodus, when Egypt " was
crushed" (v. n) by Divine interposition. Others, among whom
Tholuck, Thalhofer, &c, may be mentioned, suppose that
Joachin, deposed after a brief reign and imprisoned by Nabucho-
donosor, is the king whose tragic lot is here deplored. But it
is far more likely that a Psalm of this kind would be indited at a
time when the memory of the preceding reigns, and of Nathan's
"vision" (v. 20), was still fresh in the minds of the faithful
Israelites, and the dismal contrast between present calamities and
the splendours of a but recent past seemed to betoken a sudden
revocation of the Divine promises. The Psalm opens with a
reference to the Davidic promises (2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 8 — 16).
In vv. 6 — 15, the poet gratefully extols the Divine attributes
which are the pledge of the fulfilment of these promises. He
turns into song, in vv. 20 — 38, the utterances of Nathan (2 Kings
vii.), ere passing to the mournful contrast presented by the perils
threatening the ruin of the Davidic dynasty, and the blighting
of the people's hopes (vv. 39 — 46). The Psalm closes with an
earnest and pathetic appeal to God (47 — 52).
v. 2. An outburst of gladsome praise for "the sure mercies
of David " (Isai. lv. 3 ; Acts xiii. 34), the theme he has chosen
as a permanent memorial to his people; cf. Ps. xliv. (45) 18.
v. 3. The inward convictions that determine his choice of the
theme. "Loving-goodness," "Truth," or "Faithfulness," the
source of the Promises, the ground of his hope. " I have said ; "
LXX. and St. Jerome, " Thou ( = God) hast-said," a reading
preferred by most modern critics. " Be built up," a metaphor
expressive of the steadfastness of the loving-goodness shown
forth in the gracious promises recorded in the Psalm. " In the
heavens;" by LXX., St. Jerome, and several old Latin Psalters,
connected with the latter half of the verse. St. Jerome, " Thou-
shalt-establish {fundabis) the heavens, and Thy truth [is] in them."
37?
PSALM 88 (89).
" In them," wanting in LXX. and in the old Latin Psalters.
"Heavens" typify immutability and perpetuity, hence the
certainty of God's promises, cf. Fs. cxviii. (119) 89. But con-
trasted with Clod's eternity, cf Ps. ci. (102) 27 — 29. v. 4.
Without further preface, the poet introduces the promises to
David and his seed, by the fulfilment whereof the faithfulness of
God is made manifest. "Made a covenant," ///., "I ha.ve-cut a
covenant " (cf. W/xvciv 0-71-ovSas, temnein sponrfas, from the custom
of slaying and cutting up victims in making a compact). "Chosen-
one," i.e., David ; so too St. Jerome, " electo meo." See 3 (1)
Kings viii. 16. "I have sworn," Targum, "to Abraham My
servant." v. 5. Cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 12, &c. Cf. 1 Chron.
xvii. 11 — 14. Selah marks the transition to the words of the
poet, who, in vv. 6—19, celebrates the might, goodness, justice,
and faithfulness of God as manifested especially to the chosen
race. v. 6. " Holy-ones," the angels, cf. Deut. xxxiii. 2 ; Job
xv. 15. "The whole company of heaven," called Rabbinically,
"the family above." v. 7. "Sons of the mighty ones" occurs
once in Ps. xxviii. (29) 1. b,ney>e/im = the angels; St. Jerome,
"sons of God." Cf. Exod. xv. 10, n, with vv. 7 — u. v. 8.
"To be feared greatly" or "very terrible;" in text, rabbah; to be
construed adverbially, as, being a Feminine form, it can qualify
neither sod (=council), nor God. Revised Version, "A God"
('£/), "very terrible," «S:c. v. 9. "A mighty one;" in text, Chashi.
" Faithfulness," as the rainbow (Apoc. iv. 3), a pledge and token
for good. v. 11. "The sea" (v. 10) recalls the miraculous
deliverance of the Exodus. " Arm of might " = " brachio forti "
of St. Jerome = " by Thy mighty aim." v. 12. "World;" in text,
tibhil= the inhabited world ; contrasted in Isai. xiv. 17, with the
desolate waste, cf. r/ otKov/xeW/, hee oikoiunenee, of LXX. v. 13.
"Sea," so LXX., having read yam ( sea) for ydmln (=right-hand).
St. Jerome's dexteram, and " south," which is on the right-hand
of one facing east; cf. Gaelic deas ( = " right-hand " and "south,"
same meanings). " Tabor and Hermon," not merely west and
east, as interpreted in Targum — "Tabor on the W. and Hermon
on tin- E. sing praises to Thy Name " —but as the most con-
spicuous features of a mountainous country, v. 14. "An arm
with might" -"a mighty arm,'' a might potential, reserved, but
PSALM 88 (89). 373
manifesting itself in mighty deeds; then, "Thy hand is strong
( = prevails)," &c. v. 15. "Justice," rewarding virtue. "Judgment,"
punishing sin. " Loving-goodness," " Truth," personified as
attendants ever ready to anticipate God's behests, v. 16. Such
is He who has given the promise ; " Blessed," therefore, is Israel
summoned by trumpet-blasts to God's solemn festivals. "Joyful-
sound," the loud music of the trumpets, or, " Who are wont to
shout for joyous gratitude" (cf. Ps. xciv. (95) 1 ; xcix. (100) 1).
v. 17. " Name" = Thy Self-revelation. " Justice," Thine adherence
to Thy covenant, v. 18. "Our horn;" Targum, " Their horn ; "
the text has " Thou wilt exalt " {Kethib) ; but Qeri ( = correct
reading) as above, v. 19. "Shield " = " our king;" it cannot be
predicated of YaHWeH, with due regard to grammar; cf.
Ps. xlvi. (47) 10; Osee iv. iS. Our king reigns Dei gratia.
v. 20. The mention of "king" leads to an expansion of the
promises to David's race (vv. 20 — 38). "Vision," so called
2 Sam. vii. 17; 1 Chron. xvii. 15. "Pious-one," Nathan; if
David, we may render, " concerning Thy pious one." LXX.,
Syriac, Targum, Aquila, Symmachus, Rashi, Aben Ezra, and
St. Jerome, render it " pious ones" with reference to Samuel,
Gad, and Nathan, or to David and his race. " Laid help ; "
Targum inserts "for my people," I have provided for their
protection and defence a brave and mighty man. " Chosen-one;"
Targum, "a youth." v. 22. "My hand " = My protection. The
eni/n (for) of Vulgate is not wanted here. v. 23. " The enemy
shall not impose upon him ; " St. Jerome, " non decipiet " (shall
not deceive). LXX., "shall not make profit by him." Rashi,
"shall not exact upon him," i.e., as a creditor; he shall pay
tribute to no one, tribute being paid to conquerors. " Shall not
afflict him," so the text and St. Jerome ; " non apponet " (shall
not add to, i.e., shall not continue — venture — be able to) "harm
him" is taken from 2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 10, by LXX. and Vulgate,
where the promise is to Israel at large — " Neither shall the sons
of wickedness afflict them [viz., " My people Israel "] any more."
v. 24. David's past deliverances are thus described, 2 Sam. vii. 9.
v. 26. "I will set his hand ( = dominion, possession) on," &c.
Or, " I-will-fix his hand unto (as far as) the sea," &c. " Sea " =
the Mediterranean. " Rivers," either according to poetic usage,
374 psalm 88 (89).
or the Euphrates with its affluents. No mention of this in
Nathan's promise (2 Sam. vii.). Cf. the promise to Abraham
(Gen. xv. 18; Deut. xi. 24; Jos. i. 4; Ps. Ixxi. (72) 8). v. 27.
Spoken of Solomon by Nathan (cf. 2 Sam. vii. 13, 14); applied
here to David, fulfilled in David's Son (Heb. i. 5). v. 28.
Fulfilled, to some extent, in Solomon, cf. 1 (3) Kings x. 23.
Applicable to every King of Israel, as representative of Israel,
"God's first-born" (Exod. iv. 22); but to David, par excellence
(2 Sam. xxiii. 1). "High above all the nations of the earth" is
part of the promise to Israel, Deut. xxviii. 1. v. 30. Cf. v. 37,
and 2 Sam. vii. 12 — 16, quoted here. vv. 31 — 34. Cf. 2 Sam.
vii. 14, 15. v. 32. "Profane;" in text, the same word in v. 35,
and v. 40. v. 33. Paternal correction, chastisement, not destruc-
tion, cf. Osee vi. 7 ; Job xxxi. 33 ; Heb. xii. 7. v. 34. " Nor
will I be false to My faith." v. 36. " By My holiness," as in
Amos iv. 2. vv. 37, 38, here rendered as in Targum. Rashi,
"the moon and the sun witness to him, that as long as they last,
his kingdom shall last, as we read in Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21." Seldh
marks the transition from the promises to the present calamities.
v. 39. "Thou," emphatic; "Thou, the True, the Faithful God,
hast cast off," &c. Present appearances show that Thy covenant
is failing, nay, that it is annulled. The secession of the northern
tribes was God's doing (2 Par. (Chron.) xi. 4). The poet fears
lest, despite His promise, God should reject the Davidic dynasty,
"as He took away His goodness from Saul" (2 Sam. vii. 15).
v. 40. "Abhorred;" Targum, "hast-changed." "Crown;" in
text, nizro, nezer, a badge whereby one was set apart from the
people at large ; hence, the crown which betokens that the King
is a consecrated person. LXX., ayiao-fia, hagiasma (="that which
is hallowed," "a holy place"), in Roman Psalter and by some
Fathers rendered sanctitatem ( = holiness). His kingly diadem
is trodden under foot in the dust. vv. 41, 42. Cf. Ps. lxxix. (80)
13. v. 41. "Ruin;" in text, m'cliittdli (ruin, consternation,
alarm, terror), so St. Jerome, "pavorem" (anxiety, fear, dread).
The house of David is likened to a ruinous fortress, the garrison
whereof trembles at the approach of the foe (cf. Jer. xlviii. 1).
Or, his fortress ( = his kingly estate, his kingdom), which Thou
allowest to totter to its fall, is an object of terror to the beholder.
PSALM 88 (89). 375
v. 44. " Edge ; " St. Jerome, " robur " ( = the strength of his
sword). LXX., Vulgate, "the help," whereby his sword became
victorious. v. 45. " Thou-hast-put an end to his (/;'/.) purity"
( = splendour, majesty) ; or, " Thou-hast caused him to cease
from his majesty." Roman Psalter and several others, " dissolvisti
eum ab emundatione" (hast-separated him from splendour, purity).
Gesenius, " Thou-hast-made-to-cease [and takest away] from his
brightness." v. 46. "Shortened ... his time" {Cod. Alexandrin.
Xpovov, chronou, "of time;" Cod. Vatican., Opovov, thronou, "of his
throne"). His trials have aged him prematurely; not, He is cut
off before his time. St. Augustine, and many Psalters, " dies
sedis ejus " (the days of his throne), following Cod. Vatican.
Sclah marks the transition from complaint to pleading, v. 47.
An all but verbal repetition of Ps. Ixxviii. (79) 5. The Selah at
v. 49, divides the prayer into two parts ; in vv. 47 — 49, the
shortness of man's life is pleaded; in vv. 50 — 52, the dishonour
to God by the exultation of His enemies, v. 50. " Former
gracious-acts," i.e., the prosperity and glories of David and
Solomon. v. 52. "Footsteps," so St. Jerome, "vestigia"
( = tracks). LXX., dvTaXAay/^a, antallagma ( = exchange, thing
given, or taken, in exchange). Vulgate, as rendered by Thalhofer,
" changed-\oX, fortune." Targum, " Who have reviled the tardi-
ness of the print of the footsteps of Thy Messiah ; " followed by
Qimchi and Aben Ezra, " He delays so long, say they, He will
never come." Agellius, retributionem (recompense, the outcome
of action), cf. Ps. xviii. (19) 12, "great reward." Some take it
to mean, " the posterity of Thine anointed." Thalhofer renders
the text, " They revile every step of Thine anointed " (i.e., the
kings of David's race). In a word, Our enemies jeer at the
fallen fortunes of the house of David, which belie the magnificent
promises made to its founder. The closing doxology (berakdh)
may be an integral part of the Psalm expressive of a hope of
coming deliverance, so Qimchi, or may have been added by the
compiler, to make the end of Book Third.
"Booh jfourtb.
PSALM 89 (90).
1. A Prayer, to (i.e., of)
Mosheh, the man of God.
'Adonay, Thou hast - been
our dwelling-place In gene-
ration and generation.
2. Ere the mountains were-
brought - forth, Or Thou-
hadst - given - birth to the
earth and to the world : Yea,
from everlasting to ever-
lasting THOU art God.
3. Thou - turnest man to
dust : And sayest, Return,
ye sons of man.
4. For a thousand years,
when past, are in Thine
eyes as one bygone-day :
And as a watch in the night.
5. Thou - washest - them
away, l a sleep are - they :
In the morning they-each-
pass-away like the grass.
6. In the morning it-blos-
soms and passes away : In
PSALM 89 (90).
1. A prayer of Moses, the
man of God. Lord, Thou-
hast-been our refuge In all
generations.
2. Ere the mountains
existed, or the earth and
the world were-formed: Even
from age to age Thou art
God.
3. Turn not man back to
nothingness : Whereas Thou-
hast-said, Return, ye children
of men.
4. For a thousand years
in Thy sight are but as
yesterday which is - past :
And as a watch in the
night.
5. Their years are what
is accounted as nought.
6. In the morning [man]
passes-awaylike the grass; in
1 " Bearcst, sweepest them away [as with a flood]."
PSALM 89 (90).
377
the evening it-is-cut-down
and withers.
7. For we-are-consumed
by Thine anger : And by
Thy wrath are-we-terrified.
8. Thou - hast - set our
iniquities before Thee : Our
secret [sin] in the light of
Thy countenance.
9. For all our days have-
waned-away by reason of
Thy wrath : We complete
our years [with the speed of]
thought.
10. The days of our years,
in them are seventy years,
And, if by-reason of strength,
eighty years ; Yet is their
pride labour and sorrow :
For it-passes-away speedily,
and we-fly-away.
11. Who understands the
power of Thine anger : And
Thy wrath according to a
fear of Thee ? (i.e., so as duly
to fear Thee).
12. To number our days,
so teach [us] : That we-may-
acquire a heart of wisdom
(i.e., a wise understanding).
13. Return, YaHW^H !
how long? And let - it-
repent - Thee concerning
Thy servants.
the morning he-blossoms and
[then] passes-away : In the
evening [he droops], withers
and dries-up.
7. For we-have-perished
in Thine anger : And by
Thy wrath are-we-terrified.
8. Thou - hast - set our
iniquities before Thee : The
course - of -our - life in the
shining of Thy countenance.
9. For all our days have-
waned-away, And through
Thine anger we-pass-away :
Our years have - spun - out-
their-tale as a spider.
10. [As for] the days of
our years, in them are seventy
years : And if [men be] in
strength, eighty years ; And
what is over and above these
is but labour and trouble.
For senile-feebleness over-
takes us, and we are chas-
tened.
11. Who knows the might
of Thine anger : And for
fear of Thee can-tell of Thy
wrath ?
12. ... So make known
Thy right-hand, And those
whose heart is-schooled in
wisdom.
13. Return, O Lord ; how
long? And be -entreated
concerning Thy servants.
378
PSALM 89 (90).
14. Satisfy us in the
morning with Thy loving-
goodness : That we-may-
sing-for-joy and be-glad all
our days.
15. Gladden us according
to the days [wherein] Thou-
hast- afflicted us: To the
years [in which] we-have-seen
evil.
16. Let Thy work appear
to Thy servants : And Thy
majesty upon their children.
17. And may the gracious-
ness of 'Adonay our God be
upon us : And the work of
our hands do-Thou-prospcr
upon us : Yea, the work of
our hands do-Thou-prosper
it.
14. We-havc-been filled
in the morning (i.e., early)
with Thy mercy. We-have-
exulted and rejoiced all our
days.
15. We-have-rejoiced, in
return for the days wherein
Thou-hast-afflicted us : For
the years wherein we-have-
seen woes.
16. Look upon Thy ser-
vants, and upon Thy works :
And guide-Thou their chil-
dren.
17. And may the bright-
ness of the Lord our God be
upon us ; And the works of
our hands do-Thou-prosper
upon us : Yea, the work of
our hands do-Thou prosper.
The style and contents of this Psalm afford substantial proof
of the authenticity of the Title, which the Targum paraphrases as
follows : " A prayer which Moses, the Prophet of the Lord,
prayed, when the people of the house of Israel had sinned in the
desert." The diction not only recalls that of Moses, especially
in the closing chapters (xxxii. xxxiii.) of the Pentateuch, but it is
of a character peculiarly his. The theme of this poem is death
in its much-forgotten character as " the wages of sin," suggested,
most probably, by the punishment wherewith a whole generation
was visited, for the rebellion at Cades ; all from twenty years
old (600,500 men) perishing in the waste within the next thirty-
eight years after the report of the ten spies. Moses may have
written this Psalm for popular use, and have omitted it from the
Pentateuch, either on account of its want of connection with the
subject-matter of that work, or of its being sufficiently known to
the people. It may have been in common use during the Exile,
PSALM 89 (90). 379
which would perhaps account for its insertion among the later
Psalms. (?) The Psalm falls into two main divisions: (1) The
eternity of God contrasted with man's fleeting life (vv. 1 — 6),
which is accounted for by sin which provokes God's wrath ; a
prayer for wisdom to bear this truth in mind, and to lay to heart
the duty of serving God (vv. 7 — 12). (2) A prayer for the
cessation of the present infliction.
v. 1. "Dwelling-place;" St. Jerome, " habitaculum," an
acknowledgment of what God had been to their fathers and to
themselves. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 27. v. 2. "Given birth," i.e., created,
here and Deut. xxxii. 18. "Earth," general term = "world," the
fruitful earth. "God" wanting in LXX. and in many Latin
Psalters, v. 3. 'El (God), which closes v. 2 in the text, has
been transferred by LXX. to the beginning of v. 3, and vocalized
'al not ("Turn not"). "Dust," in text dakkd, which occurs
nowhere else. St. Jerome, " usque ad contritionem " (even to
grinding down) ; cf. Eccl. xii. 7. Rashi, with some others, takes
the second " Retur?i" for a call to repentance, which does away
with the parallelism, neutralizes the connection of "for" (v. 4)
with the second clause, v. 4. The poet seemingly pleads the
shortness of human life, even when prolonged to its utmost term,
as a motive for deprecating premature death. "When past,"
time gone by ever appears short. "Watch in the night," a third
part of the night, which later was divided into four watches. To
those who are asleep the night-watches fleet past like a moment.
Cf. 2 St. Peter iii. 8 v. 5. Difficult to make out even in text :
LXX. (as closely as possible), " Their nothingnesses ( = objects of
contempt, of rejection) shall be years " = their years are ( = o),
nought (?). LXX. probably read for z-r-m-th-m ( = Thou-bearest
them away [as with a flood]) of the present text, some derivative
of z-h-m ( = "he loathed," "was weary of") : for shenah ( = sleep
in unpointed text, sh-n-h) they read sh-n-th ( = years). Agellius
makes them out to mean, " Years are what men themselves reject,
for, when they reach old age, they are burdened with so many
ills that they become a trouble to others, and unpleasant to
themselves." " Sleep " = as men asleep. "Pass-away," chalaph
( = he slipped, passed by, changed [frequently for the worse]).
v. 6. The verbs in LXX. are in the Optative, but, regard being
380 PSALM 89 (90).
had to the text and sequence of thought, they should be rendered
in the Indicative, habitual Present ; so Thalhofer. LXX., in v. 6,
rightly, "passes away." "Decidat" (let it droop, it droops) of
LXX. and Vulgate is wanting in text. vv. 7 — 10. Mortality is
the punishment of sin. "Troubled," better "terrified," "con-
founded," " smitten with fear." v. 8. " Our secret [sin]."
Singular in text. St. Jerome, " negligentias," "errores," " ignor-
antias " ( = our omissions, errors, sins of ignorance). LXX.,
" Our age is in the light of Thy," &c. Targum and Rashi, " The
sin of our youth." Syriac, " Thou renewest our youth in the light
of Thy countenance." v. 9. "As a thought;" St. Jerome, "We
have spent our years as one uttering a word (quasi sermonem
loquens)." Targum, "as the breath of the mouth in winter."
Syriac, "our years are consumed as a spider." Aben Ezra,
" We spend our years [so that they are] as an uttered-sound," "for,"
adds he, " a word exists only when it is uttered, after that it is
as if it had never been." We must give up the attempt to restore
the text so as to approximate to the LXX. rendering, which may
mean, we spend our years in anxious cares like a spider toiling at
its web, with results no less ephemeral (?). v. 10. "The days of
. . . years," i.e., our span of life, a common expression in Genesis.
" Strength," i.e., if these years be with fulness of vigour. " Pride,"
all that men make their boast of; the pride of these extra years.
LXX., "And what is more than these;" St. Jerome, "et amplius,"
( = what is more) ; in text, rohab = rahab, applied in former
Psalms to Egypt, as a type of arrogance. LXX. and St. Jerome
read rubbam (their multitude) for raJibam (=" their pride") of
present text. The powers we heretofore took pride in are a
burden, and a source of pain. " Soon is past ; " in text, Ki gdz
c/ush (for it [human life] passes away swiftly). LXX., "Since
mildness overtakes us, and we-shall-be-chastened." They may
have referred chish ( = " soon," " speedily ") to chdshdh ( = " he was
still ") ; TratSev9r/o-6[jit9a, paidevtheesomctha (we shall be chastened),
may be a corruption for TreraaOrjaofxeOa, petastheesometha ( = " we
shall fly "), but it is doubtful whether this latter form was ever
used, and it is plainly out of keeping with rendering of LXX.,
which might be brought into closer agreement with the present
text, by a change of a letter or two in the final word. " Mildness "
PSALM 89 (90). 381
= the weakness, helplessness of old age, which has to depend on
the kindness of others. " Chastened," may refer to the rough
treatment second childhood has, at times, to undergo (Thalhofer).
vv. n, 12. "Who knows, understands, considers aright (?)," to be
supplied in second hemistich. " Dinumerare " of Vulgate ( = to
number) is added to v. 11 by LXX. and Theodotion ; in text and
Vulgate it begins v. 12. We forget that the curtailment of our life
is a result of sin, and hence too, we lose sight of our duty to
God. Hence, the following prayer closes the foregoing meditation
(vv. 1 — 12), which, while referring to mankind in general, is, in the
main, suggested by the mortality among His people, v. 12.
"To number our days so teach us, that we may cause a heart of
wisdom to come," i.e., " that we may get (acquire) a wise heart
( — wise understanding)." Ken (rendered "so") may also mean
"rightly." "Teach us to number our days rightly." LXX. read
for yameynfi ("our days," in text), y'/nhihhd (-"Thy right
hand"). "Make-known" is to be supplied before "those
instructed in wisdom in the heart." Targum, " Who shall direct
himself to teach [us] to number our days ? Surely the prophet
whose heart gushes out with wisdom," mistaking «(i/;/("we may
bring," "cause-to-come") for nixbi ( = "a prophet"), vv. 13 — 17.
Prayer for the cessation of the scourge. " Turn " from Thy
wrath, or "to Thy people." "How long?" is the scourge to
last (cf. Ps. vi. 4). " Repent Thee," or " take pity " (cf. Exod.
xxxii. 12). LXX. and St. Jerome, "exorabilis esto " ( = be easily
entreated), vv. 14, 15. LXX. are here at fault; in text, these
vv. are prayers. It may, however, be held that the Preterites
in these verses are Preterites of confidence. v. 14. "In the
morning," hence the adoption of this verse as the f. and R7. of
ferial Lauds, vv. 16, 17. "Work," the cessation of the present
infliction, with a fresh manifestation of mercy and grace, but more
especially the bringing of Israel through the perils of the desert
wanderings, to his promised inheritance (cf. Hab. iii. 2). "Their
sons ; " Targum, " multiplicatio eorum " ( = " their increase "), with
reference, perhaps, to the exclusion of the present generation
from the Promised Land, the entrance into which was reserved
to "their children." v. 17. "Brightness;" St. Jerome, "decor"
( "beauty"); in text, nixi/n, which, like x"Pts> cliaris, may mean
3S2
PSALM 90 (91).
"gracious favour," or "grace inherent in beauty." "Yea, the
work of our hands do Thou prosper it," wanting in Cod. Vatican.
of LXX., but found in Cod. Alex.
PSALM 90 (91).
1 . He - that - takes - his -
seat under the shelter of
"El'yon : Shall-continually-
dvvell under the shadow of
Shadday (i.e., the Almighty).
2. I-will-sayof YrtHW<?H,
my refuge, and my fortress :
My God, in Him will - I -
trust.
3. For He shall -deliver
thee from the snare of the
fowler: And from destroying
pestilence.
4. With His pinions shall-
He-cover thee, And under
His wings shalt-thou-take-
refuge : A shield and a
buckler is His truth.
5. Thou-shalt not be-afraid
for any terror by-night : For
the arrow [that] flics by-
day :
6. For the pestilence [that]
walks in darkness : For the
destruction [that] lays -
waste at noon-day.
7. [Though] a thousand
may-fall at thy side. And
ten-thousand at thy right-
hand : To thee it-shall not
come-nigh.
PSALM 90 (91).
1. Praise of a Song, by
David. He that dwells in
the help of the Most-High :
Shall - sojourn under the
shelter of the God of heaven.
2. He -shall -say to the
Lord, My helper art THOU,
and my refuge : My God, in
Him will-I-trust.
3. For He shall-deliver
me from the snare of the
hunters : And from the
slanderous report.
4. With His shoulders
shall-He-overshadow thee :
And under His wings shalt-
thou-be safe ;
5. His truth shall-cover
thee with a shield : Thou-
shalt not be-afraid of any
terror by night,
6. Of the arrow flying by
day, of the thing stalking
in darkness : Of the assault
of the noon-day demon.
7. A thousand shall-fall
at thy side, And ten-thou-
sand at thy right-hand : But
to thee it-shall not come-
nigh.
PSALM 90 (91).
383
8. Only with thine eyes
shalt-thou-behold : And see
the requital of the wicked.
9. For Thou, YaHW^H,
art my refuge : "El'yon hast-
thou-made thy dwelling.
10. There shall no evil
befall thee : And the plague
shall not come - nigh thy
tent.
11. For He-shall-give His
angels charge over thee : To
keep thee in all thy ways.
12. On [their] palms shall-
they - bear thee up : Lest
thou-dash thy foot against
a stone.
13. Upon the lion and the
adder shalt - thou - tread :
Thou-shalt-trample-on the
young-lion and the dragon.
14. Because he -has- clung
to Me, therefore will - I -
deliver him : I-will-set-him-
on-high, because he-knows
My Name.
1 5. He - shall - call - upon
Me, and I-will-answer him ;
I am with him in trouble :
I - will - deliver him, and
glorify him.
16. With length of days
will - I - satisfy him : And
show him My salvation.
8. Save that with thine
eyes thou - shalt observe :
And see the requital of
sinners.
9. For Thou, O Lord, art
my refuge : The Most-High
hast-thou-made thy shelter.
10. No evil shall-befall
thee : Neither shall the
scourge come-nigh thy tent.
11. For He-has-given His
angels charge concerning
thee : To keep thee in all
thy ways.
12. In [their] hands shall-
they-bear thee up : Lest, per-
chance, thou-dash thy foot
against a stone.
13. Upon the asp and the
basilisk shalt - thou - tread :
And thou - shalt - trample-
upon the lion and the
dragon.
14. Because he has hoped
in Me, I-will-deliver him : I-
will-protect him, for that he-
has-known My Name.
15. He - shall -call -upon
Me, and I -will-hearken to
him, I am with him in
affliction : I-will-rescue him,
and glorify him.
16. With long life will- 1 -
satisfy him : And show him
My salvation.
384 PSALM 90 (91).
"One of the most beautiful and devout in the Psalter," is
Thalhofer's appreciation of this Psalm. It sets forth, with con-
siderable variety and beauty of expression, the restful trust, the
security of the just under God's almighty protection. It, all
along, develops, "If God be for us, who is against us?" (Rom.
viii. 31). Its structure, on account of the abrupt change of
person (a peculiarity of Hebrew poetry, which in this Psalm is
so frequent), is perplexing to the commentator. The author is
unknown. An old Rabbinical canon, which perhaps holds good
for the earlier, but hardly for the later books, or sections of the
Psalter, ascribes the "orphan," i.e., anonymous Psalms, to the
author named in the last foregoing title. Hence, Aben Ezra and
others, though not without misgiving, ascribe this Psalm to
Moses, whose name appears in the title of the preceding Psalm
[Ps. lxxxix. (90)]. The diction of this Psalm rather favours this
ascription, as will appear, if we collate it with Deut. xxxiii.
Targum makes it a dialogue between David and Solomon.
The Midrash says that Moses composed not only Ps. lxxxix.,
" Prayer of Moses," but also the ten Psalms following, up to
Ps. c. (101). "The Praise of a Song to (-by) David," prefixed
in Cod. Vatican, of LXX., is wanting in several Greek codices.
Ven. Card. Bellarmine quotes SS. Hilary, Jerome, and Euthymius,
&c, as expressly stating that this Psalm is anonymous. It has
been surmised that its historical background is some fatal
epidemic (may be the plague recorded in 2 Kings (Sam.)xxiv. 15).
In Perowne's "Translation of the Psalms," we read that an
eminent physician at St. Petersburg was wont to recommend this
Psalm as an effective preservative against the cholera. The
varied and vivid presentment of the multifarious perils that beset
human life shows rather that the inspired poet paints dangers of
every kind, so as to express the more joyfully his steadfast trust
in the Divine protection.
v. 1. Lit., "The sitting-one in the secret-place ( = shelter,
covert) of the Most High shall-dwell-in-continual-safety," <\:c.
"Dwell;" in text, a form of iiin ( "he lodged," "he spent the
night"). "Shadow," vf. Ps. xvi. (17) 9. This is equivalent to
v. 9, "The Most High hast-lhou made thy dwel ling-place."
v. 2. "I-will-say;" LXX., Syriac, Vulgate, "he-will-say;"
PSALM 90 (91). 385
St. Jerome, " dicens " ( = saying, he says), divergences due to a
different pointing of the word. We might render, " I will say to
YH" [belongs] my refuge," &c. " My God, I will trust in Him ; "
Hebrew idiom for, "in Whom I trust." v. 3. The poet
encourages himself, as in Ps. cxx. (121) 2, 3. St. Augustine has
"liberabit " (shall-deliver) ; "thee" (not "me") in text. LXX. and
St. Jerome, = " Snare . . . fowler," figures dangers that fall on
us unawares, cf. Eccl. ix. 12. "Pestilence of destructions" —
literally. St. Jerome, "a morte insidiarum" ( = from death by
stratagem). LXX., Aquila, Symmachus, read d-bh-r of unpointed
text, as dabar (="word," "matter"), instead of debher (= pesti-
lence), oltto Xoyov Tapa^coSous, apo logon tarachodous, of LXX. = the
word causing trouble, disturbance, mischief, (most likely) " slander,"
corresponding to verbo aspero of Vulgate. So too, in v. 6, d-bh-r
(pointed debher = "pestilence," by the Masoretes), is read dabar
( = " word," " matter," " thing ") — the Latin negotiu/u - " [evil]
thing ; " LXX., airo 77-pay/xa.Tos, apo pragmatos ( = from the thing,
the [mischievous] thing). In Ps. li. (52) 4, LXX. render the word
corresponding to "destructions," by "injustice;" in Ps. lvi. (57)
2, by "iniquity;" hence may they be taken to mean here, "a
malignant report," or, " the mishap thus reported." v. 4. Cf.
Deut. xxxii. n. "Buckler;" in text, socherah, which occurs
nowhere else, from sachar (=he surrounded), may be (=" panoply"),
taken by LXX. as a verb ( = " shall-surround," " cover thee "), as
a shield that protects the whole body. v. 5. " Terror by night,"
cf. Cant. iii. 8 ; perhaps, night-attacks, a sudden, unexpected
irruption. " Arrow by day ; " perils that can be foreseen. In
v. 6, they are represented by other figures. "The destruction
[contagion (?)] that lays-waste at noon-day." St. Jerome, "a
morsu insanientis meridie " ( = from the bite [of the snake (?)
rendered] rabid by the noon-day heat) ; Targum, " from the
company of demons destroying at noon." LXX., Syriac, Aquila,
and Symmachus, read for yashiidh ( = " shall waste," " shall
destroy "), v'shedh (and the demon), %vjXTno)fxa, syinptoma, of
LXX. ( = incursus of Vulgate), may be understood of the attack
of a contagious disease. " Ab incursu et daemonio," &c, may
probably be taken as a hendiadys, " the attack of the demon at
noon." Joseph Scaliger explains vv. 5, 6, as comprising the
386 psalm 91 (92).
four divisions of the day current among the Jews — (1) evening,
(2) midnight, (3) morning, and (4) noon, and as thus implying that
" he who makes God his refuge " is, at every hour, safe from
danger, v. 7. Cf. Deut. xxxii. 30. "The contagion may count its
victims by thousands and tens of thousands, but thou shalt
remain unscathed." v. 8. "Thou shalt only see" &c. (but shalt
not be involved in their requital), v. 9. " For," the reason of
v. 8, of the immunity therein promised. " Dwelling-place ; "
cf. Deut. xxxiii. 27 ; cf. first verse of foregoing Psalm, v. 10.
"Plague," "stroke," "infliction," specialized by St. Jerome,
" lepra " ( = leprosy). " Thy tent ; " alludes, perhaps, to Israel's
exemption from the plagues of Egypt (Exod. xii. 23) • a remin-
iscence also of the Patriarchal life. vv. 11, 12. The reason of
this exemption, the guardianship of holy angels. These two
verses (minus hemistich b of v. n) were quoted by Satan, when
he tempted our Lord. The omission has probably no such
significance as is imagined, v. 12. As we say, "in their arms
shall they carry thee." Targum glosses, "Lest thou dash," &c.
" With their strength shall they bear thee, lest thy foot impinge
on unlawful desire, like unto stones." It was commonly held
among the heathen that each man had a guardian genius, v. 13.
St. Jerome agrees here with Vulgate and LXX. " Basilisk,"
perhaps the cobra de capello (Liddell and Scott, Greek Lex., s.v.).
"Lion," "adder," "dragon" ("serpent" rather), figure the
strength and craft of man's natural and ghostly foes ; cf. St. Luke
x. 19. v. 14. "Set on high " = " exaltabo eum " of St. Jerome ;
i.e., " I will put him beyond the reach of harm ; " equivalent to
"I will protect him." v. 15. "I am with him," cf. Isai. lxiii. 9;
1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 30. v. 16. Cf. Deut. xxxii. 46, 47.
PSALM 91 (92). PSALM 91 (92).
1. A Psalm, a Song, for 1. A Psalm of a Song for
the Sabbath-day. the Sabbath-day.
2. It is a good-thing to- 2. It is a good-thing to-
give-thanksto YHWH : And give-thanks to the Lord : To
to sing-psalms to Thy Name, sing-psalms to Thy Name,
O Most- High, O Most- High,
PSALM 91 (92).
387
3. To proclaim Thy loving-
kindness in the morning :
And Thy faithfulness in the
nights,
4. On a ten-stringed [in-
strument], and on a nabhel :
With loud - music on the
kinnor.
5. For Thou - hast - glad-
dened me, YczHW^H, with
Thy work : And I-will-sing-
aloud because of the doings
of Thy hands.
6. How great are Thy
works, YaFLWeH ! Exceed-
ing deep are Thy thoughts !
7. A brutish man knows
not : And a fool considers
[understands] not this :
8. When the wicked sprout-
up as grass, And all the
workers of iniquity flourish :
[It is] that they - may - be-
destroyed for ever :
9. But Thou, YaHW^H,
art a Height for evermore
[or, " art (throned) on high,"
&c.].
10. For lo, Thine enemies,
YHWH, for lo, Thine
enemies shall-perish : And
all the workers of iniquity
shall-be-scattered.
1 1. ButThou-hast-upraised
my horn like [that of] a
wild-ox : I-am-anointed with
fresh oil (lit., green oil).
3. To proclaim Thy mercy
in the morning : And Thy
truth by night,
4. On a ten-stringed [in-
strument], the psaltery :
With jubilant - song upon
the harp.
5. For Thou, O Lord,
hast-gladdened me by Thy
doing : And in the works
of Thy hands will-I-exult.
6. How have Thy works
been - magnified, O Lord !
Thy thoughts are exceeding
deep !
7. A senseless man knows
not : Neither does a fool
understand these-things ;
8. When sinners spring-
up like grass ; And all the
workers of iniquity come-to-
light : [It is] that they-may-
perish for ever :
9. But Thou, O Lord, art
Most-High for evermore.
10. For, lo, Thine enemies,
O Lord, for, lo, Thine enemies
shall perish : And all the
doers of iniquity shall-be-
scattered.
ir. But my horn shall-be-
exalted as [that of] the
unicorn : And mine old-age
with rich mercy.
388
PSALM 91 (92).
12. Mine eye also looks
upon those -that -lie -in -wait
for me : Mine ear has-heard
of the evil-doers that-rise-up
against me.
13. The just-man shall-
flourish like the palm-tree :
He-shall-grow like a cedar
in Lebhanon.
14. They -are -planted in
the house of YHWH : They-
shall- flourish in the courts
of our God ;
15. -They-shall still-bear-
fruit in old-age : Full-of-sap
and green-of-leaf shall-they-
be,
16. To declare that
YaHW^H is upright : My
Rock, in whom there is no
injustice.
12. Mine eye also has-
looked upon mine enemies :
And mine ear has-heard of
the evil-doers that-rise-up
against me.
13. The just shall-flourish
like a palm-tree : He-shall-
grow like the cedar of
Libanus.
14. Planted in the house
of the Lord : They -shall-
flourish in the courts [of
the house] of our God ;
15. They - shall still -
increase in a vigorous old-
age : And hale-and-hearty
shall-they-be,
16. To declare that the
Lord our God is upright :
And that there is no iniquity
in Him.
The keynote of this hymn is in v. 5. " Thy doing . . . the
works of Thy hands." The poet contemplating the wonders of
creation, magnifies " the handiwork and counsels of the Most
High." Hence was it deemed a fitting Psalm for the Sabbath.
From the Talmudic treatise, Qiddushin, we learn that it was sung
on Sabbath morning, when, at the offering of the first lamb, the
wine was poured out as a drink-offering or libation. It is still
used in the synagogues as a Sabbatical Psalm. The Talmudic
treatise just referred to, tells us that in the second Temple, the
Levitical choir sang on Sundays, Ps. xxiii. (Hebrew reckoning
= 24) ; Mondays, Ps. xlvii. (48) ; Tuesdays, Ps. lxxxi. (82) ;
Wednesdays, Ps. xciii. (94); Thursdays, Ps. lxxx. (81); Fridays,
Ps. xcii. (93). A fanciful legend in Qiddushin relates that this
was the song of praise uttered by Adam, when the first Sabbath
dawned upon the world, whence its. Title in Targum, "The hymn
and the song Adam, the first man, spoke on the Sabbath." It
PSALM 91 (92). 389
must, however, be remembered, that modern commentators
interpret " doing," " works " of God's providential dealings with
Israel, or of His moral government of the world. Rabbi Akiba
interprets " Sabbath," and Title, " A Psalm, or Song for the
future age " (i.e., that of Messiah), " which will be a perpetual
Sabbath " (cf. Hebr. iv. 9).
v. 2. " Good," sweet, pleasant, a joy to the heart. v. 3.
" Morning . . . nights," at all times, but especially at the beginning
and close of the day. St. Augustine, " in joy and in sadness."
" To proclaim " is the object of " giving thanks," of " singing," &c.
v. 4. This array of musical instruments shows that this Psalm was
primarily meant to be a congregational hymn, applicable, it is
true, to individual deliverances. "Ten-stringed;" LXX. join it
as adjective to nebhel ( = " psaltery," "lute"), but in text,
St. Jerome, and in many old Latin Psalters (et psalterio), it is
a noun, which is further borne out by the punctuation of the
authentic Vulgate edition. " Nebhel" here identified as a stringed
instrument, a kind of harp. Josephus (Antiq. 7, 12, 3) mentions
a twelve-stringed harp. " Higgayon " (rendered " loud music ") ;
Qimchi, "a song;" Aben Ezra, some kind of melody, or instru-
ment ; Gesenius, " with the sounding of the harp ; " St. Jerome,
" in cantico " ( = with a song), v. 5. To judge from vv. 8, 10 — 12,
the poet has in view the providential dispensations marking the
history of Israel. "Loving goodness," faithfulness (v. 3), favour
this conclusion. v. 7. " Brutish," living but for sensual enjoy-
ment (cf. 2 St. Peter ii. 12). "Fool," the stolid atheist of Ps. xiii.
(14) 1, unable to appreciate the vicissitudes of life. The wicked
may " sprout up and flower," but " their everlasting ruin is the
end of their prosperity." v. 9. " A Height ; " in text, the noun
Mdrom, to be taken in the concrete adjective sense, "Most High."
v. 11. "Horn" symbolizes might, dignity. "Wild ox," or
" buffalo " (in text, reem). Gesenius (Hebr. Lex. s.v.) gives good
reasons for rejecting the rendering "unicorn." Ps. xxi. (22) 22,
favours the view that reem designates a two-homed animal. "Jam
anointed [/it., "poured upon," "sprinkled"] with green [i.e., fresh]
oil," so Gesenius, who takes balldthi of text for a verb ; but Sym-
machus, " Mine old-age is as a flourishing olive-tree ; " St. Jerome,
" Et senectus mea in oleo uberi " ( = Mine old age [is invigorated
390 PSALM 91 (92).
and gladdened] with copious oil). As " oil " symbolizes joy,
vigour (cf. Isai. x. 27, where it denotes a well-fed, robust con-
dition), with Thalhofer, Schegg, Lowe, and Jennings, we may
render, " Mine old-age is green in its vigour." " Misericordia "
( = " mercy " of Vulgate) corresponds to eV iXew, k.t.X., en eleo, &c.
( = "with rich mercy"), of Cod. Vatican, of LXX., a scribe's
blunder probably (did they write from dictation?) for ev ika'ua,
elaio (with oil) of Cod. Alex, in most Greek MSS. and Fathers ;
cf. the same variant in Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 21. v. 12. " Look upon "
with pleasure, so Gesenius. v. 13. " Palm," "cedar," emblems of
verdure, fruitfulness, undying vigour, perpetuity, v. 14. Metaphor
is partly dropped. By its special election, Israel was " planted "
in the courts, &c, and by prayer and sacrifice could enter into
living communion with God, and thus appropriate the forces of
the higher life ("the sap" producing green foliage). This held
good, not of the individual only, but of the nation, which, had
it faithfully realized the idea of its special vocation, would have
ever been prosperous ("bene patientes" of Vulgate) after
centuries of existence (" senectus " = old-age). " Planted," i.e., as
in Ps. i. 3, rooted, and fixed in love for the Sanctuary, the dwelling
of God, the centre of national life, the glory of the chosen race.
Not "transplanted," as rendered by Aquila, Symmachus, and
St. Jerome, v. 15. Lit., "Still shall-they-break-forth (i.e., with
leaf, or with fruit) in old-age : Fat {i.e., full of sap), and green-
of-leaf shall they be." St. Jerome, " They shall still bear-fruit in
old-age. Fat and leafy shall they be " [Pingues et frondosi erunt).
v. 16. " Annuntiantes," declaring that the Lord is upright {quia
rectus Dominus) ; " My strength, and that there is no iniquity in
Him." " Bene patientes," by Douai rendered " well-treated," is
an unintelligent rendering of timaOovvrv;, evpathountes ( = "well-off,
"prosperous," " in prime condition "), of LXX. "Leafy," "green
with leaves," cf. "a green old age." v. 16. This verse is based on
Ueut. xxxii. 4. The prosperity figured in vv. 13, 15, is a proof
of the equity ("upright") of God's government. "My Rock;"
Vulgate, "tf«r God," but in LXX. and most old Latin Psalters,
" my God." The prosperity of the wicked is but transitory
(vv. 8, 10, 12), that of the just is stable and permanent.
PSALM 92 (93).
391
PSALM 92 (93).
King;
1. YaHVJeH is
with majesty is - He - clad ;
YaHWeH is - clad with
strength ; He-has-girded-
Himself [therewith] : The
world also is-established ;
it-shall-not-totter.
2. Thy throne is-firmly-
set of old : From everlasting
art Thou.
3. The floods have-lifted-
up, YHWH, The floods lift-
up their voice : The floods
lift-up their roaring.
4. More than the voices
of many mighty waters,
Of the breakers of the
sea : Is YHWH mighty in
the height (i.e., on high).
5. Thy testimonies are
very faithful : Holiness be-
comes Thy house, YaH-
WeH, for length of days.
PSALM 92 (93).
1. The praise of a Song
by David, for the day before
the Sabbath, when the earth
was founded. The Lord
reigns ; He - is clad with
majesty ; the Lord is clad
with might, and has-girded
Himself [therewith] : For
He - has - established the
world, which shall - not - be
moved.
2. Thy throne is firmly-
set of old : From everlasting
art Thou.
3. The rivers have-lifted-
up, O Lord, The rivers have-
lifted-up their voice : The
rivers have - lifted - up their
waves,
4. At the voices of many
waters. Wondrous are the
billows of the sea : more-
wondrous is the Lord on
high.
5. Thy testimonies are
very trustworthy : Holiness
becomes Thy house, O
Lord, for evermore.
This is a liturgical, and, probably, a Post-exilic hymn ;
according to Qimchi, forming a series consisting of Pss. xcii. (93),
xcv. (96) — xcviii. (99), which deals with the final establishment of
God's Kingdom by the coming of the Lord. The calling and
ingathering of the Gentiles is clearly predicted in two of these
Psalms. There is no Title in the text, that prefixed by LXX.
392
PSALM 93 (94).
rests upon a tradition recorded in the Mishnah (Tamid. vii. 4),
asserting that, in the second Temple, this Psalm was sung at the
Friday morning sacrifice. It is still a portion of the morning
prayers for that day in the synagogues. " When the earth was
[fully] founded" a free, yet not inaccurate rendering of LXX.,
" when the earth was inhabited" as the final, finishing touch was
given to creation by the formation of man.
v. 1. "King;" ///., "has reigned," "reigns;" Prophetic Perfect,
expressing lively faith, steadfast confidence, that His might and
majesty will be acknowledged by mankind. v. 2. " World
established," "throne of old;" besides God's revelation of
Himself in creation, and in the orderly course of nature, this
includes His moral government, v. 3. " The rivers have lifted
up their waves " is wanting in most old Psalters, and in Cod.
Vatican, of LXX., but is taken from Cod. Alexandrin.
" Roaring ; " in text, dok/iyam, " their dashing-noise " (?) — it
occurs only here. v. 4. Rendering of Delitzsch. A slight
change of punctuation would bring Vulgate into exact agreement
with the present text, the drift whereof is plain enough. A
difficulty, however, arises from the ambiguity of the initial
preposition, min ( = <i7ro, a), which may be comparative ( = " more
than"), or causal ( = "by reason of"). The "billows" and
" breakers " represent the powers of the world in conflict with
the Christ and His Church. Targum, " More than . . . glorious
in the heavens is the height of the Lord." v. 5. By baffling the
efforts of His foes, He sets forth the steadfastness of His
promises.
PSALM 93 (94).
1. God of vengeances,
Y<?HW*H : God of ven-
geances, shine-forth.
2. Lift - up - Thyself, O
Judge of the earth : Render
a requital to the proud.
PSALM 93 (94).
1. A Psalm of David for
the fourth-day of the week.
A God of vengeances is
the Lord : The God of ven-
geances appears-openly.
2. Lift-up-Thyself, Thou-
that judgest the earth. Ren-
der a requital to the proud.
PSALM 93 (94).
393
3. How long shall the
wicked, YHWH : How long
shall the wicked exult ?
4. They-gush-forth, they-
utter arrogance : All the
workers of iniquity boast-
themselves.
5. Thy people, YHWH,
they-crush : And Thine in-
heritance they-afflict.
6. The widow and the
stranger they - slay : And
murder the orphans.
7. And they-say, " YdH
sees not : Nor does the God
of Jacob regard [it]."
8. Understand, ye brutish
among the people : And
fools, when will-ye-be-wise ?
9. He - that - planted the
ear, shall not He-hear? He-
that-formed the eye, shall
not He-behold ?
10. He-that-chastens na-
tions, shall not He-reprove?
He-that-teaches man know-
ledge?
11. YtfHW^H knows the
thoughts of man : That they
are [but] a breath (i.e., vanity).
1 2. Happy the man whom
Thou-chastenest, YdH : And
teachest out of Thy law ;
13. To-give-him-rest from
3. How long shall sinners,
O Lord : How long shall
sinners boast ?
4. They-utter and speak
iniquity : All the wrong-
doers speak [so].
5. They-afflict Thy people,
O Lord : And oppress Thine
inheritance.
6. They-slay the widow
and the stranger : And
murder the orphans.
7. And they-say, " The
Lord shall not see. Neither
does the God of Jacob con-
sider."
8. Consider, ye senseless-
ones among the people :
And ye fools, at length be-
wise :
9. He that planted the
ear, does-He not-hear? He-
that-formed the eye, does-
He not perceive ?
10. He-that-chastens na-
tions, shall not He-reprove ?
He-that-teaches man know-
ledge?
11. The Lord knows the
thoughts of men : That
they are vain. (Cf. 1 Cor. iii.
20.)
12. Blessed is the man
whom Thou-instructest, O
Lord : And teachest out of
Thy law ;
13. That Thou - mayest-
594
PSALM 93 (94).
the days of evil : Until a
pit be-dug for the wicked.
14. For YaHW*H will
not desert His people :
Neither will-He-forsake His
inheritance,
15. For judgment must-
return to justice : And all
the upright in heart shall-
follow it.
16. Who will-rise-up for
me against evil-doers? Who
will-set-himself-up for me
against the workers of ini-
quity ?
17. Unless YHWH [had-
been] my help : My soul
had soon dwelt in silence.
18. When I -said, My foot
slips : Thy loving-goodness,
Y#HWi?H, upheld me.
19. In the multitude of
my distracting - thoughts
within me : Thy consola-
tions delight my soul.
20. Can the tribunal of
iniquity have-fellowship with
Thee : Which - frames mis-
chief by decree ?
21. They-break-in upon
the soul of the just-man :
And condemn innocent
blood :
22. But YHWH has-been
give-him-relief in evil days :
Until a pit be-dug for the
sinner.
14. For the Lord will-not
thrust - away His people.
Neither will-He-forsake His
inheritance ;
15. Until justice return to
judgment : And they that
cling thereto are all the up-
right in heart.
16. Who- will-rise-up for
me against the wicked ? Or
Who-will-stand-up with me
against the workers of ini-
quity ?
17. Unless the Lord had-
helped me : My soul had
speedily dwelt in the
nether-world.
18. Did-I-say, My foot
slips : Thy mercy, O Lord,
helped me.
19. According to the
multitude of my sorrows
within my heart : Thy con-
solations have - gladdened
my soul.
20. Can the judgment-
seat of wickedness be-in-
alliance with Thee ? Dost-
Thou-frame trouble by de-
cree?
21. They-make-chase for
the life of the just-man :
And condemn innocent
blood.
22. Hut the Lord has-been
PSALM 93 (94). 395
my high-tower : And my my refuge : And my God
God the rock of my refuge, the prop of my hope.
23. And He-has-caused 23. And He-will-requite
their own iniquity to-return them their own iniquity,
upon them, And in their own And destroy them in their
wickedness shall - He- cut - wickedness: The Lord our
them-off: YHWH our God God shall - utterly - destroy
shall-cut them off. them.
The title (To David) prefixed to this Psalm by LXX. is
inconsistent with what we know of David's reign, and of his
persecutor, and of his would-be competitor. Saul, the elect of the
people, ever sought to stand well with them (cf. 1 Kings (Sam.)
xviii. 8 ; 2 Sam. i. 24). Absalom had not time to play the tyrant.
The theme of the Psalm is a national wrong of the same kind as
that which roused the indignation of the writer of Ps. lxxxi. (82),
the crushing oligarchical despotism of a godless faction, to be
attributed to the national magistracy, rather than to the arrogance
of a foreign conqueror, as the contents of the Psalm (vv. 15 — 18)
lead us to conclude. This is incompatible with David's wise
and vigorous administration, but, to judge from the scathing
denunciations of the Prophets (Isai. i. 21, &c. ; Jer. v. 27, &c. ;
Osee vii. 2 ; Mich. iii. 2, &c. ; vii. 2, &c, &c), it was rife in the
later years of the monarchy. The rest of the Title, as already
shown, is favoured by Jewish tradition. We further learn from
the same source (Mishnah), that this Psalm was being sung by
the Levitical choir when the Chaldaean troops broke into the
First Temple, and interrupted the chant at the last verse. Valeat
quantum. The Psalm begins with an appeal for just vengeance
on tyrannical rulers, corrupt judges, oppressors of the helpless,
who, in their blindness, mistake God's patience for utter
indifference. It closes with the expression of a steadfast trust in
the manifestation of Divine justice, for which the upright, upheld
by God, can wait. The Psalm is still assigned to Wednesday in
the Synagogue services.
v. 1. "Shine-forth" — "appear in judicial majesty;" St. Jerome,
" Ostendere " (show Thyself). The Imperative in v. 2 shows that
it is not, as in LXX., a habitual Perfect, " has dealt freely,"
"boldly," "openly" {-lirapfi-qa-iaa-aTo, eparrheesiasato). v. 2.
396 psalm 93 (94).
"The earth" — better, "the land," the Hebrew nation, vv. 3 — 7.
The insolent oppression of the ungodly is the reason for the
foregoing appeal. v. 4. "They gush forth" — with words
expressive of their assurance that their power is firmly established.
" Boast," rather, with Qimchi and Aben Ezra, " they carry them-
selves proudly," from the primary meaning of amar (he said),
"he bore forth," "he brought to light." Gesenius, "they lift
themselves up." v. 6. " Widow, stranger, orphan ; " on account
of their helplessness an easy prey of the wicked, hence declared
in the Law to be objects of God's special care (Exod. xxii. ;
Deut. xxiv.). This favours the view that the Psalmist complains,
not of foreign, but of domestic despotism, v. 7. "God of Jacob;"
these miscreant rulers know God by His covenant Name,
v. 8. "Among the people."1 vv. 8 — 11. No Israelite but is
aware that God chastises the heathen for crimes committed,
despite the dictates of their unaided natural reason : much more
then, will He call to a severe account those to whom He has
vouchsafed a positive Revelation. v. 10, wherein the poet
passes from the physical constitution of man to the argument of
God's moral government. v. 11. In text, they is masculine,
thoughts feminine. LXX. refers vain (/jloltcuoi, mataioi) to men
(avOpuiiroi, anihropoi), Vulgate to thoughts (vanse), so too
St. Jerome. On account of the not unprecedented grammatical
irregularity in text, another rendering is preferred by some, "YH"
knows . . . that they [mankind] are vanity," lit., " a breath."
vv. 12 — 15. Enlightened by Revelation, the just are schooled to
resignation, sustained by trust, which gives them "rest from the
days of evil," before the time of God's just judgment, made
manifest by the overthrow of their oppressors. v. 15. LXX.
invert the position of judgment and justice. In text, the present
corrupt judicial practice must be regulated by justice ; and, when
thus reformed, all honest folks (lit. " [will be] after it ") will give
in their adhesion to it, openly avow their attachment to it.
St. Jerome, "And all the upright in heart shall follow it"
[sequentur illud, viz., judgment, judicium). LXX., "God's punitive
justice shall at length be made manifest in judgment, by executing
just judgments, which all the upright in heart shall approve and
1 Or, "most brutish of the people."
PSALM 93 (94). 397
applaud." vv. 16 — 19. Past personal experience shows God's
justice and care. v. 16. "Who will rise," &c, or (perhaps),
" Oh ! that I could be helped in withstanding oppression," cf.
Ps. liv. (55) 7. Were the oppression complained of that of a
mighty foreign conqueror, this would be rash and foolhardy.
v. 27. " Silence," the impassive silence of the grave, "the silent
tomb," or the under-world ; in inferno of St. Jerome, " Hades" of
LXX. It seems that the poet, striving against the flagrant
perversion of right and justice, had escaped death by a special
Providence, v. 19. "Thoughts;" "carking cares," "anxious,
distracting thoughts." The word occurs once again, Ps. cxxxviii.
(139) 23. vv. 20 — 23. Confident assurance of coming retribution,
v. 20. "Throne," royal seat; but here, "judgment-seat," shewing
that he is inveighing against legalized wrong. " Approvest
and protectest Thou those corrupt judges and tyrannical rulers,
who cloak their enormities under the pretence of law, by wresting
law ? " " By statute, by decree " (i.e., as choq, the word in text,
connected with "throne," shows), by human enactments at
variance with the Divine Law and natural justice, not as
Symmachus renders it, Kara 77-pocn-ayju.aTos, kata prostagmatos
(against the commandment). LXX., 6 rrXdcraoiv, ho plasson
(fingens = framing, of St. Jerome), agrees with text. Vulgate,
" qui fingis " (who framest), trouble. St. Augustine, and several
old Psalters, " dolorem " (sorrow), &c. Van Steenkiste (Com-
mentar. in singulos Pss.) turns it into an interrogation. It may,
however, mean, " Thy law enjoins self-control, self-sacrifice for
justice' sake: canst Thou then be in alliance with legalized
injustice?" Kisse (throne) denotes the seat of any one in
authority, as king, high priest, general, and, as here, judge.
v. 21. St. Jerome, "copulabuntur " (they join each other).
Targum, " They (i.e., these miscreants) heap up evils." Condemn
the guiltless to death, cf. St. Matt, xxvii. 4. vv. 22, 23. The
Preterites in text express not so much what has been done, as the
confident assurance which looks to what is to be as already
accomplished. Hence the interchanges with the Futures.
393
PSALM 94 (95).
PSALM 94 (95).
1. Come-ye, let-us-sing to
YtfHW^H ; Shout-we-joy-
fully to the Rock of our
salvation ;
. 2. Let-us-go-to-meet His
face with thanksgiving :
With psalms shout-we-joy-
fully to Him.
3. For a great God is
YHWH : And a great King
above all gods.
4. In Whose hand are the
deep - places of the earth :
And the tops of the moun-
tains are His.
5. Whose is the sea —
and He made it : And the
dry-land His hands have-
formed.
6. Come, let-us-fall -pros-
trate, and bow-down : Let-
us- kneel before Y^HW^H
our Maker :
7. For He is our God,
And we are the people of
His pasture and the flock of
1 lis hand : To-day, Oh that
you-would-hear His voice !
8. Harden not your hearts
as at Meribhah (i.e., Strife) :
As on the day of Massah
(i.e., temptation) in the desert,
9. When your fathers
PSALM 94 (95).
1. The praise of a Song
by David. O Come, let-us-
exult to the Lord : Shout-
we - joyfully to God our
Saviour ;
2. Let-us-go-to-meet His
face with thanksgiving : And
with psalms shout-we-joy-
fully to Him.
3. For the Lord is a great
God : And a great King
above all gods ;
4. Yea, in His hand are
all the ends of the earth :
And the heights of the
mountains are His.
5. For His is the sea, and
He made it : And His hands
have-formed the dry-land.
6. O Come, let-us-worship
and fall down : Let-us-weep
before the Lord who made
us ;
7. For He is the Lord our
God, And we are the people
of His pasture, and the sheep
of His hand.
8. To-day, if you-should-
hear His voice, Harden not
your hearts (Heb. iii. 7 — 12 ;
iv. 7),
9. As at the Provocation,
psalm 94 (95).
J99
tempted Me : Proved
yea, saw My work.
Me,
10. Forty years [long]
I-loathed [that] generation,
And said, " A people
erring in heart are they :
And they have not known
My ways : "
ii. Wherefore I-swore in
My wrath : " They-shall not
come into My rest."
Like on the day of the
Temptation in the desert :
When your fathers tempted
Me, proved Me, and saw My
works.
io. Forty years long was-
I -displeased with that gene-
ration, And said, " They do
always err in heart."
ii. And they have not
known My ways. So that
I-swore in My wrath : " They
shall-not enter into My rest."
[LXX. {Cod. Vatican).']
i. Come, let us exult to
the Lord : let-us-make-a-
joyful-noise to God our
Saviour. 2. Let -us -come
before His face with thanks-
giving, and make-a-joyful
noise to Him with psalms.
3. For the Lord is a great
God, and a great King over
all the gods ; [for the Lord
will not cast off His people] ■}
4. For in His hand are the
ends of the earth, and the
heights of the mountains are
His.
5. For the sea is His, and
He made it : And His
[Roman Psatier.]
1. Come, let-us-exult to
theLord; let-us-sing-joyfully
to God our Saviour ; let-us-
come-before His face with
thanksgiving, and make-a-
joyful-noise to Him with
psalms.
2. For the Lord is a great
God, and a great King over
all gods ; [for the Lord will
not cast off His people] : For
in His hand are [all] the ends
of the earth, and the heights
of the mountains He beholds.
3. For the sea is His, and
He made it : And His hands
1 "For the Lord . . . His people;" an interpolation from Ts. xciii. (94) 14,
wanting in Hebrew and in Cod. Alexandrin. But adopted by St. Augustine,
Arnobius, Cassiodorus, Codex of Verona, &c.
4Q0
PSALM 94 (95).
hands formed the dry-land.
6. Come, let-us-worship and
fall-down before Him, and
weep before the Lord that
made us, 7. For He is our
God ; and we are the people
of His pasture, and the
sheep of His hand. 8. To-
day, if ye-will-hear His voice,
Harden not your hearts,
as in the provocation, ac-
cording to the day of irrita-
tion1 in the desert ; 9. Where
your fathers tempted Me,
proved and saw My works.
10. Forty years long was-
I-wroth with that generation,
and said, " They do-always
err in heart, and they know
not My ways:" 11. So I-
swore in My wrath, " They
shall-not enter into My rest."
founded the dry-land. Come,
let-us-worship and fall-down
before God, let - us - weep '
before the Lord that made
us, For He is the- Lord our
God ; and we are His people,
and the sheep of His pasture.
4. To-day, if you should
hear His voice, Harden not
your hearts, as in the pro-
vocation, according to the
day of temptation in the
desert : where (when) your
fathers tempted Me, proved
and saw My works.
5. Forty years long was I
nigh to that generation, and
said, " They do-always err in
heart, and they know not
My ways : " To whom I
swore in My wrath, " They
shall-not enter into My rest."
Wroth; Roman Psalter, " was-I-nigh " to punish their rebel-
lion ; St. Gall, " odio fui " ( = I was hated) ; Corbie Psalter, " odio
habui " ( = I hated) ; but Mozarabic, Milanese, " I was nigh,"
a rendering due, in all probability, to a fanciful derivation from
7rpos, pros = to oxOrj, ochthee, a bank — ad littus adpellere = " to
1 "Let us weep. " Unless we gratuitously suppose a scribe's blunder
(K\avffcofj.ev, klavsdmen, "let us weep," for oKXdffw/j.^1/, oklasSmen, " let-us-
crouch-down," " kneel "), LXX. read nibKkheh, "let us weep," instead of
nibtirckhah, "let us kneel down " (St. Jerome, "flectamus genua," let us bend
the knees), dropping /'out of the latter verb. "Before God ; " LXX., aurcS,
avto (to, before I/i)/i), in Latin, " ante euni," which might easily pass into
"ante Deum" (before God). " The Lord our God, wanting in LXX. and
in old Latin Psalters. "We are Mis people," &c, so too Cassiodorus.
3 " Irritation." Several editions of LXX. read -rrtipafffiov, pcirasmou—
temptation, instead of irtKpa<r/xov, pikrasmou — irritation, provocation.
PSALM 94 (95). 4OI
bring to shore," hence "to draw near," "to approach" — a blunder-
ing etymology ! " To w/iom," so St. Jerome. " Quibus ; " in
Roman Psalter, it comes from reading oh, hois ( = to whom),
instead of <I>s, /ids ( = so that). "I swore;" the oath is recorded
Numb. xiv. 23 — 30. At the revision of the Roman Breviary, the
Invitatory, or Prooemiac Psalm, being considered as a kind of
hymn, was left as it was copied from the Roman Psalter. To
come now to the text of the Psalm, it has no title. The ascription
in LXX., " to David," possibly dates from Christian times, and is
due to the reference "in David" by the author of Hebrews (iv. 7),
when introducing a quotation from this Psalm, meaning " in the
Book of Psalms."1 It is not in David's style, but was probably
composed in post-exilic days for the services of the second
Temple. Throughout the West, it is used as the Invitatory,
which precedes the daily Office. In the Synagogue Service,
Pss. xciv. (95) — xcviii. (99) are recited on Sabbath, before the
select Sabbatical Psalms. The present Psalm falls into two
divisions : in vv. 1 — 6, and in part of v. 7, an invitation to thank
God for the wonders of creation, for His mercies to Israel ;
vv. 7 — 1 1, a warning to avoid the obdurate unbelief of their
fathers. On account of vv. 8 — 11, especially, the Psalm has, by
some moderns, been regarded as belonging to the period of the
Syrian persecution ; by others, to the Chaldaean invasion. A
Rabbinical tradition assigns it to Moses, shortly before the close
of the desert wanderings.
v. 1. "Rock of . . . salvation;" St. Jerome, "Rock our
Jesus." v. 2. " Come before," &c., with such pious eagerness,
as to anticipate, so to speak, His expectation. v. 3. " Great
God;" in text, 'El, which denotes God's might. "All gods,"
i.e., " the angels," according to Aben Ezra and Qimchi ; but more
likely, the forces and powers of Nature, and of the unseen world,
which men have deified and worshipped, v. 4 sets forth the
Divine omnipresence by essence, knowledge, and power. " Deep-
places;" LXX., -rrepara, perata ("the ends," which may well be
taken of the " depths," " deep-places," in contrast with the
heights) ; Symmachus, to. /con-un-aTa, ta katotata ( = the lowermost
parts) ; St. Jerome, " the foundations " (fundame/ita terra). " The
1 Or it may have been borrowed from LXX. by the writer of Hebrews.
AA
402 PSALM 95 (96).
tops," the heights ; so St. Jerome, " excelsa ; " rendered also, " the
strength;" by Gesenius, "the wealth." "In His hand," by His
might they are sustained and preserved. LXX. renders " in
Whose " by the causal particle " For " (on, hoti), the reason why
of the "great God" of v. 3. v. 6. "Maker," refers not only to
creation, but to the predilection which enabled the race of
Abraham to become a nation (cf. Gen. xii. 2; Deut. xxxii. 15;
1 Sam. xii. 6; St. Mark iii. 14; Heb. iii. 2, where "to make,"
" made," occurs in a similar sense), v. 7. " Of His hand," under
His special protection, v. 8. LXX. were quite at liberty to
translate Meribhdh, Massdh; they are not topographical names.
St. Jerome, " contradiction," " strife," and " temptation." Qimchi
refers this to the outbreak near Rephidim (Exod. xvii. 7), which
place was called in consequence, Massdh u Meribhdh (temptation
and strife), just as the locale of a later rebellion (Numb, xx.) was
called Meribhdh alone. Aben Ezra understands it of the outbreak
at the report of the spies (Numb. xiv.). v. 9. "And saw My
work," or, "Although they had seen and saw," &c. ; or again,
"Also saw My work." " Work," God's judgment ; cf. Ps. lxiii.
(64) 10, "the work of God." In the two closing verses, the
poet passes on to the judgment in which the several rebellions
culminated; see Numb. xiv. 22, 23. v. 10. "Forty years"
end the foregoing verse in the quotation (Heb. iii. 9). " I-was-
wearied with ; " in text, " I loathed ; " St. Jerome, " this generation
displeased Me" (displicuit mihi). "Generation," those of the
exodus from Egypt, doomed never to enter the Promised Land,
in punishment of their repeated rebellions, one of which is here
selected as a type of the many others. " My rest," the Promised
Land, so called Deut. xii. 9. " I swore," cf. Numb. xiv. 23, 24,
30, 31. See Heb. iv. 1 — 9.
PSALM 95 (96). PSALM 95 (96).
1. Sing to YrtHW^H a 1. A Song by David,
new song : Sing to YHWH, When the house was built
all the earth. after the Captivity. Sing-ye
to the Lord a new song :
Sing to the Lord, all the
earth.
PSALM 95 (96).
403
2. Sing to YHVVH, bless
His Name : Proclaim His
salvation from day to day.
3. Tell His glory among
the nations : His wondrous-
works among all the peoples.
4. For great is YaHVJeH,
and highly to-be-praised :
Terrible is He above all
gods.
5. For all the gods of the
peoples are things-of-nought:
But YHWH made the
heavens.
6. Glory and majesty are
before Him : Might and
beauty are in His sanctuary.
7. Bring to YHWH, ye
families of the peoples :
Bring to YHWH glory and
strength ;
8. Bring to YHWH the
glory [due] to His Name :
Take an unbloody-sacrifice,
and go-into His courts ;
9. Worship YHWH in
vesture of holiness: Tremble
before Him all the earth.
10. Say among the nations,
YHWH is King ; The world
also is-established that it-
cannot-be-moved : He-shall-
judge the peoples with
equity.
1 1 . Let the heavens rejoice,
2. Sing to the Lord, and
bless His Name : Proclaim
His salvation from day to
day.
3. Publish His glory
among the Gentiles : His
wondrous-works among all
the peoples.
4. For great is the Lord,
and greatly to-be-praised ;
He is terrible above all gods.
5. For all the gods of the
Gentiles are demons : But
the Lord made the heavens.
6. Praise and beauty are
before Him : Holiness and
majesty are in His sanctuary.
7. Bring to the Lord, ye
families of the Gentiles :
Bring to the Lord glory and
honour ;
8. Bring to the Lord the
glory [due] to His Name :
Take-up offerings, and go-
into His courts ;
9. Worship the Lord in
His holy court : Let all the
earth tremble before Him.
10. Say-ye among the
Gentiles that the Lord
reigns ; For He-has-estab-
lished the world that it-
cannot-be-moved : He-shall-
judge the peoples with
equity.
1 1. Let the heavens rejoice,
404
PSALM 95 (96).
and let the earth exult : Let
the sea thunder, and the
fulness thereof;
12. Let the field exult,
and all that is therein : Then
shall all the trees of the
wood sing-for-joy
13. Before YallWeH ; For
He-comes ; For He-comes
to judge the earth: He-shall-
and the earth exult : Let
the sea be-moved, and the
fulness thereof;
12. The plains shall-be-
glad, and all that is therein :
Then shall all the trees
exult
13. Before the Lord ; For
He-comes to judge the earth :
He-shall-judge the world
judge the world with justice, with justice, And the peoples
And the peoples in His in His faithfulness [or,
faithfulness [or, with His truth].
truth].
This Psalm consists of four strophes, of which the first three
contain six lines each : (1) vv. 1 — 3 ; (2) vv. 4 — 6 ; (3) vv. 7 — 9 ;
(4) vv. 10 — 13. By Qimchi, Rashi, and other Rabbinical writers,
it is referred to the advent of Messiah. As to the title prefixed
by LXX., the Psalm, with some few variations from the readings
of the Psalter, is found in Chron. xvi. 23 — 33, as forming part of
the hymns sung at the translation of the Ark from the house of
Obed-edom to Mount Sion. The Title further justifies the
inference that it was sung at the dedication of the second Temple
(cf. 1 Esdras iii. n). The reasons usually alleged for the post-
exilic date of this Psalm need not be discussed here, as they
necessitate a forced construction of the express statement of the
inspired chronicler.
v. 1. "New song;" here, and in Ps. xcvii. (98) 1, " new," as
opening a new prophetic vista to Jewish exclusiveness, by herald-
ing the dawn of a Messianic hope that the Gentiles would share
in the blessings of the kingdom to come. The occasion mentioned
in Title was well fitted to arouse that hope. v. 2. " Proclaim,"
i.e., proclaim good tidings ; LXX., evangelize, v. 5. " Things of
nought," " nothings," occurs frequently in Isaias ; cf. Lev. xix. 4 ;
xxvi. 1 ; 1 Cor. viii. 4. St. Jerome, both here and in Chron.
(loc. cit.) renders it sculptilia (graven-things); LXX., haipovia,
daimonia (demons), with reference to Deut. xxxii. 17 (cf. 1 Cor.
x. 20), thus showing that they identified Gentile cults with
PSALM 95 (96). 405
conscious, or unconscious, devil-worship, v. 6. "Thanksgiving"
(or " praise ") ; St. Jerome, " Gloria et decor " ( = glory and beauty).
LXX. probably read todhah ( = thanksgiving) instead of hodh
( = glory, dignity) of present text. "In . . . sanctuary;" in
parallel place (1 Chron. xvi. 27) we read instead, "in His place"
possibly because, on that occasion, the Sanctuary, as yet, existed
not. So too "joy" in Chron. (loc. cit.), instead of "beauty"
here, as the sacred place had yet to wait for its adornment. We
may, however, apply both texts to " the Tabernacle not made
with hands." vv. 7 — 9. Cf. Ps. xxviii. (29) 1, 2. Invitation to
the Gentiles. "Unbloody-offering;" in text, min'cMli; cf. Mai.
i. 11. "In holy array" (or "vesture"); St. Jerome, "in decore
sanctuarii" ( = "in the beauty of the sanctuary," or "in the
sanctuary," so often styled decus, " beauty "). LXX. probably
read ck-tsr-th, instead of ch-dttr-ih ( = " adornment," " apparel,"
"array"), v. 10. Cf. Ps. xcii. (93) 1. "The Lord reigns;" the
old Latin Psalters, for the most part, the Mozarabic, the edition
of the Vulgate issued by Sixtus V., Tertullian, in three several
controversies, SS. Augustine, Leo, Gregory, Cassiodorus, Arnobius,
jun., add here, " a ligno ( = "from the wood," or "from the
tree "). They occur in no Greek or Hebrew MSS. ; the Gallican
Psalter (that of the present Breviary) omits them. On the other
hand, St. Justin Martyr charges the Jews with having erased this
addition, and speaks of the mutilation as recent {Dialogue with
Trypho, 73). They still remain in Venantius Fortunatus' hymn
for Passion-tide ( Vexilla Regis)} and in the Paschal commemo-
ration of the Cross (ft, R7). The words are probably a gloss by
some early Christian scribe, transferred, in course of time, from
the margin into the text. vv. 11 — 13. Inanimate creation is
summoned to swell the chorus of praise. Cf. Isai. xlii. 10 — 12;
xliv. 23; Rom. viii. 19, &c. "To judge;" as in the Prophets,
so here and in other Psalms, the advent of the Christ is called
"a judgment" (cf. St. John v. 22, 27). Such, in truth, is His
manifestation, in that it separates the good, the elect, from the
wicked. It is, likewise, a judgment of loving-goodness, as He
restored the "unspeakable gift of original justice," thus fulfilling
in all " faithfulness " the promises made to the fathers ; cf. Isai.
xi. 1 — 9.
1 " Regnavit a ligno Deus " = God has reigned fro m the Tree.
406
PSALM 96 (97).
PSALM 96 (97).
1. YtfHWt-H is King, the
earth exults : The isles,
many-as-they-are, rejoice.
2. Cloud and darkness
are round-about Him:
Justice and judgment are
the basis of His throne.
3. Fire goes before Him :
And burns-up His adver-
saries round-about.
4. His lightnings light-
ened the world : The earth
saw, and trembled.
5. The mountains melted
like wax at the presence of
YHWH : At the presence
of the 'Adon (Lord) of the
whole earth.
6. The heavens have-
declared His justice : And
all the peoples have-seen His
glory.
7. Ashamed-are all that-
serve a graven-thing ; That
boast-themselves in things-
of-nought (i.e., idols): All the
gods fall -prostrate before
Him.
8. TsiyyGn heard and was-
glad, And the daughters of
Yeh u d h a h exul ted : Because
of Thy judgments, YHWH.
PSALM 96 (97).
1. For David, when his
land was restored [to peace].
The Lord is King, let the
earth exult : Let the many
isles rejoice.
2. Clouds and darkness are
round about Him : Justice
and judgment are the prop
of His throne.
3. Fire goes-before Him :
and devours His enemies
round about.
4. His lightnings gave-
shine to the world : The
earth saw, and trembled.
5. The mountains melted
like wax at the presence
of the Lord : At the presence
of the Lord the whole earth
[melted].
6. The heavens have-
declared His justice: And
all the peoples have-seen
His glory.
7. Confounded-be all they
that worship graven-things ;
That boast-themselves of
their idols : Worship Him,
all ye His angels. (Hcb. i. 6.)
8. Sion heard and was
glad, And the daughters of
Juda exulted : Because of
Thy judgments, O Lord.
PSALM 96 (97).
407
9. For Thou, YaHW^H,
art "El "yon (i.e., Most High)
above all the earth : Thou
art greatly exalted above
all gods.
10. Ye-that-love YHWH,
hate evil ; He-preserves the
souls of His pious-ones :
From the hand of the
wicked He-rescues them.
11. Light is-sown for the
just-man : And joy for the
upright in heart.
12. Rejoice, ye just, in
YHWH: And give-thanks
to the Memorial-Name
His holiness.
of
9. For THOU, O Lord, art
Most-High above all the
earth : Thou-are-exalted far
above all gods.
10. Ye that love the Lord,
hate evil ; The Lord keeps
the souls of His Saints : He-
will-rescue them from the
hand of sinners.
11. Light is sprung-up for
the just : And gladness for
the upright in heart.
12. Rejoice in the Lord,
O ye just : And give-thanks
to His holy Name.
This Psalm consists of four strophes of three verses each.
In the text it has no title. If that prefixed by LXX. be taken for
granted, it would bring the date of this ode, like that of Ps. xvii,
(18), to the closing years of David's reign, when his victories over
the neighbouring nations had given settled peace to his dominions
and consolidated his rule — the true sense of KaBicrrarai, kathistatai,
in LXX. title.
v. 1. "Islands" (in text, 'zyyim), strictly = the isles and coasts
of the Mediterranean. It occurs mainly in the later chapters of
Isaias (cf. Isai. xlii. 10 — 12), and but once in Psalms (Ps. lxxi.
(72) 10); it may have here a wider meaning, v. 2 is borrowed
from the record of the Sina'itic Theophany, Exod. xix. 9 ; cf.
Ps. xvii. (18) 10 — 12. v. 3. The like is met with in Ps. xlix.
(50) 3; cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 9; Hab. iii. 5, &c. ; Deut. xxxii. 22,
especially, v. 4. Cf. Ps. lxxvi. (77) 19. v. 5. Cf. Ps. lxvii. (68) 3;
Mich. i. 4. "The whole earth," in Vulgate "omnis terra;"
terra is probably a scribe's blunder for terra, "0/ the whole
earth," as in text, LXX., and in St. Jerome. " Lord of the whole
earth" occurs but in Jos. iii. 11, 13; Mich. iv. 13; Zach. iv. 14;
vi. 5. v. 7. Thalhofer would render the text in 'the Indicative.
408 PSALM 97 (98).
" Ashamed are all " the idolaters, convinced as they are, by God's
Self-manifestation, that their gods were but the empty figments of
their lusts, or of their fears. Nor is " Worship Him, ye gods "
(St. Jerome, "dii") preferable to "All the gods fall prostrate
before Him," which continues the description of the impression
made on man, and on Nature, by the awful manifestation of God
in judgment. "Gods;" LXX., Syriac, Vulgate, "angels," and
are supposed to furnish the quotation in Heb. i. 6 ; but the self-
same clause occurs in LXX. version of Deut. xxxii. 43, and, most
probably, is quoted from that passage. The verbs in vv. 1 — 9
may be rendered as Prophetic Preterites, v. 8. The same as
Ps. xlvii. (48) 12. "Daughters of Juda," the towns of which
Jerusalem is the capital, cf. Judges xi. 26. The cause of Sion's
rejoicing, "judgments," i.e., the Self-manifestation of God in
His sovereignty, v. 10. Cf. Ps. xxxiii. (34) 15 — 23. v. n.
" Light " = .happiness, as results from "gladness" in hemistich b.
"Is sown," scattered, "diffused;" LXX., dveVciAe, aneteile =
"sprung up" (orta est of Targum, Vulgate, and St. Jerome),
probably from reading zarach (he rose, i.e., the sun) instead of
zarua ( = is sown) of present text. v. 1 2. " Memorial " - Name,
i.e., YaVLWeH (Exod. iii. 15), a name none other may claim —
" Incommunicable Name."
PSALM 97 (98). PSALM 97 (98).
1. A Psalm. Sing to 1. A Psalm of David.
YtfHW^H a new song, For Sing to the Lord a new
wondrous - things has - Me- song, For He - has - done
done : His right-hand and wondrous-things : His right-
His holy arm have-wrought- hand and holy arm have-
salvation for Him. wrought-salvation for Him.
2. YHWH has -made- 2. The Lord has-made
known His salvation : To known His salvation : In
the eyes of the nations has- the sight of the nations He-
He-revealed His justice. has - openly - shown His
justice (righteousness).
3. He - has - remembered 3. He - has - remembered
His gracious-goodness and His mercy and His truth
PSALM 97 (98).
409
His truth to the house of
Israel ; All the ends of the
earth have-seen the salvation
of our God.
4. Shout-ye to Y^HWVH,
all [parts of] the earth :
Break-out and sing-joyfully,
and raise-a-hymn.
5. PlaytoYHWH on the
kinnor : On the kinnor and
the voice of a psalm :
6. With trumpets and the
sound of the horn : Shout-
aloud before the King,
YHWH.
7. Let the sea thunder,
and the fulness thereof : The
world and they-that-dwell
therein.
8. Let the rivers clap
[their] hand : Together let
the mountains sing-for-joy
9. Before YHWH; for He-
comes to judge the earth ;
He-shall -judge the world
with justice : And the
peoples with uprightness.
to the house of Israel ; All
the ends of the earth have-
seen the salvation of our
God.
4. Shout-joyfully to God,
all the earth : Sing, exult,
and raise-a-hymn.
5. Sing to the Lord with
the harp : With the harp and
the voice of a psalm :
6. With trumpets of metal
and the sound of the horn :
Shout-aloud before the Lord,
the King.
7. Let the sea be-moved,
and the fulness thereof:
The world and they that
dwell in it.
8. Let the rivers clap
[their] hands : The moun-
tains shall-exult together
9. Before the Lord ; for
He-comes to judge the
earth; He-shall-judge the
world with justice : And
the peoples with equity.
This Psalm is a pendant to Ps. xcv. (96), of which it is all
but an echo, cf. v. 1a of both, vv. 7—9 with vv. 11 — 13 of
Ps. xcv. (96). The title, Miz'mor ( = a Psalm), which in text
stands by itself, has won for it the name of "The orphan
Miz'mor." Targum entitles it, "a Prophetic Psalm." LXX.,
Vulgate, and Syriac ascribe it " to David," with the addition in
Syriac, " Of the Redemption of the people from Egypt."
v. 1. " His right-hand," i.e., God Himself has helped Himself
to rout the foes of His people, who, for that very reason, are His
enemies; cf. Isai. lix. 16. "His holy arm," cf. Isai. Hi. 10.
4-IO PSALM 98 (99).
"Wrought salvation for Him," "got Him the victory," "helped
Him;" cf. Isai. lix. 16; lxiii. 5. Some Greek MSS. have,
instead of olvtu, auto ( = for Him), airov, avion (Him), whence
eum in Roman, Milanese, &c, Psalters, — in the Accusative
instead of Dative sibi ( = for Himself) of LXX. and Vulgate,
v. 2. Cf. St. Luke ii. 31, 32. "His justice," its manifestation to
be made in the heavens, as in Ps. xcvi. (97) 6. v. 3. "He has
remembered," cf. the Song of the All-holy, St. Luke i. 54.
vv. 4 — 6. Greet the Lord with festive jubilee, vv. 1 — 3. (2) the
reason why. vv. 4 — 6. (3) how manifest this joy ; (4) who are
thus summoned to rejoice, v. 6. " Trumpets of metal," render-
ing of tubis ductilibus of Vulgate, trumpets of metal-beaten-out.
"Horn," or "cornet," the sMphdr, or "ram's horn." "King,"
cf. v. 1 of Pss. xcii. (93), xcvi. (97), xcviii. (99). He is now
become King. v. 8. " Clap hands," ///., " strike the palm [of the
hand]," in token of joy, as was usual at the accession of kings
(4 (2) Kings xi. 12). Cf. Ps. xlvi. (47) 2. Vide Isai. lv. 12.
v. 9. Cf. Ps. xcv. (96) 11 — 13.
PSALM 98 (99). PSALM 98 (99).
1. YrtHW^H is King, the 1. A Psalm of David,
peoples tremble : He - sits The Lord reigns ; — let the
upon the Kerubhim, the peoples rage : He that sits
earth quakes. upon the Cherubim, let the
earth shake.
2. YHWH in Tsiyyon is 2. The Lord in Sion is
great : And exalted is He great : And high above all
above all the peoples. peoples.
3. Let-them-give-thanks 3. Let-them-give-thanks
to Thy great and terrible to Thy great Name ; For It
Name ; Holy is He. is terrible and holy ;
4. And the might of a 4. And the king's majesty
king loving judgment, hast loves judgment; THOU hast-
Tiiou established in equity : established equity; Judg-
kight and justice hast Thou ment and justice in Jacob
wrought in Jacob. hast Thou wrought.
PSALM 98 (99). 411
5. Extol-ye YHWH our 5. Exalt-ye the Lord our
God, And bow-down at His God, and bow-down before
footstool : Holy is He. His footstool : For it is holy.
6. Mosheh and 'Aharon 6. Moses and Aaron
among His priests, And among His priests, and
Shemuel among them-that- Samuel among them that
call-upon His Name : They- call-upon His Name : They-
called-upon YHWH, and called upon the Lord and
He answered them. He-heard them :
7. In the pillar of cloud 7. In the pillar of cloud
He-spoke to them : They- He-spoke to them : They-
kept His testimonies and kept His testimonies and
the statute He-gave to them, the precept which He-gave
them.
8. YtfHWVH our God, 8. Lord our God, Thou
THOU answeredst them : A didst-hear them ; O God,
forgiving God wast-Thou to THOU wast propitious to
them : And one-taking-ven- them : Though taking-ven-
geance of their deeds. geance on all their devices.
9. Extol-ye YHWH our 9. Exalt-ye the Lord our
God, And bow-down before God, And worship on His
His holy mountain : For holy mountain : For holy is
holy is YHWH our God. the Lord our God.
If the Title prefixed by LXX. be taken for granted (in text
there is no title), this Psalm may have been written for the
translation of the Ark to Mount Sion. Its main divisions are
marked by the Trisagion ("the Thrice-Holy") at vv. 3, 5, 9.
(1) vv. 1 — 3. The awful majesty of the Lord acknowledged by an
awe-stricken world. (2) vv. 3—5. The justice of His reign.
(3) vv. 6 — 9. The holiness that befits His worshippers, exem-
plified by the saints of old.
v. 1. The Futures in the first two divisions (mostly rendered
as Optatives by LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome) are more
frequently rendered in Indicative Present, expressing a future
indeed, but a future the lively faith of the poet anticipates, so
that it becomes present to his mind. " Tremble" with awe, or
for fear of His judgments. "Sits . . . cherubim," i.e., He reigns
412 PSALM 98 (99).
— " sitting " (Participle in text; St. Jerome, "Sessor cherubim,"
"the Sitter on the cherubim"); "on the cherubim," describes
God as the Almighty Creator and Ruler of the Universe, refers
also to the Mercy-seat over the Ark. " The earth quakes," cf.
Ps. xcvi. (97) 4. v. 3. "Let them," or "They shall give thanks,"
&c. "They," i.e., the people of v. 2. "Great," "terrible," cf.
Deut. x. 17. v. 4. "And the might of [i.e., befitting] a king
loving right," &c. "Might;" LXX., rifty, timee ( = honour,
dignity); Aquila, as in text; St. Jerome, " Et imperium regis
judicium diligit " ( = the sovereignty of a [the (?)] king loves
judgment). This may mean that the stability of the throne
depends upon the king proving himself a just judge, or " King's
might" may mean the King himself (cf. "His most gracious
Majesty "). But if the " king " be the " king " of v. 1, His power
is made manifest in justice, equity is the eternal law of His rule,
the unvarying characteristic of His "doings in Jacob." "Judg-
ment," "right" ( = mishpat, in text), means here, the righting of
wrongs; " Justice "( = tseddqdh), rewarding the good. As a new
strophe begins at v. 4, the punctuation of LXX. and Vulgate is
inadmissible, but seems to add a further motive for the "praise,"
"thanks," of v. 3. v. 6. "Among," as Qimchi observes, has
frequently the force of a superlative, cf. " Blessed among women "
(St. Luke i. 28, 42), i.e, "Most blessed of women." "Among
His priests " = His chief priests. Moses performed priestly
functions (Exod. xxix. 6—8; xl. 22—27; Lev. viii.). "Samuel,"
eminent among men of prayer (cf. r Kings (Sam.) vii. 9; ix.
12, 13; xiii. 11 — 13). Further, 1 Sam. xii. 18, "They called
upon," &c, lit., "Calling [i.e., " they-calling "] upon YH",
and He answers them," i.e., "such as call upon YH", and get
answered." v. 7. This applies at most to Moses and Aaron;
cf. Exod. xiii. 21; Numb. xii. 5. v. 8. The poet passes from
these leaders to Israel of old. " Answeredst them, . . . taking
vengeance." "Answeredst," by hearkening to their pleadings in
behalf of the people. "Taking vengeance," with "answeredst,"
proves the "justice" predicated of God's rule in v. 4; hearkening
to the good, punishing evil. "Forgiving;" Targum, Rashi, and
Qimchi, "Thou wast a forgiving God to Thy people, for their
sake," i.e., for the sake of the holy ones just named. "Taking
PSALM 99 (lOO).
413
vengeance," as Symmachus has it, " of the doings," i.e., murmurs,
rebellions of the people, which entailed such affliction on their
leaders, v. 9. Cf. Lev. xix. 30 ; v. 5, supra. " Holy mountain,"
Mount Moriah, the Temple hill. As Qimchi observes, " Whoso
trembles at the Sanctuary, shows reverence to Him who has
chosen it for Himself; whoso venerates its walls, worships Him
who hallows them ; He it is whom they have in view, to Him do
they lift up their minds and hearts."
PSALM 99 (100).
1. A Psalm for thanks-
giving : Raise - a - shout to
Y^HVvVH, all [parts of] the
earth.
2. Serve YHWH with
gladness : Come before His
presence with [joyful] sing-
ing.
3. Know-ye that Y^H-
W^H He is God ; He made
us, and His we are : His
PSALM 99 (100).
A Psalm for thanks-
giving.
2. Raise-a-joyful-shout to
the Lord, all the earth.
Serve-ye the Lord with glad-
ness. Come before His
presence with exultation.
3. Know-ye that the Lord
He is God ; He made us,
and not we ourselves : His
people and the flock of His people and the sheep of His
pasturing.
4. Come into His gates
with thanksgiving, His courts
with praise : Give-thanks to
Him, bless His Name ;
5. For YHWH is good ;
For ever is His loving-good-
ness : And His faithfulness
unto generation and genera-
tion.
pasture [are we].
4. Enter into His gates
with thanksgiving, into His
courts with hymns : Give-
thanks to Him, Praise His
Name ;
5. For the Lord is kind ;
His mercy is for ever : And
His faithfulness unto all
generations.
Targum, Rashi, &c, render the Title, "a Psalm for the
thank-offering," a subdivision of the peace-offering. Save on
414 PSALM 100 (iOl).
Sabbath, festivals, the eve and middle holidays of Passover, and
the eve of the Day of Atonement, it is daily recited in the
Synagogue Service. In the Western Churches it is the second
Psalm of Sunday and festal Lauds. It is, so to speak, the
doxology of the Psalms of the Theophany. By its contents and
diction it is connected with vv. i — 7 of Ps. xciv. (95). "Praise
the Lord for He is God" is the summary of vv. 1 — 3. "Praise
Him for His goodness," vv. 4, 5.
v. 2. " Serve ye " is here to be understood of Temple worship,
cf. "into His presence," and "into His courts," v. 4, in proof
hereof, v. 3. " Made us," not only " created us," but made us to
be " His people, and the flock," &c. Cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xii. 6 ;
Deut. xxxii. 6, 18; Ps. xciv. (95) 6; Isai. xxix. 23; Ix. 21.
" And not we ourselves," so Kethibh, or written text, followed by
LXX., Syriac, and Vulgate. Rashi and Symmachus, " when as
yet we were not." But Targum, St. Jerome, Saadia, Aben Ezra
follow the marginal emendation (the Qeri, or read text), " and
His we are." The difference between these two renderings is
that of a single letter (v7o 'anachnu). If Id be written with Aleph
{Id = not), then Vulgate is right ; but Id written with Waw ( Vau)
means " to Him," " His "—"His we [are]." v. 4. " Give thanks,"
"confess," "acknowledge your thankfulness," the confitemini of
Vulgate and St. Jerome, v. 5. " To series of generations."
PSALM 100 (101). PSALM 100 (101).
1. To David, a Psalm. Of 1. A Psalm of David. Of
kindness and justice will-I- mercy and judgment will-I-
sing : To Thee, YrtHWdi, sing to Thee, O Lord. I-
will-I sing-hymns. will-sing-psalms,
2. I will-give-my-mind to 2. And behave-wisely in
the way of integrity ; When a blameless path ; When
wilt-Thou come to me? I- wilt-Thou-come to me? I-
will-walk within my house walked in the midst of my
in the integrity of my heart, house in the innocence of
my heart.
3. I will not set before 3. I-havc-not set any
PSALM 100 (iOl).
415
mine eyes a word (i.e.,
matter) of beliyya"al (i.e.,
belial) ; The doing of those-
turning-aside I-hate: It shall
not cleave to me.
4. A perverse heart shall-
depart from me : I-will-not
know a wicked - man [or,
wickedness].
5. Whoso privily slanders
his neighbour, him will-I-
destroy : The haughty of
look, and the proud of heart,
Him I-cannot [bear].
6. Mine eyes shall be on
the faithful of the land, that
they-may-dwell with me ;
He-that-walks in the way of
integrity : He shall-minister
to me.
7. He-that-works deceit
shall not dwell within my
house, He-that-speaks lies
shall-not abide-prosperously
before mine eyes.
8. In the mornings (i.e.,
every morning) will- I-destroy
all the wicked of the land :
To cut-off from the city of
YtfHWVH all workers of
iniquity.
unjust thing before mine
eyes ; I-hate the doers of
unlawful - deeds ; There -
cleaved not to me
4. A perverse heart. I-
have-not known the wicked-
man, that-turns-away from
me.
5. Whoso privily slandered
his neighbour, him did-I-
drive-out ; He-that-is-proud
in look, and insatiable in
heart, With him I-ate not.
6. Mine eyes are upon the
faithful of the land, that
they-may-dwell with me ;
He-that-walks in the blame-
less way, The same minis-
tered to me.
7. The proud doer dwelt
not within my house : The
unjust speaker prospered not
in my sight.
8. Every morning I -slew
all the sinners of the land :
That I - might- exterminate
from the city of the Lord
all the workers of iniquity.
The authenticity of the ascription " to David " is favoured by
the spirit and diction of the Psalm. Its contents fall in with
that period of David's life, when his sovereignty was at length
acknowledged by the twelve tribes, and he had established in
Jerusalem the capital and centre of his kingdom. He here pens
his resolve to order his life, both private and public, by God's
416 PSALM IOO (IOI).
law ; to display, as behoves God's vicegerent, the prominent
attributes ("mercy and justice") of the Divine government, and
to purge his Court and dominions of all that is at variance
therewith. The ejaculation, " Oh ! when wilt Thou come to
me?" (interrogative in text, Targum, LXX., St. Jerome, and
rendered as such by Thalhofer), witnesses to his trustful depend-
ence on God's help for the fulfilment of his resolutions (cf. Exod.
xx. 24). In the version of the LXX. the verbs after vv. 1, 2a,
are expressed by Aorists or Imperfects, thus altering the character
of the Psalm by representing David as pleading the uprightness
of his past life as rendering him worthy that the Lord (the Ark of
the Lord [?], cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) vi 9) should come to him.
A further source of difficulty is that LXX. diverge somewhat from
the text in the division of the verses.
v. 1. "Sing-hymns," or, " I-will-play "-[upon the harp, or some
other instrument], v. 2. " Give my mind to," &c, take heed to ;
cf. Dan. ix. 13, "deal-wisely," "have-discernment in." Targum,
with a reminiscence of Ps. xxxi. (32) 8, " I-will make thee wise
I instruct thee] in a perfect path." "Within my house," in
private, cf. Ps. lxxvii. (78) 72. v. 3. "Set before eyes," as a
thing to be desired, or imitated. "A word of belial," so
St. Jerome; "verbum belial," i.e., a thing, a matter of belial =
a wicked thing. bell ( = not, without), "61 (yoke), or ya"al
(benefit, usefulness); it means " worthlessness," "wickedness,"
"vileness." In Old Testament it never occurs as a proper name.
It is, however, personified once, in 2 Cor. vi. 15, the only passage
in the New Testament in which it occurs. " To do," &c, I.e.,
"the doing of [Rashi, "the work of"] deviations [from the right
path]."1 Both LXX. and St. Jerome, with Targum, take "to do,"
"the doing of" (in text, Infinitive construct), for the agent, "the
doer of" (St. Jerome, "facientem declinationes"). Targum, "I
hate evil-doers and those who turn aside from the command-
ments." If "deviations" be rendered in the concrete sense,
then, "I hate turners aside," apostates; used also of unfaithful
"Cleave to me," by i, XX. joined to next verse, v. 4.
"Perverse heart," or "fraudulent," "deceitful;" — "wickedness"
rather than " wicked man," as in closer connection with his
1 Or, "doing acts of obliquity I hate."
PSALM 101 (102). 417
purpose of self-discipline. Vulgate, "I have not known [i.e.,
admitted to familiar intercourse] the wicked-man who turns aside
from me," i.e., whose path diverges from mine, from the right
path. v. 5. He will banish from his Court sycophants, proud
and ambitious persons. "Cut-off;" St. Jerome, "Him will I
slay " {interficiam), lit., " I will silence." " Haughty of eyes," i.e.,
Him that has a high look, an arrogant mien. " Proud of heart,"
lit., "wide of heart," puffed up and blown up with pride. LXX.,
" insatiable," taking it as synonymous with the " greedy, ambitious
spirit" of Prov. xxviii. 25. "Superbo oculo," &c, of Vulgate is
scarcely correct Latin. It comes from too literal a rendering of
LXX., "[Cum] superbo oculo, [cum] . . . cum hoc non edebam."
In LXX. these Datives depend on crvvrja-Otov, syneestJiion (I ate
with), reading instead Id 'iikhdl ( = I cannot [abide]) of text,
16 'dhhel ( = 1 will not eat). St. Jerome, " Cum hoc esse, non
potero " ( = to be with him I shall not be able). " Destroy,"
"cut off," may mean only banishment from Court, v. 6. He will
survey the land to discover the trustworthy, and of like purpose
with himself. " Minister," the verb implies free service, the
service, not of a slave, but of a free man, a distinction preserved
in iXeiTovpyei, eleitourgei, of LXX., and in ministrabit, ministrabat
of St. Jerome and Vulgate, v. 7. " Shall not continue in undis-
turbed prosperity, constant favour." v. 8. " In the mornings," the
regular and earnest administration of justice in the early hours,
according to Oriental usage, cf. Jer. xxi. 1 2. " City of the Lord "
= Jerusalem. Had the Ark been already transferred to Sion ?
PSALM 101 (102). PSALM 101 (102).
1. A Prayer of an afflicted- 1. Prayer of a poor-man,
one, when he - was - over- when he-was-dejected, and
whelmed : And before Y#H- poured-out his supplication
W*?H poured-out his plaint. before the Lord.
2. YrtHW^H, hear my 2. O Lord, hear my
prayer : And let my cry prayer : And let my cry
come to Thee. come to Thee.
3. Hide not Thy face 3. Turn not away Thy
from me ; In the day of my face from me ; In the day of
BB
4i8
PSALM 10 1 (102).
distress incline Thine ear to
me : In the day I call
answer me speedily.
4. For my days are-
consumed like smoke : And
my bones are-grown-hot as
with burning.
5. My heart is-smitten like
grass and withered : Because
I -forgot to eat my bread.
6. Because of the voice of
my groaning : My bone
cleaves to my flesh.
7. I-am-like a pelican of
the desert : I-am-become
like an owl of the ruins.
8. I-am-sleepless [or, I-
keep-on-the-look-out], and
have-been Like a lonely
bird on the house-top.
9. All the day mine
enemies reproach me : They-
that - are - mad - against - me
swear by me.
10. For I -have-eaten ashes
like bread : And have-
mingled my drinks with
weeping,
11. Because of Thine
indignation and Thy wrath :
For Thou-hast-taken me. up
and cast me away.
12. My days are like a
lengthening shadow : And
I am-withered like grass.
my trouble, incline Thine ear
to me : In what day soever
I-call-upon Thee, hear me
speedily.
4. For my days have-
vanished like smoke : And
my bones are-parched like
firewood.
5. I-am-smitten like grass,
and my heart is-dried-up :
Because I-forgot to eat my
bread.
6. Because of the voice of
my groaning : My bone
cleaves to my flesh.
7. I-am-like the pelican
of the waste : I am become
like an owl in a ruined-
house.
8. I-am-sleepless, and am-
become Like a lonely
sparrow on the house-top.
9. All the day mine
enemies revile me : And
they-that-praised me swear
against me.
10. For I-have-eaten ashes
like bread : And my drink
have-I-mingled with weep-
ing,
11. Because of Thine
anger and Thine indigna-
tion : For Thou hast-taken
me up and dashed me down.
12. My days have-declined
like a shadow : And I am-
withered like grass.
PSALM 101 (102).
419
13. But Thou, YaHW^H,
sittest-throned forever: And
Thy Memorial-Name is to
generation and generation.
14. THOU wilt-arise [and]
take-pity on Tsiyyon : For
'tis time to pity her, For the
set-time is-come.
15. For Thy servants take-
pleasure in her stones : And
her dust they-regard-with-
pity.
16. And [then] shall the
Gentiles fear the Name of
YHWH : And all the kings
of the earth Thy glory ;
17. Forasmuch as YHWH
shall - have - built - up Sion :
He - has - appeared in His
glory ;
18. He-has-turned-Him to
the prayer of the destitute :
And has not despised their
prayer.
19. This shall-be-written
for a generation to-come :
And a people to-be-created
shall-praise YaH ;
20. That He-has-looked-
down from His holy height :
From the heavens YaHWeH
looked-dovvn earthward,
21. To hear the sighing of
the prisoner : To loose the
doomed to death (lit., " the
sons of death") ;
22. That [men] may-
13. But THOU, O Lord,
endurest for ever : And Thy
Memorial to all generations.
14. THOU wilt-arise and
have- compassion on Sion :
For 'tis time to pity her,
For the set-time is-come.
15. For her stones are-
dear to Thy servants : And
her dust they-regard-with-
pity.
16. And [then] shall the
Gentiles fear Thy Name, O
Lord : And all the kings of
the earth Thy glory ;
17. Because the Lord will-
build-up Sion : And [then]
shall - He - appear in His
glory.
18. He-has-regarded the
prayer of the afflicted : And
has not despised their peti-
tion.
19. Let these-things be-
written for a following
generation : And a people,
who shall-be-created, shall-
praise the Lord ;
20. That He-has-looked-
down from His holy height :
That from heaven the Lord
beheld the earth ;
21. That He-might-hear
the groaning of the fettered-
ones : That He-might-set-
free the sons of the slain,
22. That [men] may-
420
PSALM 101 (102).
declare in Sion the Name of
YHWH: And His praise
in Yerushalaim,
23. While peoples gather
together : And kingdoms to
serve YHWH.
24. He-brought-down my
strength in the way : He-
shortened my days.
25. [Then] I -say, My God,
take me not away in the half
(i.e., the midst) of my days :
Throughout all generations
are Thy years.
26. Of old hast-Thou-laid-
the-foundation of the earth:
And the heavens are the
work of Thy hands ;
27. They shall-perish, but
THOU endurest : And all of
them shall-grow-old as a
garment : As a vesture shalt-
Thou - change them, and
they-shall-be-changed ;
28. But Thou art He:
And Thy years shall-have-
no-end.
29. The sons of Thy
servants shall-dwell : And
their seed shall-endure before
Thee.
proclaim the Name of the
Lord in Sion : And His
praise in Jerusalem,
23. When the peoples
gather together : And kings
to serve the Lord.
24. He-answered Him in
the way of His strength :
Tell me the fewness of my
days ;
25. Call me not away in
the midst of my days : Thy
years are to all generations.
26. In the beginning
THOU, Lord, hast -laid- the-
foundation of the earth :
And the heavens are the
works of Thy hands ;
27. They shall - perish,
But Thou continuest : And
they all shall-wax-old as a
garment ; And as a mantle
shalt - Thou - change them,
and they-shall-be-changed ;
28. But Thou art the
Self-same : and Thy years
shall not fail.
29. The sons of Thy
servants shall-dwell : And
their seed shall-prosper for
ever.
The fifth of the Seven Penitential Psalms, which may be safely
referred to the period of the Captivity, a date still further con-
firmed by its general resemblance to the writings of Jeremias, and
to the parts of Isaias which treat mainly of that period (xl. — lxvi.).
PSALM 101 (I02). 421
The poet's personal woes are closely blended in their sources
with those of the captive nation. The reproaches (v. 9) he daily
undergoes, to all appearance from his fellow-exiles, point to one
on whom the responsibility for the disasters of his country was
somehow fixed by his companions in bondage. It might well be
Jeremias himself (cf. Lament, hi.). This, however, is at best a
plausible conjecture. The Psalm is assigned in the Synagogues
to the Minor Day of Atonement. The Title is noteworthy, as it
describes the character of the Psalm, and marks the circumstances
for which it is suited. The other Inscriptions are either historical,
or, as far as can be made out, musical.
vv. 2, 3. A prayer made up of phrases occurring in older
Psalms, and hence spontaneously adopted by the earnest sup-
pliant, vv. 4 — 12. The poet's plaint; his health and strength
have given way under affliction, v. 4. " Like [lit., in] smoke."
The Hebrew i>' [ = in, with] frequently introduces a comparison.
" Like smoke," so LXX. and St. Jerome. As smoke vanishes,
leaving no trace, so too were the captives in danger of being
absorbed by the Gentiles by whom they were surrounded.
" With burning " (in text, k'mdqedh), rendered in Targum,
"caldron," "stew-pan;" Qimchi, "hearth;" Isai. xxxiii. 14,
"Everlasting burnings'''' (mdqedc-"d/dm), cf. Job xxx. 30; Lament,
i. 13. v. 6. He is worn away by incessant grief and prayer,
cf. Job xix. 20 ; Lament, iv. 8. v. 7. " Pelican ; " in text, q'at/i,
a bird dwelling in marshes ; " pelican " (" cormorant " suggested
by others), a mere guess. "Owl" (kos); LXX., "night-raven;"
St. Jerome, " bubo solitudinum " (the owl of desert places) ; in
text, kos, rendered by some "pelican," or "cormorant," on
account of its pouch (kos = cup). v. 8. " I was sleepless ; "
Targum, "I kept watch all night." Tsippor (rendered "sparrow")
means any singing bird, hence not a night bird. The verb,
therefore, denotes rather " keeping a look-out " for danger from
missiles, &c. " Lonely," driven into solitude, away from its mate
and its brood, v. 9. "Mad," cf. St. Luke vi. it, "frenzied with
hate." LXX. take meholalay of text as equivalent to mehal'lay
( = "those praising me") — to my face, false friends, or those that
flattered me, when I was well off. "Swore;" LXX., Vulgate,
"against me," which may mean, "conspired against me."
422 PSALM 1 01 (102).
" Swore " (cursed) " by me," so St. Jerome, per me, i.e., When
they curse, they imprecate on themselves and others my misery
and degradation; cf. Isai. lxv. 15; Jer. xxix. 22. v. 10. Ashes
and mourning are my daily portion, cf. Ps. xli. (42) 4 ; Lament.
iii. 16. v. 11. "Because of," lit., "from the faces of" — implicit
confession of sin which has provoked God's wrath ; cf. Ps. lxxxix.
(90) 7 — 9. v. 11. "Hast dashed me down," so LXX. and
St. Jerome. If we apply this to the captive nation, Israel, hitherto
the object of God's predilection, is now in all the worse plight for
being cast off. The Rabbis understand it of some previous
exaltation, which aggravates the bitterness of the present misery ;
cf. Isai. xxii. 18, 19; Lament, ii. 1. v. 12. "As a shadow
stretched-out," lengthening itself. Explained by Rashi, "The
shadows lengthen at even-tide, but vanish when it is dark." Cf.
Ps. cviii. (109) 23. This figures the near approach of death,
vv. 13 — 23. Weak and short-lived though I be, Thy might is
eternal, wherefore the cause of my wearing grief — Israel's bondage
— will assuredly end. Or, God's fidelity to His promise,
rather than His eternity, is foremost in the poet's thought.
v. 13. " Sittest-throned," as King of the everlasting theocracy,
v. 14. "Time," "set time." "Time," now that Israel, repentant,
turns with earnest longing to the Holy City, yearns even for its
ruins. " Set time," the close of the seventy years foretold by
Jeremias, xxv. 11, 12; xxix. 10. v. 15. "Dust," " pulverem " of
Vetus Itala and St. Jerome. LXX., x°^v { — ditto)', Vulgate
term may be so rendered, vv. 17, tS. To be read in connection
with v. 16, which describes the result of the Divine Self-manifest-
ation in the redemption of the chosen people, a restoration
vouchsafed in answer to prayer (see v. 18). The verbs in these
two verses are Preterites in text, but are to be rendered in Future
perfect. " Destitute," the word (M-"ar"dr) in text = literally,
"stript," "denuded." LXX., "humble," or "afflicted ;" St. Jerome,
"vacui" (empty, destitute); Targum, "rendered desolate." v. 19.
" Written," elsewhere in the Psalms the memory of great events
is left to oral tradition ; this is the sole exception. The antici-
pations of vv. 17, 1 8, 20 — 23, are to be recorded for "an after
generation " = " a people created," i.e., as in Targum, "to be
created;" cf. "a people born," i.e., "to be born," Ps. xxi. (22) 32.
PSALM 102 (103). 423
It seems that before the prophecy of Daniel (ix. 24 — 27), the
advent of the Messias was expected to coincide with the return
from exile ; such appears to be the belief of this psalmist, v. 22.
"In order that [men] should proclaim," &c. ; in text, I' sapper,
"to tell," "to narrate," without a pronoun, v. 24. St. Jerome
here agrees with the text, which LXX. have read with other
— traditional- — vowels. " He " ( = God, or more likely, the people),
"answered" (equivalent, as often in New Testament, to "said")
" to Him in the way of His might " (i.e., might shown forth in
the punishment of the exiled people; Old Itala, "virtutis ejus"),
"the fewness of my days tell me" (tell me taken from v. 25).
" His might," so in text ( = kethibli), but corrected in margin,
"my might," " my strength" ( = Qeri). The verse is a reminis-
cence of Deut. viii. 2, q.v. " Way " — here is this life of trial, cf. Ps.
lxxxiii. (84) 6, in the text (high roads), v. 25. A prayer that he may
be spared to see the restoration of his people, wherein he contrasts
his fleeting life with the eternal years of God, the ground of his
assurance of the reinstatement of Israel, vv. 26 — 28. Quoted in
Heb. i. 10 — 12, not as an accommodation, but in direct proof that
the Christ is the YaHYVVH, who "of old," &c. v. 27. "They
shall perish ; " no contradiction here with the Scriptures that
promise "a new heaven and a new earth" (2 St. Peter iii. 13).
The poet considers, for the moment, the perpetual oscillation of
the creature between being and not-being ; he abstracts from
what is permanent in this process of change. The figure of the
" garment " is borrowed from Isai. li. 6, 8. " They shall be
changed ; " the notion of the //.tTao-x^/zaTioyto'?, metascheematismos,
or " transformation " of visible Nature, meets us in Isai. xxxiv. 4 ;
li. 6, 16; but especially in lxv. 17; lxvi. 22. v. 28. "Thou art
He ; " " He," a Divine title (Deut. xxxii. 39, in text), and it
occurs four times in the latter prophecies of Isaias. v. 28. " Shall
dwell" — in the land, cf. Pss. xxxvi. (37) 29; lxviii. (69) 36.
PSALM 102 (103). PSALM 102 (103).
1. To David. Bless YaU- 1. Of David. Bless the
W>H, O my soul : And all Lord, O my soul : And ail-
that is within me [bless] His that is within me [bless] His
holy Name. holy Name.
424
PSALM 102 (103).
2. Bless YHWH, O my
soul : And forget not all His
benefits :
3. Who forgives all thine
iniquity : Who heals all thy
diseases :
4. Who redeems thy life
from destruction : Who
crowns thee with loving-
goodness and tender-mer-
cies;
5. Who satisfies thy desire
with good-[things] : [So that]
thy youth renews-itself as
the eagle.
6. YHWH executes just-
acts : And judgments for all
the oppressed.
7. He - has - made - known
His ways to Mosheh : His
dealings to the children of
Israel.
8. Compassionate and
gracious is YHWH : Slow-
to anger and plenteous in
loving-goodness.
9. He does not always
chide : Nor does-He-keep
[His anger] for ever.
10. Not according to our
sins has-He-dealt with us :
Nor according to our iniqui-
ties has-He-requitcd us ;
1 1. For as is the height of
the heavens above the earth :
His loving-goodness is -
strong upon them-that-fear
Him.
2. Bless the Lord, O my
soul : And forget not all His
benefits :
3. Who forgives all thine
iniquities. Who heals all
thy diseases :
4. Who redeems thy life
from destruction : Who
crowns thee with mercy and
compassions :
5. Who fills thy desire
with good - things : Thy
youth shall be renewed as
the eagle's.
6. The Lord executes
merciful-acts: And judgment
for all that-suffer wrong.
7. He-has-made known
His ways to Moses : His
purposes to the children of
Israel.
8. The Lord is compas-
sionate and merciful : Long-
suffering and full of mercy.
9. He is not always
angry : Nor does He con-
tinually threaten.
10. Not according to our
sins has-He-dealt with us :
Nor according to our iniqui-
ties has-He-rcquited us ;
1 1. For as is the height
of heaven above the earth :
He - has - strengthened His
mercy upon them-that-fear
Him.
PSALM 102 (103).
425
12. As far as sunrise is
from sunset (i.e., the East
from the West) : Has- He-
removed-far our transgres-
sions from us.
13. As a father has-com-
passion on his children :
YHWH has-compassion on
them-that-fear Him ;
14. For He knows our
frame : He-reminds-Himself
that we are dust.
15. Man — as grass are his
days : As a flower of the
field, so he-flourishes.
16. If the wind pass over
it, then it is not : And the
place thereof shall-know it
no more.
1 7. But the gracious-good-
ness of YtfHYWH is from
everlasting to everlasting
upon them-that-fear Him :
And His justice to children's
children ;
18. To such-as-keep His
covenant : And to them-
that-are-mindful of His pre-
cepts to do them.
19. YtfHW^H has-estab-
lished His throne in the
heavens : And His kingdom
rules over all.
20. Bless YHWH, ye
angels of His, Mighty in
strength, that-do His word :
Hearkening to the voice of
His word.
12. As far as the East is
from the West : [So far] has-
He-removed our iniquities
from us.
13. As a father has-com-
passion on his children :
The Lord compassionates
those-that-fear Him ;
14. For He knows our
frame : He-remembers that
we are dust.
15. Man — as grass are his
days : As a flower of the
field, so he-flourishes.
16. For the wind passes
over it, then it is not : And
it-knows its place no more.
17. But the mercy of the
Lord is from everlasting to
everlasting upon them-that-
fear Him : And His justice
to children's children ;
18. To such as keep His
testament : And are-mindful
of His commandments to
do them.
19. The Lord has-pre-
pared His throne in heaven :
And His kingdom rules
over all.
20. Bless the Lord, all ye
angels of His, Mighty in
strength, that-perform His
bidding : To obey the voice
of His words.
426 PSALM 102 (103).
21. Bless YaUWeH, all 21. Bless the Lord, all ye
ye His hosts : Ministers of His hosts : Ministers of His,
His that-do His pleasure. who do His will.
22. Bless YHWH, all ye 22. Bless the Lord, all ye
His works, In all places of His works. In every place
His dominion. O my soul, of His dominion : O my
Bless YHWH. soul, bless the Lord.
By many the authenticity of the title is questioned, on account
of certain abnormal forms of the suffixed pronouns in vv. 3, 4, 5.
That these peculiarities belong to compositions of a later age has
yet to be proved. The Syriac retains and develops the title by
assigning it to David's old age. Passing by the several con-
jectures as to the particular passage in David's life that gave
occasion to this eucharistic hymn, it is probable that it was
primarily composed for a public thanksgiving.
v. 1. "Bless" implies (1) praise of God, thanks for His
mercies ; (2) a prayer for him we bless ; (3) God's beneficent
action upon His creatures. "My soul," an address to "himself."
"All within me;" rendered more literally by .St. Augustine,
Roman and Verona Psalter, " interiora me " (=mine inward parts),
in contrast to mere lip-service, cf. Deut. vi. 5. v. 2. "Benefits;"
LXX., " His praises." v. 3. " Diseases," entailed by sin, as
required by the parallelism, v. 5. " Desire ; " so rendered, some-
what freely, by LXX., who, in Ps. xxxi. (32) 9, render its Plural,
o-iayoVa?, siagonas ( = jaws). The Lexicons give as the meaning
of the word in text, "ornament," the rendering St, Jerome adopts
here; Targum, "the days of thine old age;" Syriac, "thy body"
— the ornament, the covering of the soul. By others it is
rendered "mouth." It may mean, "the whole duration of thy
life." "As the eagle," so that thou art as strong and as long-
lived as the eagle. The fables with regard to the eagle's renewing
its youth every tenth year are not worthy of notice, v. 6. " Deeds
of mercy;" in text and St. Jerome, "justices," i.e., acts of justice,
v. 7. In answer to Moses' prayer, Exod. xxxiii. 13, foil. "Children
of Israel," Mis doings, "dealings" in their regard. The tense of
"He made known" in text (Imperfect) expresses its frequent
repetition, v. 8. Verse taken from Exod. xxxiv. 6. v. 9. " He
will not be always chiding (contending). Nor will He keep [His
PSALM 103 (104). 427
anger - " bear a grudge "] for ever ;" St. Jerome, " Nor will He be
angry" {irascetur ; Old Itala, indignabitur) ; LXX., "Nor will He
cherish wrath" (/x-qvul, meeniei). Cf. Isai. lvii. 16. v. n. In
LXX. "The Lord" is the subject of "made strong;" better, with
St. Jerome (confirmata est miserkordia), make " loving-goodness "
the subject, v. 12. Oblivion of past sins, cf. Isai. xxxviii. 17;
Mich. vii. 19. v. 14. " Frame " = our fashioning, formation, cf.
Gen. ii. 17; LXX., -n-Xavixa, plasma; St. Jerome, "plasmationem."
"He reminds Himself;" zakhur, in text, Participle Passive.
[He is] reminded, cf. French, il se rappelle ( = " he recalls to
himself," " remembers "). v. 15. "Does he flourish," not deflo-
rebit, St. Augustine; Cod. of Verona, "As the flower of the field,
so does he flourish" [iia florebii). v. 16. "If [Suppose] that the
wind," &c. v. 18. Cf. Exod. xx. 6. v. 20. " Hearkening" = so
as to obey; St. Jerome, "obedientes" ("obedient to," "obeying ").
v. 21. "Hosts," i.e., angels, as required by the parallelism.
"Ministers," cf. Dan. vii. 10; Heb. i. 14. " Bless-thou," " bless-
ye," occur respectively thrice (vv. 1, 2, 22; 20, 21, 22). The
mind of the poet ranges in a continually expanding circle. From
thanksgiving in his own behalf, he passes to God's kindness and
mercies to His people, to His compassion for human frailty, and
thence to the majesty of Him who is throned amid countless
myriads of mighty spirits obedient to His behests.
PSALM 103 (104). PSALM 103 (104).
1. Bless YtfHW^H, O my 1. Of David. Bless the
soul. YHWH, my God, Lord, O my soul. O Lord
Thou-art exceeding great : my God, Thou-art exceeding
With splendour and glory great : With glory and
art-Thou-clad, majesty art-Thou-clad.
2. Thou-coverest-Thyself 2. Covering-Thyself with
with light as with a garment ; light as with a garment :
Spreadest-out the heavens Spreading-out the heavens
like a tent-cloth. like a curtain ;
3. Who-lays-the-beams of 3. Who coverest its upper
His upper-chambers in the [chambers] with waters ;
waters ; Who makes the Who makest clouds Thy
428
PSALM IO3 (104).
clouds His chariot : Who
makes-His-vvay on the wings
of the wind ;
4. Who makes His messen-
gers winds : His ministers a
flaming fire :
5. Who founded the earth
upon its bases : That it-
should not-totter for ever
and ever.
6. Chaos — Thou-coveredst
it [with waters] as with
raiment ; The waters stood
above the mountains.
7. At Thy rebuke they-
fled : At the voice of Thy
thunder they-stole-away-in-
terror,
8. ([While] mountains as-
cended, and valleys des-
cended): To the place which
Thou - hadst - destined for
them.
9. Thou-hast-set a bound
they-cannot-pass-over: That
they-return not to cover the
earth.
10. Who sends - forth
springs into the valleys :
That they - should - flow
between the mountains.
11. They -give - drink to
every beast of the field :
The wild-asses break (i.e.,
quench) their thirst.
12. Upon them the fowl
of the heavens dwell : From
chariot ; Who goest-forward
on the wings of the winds ;
4. Who makest Thy
messengers winds: And Thy
ministers a flaming fire.
(Cf. Heb. i. 7.)
5. Who didst - found the
earth on its sure-basis : It
shall not totter for ever and
ever.
6. The deep, as it were a
garment, was its covering :
Above the mountains stood
the waters.
7. At Thy rebuke they-
fled : At the voice of Thy
thunder they - shook - with-
terror,
8. The mountains rose,
and the plains sank-down,
To the place which Thou-
didst-found for them.
9. Thou-hast-set a bound
which they - cannot - pass :
Neither shall-they-return to
cover the earth.
10. Who sendest - forth
springs into the valleys :
The waters shall - flow
between the mountains.
11. All the beasts of the
field shall -drink. The wild-
asses shall - wait in their
thirst.
12. Above them dwell the
birds of the sky : From the
PSALM 103 (IO4).
429
among the branches they-
give-out [their] voice [or,
They-utter (their) voice].
13. He-waters the moun-
tains from His upper-
chambers : With the fruit
of Thy doings the earth is-
satisfied (i.e., teems with
vegetation).
14. He-makes grass to-
sprout for the cattle ; and
green-herb for the service
of man : To bring food out
of the earth,
15. And that wine may-
cheer the heart of man, To
make the face shine with
oil : And that bread may-
stay the heart of man.
16. The trees of YaHWcH
are [thus] amply - supplied
[or, filled (with moisture)] :
The cedars of Lebanon
which He-has-planted ;
17. Where the birds build-
their-nests : The stork — the
firs are her house.
18. The high mountains
are for the wild-goats : the
rocks are a refuge for the
rock-badgers.
19. He-made the moon
for fixed-seasons : The sun
knows his going-down.
20. Thou - makest - dark-
midst of the rocks they
utter [their] voice.
13. He-waters the moun-
tains from His upper-
[chambers] : The earth shall-
be-replenished with the fruit
of Thy works.
14. He makes grass to-
sprout for the cattle, And
green-herb for the service of
men : That - Thou - mayest-
bring bread out of the
earth,
15. And wine may-cheer
the heart of man, That he-
may-make his face to-shine
with oil : And bread may-
sustain man's heart [or,
bread may-strengthen, &c.].
16. [Thus] are the trees of
the plain filled [with mois-
ture] : and the cedars of
Libanus which He-planted ;
17. There the birds build-
their - nests. The heron's
house takes-the-lead among
them.
18. The high mountains
are for the stags : The rocks
are a shelter for the hedge-
hogs.
19. He - made the moon
for fixed-seasons : The sun
knows his going-down.
20. Thou - makest dark-
430
PSALM 103 (104).
ness, and it-is night : Where-
in all the beasts of the forest
move-about.
21. The young-lions roar
for prey : And seek their
food from God.
22. The sun rises — they-
get- them -away : And lie-
down in their dens.
23. Man goes-forth to his
work : And to his labour
until evening.
24. How manifold are
Thy works, YaUWeU ! In
wisdom Thou - hast - made
them all : Full is the earth
of things-of-Thy-creation.
25. Yon sea great and
wide, therein are moving-
creatures innumerable : Liv-
ing-things both small and
great.
26. There go ships :
[There is] liv'yathan, which
Thou-hast-formed to play
therein.
27. All these wait upon
Thee : To give [them] their
food in its season.
28. [That] Thou-givest
them they - gather : Thou-
openest Thy hand, they-are-
filled with good.
29. Hidest-Thou Thy face,
they - are-terrified ; Gather-
est - Thou - in their breath,
ness, and it is night ;
Wherein all the beasts of
the forest do-roam ;
21. [Even] young - lions
roaring for prey
And
seeking their food from God.
22. The sun rises — they-
gather - together : And lay-
them-down in their lairs.
23. Man goes forth to his
work : And to his labour
till evening.
24. How vast are Thy
works, O Lord ! In wisdom
Thou hast-made them all :
The earth is full of Thy
creatures.
25. Yon sea great ; with
outstretched arms, therein
are moving-creatures innum-
erable : Living-things both
small and great.
26. There go ships.
[There is] that dragon
which Thou-hast-formed to
play therein.
27. All wait-upon Thee :
That Thou mayest - give
them food at the fitting-
time.
28. When Thou - givest
[it] to them, they gather :
When Thou - openest Thy
hand, all of them are-filled
with good.
29. When Thou - turnest-
away Thy face, they - are-
troubled ; Takest - Thou -
PSALM 103 (104).
431
they-expire : And return to
their dust.
30. Thou - sendest - forth
Thy breath, they - are -
created : And Thou-renew-
est the face of the ground.
31. May the glory of
YaHW^H be for ever : May
YHWH rejoice in His
works ;
32. Who looks on the
earth, and it-trembles : He-
touches the mountains, and
they-smoke.
33. I -will -sing to YaH-
W^H as long as I live :
I-will-play to my God, while
I have any being.
34. Sweet to Him shall-
be my utterance : As for
me, I-will-rejoice in YHWH.
35. Let sinners be-con-
sumed out of the earth, And
the wicked be no more.
Bless YHWH, O my soul.
Halalu-YaH (i.e., Praise-ye
YaH).
away their breath, then they-
expire : And return to their
dust.
30. Thou-shalt-send-forth
Thy breath, then shall-they-
be-created : And Thou-dost-
renew the face of the earth.
31. May the glory of the
Lord be for ever : The Lord
shall-rejoice in His works ;
32. Who looks on the
earth, and makes it tremble :
Who touches the mountains,
and they-smoke.
t,^. I-will-sing to the Lord
as long as I live: I-will-play
to my God, while I have any
being [or, exist].
34. Sweet be to Him the
tenor-of-my-song : As for
me, I - will - rejoice in the
Lord.
35. Let sinners vanish
from off the earth, and
wrong-doers, so-as to-be no
more. Bless the Lord, O
my soul.
The title, "to David," prefixed by LXX., and in some editions
of that version expanded into, "concerning the constitution of
the world," is grounded on a tradition in support whereof it may
be alleged that this Psalm is the pendant and complement of the
preceding. In a strain unsurpassed in the Psalter, and which has
received, on all hands, the warmest eulogiums, it hymns the
Almighty Creator, " Who is ever working " in Nature, to whom
the world and all that is therein owe, not only their origin, but
432 PSALM 103 (IO4).
the several forms they assume in the course of their development.
It may well be termed "an echo of the primal creation." In
Psalm cii. (103) the fervent doxology takes for its theme God's
dealings in the moral, the supernatural order, in the realm of
grace, while here, the reflection of God's wisdom, might, and
loving-goodness in the order of Nature is the poet's motive for
grateful and unceasing praise. It further presents traces of that
devout contemplation of visible Nature we meet with in Psalms,
whereof the Davidic authorship is unquestioned. With but one
deviation (cf. v. 25), the Psalm follows the order of Gen. i., till
the works of the sixth day are described. In vv. 27 — 30, the
poet develops the thought implied all along, and vividly sets forth
the absolute dependence of the creation on God, who is not only
the cause, but the ever-present source and support of life and
being. The Psalm has no strophical arrangement ; but its main
outline follows the Mosaic record of creation. It is the third
Psalm for the Nocturn of the Day of Pentecost and its octave.
By the Greeks it is known as the "Procemiac," i.e., Prefatory
Psalm (7rpoot/AtttKos if/akfjios, prooimiakos psalmos), as it is sung at
the beginning of the Lychnapsia, or Vespers. The works of the
First and Second Days, corresponding to Gen. i. 3 — 8, are set
forth in vv. 2 — 5.
v. 1. "Splendour and glory;" St. Jerome, "With glory and
comeliness {decore) art Thou clad." LXX., as in Psalm xcv.
(96) 6, render hodh ( = splendour) " confession " ( — praise, thanks-
giving), referring it to the glory and praise, conscious and uncon-
scious, accruing to God from His works. " Comeliness," as the
universe is God's vesture, veiling, yet revealing Him to the clean
of heart, v. 2. Lit., " clothing-Thyself with light," not the "light
unapproachable" of 1 Tim. vi. 16, but that mentioned Gen. i. 3,
the most splendid of God's works, the manifestation of the
splendours of them all. "Tent-cloth;" Vulgate and St. Jerome,
" pellem " ( = a hide, or skin, viz., the tent-covering of leather, or
of hair-cloth, &c), cf. Isai. xl. 22. The work of the Second Day.
"Heavens," the firmament, "expanse" as the Hebrew word
literally means, v. 3. Cf. Gen. i. 7, 8. The beams of God's
upper-chambers are laid in "the waters above the firmament"
(supposed here to be solid); "God's" both LXX. and the old
PSALM 103 (104). 433
Latin Psalters, "qui tegit in aquis superiora sua" ( = His), not
" ejus " ( = of it), as in Vulgate and St. Jerome. In these verses
(2—4) God is figured as an earthly potentate, clad in splendour,
enthroned under a lofty canopy ( = " tent-cloth "), possessing
towering palaces, swift chariots, and a countless retinue. "Clouds
. . . wind," cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 10, &c. v. 4. The storm-winds and
lightning-fires are His servants ; the text literally rendered, with
the words in the same order — "Making ( = Who makes) His
messengers winds, His servants a fire flaming;" alleged in
Heb. i. 7 to bring out the contrast between the Christ and the
angelic ministers of the Old Testament, whose services are at
God's beck and call, no less than those of the unconscious forces
of Nature. LXX. render the text word for word, and in the
same sequence. "Storm . . . lightning," may be an indirect
allusion to the phenomena that marked the Sinaitic Theophany
(Cf. Exod. xix. 16, &c). The emergence of the earth, the first
portion of the Third Day's work (Gen. i. 9, 10), in vv. 5—9.
Next, its preparation as the abode of the several forms of life
(Gen. i. n, 12). The Fourth Day's work (vv. 19 — 23) follows,
but with a more explicit reference to animal and human life
than in Gen. i. 14 — 18. Having already rehearsed some of the
creations of the Fifth and Sixth Days, the Psalm (vv. 25, 26)
turns to the sea with its teeming life (Gen. i. 20, 21). In
VV- 27 — 30, the Psalmist sets forth, in express terms, the absolute
dependence of these vast and manifold creations upon God, and
concludes with the hope that the harmony of creation may no
longer be marred by sin. v. 5. "The earth on its bases;"
St. Jerome, " on its basis " (basim suat?i) ; in old Latin Psalters,
firmamentum, firmitatem (stay, support, firmness, solidity), but
cf. Job xxvi. 7. v. 6. Both in text, LXX., and Vulgate, "abyss"
= "the deep," must needs be construed as a Nominative absolute.
"As for the abyss" (viz., the primal chaotic mass), "as with
a garment Thou didst-cover it [with waters]." w. 6 — 9 are a
poetical amplification of Gen. i. 9. v. 8. "Destined for them;"
"them," i.e., "the waters" of vv. 6, 7 ; taking "the mountains . . .
descended" of hemistich a as a parenthetical clause (Cf. here Ovid,
Metam. i. 43). Targum, however, has "They ( = the waters) go
up the mountains," &c. v. 9. Cf. Prov. viii. 29 ; Job xxxviii.
CC
434 psalm 103 (104).
8 — 11. vv. 10 — 18. Third Day continued, Gen. i. 11. The
Psalm here returns to the construction of vv. 2 — 5. "Who
sends;" in text, a Participle preceded by the Article, "The
sending forth," &c. " Valleys," the wadh, or torrent-beds.
"Aquae" ( = the waters), the final word of the verse in LXX.
and Vulgate, is neither in text nor in St. Jerome, v. 11. "Break
( = quench) . . . thirst ; " the phrase occurs nowhere else ; cf.
Latin, "frangere sitim " ( = to break thirst), cf. our " breakfast."
LXX. probably read yesabberu ( = they will expect, await, look for),
with Shi ( = s), instead of yisliberu ( = they will break), with Shin
( = sh). St. Augustine and the old Psalters render 7rpoo-8i£ovTai,
prosdexontai, of LXX., " suscipient in sitim suam " (they will
receive, take [thereof] for their thirst); St. Jerome, "and that
the wild-ass may refresh (reficiaf) his thirst." Vulgate may imply
that these animals, which shun the approach of man, when at the
springs, look anxiously about them, lest any one take them by
surprise — so Thalhofer. v. 12. "Branches," or "foliage;"
Targum, "branches;" St. Jerome, "nemorum" (of the groves).
" Rocks," of LXX., a divergence which comes from their reading
(hearing [?], if they wrote from dictation) one initial guttural for
another {Kaph = k, for Ayin, a strong harsh guttural, or aspirate).
v. 13. " Upper chambers," the supposed reservoir of rain ; cf. v. 3.
" Mountains," on which the clouds rest, and whence the streams
flow down ; further, Palestine is a mountainous land (cf. Deut.
xi. 11), in contrast with Egypt watered by the Nile. "Fruit of"
— the rain sent down from the firmament, the greatest of God's
works, wherewith the earth being sated, it teems with the vege-
tation mentioned in vv. 14 — 16: so Qimchi. It may also be
understood of the vegetation by which the inhabitants of the
earth are fed and filled. v. 14. "Herb," "Green-herb," com-
prising corn, &c. The construction of this and of v. 15 is
somewhat involved; in LXX. and St. Jerome, "cheer," "stay,"
are in the Present Indicative; so too in many old Latin Psalters.
Vulgate renders the meaning of the text, by inserting "ut"
( = "/*» order that wine may gladden, . . . that bread," &c).
v. 16. "Trees of YH";" St. Jerome, "trees of the Lord" {ligna
Domini); LXX., "trees of the plain;" probably, their text had
Shadday ( = Almighty), instead of K//", which they read sa^/ay
PSALM 103 (104). 435
(of the plain) : in the unpointed script the words are indis-
tinguishable. "Trees of YH"," the wild growth of the forest,
owing nought to man's toil. " Cedars," the most notable of
forest trees in Palestine; these are fully supplied (with moisture)
by the rain, and by springs and streams, v. 17. "Where" — in
the forest trees in general. "Stork;" in text, chasiddh ( = the
pious, affectionate [bird]), instanced here as one of the largest of
nest-building birds. v. 18. A seemingly abrupt transition, yet
connected with the foregoing verses ; as God provides food, He
provides shelter also [to be understood before v. 18]. LXX., the
heron's nest is built at a greater height than any ; " it takes the
lead of them." They read bWdsh&m ( = at the head of them), for
tfroshim ( = fir-trees, as rendered by Targum, Aquila, Symmachus,
and St. Jerome), v. 18. "Wild goats;" Gesenius (Hebr. Lex.),
"chamois," "rock-badger," the Hyrax Syriacus ; assuredly not
the rabbit, or "coney" as it is mistranslated according to an old
Jewish tradition, both here and in Lev. xi. 5. v. 19. "Moon,"
first mentioned, because the days, as is still the Eastern custom,
are reckoned from evening to evening ; cf. Gen. i. 5, 8, &c.
"The sun knows," he rises and sets by fixed law. v. 21. " From
'El ( = God)," on whom all creatures depend, v. 24. " Of Thy
creatures," the word in text means also "a possession," "an
acquisition," but Gen. xiv. 19; Deut. xxxii. 6; Prov. viii. 22, it
requires the former rendering. In the best MSS. of LXX., in the
Vatican Codex, in old Latin Psalters, is read KTtVews, ktiseos =
KTio-//.aT(Dv ( = " creation," " creatures "), instead of kt^ctcws, kteeseos
(- possession) ; and creatura tua ( = "of Thy creation"), instead
of (Thy possession) possessione tua of Vulgate and St. Jerome, a
rendering adopted the more readily, as the word in text bears that
meaning, and, as the product of God's free agency, the universe
may well be called His "possession," cf. Ps. xcix. (100) 3, "He
made us, and His we are." vv. 25, 26. The abrupt transition
from land to sea, deviates from Gen. i., as the sea was peopled
before the land. " Sea," the Mediterranean — " wide on both
hands " (/lands is Dual in text, i.e., extending right and left,
E. and W., no account being taken of its extent N. and S.).
" Manibus " ( = on both sides) is wanting in most copies of LXX.,
and is taken from Theodotion's version into Origen's Hexapla.
436 psalm 104 (105).
The same expression occurs Gen. xxxiv. 21, rendered in LXX.
7rAuT€ia, plateia (wide), here evpvxwpos, evrychoros (broad, spacious).
" Ships," the manifestation of man's activity on the sea. " Levi-
athan ;" Vulgate, " dragon," some huge cetacean, not the crocodile,
as in Ps. lxxiii. (74) 14; Job iii. 8. "To play therein" — "to
play with him " is a possible rendering, or rather, " to mock him "
(which is closer to the LXX. and Vulgate rendering), by taming
and rendering him harmless. 'Avtw, auto, of LXX. cannot refer
to the sea ( = OaXuaar], t/ia/assee, Feminine in Greek), vv. 27, 28.
" They all of them wait," all the living things, man included,
mentioned in vv. 20- — 26. Cf. Ps. cxliv. (145) 15, 16. v. 28.
"Gather up," "pick up," the verb is used to denote "gleaning;"
it frequently occurs in Exod. xvi. with reference to the manna,
v. 29. Failing Thy care, all that lives suffers the pangs of disso-
lution— "they are terrified," "confounded." Dissolution is here
practically presented as the recalling, the withdrawing the breath
of life, cf. Job xxxiv. 14, 15; Ps. cxlv. (146) 4. "Expire,"
better suited to context than " die." v. 30. " Breath," the breath,
the spirit of life, other forms of life appear, and thus the aspect
(" the face ") of the earth is continually renewed. Several old
Latin Psalters read " Emitte " ( = Send-Thou-forth) for " emittes "
(Thou-shalt-send-forth), a variant of liturgical origin, still followed
by our Service-books, vv. 31 — 35. A sabbatic finale — May the
world ever reflect the glory of its Maker, who, at the close of the
six days' work, "saw that it was very good" (Gen. i. 31); May
He ever rejoice in His creation, v. 35. Certain commentators,
on very slender grounds, infer that this Psalm was composed at a
time when Israel was groaning under Gentile oppression. The
verse in nowise justifies their conjecture. "Alleluia" here makes
its first appearance in the Psalter ; in the Hebrew Scriptures, it
occurs in the Psalms only. LXX. have shifted it from the end of
this to the beginning of Ps. civ. (105).
PSALM 104 (105). PSALM 104 (105).
1. Give-thanks to Y<?H- 1. Alleluia. Give-thanks
W^H, call upon His Name: to the Lord, and call-upon
Make - known His doings His Name: Declare His
among the peoples. works among the nations.
PSALM 104 (105)
437
2. Sing to Him, sing-
psalms to Him : Speak-ye
of all His wondrous-works.
3. Glory in the Name of
His holiness : Let the heart
of them-that-seek YHWH
rejoice.
4. Seek YHWH and His
strength : Seek His face con-
tinually.
5. Remember His won-
drous-works that-He-has-
done : His miracles and the
judgments of His mouth ;
6. Ye seed of 'Abh'raham
His servant : Sons of Jacob,
His chosen-ones !
7. He is YHWH our
God : In all the earth are
His judgments.
8. He - has - remembered
His covenant for ever : The
word He-decreed to a
thousand generations,
9. Which He-concluded
with Abraham : And His
oath to Yis'chaq,
10. And confirmed it to
Jacob for a statute : To
Israel for an everlasting
covenant,
1 1. Saying, " To thee will-
I-give the land of Kena"an :
The cord of your inherit-
ance ; "
12. When they-were men
of number : Yea, very-few,
and sojourners therein ;
2. Sing to Him, play to
Him: And tell of all His
wondrous-works.
3. Make - your - boast of
His holy Name : Let the
heart of them-that-seek the
Lord rejoice.
4. Seek the Lord, and be-
strengthened : Seek His
face evermore.
5. Remember His wonders
which He-has-done: His
portents and the judgments
of His mouth ;
6. Ye seed of Abraham,
His servants : Sons of Jacob
His chosen-ones !
7. He is the Lord our
God : His judgments are in
all the earth.
8. He-has remembered
His testament for ever : The
word He-commanded for a
thousand generations,
9. Which He-concluded
with Abraham : And His
oath to Isaac,
10. And established it for
Jacob as a law : For Israel
as an everlasting testament,
n. Saying, To thee will-
I-give the land of Chanaan :
The line of your inheritance;
12. When they-were a
small number : Very-few,
and sojourners therein ;
438
PSALM 104 (105).
13. And they-went-about
from nation to nation : From
[one] kingdom to another
people.
14. He-allowed no man
to wrong them : Yea, He-
rebuked kings for their
sakes ; [Saying,]
15. "Touch not Mine
anointed : And do My pro-
phets no harm."
16. And He-called-for a
famine on the land : He-
broke the whole staff of
bread.
17. He-sent a man before
them : Yoseph was -sold for
a slave :
18. They hurt his feet
with the fetter : Into iron his
soul entered : i.e., He was
laid in [chains] of iron ;
19. Until the time that
His word came [to pass (?)] :
The oracle of YrtHW*?H
tried him.
20. The king sent and
loosed him : [Even] the
ruler of peoples, and set-
him-free.
21. He-made him lord of
his house : And ruler of all
his substance :
22. To-bind his princes at
his will : And to teach his
elders wisdom.
23. Israel also came into
Mits'rayim : And Jacob so-
13. And they-passed from
nation to nation : From
[one] kingdom to another
people.
14. He-allowed no man
to harm them : And He-
rebuked kings for their
sakes ;
15. [Saying], " Touch not
Mine anointed-ones : And
harm not My prophets."
16. And He-called-for a
famine upon the land : And
broke-to-pieces the whole
staff of bread.
17. He-sent a man before
them : Joseph was-sold for
a slave :
18. They-afflicted his feet
with fetters : The iron
entered his soul :
19. Until his word came.
The utterance of the Lord
tried-him-as-with-fire.
20. The king sent and
loosed him : The ruler of
peoples, and set-him-free.
21. He- established him
lord of his house : And ruler
of all his substance ;
22. To guide his princes
as himself: And to teach his
ciders wisdom.
23. Israel also came into
Egypt : And Jacob was a
PSALM 104 (105).
439
journed in the land of
Cham.
24. And He-caused His
people to-be-fruitful exceed-
ingly : And made - them -
stronger than their adver-
saries.
25. He-turned their heart
to hate His people : To-
deal - craftily with His
servants.
26. He-sent Mosheh His
servant : 'Aharon whom He-
had-chosen.
27. They-laid upon them
the commandments (lit., the
words of) His signs : And
miracles in the land of Cham.
28. He-sent darkness, and
it - darkened : And they -
rebelled - not against His
word.
29. He-turned their waters
into blood : And slew their
fish.
30. Their land swarmed
with frogs : In the chambers
of their kings.
31. He spoke, and the
gad-fly came : And lice 2 in
all their border.
32. He gave hail [as]
their rains : Flaming fire in
their land.
33. He-smote also their
sojourner in the land of
Cham.
24. And He - increased
His people greatly : And
made them stronger than
their enemies.
25. He-turned their heart
to hate His people : And to
deal - craftily with His
servants.
26. He-sent Moses His
servant : Aaron whom He-
had-chosen.
27. He-laid upon them
the words of His signs :
And portents in the land of
Cham.
28. He-sent darkness, and
made-it-dark : And showed
that His words were not
mere threats [P].1
29. He-turned their waters
into blood : And slew their
fishes.
30. Their land swarmed
with frogs : In the closets
of their kings.
31. He-spoke, and there
came the dog-fly : And lice
[gnats (?)] in all their borders.
32. He-gave hail [as] their
rains : Flaming fire in their
land.
2,3- He-smote also their
1 Suggested by Schegg [Psalmen. ii. p. 428). Or, "lie suffered not His
words to be thwarted."
- Exod. viii. 16.
440
PSALM I04 (105).
vine and their fig-tree : And
broke [every] tree of their
border.
34. He spoke, and there
came the locust : And the
grasshopper [?], and there
was no number [or, without
number],
35. And devoured every
herb in their land : And
devoured the fruit of their
ground.
36. And He-smote all the
first-born in their land :
The firstlings of all their
strength.
37. And He-brought them
forth with silver and gold :
And there was none among
His tribes that-stumbled.
38. Mits'rayim rejoiced at
their going-forth : For their
terror had-fallen upon them.
39. He-spread a cloud for
a covering -of- protection :
And fire to lighten the
night.
40. One (i.e., the people)-
asked, and He-brought the
quail : And with the bread
of heaven He-satisfied them.
41. He-opened the rock,
and waters gushed-out :
They-went-along the dry-
places [as] a river.
42. For He-remembered
His holy word : [And]
Abraham His servant.
vines and their fig-trees :
And broke [every] tree of
their borders.
34. He-spoke, and the
locust came : And the cater-
pillar [?], and that without
number,
35. And it-devoured every
green-herb in their land :
And devoured the fruit of
their ground.
36. And He-smote every
first-born in their land :
The firstlings of all their
travail.
37. And He-brought them
forth with silver and gold :
And there-was no weakling
among their tribes.
38. Egypt rejoiced at their
departure : For the fear of
them had-fallen upon them.
39. He-spread a cloud for
their shelter : And fire to-
give-them-light in the night.
40. They-asked, and the
quail came : And with the
bread of heaven He-satisfied
them.
41. He-clave the rock, and
the waters flowed : Rivers
ran in the dry-land.
42. For He-was-mindful
of His holy word : Which
He-spoke to Abraham His
servant.
PSALM 104 (105). 44I
43. And He-brought-forth 43. And He-brought-forth
His people with joy : And His people with exultation :
His chosen with a gladsome And His chosen with joy ;
song;
44. And gave them the 44. And gave them the
lands of the nations : And lands of the Gentiles : And
they-took-possession of the they-took-possession of the
labour of the peoples ; labours of the peoples ;
45. That they-might-keep 45. That they - might -
His statutes : and observe keep His ordinances : And
His Laws, Halalu-YaH. diligently-seek His law.
With Pss. lxxvii. (78) and cv. (106), the present one is con-
cerned with the history of Israel, and the miraculous interventions
of Divine predilection in its behalf. Its scope, however, differs.
It sets forth, as a motive for gratitude and steadfast obedience,
the wonders God wrought for His people, from the dawn of their
existence as a nation, with special stress on those that show forth
more clearly His faithfulness to His covenant. The series opens
in vv. 8 — 11, tracing all the stages in the fulfilment of the promise,
until the occupation of Chanaan. Ps. lxxvii. (78) unfolds the
record of the past, but with warnings for the present. Ps. cv.
(106) sets forth in startling contrast the ingratitude, the ever-
recurring rebellions which were Israel's return for covenanted
mercies. The first fifteen verses are found in 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi.
8 — 22 (with but slight variations), as the first part of the hymn to
be sung at the translation of the Ark to Sion. As the main
theme of the Psalm is fully treated, it is safe to infer that David,
or rather Asaph, who is wont to blend the lessons of the past with
strains of praise and supplication, is the author of this Psalm.
v. 1. "Alleluia" is wrongly taken by LXX. from the end of
the foregoing Psalm. This verse occurs word for word in Isai.
xii. 4. "Call upon His Name," with praise of His attributes and
character made known by His Self-manifestation, v. 3. "Glory;"
St. Jerome, "exultate" (exult ye) ; glory in the knowledge of Him
imparted to you by His wondrous deeds, and by His Law. v. 4.
"Strength" (in text, v'uzzo); LXX. read, as well they might,
v'ozzii ( = " and be strengthened "), and thus give the deepest
442 PSALM 104 (105).
meaning of the word. Aben Ezra and Qimchi interpret "strength"
as referring to the Ark, cf. Ps. cxxxi. (132) 8; 2 Chron. vi. 41.
v. 5. "Judgments;" those against Pharaoh and Egypt, hereafter
enumerated, v. 6. "His servants" refers to the "seed," not to
Abraham, cf. "chosen-ones" in hemistich 2 ; LXX., SovXoi, douloi
(servants), rightly according to meaning. v. 8. "Word" =
promise — " Decreed," confirmed, established ; the same verb
occurs in Ps. ex. (in) 9. "Thousand generations;" from
Deut. vii. 9. v. 9. "Concluded;" ///., "cut," from cutting up
victims, when making a covenant. "The word [of promise]" is
here considered as a compact between God and man. " [He
remembered] the oath," cf. Gen. xxvi. 3; xxii. 16 — -18. v. 10.
"Statute," an inviolable promise, v. n. "Line," inheritance
measured out, apportioned by line. v. 12. "Men of number,"
i.e., so few as to be easily counted. v. 14. "He allowed;"
St. Jerome, "non dimisit;" Verona Psalter, " non permisit " (he
allowed not), a sense akin to that rettquit of Vulgate bears at
times. "Kings," Pharaoh and Abimelech (Gen. xii. 17; xx. 3,
&c). v. 15. "Mine anointed," ///., "My Messiahs " = " My
Christs " of LXX. and Vulgate. In the symbolism of the Divine
Scriptures, unction denotes the imparting of special godlike
powers ; hence the unction of kings, priests, and prophets. Not
that the Patriarchs were outwardly anointed, but they were filled
with the Spirit of God, they were priests, and prophets (as God
expressly calls Abraham, Gen. xx. 7), in that they were frequently
honoured with Divine revelations ; in a word, they were men
inspired, organs of the Divine communications to others, v. 16.
" Staff of bread ; " St. Jerome, " virgam panis " (the rod [staff] of
bread), " bread " being, in Palestine especially, the main stay of
human life. The figure first occurs in Lev. xxvi. 26; cf. Isai.
iii. 1 ; Ps. ciii. (104) 15. v. 18. "In a fetter;" the word (kebhel)
occurs nowhere else. "His foot," so Qeri ( = marginal emenda-
tion), for "feet" in the Kethibh (writ/ai text). "Into iron his
soul entered ; " so LXX., Syriac, St. Jerome, Qimchi, and Aben
Ezra, who explains "his soul" as equivalent to "He," "himself."
In St. Ambrose and old Psalters, we read, ferrum pertramiit
anima ejus (his soul passed into iron, a literal rendering of LXX.).
but Targum, "a iron chain went into [or, "came upon"] his
PSALM 104 (105). 443
soul." This means, either "he was heavily ironed," or "iron"
may be a metaphor, cf. Ps. cvi. (107) 10. v. 19. "Came" —
true (?) — to pass (?). " Word ; " either Joseph's interpretation of
the dreams of his fellow-captives (Gen. xli. 12), or "the word"
revealed to him in his own dreams (Gen. xxxvii. 5 — n). If "his
word" be the Lord's, it means the prediction and fulfilment of
the promise of his exaltation. " Tried him," by testing his virtue
during the hard times that intervened between the promise
("oracle") and its fulfilment, v. 20. See Gen. xli. 14, "Ruler
of," &c, the peoples of Upper and Lower Egypt. "The ruler
of both worlds" is his title in an inscription, v. 21. Cf. v. 17 ;
Gen. xli. 40, 41 ; xlv. 8. "To bind," cf. Gen. xli. 44; the power
of exacting and compelling obedience. LXX., 'a-s-r (to bind), as
if it were y-s-r (to instruct, to correct), the "ut erudiret" (that
he-might-teach) of St. Jerome. "As Himself" of LXX. comes
from their reading k'naphsho (as his soul = as himself) for
b'naphsfw, rendered by St. Jerome, " secundum voluntatem suam "
(according to his own will = at his pleasure). Lit., " to make-wise
his old-men," "elders," "senators." v. 24. Exod. i. 7. v. 25.
Targum, "And their heart turned," &c, intransitively as in
Lev. xiii. 3, 4, 13, 20; 1 Kings (Sam.) xxv. 9; Ps. Ixxvii. (78) 9.
"To deal," &c, cf. Exod. i. 10, "let us deal wisely with them."
v. 27. "They laid," i.e., Moses and Aaron laid on the Egyptians
the commandments of His signs, i.e., they wrought among the
Egyptians the signs commanded by God. " Words of signs "
may be an idiomatic pleonasm for "signs." LXX., St. Jerome,
Vulgate, "He laid," i.e., God ordered them (Moses and Aaron) to
work miracles ; or, " He displayed to the Egyptians the tokens of
His displeasure." v. 28. "They rebelled not," &c, i.e., Moses
and Aaron rebelled not, as subsequently at Meribah (Numb.
xx. 24; xxvii. 14), or the plagues which came at God's call (so
Rashi). More probably, "they rebelled not" applies to the
Egyptians, whom this (the ninth plague) induced to let Israel go,
if they would but leave their cattle (Exod. x. 24). Aben Ezra
observes that it is precisely on account of its efficacy, that this
ninth plague is mentioned first. St. Jerome, " Et non fuerunt
increduli verbis ejus" ( = "and they disbelieved not His words").
LXX., Syriac, and most old Latin Psalters drop the negative, " et
444 PSALM 104 (105).
{quia, also) exacerbaverunt sermones ejus" ( = "yet [because] they
rebelled against [lit., "embittered"] His words"). The singular
reading of Vulgate may mean, according to Thalhofer, He (God)
repented Him not, so as to revoke or mitigate His judicial punish-
ments ("His words"), but carried them out to the bitter end.
v. 29. First plague, Exod. vii. 14 — 25 ; Ps. lxxvii. (78) 44. v. 30.
Second plague, Exod. viii. 1 — 14; Ps. lxxvii. 45. v. 31. Fourth
plague, Exod. viii. 20 — 24: "gad-fly;" Aquila, ird^vLa, panifnyia,
rendered by St. Jerome, " every kind of fly." " Lice," so the
Talmudists and Josephus ; possibly " gnats," or " stinging flies,"
the third plague, Exod. viii. 16—19, omitted in Ps. lxxvii. (78).
v. 32. Seventh plague, Exod. ix. 13 — 35 ; Ps. lxxvii. (78) 47. v. 33.
The fifth and sixth plagues are omitted here and in Ps. lxxvii. (78).
"Tree," a generic Singular in text; LXX., "every tree." vv. 34,
35. Eighth plague, Exod. x. 1 — 20; Ps. lxxvii. (78) 46. "Grass-
hopper;" in text, yeleq, rendered in Gesenius (Heb. Lex.), "a
kind of locust, winged and hairy." It is impossible to determine
the varieties, v. 36. Tenth plague, Exod. xii. 29, 30 ; Ps. lxxvii.
(78) 51. "The beginning," i.e., the chief, the first fruit of their
genital power; St. Jerome, "primitias universi partus eorum"
(the first fruits of all their travail). v. 37. Exod. xii. 35.
"Stumbling;" St. Jerome, like Vulgate, "infirmus" (infirm-
person), cf. Isai. v. 27. v. 39. "Cloud," cf. 1 Cor. x. 1. v. 40.
"[They, or one] asked;" in text, verb without Nominative, in
3rd Singular; the Plural ending (») was probably dropped on
account of the wa ( = " and ") immediately following. " Quail,"
collective Singular in text; LXX. and St. Jerome, " ortygometra,"
probably " the land-rail." " Bread of the heavens," Exod. xvi. 4 ;
in Ps. lxxvii. (78) 24, "corn of the heavens," i.e., the manna.
v. 41. St. Jerome, "Rivers ran along in the arid-places." v. 42.
St. Jerome, " With Abraham," &c. vv. 43 — 45. Israel was put
into possession of "the lands," and "labours," i.e., cities,
treasures, &c, of the Gentiles, but their tenure was conditional,
and depended on their obedience to God's Law, so as to be
a holy nation, witnessing to God before mankind. The final
" Halalu-YaH " is omitted by LXX. and Vulgate.
PSALM 105 (106).
445
PSALM 105 (106).
1. Halalu-YaH. Give-
thanks to Y^HWcH ; for
He is good : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
2. Who can - utter the
mighty-deeds of YaHWeli :
Can-cause all His praise to-
be-heard ?
3. The happiness of them-
that - keep judgment : [Of
him] that-does justice at all
time.
4. Remember me, YHVVH,
with the favour of Thy
people : Visit me with Thy
salvation ;
5. That I too may-seethe
prosperity of Thy chosen-
ones, That I-may-rejoice in
the joy of Thy nation : That
I - may - glory with Thine
inheritance.
6. We-have-sinned with
our fathers, We-have-com-
mitted - iniquity, We-have-
dealt-wickedly.
7. Our fathers in Mits'-
rayim understood not Thy
wonders ; They-remembered
not the multitude of Thy
loving - kindnesses : But
provoked at the sea, at the
Sea of sedge.
PSALM 105 (106).
1. Alleluia. Give-thanks
to the Lord ; for He is good :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
2. Who can - utter the
mighty-deeds of the Lord :
Can cause all His praises
to-be-heard ?
3. Blessed are they that
keep judgment : And do
justice at all times.
4. Remember us, 0 Lord,
when-showing-favour to Thy
people : Visit us with Thy
salvation ;
5. That we-may-see the
prosperity of Thy chosen-
ones, That we-may-rejoice
in the joy of Thy nation.
That Thou - mayest - be -
praised together with Thine
inheritance.
6. We-have-sinned with
our fathers, We-have-trans-
gressed, We - have - done
unrighteously.
7. Our fathers in Egypt
understood not Thy won-
ders ; They- were unmindful
of the multitude of Thy
mercy : But provoked as
they-went-up towards the
sea — the Red Sea. (Exod.
xiv. 14.)
446
PSALM I05 (106).
8. Yet He-saved them for
His Name's sake : To make
His might to-be-known ;
9. He-rebuked the Red
Sea also, and it-dried-up :
So He-led them through the
depths as [through] the
desert ;
10. And saved them from
the hand of the hater : And
redeemed them from the
hand of the enemy.
11. And the waters
covered their adversaries :
Not one of them was-left.
12. Then believed-they
His words : They sang His
praise.
13. Soon forgot-they His
doings : They - waited not
His purpose ;
14. But lusted-for-them-
selves a lust in the desert :
And tempted God in the
waste.
15. And He-gave them
their request : But sent
leanness into their soul.
16. They-envied Moshch
also in the camp : Aharon,
the holy-one of YrtHW^H.
17. The earth opened and
swallowed-up Dathan : And
covered the congregation of
'Abhiram ;
18. And a fire was-kindled
8. Yet He-saved them for
His Name's sake : That He-
might-make His power to-
be-known ;
9. He-rebuked the Red
Sea also, and it-dried-up :
So He-led them through the
depths as through the desert ;
10. And saved them from
the hand of-them-that-hated
[them] : And redeemed them
from the hand of the enemy.
1 1. And the water covered
their oppressors : Not one of
them was-left.
1 2. Then believed-they
His words : And celebrated
His praise.
13. Very-soon they-forgot
His works : They- waited not
for His counsel ;
14. But lusted exceedingly
in the desert : And tempted
God in the waterless-land.
15. And He-gave them
their request : And sent
satiety into their souls.
16. They-provoked Moses
also in the camp : [And]
Aaron, the holy-one of the
Lord.
17. The earth opened and
swallowed up Dathan : And
closed upon the congre-
gation of Abiron ;
18. And a fire was-kindled
PSALM I05 (106).
447
in their congregation : A
flame burned-up the wicked.
19. They-made a calf in
Chorebh : And worshipped
a molten-image,
20. And bartered their
Glory : For the likeness of
an ox eating grass,
21. They-forgot God their
Saviour : [Who] had-done
great-things in Mits'rayim,
22. Wondrous-things in
the land of Cham : Terrible-
things by the Red Sea.
23. He therefore resolved
to destroy them, Had not
Moses His chosen stood in
the breach before Him : To-
turn-away His fury from
destroying [them].
24. Moreover, they spurned
the desirable land : They-
bclieved not His word ;
25. But murmured in their
tents : They-hearkened not
to the voice of YHWH.
26. Therefore He-lifted-
up His hand to them : To-
overthrow them in the desert,
27. And to - make - their
seed-fall among the nations :
And to-scatter them in the
lands.
28. They - yoked - them-
selves also to Ba"al-Pe"6r :
And ate the sacrifices of the
dead,
in their congregation : A
flame consumed the sinners.
19. And they-made a calf
in Horeb : And worshipped
a graven-image,
20. Thus they - bartered
their Glory : For the likeness
of a calf eating grass,
21. They-forgot God who
had-saved them : Who had-
done great-deeds in Egypt,
22. Wonders in the land
of Cham : Terrible-things by
the Red Sea.
23. He therefore resolved
to destroy them, Had not
Moses His chosen stood in
the breach before Him : To
turn-aside His wrath, so that
He should-not destroy them.
24. They moreover set-at-
nought the desirable land :
They-believed not His word;
25. But murmured in their
tents : They-hearkened not
to the voice of the Lord.
26. Therefore, He-swore
to them : That He-would-
over throw them in the
desert,
27. That He- would- cast-
away their seed among the
nations : And scatter them
in the lands.
28. They - were - initiated
also [in the mysteries of]
Beel-phegor : And ate the
sacrifices of the dead,
443
PSALM I05 (I06).
29. And gave-provoca-
tion with their doings : And
a plague broke - in upon
them.
30. Then stood-up Pine-
chas, and did - judgment :
And the plague vvas-stayed ;
31. And it-was-counted to
him for justice : Unto gener-
ation and generation for
evermore.
32. And they-excited-dis-
pleasure at the waters of
Meribah : And it-went-ill
with Moses on their account,
33. Because they-provoked
His Spirit. And he spoke-
rashly with his lips.
34. They - destroyed not
the peoples : According to
what YHWH said to them,
35. But mixed-themselves
with the nations ; And
learned their works ;
36. And served their
idols : Which became to
them a snare ;
37. Yea, they - sacrificed
their sons and their daugh-
ters to demons,
38. And shed innocent
blood, The blood of their
sons and of their daughters,
Whom they - sacrificed to
the idols of Kh'mV'an : And
the land was-polluted with
bloodshed.
29. Thus they-provoked
Him with their devices :
And destruction was-multi-
plied among them.
30. Then stood-up Phinees,
and made-atonement : And
the scourge ceased ;
31. And it-was-counted to
him for justice : Unto all
generations for evermore.
32. And they - angered
Him at the waters of Strife :
And Moses was-afflicted on
their account,
33. Because they-exasper-
ated his spirit : So that He-
spoke-rashly with His lips.
34. They did not destroy
the nations: Which the Lord
had-told them [to destroy],
35. But were - mingled
with the Gentiles : And
learned their works ;
36. And served their
graven - images : And it-
became to them a stumbling-
block ;
37. And they - sacrificed
their sons and their daugh-
ters to devils,
38. And shed innocent
blood, The blood of their
sons and of their daughters,
Whom thcy-sacrificed to the
graven-images of Chanaan :
And the land was-polluted
with bloodshed,
PSALM 105 (106).
449
39. Thus were-they-defilcd
with their works : And forni-
cated by their actions.
40. Therefore was the
wrath of YaHWeH kindled
against His people : And
He-abhorred His own in-
heritance.
41. And He-gave them
into the hand of the Gentiles :
And their haters ruled over
them.
42. And their enemies
oppressed them : And they-
were - bowed - down under
their hand :
43. Oft-times did- He -
deliver them ; But they
rebelled in their purpose :
And were - brought - low
through their iniquity.
44. And He - regarded
when their tribulation was
upon them : On his hearing
their cry.
45. And He-remembered
for them His covenant:
And was- moved -with -pity
according to the greatness
of His loving-goodness.
46. And He-gave them
for compassions (i.e., He
made them to find com-
passion): In the presence of
all their captors.
47. Save us, YtfHW^H
our God, And gather us
DD
39. And was defiled by
their works : And they-
fornicated with their own
devices.
40. Therefore was the
Lord inflamed with wrath
against His people : And
He-abhorred His inherit-
ance.
41. And He-gave them
into the hands of the
Gentiles : And they that
hated them ruled over them.
42. And their enemies
afflicted them : And they-
were - bowed - down under
their hands :
43. Many-a-time did-He
deliver them ; But they-
provoked Him by their
counsel : And were-brought-
low through their iniquities.
44. Yet had-He-regard to
their affliction : And heard
their prayer.
45. And He-remembered
His testament (i.e., cove-
nant): And repented accord-
ing to the greatness of His
mercy.
46. And He made them
to find compassion : In the
sight of all who had-carried-
them-captive.
47. Save us, O Lord our
God, And gather us from
450 PSALM I05 (106).
from among the nations, To among the nations, That
give thanks to Thy holy we-may-give-thanks to Thy
Name : To rejoice in Thy holy Name : And glory in
praise. Thy praise.
48. Blessed be YHWH, 48. Blessed -be the Lord
the God of Israel, From God of Israel, From ever-
everlasting and to ever- lasting to everlasting. And
lasting. And let all the all the people shall - say,
people say, Amen. Halalu- Amen, Amen.
YaH.
In 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. 34 — 36, vv. 1, 47, 48 of this Psalm close
a festal hymn. They may be liturgical formulae embodied in this
Psalm at a later date, either at, or shortly after the return from
exile, or, according to another conjecture, in the Machabsean
period. The ascription to David is favoured somewhat by the
limitation of the historical retrospect to the period of the Judges.
Be this as it may, the Psalm so closely resembles the foregoing,
of which it is the historical counterpart, in diction and rhythm,
that we may safely assign both to the same — unknown — author.
But while the former Psalm rehearses with joy God's wondrous
deeds for Israel, in fulfilment of His promises to the Fathers, we
have here a detailed and nobly candid confession of the faithless
ingratitude and fickleness of the chosen race set in sharp contrast
with God's long-suffering pity in their regard. The Psalm has no
strophical structure; after an introduction (vv. 1 — 5), it enumer-
ates seven prominent national transgressions, from the murmuring
at the Red Sea to that at the waters of Meribah. At the epoch
of the settlement in Chanaan, the poet, neglecting details and
chronological sequence, generalizes the confession of national
guilt, and concludes with a prayer for deliverance from the
present calamity— probably, from the captivity in Babylon.
v. 4. "When Thou showest favour to Thy people"- — comp.
" The zeal of Thy house." " Favour ; " in LXX., evSoKla, evdokia,
cf. St. Luke ii. 14, where it means the good-will of God to men,
not vice versa, v. 5. "That /too may see." "Nation ;" in text,
goy, which in Singular mostly, in Plural always (but cf. Ezech.
xxxvi. 13—15), designates the heathen, the Gentiles; Vulgate,
PSALM IO5 (106). 451
" ut lauderis " ( = that Thou mayest be praised) ; better by
St. Augustine, "that we may glory," "that we may see" —
"rejoice;" St. Jerome, "that I may see"— that I may exult
with Thine inheritance, v. 6. The burden of the poem, con-
fession of national guilt. " With our fathers," solidarity in guilt,
and punishment, v. 7. "Understood not " = considered, appre-
ciated not. " Sea of sedge," " of rush," " of reed," " of sea-weed,"
so called by the Egyptians ("the sea of weed ") = weedy sea.
Benjamin of Toledo says it is "the sea of the end" (suph = end),
as being " the last sea " of the Holy Land. " Red Sea," sea of
Edom, "Edom" (red, redness). "At the sea, the Red Sea;"
LXX. read (and probably correctly), " at the sea " as one word,
ava^atVovTes, anabainontes (=" retreating," "when they retreated"),
and do not repeat "at the sea" — the Red Sea. "Ascending"
(if taken literally) may imply that the fugitives' route to the
sea-shore led them over hills. The Roman and several old
Latin Psalters agree here with LXX. "Provoked," or, "were
rebellious," cf. Exod. xiv. 10—13. v. 8. Cf. Exod. xiv. 18, "And
the Egyptians shall ktiow." v. 9. " Desert," as securely as He
had led them through the desert surrounding Egypt, and, after-
wards, through that of Sinai, v. n. Cf. Exod. xiv. 28. v. 12.
The song of Moses (Exod. xv. 1 — 18), and of Miryam (Exod.
xv. 20, 21 ; Wisd. x. 20). vv. 13 — 33. Six cases of rebellion are
recorded between the crossing of the sea and the entry into
Chanaan. vv. 13 — 15. Rebellions arising from mistrust in God's
power to supply their bodily needs, v. 13. " Waited not," were
not willing to await the fulfilment of God's purpose in His own
time and way. v. 14. Lit, "they lusted a lust;" the poet has
evidently uppermost in his mind the incident of Numb. xi. 4, &c.
v. 15. "Leanness," razon in text, "phthisis," "a wasting disease"
(cf. Isai. x. 16; xvii. 4). LXX., Syriac, Vulgate, "satiety,"
" surfeit ; " they perhaps read mazon ( = food) in their text ; cf.
Numb. xi. 20, 33. vv. 16— iS. Insurrection against God-given
rulers. "Holy-one," official, rather than personal holiness is
implied. Cf. Numb. xvi. v. 17. "Closed upon," lit., "covered
upon," Numb. xvi. 2,3. v. 18. "Fire," the 250 princes who had
offered incense. vv. 19 — 23. "Idolatry." "Horeb;" LXX.,
Xwprjfi, Choreeb (" dry," " desert "), the lowest summit of Mount
452 PSALM 105 (106).
Sinai, from which one ascends to Mount Sinai properly so called ;
the modern Jibal Miisa (Mountain of Moses). "Horeb" occurs
but thrice in Exodus, which, with Leviticus and Numbers, lays
the scene of the giving of the Law at "Sinai ;" but at " Horeb"
in Deuteronomy, which very seldom mentions Sinai. Cf. Exod.
xxxiii. 6, " from Mount Horeb," a name seemingly regarded as
interchangeable with " Sinai." v. 20. " Bartered," so, too, Jer.
ii. 11 ; cf. Rom. i. 23. "Glory," cf. Deut. x. 21. By God's
Self-manifestation to them, by His worship, for which they were
specially set apart, they were raised above the rest of mankind.
v. 23. " Said "- gave utterance to His resolve, cf. Exod. xxxii.
10 — 14; Deut. ix. 14, 25. "In the breach" figures Moses'
intercession; cf. Ezech. xxii. 30. vv. 24 — 27. Rebellion following
the report of the spies, Numb. xiii. xiv. ; cf. Deut. i. 27 with v. 25.
v. 24. " Despised," rejected with antipathy, with loathing, " the
land of desire," so called in Jer. iii. 19; Zach. vii. 14, "Word" of
promise, v. 26. " Lifted hand " = He swore, v. 27. This threat,
wanting in Numb, xiv., is borrowed from Lev. xxvi. 28, or from
Deut. xxviii. 64. It would have been executed, had not God
yielded to Moses' prayer, vv. 28 — 31. Fifth national sin, Numb.
xxv., fornication and idolatry. v. 28. "Yoked;" Gesenius,
"adhered to," "devoted themselves to his cult;" the same word
occurs in Numb. xxv. 3 ; St. Jerome, " and they were consecrated
to," " consecrated themselves to " (consecrati sunt) ; LXX. suppose
an initiation, either by a special rite, or, more likely (as is
suggested by "and they ate," &c), by partaking of the victims
offered to the Moabite Priapus ; cf. 1 Cor. x. 18 — 21. "Baal-
Pe"6r " = Baal-Phegor = Bel-Phegor ; LXX. insert g to represent
the Ayin = (te). " Ba"al " (lord, proprietor of) [Mount] Pe"6r,
the name given to this impersonation of bestial lust, by the tribe
living near that mountain ; alias, Kemosh, an idol of the Moabites
and Ammonites (Vulgate, Chamos). " Dead " — idols, as opposed
to the living God, cf. Wisdom xiii. 10 ; 1 Cor. viii. 4. Perhaps,
allusion to necromantic rites, as in Deut. xviii. 11. v. 29.
" Plague," any infliction of God's wrath, commonly by disease,
but here, by the slaughter of the guilty, cf. Numb. xxv. 8, 9, 18.
The same word (maggcphdh) recurs in v. 30 ; here rendered by
LXX. 7J-TW0-15, ptosis ( = fall, falling) ; there, 6pavai<;, thravsis
PSALM 105 (106). 453
(a breaking) ; St. Jerome, " plaga " (stroke), " percussio " (smiting);
the " quassatio " of Vulgate, v. 30. " Executed — judgment ; "
St. Jerome, " dijudicavit " (decided the cause) ; LXX. and Vulgate,
"he made atonement," "he appeased;" Targum and Syriac, "he
prayed." This refers to Numb. xxv. 8. v. 31. Cf. Numb. xxv.
11 — 13. The high priesthood continued in the line of Phinees,
son of Eleazar, till the fall of Jerusalem, with the sole exception
of the pontificate of Eli of the line of Ithamar, uncle of Phinees.
vv- 32> 33- See Numb. xx. 2 — 13. Sixth national sin. " It-went-
ill ; " St. Jerome, "affiictus est M., propter eos" (Moses was
afflicted for their sakes), as he himself says, Deut. i. 37 ; iii. 26.
In punishment of his hesitation, he was debarred from entering
the Promised Land. v. 33. " His spirit," God's or Moses', rather
God's, whose "displeasure" is mentioned in v. 32 a. "He spoke-
rashly ; " in text, va-yebhatte, recurring but in Lev. v. 4 ; Prov. xii.
18; cf. BarroAoyetv, Battologein. He hesitated to believe that the
miracle of Horeb could be repeated for so perverse a people, and
in his exasperation said, " Hear now, ye rebels, can we bring you
water out of this rock ?" (Numb. xx. 10). Schegg refers St. Jerome's
" prsecepit " (he commanded) and Vulgate " distinxit " to God,
rendering, "And He (God) swore with His lips," i.e., He gave
distinct utterance to His irrevocable resolve that neither Moses
nor Aaron should bring Israel into Chanaan. Thalhofer renders,
"and he spoke (foolishly)." vv. 34 — 43. The sins of Israel in
Chanaan. v. 34. " Had said," the reiterated commandments of
Exod. xxiii. 31—33; xxxiv. 12, 13. Disobedience instanced in
Judges i. passim ; Judges ii. 1 — 3 ; the Angel's warning of the dire
consequences, v. 35. Lit., "mixed themselves" refers probably
to the mixed marriages (Judges iii. 6), despite Josue's warning
(Josue xxiii. 12, 13). v. 36. "Snare," as warned Exod. xxiii. 33;
xxxiv. 12 ; Deut. vii. 16. vv. 37, 38. While sparing those against
whom God's justice had armed them, they murdered their own
offspring, v. 37. "Demons," "devils;" in text, shedhn; referred by
Gesenius to Arabic saiyid (lord), hence taken as a poetical name
of the Baals, the objects of Israel's idolatry. On the other hand,
heathen writers have ascribed to the foul fiend the custom of
human sacrifice, v. 38. " Polluted," one of the strongest terms
denoting defilement, taken from Numb. xxxv. 2>Z- v- 39- " For-
454 psalm 105 (106).
nicated," as their idolatry was a breach of their covenant with
God. It may, however, be referred to the unspeakable abomina-
tions, which, no less than wanton murder, characterized the native
cults of Chanaan. vv. 40 — 46. Alternations of punishments and
of tender mercies, v. 42. " Bowed down," subdued, made subject,
v. 43. " Brought-low," sankdown, "fell away." v. 44. "And He
saw (looked) in the tribulation to them." v. 45. "He remembered,"
although they forgot, v. 46. " Gave for compassions," based on
Solomon's prayer, 3 (1) Kings viii. 50, suggested perhaps by
Daniel's good fortune, cf. Dan. i. 9. This verse may have been
added, when the Captivity was nearing its close. The poet may
have had in his thoughts the edict of Cyrus' first year, though the
next verse indicates that its complete execution was as yet in the
future, v. 47. "That we may deem ourselves happy (rejoice) in
having occasion to praise Thee." v. 48. The doxology, for aught
that can be shown to the contrary, is an integral part of the
Psalm. The final " Alleluia " is shifted by LXX. and Vulgate to
the beginning of the next Psalm.
Book fftftb.
PSALM 1 06 (107).
1. Give-thanks to YaH-
YWH, for [He is] good :
For His loving-goodness
[endures] for ever.
2. Let the redeemed of
YHWH say [so]: Whom
He-has-redeemed from the
hand of the adversary [or,
of distress],
3. And gathered them out
of the lands, From the sun-
rise, from the sunset : From
the North and from the Sea
(i.e., the South).
4. They-wandered in the
desert, in a waste of way
(i.e., in a pathless waste) :
A city of habitation they-
found not (i.e., " a city where
men dwell ") ;
5. Hungry and thirsty :
Their soul fainted in them.
6. Then they - cried to
YHWH in their distress :
And He-delivered them out
of their straits ;
7. And He-led them by a
PSALM 106(107).
1. Alleluia. Give- thanks
to the Lord, for [He is]
good : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
2. Let them-say [so] who-
have-been-redeemed by the
Lord : Whom He - has -
redeemed from the hand of
the enemy, And gathered
out-of the lands,
3. From the sunrise and
sunset. From the North
and from the Sea.
4. They-wandered in the
desert, in a waterless-steppe :
They-found no way to a
city of habitation (i.e., where
men dwell) ;
5. Hungry and thirsty :
Their soul fainted in them.
6. Then they-cried to the
Lord in their trouble : And
He-delivered them out of
their straits ;
7. And He-led them by a
456
PSALM 1 06 (107).
straight way : That they- straight way : That they-
might-go to a city of habita- might-go to a city of habita-
tion.
8. Let - men - thankfully-
acknowledge to YrtHWfH
His loving-goodness
And
Hlis wonders to the sons of
man :
9. For He - satisfies
the
longing soul : And
the
hungry soul He-fills
with
good.
10. Such-as sat in dark-
ness and in the shadow of
death : Bound in affliction
and iron,
11. Because they-rebelled
against the commands of
God : And despised the
counsel of "El'yon.
1 2. And He - brought -
clown their heart with toil :
They-stumbled, and there
was no helper.
1 3. Then they - cried to
YH WH in their trouble :
And He-delivered them out
of their straits ;
14. He-brought-them-out
of darkness and the shadow
of death : And their bonds
He-burst-asundcr.
15. Let - men - thankfully-
acknowledge to YaHW^H
His loving-goodness : And
His wonders to the sons of
man :
tion.
8. May His mercies give-
praise to the Lord : And
His wonders to the sons of
men :
9. For He-satisfies the
empty soul : And the
hungry soul He satisfies
with good-things.
10. [Even] them - that -
dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death : Fettered
in poverty and iron,
11. Because they-embit-
tered the oracles of God :
and angered the counsel of
the Most- High:
12. So their heart was-
brought-low with troubles :
They- sank- down - through-
weakness and there - was
none to help.
13. Then they-cried to
the Lord in their trouble :
And He-delivered them out
of all their straits ;
14. And He - brought -
them-out of darkness and
the shadow of death ; And
broke their chains asunder.
15. May His mercies give-
praise to the Lord : And
His wonders to the sons of
men :
PSALM 106 (107).
457
16. For He - broke the
gates of brass : i\nd shat-
tered the bolts of iron [or,
cut in sunder the bolts.]
17. Fools, [who] because
of the way of their trans-
gression : And because of
iniquities bring-affliction-on-
themselves.
18. All-manner of food
their soul loathes : And
they-draw-near to the gates
of death.
19. Then they - cried to
YHWH in their trouble:
And He-delivered them out
of their straits.
20. He-sends His word,
and heals them : And rescues
[them] from their pits [or,
graves].
21. Let - men - thankfully-
acknowledge to Y^HW^H
His loving - goodness : And
His wonders to the sons of
man :
22. And let-them-sacrifice
victims of thanksgiving :
And tell of His works in
joyous song.
23. They-that-go-down to
the sea in ships : Doing
business in great waters ;
24. These have-seen the
works of YHWH: And His
wonders in the deep.
25. For He - commands,
and raises a stormy wind :
16. For He-shattered the
brazen gates : And broke
the iron bars in -pieces.
17. He-helped them out
of the way of their iniquity :
For they were brought -low
because of their iniquities.
18. Their soul abhorred
all manner of food : And
they-drew-near to the gates
of death.
19. Then they - cried to
the Lord in their trouble :
And He-delivered them out
of all their straits.
20. He -sent His word
and healed them : And
rescued them from their
destructions.
21. May His mercies give-
praise to the Lord : And
His wonders to the sons of
men :
22. And let-them-sacrifice
a sacrifice of praise : And
declare His works with
exultation,
23. They who go - down
to the sea in ships : Doing
business in great waters ;
24. These have-seen the
works of the Lord : And
His wonders in the deep.
25. He-commands, and a
stormy wind arises : And
458
PSALM 1 06 (107).
Which lifts -up the waves
thereof.
26. They - go - up - to the
heavens, they go - down - to
the depths : Their soul
melts - away because of
trouble.
27. They-reel-to-and-fro,
they-stagger like a drunken-
man : And all their skill
swallows-itself-up (comes to
nought).
28. Then they - cried to
YHWH in their trouble:
And He-delivered them out
of their straits.
29. He-hushes the storm
to silence : So that the waves
thereof are-still.
30. Then are - they - glad,
because they-subside : And
He-leads them to their
desired haven.
31. Let- men - thankfully-
acknowledge to YrfHWVH
His loving-goodness : And
His wonders to the sons of
man :
32. And let - them - extol
Him in the assembly of the
people : And praise Him in
the seat of the elders.
33. He-turns rivers into a
desert : And water-springs
into a thirsty-land ;
34. A fruitful land into a
salt-marsh : Because of the
the waves thereof are lifted-
up.
26. They mount-up to the
heavens, they go-down to
the depths: Their soul
melts - away because of
dangers.
27. They - are - troubled,
they-stagger like a drunken-
man : And all their skill is
exhausted (lit, is swallowed-
up).
28. Then they-cried to
the Lord in their trouble :
And He-delivered them out
of all their straits.
29. He-hushes its storm-
wind to a gentle-breeze : So
that the waves thereof are-
still.
30. Then are - they - glad,
because they-are-still : And
He-leads them to their
desired haven.
31. May His mercies give-
praise to the Lord : And
His wonders to the sons of
men :
32. And let - them - extol
Him in the assembly of the
people: And praise Him in
the chair of the elders.
^^. He-turns rivers into
a desert : And streams of
water into a thirsty-land ;
34. A fruitful land into a
salt-desert : Because of the
PSALM 1 06 (107).
459
wickedness of its inhabi-
tants.
35. He-turns the desert
into a pool of waters : And
a dry - land into water -
springs.
36. And He-settles there
the hungry : That they-may-
found a city of habitation ;
37. And sow fields, and
plant vineyards : And get
them fruit of produce.
38. And He-blesses them
so that they - multiply
greatly : And He - suffers
not their cattle to decrease.
39. And [when] men are-
minished and brought low :
Through oppression, evil
and sorrow,
40. "[Then] He - pours
contempt upon princes :
And makes-them-wander in
the waste [where there is]
no way." (Job xii. 21.)
41. Yet sets-He the poor-
man on-high above afflic-
tion : And makes families
like a flock.
42. The upright shall-see
[it] and be-glad : And all
iniquityshall-stop her mouth.
43. Who is wise, and
observes these-things : And
considers the loving-good-
ness of YtfHWfH ?
wickedness of its inhabi-
tants.
35. He-turns a desert into
pools of water: And a water-
less land into water-courses.
36. And there He-settles
the hungry : And they-
build themselves a city to
dwell in ;
37. And sow fields, and
plant vineyards : And get-
them fruit of increase.
38. And He-blesses them,
so that they - multiply
greatly : And He dimin-
ishes not the number of
their cattle.
39. Again [when] they-
are-reduced to few and are-
afflicted : By pressure of
evils and pain,
40. [Then] contempt is-
poured upon princes : And
He-makes-them to-wander
in a waste and trackless
land.
41. Yet does-He-help the
poor-man out of poverty :
And makes [him] families
[as numerous] as sheep.
42. The upright shall-see
[it] and rejoice : And all
iniquityshall-stop her mouth.
43. Who is wise, and
observes these-things : And
considers the mercies of the
Lord?
460 PSALM 106 (107).
Most commentators are of opinion that this Psalm is a thanks-
giving hymn, composed when the memories of the Captivity were
still fresh. It may have been sung by the restored exiles at the
thank-offering (v. 22) of the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Esdras (Ezra)
iii. 4), or, more probably, when the builders laid the foundations
of the second Temple (1 Esdras iii. 10, 11). The miseries and
perils of the Captivity are vividly presented in grateful retrospect,
in four strophes, under four (six, if a certain interpretation of
vv 23 — 41, be admitted) figures, each of which closes with the
choral refrain (vv. 6, 8), telling of the recourse of the people to
God, and of the deliverance vouchsafed to their suppliant cry.
v. 1. The liturgical doxology Jeremias (xxxiii. n) puts in the
mouth of the restored exiles, v. 2. " Say, [so] " evidently to be
supplied, as needed by the drift of the verse. " Distress," tsar of
text, is thus rendered in v. 6, and is here the rendering of Aben
Ezra and Qimchi. v. 3. " The sea " everywhere else means the
West, but here must be taken for the South, " the [Red] Sea," as
the Targum renders it, or that part of the Mediterranean which
bathes the coast of Egypt, S.W. of Palestine, vv. 4—7. The
exiles are likened to a caravan that has missed the usual track,
and had perished, but that they were mercifully led " to a city
where men dwell." According to the view which denies the
historical character of the Psalm, this refers merely to a not
uncommon incident of human experience, v. 4. " Pathless waste,"
lit., "waste of way." LXX., Syriac, and Vulgate, overlooking the
pause form of " way " (darekh), which shows that it belongs to the
first hemistich, transfer it to the second hemistich, and, perhaps,
with good reason. "City of habitation," any city where they
could, for a time at least, feel at home (cf. Heb. xiii. 14, "an
abiding city"), v. 5. " Hungry and thirsty [were] they; [So that]
their soul," &c. If "hungry and thirsty" be taken with a historical
reference, this may figure the yearnings of the exiles for their now
desolate native land, for the solemnities of the national worship.
v. 7. "And He caused them to journey by a straight path."
v. 8. " Let them thankfully-confess to YH" His loving-goodness,
and [let them thankfully-confess] His wonders to the sons," &c.
In LXX., Ta tAc'77, ta elcee, to. 6a.vixama, thavmasia ("mercies" and
" wonders "), are Neuter, and so may be construed as the objects
PSALM 1 06 (107). 461
of the verb — " thankfully-acknowledge " — as is done by St. Jerome
and by several old Latin Psalters (misericordi^;;/, misericordi^).
Others render it, "Let them praise His goodness before YH",
and His wonders before the sons of," &c. v. 9. " Longing soul "
corresponds to "thirsty," v. 5. vv. 10 — 16. Deliverance from
bonds and durance granted to the supplication of the doomed,
v. 10. " Sitting-ones "( = dwelling), "bound," in text are Nomi-
natives, but are by LXX. dealt with as Accusatives absolute,
referred by some to "He saved" of v. 13, a roundabout device,
considering the intervening verses. These Participles-Present
may just as well be rendered by Indicative of Preterite — " Such
as sat," " Those that sat." " Bound in want (inopia) and iron,"
St. Jerome ; Targum, " Bound in the infliction of iron chains ; "
cf. Job xxxvi. 8. v. 11. "Words," i.e., "commands," the concrete
expression of the Divine will. " Counsel," as declared by the
Prophets ; further, by the dictates of conscience. In text, mark
the paronomasia, himru ( = " they rebelled), Hmrey ( = words of),
"atsath ( = counsel of), nddtsit ( = they despised), v. 12. "Labour,"
or "trouble." "Stumbled;" Syriac, "they sickened," St. Jerome,
"they fell" ( = ceciderunt). v. 16. "[Let such as these] praise,
. . . inasmuch as He broke the gates . . . and hewed the bars
[or bolts]," cSz:c., borrowed, may be, from Isai. xlv. 2. vv. 17
— 22. Sick persons brought to death's door in punishment of sin.
v. 17. "Fools, [who] because of the way of their transgression,
and because of their iniquities bring affliction on themselves;"
St. Jerome, "Fools" ( = Stultos propter viam . . . afflictos, &c),
as in text ; Syriac, " He helped them out of the way of their
wicked deeds, but for their sin were they cast down." What
LXX. read in their text, it is impossible to say. The Masoretic
text is diversely interpreted, and several (conjectural) emendations
have been attempted. Hitzig divides "Fools" (evilim of text)
into two — " Woe to them ! " ('oy lahem), " Way of transgression,"
course of conduct, v. 18. Cf. Job xxxiii. 20 — 22. v. 20. "Pits,"
"graves," cf. v. 18, "gates of death;" St. Jerome, "de angustiis
eorum" (from their straits); Syriac, "from corruption;" Targum
and LXX., "from their destructions." vv. 23 — 31. A vivid and
thoroughly poetic description of a crew driven by the storm, and
brought, at last, into safety. Either a general instance of God's
462 PSALM 106 (107).
readiness to answer prayer, or, admitting a historical allusion, a
fitting presentment of the danger that threatened Israel in the
land of exile, where its being merged in the surrounding
heathendom was, humanly speaking, but a question of time.
Cf. Jonas i. ii. v. 23. "Go down to sea," cross the sea.
" Business," by Qimchi glossed, " navigating." " Works,"
"wonders," His rule of winds and waves, v. 25. "Makes to
stand up," raises the hurricane. v. 26. The crew (not the
"waves") "go up," &c. v. 27. "Reel" (more lit., "they spin
round and round"). "Their wisdom (i.e., skill) is exhausted;"
Syriac, "vanishes;" Anglican Version (ad sensutn), "They are at
their wits' end." v. 29. Lit., " He causes the storm to stand
still," (restrains it) "to silence;" LXX., followed by St. Augustine
and the old Psalters, " He commands the storm and it is calmed
into a gentle-air." "The waves thereof;" lit., "their waves;"
probably of "the great waters," v. 23. v. 30. Lit., "haven of
their desire." mechoz ( = haven, region, shore, coast, land) occurs
nowhere else. vv. 33 — 43. A total change of style and character.
Instances of the dealings of Providence with the world, set forth
in a twofold series of contrasts ; a historical reference, most
probably, is not intended, v. 32. "Seat," " chair," = cathedra of
Ps. i. 1. "The assembly" . . . "Elders;" Targum, "the wise;"
the Rabbis, who were wont to teach in the synagogues seated in
high chairs, v. 33. Cf. Isai. 1. 2. "Dry ground;" lit., "thirst,"
"aridity." v. 34. Like Sodom, v. 35. Cf. Tadmor in the desert,
"Pool of waters" //'/., cf. Ps. cxiii. (114) 8. v. 37. Fruit of
produce, of annual growth, or, as R. Qimchi, "fruit and produce ;"
the fruit of their tillage, which ripens, is ingathered and not spoilt
by hail, or by blight, v. 39. " When men are minished, and
brought low," &c. : transition to a new topic, v. 40. Quoted
from Job xii. 21. "[Then] though He pours contempt upon
princes, . . . v. 41. Yet raises He the poor out-of affliction."
"Like a flock," expresses a large increase, cf. Job xxi. 11. v. 43.
"Who is wise? [if such there be], then, let him observe these
things ; And let them [=such men] consider the loving-kindnesses
of YH"." For this closing interrogation, cf. Osee xiv. 9 [10],
who ends his prophecy in much the same way. " Observe," cf.
St. Luke ii. 19.
PSALM 107 (108).
463
PSALM 107 (10S).
1. A Song, a Psalm to
David.
2. My heart is ready, 0
God: I -will-sing 'and raise-
a-hymn ; yea, [this shall]
my glory [do].
3. Awake, lute and harp :
I-will-wake the dawn [with
my song].
4. I -will -give-thanks to
Thee among the peoples,
YaUWeH: And I - will -
hymn Thee among the na-
tions ;
5. For great above the
heavens is Thy loving-good-
ness : And Thy faithfulness
[reaches] to the skies.
6. Be-Thou-exalted above
the heavens, O God : And
let Thy glory be over all
the earth.
7. That Thy beloved may-
be-delivered : Save with Thy
right-hand, and answer me.
8. God has-spoken in His
Holiness; I-will-exult, I-
will-divide Shekhem : And
the valley of Sukkoth I-will-
mete-out.
9. To Me (i.e., Mine) is
Gil'"adh, Mine Menashsheh,
PSALM 107 (108).
1. A Song of a Psalm
by David.
2. My heart is ready, O
God, my heart is ready : I-
will-sing and raise-a-hymn
with my glory.
3. [Awake, my glory,]
awake, lute and harp : I-
will-rise early.
4. I -will -give-thanks to
Thee, O Lord, among the
peoples : And sing-praise to
Thee among the nations ;
5. For great above the
heavens is Thy mercy : And
Thy truth [reaches] to the
clouds.
6. Be-Thou-exalted above
the heavens, O God : And
let Thy glory be over all
the earth.
7. That Thy beloved
may - be - delivered : Save
with Thy right-hand, and
hear me.
8. God has-spoken in His
sanctuary ; I-will-exult, and
will - divide Sichem : And
the valley of tents I -will-
measure-out.
9. Mine is Galaad, Mine
too Manasses, Ephraim also
464 PSALM 107 (108).
'Ephraim also is the defence is the protection of my
of My head : Ychudhah is head : Juda is my king ;
My law-giver ;
10. Moabh is My wash- 10. Moab the caldron of
pot ; Upon 'Edhom will-I- My hope. Over Idumaea
cast My shoe: Over Peles- will-I-cast my sandal: The
heth will- I-shout [for joy]. foreigners (i.e., Philistines)
are become friendly to me.
11. Who will-bring me 11. Who will-bring me
into the fortified city ? [Nay,] into the fortified city ? Who
Who did-lead me to Edom ? will-guide me to Idumaea ?
12. Was it not God, Thou 12. Wilt-not Thou, O
Who hadst-cast-us-off ? And God, who hadst-cast-us-off ?
wouldest not go forth, O God, And wilt Thou not, O God,
with our hosts ? go forth with our hosts ?
13. Give us help from 13. Give us help from
trouble : For vain is the tribulation : For vain is the
salvation (i.e., help) of man. help of man.
14. Through God we-shall- 14. Through God we-
achieve strength : For He shall-do valiantly : For He
shall-tread-down our adver- shall - bring-to-nought our
saries. enemies.
This Psalm consists of the fragments of two Davidic poems,
strung together: vv. 2 — 6, from Ps. lvi. (57) 8 — 12 ; from Ps. lix.
(60) 7 — 14, vv. 7 — 14 of the present Psalm. It is probably a
thanksgiving hymn for a victory over the nations herein mentioned.
" To (of, by) David " is equivalent to " adopted from his poems,"
— an indication of the sources of the composition. The change
in v. 10 (cf. Ps. lix. 10) is held to favour this view. Hitzig dates
this Psalm as late as the reign of Alexander Jannaeus (r.c. 104
—79)-
v. 2. "Ready," so St. Jerome. " Glory " = the soul with the
powers which impress upon it the image of God (Gen. ix. 6).
Aben Ezra, Qimchi, "Ready too is my soul" (cf. Ps. xv. (16) 9).
It may also imply, "My praise shall well up from mine innermost
soul — no mere lip-service." v. 4. In text of Ps. lvi., "Adonay"
(Lord), v. 5. "Above heavens "and streaming downwards, the
PSALM 1 08 (109).
465
real import of the preposition in text. v. 8. "In His holiness"
(St. Jerome, "in His sanctuary"), almost equivalent to God "has
promised by His holiness," referring, probably, to the promises
conveyed by Nathan (2 Kings (Sam.) vii.). v. 9. " Defence of
head " = helmet ; LXX., avTiA-^i/zt?, antikepsis, rendered literally
by Vulgate ("defence," "help"), but in Ps. lix. 9, "the strength"
both in LXX. and Vulgate ; *St. Jerome, " Ephraim is the inherit-
ance of my head (hcsreditas)," with a variant (fortitudo, strength).
v. 10. Both here and in Ps. lix. 10, LXX., "The foreigners
( = Philistines) are made-subject to me." Vulgate rendering is
the same in the former Psalm, but here, "are become friendly,"
accounted for by St. Jerome, by the reading ifjuktacrev, ephiliasen,
now confined to a single MS. of LXX. In the text, this is the
main variation, cf. Ps. lix. 10. v. 11. "City;" some identify it
with Rabbath Ammon, or Rabbath Moab, or Petra. v. 12.
Vulgate, exibis, instead of egredieris (same meaning) in Ps. lix. 12.
v. 14. LXX. and Vulgate here, "our enemies," instead of tribu-
lantes nos of Ps. lix. 14. No change in text; "He shall-tread-
down," &c, ends both Psalms ; none in LXX.
PSALM 108 (109).
PSALM 108 (109).
1. For the Chief-Musician,
to David, a Psalm : God of
my praise, be not silent !
2. For the mouth of a
wicked-man, and a mouth of
deceitfulness have - they -
opened against me : They-
have - spoken with (i.e.,
against) me with a tongue
of falsehood (i.e., a lying
tongue) ;
3. Yea, with words of hate
have - they - compassed - me
EE
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David :
2. O God, pass not over
my praise in silence ; For
the mouth of the sinner, and
the mouth of a deceitful-
man are - opened against
me ;
3. They - have - spoken
against me with a deceitful
466
PSALM 108 (109).
about : And fought against
me without-cause.
4. For my love they-
"satan" (i.e., oppose) me:
But I [am] prayer.
5. And they - have - laid
upon me evil for good : And
hatred for my love (i.e.,
They requite me, &c).
6. Set-Thou over him a
wicked - man : And let a
satan (i.e., an accuser) stand
at his right-hand.
7. When he-is-judged, let-
him-come-forth guilty : And
let his prayer be-turned into
sin.
8. Be his days few : His
office let another take.
9. Be his children orphans:
And his wife a widow.
10. Let his children also
be continually vagabonds,
and beg : Let - them - seek
[their bread driven,] from
their ruined - houses (lit.,
"from [far from] their ruins").
11. Let the extortioner
lay-snares for all that he
has : And let strangers
make-booty of his labour.
12. Let-therc-be none to-
tongue ; With words of
hatred also have-they-com-
passed - me - about, And
fought against me without-
a-cause.
4. Instead of loving me
they -slander me: But I-
continued - to - pray [or, In
return for my love, &c.].
5. They-have-laid-against
me also evil for good : And
hatred for my love (i.e., They
have requited, &c).
6. Set-Thou a sinner over
him : And let the accuser
stand at his right-hand.
7. Wrhen he-is-judged,
may he - come - forth con-
demned : And his prayer
become sin.
8. Let his days be few :
And his office let another
take. (Acts i. 20.)
9. Let his children be
orphans : And his wife a
widow.
10. Let his children wan-
der driven-to-and-fro, and
let-thcm-beg : And bc-cast-
out of their dwellings.
11. Let the usurer make-
search-into all his substance:
And let strangers plunder
his labours.
12. Let - him - find no
PSALM I08 (109).
467
continue kindness to him :
Nor let his orphans have
any to favour [them].
13. Let his posterity be-
cut-off: In the next genera-
tion let their name be-
blotted-out.
14. Let the iniquity of his
fathers be-remembered with
YrtHW*H : And let not the
sin of his mother be-blotted-
out.
1 5. Let - them - be before
YHWH continually: That
He-may-cut-off the memory
of them from the earth.
16. Because he - remem-
bered not to-do kindness,
But persecuted the afflicted-
man and the needy, And the
broken in heart, to slay
[them].
17. Because he - loved
cursing, therefore it-comes
on him : And because he-
delighted not in blessing,
therefore is-it-far from him :
18. Because he - clothed -
himself with cursing as
[with] his garment, There-
fore is-it-come like waters
into his bowels : And like
oil into his bones ;
19. Be-it to him as a robe
[wherewith] he-covers-him-
helper : Neither let-there-
be any - one to - pity his
orphans.
13. Let his children be
[given up] to utter-des-
truction : In one generation
let his name be-blotted-out.
14. Let the iniquity of his
fathers come into-remem-
brance before the Lord :
And the sin of his mother
let it not be-blotted-out.
15. Let -them -be before
the Lord continually : And
let their memory utterly-
vanish from the earth :
16. Because he -remem-
bered not to show mercy,
17. But persecuted the
needy-man and the poor,
And the-pricked in heart to
slay [them].
18. Yea, he-loved cursing,
therefore shall-it-come upon
him : And he - took not -
pleasure in blessing, so shall-
it-be-removed-far from him ;
And he-put-on cursing as a
garment ; And it-came like
water into his bowels : And
like oil into his bones.
19. Be-it to him as a gar-
ment wherewith he-covers-
468
PSALM 1 08 (109).
self: And for a girdle he-is-
girded with continually.
20. This is the reward of
mine opponents from YaH-
WeH : And of them-that-
speak evil against my soul.
21. But TiiOU, YHWH
Adonay, deal with me for
Thy Name's sake : For Thy-
loving - kindness is good ;
Deliver-Thou me,
22. For afflicted and poor
am I : And my heart is-
wounded within me.
23. As a shadow, when it-
is-stretched-out am-I-borne-
away : I-am-shaken-out [of
my position] like the locust.
24. My knees totter
through fasting ; And my
flesh fails of fatness (i.e., is
void of fat, is become lean).
25. As for me, I - am -
become a reproach to them :
[When] they-see me, thcy-
shake their head.
26. Help me, YrtHWdl
my God : Save me, accord-
ing to Thy loving-goodness:
27. And let-them-know
that this is Thy hand : TlIOU,
YHWH, hast-done it.
28. Let them curse, but
bless Tuou : They-arose, and
were-put-to shame, but Thy
servant rejoices.
himself: And as a girdle
wherewith he-girds-himself
continually.
20. This is the dealing of
the Lord with my slanderers :
And with them that speak
evil against my soul.
21. But Thou, O Lord,
my Lord, deal with me for
Thy Name's sake : For Thy
mercy is good : Deliver-
Thou me,
22. For I am needy and
poor : And my heart is-
troubled within me.
23. As a shadow, when it-
lengthens, I -am borne-away:
I - am - tossed - up - and - down
like locusts.
24. My knees are-weak-
ened through fasting : And
my flesh is changed by
reason of [the lack] of oil.
25. As for me. I - am -
become a reproach to them :
[When] they-see me they-
shake their heads.
26. Help me, 0 Lord my
God : Save me according to
Thy mercy.
27. And let-them-know
that this is Thy hand : And
[that] TlIOU, O Lord, hast-
done it.
28. [Though] they-curse,
TlIOU wilt-bless : Let-them-
that-rise-up against me, be-
ashamcd, but Thy servant
shall-rejoice.
PSALM 1 08 (109). 469
29. Mine opponents shall- 29. Let-them that-slander
be-clothed with confusion : me be-clothed with dis -
They-shall-covcr-themselves honour : Let - them - be -
with their own shame [as covered with their own
with] a mantle. confusion as with a mantle.
30. I - will - give hearty 3c. I - will - give - great -
thanks to Y^HWrH with thanks to the Lord with my
my mouth : Yea, in the mouth : And in the midst
midst of many will-I-praise of many will- I-praise Him ;
Him ;
31. For He stands at the 31. For He-stands at the
right hand of the needy : To right-hand of the poor-man:
save [him] from the judges To save [me] from them-
of his soul. that-persecute my soul.
The last of the imprecatory Psalms. If, as with good reason
we may, we admit the authenticity of the Title, this Psalm is to
be referred to the time of Saul's persecution. The poet complains
of several malignant slanderers (vv. 3 — 5, 20, 25, 27 — 29), but
singles out one from among them, as their representative, as the
most inveterate and dangerous of his persecutors. Doeg, cf.
Ps. li. (52), Chusai, Semei, or Achitophel, have severally been
supposed to be the object of execration (vv. 6 — 19). St. Peter
(Acts i. 20) combines hemistich b of v. 8, with words slightly
altered from v. 26 of Ps. lxviii. (69), applying them to Judas.
Hence the majority of commentators, ancient and modern, regard
this Psalm as prophetic, and directly Messianic; as St. John
Chrysostom describes it, " It is a prophecy in the form of a
curse." The Christ having divested Himself, " in the days of His
flesh," of His judicial office, invokes the justice of the Father
against the traitor concerning whom He had uttered the words
recorded in St. Matthew xxvi. 24. The quotation of the Apostle
will, however, be amply justified by taking the Psalm to be
indirectly or typically Messianic. The persecuted David pre-
figures the Christ ; Doeg, or one of those mentioned above, the
fallen Apostle ; the unbelieving Jews stand for his accomplices.
The dire imprecations of this Psalm are not inconsistent with this
view, as they apply but to obdurate evil-doers, and thus are not
unseemly on the lips of David, or of David's Son, unless we
470 PSALM 1 08 (109).
question God's right to fulminate His curse against irreclaimable
guilt, and to overwhelm the impenitent sinner with His wrath, in
time and in eternity. The Psalm sets forth the dealings of Divine
Justice with obstinate sinners only.
v. 2. Syriac, "O God of my glory, be not silent;" Arabic,
which approaches LXX., "O God, neglect not my praise;"
St. Jerome, " Deus, laudabilis mihi " (O God, to be praised of me).
Schegg {Psalmen. vol. ii.) glosses LXX. and Vulgate rendering,
" Delay not to make known my innocence [" praise "=innocence],
to confute mine accusers." "Silence" implies leaving prayer
unanswered, v. 2. Rendered literally, as in text. v. 3. Cf.
Ps. xxxvii. (38) 2t. v. 4. LXX. render rightly, dm tov ayairav /xc,
anti tou agapan me, which may mean either (1) "in return for my
loving them," or (2) "instead of their loving me." Vulgate has
chosen the latter, but the next verse shows that the former inter-
pretation alone is admissible. " But I [am] prayer," glossed by
R. Joseph Qimchi, " I can do naught but have continual recourse
to prayer;" cf. Ps. cxix. (120) 7, "I [am] peace." vv. 6—20.
Imprecations on a prominent adversary, v. 6. "Set," appoint
with power to punish. " Accuser," "adversary," "opponent;"
in text, " Satan ; " in LXX., 8ta/3oXo?, diabolos ( = an accuser) ;
St. Jerome, " Satan." Vulgate plainly takes diabolos in the sense
of the foul fiend. Qimchi is of the same opinion. It is not easy
to determine from the context, whether the process takes place
before the Divine, or before a human tribunal, and in v. 4, " they
are my adversaries," "they withstand me" (in text, "they satan
me"), hence, better to take "satan" here as "adversary," "oppo-
nent." In Job i. it. occurs as a personal name, so that there is no
ground for saying that its use as the name of the evil one is
later than David's lime. v. 7. "Prayer . . . sin," or, probably,
"a failure," "not granted." Rashi understands this of the Divine
judgment; and, indeed, a cry for mercy inspired by a merely
natural shrinking from punishment, while the will still clings to
evil, is but an aggravation of guilt; cf. Isai. i. 15 ; Prov. xxviii. 9.
/.//., "let him go forth guilty," i.e., condemned, and fail of mercy
(1) at the human, and (2) at the Divine tribunal, v. 8. "Office,"
oversight, prefecture, posl of authority; here, by LXX. and in
Acts i. 20, imo-Karrrjv, episkopeen ( inspection, oversight). Doeg
PSALM IOS (109). 471
(if he be meant) was the chief of Saul's herdsmen (1 Kings (Sam.)
xxi. 7). Aben Ezra and Rashi assign other meanings to the word,
probably to elude its application (Acts i. 20) to Judas, v. 10.
Lit., " Let his sons wandering wander," i.e., be continually home-
less vagabonds; St. Jerome, " Instabiles vagentur ; " Roman
Psalter (rendering as exactly as possible, LXX. aaXevofxevoi /xera-
vaa-T^Twcrav, salevomenoi metanasteetosaii), "Commoti amoveantur"
(with fear and trembling let them be driven from place to place),
all which imply homelessness aggravated by constant harrying —
" and let them beg ; from out of ( = far from, driven from) their
ruins (ruined places), and let them seek [their bread];" LXX.,
"be cast out," instead of "seek," probably from reading a form
of gdrash (he expelled), a reading preferred by some eminent
modern expositors for dar'shu of present text. " Habitationibus "
of Vulgate hardly renders oiko7t«W, oikopedon, of LXX. ("the
site of a house," and here, as required by text and context, "the
place covered by the ruins of their former home"), v. 11.
" Extortioner," usurer; St. Jerome, "exactor" (collector of taxes,
or of debts). "Lay snares;" LXX., St. Jerome, and Vulgate,
" search into " {scrutetur), study ways and means of despoiling
him. LXX. probably read yehaqqesh (let him search) for yewaqqesh
of the present text. " Labour," the fruit of his toil ; agricultural
especially. v. 12. "Continuing, extending kindness," cf. Ps.
xxxv. (36) 11. So that he will be driven to the usurer, to be
dealt with as in v. 11. His children will continue to be vagrant
beggars, v. 13. "Posterity;" St. Jerome, "novissimum ejus"
( = what is newest, latest = posterity). " In the next ( = the other,
the following) generation ; " LXX., " in one generation," reading
'echadh (one) for 'acker (another) of text (^=Daleth, for Resh
= r). vv. 14, 15. If not forgiven, they will be visited on him
(Exod. xx. 5; cf. St. Matt, xxiii. 32 — 36). v. 16. "The grieved,
sad in heart." " To slay," the emphatic form [Pilet) of verb in
text sets forth the unrelenting cruelty of the enemy, vv. 17 — 19.
The poet describes the necessary result of causal sequence, as
punishment follows in the wake of unrepented sin. Note the
climax in v. iS. v. 20. "Reward," so St. Jerome, "retributio"
(requital); the word in text means " work-done," "occupation ; "
in Lev, xix. r3, "wages." "Opponents," "adversaries" (in text),
472 PSALM 108 (109).
"of them that satan me." "From the Lord;" LXX. rightly,
nopa Kvptov, para Kyrion. Vulgate seems to have read 7rapa
Kupiw, para Kyrio, "apud Dominum" (with the Lord), v. 21.
"Deal," lit., "do." "Name's sake," as beseems Thy Name,
" the Merciful," made manifest by Thy tender pity. The prayer
for deliverance and vindication (vv. 21 — 26) opens with a strong
expression of hope, which contrasts with his previous conviction
of the fate in store for his persecutors, v. 23. "As a shadow . . .
(///.) I-am-made-to-go ; " Targum, "I vanish" — "I am shaken
out," as from the folds of a mantle, " driven to and fro." v. 24.
" My flesh . . . fat." LXX. have caught the sense of this
hemistich, " My flesh is altered [for the worse], by reason of oil
[which is wanting]." Taken in this sense, it may mean the
deplorable plight of the poet. Anointing with oil was a token of
well-being and gladness ; abstinence from food, and neglect of
anointing were signs of deep mourning. Cf. Symmachus, /cat rj
crapf fJL0V rjWoiwdrj u7ro avakeuj/ias, kai hce sarx mou ce low thee apo
atialeipsias ("and my flesh is altered through neglect-of-anoint-
ing ") ; St. Jerome, " And my flesh is changed (immutata est
absque oleo) [through being] without oil." Mish shdmen (lit., from
oil, fat) is analogous to mim-melekh (1 Kings (Sam.) xv. 23), lit.,
"from king," i.e., " rejected from [being] king." Syriac, "My
flesh is become thin for oil." v. 25. My wretched appearance,
instead of exciting their compassion, provokes scorn and mockery.
"Shake head," cf. Ps. xxi. (22) 8. v. 26. Targum, "That they
may know that this is Thine infliction, and Thou, O Lord, hast
done it." Which may mean, "that they may know that my
sufferings at their hands have been permitted by Thee for the
fulfilment of Thy designs in my behalf." v. 27. From this to
the end, he returns to the Plural number, as in vv. 2 — 5 ; the
prominent adversary drops out of sight. He passes from lamen-
tation to confident and joyous anticipation that the prayer of
vv. 26, 27 will be granted, v. 28. " They curse," cf. vv. 2, 3, 17.
The provocation that inspires vv. 6 — 20 lies in the malignant
slanders and curses of his enemies, who proclaim that his mis-
fortune is the punishment of his sins. v. 29. "Mantle;" in text,
an outer tunic, sleeveless, but wide and reaching to the ankles ;
St. Jerome, " vestimento" - =" Diploi's " of LXX. and Vulgate, a
PSALM 109 (HO).
473
cloak that could be folded twice round the person. " Let them
be wholly covered with (wrapped up in) shame." v. 31. In
vv. 6, 7 the adversary stands at the right hand of the wicked man
to accuse him ; here, the Lord stands at the right hand of the
defenceless victim, as a gracious advocate, to protect him. The
former finds no mercy ; the " poor " and helpless is rescued from
them that seek his life.
PSALM 109 (no).
1. To David, a Psalm. An
utterance of YaHWcli to
'Adony (i.e., to my lord),
"Sit -Thou at My right-
hand : Until I-make Thine
enemies the footstool of Thy
feet."
2. The sceptre of Thy
might shall YHWH stretch-
forth from Tsiyyon : Rule-
Thou in the midst of Thine
enemies.
3. Thy people [offer them-
selves] willingly in the day
of Thy might, [clad] in holy-
vestments : [O Thou, who
art] from the womb of the
dawn, to Thee is a dew,
[attending] Thy birth.
4. YHWH has-sworn, and
will not repent, THOU art a
priest for ever: After the
order of Malki-tsedheq.
5. 'Adonay at Thy right-
hand : Has-smittcn kings in
the day of His wrath.
PSALM 109 (no).
1. A Psalm of David.
The Lord saith to my Lord,
"Sit-Thou at My right-
hand : Until I-make Thine
enemies Thy footstool."
2. The Lord shall-send-
forth the sceptre of Thy
power out of Sion : Rule-
Thou in the midst of Thine
enemies.
3. With Thee is the
sovereignty in the day of
Thy power, in the splendours
of [Thy] saints : From the
womb before the morning-
star have-I-begotten Thee.
4. The Lord has-sworn,
and will not repent, TllOU
art a priest forever: Accord-
ing to the order of Mel-
chiscdcch.
5. The Lord at Thy right-
hand has-crushed kings in
the day of His wrath.
474 psalm 109 (no).
6. He-shall-judge among 6. He-shall-judge among
the nations, He-fills [the the nations, He-shall-fill-up
land] with corpses : He-has- [the number] of corpses :
wounded the head of a large He-shall-crush the heads in
land. the land of many [or, He-
shall-crush the heads of
many on the earth (?)].
7. Of a brook in the way 7. Of a brook in the way
shall-He-drink : Therefore shall - He-drink : Therefore
shall- He-lift-up the head. shall- He-lift-up the head.
From St. Matt. xxii. 42 — 46; from the parallel passages in
St. Mark xii. 35 — 37; St. Luke xx. 41 — 44, we gather that this
Psalm was held to be a Davidic prophecy concerning the Messias
— directly Messianic — both by the Christ Himself, and by the
Jews His cotemporaries. That the Apostles shared this con-
viction is proved by their frequent references to the Psalm (cf.
Acts ii. 34, 35 ; cf. vii. 55, 56; 1 Cor. xv. 24, &c. ; Ephes. i. 20;
Heb. i. 13; vii. 17, 21 ; viii. 1; x. 12, 13; 1 St. Peter iii. 22).
Later Rabbinical expositors assign this Psalm to a Levite, who
dedicated it " to David," at the time of the Syro-Ammonite war.
Those who care to get some notion of the Tantalus-strivings of
the anti-Messianic expositors, may consult Hupfeld. But waiving
this erudite trifling, the Psalm is to be studied as a direct
prophecy of the kingly priesthood and final triumph of David's
Son. The date of its composition can only be conjectured. By
some, the translation of the Ark to Sion, by others, the close of
the Syro-Ammonite war is assigned.
v. 1. The royal Seer beholds "in the Spirit" (eV tw Jlrevfiart
tiZ aylio, c/i id pnevmati id hagid, St. Mark xii. 36), his Son,
ascending on high, to take possession, as touching His manhood,
of Almighty power. "Said," or "saith," or rather, "the oracle"
— "[utterance] ofYHWH to my lord" — Adcmy, not Adonay, the
Plural of majesty, a difference, however, imperceptible in the
original unpointed text. "My lord," for, though David's Son, He
is "Cod made manifest in the flesh." " Sit at . . . right hand,"
not a mark of occasional honour, but of permanent dignity, since
YH" is to help him in his warfare; cf. St. Matt. xx. 21, where, as
PSALM 1 09 (i 10). 475
here, it connotes a partnership in sovereign rule. " Until ; " as
Schegg observes (referring to Gesenius' Heb. Lex. s.v. "adh), in its
primary meaning, "ad/i is equivalent to "while," "as long as,"
and is less precise, less exclusive than our "until." "Of His
kingdom there shall be no end," He continues to sit in His
Father's throne after the final subjugation of His enemies (" the
footstool of Thy feet," cf. Jos. x. 24, 25 ; so Sapor treated
Valerian ; Tamerlan, Bajazet), yet, with this difference, all
conflict will then be ended, v. 2. " Sceptre ; " in text, mattch
(a rod of chastisement, a staff, but here "a royal sceptre"). "Of
Thy might," either the Messianic regal power, or "Thy mighty
sceptre." " Send forth," " stretch forth," " stretch out ; " LXX.,
i£<nro<TTe\el, exafiostelei, rendered in Vulgate and St. Jerome,
" Emittet " ( = shall send forth), seems, as Thalhofer thinks with
St. Chrysostom, to imply the manifestation of Messianic power,
by means of messengers, heralds (the Apostles and their
successors). "Sion," the seat and centre of the Messianic
theocracy, "the Jerusalem that is above." The earthly city may
be meant, whereof Mount Sion was so marked a feature, cf. Isai.
ii. 3; Acts i. 8. "Rule-Thou," the words of YH" to Messias ;
if an apostrophe by the poet, the Imperative stands for a prophetic
Future, v. 3. The present text, as it stands with the Masoretic
vowel-pointing, runs thus : " Thy people [are] willingnesses in the
day of thy force [strength (?), power (?), army (?)], in ornaments
of holiness ; from the womb of dawn to Thee a dew of Thy
birth." "Willingnesses," cf. Judges v. 2, 9 ; "Dew," cf. 2 Kings
(Sam.) xvii. 12. That this text has been tampered with, to
mention no other ground of suspicion, may be inferred from the
several bootless attempts (Robertson counts more than fifteen)
to elicit from it any but a conjectural meaning. St. Jerome,
"Thy peoples shall be voluntary {spontanea erunf), in the day of
Thy strength (fortititdinis) : on the holy mountains" (so too
Symmachus, reading har'rcy, " mountains of " (holiness), instead
of hadtirey, "ornaments of," as in the text), "as from the womb
shall arise for thee (orietur tibi) the dew of thine adolescence."
It is to be remembered that yaVdhuthe-kh& ( = thy birth, thy
youth; in Vulgate rendered "I have begotten thee") does not,
cannot mean " thy young men," " thy youthful volunteers." Syriac
476 psalm 109 (no).
mediates between the present text and LXX., "Thy people [shall
be] praiseworthy ( = glorious) in the day of power, in the magnifi-
cence of holiness ; from the womb, from of old, Thee the Son,
have I begotten." " Thee, the Son " (=" O Son ") is the rendering
of tal Vkha ( = " to thee the dew," " thine the dew ") of text ; the
Syriac talyo = the little boy, son ; cf. talitha qiuni (=" Girl, arise "),
St. Mark v. 41. LXX. {Cod. Vatican), "With thee [is] dominion
in the day of thy power, in the splendours of Thy saints [or, " of
Thy holy things," or "holinesses "] ; from the womb before the
morning-star have-I-begotten thee." Dom Calmet shows that, by
eliminating l'h/id tal ( = " to thee the dew"), which has no
equivalent in LXX. (hence, neither in Vulgate), a slight change
in the grouping together of the letters in text, and by reading it,
here and there, with other vowels, the present text may be made
to agree with the early versions. Thus, apart from the pointing,
the two initial words may mean, either " thy people," or " with
thee." Vulgate principium appears already in Suetonius, with the
meaning of "mastery," "dominion." The closing word of the
verse in text (of thy birth) may be taken also as an Accusative of
time, "[at the time] of thy birth." That LXX. misunderstood
their text is an unproved assertion. We may, however, question
whether their version has not suffered somewhat at the hands of
scribes and by lapse of time. Thalhofer observes (Erk/an/ng
der Psalmen, p. 647) : " It is not our intention to prove by
exegetical and critical reasons the assertion that the Masoretic
text must be corrupt. We refer to an able article on this point,
by Kaulen (Katholik, a.d. 1865, vol. ii. p. 129). According to
Kaulen, the original, and as yet uncorrupted text must have
corresponded to the following rendering, 'With thee princi-
pality [?] in the day of thy might, in ornaments of holiness, from
the womb, from the dawn, have-I-begotten thee.' Kaulen is of
opinion that this was the original text that was in the hands of
the LXX., i.e., the Alexandrian translators, but that it was soon
afterwards gradually tampered with. I must own that the learned
attempts of Kaulen to prove his assertion have failed to remove
my doubts as to the absolute integrity of the Septuagint text.
but be this as it may, even were it proved that LXX. do not
render the original meaning of the Psalmist, the authenticity of
PSALM IO9 (HO). 477
our Vulgate could still be maintained in the sense of the decree
of the holy Council of Trent. (See Reusch, in Katholik, a.d. i860,
p. 660, foil.)." "In the day . . . power," the day of His second
parousia, the closing day of the present dispensation, when He
will come to judgment, surrounded by those in whom He has
triumphed, and who are to take an active part in this judgment
(1 Cor. vi. 2). "Womb," referred by some few expositors to His
birth "in the midst of years," decreed in the Divine counsels,
before all ages. But the context favours the view of most of the
Fathers, who explain it of His eternal generation in the bosom of
the Father, and allege the passage in proof of His consubstan-
tiality with the Father. " Before the day-star," i.e., before the
utterance of the creative fiat, "before all ages," as Theodoret
interprets it. v. 4. As Priest-King the Messias will subdue all
adverse powers. "Sworn," in the decree of His Incarnation,
cf. Heb. vi. 13, 17, 18. "Not repent," the decree is immutable,
for cf. Gen. vi. 6, where God says, " it repented Him," &c.
" Priest," our High Priest in Heaven, who, here below, in the
person of His chosen ministers, is ever exercising His priestly
office. "According to the order," "after the manner," "after the
likeness of M." (Heb. vii. 15), "after the order of [ra£iv, fax in,
LXX. ; Heb. v. 10] Melchisedech." See Gen. xiv. 18, "King of
Justice," King of Salem ( = peace) in Hebrew tradition, identified
with Sem, the son of Noe. "Salem," since known as "Jebus,"
later as "Jerusalem." There is, however, another Salem in the
district of Sichem (Gen. xxxiii. 18, alternate reading for "in
peace. Cf. " Salim " = 2aAet/x, Saleim, St. John iii. 23). For an
excellent commentary on this verse, see Heb. vii. viii. v. 5. "The
Lord," &c. This may mean (1) Messias at YrtHWcH's right
hand will crush [even] kings, &c, or (2) YH" at Messias' right
hand (i.e., aiding Him). "Has smitten" = "percussit " of
St. Jerome, "stricken through," "wounded," Preterite, as in
text, for Future, a very common enallage in prophecy. " Day
of wrath," cf. "day of power," v. 3. vv. 6, 7. The subject of
the verbs is Messias; "Judge," implies the several functions of
sovereignty. Benisch (Jewish translation), " He shall pronounce
judgment among the nations, full of corpses;" Rabbi Leeser,
"There shall be a fulness of corpses: He crushes heads on a
478 PSALM HO (ill).
wide-spread land ; " Targum (taking the verb intransitively), " It
is full of corpses ; " Syriac, " He shall judge the nations, and shall
fill [with] corpses ; He shall cut off the head of many in the
earth." St. Jerome read for geviyyoth ( = dead bodies) of text,
geayoth (valleys), hence, " He has filled valleys (implevit valles),
He has smitten the head in a large land " (percussit caput in terra
multa = & populous land [?]). We may render, "He fills [the
land with] corpses." Another is suggested, " [Him who] is full
of dead bodies [shall He judge]," meaning the false and perverted
agent who brought in sin and death. " He has wounded the head
of a large land ; " LXX. read rabbhn ( = many) for rabbah (wide,
great), and rendered rosh ( = head), " heads," in a collective sense.
"Many" ( = of many) should not be construed with "heads"
("heads of many"), as "in the land" would be superfluous;
rather, "in the land of many," i.e., "a populous land." "He
has wounded ; " in text, machats, the same word as is rendered
"He has smitten kings," &c, in v. 5. "Al erets rabbah ("upon,"
"over a wide land") of text, by Mendelssohn and Delitzsch {inter
alios) rendered " the land of Rabbah," a rendering not counten-
anced by the Scriptural usus loquendi. Juda is never called " the
land of Jerusalem ; " why then foist into the Psalm an out of the
way synonym for "Amnion "? v. 7. "While on his way, he shall
drink of a (not the) brook;" not "a brook in the way." "Brook,"
"stream;" Vulgate and St. Jerome, "torrent;" suggested pro-
bably by Gedeon's test, Judges vii. 5, 6. He will allow nought
to delay him in his pursuit of his routed foes, not even thirst,
which he will slake at the nearest stream. His perseverance and
endurance shall be crowned with victory, " Therefore shall He
(Messias) lift up the ( -His) head;" so Thalhofer, Schegg, &c.
PSALM no (111). PSALM no (in).
Halalu-YaH. 1. (Aleph.) Alleluia. 1. I -will-give
1 -will-thank YrtHW^H with Thee thanks, O Lord, with
[my] whole heart: (Beth. J my whole heart: In the
In the council of the up- council of the just, and [in]
right, and [in] the congrega- the congregation,
tion.
PSALM I 10 (ill).
479
2. (Gimel.) Great are the
deeds of Y«HW*H : (Da-
leth.) Sought-out by all
that-delight in them.
3. (He.) Honour and
majesty is His work : (Waw.)
And His justice stands-fast
for ever.
4. (Za-y'in.) A memorial
has-He-made for His won-
drous-works : (Cheth.) Gra-
cious and compassionate is
YaKWeH.
5. (Teth.) Food has-He-
given to them-that-fear Him ;
(Yodh.) He-will-remember
His covenant for ever.
6. (Kaph.) The might of
His deeds has-He-declared
to His people :
(La-medh.) By giving
them the inheritance of the
Gentiles.
7. (Mem.) The works of
His hands are truth and
judgment :
(Nun.) Steadfast are all
precepts ;
8. (Sa-mekh.) Upheld are
they for ever and ever :
(Ayin.) Made in truth and
uprightness.
9. (Pe.) Redemption has-
He-sent to His people ;
(Tsa - dhe.) He -has com-
manded His covenant for
ever ; (Ooph.) Holy and
awful is His Name.
2. Great are the works of
the Lord : They are suited
to all His purposes.
3. Praise and majesty is
His work : And His justice
endures for ever and ever.
4. He-has-made a me-
morial of His wondrous-
works : The Lord is merci-
ful and compassionate :
5. He-has-given food to
them-that-fear Him. He-
will-be-mindful of His cove-
nant for ever :
6. He-has-declared to His
people, the power of His
works ;
7. To-give them the in-
heritance of the Gentiles.
The works of His hands are
truth and judgment.
8. Faithful are all His
commandments : Established
for ever and ever, Made in
truth and uprightness.
9. He-has-sent redemp-
tion to His people ; He-has-
commanded His covenant
for ever : Holy and fearful
is His Name.
430 PSALM HO (ill).
io. (Resh.) The begin- 10. The fear of the Lord
ning of wisdom is the fear is the beginning of wisdom,
of YaHW^H. A good understanding have
(Sin.) A good under- all they-that-do it (i.e., act
standing have all they-that- accordingly [?]) : His praise
do them : endures for ever and ever.
(Tau.) His praise endures
for ever.
This Psalm and the next are both Alphabetical Psalms. In
both, the letters of the alphabet mark not only the beginning of
verses, as in other Psalms of this class, but the beginning of each
separate clause. In both, there are twenty-two lines, each line
consisting mostly of three words. In both, the order of the
alphabet is strictly kept to, which is not the case in the other
Alphabetical Psalms; cf. Pss. xxiv. (25), xxxiii. (34), xxxvi. (37).
The first eight verses in each consist of two lines, the last two of
three lines, so that vv. 9, 10 both contain three initials, as is
suggested, according to the number of the Decalogue. Neither
the date, nor author, nor the historical situation that gave occasion
to this and the next Psalm can be ascertained.
v. 1. "Council," in text, sud/i (as the parallel "congregation"
seems to require), should mean "the assembly" of his fellow-
worshippers. Yet, as Aben Ezra observes, siidh (LXX., kv fiovXrj,
en boulee) seems to imply a narrower, and more select circle, than
"the congregation" at large. v. 2. The line beginning with
Daleth ( = d) is somewhat involved. Targum, "Sought out by
all who desire them ; " Syriac, " Sought by all who take pleasure
in them;" Arabic, "All His (His every) will is worthy to be
investigated ; " St. Jerome, " Exquirenda in cunctis voluntatibus
suis" (to be investigated in all their purposes [?]) ; Qimchi,
"Made plain (laid open = explorata) to all that take pleasure in
them;" Benisch (Jewish version), "Sought out of all that have
pleasure therein;" LXX. (Brenton's rendering, baldly literal),
"Sought out according to all His will"— eis irdvTa ^A^ara avToO,
eis pant a t/uieanata avion ( = according to all His wills, desires,
purposes). As it now stands, the text may be rendered —
(1) "Searched into for all their delights;" or, (2) "They are
to be searched into by those that delight therein;" (3) " To
PSALM III (lI2). 481
be searched into for all their delights;" (4) "They are thrown
open to the search of all that delight in them," cf. Qimchi.
v. 3. " Honour and majesty," nouns instead of adjectives.
"Doings;" in text, collective Singular, "doing," which is ever
marked by "justice," not punitive, but beneficent; cf. St. Matt,
v. 20 ; vi. 1. v. 4. " Memorial," referred by some to the insti-
tution of the Passover, &c. v. 5. "Food;" in text, tereph
(usually = "prey," cf. Prov. xxx. 8); a reference to the manna,
a signal proof of His mindfulness of His covenant, v. 6.
" Annuntiabit " of Vulgate and St. Jerome, is to be rendered, as
in text, by the Preterite (LXX., Aorist), " not by word, but by
deed has He made it known," "by giving them the heritage," &c.
"Truth," fulfilment of His promises to Abraham. "Judgment,"
the punishment, the extermination the Chanaanites had so richly
deserved. The "food" of v. 5 is very naturally applied, by
St. Augustine, Theodoret, and others, to the Eucharistic banquet ;
but it is only an accommodation, v. 7. "Steadfast," sure. v. 8.
"Upheld," stayed, supported, well propped-up (semukhim, in text,
cf. Sctmekh = a prop), v. 9. " Redemption," the deliverance from
Egyptian bondage, closely followed by the promulgation of the
Law, the expression of His unchangeable truth and equity.
"Appointed," decreed, commanded, established His covenant
for ever. v. 10. "Beginning;" in text, res/nth; cf. Prov. i. 7;
ix. 10, &c. Probably, "the chief part," the main part, cf. German
hauptsache ; Ke(f>d\aiov, kephalaion = the chief point. To order
one's life by God's Law is the surest means of attaining to that
insight into the Divine plans we call "wisdom," cf. St. John
vii. 17. LXX. and St. Jerome, earn, wrongly referred "//" to
"wisdom," instead of to "precepts" (in text, "them") of v. 7.
" A good understanding ; " Revised Version in margin gives the
alternative, "good repute." "His praise," &c, (may be), that of
all such men.
PSALM in (112). PSALM in (112).
1. Halalu-YaH (Aleph.) 1. Alleluia ; [a Song] on
The happinesses of the man the return of Aggaeus and
[that] fears YaHW^H : Zacharias.
FF
482
PSALM III (i 12).
(Beth.) [That] In His-
commandments delights
greatly.
2. (Gimel.) Mighty in the
earth shall-be his seed :
(Daleth.) The generation of
the upright shall-be-blessed.
3. (He.) Wealth and
riches are in his house :
(Waw.) And his justice
stands-fast for ever.
4. (Za-yin.) There-dawns
[even] in the darkness a light
for the upright-men :
(Cheth.) The gracious,
compassionate and just.
5. (Teth.) Happy the
man [that] deals-graciously
and lends :
(Yodh.) Who-can-main-
tain his cause in judgment :
6. (Kaph.) For he-shall
not be-moved for ever :
(Lamedh). In remembrance
everlasting shall the just-
man be.
7. (Mem.) Because of
evil tidings he shall not fear :
(Nun.) Fixed-is his heart,
trusting in YHWH.
8. (Samekh.) Relying is
his heart, he shall not fear ;
(Ayin.) Until he-look upon
his adversaries.
9. (Pe.) He-has-dispersed,
he-has-given to the poor ;
Blessed is the man that
fears the Lord : He-will -
greatly delight in His com-
mandments.
2. Hisseed shall-be mighty
in the earth : The genera-
tion of the upright shall-
be-blessed.
3. Glory and riches are in
his house : And his justice
endures for ever and ever.
4. For the upright there-
arises a light in darkness :
The merciful, the compas-
sionate and just.
5. Happy the man that
shows-pity and lends : He-
will-direct his affairs with
judgment :
6. For he-shall never be-
moved.
7. The just-man shall-be
in everlasting remembrance :
He-shall not be-afraid of
[any] evil report. His heart
is ready to-trust in the Lord.
8. His heart is fixed, he-
shall not be-afraid : Until
he-look [securely] upon his
enemies.
9. He - has - dispersed -
abroad, he-has-given to the
PSALM III (lI2). 483
(Tsa-dhe.) Hisjusticestands- poor ; His justice endures
fast for ever : (Qoph.) His for evermore : His horn
horn shall-be-exalted with shall-be-exalted with glory,
glory.
10. (Resh.) The wicked 10. The sinner shall-see
shall-see [it], and be-envi- [it] and be-enraged, He-
ously-enraged ; shall-gnash his teeth and
(Shin.) His teeth shall- pine-away : The desire of
he-gnash, and melt-away, the sinners shall-perish. (Cf.
(Tau.) The desire of the Prov. x. 28.)
wicked shall-perish.
This Psalm is, in all probability, the work of the same author
as the foregoing, of which it is, so to speak, the counterpart. The
former sets forth the wondrous works of God, His attributes ; this
tells of the work and character of those who keep the command-
ments, that especially which enjoins the practical love of our
neighbour. The Vulgate addition to the Title (wanting in text
and LXX.) may imply that these Prophets, who accompanied
Zorobabel on his return from exile, recommended the frequent
use of this Psalm to the restored captives (cf. 1 Esdras (Ezra)
v. 1, 21.
v. 1. Syriac (hemistich 2), "And is heedful of His command-
ments/' v. 2. " Mighty " (in text, gibbor), besides warlike courage,
may imply the influence attaching to wealth, cf. Ruth ii. 1. v. 3.
" Wealth ; " St. Jerome, " substance ; " LXX. probably read hodh
(glory), instead of hon in the present text ( = wealth), "Justice;"
the same is said of God in v. 3 of foregoing Psalm ; perhaps, here
as there, "beneficence;" cf. St. Matt. vi. 1. A Rabbinic adage,
Melach mammon ts'daqah ( = the salt of riches [is] almsgiving).
"Stands-fast" in its temporal results, which extend to his posterity,
and gathers store for eternity, v. 4. "Darkness," "light," stand
respectively for affliction and prosperity. The verse would bear
the rendering, "A light dawns ... for every gracious, com-
passionate, and just man." Or again, "Light" may here mean
God (cf. Ps. xxvi. (27) 1), of Whom "gracious" and "com-
passionate " are predicated in v. 4 of the foregoing Psalm. Cf.
Isai. lviii. 8; lx. 1 — 3; St. Matt. v. 45, 48. v. 5. St. Jerome,
" Bonus vir clemens et foenerans dispensabit verba sua in judicio"
484 PSALM 112 (lI3).
(a good man, gracious and disposed-to-lend will order his words
with judgment) ; St. Augustine, " Suavis vir " (a mild, siveet-
tempered man); St. Ambrose, "beatus" ( = blessed); LXX.,
Xpr/o-Tos uv»/p, chreestos aneer (a kind, good-natured man).
"Jucundus" (pleasant, cheerful) of Vulgate seems to imply that
the man is both happy (beatus) and sheds happiness around him.
" Maintain . . . cause," or, " maintains his words in justice," i.e.,
" who is faithful in fulfilling his plighted word ; " Symmachus,
olKovofxwv tu Trpay/xara avrov ficra Kpio-cws, oikonomon ta pragmata
avtou meta kriseos ( = managing his affairs with judgment).
"Sustain," "maintain," is the meaning of a derivative con-
junction of the verb in text {Pi/pel), which primarily means
"to measure." His beneficence is rewarded by his being enabled
to maintain successfully his affairs, interests ("words") in the
law courts. Adyous, Logons, of LXX. ("words") seem to lay
stress on his able pleading and consequent success as the reward
of his "kindness." v. 8. "Be-moved;" in text, LXX., and
St. Jerome, "Shall not/ear." v. 9. "Dispersed," cf. Prov. xi. 24;
2 Cor. ix. 9. " Horn," the emblem, the weapon of the might,
whereby he overcomes " with glory."
PSALM 112 (113). PSALM 112 (113).
Halalu-YaH. 1. Praise, ye Alleluia. 1. Praise the
servants of YHWH : Praise- Lord, ye servants [of His]:
ye the Name of Y«HW^H. Praise the Name of the
Lord.
2. Be the Name of 2. Blessed be the Name
YHWH blessed : From this- of the Lord : From this time
time-forth, and for evermore, forth, and for evermore.
3. From the rising of the 3. From the rising of the
sun till its going-down: sun unto its setting: The
Praiseworthy is the Name of Name of the Lord is to-be-
Y«HW*H. praised.
4. High above all nations 4. The Lord is high above
is YrtHWcH : Above the all nations : And His glory
heavens is His glory. is above the heavens.
PSALM 112 (113).
485
5. Who is like YHWH
our God : That-has-His-seat
on-high,
6. That-condescends to
regard : The heavens and
the earth ?
7. He-raises the miserable
from the dust : He-lifts-up
the needy-one from the
dunghill,
8. To set [him] with
princes : With the princes of
His people.
9. Who makes the barren
housewife to dwell joyfully :
The mother of children.
Halalu-YaH.
5. Who is like the Lord
our God : Who dwells on
high (lit, "in the heights"),
6. Yet looks on lowly-
things in heaven and on
earth ?
7. That-raises the needy-
one from the ground : And
lifts-up the poor from the
dunghill.
8. That He-may-set him
with princes : With the
princes of His people.
9. Who settles the barren-
woman in a house : the
rejoicing mother of children.
The date (probably, post-Exilic) and author of this Psalm are
unknown. With the five following Psalms, it forms the Egyptian
"Hallel," or "the Hallel." The "great Hallel" is Psalm cxxxv.
(136), called the TroXveXeos, polyeleos, by the Greeks. While the
second Temple lasted, the former Hallel was sung ten times a
year, at Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, on each of the eight
days of the Dedication anniversary, and subsequently, by custom,
at each New Moon. At the Passover supper, the Hallel was
divided into two parts : the former (Ps. cxii. (113) — Ps. cxiii. (114)
1 — 8) being sung before the second cup was passed round, i.e.,
before the actual beginning of the meal. The latter part (Ps. cxiii.
9 — 26 ( = Ps. 115, vv. 1 — 18) to Ps. cxvii. (i 18) inclusive) at the
filling of the fourth cup (Ms Hallel=ihe cup of the Hallel). On
the last six days of Passover, and at New Moons, Pss. cxiii. 9 — 19
( = Ps. 115, vv. 1 — n), and cxiv., cxv. ( = Ps. 116) were omitted.
'Y/>tv//crai'T€5, hymneesantes ("when they had sung a hymn,"
St. Matt. xxvi. 30), refers to this part of the Paschal rite, and
hence is rendered by Franz Delitzsch, in his Hebrew version of
the New Testament, " Having sung the Hallel." This hymn
may be divided into three strophes : 1. (vv. 1 — 3) Praise the
486 psalm 113 (114).
Lord; 2. (vv. 4 — 6) for His peerless greatness; 3. (vv. 7 — 9) for
His loving condescension. It is, in all probability, a post-Exilic
composition, forming, as it were, a link between the Song of Anna
(1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 1 — 10) and the Magnificat of the All-holy.
v. 1. "Servants," Israel, as set apart from the heathen, and
specially consecrated to God's service. " Servants " (not children),
so rendered by St. Jerome ; servi = SovXoi, douloi ( = " servants,"
"slaves"), by Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. In classical
usage, pueri frequently means "servants;" cf. French, garcon;
old English, knave, v. 3. From East to West, i.e., everywhere
and at all times, the semper et ubique l of the Divine Liturgy.
" Name," so far forth as God imparts to man a knowledge of
Himself, He makes for Himself a Name. By His Self-manifes-
tation in Nature and conscience, He can (should) be universally
known (cf. Rom. i. 20, 21), and hence, is "to be praised,"
" worthy-of-praise " everywhere, vv. 4 — 6. Reasons for praise.
v. 5. " Who dwells on high," so Gesenius ; Revised Version,
" That has His seat on high ; " St. Jerome, " Who dwelling on
high (in altis) regards lowly-things in heaven and on earth ; "
Syriac, " Who dwells on high, and looks into the deep, heaven
and earth ; " Professor Cheyne, " Who dwells so high, who looks
so low in heaven and earth." The literal rendering, "The making
( = who makes [Himself], His place) high to sit ( = to dwell)."
v. 6. "And makes low (condescends) to see," &c, i.e., "Who
looks down as low even as the heavens and the earth." vv. 7, 8.
All but word for word in the Song of Anna (1 Sam. ii. 8).
" Dust," " dunghill," the extremes of destitution and misery,
vv. 7 — 9. Instances of condescension, e.g., Joseph, Moses, Anna,
David, v. 9. " Barren," hence despised, and liable to be divorced.
Her fecundity establishes her position, "settles" (cf. St. Jerome's
collocat) the erst barren housewife in the family.
PSALM 113 (114). PSALM 113 (114).
1. At the going-forth of 1. Alleluia. When Israel
Israel from Mits'raim : Of went out of Egypt : The
the house of Jacob from a house of Jacob from a bar-
people of strange-tongue, barous people,
1 " At all times and everywhere."
PSALM 115.
487
2. Judah became His
sanctuary : Israel His do-
minion.
3. The sea saw and fled :
Yar'den itself was-turned
backwards ;
4. The mountains skipped
like rams : The hills like the
sons of the flock.
5. What to thee (i.e., what
ails thee), O sea, that thou-
fleest : Thou Jordan, that
thou-turnest backwards ?
6. Ye mountains, that ye-
skip like rams : Ye hills, like
young sheep ? (lit., sons of
the flock).
7. At the presence of
'Adhon tremble, O earth :
At the presence of the God
of Jacob ;
8. Who turned the rock
into a pool of waters : The
flint into a fountain of waters.
2. Judaea became His
sanctuary : Israel His do-
minion.
3. The sea saw and fled :
Jordan was turned back-
wards :
4. The mountains skipped
like rams : The hills like
young sheep.
5. What ails thee, O sea,
that thou-fleest : And thou
Jordan, that thou-turnest
backwards (art turned back-
wards)?
6. Ye mountains, that ye-
skipped like rams : Ye hills,
like the lambs of sheep ?
7. At the presence of the
Lord the earth quaked : At
the presence of the God of
Jacob ;
8. Who turned the rock
into pools of waters : The
sharp-cliff into fountains of
waters.
PSALM 115
(according to the Hebrew).
1. Not to us, YaHW*H,
not to us, But to Thy Name
give glory : For Thy loving-
goodness, for Thy truth.
2. Why should the Gen-
tiles say : " Where is now
their God ? "
1-9. Not to us, O Lord,
not to us, But to Thy Name
give glory,
2-10. Because of Thy
mercy and of Thy truth ;
Lest at-any-time the nations
say, " Where is their God ? "
488
PSALM 115.
3. Since our God is in
the heavens : All that He-
pleased He-has-done.
4. Their idols are silver
and gold : The work of the
hands of man.
5. A mouth to them (i.e.,
have they), but they-speak
not : Eyes have they, but
they-see not.
6. Ears have they, but
they-hear not : A nose have
they, but they-smell not.
7. Hands have they, but
they-handle not ; Feet have
they, but they-walk not :
They -utter -no -sound with
their throat.
8. Like to them be the
makers of them : Every-one
that trusts in them.
9. O Israel, trust in
YHWH : Their help and
their shield is He.
10. O house of Aaron,
trust-ye in YHWH : Their
help and their shield is He.
11. Ye-that-fear YHWH,
trust in YHWH: Their help
and their shield is He.
12. YHWH has-been-
mindful of us ; He-will-
bless ; He-will-bless the
house of Israel : Hc-will-
bless the house of Aaron.
3-1 1. But our God is in
heaven : He-has-done what-
soever He-pleased.
4-12. The idols of the
nations are silver and gold ;
Works of the hands of men-
5-13. A mouth have-they,
but they-speak not : Eyes
have-they, but they-see not.
6-14. Ears have-they, but
they-hear not : Noses have-
they, but they-cannot-smell.
7-15. They-have hands,
but they - cannot - handle ;
Feet have-they, but they-
cannot - walk : They - can -
utter-no-sound through their
throat.
8-16. Like to them be
they that make them : And
all who trust in them.
9-17. The house of Israel
trusts in the Lord : Their
help and protector is He.
10-18. The house of
Aaron trusts in the Lord :
Their help and protector is
He.
1 1- 1 9. They that fear the
Lord trust in the Lord :
Their help and protector
is He.
12-20. The Lord has-
been-mindful of us ; and
blessed us : He-has-blessed
the house of Israel : He-has-
blessed the house of Aaron.
PSALM II5.
489
13. He-will-bless them-
that-fear YHWH : The
little-ones with the great-
ones.
14. YrtHWcH increase
you more and more : You
and your children !
15. Blessed are ye of
YHWH : The Maker of the
heavens and of the earth.
16. The heavens are the
heavens of YHWH: But
the earth has-He-given to
the sons of man.
17. The dead praise not
YaH : Neither any that-go-
down into silence ;
1 8. But we will-bless YaH :
From this-time-forth and for
ever. Halalu-YaH.
13-21. He-has-blessed all-
them that fear the Lord :
Both small and great.
14-22. The Lord increase
you more and more : Both
you and your children.
15-23. Blessed are ye of
the Lord : Who made heaven
and earth.
16-24. The heaven of
heaven is the Lord's : But
the earth has-He-given to
the children of men.
17-25. The dead cannot-
praise Thee, O Lord :
Neither can any who go-
down to the nether-world ;
18-26. But we, the living,
will-bless the Lord : From
this time-forth and for ever.
LXX. and Vulgate have shifted the final "Alleluia "of the
preceding Psalm to the beginning of this. In the Hebrew text,
a new Psalm (Ps. 115) begins at v. 9, which in Vulgate is
numbered v. 1, and so on to the closing v. iS. If we may trust
the editors of St. Jerome's works, the division was unknown to
him. The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions are here at one
with LXX. and Vulgate. In more than seventy Hebrew MSS.,
and in the book entitled Valkut, Pss. 114, 115 (Hebrew number-
ing) appear as one Psalm. As is said above, the " Hallel " at the
Passover supper was divided into two parts : the former ending at
v. 8 (inclusive) of Ps. cxiii. (114); the latter, which was sung at
the end of the meal, beginning at Ps. cxiii. 9 ( = cxv. 1). It is
probable that this division was marked in the MSS., and so gave
occasion to the bi-section of the Psalm. Thus far Thalhofer.
But Schegg, De Muis, not to mention other Catholic expositors,
favour the opposite view, on the very cogent grounds of the
490 PSALM 115.
difference of style and of rhythm, and of the disparity of the
subject-matter. Two Psalms might well be linked together for
liturgical use, but the bi-section of one and the self-same Psalm is
hardly conceivable. Eusebius mentions Greek codices, in which
this division is marked.
v. 1. Israel delivered from bondage was formed into a nation,
set apart to be the custodian of revelation, the depositary of the
Promises, "a holy nation" (Exod. xix. 6). L6"ez (rendered
"barbarous," i.e., "of foreign speech") occurs nowhere else in
the Hebrew Scriptures, v. 2. LXX. and Vulgate, "Judaea,"
misled by the Feminine form of "was," "became;" in text and
St. Jerome, "Judah," "Judas," the tribe which took the lead in
the march across the desert (Numb. x. 14). "Sanctuary;"
LXX., uyiao-fxa, hagiasma (=hallowed thing), set apart, consecrated
to God. "Dominion" (in text, "His dominions"), well rendered
i^ovaia, exousia, by LXX., cf. 'E£oucria 'Acr/as ( = " the supreme
rule over Asia "). As subject to the direct government of God,
Israel might be called "His dominion," cf. Numb, xxiii. 21;
Deut. xxxiii. 5. vv. 3 — 6. The division of the Red Sea (Exod.
xiv. 21), of Jordan (Josue iii. 14, &c), respectively at the begin-
ning and at the end of the desert-pilgrimage. " Mountains . . .
hills skipped," refers, probably, to the convulsions of Nature that
accompanied the Sinaitic Theophany (Exod. xix. 18; cf. Ps.
xxviii. (29) 6). In v. 6, the old Latin Psalters supply "quia," cor-
responding to on, hoti, of LXX. (because, for that) ; St. Augustine
and Prosper, "quare" (why?), vv. 7, 8 reply to the question.
St. Jerome and Syriac, "contremiscit " (the earth trembles).
Qimchi makes the earth itself reply, "At the presence of YH"
my trembling" ="I tremble."' LXX. seem to have taken chdli
("tremble thou") as an Infinitive with Yodh (=y) paragogic.
" Rock " ( = tsiir), Exod. xvii. 6. " Flint," so St. Jerome and
Gesenius. v. 1-9. We, on our part, have no claim, but Thy glory
is at stake, v. 2-10. St. Jerome, " Lest [Let not] the Gentiles say"
(JVe dicant, &c). v. 3—1 1. LXX. (Cod. Vatican.), "But our
God in heaven and on earth has done whatsoever He
pleased," followed by several old Latin Psalters. "Fools to
think that our God, the Almighty, is as one of their lifeless
idols!" v. 7-15. Lit., "[As for] their hands, they cannot
PSALM 114 (ll6). 491
handle ; their feet, they cannot walk • [far from being capable
of articulate speech], they cannot utter a sound with their
throat." St. Jerome, " non sonabunt," literal rendering of LXX.
ov $iDvri<Tovcn.v, 011 phoneesousin. v. 8-16. "Like to them," cf.
Rom. i. 21. vv. 9-17 — n-19. "Israel," the people at large;
"Aaron," the clergy; "Fearers of YH"," proselytes, or the
worshippers of God among the heathen, or the whole of the
chosen race. " Proselytes " are frequently mentioned in Acts
(cf. Acts x. 2 ; xiii. 16, 43, 50). On some Latin epitaphs,
" Metuens " ( - fearing) is the designation of a proselyte of the
gate. "Shield;" St. Jerome, with Vulgate, "protector;" he
renders "trust" in Present Indicative, "confidit," "confidunt"
("trusts," "they trust"). v. 12-20. "He (who hitherto) has
been mindful of us, will bless." vv. 14, 15-22, 23. The change
of pronoun (you) is best explained by supposing that, at v. 12,
a choir of priests intervenes with a blessing, v. 14-22. In text,
"May YH" add upon you, upon you and upon your children,"
impart His blessings still more plentifully ; St. Jerome, " Addat
Dominus super vos," &c, literally with LXX. and Vulgate,
v. 15-23. "Maker of . . . and earth," hence, unlike the lifeless idols,
mighty to grant all our petitions, vv. 16 — 18-24 — 26. Perhaps,
the response of the people. In "heaven" His glory is made
manifest. "But the earth," 8zc, therefore will we, who dwell on
the earth, pay Him ceaseless homage. "Silence;" so too
St. Jerome, "silentium," dumah = silence, the place of silence =
Hades, the nether-world. In Latin, the dead are called " silentes "
(silent-ones). Ibn Ezra prefers "excision" (cutting off), the place
where men are cut off from communion with the living, from the
solemnities of common worship.
PSALM 114 (116). PSALM 114 (116).
1. I-love, because YaH- Alleluia. 1. I-love, because
WrH hears my voice [and] the Lord hearkens to the
my supplications, voice of my supplication,
2. Because He - has - 2. Because He - has - in -
inclined His ear to me; clined His ear to me : There-
492
PSALM 115.
Therefore in my days (i.e.,
as long as I live) vvill-I-call
[upon Him].
3. The cords of death
compassed me, And the
pains of Sheol found me
[got-hold of me] : Distress
and sorrow did-I-find ;
4. Then I-called-upon the
Name of YaHWeH : " Pray,
YHWH, deliver-Thou my
soul."
5. Gracious is YHWH,
and just : Yea, our God is
compassionate.
6. YtfHW^H keeps the
simple : I-was-brought-low,
but He-saved me [or, helped
me].
7. Return, my soul, to thy
rest: For YHWH has-dealt-
bountifully with thee.
8. For Thou-hast-deliver-
ed my soul from death,
Mine eye from tears : My
foot from stumbling.
9. I - will - walk before
YHWH : In the lands of the
living.
fore will-I-call [upon Him]
while I-live.
3. The pangs of death
compassed me, And the
perils of the nether-world
[of the grave (?)] found me :
Affliction and sorrow did-I-
find ;
4. Then I - invoked the
Name of the Lord : O Lord,
deliver my soul.
5. The Lord is merciful
and just : Yea, our God
shows-tender-pity.
6. The Lord guards little-
ones : I - was - brought - low,
but He-delivered me.
7. Return, my soul, to thy
rest : For the Lord has-
dealt-kindly with thee.
8. For He-has- rescued my
soul from death, Mine eyes
from tears : My feet from
slipping.
9. I will-be-well-pleasing
to the Lord, In the land of
the living.
10-1. I-believe, for I-will-
speak : I was - afflicted
exceedingly.
PSALM 115
{in LXX. and Vulgate).
Alleluia. 10. I-belicved,
Wherefore I-have-spoken :
But I was exceedingly
afflicted.
PSALM (II5).
493
1 1-2. I said in mine
alarm : Every man is a liar.
12-3. How shall- 1 -return
to YtfHW^H : All His
benefits to me ?
13-4. I-will-lift-up the
cup of salvations : And I-
will-call upon the Name of
YHWH.
14-5. My vows to YHWH
will-I-pay : Oh that [it may
be] before all His people !
15-6. Precious in the eyes
of YaHW*H : Is the death
of His pious-ones.
16-7. Ah! I pray, YHWH,
for I am Thy servant, I am
Thy servant, the son of Thy
handmaid : Thou - hast -
loosed my bonds ;
17-8. To Thee will - I -
sacrifice the sacrifice of
thanksgiving : And I-will-
call - upon the Name of
YHWH.
18-9. My vows will-I-pay
to YHWH : Oh that [it may
be] before all His people !
19-10. In the courts of
the house of YaHWcH, In
the midst of thee, Jerusalem.
Halalu-YaH !
11. I said in mine amaze-
ment : Every man is a liar.
12. What can-I-return to
the Lord : For all that He-
has-done for me ?
13. I-will-take the cup of
salvation: And -I- will - call
upon the Name of the Lord.
14. I-will-pay my vows to
the Lord : Before all His
people.
15. Precious in the sight
of the Lord : Is the death
of His saints.
16. O Lord, I am indeed
Thy servant, I am Thy
servant, and the son of Thy
handmaid : Thou-hast-burst
my bonds asunder ;
17. I-will-sacrifice to Thee
a victim of praise : And I-
will-call-upon the Name of
the Lord.
18. I-will-pay my vows to
the Lord : Before all His
people ;
19. In the courts of the
house of the Lord, In the
midst of thee, Jerusalem.
According to their wont, LXX. and Vulgate have transferred
the final " Alleluia " of the foregoing Psalm to the beginning of
this. St. Jerome and Syriac agree with the Hebrew, which deals
with Psalms 114, 115 (Vulgate reckoning) as one Psalm (Ps. cxvi.).
Symmachus and the Arabic follow LXX. and Vulgate. The dat
494 psalm 115.
and author cannot be ascertained. In all probability, the Psalm
(both Psalms [?]) is post-Exilic.
v. 1. "I love," better than "I loved," as denoting continu-
ance ; supply " the Lord," " Him," " because He has heard," &c.
Cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 2. Syriac, Arabic, Armenian, Rashi, and Aben
Ezra, " I earnestly desired that the Lord would hearken," &c.
"My voice" (qdli); Aben Ezra quotes the opinion that the
suffixed i (to qol, meaning my) is merely paragogic, and so renders,
as in LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome, " the voice of my suppli-
cations." Aben Ezra, " my voice [in] my supplications." v. 2.
" I will call," i.e., lift up the voice of thanksgiving, strains of
praise, cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 4. v. 3. "Pains of Sheol," the straits,
the distresses of the grave ( = angustice sepulchri). v. 4. Deliver-
ance, either from individual peril, or from the threatened
absorption of Israel's nationality by the surrounding heathenism,
during the Captivity. v. 6. "Simple," the guileless; LXX.,
"infants;" St. Jerome and Vulgate, "little-ones," whose faith
and trust in God are child-like, cf. St. Matt. xi. 25. v. 7. Lit.,
"into thy rests;" "rests," emphatic, as connoting his several
toils and perils, v. 9. " Walk " with (before) God ; Gesenius,
"to walk in truth and uprightness," "to lead a life pleasing to
God," hence, the Old Itala, " complacebo ante Dominum "
( = " I will be well-pleasing in the sight of the Lord "). The
verses of Ps. 115 (LXX. and Vulgate reckoning) are numbered in
Vulgate as if it were a continuation of the preceding Psalm,
whereby the following connection is suggested : Despite the
dangers that threatened me, my faith and trust were so firm,
that though "greatly afflicted," "I spoke," as in v. 9. "Speak
I will," "speak I must," LXX.; St. Jerome, "Therefore did I
speak," as in 2 Cor. iv. 13. v. 2-1 1. "In my haste," "hasty
flight ;"[?] St. Jerome, "in stupore meo" (in my stupefaction,
amazement) ; Symmachus, aS^juoiw, adeemonon (being in a state
of anguish, of great anxiety); LXX., "in mine ecstasy" (eVo-Tao-ei,
eks/asei), i.e., when beside myself with fear, or distress. "All
mankind lying (a liar)," not to be relied upon, God alone is my
stay; alluded to, Rom. iii. 4. v. 4-13. "Cup of salvations" so
in text. Many see here an allusion to the " cup of blessing " at
the Passover supper, or to a ritual peculiarity of the thank-
psalm 116 (117). 495
offering. Others understand by "cup" the lot, the portion,
whether prosperous, or otherwise, assigned by Providence, " I will
gratefully accept and acknowledge the blessings allotted to me."
v. 5-14. ''Vows" to offer sacrifices. "Oh ! may it be," &c, the
rendering Gesenius (s.v. Heb. Lex.) gives to the particle of
entreaty (in text, n&), cf. English "now"— "Ah! do now."
v. 6-13. "Precious," both in its usual meaning, and implying
that it is no slight matter in God's estimation, v. 7-16. "Ah!
now YH" [hear me];" St. Jerome, " Obsecro, Domine, quia," &c.
("I beseech [Thee], O Lord, because," &c.) ; Aben Ezra and
Qimchi, "O Lord, truly I am," &c. "Quia" (for, because) may
refer to the final clause, "Because I am Thy servant, . . . Thou
hast loosed," &c. v. 10-19. "Jerusalem;" the apostrophe may
express that it was endeared to the poet, by long absence — exile
in Babylon (?).
PSALM 116 (117). PSALM 116 (117).
I. Praise YaHW^H, all ye Alleluia. I. Praise the
nations : Laud Him, all ye Lord, all ye nations : Laud
peoples. Him, all ye peoples. (Rom.
xv. 1 1.)
2. For His loving good- 2. For His mercy is
ness is - mightily - shown firmly-established over us :
towards us : And the faith- And the truth of the Lord
fulness of YHWH [endures] endures forever,
for ever. Halalu-YaH.
In several Hebrew MSS. this Psalm is joined with the follow-
ing. Israel's history is a continuous manifestation of God's
loving-goodness, and faithfulness to the promises made to the
Fathers (cf. Gen. xii. 2, 3; xxii. 18; Gal. iii. 16). The "nations"
= "the peoples " = the Gentiles are invited to join in grateful
praise. As interpreted, Rom. xv. n, it is a prophecy of the call
of the Gentiles. Qimchi acknowledges its Messianic import,
and parallels it with Soph. (Zeph.) iii. 9, 10.
v. 2. Lit, " His loving-goodness is-strong (strengthened) upon
us (over us) ; " St. Jerome, " confortata est " (is strengthened),
496
PSALM 117 (ll8).
cf. Ps. cii. (103) 11; Syriac (in Walton's Polyglot, rendered
"invaluit erga nos "), "is become mighty towards us." "Towards
us ; " " us " may refer to God's dealings with Israel, or to both
Tews and Gentiles, who are to coalesce, and to form but one
people of God (cf. Rom. x. 12). The "Alleluia" belongs to the
foregoing Psalm.
PSALM 117 (118).
1. Give-thanks to YaH-
W^H, for He is good : For
His loving - kindness [en-
dures] for ever.
2. Let Israel now say :
That His loving- kindness
[endures] for ever.
3. Let the house of Aaron
now say : That His loving-
kindness [endures] for ever.
4. Let them now that-
fear YHWH say: That His
loving - kindness [endures]
for ever.
5. Out of straitness, I-
cried to YaH : YaH answer-
ed me [by setting me] in a
large-place.
6. YHWH is for me, I-
will-not-fear : What can
man do to me ? (Heb. xiii. 6.)
7. YHWH is for me,
among tbem-that-help me :
And I, I-shall-see [my de-
sire] upon them-that-hateme.
8. Good (i.e., better) is it
PSALM 117 (118).
Alleluia. 1. Give-thanks
to the Lord, for He is good :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
2. Let Israel now say :
That He is good, that His
mercy endures for ever.
3. Let the house of Aaron
now say : That His mercy
endures for ever.
4. Let them now that
fear the Lord say : That
His mercy endures for ever.
5. Out of distress I -
called-upon the Lord : And
the Lord hearkened to me,
[and brought me] into a
broad-place (i.e., set me at
large).
6. The Lord is my helper :
I -will-not fear what man can-
do to me.
7. The Lord is my helper :
Therefore shall- I-look upon-
minc enemies.
8. It is better to trust in
PSALM 117 (ll8).
497
to-take-refuge in YHWH :
Than to trust in man :
9. Better is it to-take-
refuge in YrtHW^H : Than
to trust in princes.
10. All nations compassed
me about : [It is] by the
Name of YHWH that I-
have-cut-them-off.
11. They compassed me
about, yea, they-compassed
me about : [It is] by the
Name of YHWH that I-
have-cut-them-off.
12. They-compassed me
about like bees. They-are-
extinguished like a fire of
thorns : [It is] by the Name
of YHWH that I-have-cut-
them-off.
13. Thou-didst-thrust sore
at me, that I -might-fall : But
YrtHW^H helped me.
14. My strength and my
song is YaH : And He-is-
become my salvation. (Exod.
xv. 2 ; Isai. xii. 2.)
15. The voice of joyous-
song and salvation is in the
tents of the just : The right-
hand of YHWH does vali-
antly [lit., achieves strength].
16. The right hand of
YHWH is - exalted : The
right-hand of YHWH does
valiantly.
GG
the Lord : Than to trust in
man :
9. It is better to hope in
the Lord : Than to-put-any-
trust in princes.
10. All nations compassed
me about : But in the Name
of the Lord I -was avenged
on them.
11. They completely com-
passed me about : But in the
Name of the Lord I-was-
avenged upon them.
12. They-swarmed-about
me like bees, They - burst
into-flame like fire among
thorns : But in the Name of
the Lord I-was-avenged on
them.
13. I was indeed sore
pushed that I-might-fall :
But the Lord upheld me.
14. The Lord is my
strength and my song-of-
praise : And He-is become
my salvation.
1 5. The voice of exultation
and of salvation [is heard]
in the tents of the just.
16. The right-hand of the
Lord has-wrought mightily,
The right-hand of the Lord
has-exalted me : The right
hand of the Lord has
wrought mightily.
498
PSALM 117 (ll8).
17. I shall not die, nay,
I-shall-live : And declare the
works of YaH.
tS. YaH has - chastened
me severely : But He-has-
not given me over to
death.
19. Open - ye to me the
gates of justice : I-will-go
into them, I-will-give-thanks
to YaH.
20. This is the gate of
YHWH: Just-men shall-
enter into it.
21. I-will-give-thanks to
Thee, for Thou-hast-ansvver-
ed me : And art-become my
salvation.
22. The stone the builders
rejected : Is - become the
head of the corner. (St. Matt.
xxi. 42, 43 ; Acts iv. II, 12.)
23. This is from YaH-
W^H : It is marvellous in
our eyes.
24. This is the day YaH-
W^H has - made : Let - us -
exult and be-glad therein.
25. I -pray, YHWH, save-
now : I-pray, YHWH, send-
now prosperity !
26. Blessed is [be] he
that-comes in the Name of
YHWH : We-have-blessed
you from the house of
YHWH.
27. YHWH is God, and
shows us light : Bind the
17. I shall not die, but
live : And recount the works
of the Lord.
18. The Lord has-chasten-
ed me sore : But He has not
given me over to death.
19. Open to me the gates
of justice : I - will - go into
them, and will-give-thanks
to the Lord.
20. This is the gate of
the Lord : Just-men shall-
enter into it.
21. I-will-give-thanks to
Thee, for Thou-hast-heark-
ened to me : And art become
my salvation.
22. The stone which the
builders rejected, the same
is become the head of the
corner.
23. This is done by the
Lord : And it is marvellous
in our eyes.
24 This is the day which
the Lord has-made : Let-us-
exult and be-glad in it.
25. O Lord, save [me]
now : O Lord, send now
prosperity !
26. Blessed is he that
comes in the Name of the
Lord : We-have-blessed you
from the house of the Lord.
(St. Matt. xxi. 9.)
27. The Lord is God, and
He - has - shone upon us :
PSALM 117 (n8). 499
sacrifice with cords as far as Appoint a solemn day with
the horns of the altar. thick-branches ; even to the
horns of the altar.
28. Thou art my God, 28. Thou art my God,
and I will give Thee thanks : and I will-give Thee thanks :
My God, I-will-extol Thee. Thou art my God, and I
will extol Thee. [I will give
Thee thanks, for Thou hast-
hearkened to me, and art
become my salvation.]
29. Give-thanks to Y#H- 29. Give thanks to the
W^H, for He is good : For Lord, for He is good : For
His loving - kindness [en- His mere)- [endures] for
dures] for ever. ever.
This Psalm is obviously a thanksgiving-hymn, composed in
the post-Exilic period, and, as may be gathered from vv. 19, 20,
26, 27, for some occasion connected with the rebuilding of the
Temple. Four different occasions have been assigned : (1) The
feast of Tabernacles in the seventh month of the year of the
Return (1 Esdras (Ezra) iii. 1 — 4. Ewald). (2) The laying of
the foundation-stone of the Zorobabelian Temple in the second
month of the second year (1 Esdras iii. 8 — 13). But cf. vv. 19,
20 ; as Hengstenberg observes, there would have been no gates
at that time. (3) The dedication of the Temple in the twelfth
month of the seventh year of Darius (1 Esdras vi. 15 — 18).
(4) The celebration of "Tabernacles"' recorded in 2 Esdras
(Nehem.) viii. 13 — 18. The Psalm presupposes the completion
of the Temple (vv. 19, 20) ; the "corner-stone" of v. 22 were else
inexplicable. The use of the Psalm in the ritual of the second
Temple points to the conclusion that it was written for the feast
of Tabernacles, and further explanations will favour the proba-
bility that the first feast of Tabernacles, after the completion of
the Temple-building (2 Esdras viii.), was the occasion of its
composition.
v. 1. " For He is good," the refrain of the thanksgiving sung at
laying the foundation-stone (Esdras (Ezra) iii. n). In Cod. Vai.
of LXX., " For He is good " is repeated in vv. 2, 3, 4 ; in Vulgate,
500 PSALM 117 (ll8).
in v. 2 only. " Nunc " (now) of St. Jerome and Vulgate, in
LXX. S>/, dee, renders -na of text, a particle of entreaty, warning,
encouragement. v. 5. "Out of straitness . . . YaH answered
me [and brought me] into a wide-space," i.e., into freedom from
distress, contrasted with a cramped condition, bondage, captivity ;
LXX., ets irXaTva^ov, eis platysmon (into widening, enlargement ;
"set me at large"), cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 20. vv. 6, 7. "YH" to me ;"
St. Jerome, "Thou art my Lord," in v. 6. "To me" = " Mine,"
"for me," "on my side." "What can man," &c, cf. Ps. lv. (56)
5, n. vv. 8, 9. "Good is it" ( = "Better is it"), necessitated in
Hebrew, by the lack of a form for the comparative. " Trust in
man, ... in princes," an allusion to the hostility of the border
tribes, of the Persian officials, during the rebuilding of the
Temple. The work begun under Cyrus, was threatened under
his successor, suspended under pseudo-Smerdis, and resumed
only at the accession of Darius, v. 10. "They compassed me
about," "all nations," the border-tribes with their continual and
obstinate hostility, further emphasized by the four-fold repetition
of " compassed me." " I-will-cut-them-off," better rendered by
the Imperfect, with the implied notion of an action that is con-
tinuous ; LXX., rjfjLwdfji-qv, eemynameen (I repulsed, took vengeance
on) ; St. Augustine, St. Jerome, the Roman, Milanese, and Verona
Psalters follow LXX., and have, with correct Latinity, " ultus sum
eos " ( = I avenged myself upon them), omitting the in (in eos) of
Vulgate. " Quia" ultus sum of St. Jerome and Vulgate is omitted
in LXX. and Anglican Versions; it corresponds to ki in text,
which may be rendered, "in truth," "indeed," "surely." Targum
and Qimchi suppose an ellipsis of " (I hope) that in the Name of
YH" I shall cut them off." By others, "The Name of" is taken
for an oath : " And by the Name of . . . (/ swear) that I will
cut them off." v. 12. "Bees," cf. Deut. i. 44; Jsai. vii. 18.
" Extinguished," so St. Jerome, Targum, Aquila, Symmachus.
LXX. have rendered freely, " Fire of thorns," blazing up as
violently and quickly, and as quickly dying out. v. 13. Probably
addressed to some particular enemy. Lit., " To push " ( = by
pushing — Latin Gerund in -do), "Thou pushedst me to fall"
( = "to falling" — Latin Gerund in -dum). Here and in v. 18
("To chasten [^chastening] YH" chastened me"), the Hebrew
PSALM 117 (1 18). 501
idiom prefixes the Infinitive absolute to a finite verb of the self-
same meaning, to increase the emphasis, to express the intensity
of the action : " I was violently pushed," " He chastened me
severely." v. 14. "My song " = the theme of my song; cf. Isai.
xii. 2. v. 15. "Tents" suggests, at least, the feast of Tabernacles.
"Valiantly," ///., "has done strength," a frequent Semitic idiom ;
the noun in Accusative is construed adverbially. This last clause
of v. 15 should, as in Vulgate, be placed in the next verse, 16,
to which it obviously belongs, v. 19. "Gates of the Temple,
wherein the just God, who by His worship justifies His people,
deigns to dwell," cf. v. 20, "The just shall enter into it;" Pss.
v. 6 ; xiv. (15) 1, 2 ; xxiii. (24) 3 — 6 ; Isai. xxvi. 2. A suggestion
here of a procession to the Temple ; behind the closed gates
whereof, a choir of priests respond to the people ascending the
Temple-Mount, v. 22. With the following verse, applied by the
Christ to Himself (cf. St. Matt. xxi. 42 — 44 ; St. Mark xii. 10, n;
St. Luke xx. 17 ; by St. Peter, Acts iv. 13 ; 1 St. Peter ii. 7). In
his commentary on Mich. v. 2, Rashi quotes this verse as
Messianic; so too the Targum. Isai. xxviii. 16 connects this
Psalm with the frequent references to " the corner-stone " (cf. also
Eph. ii. 20) in the New Testament. Its suitableness to the
occasion for which it was composed is a further proof of its
Messianic import. The miraculous restoration of Israel's nationality
and worship (see v. 23) inspired the expression of the Messianic
hope, that, despite the efforts of hostile powers, the chosen race
would unite to itself the heathen masses in the knowledge and
service of the true God, and the occasion to which the Psalm is
naturally referred, viz., the restoration of the Temple and of its
rites, could but quicken the consciousness of their destiny and
future relation to the Gentiles, v. 24. Hence the assignment of
the Psalm to Sunday Prime, " the Lord's Day," the weekly com-
memoration of the Resurrection. Hence the constant repetition
of v. 24 during the Easter Octave. " In it " = on it, or, " on its
account." vv. 25, 26. See St. Matt. xxi. 9; St. Mark xi. 10;
St. Luke xix. 38; St. John xii. 13. "Save me" ["me"] occurs
neither in text, nor in LXX., nor in St. Jerome. Hoshi "d-nnd,
more familiar to us in its Greek transliteration, " Hosanna,"
blended with the Seraphic hymn in the Divine Liturgy = " Save-
502 PSALM 117 (ll8).
now," "Save, I pray," "Prosper ( = send prosperity) now," //.,
" Prosper, I pray." This verse was sung once on each of the
first six days of Tabernacles, when the altar of holocausts was
solemnly compassed. On the seventh day (called " the great
Hosannah "), the altar was compassed seven times ; and not only
the prayers for the festival, but the palm-branches (htlabhn), with
the myrtles attached thereto, were called " Hosannas." With
this, and v. 26, the multitude greeted Jesus as the Messias,
showing thereby that this Psalm was at that time held to be
Messianic. From the Midrash we learn that v. 26 was the
customary welcome of the people of Jerusalem to the pilgrim-
bands coming up for the feasts, v. 26. If rendered according to
accents, "Blessed in the Name of YH" be he that comes;" i.e.,
the people coming. This may be taken as the blessing of the
priests standing in " the House " to bless those that entered.
Cf. the formula of blessing, Numb. vi. 23 — 26 ; notice the three-
fold repetition of the Incommunicable Name, here, as in the
text referred to. v. 27. "Shows us light," cf. "Make His face
shine [ = "give light," the same verb as here] upon thee " (Numb,
vi. 25). "Show light," by beaming upon us as our Deliverer from
bondage, by restoring our worship, at once our joy and our glory.
There may also be here an allusion to the Shekhinah, or light
betokening the Divine indwelling, which, it was hoped, would
hallow this second Temple as it did that of Solomon (3(1) Kings
viii. n). The second hemistich is variously rendered : Targum,
" Bind-ye the lamb for the festal sacrifice with chains [cords (?),
leaves (?)], while you offer it, and shed its blood on the horns of
the altar;" Syriac, "O Lord our God, bring us light, and bind-
Thou our solemnities with chains even to the horns of the
altar;" St. Jerome, "The Lord is God, and has-appeared to us
( = €7r«0avev r/ixlv, epephanen heemin, of LXX. ) — -frequentate solem-
nitatem in frondosis usque ad cornua a/tart's" ("celebrate in
crowds the solemn feast with leafy [boughs], as far as the horns of
the altar"), which is hardly different from LXX., Syinmachus
transposing the preposition (/';/, with), ^i-vSrycraTe i\> 7rnvtjyvpeL
7rvKaa-fxaTa, Syndecsate en paneegyrei pykasmata (LXX., kv tois ttvko.-
£ovaiv, en tois pykazousin— Bind-together on the public holiday
thickly-covered [branches,?]). Neither Syinmachus nor LXX. can
PSALM Il8 (119). 503
be understood to refer to compact crowds of men, or of victims.
But in confrequentatio?iibus, in frequentationibus, of most of the
old Latin Psalters, can bear no other meaning. For rendering of
LXX., cf. Ezech. xix. 11 ; xx. 28, &c. But to the text: chagh =
(1) a festival; in Talmud mostly, that of Tabernacles; (2) a
festal sacrifice, or victim, so Exod. xxiii. 18; Mai. ii. 3. The
word rendered "cords" ( = etymologically, "something inter-
woven, intertwined"); hence (1) "a rope," "bonds;" (2) "a
braid, or wreath of small rods woven together;" (3) "a branch
with thick foliage" (Ezech. xix. n; xxxi. 3, 10, 14). "Altar,"
without an adjunct, invariably denotes the altar of holocausts.
The text probably means, " Bind with cords the festal-victims
[which, on account of their number, reach] as far as the horns of
the altar (?)." v. 28. "I will-give thanks . . . salvation," a repe-
tition of v. 21, wanting in text, Targum, Syriac, St. Jerome, and
in LXX. and Origen's Hexapla.
PSALM 118 (119). PSALM 118 (119).
Aleph = Ox, stands for the slight and involuntary aspiration needed for the
utterance of a vowel unattended by a consonant, as h in hour ; trans-
literated here by the Greek (').
i. The blessednesses of Alleluia. 1. Blessed are
(i.e., Blessed are) the upright the undefiled in way : Who
in way : That walk in the walk in the Law of the Lord.
Law of YrtHW^H.
2. O the blessednesses of- 2. Blessed are they that
them- (i.e., Blessed are they) search-out His Testimonies :
that-keep His Testimonies : They-seek Him with the
That-seek Him with the whole heart.
whole heart.
3. They also do no ini- 3. For they that work
quity : In His Ways do- iniquity : Walk not in His
they-walk. Ways.
4. Thou hast -enjoined 4. Thou hast-enjoined
Thy Precepts : That [we] that Thy Commandments
should-observe [them] dili- be-kept diligently.
gently.
504
PSALM Il8 (119).
5. Oh that my ways were-
directed To observe Thy
Statutes !
6. Then shall-I-not be-
ashamed : When I - look
upon all Thy Command-
ments.
7. I -will-give-thanks to
Thee with uprightness of
heart : When I-learn Thy
just Judgments.
8. Thy Statutes I-will-
observe : Forsake me not
utterly.
5. Oh that my ways were-
directed to keep Thine
Ordinances !
6. Then shall-I-not be-
ashamed : When I - look
upon all Thy Command-
ments.
7. I will-give-Thee thanks
with uprightness of heart :
When I -shall-have-learnt
Thy just Judgments.
8. I-will-keep Thine Ordi-
nances : Forsake me not
utterly.
Beth = House, b, bh, v.
9. Wherewithal shall a 9. How shall a youth
young-man keep his path direct his way ? By keep-
pure ? By attending [to it, ing Thy Words.
to himself (?)] according to
Thy Word.
10. With my whole heart
have-I-sought Thee : Let-
me-not wander from Thy
Commandments.
11. In my heart have-I-
hid Thine Utterance : That
I - might - not sin against
Thee.
12. Blessed art THOU,
YaHWeH : Teach me Thy
Statutes.
13. With my lips have-I-
10. With my whole heart
have-I-sought Thee : Cast
me not away from Thy
Commandments.
11. In my heart have-I-
laid - up Thine Oracles :
That I-might-not sin against
Thee.
u. Blessed art Thou, O
Lord : Teach me Thine
Ordinances.
13. With my lips have-I-
declared : All the Judg- declared : All the Judgments
merits of Thy mouth. of Thy mouth.
14. In the way of Thy 14. In the way of Thy
Testimonies I-rejoice : [As Testimonies I-take-delight :
much] as in all riches. [As much] as in all riches.
PSALM Il8 (119).
505
15. On Thy Precepts will-
I meditate : And consider
Thy Paths.
16. In Thy Statutes will-
I-delight-myself. I-will-not
forget Thy Word.
15. I - will - meditate on
Thy Commandments : And
will-consider Thy ways.
16. I - will - meditate on
Thine Ordinances : I-will-
not forget Thy Words.
Gi-mel= Camel, g in go.
i J. Deal-bountifully with
Thy servant, [that]- 1 -may-
live ; So shall - 1 - observe
Thy Word.
18. Unveil mine eyes, that
I -may- behold : Wondrous-
things out of Thy Law.
19. A sojourner am I in
the earth : Hide not from
me Thy Commandments.
20. My soul is-crushed for
longing : After Thy Judg-
ments at all times.
21. Thou-hast-rebuked the
proud, the accurst : Who go-
astray from Thy Command-
ments.
22. Remove from me
reproach and contempt :
For I-have-kept Thy Testi-
monies.
23. Princes also sat and
talked against me : [But]
Thy servant meditates on
Thy Statutes.
24. Thy Testimonies also
are my delight : [And] the
men of my counsel.
17. Deal-bountifully with
Thy servant, quicken me,
So shall-I-keep Thy Words.
18. Uncover mine eyes,
and I-shall-behold : The
wonders out of Thy Law.
19. I-am a sojourner in the
earth : Hide not Thy Com-
mandments from me.
20. My soul yearns and
longs : For Thine Ordi-
nances at all times.
21. Thou-hast-rebuked
the proud : Cursed are they
that turn-aside from Thy
Commandments.
22. Remove from me
reproach and contempt :
For-I-have-sought-out Thy
Testimonies.
23. For truly princes sat
and talked against me : But
Thy servant was meditating
on Thine Ordinances.
24. For Thy Testimonies
are my meditation : And
Thine Ordinances my Coun-
sel.
506
PSALM Il8 (i 19).
Da-leth^
25. My soul cleaves to
the dust : Quicken me
according to Thy Word.
26. My ways have-I-told,
and Thou - answeredst me :
Teach me Thy Statutes.
27. Make - me to - under-
stand the way of Thy
Precepts: So shall-I-medi-
tate on Thy wonders.
28. My soul weeps-itself-
away through sorrow : Set-
me-up - again according to
Thy Word.
29. The way of falsehood
remove from me : And
graciously - impart to me
Thy Law.
30. The way of faithful-
ness have - I - chosen : Thy
Judgments have - I - set
[before me].
31. I-cleave to Thy Testi-
monies : YtfHWt'H, put-me
not to-shame.
32. I-will-run the way of
Thy Commandments : When
Thou-shalt-enlargemy heart.
Door, d, dh.
25. My soul cleaves to
the ground : Ouicken me
according to Thy Word.
26. I-have-declared my
ways, and Thou - heardest
me : Teach me Thine
Ordinances.
27. Instruct me in the
way of Thine Ordinances :
So shall-I-meditate on Thy
wondrous-works.
28. My soul slumbers
through weariness: Strength-
en-Thou mewith Thy Words.
29. Remove from me the
way of injustice : And have-
mercy on me by [teaching
me] Thy Law.
30. I-have-chosen the way
of truth : I-have not-for-
gotten Thy Judgments.
31. I-have-stuck to Thy
Testimonies, O Lord : Put-
me not to-shame.
32. I-ran the way of Thy
Commandments: When
Thou - didst - enlarge my
heart.
He Lattice (?), // in hand, (J reek (').
l^. Teach me, YaHWi'H, n. Lay-down-as-a-law for
the way of Thy Statutes: me, 0 Lord, the way of Thine
And I-shall-kcep it to the Ordinances: And I-will-seek
end. it continually.
34. Give - me - under - 34. Give me under-
PSALM Il8 (119)
507
standing, and I-shall-keep
Thy Law : Yea, I-will-observe
it with all my heart.
35. Make-me to-go in the
path of Thy Command-
ments : For therein I-delight.
36. Incline my heart to
Thy Testimonies : And not
to covetousness (i.e., unjust
gain).
37. Turn-away mine eyes,
from seeing vanity : In Thy
Ways quicken me.
3$. Confirm Thine Utter-
ance [promise (?)] to Thy
servant : Which is [in order]
to Thy fear.
39. Turn - away my re-
proach which- I-dread : For
Thy Judgments are good.
40. Lo, I - have - longed-
after Thy Precepts : In Thy
justice quicken me.
standing, and I-will-search-
into Thy Law : And will-
keep it with my whole heart.
35. Guide me in the path
of Thy Commandments :
For therein do-I-delight.
36. Incline my heart to
Thy Testimonies : And not
to covetousness.
37. Turn-away mine eyes,
lest they - behold vanity :
Quicken me in Thy Way.
38. Confirm to Thy servant
Thine Oracle: That he-may-
fear Thee.
39. Take - away my
reproach which- 1 -forebode :
For Thy Judgments are
good.
40. Lo, I - have - longed
after Thy Commandments :
Quicken me in Thy right-
eousness.
Vav, Vau, or Wau =
41. And let Thy loving-
goodness come to me, YaW-
W^H : Thy salvation accord-
ing to Thine Utterance (i.e.,
promise).
42. And (i.e., so) shall I
have wherewith to answer
him-that-reproaches me : For
I-trust in Thy Word.
43. And take not the
word of truth utterly out of
= nail, hook, v, w.
41. Let Thy mercy also
come upon me, O Lord :
Thy salvation according to
Thine Oracle.
42. So shall I have
wherewith to answer them-
that-reproach me : For I-
have-trusted in Thy Words.
43. And take not the word
of truth utterly out of my
5oS
PSALM I 18 (119).
my mouth : For in Thy
Judgments I-have-hoped.
44. And (i.e., so) shall-I-
observe Thy Law con-
tinually : For ever and ever.
45. And I-will-walk in a
wide - space : For I - have-
sought Thy Precepts.
46. And I-will-speak of
Thy Testimonies before
kings: And will -not- be -
ashamed.
47. And I -will - delight -
myself in Thy Command-
ments : Which I-love.
48. And I-will-lift-up my
hands to Thy Command-
ments, which I-love : And
will-meditate on Thy Stat-
utes.
mouth: For I-have-hoped
in Thy Judgments.
44. So-shall-I-keep Thy
Law continually : For ever
and ever.
45. And I-walked at large :
Because I-sought-out Thy
Commandments.
46. I -spoke also of Thy
Testimonies before kings :
And was not ashamed.
47. And I - meditated on
Thy Commandments: Which
I-love.
48. And I-lifted-up my
hands to Thy Command-
ments, which I-love : And
meditated on Thine Ordin-
ances.
Za-yin = Weapon, z, sd, st.
49. Remember the Word 49. Remember Thy Word
to Thy servant : Wherein
Thou-hast-made me-hope.
50. This is my comfort in
mine affliction : For Thine
Utterance has-quickened me.
51. The proud have-
to Thy servant : Wherein
Thou-hast-made me hope.
50. This comforts me in
mine affliction : For Thine
Oracle has-quickened me.
51. The proud have -
scoffed at me exceedingly : transgressed exceedingly :
[Yet] I -swerved not from
Thy Law.
52. I - remember Thy
Judgments of old, YaH-
VJe]{ : And have-comforted-
myscll.
53. Hot-indignation has-
But I - swerved not from
Thy Law.
52. I - remember Thy
Judgments of old, O -Lord :
And am comforted.
53. Desolation has-taken-
seized-upon-me, Because of hold-of me, Because of the
PSALM Il8 (U9)
509
the wicked who-forsake Thy
Law.
54. Songs to me (i.e., my
songs) have-been Thy Stat-
utes : In the house of my
pilgrimage.
55. I - remember Thy
Name in the night, YHWH :
And have - observed Thy
Law.
56. This was to me (i.e.,
This I had): Because I-
kept Thy Precepts.
Cheth= Fence,
57. My portion is YaR-
W^H : I-have-said, that I-
may-observe Thy Words.
58. I - entreated Thy
favour with [my] whole
heart : Be - gracious to me
according to Thine Utter-
ance (i.e., promise).
59. I - thought on my
ways : And turned my feet
to Thy Testimonies.
60. I - hastened, and
delayed not : To observe
Thy Commandments.
61. The snares of the
wicked have - surrounded
me : [But] Thy Law I-have-
not forgotten.
62. At midnight I -will -
rise to give-thanks to Thee :
Because of Thy just Judge-
ments.
63. I am a companion of
sinners who - forsake Thy
Law.
54. Thine Ordinances
have-been the-theme-of-my-
song : In the place of my
pilgrimage.
55. I - remembered Thy
Name, O Lord, Thy Name
in - the - night : And have-
kept Thy Law.
56. This was my lot :
Because I-sought-out Thine
Ordinances.
hh, ch in loch.
57. Thou are my portion,
O Lord : I-said, I-will-keep
Thy Law.
58. I - supplicated Thy
countenance with my whole
heart : Be-merciful to me
according to Thine Oracle.
59. I-pondered my ways :
And turned my feet to Thy
Testimonies.
60. I -am -resolved (and
am not terrified) : To keep
Thy Commandments.
61. The snares of sinners
have-entangled me : But I-
forgot not Thy Law.
62. At midnight I-rise to
give - thanks to Thee :
Because of Thy just Judg-
ments.
63. A companion am I
5io
PSALM Il8 (119).
all them that - fear - Thee :
And of them-that-observe
Thy Precepts.
64. The earth, YHWH,
is full of Thy loving-good-
ness : Teach me Thy Stat-
utes.
of all them-that-fear Thee :
And of them-that-keep Thy
Commandments.
64. The earth, O Lord,
is full of Thy mercy : Teach
me Thine Ordinances.
Teth=Snake (?), t.
65. Thou-hast-dealt well
with Thy servant : YHWH,
according to Thy Word.
66. Goodness of discern-
ment and knowledge teach
me : For I - believe Thy
Commandments.
67. Before I-was-afflicted,
. I went-astray : But now I-
observe Thine Utterance.
68. Good art Thou, and
dost-good : Teach me Thy
Statutes.
69. The proud have -
patched-up a lie against me :
As for me, with [my] whole
heart, will - I - keep Thy
Precepts.
70. Their heart is as fat
as grease : [But] I delight in
Thy Law.
71. 'Tis good for me that
I-havc-becn-afflicted : That
I -might-learn Thy Statutes.
72. Good (i.e., better) to
65. Thou - hast - wrought
kindness to Thy servant, O
Lord : According to Thy
Word.
66. Teach me kindness,
discernment and knowledge :
For- 1 - believe Thy Com-
mandments.
67. Before I-was-brought-
low, I-transgressed : There-
fore do - I - observe Thine
Oracle.
68. Thou
Therefore, of
ness : Teach
Ordinances.
69. The injustice of the
proud is increased against
me : But I, with mv whole
heart, will-search into Thy
Commandments.
70. Their heart is-curdled
like milk : As for me I-
mcditate on Thy Law.
71. 'Tis good for me that
Thou-hast-afflicted me: That
I-may-learn Thine Ordi-
nances :
72. Better to me is the
art
Thy
me
good;
Good-
Thine
PSALM Il8 (IIQ).
511
me is the Law of Thy mouth: Law of Thy mouth: Than
Than thousands of gold and thousands of gold and silver.
silver.
Y6dh = Hand, y, initial Yodh as_y in York.
73. Thy hands have-made
me and formed me : Give-
me-understanding that I-
may-learn Thy Command-
ments.
74. They-that-fear Thee
shall-see me and be-glad :
For in Thy Word have-I-
hoped.
75. I-know, YaHWeH,
that Thy judgments are just
(lit., justice) : And that in
faithfulness Thou - hast -
afflicted me.
y6. Let, I-beg, Thy loving-
goodness be for my comfort :
According to Thine Utter-
ance (i.e., promise) to Thy
servant.
yy. Let Thy tender -
mercies come to me, that I-
may-live : For Thy Law is
my delight.
78. Let the proud be-
ashamed, for they-have-per-
verted-my-cause with-false-
hood : As for me, I-will-
meditate on Thy Precepts.
79. Let them -that -fear
Thee turn to me : And
they-shall-know Thy Testi-
monies.
80. Let my heart be up-
yi. Thy hands have-made
me and fashioned me : Give
me understanding, and I-
shall-learn Thy Command-
ments.
74. They that fear Thee
will-be-glad, when they-see
me : For I -have-hoped in
Thy Words.
75. I-know, O Lord, that
Thy Judgments are right:
And that in [Thy] faithful-
ness Thou-hast-afflicted me.
76. Let Thy mercy be to
comfort me : According to
Thine Oracle (i.e., promise)
to Thy servant.
yy. Let Thy tender-
mercies come to me ; that
I-may-live : For Thy Law
is my meditation.
y2>. Let the proud be-
ashamed, for they -have -
transgressed against me
wrongfully ; But I will-
meditate on Thy Command-
ments.
79. Let them that fear
Thee turn to me : Even
they that know Thy Testi-
monies.
80. Let my heart be
512
PSALM Il8 (119).
right in Thy Statutes : That blameless in Thine Ordi-
I-be-not ashamed. nances: That I -be -not-
ashamed.
Kaph=The hand bent, k, kh.
81. My soul faints for
Thy salvation : In Thy
Word have-I-hoped.
82. Mine eyes fail for
Thine Utterance (i.e., pro-
mise) : Saying, " When vvilt-
Thou-comfort me ? "
83. For I-am-become like
a wine-skin in the smoke :
[Yet] I-forget not Thy
Statutes.
84. How many are the
days of Thy servant : When
wilt - Thou - execute Judg-
ment on my persecutors ?
85. The proud have-dug
pits for me : Who are not
according to Thy Law.
86. All Thy Command-
ments are faithfulness :
They-persecute me wrong-
fully ; help-Thou me.
87. They-had all butmade-
an-end of me in the earth ;
But as for me, I-forsook not
Thy Precepts.
88. Quicken me of Thy
loving-goodness : So shall-
I-observe the Testimony of
Thy mouth.
81. My soul has-fainted
for Thy salvation : But I-
hope in Thy Word.
82. Mine eyes fail for
Thine Oracle ; Saying,
" When wilt-Thou-comfort
me?"
83. For I-am-become like
a wine-skin in frost : [Yet] I-
forget not Thine Ordinances.
84. How many are the
days of Thy servant ? When
wilt - Thou - execute Judg -
ment on my persecutors ?
85. Wicked-men have-
told me idle-tales : Not so
Thy Law [or, But not
according to Thy Law].
86. All Thy Command-
ments are truth : They-per-
secute me unjustly ; help-
Thou me.
87. They - had - almost
made-an-end of me in the
earth : But, as for me, I-
forsook not Thy Command-
ments.
88. Of Thy mercy do-
Thou-quicken me : So shall-
I-keep the Testimonies of
Thy mouth.
PSALM I IS (119).
513
La-medh = Ox-goad, 1.
89. For ever, YaHWeH :
Thy Word is - settled in
the heavens.
90. Unto generation and
generation is Thy Faith-
fulness : Thou-hast-founded
the earth, and it - stands -
fast.
91. As for Thy Judg-
ments, they-stand-fast this
day : For all-things are Thy
servants.
92. Unless Thy Law had-
been my - delight : Then
should - I - have- perished in
mine affliction.
93. Never will-I-forget
Thy Precepts : For by them
Thou-hast-quickened me.
94. To Thee I (i.e., Thine
am I), save me. For I -have-
sought Thy Precepts.
95. The wicked have-
waited for me, to destroy
me : [But] Thy Testimonies
do-I-consider.
96. Of all perfection I-
have-seen an end : Thy Com-
mandment is exceeding
broad.
89. Thy Word, O Lord,
abides for ever in heaven.
90. Thy Truth is unto all
generations : Thou - hast -
founded the earth, and it-
abides.
Arrange-
91. By Thine
ment, the day continues :
For all-things obey Thee.
92. Were-it-not that Thy
Law is my meditation :
Then had-I-perished in mine
affliction.
93. Never will-I-forget
Thine Ordinances : For by
them Thou-hast-quickened
me.
94. Thine am I, save me :
For I-have-sought-out Thine
Ordinances.
95. Sinners laid-wait for
me, to destroy me : But
I-considered Thy Testi-
monies.
96. I-have-seen an end of
all perfection : Thy Com-
mandment is exceeding
broad.
Mem = Water, m.
97. How love-I Thy Law ! 97. How I-love Thy Law,
All the day it is my medi- O Lord : It is my medita-
tation. tion all the day.
HH
5i4
PSALM Il8 (H9).
98. Thy Commandments
make-me-wiser than mine
enemies : For it is ever with
me.
99. I-understand more
than all my teachers : For
Thy Testimonies are my
meditation.
100. I-understand more
than the aged : For I-have-
kept Thy Precepts.
101. From every evil path
have-I-refrained my feet :
That I-might-observe Thy
Word.
102. From Thy Judg-
ments I -have-not-swerved :
For THOU hast-taught me.
103. How sweet-are Thine
Utterances to my palate !
[Yea, sweeter] than honey to
my mouth !
104. Through Thy Pre-
cepts I-get-understanding :
Therefore I -hate every path
of falsehood (i.e., false way).
Nun =
105. A lamp to my foot
is Thy Word : And a light
to my path.
106. I -have-sworn and am-
resolved : To observe Thy
just Judgments.
107. I -am afflicted very-
much : Quicken me, YaH-
W^H, according to Thy
Word.
98. Through Thy Com-
mandment, Thou-makest-
me wiser than mine enemies :
For it is for ever mine.
99. I-understand more
than all my teachers : For
Thy Testimonies are my
meditation.
100. I-understand more
than the aged : Because I-
have-sought-after Thy Com-
mandments.
101. I-have-kept-back my
feet from every evil path :
That I - may - keep Thy
Words.
102. I -have-not swerved
from Thy Judgments: For
THOU hast-given me a law.
103. How sweet are Thine
Oracles to my throat ! More
so than honey to my mouth !
104. I-gain-understanding
from Thy Commandments :
Therefore I - hate every
unjust way.
Fish, n.
105. Thy Word is a lamp
to my feet : And a light to
my paths.
106. I - have - sworn and
determined : To keep Thy
just Judgments.
107. I-am greatly afflicted,
O Lord : Quicken me
according to Thy Word.
PSALM Il8 (119).
515
108. Accept, I - pray,
YHWH, the free-will -offer-
ings of my mouth : And
teach me Thy Judgments.
109. My soul is continu-
ally in my hand : Yet I-
forget not Thy Law.
1 10. The wicked have-
laid a snare for me : Yet
went-I not astray from Thy
Precepts.
in. Thy Testimonies
have-I-taken-as an inherit-
ance for ever : For they are
the joy of my heart.
112. I-have-inclined my
heart to perform Thy Stat-
utes : For an everlasting
reward [or, Always, to the
end].
Sa-mekh =
113. Sceptics I hate: But
Thy Law do- 1 -love.
114. My hiding-place and
my shield art THOU : I hope
in Thy Word.
115. Depart from me, ye
evil-doers : That I - may -
keep the Commandments of
my God.
116. Stay me according
to Thine Utterance (i.e.,
promise), that I-may-live :
And let me not be-ashamed
of my hope.
117. Hold-Thou-me-up,
and I-shall-be-safe : And
108. Accept, O Lord, the
free- will - offerings of my
mouth : And teach me Thy
Judgments.
109. My soul is continu-
ally in my hands : Yet I-
forget not Thy Law.
no. Sinners have-laid a
snare for me : Yet I -erred
not from Thy Command-
ments.
in. I-have-taken Thy
Testimonies as an heritage
for ever : For they are the
joy of my heart.
112. I-have-inclined my
heart to fulfil Thine Ordin-
ances : Always, for the sake
of the reward.
A prop, s.
113. I -hate the iniquitous :
But Thy Law do-I-love.
114. My helper and my
stay art THOU : And in Thy
Word do- 1 -hope.
115. Depart from me, ye
wicked-ones : For I - will -
search-into the Command-
ments of my God.
116. Uphold me accord-
ing to Thine Oracle, that I-
may-live : And make-me
not ashamed of mine
expectation.
117. Help me, and I-shall
be-saved : And I-will-medi-
5i6
PSALM Il8 (119).
will - take - delight in Thy
Statutes continually.
118. Thou - scornest all
that wander from Thy Stat-
utes : For their craftiness is
falsehood.
1 19. Thou-removest all
the wicked of the earth like
dross : Therefore I -love Thy
Testimonies.
120. My flesh shudders
for fear of Thee : And of
Thy Judgments I-am-afraid.
tate on Thine Ordinances
continually.
118. Thou - scornest all
that-swerve from Thy Judg-
ments : For their inward-
thought is unjust.
119. I - reckon all the
sinners of the earth as trans-
gressors : Therefore I -love
Thy Testimonies.
120. Penetrate my flesh
with Thy fear: For I-am-
afraid of Thy Judgments.
A-yTn = Eye ; a deep guttural sound w
Represented here by the Greek
121. I-have-done Judg-
ment and Justice : Leave me
not to mine oppressors.
122. Be-surety for Thy
servant for good : Let not
the proud oppress me.
123. Mine eyes fail for
Thy salvation : And for Thy
just Utterance (i.e., promise).
124. Deal with Thy ser-
vant according to Thy
loving-goodness : And teach
me Thy Statutes.
125. Thy servant am I,
give - me - understanding :
That I - may - know Thy
Testimonies.
126. 'Tis time for YaH-
W<?H to act : They-have-
made-void Thy Law.
ithout an equivalent in our language,
sign of aspiration " doubled.
121. I-have-done Judg-
ment and Justice : Give me
not up to them-that-wrong
me.
122. Receive Thy servant
for [his] good : Let not the
proud wrong me [or, accuse-
me-falsely].
123. Mine eyes fail for
Thy salvation : And for Thy
just Oracle (i.e., promise).
1 24. Deal with Thy servant
according to Thy mercy :
And teach me Thine Ordi-
nances.
125. I am Thy servant,
give - me understanding :
That I-may-know Thy Tes-
timonies.
126. 'Tis time to act, O
Lord : They-have-utterly-
annullcd Thy Law.
PSALM Il8 (lI9).
517
127. Therefore I-love Thy
Commandments : More than
gold, yea, more than fine-
gold.
128. Therefore I - deem
all [Thy] Precepts of every
kind to-be - right : I - hate
every false path.
127. Therefore I-love Thy
Commandments : Above
gold, or the topaz.
128. Therefore do I-direct-
myself [according] to all Thy
Commandments. I - hate
every unjust way.
Pe — Mouth, p, ph.
129. Wondrous are Thy
Testimonies : Therefore does
my soul keep them.
130. The unfolding of Thy
Words enlightens : Gives-
understanding to the simple.
131. I-opened-wide my
mouth and panted : For I-
longed-for Thy Command-
ments.
132. Turn-Thee to me,
and be-gracious to me :
According to [Thy] wont
129. Wondrous are Thy
Testimonies : Therefore has
my soul searched-into them.
130. The unveiling of Thy
Words enlightens : And gives
understanding to little-ones.
131. I-opened my mouth
and drew breath : For I-
earnestly- longed for Thy
Commandments.
132. Look upon me, and
have-mercy on me : After
the manner of-them-that-
to - those - that - love Thy love Thy Name.
Name.
133. Order my footsteps 133. Order my footsteps
by Thine Utterance : And
let no iniquity domineer over
me.
134. Redeem me from the
oppression of man : That
I -may-observe Thy Precepts.
135. Make Thy face to-
shine upon Thy servant :
And teach me Thy Statutes.
136. In rivers of waters
by Thine Oracle : And let
not any iniquity domineer
over me.
134. Redeem me from
the false-accusations of men :
That I-may-keep Thy Com-
mandments.
135. Make Thy face to-
shine upon Thy servant :
And teach me Thine Ordi-
nances.
136. Mine eyes pour-
5i8
PSALM Il8 (H9).
mine eyes run-down : Be- down streams of water :
cause they-observe not Thy Because they-keep not Thy
Law. Law.
Tsa-dhe = Fish-hook, Ts (not Z).
137. Thou art just, O
Lord : And Thy Judgment
is upright.
138. Thou - hast - com -
manded justice and [Thy]
[As] Thy
137. Just art Thou, YaH-
WeH : And upright are Thy
Judgments.
138. Thou - hast - com -
manded Thy Testimonies
in justice : And [in] exceed- perfect truth
ing faithfulness. Testimonies.
139. Myzeal has-consumed 139. My zeal has-quite-
me : Because mine adver- wasted me : Because mine
saries have-forgotten Thy enemies have- forgotten Thy
Words. Words.
140. Thine Utterance is 140. Thine Oracle is fire-
fire-proved to-the-uttermost. tried to - the - uttermost :
Therefore Thy servant loves Therefore Thy servant loves
it. it.
141. Small am I and des- 141. I am young and des-
pised : Thy Precepts I-for- pised : [Yet] I have not for-
get not. gotten Thine Ordinances.
142. Thy justice is an 142. Thy justice is an
everlasting justice: And Thy everlasting justice: And
Law is truth.
143. Distress and anguish
have-laid-hold on me : Thy
Commandments are my
delight.
144. Thy Testimonies are
everlasting justice : Give-
me-understanding, and I-
shall-live.
Thy Law is truth.
143. Distress and penury
have-found me : Thy Com-
mandments are my medita-
tion.
144. Thy Testimonies are
everlasting justice : Give me
understanding, and I-shall-
live.
145.
Qoph = Back of the head, q.
I-have-called with 145. I-have-called with
[my] whole heart ; " answer my whole heart ; " hear me,
PSALM Il8 (U9).
519
me, YaHWeU : I-will-keep
Thy Statutes."
146. I - have - called to
Thee ; save me : And I-
shall - observe Thy Testi-
monies.
147. I - anticipated the
dawn, and cried: I-hoped in
Thy Word.
148. Mine eyes antici-
pated the night-watches :
To meditate on Thine Utter-
ance.
149. Hear my voice accord-
ing to Thy loving-goodness:
YrtHW^H, quicken me ac-
cordingto Thyjudgments [or,
according to Thy wont (?)].
1 50. They-draw-nigh that-
follow - after wickedness :
They-are-far from Thy Law.
151. Thou art nigh,
YHVVH : And all Thy
Commandments are truth.
152. Of-old have- 1 -known
from Thy Testimonies : That
Thou-hast-founded them for
O Lord : I-will-search-out
Thine Ordinances."
146. I - have - called to
Thee ; save me : That I-
may-keep Thy Command-
ments.
147. I-came-before [Thee]
at twilight, and cried :
[Because] I-hoped in Thy
Words.
148. Mine eyes were-fixed
[on Thee] before the dawn :
That I-might-meditate on
Thine Oracles.
149. Hear my voice ac-
cording to Thy mercy, O
Lord : And quicken me
according to Thy Judgment.
ever.
Resh =
153. See mine affliction,
and deliver me: For I-forget
not Thy Law.
154 Plead my cause, and
1 50. They-draw-nigh that-
persecute me unjustly : But
from Thy Law they are far-
removed.
151. Thou art nigh, O
Lord : And all Thy Ways
are truth. (Commandments,
Cod. Alex?)
152. Long-since have-I-
known concerning Thy Tes-
timonies : That Thou-hast-
founded them for ever.
Head, r.
153. Consider my dejec-
tion, and rescue me : For
I -have not forgotten Thy
Law.
154. Vindicate my right,
520
PSALM Il8 (lI9).
redeem me : Quicken me
according to Thine Utter-
ance (i.e., promise).
155. Salvation is far from
the wicked : For they-seek
not Thy Statutes.
1 56. Many [great (?)] are
Thy tender-mercies, YaH-
Wt'H : Quicken me accord-
ing to Thy Judgments.
157. Many are my perse-
cutors and mine adversaries :
From Thy Testimonies I-
have-not swerved.
158. I-beheld the faithless
and was-filled-with-loathing:
Because they - observe not
Thine Utterance.
159. See how I-love Thy
Precepts : YHWH, quicken
me according to Thy loving-
goodness.
160. The sum of Thy
Word is truth : And every
one of Thy just Judgments
[endures] for ever.
and redeem me : Quicken
me because of Thine Oracle.
155. Salvation is far from
sinners : For they-search not-
out Thine Ordinances.
156. Thy tender-mercies
are many, O Lord : Quicken
me according to Thy Judg-
ment.
157. Many are they that
persecute and afflict me :
Yet I-have-not-swerved from
Thy Testimonies.
158. I-beheld the trans-
gressors and pined-away :
Because they-observe not
Thine Oracles.
159. See how I-love Thy
Commandments, O Lord :
Quicken me in Thy mercy.
160. The beginning (i.e.,
the substance) of Thy Words
is truth : All Thy just Judg-
ments [endure] for ever.
Shin, Sin = Tooth, sh, s.
161. Princes have-perse- 161. Princes have-perse-
cuted me without-a-cause : cuted me without a cause :
But my heart stands-in-awe But my heart trembles at
of Thy Word.
162. I rejoice at Thine
Utterance: As one-that-finds
great spoil.
163. Falsehood I-hate and
abhor : Thy Law do-I-love.
Thy Words.
162. I rejoice at Thine
Oracles : As one that finds
much spoil.
163. Iniquity I-hate and
abominate : But I-love Thy
Law.
PSALM Il8 (119).
521
164. Seven-times a day
do-I-praise Thee: Because
of Thy just Judgments.
165. Much peace have
they-who-love Thy Law :
And for them there is no
stumbling-block (1 St. John
ii. 10).
166. I -have-hoped for Thy
salvation, YHWH : And
have-done Thy Command-
ments.
167. My soul has-observed
Thy Testimonies : And I-
love them exceedingly.
168. I-have- observed Thy
Precepts and Thy Testi-
monies : For all my ways
are before Thee.
Tau, Tav = Cross (the shape it had
169. Let my cry come-
near before Thee, YaH VWH :
Give-me-understanding ac-
cording to Thy Word.
170. Let my supplication
come before Thy face :
Deliver me according to
Thine Utterance.
171. Let my lips pour-
forth praise : For Thou-
teachest me Thy Statutes.
172. Let my tongue repeat
Thine Utterance : For all
Thy Commandments are
justice.
164. Seven-times a day
do-I-praise Thee: Because
of Thy just Judgments.
165. Much peace have
they who love Thy Law :
And there is for them no
stumbling-block.
166. I -have -waited for
Thy salvation, O Lord :
And I-love Thy Command-
ments.
167. My soul has-kept
Thy Testimonies: i\nd loved
them exceedingly.
168. I -have-observed all
Thy Commandments and
Testimonies : For all no-
ways are before Thee.
in the old Hebrew alphabet) ; t, th.
169. Let my supplication
come-near before Thee, O
Lord : Give me understand-
ing according to Thine
Oracle.
170. Let my supplication
come-in before Thv face :
Rescue me according to
Thine Oracle.
171. A hymn shall-gush
forth from my lips : When
Thou-shalt-have-taught me
Thine Ordinances.
172. My tongue shall-pro-
claim Thine Oracle : For
all Th)' Commandments are
justice.
522 PSALM Il8 (lI9).
173. Let Thy hand be a 173. Let Thy hand be
help to me : For I-have- [prompt] to save me : For I-
chosen Thy Precepts. have-chosen Thy Command-
ments.
174. 1-have-longed for Thy 174. I - have- longed for
salvation, YHWH : And Thy Thy salvation, O Lord : And
Law is my delight. Thy Law is my meditation.
175. Let my soul live, and 175. My soul shall-live
it-shall-praise Thee : And and praise Thee : And Thy
let Thy Judgments help me. Judgments shall-help me.
176. I-have-strayed like a 176. I -have-strayed like
lost sheep ; seek Thy servant : a lost sheep : seek-Thy
For I-forget-not Thy Com- servant: For I -have-not -
mandments. forgotten Thy Command-
ments.
This Psalm consists of twenty-two stanzas ; each stanza
contains eight verses, each verse consisting of two members
only, and each beginning with the same letter of the alphabet,
according to the regular sequence of the Hebrew letters (22x8 =
176). The like arrangement is adopted in Lament, hi., but there
the stanzas consist but of three verses, each beginning with the same
letter. In the Masora this Psalm is called " the great Alphabet ; "
its arrangement, as appears to some expositors, has been adapted
as an aid to memory, the Psalm being especially selected for the
instruction of youth. It were labour lost to look here for the
progressive movement, the orderly development of a dominant
thought, connecting and giving unity to the several parts, as even
in single stanzas it is often impossible to trace a sequence.
Hence each stanza may be taken as a composition complete in,
and by itself; accordingly the Monastic and the Mozarabic
Breviary count each octonary as one Psalm, in the weekly dis-
tribution of the Psalter. The date, author, and occasion of this
Psalm are unknown. Some, but very few expositors ascribe it to
! >avid, while others, relegating it to the Machabrean period,
regard it as a work wherewith the captive Jonathan solaced his
involuntary leisure. Another, and, to all seeming, more plausible
conjecture dates its composition at the latter period of the
PSALM Il8 (119). 523
Persian dominion. Thalhofer, however, observes that the situa-
tion alluded to more than once in the Psalm points rather to the
time of the Captivity. Deprived of all that had hitherto dis-
tinguished them from the heathen masses, the chosen race learned
at last to cling to the Law it had so often and so continually
set at nought, to cherish it as the badge and safeguard of its
nationality, doomed, to all seeming, to be absorbed by the
heathenism which hemmed it in on every side. The zeal for
the Law, which is the burden of this Psalm, its reiterated expres-
sion of the conviction that the hope of restoration was bound up
with the faithful observance thereof, that for such observance
was needed the bestowal of a higher light, strength, and life ; the
mention of the wrongs endured at the hands of apostates, of false
brethren, and of the heathen rulers, delineate a situation for which
the Captivity supplies the most fitting historical background.
When referring to this Psalm, the Fathers ever mention it in
terms of the highest praise. St. Ambrose styles it, "the consum-
mation of Christian perfection." A still more telling proof of its
excellence is its selection by Holy Church, as a main portion of
her daily tribute of praise and supplication, a selection determined
by its ethical import and practical tendency. Save in vv. 122,
132 (but see notes on vv. 149, 156), each verse is concerned with
God's revelation of His will, viewed as the norm and guide of life
and conduct, the several aspects whereof are set forth in the
following terms :
1. Torah, the generic term; LXX., v6fj.o<s, nonws ; Vulgate,
lex = law, authoritative-teaching, practical-instruction, or
direction.
2. Derekh; LXX., 080s, hodos ; Vulgate, via, "way," as the
Divine Law traces the road leading man to his final
destiny, to the end for which he is created.
3. 'Orach, a poetical synonym of derekh ; LXX., 686s, hodos;
St. Jerome and Vulgate, semiia, via, "path," way (for
distinction's sake, here rendered " path ").
4. "Edhoth (or "edwotli) ; LXX., jxaprvpia, marly ria; Vulgate,
testimonia, "testimonies ;" especially used of the Decalogue,
as, by its promulgation on Sinai, God bore witness to
Himself and to His covenant with His chosen people.
524 PSALM Il8 (lI9).
»
5. Piq-qudhim ; LXX., SiKaiw/xctTa, dikaiomata, evroXal, entolai ;
Vulgate, justificationes, mandata ; St. Jerome [passim),
prcecepta, "precepts." The Hebrew word implies "a
charge," "a deposit." AiKatw/m (Vulgate, justification in
an improper sense, in this connection), "a maxim
"a principle of right," equivalent, in the usage of LXX.,
to "commandment," "precept," but properly "an adjudi-
cation," "a verdict," "a sentence." The Law as the
outcome, the expression of God's righteousness, the law,
so far forth, as just. Here rendered "ordinance."
6. Chuqqim (Singular, choq), " What is established," or " defi-
nite; " "an appointed task-time;" "a defined limit,"
"a statute," "a decree." LXX., SiKcuw/xara, dikaiomata ;
Vulgate, justificationes ; St. Jerome (mostly), pnvcepta.
Here rendered "statutes."
7. Afits'vbth (or mits'wdth), "commands," either affirmative
("Thou shalt . . ."), or prohibitive ("Thou shalt not");
LXX., evToAcu, entolai; Vulgate, mandata, "command-
ments ; " the Divine Law as enjoined upon man, the
established rule of his moral activity.
8. Dabhar, "a word," "thing," "matter," "something," but here
"a command," "an edict," the expression of God's will;
LXX., Adyos, logos; Vulgate, sermo, (Plur.) sermones,
verbu?n, verba, " word," " words."
9. 'Im'rda (Plur. 'amarbth), a poetic term for "a word,"
"a speech," especially "a Divine utterance;" LXX.,
Xdyia, logia, " announcements," " oracles ; " Vulgate,
eloquium, eloquia (- declaration), here rendered "oracles."
It frequently implies " a promise," even in this
Psalm.
10. Misfipat (Plur. mish 'pdtim), "judgments;" LXX., Kpijxara,
krimata; Vulgate, judicia ; the Law, as the expression of
find's just and holy will, which decrees what is right,
appends a sanction to His behests, and inflicts punish-
ment on transgressors.
1 1. 'Emun&h, "firmness," "security," "faithfulness" to promises;
LXX., a\.rj6eia, aleetheia; Vulgate, vet'itas, "truth." The
Law, as the record of God's promises.
PSALM Il8 (119). . 525
12. Tsedheq, "right," "justice;" LXX., 8iKa.ioo-vvr], dikaiosynee,
\u\gate,justitia, "justice," "righteousness ;" the Law being
the expression of God's justice and equity.
v. 2. " Search-out," examine carefully ; the verb in text,
rendered "who keep" by St. Jerome, means "to watch,"
"guard," "preserve," "keep." LXX. have taken it in one sense,
St. Jerome in another, v. 3. The rendering of LXX., Vulgate,
and of St. Jerome, who agrees here with Vulgate, is somewhat
tautological ; the not in text applies to the verb do, work, not to
walk: "Much less do they [i.e., "the blessed," "the blameless"
of vv. 1, 2] work iniquity" — far from working iniquity, "they walk
in His ways ; " or " [Who] also do no iniquity, [but] [who] walk,"
&c. A continuation in text of v. 2. v. 6. "Perspexero;" St. Jerome,
"respexero;" St. Augustine and old Psalters, more accurately,
" cum inspexero in mandata " (when I shall have looked into Thy
commandments, i.e., considered them with care and thought, so
as to make them the rule of my conduct), v. 9. St. Jerome,
almost like Vulgate, " In quo corrigit juvenis semitam suam : cum
custodierit verba tua " (Wherewithal shall a young man set in
order, keep straight — "amend," "reform" his path? When he
shall have kept Thy words). In text, "cleanse his path," i.e.,
" maintain purity of life." " Thy word ; " Singular in text ; one
of the thirteen cases enumerated by the Masora, where the Yodh
indicating the Plural has dropped out of the present text. Cf. in
v. 37, "In Thy way." Another rendering of hemistich 2 : "By
keeping watch over himself according to," &c. v. 10. "Let me
not wander;'' St. Jerome, "Ne errare me facias" (Make me not
wander), i.e., continue to me Thy gracious aid. v. 11. "Utter-
ance," word, saying, "speech," poetical synonym of "word" in
v. 9. v. 16. St. Jerome, "In justitiis tuis delectabor" (I-will-take-
delight in Thy, &c), as the text is usually rendered, but Rashi
prefers " I will study," as better suited to " I will not forget " in
second hemistich, v. 17. " [And] I-shall-live " ( = " let me live,"
"and if I live, I will keep"); or, "That I may live," so text,
LXX., several old Latin Psalters and Fathers. "Retribue" here
implies not a reward of antecedent merit, but is equivalent to
"Do good," "Deal bountifully." "Grant me the favour that I
may live ; " " Vouchsafe to me the gift of life," which is the same
526 PSALM Il8 (lI9).
as "Quicken me" of Vulgate and of some MSS. of LXX.
v. 18. "Wondrous things," e.g., the conformity of the Law with
the Divine attributes, the significance of its promises, the Christ
to Whom it was meant to lead. v. 19. "Sojourner ;" St. Jerome,
"advena" ( = "a stranger," "an alien"), hence in need of Divine
guidance; cf. Ps. xxxviii. (39) 13. v. 20. "My soul is crushed
for longing," &c, so Gesenius {Heb. Lex. s.v.) ; gdr'sdh ( = is
crushed) occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament ; in Lament,
iii. 16, it is met with, but in a derivative (Hiphil) conjugation.
Targum and St. Jerome agree here with LXX., " desideravit " (has
desired to desire); cf. St. Luke xxii. 15, "With desire have I
desired," &c. v. 21. The rendering of LXX., St. Jerome, and Syriac
is admissible, but, with the present accents, the text reads thus :
" Thou-hast-rebuked the proud [that are] accursed : The wan-
derers [ = who wander] from Thy commandments." " Accursed "
marks the effect of the rebuke : " so that they are accursed."
v. 22. "Princes did-speak one with-another " is the literal render-
ing, v. 24. Lit, as in text, "the men of my counsel " = " my
counsellors;" St. Jerome, "Men most friendly to me." v. 25.
" Dust," so St. Jerome {pu/veri). It is said that the Emperor
Theodosius quoted this verse, when he besought St. Ambrose to
absolve him. v. 26. " I-have-laid open before Thee my ways."
v. 27. St. Jerome, "Et loquar in mirabilibus tuis " (I will speak
of Thy wondrous deeds), so as to teach them to others, v. 28.
" Dormitavit " ( = is sleepy) of Vulgate is due to a scribe's
blunder, kvvara^v, enystaxen, instead of a previous eo-Tafei/,
estaxen - the stillavit of St. Ambrose, St. Jerome's distillavit,
which render the verb in text. For tozdio of Vulgate ( = weariness,
disgust), cf. Cassian, Instit. x. 4. " Strengthen ; " St. Jerome,
"Serva me juxta eloquium tuum" (preserve me according to Thy
promise). "With Thy," "through Thy," " according to Thy word,"
variation due to the close resemblance of V ( = in, with, through)
to k ( = as, according to), v. 29. St. Jerome, " Et dona mihi "
( = and make me a present of Thy law), cf. Judges xxi. 22.
v. 32. " Enlarge," expand, dilate with the joy of deliverance, or
by inward enlightenment, and strengthening. These four first
octonary stanzas arc invariably recited at Prime, v. 33. LXX.
and Vulgate, "Teach me as a lawgiver." "Keep," so too
PSALM Il8 (U9). 527
St. Jerome, LXX., " I will-seek it out," rendering the verb in
text in its primary sense of "watching," "looking at." v. 36.
" Covetousness," unjust gain, whether by violence, or by fraud, or
by taking bribes, v. 37. Lit., "Cause mine eyes to pass by,"
"to pass on one side." v. 38. "Uphold," i.e., "perform," "fulfil
Thy promise," &c, . . . "Which [the relative is expressed in
text] is given to them that fear Thee," or, " the object whereof is
that Thou mayest be feared ; " St. Augustine, in timorem (in order
to the fear of Thee) ; so too St. Jerome : decidedly preferable to in
tin/ore. vv. 41 — 48 begin with the conjunction Vait, or Waw (=and),
almost the only Hebrew word that has that initial, v. 45. "In a
wide space," at large, "at liberty," a figure for prosperity, while
"straits" denote bondage, woe. v. 46. "Kings," perhaps Persian
satraps (?). v. 48. " Lift up hands," in token of intense longing
( = "which I love"), or, as Qimchi will have it, "of willing
obedience." In vv. 45 — 48 the Imperfects of Vulgate are to be
rendered, as by St. Jerome, as Futures, v. 50. " Comfort ; " the
word in text occurs only here and in Job vi. 10, "For Thine
utterance," or "That Thine utterance," &c. v. 51. "Scoffed,"
in text, verb from the same stem as "scorners" in Ps. i. 1.
LXX. probably read a form of hin, instead of hits in text. v. 53.
St. Jerome, "Horror has seized," &c. v. 54. " Sojournings," rather
than "pilgrimage," cf. Gen. xlvii. 9. v. 56. "This [blessing] has
been vouchsafed to me, Because [or, that] I was enabled to
keep," &c. A Rabbinical adage, " The reward of a precept is a
precept," i.e., whoso keeps one precept gains thereby strength to
fulfil another, still more arduous. On the other hand, "Sin
draws in its wake another sin." v. 57. Or, "My portion, YH", I
said, [is] to observe Thy words." With LXX., St. Jerome, and
most of the Fathers, " 'My portion art Thou, O Lord;' I said, that
I might keep Thy Law." v. 58. " Entreated favour," but literally
meaning, "I stroked Thy faces;" vide Gesenius (Heb. Lex.
s.v.). v. 60. Syriac, " I made ready, and interposed no delay, to
keep Thy Commandments." v. 61. The cords of the wicked
have surrounded me " ( = been wound about me) ; Ibn Ezra,
instead of "cords," "the sorrows have laid hold," &c. ; Targum
and Rashi, " the bands (companies) of the wicked are gathered
together against me." Others render the verb (which, in Piel
528 PSALM I IS (119).
conjugation, occurs nowhere else), "have. plundered me." v. 66.
"Good discernment," deep insight, delicate tact, "good taste"
(cf. Philipp. i. 9, in omni sensu, iv -n-dcrrj aicrQ-qcrei, en pasee aistheesei
= " in all discernment "). v. 68. St. Jerome and Syriac, " et
beneficus" ( = and beneficent), v. 69. Syriac, "The iniquity of
braggarts has increased against me ; " St. Jerome, " Applicabant
mihi mendacium superbi " ( = the proud fastened a lie upon me).
For text, cf. Job xiii. 4; xiv. 17. v. 70. Syriac agrees here with
LXX., who in their vowelless text read into ch-l-bh, chalabh,
instead of chelebh ( = fat), and rendered Tdp/ias/i, the initial word
of verse (which occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew Scriptures),
so as to suit milk. Needless to say that they are quite as likely
to be right as the Masora. " Fat " figures insensibility, imper-
viousness to higher influences, cf. Deut. xxxii. 15 ; Job xv. 27 ;
Ps. xvi. (17) 10. v. 71. Cf. Heb. xii. 11. v. 72. Rabbi Joseph,
invited to a town where there was no synagogue, replied in the
words of this verse. v. 75. Cf. Heb. xii. 11. v. 77. Syriac,
"For I have been taught Thy Law." v. 80. "Upright," i.e.,
"sound," "whole," "undivided," "single," "perfect." Syriac,
"My heart shall consider Thy precepts: And I-shall not be
ashamed." The six foregoing octonary stanzas are invariably
assigned to Terce in the Roman Office. v. 83. " Wine-skin,"
blackened and shrivelled by the smoke ; or, with Rosenmiiller, it
figures the ripening of the character by trials. "Smoke," q'ltor
in text, rendered by Gesenius, "smoke," "vapour," "cloud," but
by LXX. and Syriac, "in frost;" St. Jerome and Vulgate, "hoar-
frost." In Ps. cxlviii. 8, it is rendered /<pwTaAA.os, krystallos
( = ice). It figures the effects of grief and anxious forebodings ;
but see Rosenmiiller. v. 85. "The proud, who are not after Thy
law, have dug pits for me ; " so too St. Jerome, who continues,
"Quae (scil., foveae = pits) non erant juxta legem tuam " (which
were not according to Thy Law). LXX. read, instead of sh'iclwth
of text, siclwth ( = speeches, discourses) ; s for sh, Shi instead of
Shhi, differentiated only by the position of the diacritic dot.
How they came by " told," " related," is impossible to say. They
may be taken as referring to the crude systems of the gainsayers
of Revelation, v. 89. Syriac, " Thou art for ever, O Lord : And
Thy word abides in heaven." v. 91 seems to have been passed
PSALM IlS (119). 529
by in the Syriac version — forgotten by the translator (?).
St. Jerome, " Judicio tuo stant usque hodie " (" By Thy judgment
[ = decree] they [viz., "heaven and earth " of vv. 89, 90] stand-
fast until to-day:" "For all-things serve Thee." Literal text:
"To [ = By, according to, in virtue of] Thy judgments [decrees,
laws], they [i.e., the heavens and earth] abide to-day." Another
admissible rendering : " To [as for] Thy judgments, they abide
to-day." " Word " (v. 89), " Law " (v. 92), " Precepts " (Vulgate,
"Justifications," v. 93), mean the Divine Law, so far forth as with
commandments, it holds out sanctions also. That these sanctions
are as immutable as are the laws of Nature, is the import of these
verses. LXX. probably read "they stand " = " abide " in Singular.
"All things " = the Universe, lit. in text, " the whole," " the all " =-=
to 77-av, to. (Tv/jLTravTa, to pan, la sympanla. v. 92. "Nisi quod"
(unless that), as Thalhofer observes, is a servilely literal rendering
of LXX., nisi (unless) were enough, v. 93. "Quickened me;"
the preservation of my life is the result of Thy promise, v. 95.
"Consider;" St. Jerome, " considerabo " (I wil1 consider); Syriac,
" I have considered." v. 96. In Walton's Polyglot, the Syriac is
rendered thus : " To every region (saiepho) I have seen that there
is a boundary." Tikhlah (the word in text) may mean "consum-
mation," " perfection," but it occurs nowhere else in the Hebrew
Scriptures. If it mean "perfection," we may refer it to what man
may attain to, when contrasted with the ideal set forth in God's
Law ; " commandment," here a collective Singular (cf. Ueut.
xxx. 11). Another possible rendering: "I have seen that all
things come to an end" (cf. Job xxvi. 10 ; xxviii. 3). Rashi and
Qimchi, " Nought is so perfect, but that it comes to an end ; not
so Thy Law with the sanctions it holds out," or, " Everything is
limited as to excellency and duration ; " Targum, " Of all things
which are striven after and wrought out I have seen an end.
Thy commandment is exceeding broad ; " Symmachus, quoted
by Theodoret, "Of every structure {i.e., of whatever is made),
I have seen an end. Thy commandment," &c. LXX. seem
to have shirked the difficulty by an ambiguous word. v. 98.
Literally rendered in Walton's Polyglot, " By Thy commandment
Thou makest me wiser than," &c. Many old Psalters read,
" Super inimicos meos intelligere (al. sapere) me fecisti man-
II
53Q psalm 118 (119).
datum " = Thou hast caused me to understand (relish, savour) Thy
commandment more than mine enemies (-better than do mine
enemies), corresponding to LXX., "Thou-hast made me wiser
than mine enemies [in, as to] Thy commandment,"' taking
evToA^v <rov, en token sou ( = " Thy commandment ") as an Accu-
sative of reference. Another rendering, perhaps closer to text :
"Thy commandment makes me wiser than mine enemies:"
"wiser" with that practical wisdom, which "refrains his feet,"
&c. (v. 101). v. 103. Cf. Ps. xviii. (19) 11. v. 106. St. Jerome,
" I-have-sworn, and will persevere" (=perseverabo). "I have
sworn, and am quite resolved," is another rendering. A reference
(perhaps) to Exod. xxiv. 3. v. 108. "Spontaneous [offerings]" —
not enjoined by the Law ; prayer, praise, confession, resolutions,
the oath of v. 106 (cf. Osee xiv. 3; Heb. xiii. 15). v. 109. "I
am ever in danger of death " (cf. Judges xii. 3 ; 1 Kings (Sam.)
xix. 5 ; Job xiii. 14) ; Syriac, Codex Vatican, of LXX., St. Ambrose,
and St. Augustine have " In Thy hands," rejected by St. Jerome
{ad Suniani) ; by text, and Cod. Alexandrin. of LXX., " In my
hands." v. 112. Cf. vv. 36, 44. St. Jerome, "propter aeternam
retributionem " (for the sake of everlasting reward) : Syriac,
"For ever with truth." In Walton's Polyglot, Si avTa/jLeaj/iv, di'
antamezpsin, of LXX. is rendered as in Vulgate. On account,
however, of the divergent renderings of the ancient versions, the
text is ambiguous, and so may not be alleged as a certain proof of
the lawfulness of doing good works for the sake of reward ; cf.
Ps. xviii. (19) 12, where "eqebh rabh — " great reward" ["eqebh
begins with Ayin, represented here by doubling the Greek
aspirate (')] v. 113. "Sceptics," or "waverers,"'' explained by
Gesenius (Heb. Lex. s.v.) as denoting persons of divided mind, who,
unstable in faith, are driven hither and thither; "doubters,"
''sceptics " (cf. 3(1) Kings xviii. 21 ; St. James i. 8. Syriac agrees
here with Vulgate ; St. Jerome, "I hate the turbulent {tumultuosos) ;
Targum, " I hate them whose thoughts are unprofitable ; " Rashi,
'. . . whose thoughts are evil;" Qimchi, "I love Thy law: all
other thoughts are hateful to me." v. 116. "That I may live," or,
with Syriac and St. Jerome, "And I-shall-live," but LXX., "And
quicken me." v. 118. "Thou hast made light of,"&C, so Targum
and Syriac; St. Jerome, "Thou hast cast-off all who turn awaj
PSALM Il8 (119). 531
from Thy precepts : For their thought is false " {mendax cogitatio
eorum) ; Syriac, " I have made light of all who wander from
Thee: for their [sole] care [is to commit] crime.'' v. 119.
St. Jerome, "Thou hast counted as dross" [Quasi scoriam com-
putasti), which implies a warning of a fiery judgment ; LXX.,
s-ghhn h-sh-bt of the vowelless original text, vocalized by the
Masora {slghim hish'batta, " [as] scoriae [ = dross] Thou-hast-made
to cease," i.e., hast removed, put aside, &c); LXX. read it
siighhn (soghim) chdshabti, "wanderers [from the way of the law]
have-I-accounted," &c. These two readings are easily confounded
in Hebrew script. The rendering of the verb by Aquila and
Symmachus agrees with LXX. v. 120. St. Jerome, "My flesh
bristles-with-hairs for fear," &c. (horripilavit). LXX., with Aquila
and Theodoret, read s-m-r {samar of text), sammer ( = fastened
with nails), " clavis confige " ( = pierce-Thou with nails) of
St. Augustine — the meaning borne by the word in Chaldee and
Arabic — and are probably right. Symmachus agrees with
St. Jerome and the Masoretic reading, bpOoTpixei, orthotrichei.
v. 121. "Calumny" (here and elsewhere) means not only
" slander," but chicanery, spiteful, insidious behaviour, oppression,
wrong masked under legal formalities. Many old Latin Psalters
read, instead of ca/umniantes ( = slanderers), nocentes (injuring,
harming), or persequentes ( = persecuting), v. 122, with v. 132,
the only two verses in the Psalm in which the Law is not
mentioned. See, however, v. 149? " Be surety," so too St. Jerome ;
LXX. give the sense, " take me under Thy protection," as ex-
plained by Gesenius {Heb. Lex. s.v.) ; St. Augustine, St. Hilary,
Mozarabic Breviary, excipe ( = receive, support, sustain) ; Targum,
Syriac, and Qimchi take "arobh \ioxAyin~\ ("be surety") in its further
sense of " being sweet," " pleasant," and render, " Delight Thy
servant with good," &c. " Let not the proud calumniate me ; "
St. Augustine observes, that " they who render non calumnientur
me, follow the Greek version, which they translate by a word
seldom used in the Latin tongue." v. 126. "For the Lord;"
so in text (laYHWH), in LXX. {Cod. Vatican.), and in several
Latin authorities; St. Jerome, '"Tis time that Thou shouldst act
{-ut facias, Do/nine), O Lord." "To act" is used absolutely
of God's punitive justice ; cf. Jer. xviii. 23 ; Ezech. xxxi. 1 1 :
532 psalm 118 (119).
" They-have-broken [or, " made void "] Thy Law," by violating it
with impunity, so that, to the ungodly, its threats, promises,
and sanctions are but empty words. v. 127. "Therefore"
refers to all that has been said in praise of the Law. v. 128.
" Therefore I approve [esteem-as-right] all precepts of every [kind]
(or, concerning all [things]) ; " Syriac, " Therefore I esteem [love,
approve] all Thy commandments : And I hate every path of the
wicked." LXX., reading, as it seems, the verb (approve) in the
Qa/ (i.e., "light," the fundamental) conjugation, render as above.
St. Jerome agrees here with LXX., "Therefore I-directed myself
according to all Thy precepts " (in universa prcccepta tua direxi).
The six preceding octonary stanzas are daily recited at Sext, in
the Roman Office ; the six following are assigned to None, or
Nones, v. 130. " The declaration," opening, the open and clear
statement ; St. Jerome, " The door of Thy words is full-of-light "
(Ostium sermonum tuorum lucidum), ostium (the door) taking
pcthach of text in its primary meaning, v. 131. Lit., "I opened
my mouth with a wide gape," denoting eager desire, v. 132.
Cf. v. 122. k'mish'pat (according to the wont, custom), i.e., "as
Thou art wont to do," &c. Mislipat= "judgment," but also
"law," "custom" (so frequently the source of law), "usage,"
cf. Exod. xxi. 9, with many other passages. Cf. the adverbial
Accusative Slktjv, dikeen ( = "ad instar," "after the manner of");
Syriac, "Because I love Thy Name." v. 133. "Domineer,"
"have dominion," cf. Psalm xviii. (19) 14. v. 136. Cf. Lament,
iii. 48. St. Jerome, "Streams of waters flowed (fluebavt de) from
mine eyes." KarefSrjo-av, Katebeesan, of LXX. is obviously,
according to Schegg, transitive ( = " send down," "make to flow
down "). The variants are numerous : some MSS. of LXX. read
KOLTeSvcrav, katedysan ; others, by way of emendation, KaTefiifiao-av,
katebibasan (they, viz., mine eyes, let go down, made to descend).
The Verona Psalter divides the word S<e£oSovs, diexodous (rendered
"streams") into Si' i£68ov<;, di' exodous ("per exitus aquarum
descenderunt oculi mei") = "mine eyes came down by (through)
streams of waters," a close approximation to nonsense.
"Because they keep not," &c. ; "they" may mean "eyes," so
Qimchi ; cf. Numb. xv. 39 ; but Aben Ezra refers it to the
" oppressors " of v. 134; LXX. (Cod. Vatican.), "Because /
psalm 118 (119). 533
kept not Thy Law." v. 138. A development of v. 137.
"Justice," "faithfulness," may be construed adverbially, "justly
and faithfully," or as Accusatives in apposition ; Revised Version,
" Thou hast commanded Thy testimonies in justice and very
faithfulness." In other words, "Thy testimonies which Thou
enjoinest are justice and truth itself." " Thy truth " — "faithful-
ness." "Thy," wanting in text and LXX., is inserted by
St. Jerome and Vulgate, but omitted (and rightly, says Thalhofer)
by St. Augustine, St. Ambrose, Veronese Psalter, &c. v. 140.
"Fire-proved," like metals in the furnace, and hence — "pure."
v. 147. Literal text, " I-was-beforehand, in the morning-twilight;"
explained by Gesenius, " I rose (rise) in the morning with the
dawn ;" St. Jerome, " I rose, while it was yet dark;" St. Augustine,
with many others, renders "intempesta nocte" = ("at dead of
night"). Other MSS. of the same date read, "immaturitate,"
"in immaturitate," corresponding to LXX., kv uwpia, en aoria
{lit, " at an unseasonable time" but = node intempesta = midnight,
dead of night). " In maturitate " of Vulgate probably stands for
the earlier immaturitate; taken by itself, it means "at early
morn," "early" — in a word, "I rose early," "I forestalled (antici-
pated) the dawn with my cry." v. 148. Rabbi Leeser, "Mine
eyes were awake before the night-watches ; " St. Jerome, " Mine
eyes anticipated the night-watches;" LXX., "Mine eyes antici-
pated the dawn," irpo% opOpov, pros orthron ( = with respect, regard
to the dawn). Ad te ( = to Thee) of Vulgate is absent in text,
LXX., St. Jerome, and in several old Latin Psalters. St. Ambrose,
for diluculo, reads mane ( = in the morning = early) ; St. Augustine,
ad matutinum ( = ditto). "I hoped in Thy word" i.e., promise
(v. 147), is the Q'ri (marginal emendation) for " Thy words" of
K'thibh (written text) ; St. Jerome, " verbum tuum expectans "
(waiting for Thy word ). v. 149. "According to Thy judgment "
(hardly) = " according to Thy wont." v. 150. Syriac, "My most
wicked persecutors drew nigh, and have departed (withdrawn)
from Thy Law." Symmachus and St. Jerome agree with LXX. in
reading rodliphey ( = " followers after," "pursuers of") of present
text, as rodtiphay ( — "my persecutors"). LXX. and Vulgate
may be made to agree by construing dvo/xi'a, anomia ( = iniquitati
= to iniquity) adverbially, as in several old Latin Psalters, inique
534 PSALM 119 (120).
— "who persecute me unjustly." v. 151. "All Thy command-
ments" so LXX. in Cod. A/exand., St. Jerome, conformably with
text. "All Thy ways" of LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) and Vulgate.
v. 152. St. Jerome, A principio —" ixova the beginning," "of old,"
"long since." The truth and immutability of Thy Law deter me
from treading the path of those mentioned in v. 150. v. 154.
"Plead," i.e., "vindicate my right;" "Because of Thy word," so
LXX.; St. Jerome, "in sermone tuo " ( = in [by] Thy word).
v. 156. "According to Thy judgments," cf. v. 149. v. 158. LXX.,
" I beheld the void of understanding [=do-vv€ToiWa?, asynetotintas]
and wasted-away ; " St. Jerome, "I beheld Thy shirkers-of-duty
(praevaricatores tuos, et mcerebam), and was-grieved ; " cf. Ps.
cxxxviii. (139) 21. "Because," or "who," i.e., the faithless.
v. 160. "The sum;" St. Jerome, "Caput verborum tuorum "
(the fundamental principle of Thy words, &c), cf. KecfxlKaiov,
kephalaion (Heb. viii. 1, "the chief point;" Vulgate, capituluni).
v. 161. "I feared not them, but Thy word;" Syriac, "My heart
stood-in-awe of Thy word." v. 165. "Stumbling-block," cf.
1 St. John ii. 10. v. 166. Cf. Gen. xlix. 18. v. 168. "Before
Thee," the conviction of God's all-seeing eye, an appeal to His
witness in behalf of His servant; cf. Job xxxi. 4. v. 171.
St. Jerome, "Let my lips pour forth a hymn (fundant hymnum);
for Thou wilt teach me (docebis enim me, &c.);" LXX., "When
Thou shalt have taught me," &c. In text, for " hymn," we read
tehillah, the Hebrew word for "Psalm." v. 172. "Let my tongue
sing," "rehearse," "echo," &c. In vv. 169 — 173, 175, the
Futures of text may be rendered as Optatives, as in LXX. and
St. Jerome (v. 175, however, LXX., "My soul shall live"), v. 176.
Rendered according to the accents, " I am gone astray ; Seek
Thy servant as a lost sheep."
The Gradual Psalms.
The fifteen Psalms following (Pss. cxix. — cxxxiii. = 120 — 134)
are inscribed Shir ham-nia" aloth (A Song of ascents) = LXX.,
fiSr) twv uva(3a6fiwv, odee ton anabathmdn ("A song [ode] of the
stairs [flights of steps] "=Cantici/m Graduum ("Song of the steps ")
of Vulgate. A slight, but inexplicable variant occurs in the title
PSALM II9 (l20). 535
of Ps. cxx. (121), Shir-lam-ma" aloth ( = a song for the ascents).
Of the several explanations of this title, none are adequate.
Gesenius opines that it originated in the rhythm and metre to be
discovered in most of these Psalms, the sense proceeding, as it
were, progressively, so that the first or second half of a verse is
repeated in the next, e.g., "Whence should come my help."
v. 2. "My help," &c. v. 4. "The Keeper of Israel." v. 5. "YH"
is thy Keeper," &c. But this mode of progression is not confined
to these Psalms, and, as Gesenius admits, it is wanting in not a
few of them. It has been taken (mistaken [?]) for a musical
indication, and referred to a (supposed) gradual rise in the tone
or pitch of the melody. Or again, some would explain it by the
lofty position of the choir. An obiter diction of the Talmud
(Middoth, ii. 5 ; Succa, 15 b), which mentions the correspondence
of the number of these Psalms (15) to the fifteen steps leading
from the Court of the Women to the Gate of Nicanor, into the
Court of Israel ( = of the men), has given occasion to Rashi and
Qimchi, among others, to surmise that at the water-libation
(seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles) these fifteen Psalms
were sung by the choir of Levites, on the steps above mentioned,
an inference hardly borne out by the passage of the Talmud
, referred to. Ewald and others are of opinion that these Psalms
of divers dates were sung by the several bands of exiles, on their
homeward journey, under Cyrus, and, later on, under Artaxerxes
(cf. 1 Esdras (Ezra) ii. and viii.). In Ezra vii. 9, this return is
called ham-ma" alah mib-Babcl ( = the going-up from Babylon).
Allowing thus much, it fails to account for the Psalms of this
category, which must be referred to a later date. Thalhofer
favours the view of Maurer, Hengstenberg, &c, that these Psalms
were wont to be sung, in the post-exilic period, by the pilgrim-
bands going up to Jerusalem, for the three great feasts ; cf.
Ps. cxxi. (122). By the Greeks these Psalms are designated
"the Proskyria," from IIpos Kvpiov, Pros Kyrion (="To the
Lord"), the initial words of Ps. cxix. (120).
536
PSALM 119 (I20).
PSALM 119 (120).
PSALM 119 (120.)
1. A Song of Degrees.
1. A Song of ascents.
To YtfHW^H, in my dis- In my distress I-cried to
tress : I-cried, and He - the Lord, And He - heard
answered me.
2. YHWH, deliver-Thou
my soul from a lying lip :
From a deceitful tongue.
3. What shall - He -give
me.
2. Deliver my soul, O
Lord, from unjust lips :
And from a deceitful tongue.
3. What-can-be-given to
to Thee, and what shall- thee, and what more can-
He-add to Thee, O deceit- be-done to thee, For [thy]
ful tongue ? deceitful tongue ?
4. Sharpened arrows of 4. Sharpened arrows of
a warrior : With coals of the mighty - man : With
junipers. coals of the desert.
5. Woe is me, that I- 5. Woe is me, that my
sojourn in Meshekh : I- sojourn is-prolonged : I-
dwell with the tents of have-dwelt among the tents
Qedhar ! of Cedar !
6. Too long has my soul 6. Long has my soui been
dwelt : With the hater of
peace.
7. I [am for] peace : But
a sojourner.
7. With (among) them
when I-speak : They [are] that hate peace, I - was-
for war. peaceable: When I -spoke-
to them, they - warred
against me without a cause.
This Psalm may be taken as the plaint of the returned
captives, hampered in their work of reconstruction by the slanders
and raids of jealous and hostile neighbours. The Samaritans, a
mongrel and semi-heathen race, are, in all likelihood, meant here,
cf. 1 Esdras iv. 4, 5 ; v.
v. 1. Lit., "in distress to me," "when I was in distress."
v. 3. LXX. and St. Jerome, who is here (in v. 3) at one with
Vulgate, construe the verbs in the Passive, "What shall (can.
should) be given," &c, and "tongue" in Accusative (tt/A-
PSALM II9 (120). 537
yAwa-0-av, pros gibssan, cf. Rom. viii. 18, "What infliction were
proportionate to the evil wrought by thy slanderous tongue ? ").
v. 4 may be taken either as a description of the "deceitful
tongue" (cf. Ps. lvi. (57) 5 ; lxiii. (64) 4, 5), or for the punish-
ment in store for it. Targum and Rashi take this latter view.
"Coals of junipers;" "juniper," according to Hebrew expositors
and St. Jerome, but, more accurately, the genista monospermy
used for fuel in the desert, and retaining heat for a long time.
" Coals of broom ; " LXX., " Coals of the desert " (ipr^fxiKoh,
ereemikois), explained by St. J. Chrysostom by iprfixoTroios, ereemo-
poibs ( = making desolate), whence the Vulgate desolatoriis.
St. Hilary, far better, "carbonibus desolationis" (coals of the
waste, the desert), v. 5. "Alas ! that I-am an exile in Meshekh ;"
LXX., Moo-oX) Mosoch; Vulgate, Mosoch, mentioned among the
sons of Japhet (Gen. x. 2). A barbarous tribe dwelling S.E. of
Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Araxes (cf. Ezech.
xxvii. 13), probably the Moschi, a people dwelling in the Moschian
Mountains; cf. Herodotus (hi. 94; vii. 78). " Qedhar" ( = "black
skin," "black-skinned man"), the name of a son of Ismael (Gen.
xxv. 13), and of the predatory Arabian tribe sprung from him,
a swarthy race of Nomads. Qedhar is the Rabbinical name for
all the Arabs. These tribal names are not to be taken literally.
In a topographical sense, they denote the extreme North and
South of Palestine, and may be understood to mark the savage
brutality of the bordering races, as we may speak of Mohawks,
of Turks, Hottentots. M-sh-kh of the vowelless original text is,
by LXX., St. Jerome, and Syriac connected with mashakh ( = " he
drew," "he continued," or "prolonged";, hence St. Jerome,
peregrinatio mea ( = " my sojourn," as a stranger, mine exile)
prolongata est ("is prolonged"); in Targum, Meshekh is rendered
"among the Asiatics," as Japhet's race occupied Asia Minor.
v. 6. St. Jerome and Syriac, "My soul (i.e., I, myself) has long
sojourned with them that hate peace;" Text, "Much (i.e., long)
too long for herself (i.e., to her injury, lah = to her) has my soul,"
&c. v. 7. "I [am] peace," cf. Ps. cviii. (109) 4, "I [am] prayer."
" When I speak," exactly the same words in text as in Ps. cxv.
(116) 10(1); Syriac, "For I spoke to them of peace, but they
fought against me."
538
PSALM 120 ( 1 2 I ).
PSALM 120 (121).
i. A Song for the ascents.
I-will-lift-up mine eyes to
the mountains : Whence
shall my help come ?
2. My help [comes] from
YaHW^H : Maker of
heavens and earth.
3. Let - Him - not - suffer
(give) thy foot to be-moved :
Let not thy Keeper slumber.
4. Lo, He-neither slum-
bers nor sleeps : That keeps
Israel (i.e., The Keeper of
Israel).
5. YH WH is thy Keeper :
YHWH is thy shade on thy
right hand.
6. By-day the sun shall-
not smite thee : Nor the
moon in the night.
7. YHWH shall - keep
thee from all evil : He-shall-
keep thy soul.
8. YHWH shall- keep thy
going out and thy coming-in :
From this-time forth and
for evermore.
PSALM 120 (121).
1. A Song of the steps.
I-lifted-up mine eyes to the
mountains : Whence shall
my help come ?
2. My help [comes] from
the Lord : Who made
heaven and earth.
3. Let - Him - not suffer
thy foot to-be moved : May
He - that - keeps thee not
slumber.
4. Lo, the keeper of
Israel shall-neither slumber
nor sleep.
5. The Lord keeps thee :
The Lord is thy shade upon
thy right hand.
6. By day the sun shall
not scorch thee : Nor the
moon by night.
7. The Lord keeps thee
from all evil : May the
Lord keep thy soul.
8. The Lord keeps thy
coming-in and thy going-
out : From this time forth
and for evermore.
An utterance of gladsome trust in the Maker of the Universe,
the Keeper of the chosen race, the Keeper too of His individual
worshipper. It may have been sung by the returning exiles, as
they first caught sight of "the mountains [ = the mountainous
land] of Israel" (Nahum i. 15), or by a pilgrim-band, when the
ridge whereon lay Jerusalem and the Temple first appeared on
PSALM 121 (122).
539
the horizon. " Keep " is the characteristic word of this Psalm,
repeated six times in this short hymn.
v. 1. "Whence" is interrogative in text, and is so rendered
by Thalhofer and others, v. 2. " Maker," &c, a title frequently
recurring in the Gradual, as in the other post-exilic Psalms.
During the Captivity the contrast between the gods of the heathen
and the God of their fathers was deeply impressed on the minds
of the exiles, cf. Jerem. x. 11. v. 3. The verbs are rendered in
LXX. and St. Jerome in the Optative ; LXX., " Give thou not
thy foot," &c, i.e., "Suffer not." v. 5. "Right hand," in con-
nection with v. 6 ("The sun," &c), means that the pilgrim will
be protected, shaded from the noon-day sun. " Right-hand " =
South. "Shall not smite" (so St. Jerome, percuiiet), the sun-
stroke, a special danger in the East, cf. 4 (2) Kings iv. 18 — 20.
" Moon," an allusion to the bitter cold of moonlight nights, the
evil results of which are, in popular belief, ascribed to the moon,
cf. "lunatic;" Gen. xxxi. 40. v. 8. "Thou shalt be protected
always, everywhere, in all thy doings ; " cf. Deut. xxviii. 6 ; xxxi. 2.
PSALM 121 (122).
1. A Song of ascents ; of
David. I-was-glad, when
they-said to me : We-are-
going (let - us - go) to the
house of Y^HW^H.
2. Our feet halted Within
thy gates, O Yerushalai'm ;
3. Jerusalem, that art-
built : As a city which is-
compact in itself;
4. Whither went - up the
tribes, the tribes of YaH,
An ordinance for Israel :
To give-thanks to the Name
of YHWH.
PSALM 121 (122).
1. A Song of the steps.
I was glad, at their saying
to me : We-are-going to
the house of the Lord.
2. Our feet were standing
Within thy courts, O Jeru-
salem ;
3. Jerusalem, that is-
built : As a city, wherein
all associate together ;
4. For thither went - up
the tribes, the tribes of the
Lord, an ordinance for
Israel : To give-thanks to
the Name of the Lord.
540 PSALM 121 (122).
5. For there are- (were) 5. For there are - set
set thrones for judgment: thrones for judgment :
[The] thrones of the house of Thrones of the house of
David. David.
6. Ask for the peace of 6. Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem : They shall - Jerusalem : And [say]
(may they) prosper that plenty be to-them that-
love thee. love thee.
7. Be-there peace within 7. Peace be within thy
thy stronghold : Prosperity fortress : And plenty within
within thy palaces. thy palaces.
8. For the sake of my 8. For my brethren and
brethren and of my friends : my neighbours' sakes : I -
Let - me - now - wish thee- have - spoken peace con -
peace. cerning thee.
9. For the sake of the 9. For the sake of the
house of YHWH our God : house of the Lord our God :
I-will-seek thy good. I-have-sought Thy good.
"To ( = of) David "is wanting in Targum, LXX., Vulgate,
and Arabic.
v. 1. "I rejoiced (and still rejoice) at those saying to me
[a festival is at hand] : We will (let us) go," &c. Save in Vulgate,
the subject of "saying" ("when they said") is plainly a person;
hence St. Augustine, "in his qui dixerunt mihi " (at those who
said to me), v. 2. "Standing," halted, as having reached the
term. " Courts " = avXais, au/ais, of LXX., most likely a scribe's
blunder for 77-uAais, pylais ("gates " =portis of St. Jerome). An
allusion, may be, to the solemn welcome of the pilgrim-bands at
the city gates, mentioned in the Mishnah. v. 3. Gesenius,
"Jerusalem, the built ( = that is built, art-built) as a city which
is-joined together," i.e., the scattered stones and ruins of which
are now built together (Heb. Lex. s.v.). Those who ascribe the
Psalm " to David " refer this to the enlargement of the city by
David and Joab (2 Kings (Sam.) v. 9 ; 1 Chron. xi. 7, 8).
St. Jerome's rendering is as obscure as the text, " eujus partici-
pate ejus simul." LXX. render "is joined" (chubberah) by
//.£tox>/, metochee (fellowship), which may refer to the material
aspect, or, with Schegg, may be rendered, in which all may
PSALM 122 (123). 541
claim a common interest (= gemeinschafi, communion, fellowship),
as the home and centre of their national life. Still the parallelism,
u built," Szc, seems to favour the rendering of Gesenius. v. 4.
The motive of my gladness ; a retrospective glance at that which
gave the city its importance. "Testimony," rendered "ordi-
nance," Nominative of apposition ; Syriac, " An obligation for
Israel," enjoined by God, Exod. xxiii. 17; xxxiv. 23; Deut.
xvi. 16. v. 5. Lit., "There sat;" Syriac, "There were placed."
" For judgment ; " LXX., correctly, eh Kpicnv, eis krisin. " House
of David " points to a long-established dynasty ; would hardly
have been said by David, v. 6. "Salute ye Jerusalem," "Ask
her how she does " — does " the city of peace " enjoy the peace
implied by her name? v. 7. "Stronghold;" St. Jerome, "within
thy walls;" Syriac, "in thine army," cf. "land-forces," or the
fortress of Millo may be meant. In text, chel; according to
Qimchi, "the fosse," or "moat with its outworks." "Castles;"
St. Jerome, in domibus tuis ("in thy houses"); LXX., Trvpyofia-
P€0"'j pyrgobaresi ( " battlemented houses"). The word in text =
"lofty palaces," "fortresses." v. 8. This may be read as a
farewell greeting to friends and hosts by the departing pilgrims.
" Brethren," as were all the Jews by descent, and by God's
adoption. Text, "I will now say (Let me now say), 'Peace be
within thee." Or, "Let me now speak (I will now speak) peace
concerning thee." The former is closer to the text. v. 9. Syriac,
"I will pray for thy welfare."
PSALM 122 (123). PSALM 122 (123).
1. A Song of Ascents. 1. A Song of the Steps.
To Thee have-I-lifted-up To Thee have-I-lifted-up
mine eyes : Who sittest in mine eyes : O Thou that
the heavens. dwellest in the heavens.
2. Behold, as the eyes of 2. Behold, as the eyes of
slaves to the hand of their slaves to the hands of their
masters, As the eyes of a masters, As the eyes of a
handmaid to the hand of handmaid to the hands of
her mistress, So our eyes her mistress, So our eyes
542 PSALM 122 (123).
[look] to Y#HW<?H our [look] to the Lord our God :
God : Until He be-gracious Until He-have-mercy upon
to us. us.
3. Be - gracious to us, 3. Have-mercy on us, O
YHVVH, be-gracious to us : Lord, have-mercy on us :
For we - are exceedingly - For we - are exceedingly-
filled with contempt. filled with contempt.
4. Our soul is exceedingly 4. Our soul is exceedingly
filled with the scorn of those- filled ; [We are] the reproach
that-are-at-ease : [With] the of the wealthy : The con-
contempt of the proud. tempt of the proud.
St. Jerome and Syriac, but neither the text nor LXX., ascribe
this Psalm " to David."
v. 1. "The eye of hope," either of a speedy deliverance from
captivity, or (with reference to 2 Esdras (Nehem.) iv. 4, 5), the
plaint of those who, having returned, were exposed to the moles-
tations of the Samaritans and others, who, supported and egged
on by the Persian rulers, missed no occasion of thwarting and
insulting the Jews, cf. 2 Esdras (Nehem.) ii. 19. v. 2. "In
manibus ;" so Vulgate, but Codex of Verona, St. Augustine, &c,
"ad manus"( = to the hands), corresponding to the eis x€'PftS>
eis cheiras, of LXX.; St. Jerome, "ad manum" (to the hand).
Cf. Plautus (Aulularid), " Oculos in oculis heri habere " (to keep
one's eyes on the eyes of the master); Terence {Adelphi), "Oculos
ab oculis non dimovere " (not to take off one's eyes from the eyes,
viz., of one's master), v. 4. "Exceedingly" {rabbath in text)
might be rendered, " Long has our soul been filled," &c,
cf. Ps. cxix. (120) 6. "At ease," or "the arrogant," rendered
so by prosperity. Targum, LXX., Syriac, St. Jerome, and Vulgate
keep to the reading of the closing word ("proud") as in the
Kethlbh {written [text]), passing by the Qeri {=read), or marginal
emendation, which divides it as follows: "of the proud —
oppressing "=" of the proud oppressors."
PSALM 123 (124).
543
PSALM 123 (124).
1. A Song of ascents ; to
David. Had it not been
YczHWcH who was on our
side : Let Israel now say :
2. Had it not been YHWH
who was on our side : When
man (i.e., men) rose-upagainst
us ;
3. Then had-they-swallow-
ed us-up alive : When their
anger was-kindled against
us ;
4. Then had the waters
overwhelmed us: The stream
had-gone-over our soul ;
5. Then the proud waters
had-gone over our soul.
6. Blessed be Y^HW^H :
Who has not given us [as] a
prey to their teeth.
7. Our soul is-escaped like
a bird out of the snare of
the fowlers ; The snare is-
broken, and we are-escaped.
8. Our help is in the
Name of YHWH: The
Maker of heavens and earth.
PSALM 123 (124).
1. A Song of the steps.
Had it not been that the
Lord was among us : Let
Israel now say :
2. Had it not been that
the Lord was among us :
When men rose-up against
us ;
3. They - might - have -
swallowed us-up alive: When
their rage was - kindled
against us :
4. The water might-well
have-engulphed us ;
5. Our soul might-have-
passed-through a torrent :
Our soul might-have-passed-
through an overwhelming
flood.
6. Blessed be the Lord :
Who has not given us a
prey to their teeth.
7. Our soul has-been de-
livered like a sparrow from
the snare of the fowlers ;
The snare is broken, and we
are delivered.
8. Our help is in the Name
of the Lord : Who made
heaven and earth.
The ascription " to David " occurs only in text, Targum, and
in St. Jerome. In all probability, the Psalm, as its Aramaisms
indicate, is a thanksgiving hymn for the return from Captivity, for
544
PSALM 124 (125).
the rescue of Israel's national existence from the absorption
wherewith it was threatened.
vv. 3 — 5. "Apa, ara, of LXX., rendered fork, forsitan
(=perhaps) in Vulgate and by St. Jerome, were better translated
utique (=verily, indeed), v. 5. "Seething waters," zidhonim in
text, rendered "proud;" St. Jerome, "aquas superbire" (="the
waters of pride," " proud waters "). The word occurs here only
in the Hebrew Scriptures. Gesenius, " boiling," "overflowing,"
"seething;" LXX., avvirocrrarov, anypostaton (=irresistible) ; by
Schegg, "un-fathomable," "bottomless." Several Latin Fathers
and Psalters render it "aquam imwe/tsam" (= fathomless).
Vulgate, " intolerabilem," seems to drop the metaphor ; " un-
bearable," trials under which one must needs succumb.
PSALM 124 (125).
1. A Song of Ascents.
They-that-trust in YHWH :
Are as Mount Tsiyyon,
which cannot be - moved,
[but] for ever abides [or,
stands-fast].
2. As for Jerusalem, moun-
tains are round-about her,
And YHWH is round-about
His people : From this-time
forth and for evermore.
3. For the rod (sceptre) of
wickedness shall not rest
upon the lot of the just ;
That the just put not forth
their hands to iniquity.
4. Do-good, YrtHVWH, to
the good : And to the up-
right in their hearts.
5. Hut such-as turn-aside
[to] their perversities [or,
PSALM 124 (125).
1. A Song of the steps.
They that trust in the Lord
are as Mount Sion ; he-shall-
never be-moved, who dwells
2. In Jerusalem. Moun-
tains are round about her,
And the Lord is round about
His people : From this time
forth and for ever.
3. For the Lord will-not
allow the rod of sinners [to
be] upon the lot of the just.
That the just stretch not
forth their hands to iniquity.
4. Do-good, O Lord, to
the good : And to the up-
right in heart.
5. But thcm-that-turn-
aside to crafty-devices, The
PSALM 124 (125). 545
crooked - ways], YHWH Lord shall-lead-away with
shall - make- them-go-their- the workers of iniquity:
way with the workers of Peace be upon Israel !
iniquity : Peace be upon
Israel !
On their return from Babylon, the leaders of the people were
confronted with unexpected perils. The work of reconstruction
was hampered, not only by the molestation of the Samaritans, but
by domestic discord. Not to mention the complications resulting
from the mixed marriages (cf. 1 Esdras (Ezra) be. 1, 2), at a
subsequent period Nehemias had to meet the opposition of a
faction within the city, who had been bribed by the Samaritans.
As we learn from his narrative (2 Esdras (Nehem.) ii. 16), he
durst not trust the leading men among his people, till he had
begun to rebuild the walls. Further on (vi. 10 — 14), we see that
even prophets were in league with those who, to hinder his
-work, sought "to put him in fear" of his life. vv. 3, 5 may be
taken as alluding to the plots of this miscreant faction.
v. 1. St. Jerome, "Like Mount Sion, [which is] immovable,
for ever habitable " (immobilis, in ozternum habitabilis) ; Syriac,
" They that trust in the Lord, on Mount Sion, shall not be
moved, but shall abide for ever. (2) Jerusalem do mountains
encircle," &c. v. 2. "Jerusalem" is by LXX. transferred to v. 1.
The city is built on a lofty plateau, higher than most of the hills
in the immediate neighbourhood, save on its eastern side, where
it is enclosed by Mount Olivet, with its outlying ridges on the
N.E. and S.E. Yet do these hills serve as a protection, as they
have to be surmounted ere the traveller can see, or an invading
force attack, the city. Even on the northern, which is less
protected, the approach is difficult. "Round His people," cf.
Zach. ii. 4, 5. v. 3. " The Lord" is wanting in text, St. Jerome,
and Cod. Alexand. of LXX. " The rod " (or sceptre), the Persian
rule, by favour of which their hostile neighbours molested the
Jews, and managed to gain over a considerable party among
the most influential of the returned exiles. " Lot of the just,"
the Holy Land ; Syriac, " For the tribe [another meaning of the
Hebrew word for "rod"] of the unjust shall not rest in (=upon)
the lot of the just, neither shall the just put forth their hands to
JJ
546 psalm 125 (126).
crime." v. 4. Syriac, " But they that distort their ways," &c.
" The Lord shall," or, " May the Lord make them go," interpreted
by Gesenius, "shall cause them to perish," "destroy them;"
LXX., " But as for those that turn-aside to crafty devices "
(o-rpayyaAias, sira?igalias=kY\otty-devices, snares) ; Symmachus,
o-KoXtoT^ras, skolioteetas (crookedness, dishonest acts); Theodotion,
Stco-Tpa/xyneVa, diestrammena (perverted courses) ; St. Jerome,
"pravitates" (irregularities, perversities). Symmachus' rendering
has suggested that Vulgate "obligationes "(=" snares," "entan-
glements "), may represent an earlier " obliquationes " (windings,
crooked ways), but the grounds of this conjecture are unsatis-
factory. " Obligationes," as shown above, implies ensnaring,
setting snares, hence the word in LXX. is rendered "in suffo-
cationes," "in strangulationes," by several Fathers and Psalters.
Cassiodorus understands obligationes to mean bonds, which he
interprets of the fetters sin binds the sinner withal. " Adducet"
{shall lead them to judgment, together with other evil-doers) ; but
St. Augustine, "abducet," corresponding more accurately to LXX.
(nrdgei, apaxei (=" shall lead away") and will bear Gesenius'
rendering given above.
PSALM 125 (126). PSALM 125 (126).
1. A Song of Ascents. 1. A Song of the Steps.
When YtfHWVH brought- When the Lord brought-
back the return (i.e., those back the captivity of Sion :
that returned) of Tsiyyon : We-became as comforted-
We-were like dreaming-ones. ones.
2. Then was our mouth 2. Then was our mouth
filled with laughter, And our filled with joy : And our
tongue with a joyful-cry ; tongue with exultation ;
Then said-they among the Then would-they-say among
nations : YHWII has-done the Gentiles : The Lord has-
grcat-things with them (i.e., done great-things among
with regard to them). them.
3. YHWH has-done great- 3. The Lord has [indeed]
PSALM 125 (126). 547
things with us; we -are- done great-things with us;
become joyful [or, we - are we-are glad.
glad].
4. Restore, YHWH, our 4. Bring back, O Lord,
captivity (captives) : Like our captivity, Like a torrent
streams in the southern - in the South.
land.
5. They-that-sow in tears 5. They that sow in tears
shall-reap in joy. shall-reap in joy.
6. The bearer of the trail 6. They-went along and
of seed may indeed go-along wept as they-cast their seeds ;
weeping ; [But] he shall But they-shall-surely come
surely come with a joyful- with exultation : Bearing
shout : Bearing his sheaves. their sheaves.
A post-exilic song. The observations on Ps. lxxxiv. (85) hold
good here. The small band, that formed the first caravan of the
returned exiles, beheld the land barren and desolate, sparsely
peopled, and pray that those who have remained behind may
return in numbers to overspread and cultivate the land, to restore
its fertility, like the watercourses in the parched southern region
of Palestine.
v. 1. " Captivity," so all the ancient versions without exception.
A literal rendering, "In YHWH's turning back" ( = bringing
back), the return of Sion ("return," abstract for concrete,
" the returning ones "). " Captivity," i.e., captives, " a captive
band," as in Ps. lxvii. (68) 19. " Dream," too good to be true,
cf. Acts xii. 9 ; St. Jerome, " Quasi somniantes " (as persons
dreaming). Targum, however, taking ke cMVnum ( = " as those
dreaming," "as dreaming ones") of text in its Chaldaean (and
primary) meaning, "We were as sick men who have recovered,"1
a meaning it bears in Isai. xxxviii. 16. LXX., TrapaKeKXrj/xtvoi,
parakekleemenoi ( = Vulgate, " comforted-ones "), may be rendered
" recalled [to life]," " revived," which comes to much the same
as the Targum rendering. In Isai. (Joe. citat), LXX. render
" Recover Thou me," by 7rapa/cA?^ets, parakleetheis (=" comforted,"
I live), vv. 2, 3. The Futures in text, being preceded by 'az
1 Targum, "as healed sick." LXX. took it for c/io/n'/i/u = " spared," from
f/w«w/="he spared."
548
PSALM 126 (127).
(then), denote consequent action, and are rightly rendered in
Preterite, " Has done great things " = has acted nobly, performed
great things; lit, " has made great [in relation] to doing," "[in
order to deal] with its." v. 4. " Southern-land," so Gesenius ;
Targum, " in a season of drought "'—like the dried-up wddys in
the sunburnt regions of South Palestine, which in the rainy season
are filled to overflowing, and spread fertility over the parched
land. v. 6 is but an amplification of v. 5. "The trail of seed,"
meshekh haz-zdra", the drawing-out of the seed, i.e., its being
scattered along the furrow. Aben Ezra renders meshekh, the
vessel containing the seed. Cf. Amos ix. 13, for sower. x The
idiomatic repetition of the verb go (go along) betokens the toilsome
and anxious plodding of the sower along the furrows, in contrast
with his lightsome pace, when bearing his sheaves to the garner.
The " weeping " and anxious forecast of the sower may be referred
to former bad harvests, cf. Aggseus (Haggai) ii. 16 — iS.
PSALM 126 (127).
1. A Song of Ascents;
to (of) Shelomoh. If YaH-
VJeH build not the house, In
vain do its builders labour
at it: If YHWH watch
not over a city, The watch-
man keeps-awake in vain.
2. Vain is it for you, who
rise - early, sit - down late,
[and] eat the bread of
sorrowful-toils : Just-as-much
will-He-give to His beloved
[by a] sleep.
3. Lo, sons are an heritage
of YHWH: The fruit of the
womb [His] reward.
4. As arrows in the hand
PSALM 126 (127).
1. A Song of the steps of
Solomon. Unless the Lord
build a house, They that
build it labour in vain : Un-
less the Lord keep the city,
The watchman keeps-awake
in vain.
2. Vain is it for you to
rise before the dawn ; rise
after you-are-rested, ye that
eat the bread of sorrowful-
toils : While He-gives sleep
to His beloved-ones.
3. Lo, sons are an heritage
from the Lord : The fruit of
the womb [His] reward.
4. As arrows in the hand
1 Mdshtkh haz-zdra" =l\t, "drawer of the seed."
PSALM 126 (127). 549
of a mighty-man : So are of a mighty-man : So are
the sons of [a man's] youth, the sons of the outcasts.
5. Happy the man that 5. Happy the man who
has-filled his quiver with has-satisfied his desire with
them; They-shall not be- them: He -shall not be-
ashamed ; When they-speak ashamed, when he- speaks to
with their enemies in the his enemies in the srate.
fc>i
gate.
Li Shelomoh ( = to, of Solomon) is in text and Targum, but
not in LXX., or in the earlier MSS. of Vulgate, in which it was
inserted at a later date. Syriac heads the Psalm, " One of the
Psalms of Ascension, spoken by David concerning Solomon,
spoken too of Aggaeus and Zacharias, who urged on the building
of the Temple." The traditional ascription is, to some extent,
favoured by Prov. xx. 22, an epitome of this Psalm. Solomon
was gifted with wisdom and wealth in a dream at Gibeon
(3 (1) Kings iii. 5, foil.). For "painful labours" of v. 2,
cf. Prov. v. 10; "tarrying," "delaying," cf. Prov. xxiii. 30;
"children of youth," cf. "wife of youth," Prov. v. 18; fdhldho
= " His-beloved-one " of v. 2, recalls Y'did'yd/i ( = " beloved of
YaH "), the name Nathan gave to Solomon at his birth (2 Kings
(Sam.) xii. 25). But all this is mere conjecture.
v. 2. Lit., "Vain for you, earlying (sic) to rise [i.e., "rising
early"], delaying to rest (sit down), eaters of the bread of painful-
toils : So shall He give sleep to His beloved ; " St. Jerome, " Vain
is it for you to rise early; after you have sat down (post</ua»i
sederitis), ye who eat the bread of sorrows : So shall He give to
them that love Him sleep." With LXX., he reads delaying, with
slightly different points, or vowels (meachare* = " when after,"
instead of m'ac/z're, instead of delaying =ye that delay). LXX.,
" In vain for you to rise-early ; ye rise up [rise-ye up (?)] after
sitting down [to the evening meal], ye that eat the bread of pain ;
while (since) He gives sleep to His beloved ones." "Ye rise up,"
or arise (in LXX., cyeipeo-fle, egeiresthe - surgite, "arise-ye," of
Vulgate). Agellius asserts that in all the MSS. of Cod. Vatican.
the reading is iyeipeaBaL, egeiresthai (="to rise up"), that eyetpeo-#e
is to be found but in the printed copies. Euthymius andTheodoret
prefer this Infinitive. "In sleep;" as rendered by Thalhofcr,
550 PSALM 127 (128).
" Even so much as you can gain by ceaseless effort, He gives to
His beloved [in] sleep," i.e., without strained effort. Sleepwise (?),
Accusative of mode. v. 3. " Reward ; " LXX., " Reward of the
fruit of the womb," a rendering adopted by some Latin Fathers,
who apply it to the Christ ; " the sons of adoption, born anew in
Baptism, are a reward of the Fruit of the Virginal womb." The
Vulgate rendering is in agreement with the text. v. 4. It is said
to be a Chinese custom to hang a bow and arrow at the house-
door, on the birth of a son, to show that the family has got a
defender. "Of youth," i.e., born of an early marriage. If taken
as a noun, it has to be rendered " sons of youth," so St. Jerome
("filii juventutis") ; if (as by LXX.) as a participle, then "sons of
outcasts." The hostility the riduci, or returned exiles, had to
meet in their work of reconstruction rendered large families a
matter of no slight moment. v. 5. "Quiver," so Syriac and
St. Jerome ; LXX. seem to have dropped the metaphor suggested
by "arrows" of v. 4. "Be ashamed," "speak," are Plural verbs
in text, LXX., St. Jerome, and Vetus Itala; Vulgate takes
"mighty man" of v. 4 as the subject (cf. Ecclus. xxx. 5, 6;
Sophocles, Antig. 641 — 644). "In the gate;" Targum, "in the
gate of the beth din (i.e., the house of judgment). They shall not
lose their cause, when pleading against their adversaries in the
gate, the place of judgment, and of all public acts. Some,
however, interpret it of an encounter with besiegers at the gate ;
but "speak with" can hardly mean "fight with;" but cf. 4 (2)
Kings xiv. 8 — 1 1.
PSALM 127 (128). PSALM 127 (128).
1. A Song of Ascents: 1. A Song of the Steps.
Happy is every-onc [that] Happy are all they that fear
fears YrtHWt'H: That walks the Lord : That walk in His
in His ways. ways.
2. The labour of thy hands 2. For thou-shalt-eat the
thou-shalt-surely eat : Happy labours of thy hands : Happy
art thou, and it shall be well art-thou, and it - shall - be
with thee. well with thee.
3. Thy wife shall be as a 3. Thy wife shall-be as a
PSALM 127 (128) 551
fruitful vine in the sides (i.e., fruitful vine on the sides of
the inner-parts) of thy house: thy house: Thy children
Thy children like olive- like young olive-plants round
plants round-about thy table: about thy table.
4. Behold, that thus shall- 4. Behold, thus shall-the
the man be-blessed [That] man be-blessed That fears
fears Y^HW^H. the Lord.
5. YH WH bless thee out 5. The Lord bless thee
of Sion ; And look -thou out of Sion ; And mayest-
upon the good (i.e., prosper- thou-see the prosperity of
ity) of Jerusalem : All the Jerusalem : All the days of
days of thy life, thy life,
6. And see-thou sons to 6. And see thy children's
thy sons : Peace be upon children : Peace be upon
Israel. Israel.
As is obvious, this Psalm, a sunny picture of domestic bliss,
suggests no definite historical situation. In vv. 1 — 4 we have
the description of the happiness that rewards the God-fearing
man ; vv. 5, 6 contain blessings and promises.
v. 2. Ki ("surely," or "for," "because") is omitted in LXX.,
Origen, St. John Chrysostom, St. Jerome, and in most Latin
Psalters. LXX., in several MSS. and printed editions, reads tcr's
7rovous twv KapTruyv <Tov, tons potions ton karpon sou, rendered
literally in several Latin Psalters, " the labours of thy fruits "
( = "labores fructuum tuorum "), a mistake due, as St. Jerome
observes {Epist. 13, ad MarcelL), to the double meaning of
/cup™'? ( = "fruit," "wrist") "fruits" or "hands:' "Thou art
(and wilt continue to be) happy." v. 3. " Inner-parts," " the sides
of thy house," were also literal renderings. St. Jerome, " in pene-
tralibus" ( = in the inner rooms). v. 5. The welfare of the
individual is bound up with that of the country and its capital,
v. 6. "Peace;" Vulgate, St. Jerome, pacem (Accusative), (" [And]
peace " — mayest thou see) ; LXX., and most old Latin Psalters,
Pax (Nominative), "Peace be " &c, cf. Ps. cxxiv. (125).
552
PSALM 128 (129).
PSALM 128 (129).
1. A Song of Ascents.
Oft-times (greatly) have they
fought against me, from my
youth up : Let Israel now
say ;
2. Oft-times have-they-
fought against me, from my
youth up : Yet they-pre-
vailed not against me.
3. Ploughers ploughed
upon my back : They-made-
length for their furrows (i.e.,
They made long).
4. YtfHW^H is just : He-
has-cut-asunder the cords of
the wicked.
5. Let-them-be-ashamed
and turned backward : All
[that] hate Sion.
6. Be-they as the grass of
the roofs : Which ere one-
plucks it up withers [or, is-
parched].
7. Wherewith the mower
fills not his hand, Nor the
gatherer - of - sheaves his
bi 1 ii >m [or, arm] :
8. Neither do they-that-
pass-by say, " The blessing
of YliW'Il be upon you:
We-bless you in the Name
of YaHW*H."
PSALM 128 (129).
1. A Song of the Steps.
Oft-times have-they fought-
against me, from my youth :
Let Israel now say ;
2. Oft-times have-they-
fought against me, from my
youth up : But they-prc-
vailed not against me.
3. Sinners forged upon
my back : They-prolonged
their iniquity.
4. The Lord is just : He-
has-cut-asunder the necks of
sinners.
5. Let all that hate Sion
be-put-to-shame and turned
backward.
6. Let-them-be as the
grass of the roofs : Which
withers before it-be-plucked-
up [or, grows-up].
7. Wherewith the mower
fills not his hand : Nor the
gatherer of sheaves his
bosom.
8. Neither do they that
pass-by say, " The blessing
of the Lord be upon you :
We bless you in the Name
of the Lord."
This Psalm is generally assigned to the post-exilic period.
With the memory of the still recent Captivity, harassed as they
PSALM 128 (129). 553
were by the molestation of the Samaritans and of other hostile
neighbours, the riduci, or returned exiles, recall in the four first
verses the main features of their wondrous past, and finish with a
prayer for future deliverance.
v. 1. "Oft-times," or "greatly," "much," or "for a long time."
" Youth," the very dawn of their national existence (cf. Osee
(Hosea) ii. 15; Jerem. ii. 2; xxii. 21; Ezech. xxiii. 3). v. 2.
" Yet," nevertheless, v. 3. " Furrows," deep wounds made by
the scourge — "and long did their cruel oppression endure."
Syriac, "they prolonged their oppression." LXX. have taken
chdr'shu (they ploughed) in the sense it bears at times, of
fabricating out of metal, wood, or stone. "Their iniquity,"'
in text (///.), " They-have-made-lengths for their furrows;"
"iniquity" is easily read for "furrow" " a furrow." Targum,
"They lengthened out their ploughing," i.e., gave us no rest
from our toil. Gabh of text ( = "back") means also "bulwark,''
" stronghold," hence it may be understood of levelling a fortress
with the ground (?) : cf. Jerem. xxvi. 18; Mich. iii. 12.
v. 4. " Cords," " ropes," " traces," " bonds," yoking the oxen
to the plough. LXX. read gabboth ( = "backs," "necks")
instead of "abhoth of text, and may be understood to refer to
God's humbling the pride of the oppressor. St. Jerome has
"laqueos" ( = "snares). vv. 5 — 8. The verbs may be con-
strued as Optatives. " Grass," growing in the crevices of the flat
roofs, or on the roofs formed of mud and straw, on the cottages of
the peasantry. " Plucked up ; " in text, shalaph ( = " he drew
out " — as a sword from its sheath — hence, " ere one draws out the
scythe," i.e., " ere it is fit to be mowed." Rashi and Aben Ezra
agree with LXX. and Vulgate; Targum (paraphrases), "which,
ere it blossoms, there comes an East wind that tears it up, and
it withers;" Aquila, aveOaXev, anethalen ( = "ere it sprouts"];
Symmachus, eK/cauA-^crai, ekkauleesai ( = " ere it run into stalk"),
unless this be a form of IkkomXi^iv, ekkauiizein ( = " to pull out
the stalk"). Walton's Polyglot renders shalaph ("erumpat") =
"ere it shoots up;" St. Jerome, "statim ut viruerit " (as soon as
it shows itself). As no one is at the pains of gathering it, the
passers-by have no occasion to wish the mowers the blessing to
be met with in Ruth ii. 4.
554
PSALM 129 (130).
PSALM 129 (130).
1. A Song of Ascents.
Out of the depths have-I-
cried to Thee, Y^HW^H.
2. 'Adonay, hear my voice ;
Be Thine ears attentive : To
the voice of my supplica-
tions.
3. If Thou, YaH, should-
est-mark iniquities: 'Adonay,
who could-stand ?
4. For with Thee is the
forgiveness : That Thou-
mayest-be-feared. (cf. Gen.
xxxi. 53.)
5. I-wait for YHWH, my
soul waits : And in His
word do-I-hope [or, for His
word do-I-tarry].
6. My soul [waits] for
'Adonay: More than watchers
[wait] for the morning, [than]
watchers for the morning.
7. Hope-thou, Israel, in
YtfHVWH: For with YHWH
is the loving-goodness : And
with Him redemption plen-
teously [or, Let Israel hope],
<S. And He shall-redeem
Israel : From all his iniqui-
ties.
PSALM 129 (130).
1. A Song of the Steps.
Out of the depths have- 1 -
cried to Thee, O Lord :
2. Lord, hear my voice ;
Let Thine ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplica-
tion.
3. If Thou, Lord, should-
est-mark iniquities : Lord,
who shall-stand ?
4. For with Thee is the
propitiation : And because
of Thy law I-have-waited
for Thee, O Lord. My soul
has-waited for His word :
5. My soul hopes in the
Lord.
morning
6. From the
watch until night, let Israel
hope in the Lord.
7. For with the Lord is
mercy: And with Him
plenteous redemption.
8. And He shall-redeem
Israel : From all his iniqui-
ties.
This Psalm is commonly held to be a penitent supplication of
the P>abylonian exiles ; some expositors, however, refer it 1 Esdras
1 1 .-i.i) ix 5, &c. ; x. 44.
PSALM 130 (131). 555
v. 1. "Depths;" deep waters frequently figure in Scripture
language ; overwhelming affliction ; cf. Psalm lxviii. (69) 2. v. 3.
" Mark ; " lit., " watch." v. 4. But Thou dost not mark them,
" For (because) with Thee there is the forgiveness, propitiation,"
(the) emphatic. " Feared," i.e., revered with loving awe, on account
of Thy mercy ; St. Jerome, " Cum terribilis sis " ( = " Though
Thou art to be feared ") ; LXX., " Because of Thy Name." But
Symmachus and Agellius are of opinion the earlier MSS. of LXX.
had "because of Thy laiv." "Thy Law" and " Thou-mayest-be
feared" are easily confounded in the unpointed original text.
This rendering of theirs necessitated (if it did not exist already)
a different division of vv. 4 — 6. Thus, the beginning of v. 5 is
placed at the end of v. 4. Targum, " that Thou mayest be seen,"
instead of feared; Aquila and Theodotion, "Eveko. rov <j>6f3ov,
heneka ton phobou ( = " because of fear "). It is worth noticing
that LXX. render Isai. xlii. 4 ("And the isles shall-wait for His
law"), "And in His Name shall the Gentiles trust." Syriac
begins v. 5, " I have hoped in the Lord, my soul," &c. v. 6.
St. Jerome is here in all but close agreement with Syriac, " My
soul to the Lord (Anima mea ad Dominion), from morning
watch till morning watch." LXX. may have read mish-shemurdh
(="from the watch") instead of mish-shonirim (="than
watchers ") of the present text, and, puzzled by the repetition
of the word, thought to complete the sense by inserting " until
night." In Cod. Alexand. of LXX., and in several old Latin
Psalters, this repetition begins the next verse (v. 7), " From the
morning -watch let Israel hope," &c. v. 7. St. Jerome, " Expectet
Israel Dominum " (let Israel wait for the Lord). " Plenteously,"
so literally, the noun har'beh being always used as an adverb.
PSALM 130 (131). PSALM 130 (131).
1. A Song of Ascents; 1. A Song of the Steps;
to David. YaHW^H, my of David. Lord, my heart
heart is not haughty, nor is not lifted-up, nor are
mine eyes uplifted : And I- mine eyes lofty : Nor do-I-
walk not in great-things, or exercise-myself in great-
556 psalm 130 (131).
[in things] too wonderful for things, or in things too
me. wonderful for me.
2. Surely I-have-stilled 2. If I have not been
and hushed my soul ; As (I have indeed been) lowly-
the vveaned-babe upon its minded, but have-exalted
mother : As the weaned- my soul ; As the weaned-
babe [lies] my soul upon me. babe upon its mother : So
be requital to my soul.
3. O Israel, hope in 3. Let Israel hope in the
YHWH : From this time Lord : From this time forth
forth and for evermore. and for evermore.
The Syriac has the ascription " to David," Targum and LXX.
omit it.1 There is no very cogent reason for questioning this
ascription.
v. 1. Cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) vi. 22. "Eyes uplifted," a frequent
Davidic expression. " I walk," " have-walked," here, as else-
where, a common figure for tenor of life and conduct. v. 2.
Lit., " If I have not"=" Surely, I have indeed levelled (i.e., calmed,
smoothed down) my soul." " Exalted " of LXX. comes from their
reading (mistaking [?]) xdmanCti (="I have lifted up") for ddmam'ti
of the present text (d and r being easily confounded in Hebrew
script). LXX. have read kagg'mul (so the requital), with a
slightly different vocalization from ka.gg§Lmul (=as the weaned)
of present text: "to my soul," reading "airy (to, upon) instead
of "dlay (upon me) of text. The reading of Cod. Vatican.,
diru-oSojcreis, antapodoseis ("thou shalt repay"), is obviously
an emendation of dvTa7rdSoo-i9, antapodosis, or of uvTa7roSoo-eis,
antapodoseis (= "requital," "requitals"). Several old Latin
Psalters read, " ita retribues (avrajroowo-eis) in animam meam "
(so shalt Thou requite my soul), v. 3. Probably a liturgical
addition, an adaptation of an expression of individual trust to
the circumstances of the captive people, or of the returned
exiles. St. Jerome, "O Israel, wait for (expecta) the Lord."
1 Cod. Alexand. of LXX. has "for David."
PSALM 131 (132).
67
PSALM
131
(132).
1. A Song of Ascents.
Remember, YrtHWcH, for
David : All his affliction ;
2. Who swore to YHWH :
Vowed to the Mighty-One
of Yartaqobh (i.e., Jacob) ;
3. Surely I-will not come-
into the tent of my house :
Surely I-will not go-up on
to the couch of my bed,
4. Surely-I-will not give
sleep to mine eyes : Nor
slumber to mine eyelids,
5. Until I-find a place for
YHWH : Tabernacles for
the Mighty-One of Jacob.
6. Lo, We-heard-of it in
'Eph'rathah : We-found it
in the fields of the wood.
7. Let-us-come into His
tabernacles : Let-us-worship
at His footstool.
8. Arise, YHWH, into
Thy resting-place : THOU,
and the Ark of Thy strength.
9. Let Thy priests be-
clothed with justice : And
let Thy pious-ones-shout-
for-joy.
10. For the sake of David
Thy servant : Turn not
away the face of Thine
Anointed.
PSALM 131 (132).
1. A Song of the Steps.
Lord, remember David : And
all his meekness ;
2. How he-swore to the
Lord : Vowed a vow to the
God of Jacob ;
3. Surely I-will not enter
into the tent of my house :
Surely I-will not go-up to
the couch of my bed.
4. I-will not give sleep to
mine eyes : Nor slumber to
mine eyelids,
5. [Nor rest to my tem-
ples,] Until I-find a place
for the Lord. A dwelling
for the God of Jacob.
6. Lo, we-heard-of it in
Ephrata : We-found it in
the fields of the wood.
7. We-will-enter into His
tabernacle: We-will-worship
at the place where His feet
stood.
8. Arise, O Lord, into Thy
resting-place : THOU, and
the Ark of Thy holiness.
9. Let Thy priests be-
clothed with justice : And
Thy saints exult.
10. For Thy servant
David's sake : Turn not
away the face of Thine
anointed-one.
558
PSALM 131 (132).
11. YHWH has-sworn to
David, [it-is] truth ; He-will
not turn from it ; Of the
fruit of thy belly (i.e., womb) :
Will-I-set upon thy throne ;
12. If thy sons will-keep
My covenant. And My
testimonies which I-shall-
teach them, Their sons also
for ever and ever : Shall-sit
upon thy throne.
13. For YHWH has-
chosen Sion : He - has -
desired it as an abode for
Himself.
14. This is My resting-
place for ever and ever :
Here will-I-abide, for I-have-
desired it.
15. Her provision I-will
abundantly bless : Her poor
I-will-satisfy with bread.
16. Her priests also will-
I-clothe with salvation : And
her pious-ones shall-shout
aloud for joy.
17. There will-I-make the
horn of David to-bud : I-
have-prepared a lamp for
Mine Anointed.
18. His enemies will-I-
clothe with shame : But
upon himself shall his crown
flourish.
11. The Lord has-sworn
to David [in] truth, He-will
not annul it : Of the fruit of
thy belly will-I-set upon thy
throne ;
12. If thy sons will-keep
My testament, And these
testimonies of Mine which
I-shall-teach them ; Then
shall their sons for evermore
sit upon thy throne.
13. For the Lord has-
chosen Sion : He-has-chosen
it as an abode for Himself.
14. This is My resting-
place for ever and ever :
Here will-I-dwell, for I-have-
chosen it.
15. Her widows I-will-
abundantly bless ; Her poor
I-will-satisfy with bread.
16. Her priests will-I-
clothe with salvation : And
her saints shall greatly exult.
17. There will I make a
horn to spring forth to
David : I -have-prepared a
lamp for Mine Anointed.
18. His enemies will-I-
clothe with shame : But
upon him shall My sanctifi-
cation flourish.
Qimchi, with the majority of ancient expositors, assigns this
prayer for tin- fulfilment of the Divine promises to David, to
David himself. It has, with better reason, been ascribed to
PSALM 131 (132). 559
Solomon, a view favoured by the fact that vv. 8 — 10 of this
Psalm, with but a slight variation, reproduce the conclusion of
Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the Temple (2 Chron. vi.
41, 42). A far more probable view — that of Origen, Theodoret,
and of most modern commentators — assigns it to the period of
the Captivity, when the Davidic dynasty was dethroned, and, to
all seeming, God had forgotten His promises to David and his
seed.
v. 1. " Affliction," so too St. Jerome ; Syriac, "humiliation,"
as -n-paoTT]?, praotees ( = meekness, mildness, good temper), of
LXX. will bear to be rendered. " To (for, in behalf of) David,"
in text (a Dative of reference), cf. Ps. Ixxviii. (79) 8, "Remember
not to us [in text, lanft, i.e., "to our prejudice," "against us"]
our iniquities," &c. "Affliction" may here be rendered "his
anxious cares " — for the splendour of Divine worship, as set forth
in the following verses, v. 2. "How;" LXX., d>?, Ms; Syriac
and St. Jerome, " Who swore " (6's, Ms, instead of o>s). " Mighty
of J. ; " rendered, as is their wont, by LXX. " God of J. ; " so too
St. Jerome, "Deo J." "Mighty-One," repeated in v. 5, first
occurs in Gen. xlix. 24. v. 3. "If" introduces a solemn assever-
ation; we may supply, "May evil befall me," "If I go," txrc.
"Tent,". not to be taken literally, cf. 2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 2. v. 4.
Cf. Prov. vi. 4. v. 5. " Rest to my temples," wanting in text,
an interpolation from Theodotion. v. 6. " It," viz., the Ark.
"'Eph'rathah," ancient name of Bethlehem, Gen. xxxv. 16.
" 'Eph'rathah " may be (not be [?]) a topographical name ; in the
latter case, it means " fruitful " ( = the fruitful land). As the
gentile name Ephrathite means an Ephraimite, in three passages,
Ephrathah may here mean Ephraim (?), the chief town of which
was Shiloh ( = Silo), the place of the Tabernacle, in the period of
the Judges. Schegg attempts another explanation : a few miles
W. of Bethlehem, in the territory of Juda (as is also Qiryath-
Ya'ar), lies the town of Beth-shemesh ( = " House of the sun " —
Bethsames of Vulgate), to which the Ark was taken by the
Philistines. Thence it was removed to Qiryath Yedrim ( = "city
of the woods," Woodtown, Forestville), on the confines of
Benjamin and Juda (1 Kings (Sam.) vi. 21; vii. 1, &c).
"Ephrata" is by some identified with the district in which the
560 PSALM 131 (132).
"city of the woods" is situate. St. Jerome, "in regione saltus"
(in the district of the wood, the forest-district), v. 7. " Footstool,"
cf. Ps. xcviii. (99) 5. v. 8. "Arise," the old war-cry during the
march through the desert, cf. Numb. x. 33 — 36. "Strength," so
St. Jerome (fortitudinis luce), or, " of Thy Majesty," whereof the
Ark was the seat. v. 10. "Turn not . . . the face," refuse not
the petition. " For the sake of David," &c, paraphrased in
Targum, " For the sake of David Thy servant's justice (inno-
cence [?]), while the Ark is entering through the middle of the
gates, turn not away the face of Solomon, Thine Anointed." By
others, the captive King Jechonias is taken to be meant ; it is also
understood of the chosen race, then in exile, v. n. Syriac, "He
will not go back from it ; " St. Jerome, " He will not be turned
(non avertetur ab ea) from it;" cf. Ps. cix. (no) 4, " He will not
repent." v. 13. The kingdom is given to David, because God has
chosen Sion for His fixed abode, v. 15. " Provision," rendered
cscae ( = food) in Walton's Polyglot; Syriac, " venationibus ejus"
(its huntings — for game); St. Jerome, "its hunting " {venationem
ejus) - Brfpav, llieeran, of LXX., Cod. Vatican. Cod. Alex, reads
Xr/pav, cheeran ( = " widow " of Vulgate), either a scribe's blunder
or an unauthorized correction, suggested, may be, by the fancied
requirements of the parallelism, " widow " corresponding to
"poor," while "food" and "poor" are disparate. Tseydhah of
text = " food," "provision for a journey;" "flesh, fish, or fowl
trapped, or caught in nets or snares." vv. 17, 18 are obviously
Messianic. " Horn," a mighty, all-conquering King of David's
race, whence the mention of enemies in v. 18. Cf. St. Luke i. 69.
" A lamp " (in text, ner), so rendered in all the ancient versions.
Lowe and Jennings suggest, "a line of descendants." The Son
of David is to be "a light to enlighten the nations" (St. Luke
ii. 32), and to rule for ever as a gloriou's Priest-King. v. 18.
Here, as in Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 40, LXX. render niz'rd (his crown)
• <Tfxa, hagiasma (Vulgate, " sanctification," sanctuary, holiness),
a rendering the primary meaning of nczcr (rendered here diadema
St. Jerome) fully justifies. Nczer is a token whereby one is
apart, separated from the people at large. Here it means the
royal diadem, symbolizing the regal unction and Divine dele-
gation to rule. Thus the king's crown, the mitre of the high
PSALM 132 (133).
56l
priest, the unshorn locks of the Nazarite, are designated by this
word. Syriac, "His enemies I will clothe with shame, and upon
(towards [?]) him shall My holiness be multiplied;" in text, lit,
"shall blossom."
PSALM 132 (133).
1. A Song of Ascents : to
David. Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is : For
brethren to-dwell together
also.
2. As the goodly oil upon
the head, going-down upon
the beard, the beard of
Aaron ; That goes - down
upon the hem of his vest-
ments ;
3. Like the dew of Cher'-
mon, that comes-down upon
the mountains of Tsiy-yon ;
for there Y^HYWH com-
manded the blessing : Life
for evermore.
PSALM 132 (133).
1. A Song of the Steps
to David. Behold, how
pleasant it is : For brethren
to-dwell together.
2. As the ointment (the
fragrant-oil) upon the head,
That ran-down upon the
beard, the beard of Aaron ;
That ran - down upon the
border of his vesture ;
3. Like the dew of Her-
mon that comes-down on
Mount Sion : For there the
Lord commanded the bless-
ing : [Even] life for ever-
more.
"To (of, by) David," omitted in Cod. Vatican, of LXX., is
found in text, in Cod. Alexand. of LXX., Targum, Old Itala,
Vulgate. There is no reason for questioning the traditional
ascription. Several expositors, however, assign the Psalm to the
post-exilic period, when the division of Juda and Israel was a
thing of the past, and the returned exiles, whatever their tribe,
merged into one community, cf. 1 Esdras (Ezra) iii. 1 ; 2 Esdras
(Nehem.) viii. 1. This, after all, is mere conjecture, as nothing
in the Psalm points to a definite date. It may have been
composed by David, or by some other inspired poet, to impress
the multitudes assembled for the three great festivals, with a
sense of the blessedness of their hallowed fellowship. Aben Ezra
restricts it to the priestly caste. Joseph Qimchi extends it to the
KK
562 PSALM I33 (134).
whole of Israel ; David Qimchi refers it to the friendship of
Zorobabel and the high priest, Jesus ( = Joshua, Jeshua), cf. Zach.
iv. 11 — 14.
v. 1. "Behold, how good and pleasant [it is for those
who are] brothers" (i.e., united by ties of blood), "also" (cf.
GAH-ydchadh) " to dwell together," ///., " to dwell also together,"
in peace, harmony, and mutual forbearance. v. 2. " Goodly
oil," the priestly unction mentioned Exod. xxix. 7 ; Lev.
viii. 12; xxi. 10. "Aaron," he alone was thus plentifully
anointed, to betoken that to him was imparted the fulness of
the priesthood. " Aaron " may perhaps be understood as the
collective designation of the high-priesthood. "Hem," ///.,
" mouth " (cf. " mouth of a sack "), the upper, or lower hem, more
likely the latter, v. 3. Rashi would supply, "[like the deiv\ that
descends on the mountains of Sion." St. Jerome, " Montana
Sion " (the hilly ranges of Juda). It may be understood of the
moisture-laden clouds gathering about Hermon, and wafted
southward. "There," i.e., Sion is the Divinely appointed spot,
where He has ordained for evermore " the blessing [i.e., life]."
This verse favours somewhat the view that this Psalm was meant
to be sung at the gathering for the three great festivals.
St. Augustine observes that the very sound of v. 1 is so sweet
(ita sonus iste dulcis est), that it was sung even by those who knew
nothing of the rest of the Psalter. This verse, adds he, gave birth
to monasteries.
PSALM 133 (134). PSALM 133 (134).
1. A Song of Ascents. 1. A Song of the Steps.
Behold, bless-ye YtfHWVH, Behold now, bless-ye the
all ye servants of YHWH : Lord, all ye servants of
Who stand in the house of the Lord : Who stand in
Yl IWH in the nights. the house of the Lord [in the
courts of the house of our
God].
2. Lift-up your hands to 2. Lift-up your hands by
the sanctuary : And bless- night to the holy-places :
ye YHWH. And bless-ye the Lord.
PSALM 134 (135). 563
3. YHWH bless thee out 3. The Lord bless thee
of Sion : [He who is] the out of Sion : [Even He]
Maker of heaven and earth, who made heaven and earth.
Delitzsch asserts as beyond question (1) that vv. 1, 2 are a
greeting, and v. 3 is a blessing in reply ; (2) that it is addressed to
the priests and Levites who had the night-watch in the Temple ;
(3) that this Psalm is purposely placed at the end of the Gradual
Psalms, to take the place of a final blessing. Targum explains
v. 1 of the Temple watch. Tholuck and others take vv. 1, 2 for
the greeting of the Levites to the relief-guard, who reply in v. 3.
Others suppose that the greeting is interchanged between the two
bands on meeting when making their rounds. Hengstenberg,
Philippson, &c, are of opinion that vv. 1, 2 are addressed to the
priests officiating at night, by the pilgrims thronging the Temple-
mount and fore-court. At the time of the great festivals, the
multitude of private sacrifices ("private intentions," as we say)
kept the priests and Temple officials occupied far into the night.
v. 1. "Behold," "come," "now then," calls attention.
" Servants of YH"," limited to priests and Levites by next
clause, " Who stand," &c, the usual word for liturgical func-
tionaries. " In the courts ... of our God," not in text, inserted
by LXX. from v. 2 of next Psalm, v. 2. " Lift up . . . hands
[to the] holy-place" (godhesh, in text), Accusative of direction, or
adverbial, "in holiness," "holily." "Lift up hands," i.e., "pray,"
cf. 1 Tim. ii. 8. v. 3. The formula of the priestly blessing
(Numb. vi. 24) differs from this.
PSALM 134(135)- PSALM 134(135)-
1. Halalu-YaH. Praise-ye 1. Alleluia. Praise-ye the
the Name of YHWH : Name of the Lord : Ye
Praise [it- (Him^?)] ye ser- servants of His, praise the
vants of Ya H YWH. Lord.
2. Ye that stand in the 2. Ye that stand in the
house of YHWH : In the house of the Lord : In the
courts of the house of our courts of the house of our
God. God.
3. Praise - ye YaH ; for 3. Praise-ye the Lord, for
564
PSALM 134 (135).
YHWH is good: Sing-
psalms to His Name, for it
is pleasant.
4. For YaH has chosen
Jacob for Himself: Israel
for His own possession.
5. For I know that
YHWH is great : And that
our Lord (' 'Adoney-nu) is
above all gods ('E/SMm).
6. All that YaHWeH
pleases He-has-done, In the
heavens, and in the earth :
In the seas, and in all deeps.
7. He-brings-up vapours
from the end of the earth ;
He-makes lightnings for the
rain : He-brings-forth the
wind out of His storehouses.
8. Who smote the first-
born of Mits'raim : From
man to beast.
9. [And] sent signs and
portents into the midst
of thee, O Egypt ; Upon
Phar'"6h and upon all his
servants.
10. Who smote many
[great (?)] nations : And slew
mighty kings ;
11. Sichon, king of the
Emori, And "6gh, king of
Bashan : And all the king-
doms of Kena 'an ;
12. And gave their land
[as] an inheritance : An
inheritance to Israel His
people.
the Lord is good : Sing-
psalms to His Name, for it
is sweet.
4. For the Lord has-
chosen Jacob for Himself:
Israel forHisown possession.
5. For I know that the
Lord is great : And that
our Lord is above all gods.
6. Whatsoever the Lord
pleased, He-has-done, In
heaven, on earth : In the
sea, and in all deeps.
7. He-brings-up clouds
from the end of the earth ;
He-makes lightnings for the
rain : He-brings-forth winds
out of His stores.
8 Who smote the first-
born of Egypt : Both of
man and beast ;
9. And sent signs and
wonders into the midst of
thee, O Egypt : Upon
Pharaoh and upon all his
servants ;
10. Who smote many
nations : And slew mighty
kings ;
11. Sehon, king of the
Amorrhites, And Og, king
of Basan : And all the king-
doms of Chanaan ;
12. And gave their land
for an heritage : An heritage
to Israel, His people.
PSALM 134 (135).
565
13. YHWH, Thy Name
[endures] for ever : Thy
memorial, YHWH, to gen-
eration and generation. (Cf.
Exod. iii. 15.)
14. For YHWH shall-
judge His people : And
repent Himself on account
of His servants.
15. The idols of the
nations are silver and gold :
the work of the hands of
man.
16. A mouth have-they
(lit., to them), and speak not :
Eyes have-they, and see not.
17. Ears have-they, but
they-listen not : Yea, there
is no breath in their mouth.
18. Like to them be their
makers : [And] every-one
that trusts in them.
19. O house of Israel,
bless-ye Y^HW^H: Houseof
'Aharon, bless-ye YHWH;
20. House of Levi, bless-
ye YHWH: Ye-that-fear
YHWH, bless-ye YHWH.
21. Blessed be YaHWeH
out of Sion : Who-dwells in
Jerusalem. Halalu-YaH.
13. Lord, Thy Name
[endures] for ever : Thy
memorial, O Lord, to all
generations.
14. For the Lord shall-
judge His people : And be-
easily - entreated for His
servants.
15. The idols of the Gen-
tiles are silver and gold :
Works of men's hands.
16. A mouth have-they,
and speak not : Eyes have-
they, and see not.
17. Ears have-they, but
they-cannot-hear : Neither
is there any breath in their
mouth.
18. May they that make
them be like to them : And
all that put-their-trust in
them.
19. House of Israel, bless-
ye the Lord ; House of
Aaron, bless-ye the Lord ;
20. House of Levi, bless-
ye the Lord : Ye that fear
the Lord, bless-ye the Lord.
21. Blessed be the Lord
out of Sion : Who dwells in
Jerusalem.
A liturgical Psalm exhorting to the praise of God, (1) because
He has chosen Israel; (2) because of His Almighty power;
(3) because He defends Israel ; (4) because He is the one, true,
living God — "Praise then, praise the Lord." The Psalm is
566 psalm 134 (135).
obviously a compilation. Cf. v. 1 with v. 1 of foregoing Psalm ;
v. 3 with Ps. cxlvi. (147) 1 ; vv. 6, 15 — 20 with Ps. cxiii. (115)
3 — 8, 9 — 11 ; v. 7 occurs, almost word for word, in Jerem. x. 13 ;
li. 16; not to mention other coincidences. The Psalm is, beyond
question, post-exilic, and not inaptly described by Delitzsch as a
kind of mosaic, the structure whereof deserves the highest praise,
v. 1. "Servants" (the same word in text as is rendered pueri
in Ps. cxii. (113) 1), i.e., Israel, v. 2. "That stand," &c, a
common term for priestly and Levitical service. " In the courts,"
&c. Taken by some as an exhortation to the lay worshippers
who were debarred from entering the Temple proper, v. 3.
"Pleasant;" LXX., Ka\6v, kalon ( = "good," "lovely");
St. Jerome, "decens" (becoming, fitting), evidently applied
to "sing Psalms," while LXX. may apply either to "Name" or
to "praise," according to the analogy of Ps. cxlvi. (147) 1 ;
Prov. xxiii. 8, it is predicated of the " singing." "He is benign
(generous)," predicating of God, is favoured by an admissible
rendering of Ps. xcviii. (99) 3, 5 ("He is holy"), v. 5. "I know,"
settled personal conviction. " I," emphatic, expressed in text,
cf. Ps. xciv. (95) 3. v. 7. "Bring up clouds;" so LXX., Syriac,
St. Jerome (nitbes). Nesi-un of text means "things lifted up,"
hence "princes," "leaders," "captains;" here "vapours," from
which the clouds are formed. " End of earth," from the further-
most horizon, or as Qimchi, not inaptly, puts it, from the sea, the
"end" of the dry land. St. Augustine, "Thou knowest not
whence they rise." v. 11. " Sichon " ("sweeping away," "a
leader carrying everything before him," so Gesenius, s.v.), a
King of the Amorrhites, ruling in Heshbon ( = Hesebon), Numb.
xxi. 21 — 23. "Amorrhites," Gentile name, from Amor, son
of Chanaan (Gen. x. 16); probably it designates here the
Chanaanites in general, of whom they were the principal tribe.
"Ogh" (Gesenius, s.v., "long-necked," "gigantic"), Numb. xxi.
33; xxxii. 33; Deut. iii. 1. v. 13. Cf. Exod. iii. 15. v. 14.
"Judges," "rights," vindicates the rights: no question , here of
punitive judgment, as hemistich 2 shows. " Repent," or " take
compassion on;" Syriac, "And shall be comforted concerning
His servants;" St. Jerome, " Placabilis erit" ( = shall be easily
appeased); St. Augustine, " Advocabitur " (He will be easily
PSALM 135 (136).
567
moved to help, to relieve, when called upon), a literal rendering
of LXX. Cf. Deut. xxxii. 36; Ps. lxxxix. (go) 13. vv. 15 — 18
vary but slightly from vv. 4 — 8 of Ps. cxiv. (115). vv. 19, 20.
Cf. vv. 9 — 11, Ps. cxiv. (115); Ps. cxvii. (118) 2 — 4. v. 21.
LXX., "in Sion;" Syriac and St. Jerome, "out of Sion."
PSALM 135 (136).
1. Give-thanks to YaH-
W<?H, for He is good :
For His loving - goodness
[endures] for ever.
2. Give thanks to the God
of gods : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
3. Give thanks to the
'Adhoney of the 'adhonim :
For His loving-goodness
[endures] for ever.
4. To Him who alone
does great wonders : For
His loving-goodness [en-
dures] for ever.
5. To Him who made the
heavens by understanding :
For His loving-goodness
[endures] for ever.
6. To Him who stretched-
out the earth above the
waters : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
7. To Him who made
great lights : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
8. The sun for dominion
by the day : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
PSALM 135 (136).
1. Alleluia. Give-thanks
to the Lord, for He is good :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
2. Give thanks to the God
of gods : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
3. Give thanks to the
Lord of lords : (Deut. x. 17.)
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
4. To Him who alone
does great wonders : For
His mercy [endures] for
ever.
5. To Him who made the
heavens by understanding :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
6. To Him who established
the earth upon the waters :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever. (Cf. Ps. xxiii. (24) 2.)
7. To Him who made
great lights : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
8. The sun for rule over
the day : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
568
PSALM 135 (136).
9. The moon and stars for
dominions over the night :
For His loving-goodness
[endures] for ever.
10. Who smote Mits'raim
in their first-born : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
11. And brought - out
Israel from the midst of
them : For His loving-good-
ness [endures] for ever.
12. With a strong hand
and arm outstretched : For
His loving - goodness [en-
dures] for ever.
13. Who divided Yam-
Suph into parts : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
14. And made Israel to-
pass - through the midst
thereof: For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
15. And shook - out
Phar'"oh and his host into
the Red Sea: For His loving
goodness [endures] for ever.
16. Who led His people
through the desert : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
17. Who smote great
kings : for His loving-good-
ness [endures] for ever.
18. And slew glorious
9. The moon and stars for
rule over the night : For
His mercy [endures] for
ever.
10. Who smote Egypt
with their first-born : For
His mercy [endures] for
ever.
11. And led-forth Israel
from the midst of them :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
12. With a mighty hand
and uplifted arm : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
13. Who divided the Red
Sea into parts : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
14. And led Israel through
the midst thereof: For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
15. And shook - out
Pharaoh and his host into
the Red Sea : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
16. Who led His people
through the desert : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
kings :
kin els
For His lovins-
goodness [endures] for ever.
17. Who smote great
For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
18. And slew mighty
kings : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
PSALM 135 (136).
569
19. Sichon, king of the
'Emori : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
20. And "6gh, king of
Bashan : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
21. And gave their land
for an inheritance : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
22. An inheritance to
Israel His servant : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
23. Who in our abjection
was-mindful of us : For His
loving - goodness [endures]
for ever.
24. And redeemed us
from our adversaries : For
His loving - goodness [en-
dures] for ever \or, " And
rescued us," &c.].
25. He-gives food to all
flesh : For His loving-good-
ness [endures] for ever.
26. Give-thanks to 'El of
the heavens : For His loving-
goodness [endures] for ever.
19. Sehon, king of the
Amorrhites : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
20. And Og, king of
Basan : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
21. And gave their land
for an inheritance : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
22. An inheritance to
Israel His servant : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
23. For in our abject-
state He - remembered us :
For His mercy [endures] for
ever.
24. And redeemed us from
our enemies : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
25. Who gives food to all
flesh : For His mercy
[endures] for ever.
26. Give-thanks to the
God of heaven : For His
mercy [endures] for ever.
[Give-thanks to the Lord of
lords : For His mercy
endures for ever].
The Greeks style this Psalm 7r0A.feA.c0s, polyekos, on account
of the repetition of IXcos, eleos (mercy). By the Jews it is called
"the Great Hallel," to distinguish it from the Hallel (Pss. cxii. —
cxvii. = 113 — 118). It is the Old Testament prototype of our
Litanies, and, for the most part, a repetition of the preceding
570 PSALM 136 (137).
Psalm. It opens with the same liturgical form as Pss. cv. (106)
and cxvii. (118). As far as v. 18, the verses are grouped in
triplets, after which there are two groups of four verses each. It
is probable that vv. 19 — 22 did not at first belong to this Psalm,
being borrowed from the foregoing Psalm. From 1 Chron. xvi.
41 ; 2 Chron. (Paral.) vii. 3, 6, we may infer that such thanksgiving
formulae were customary in public worship.
vv. 2, 3. Cf. Deut. x. 17. v. 6. "Stretched-out," from the
same root as firmament (properly in text) = "expanse," Gen. i.
6 — 8. "Above waters," cf. Ps. xxiii. (24) 2. v. 7. "Lights," so
in text, but in Gen. i. 14 — 16, "luminaries." vv. 10 — 22. An all
but verbal repetition of preceding Psalm, vv. 8 — 12. v. 12.
"Arm outstretched;" LXX., "high," "uplifted," so as to smite
with more effect, v. 13. "Parts," in text gezdrhn ( = "cuttings,"
"pieces"), occurs, save as a local name, only here and Gen.
xv. 17. There is a tradition that the Red Sea was divided into
twelve parts, corresponding to the number of the tribes. Valeat
quantum, v. 15. "Shook-out," as in Exod. xiv. 27; literally
rendered in LXX. and Vulgate, excussit. v. 18. In text, 'addzrim,
"illustrious," "famous," "glorious;" LXX., "mighty;" St. Jerome,
" magnificos " (^"distinguished," "eminent"), each giving one
of the meanings of the word. v. 25. " Food ;" St. Jerome, more
literally, "panem" (bread), v. 26. The clause in brackets is
wanting in text, LXX., and St. Jerome.
PSALM 136 (137). PSALM 136 (137).
1. By the rivers of Babhel, I. A Psalm of David — of
there we-sat, yea, we-wept : Jeremias. By the rivers of
When we-remembered Tsiy- Babylon, there we-sat, and
yon. wept : When we - remem-
bered Sion.
2. On the willows in the 2. On the willows in the
midst thereof: we-hung-up midst thereof: We-hung-
our harps. up our instruments.
3. For there they that-led- 3. For there they that
us-captive asked us for led-us-away captive asked
words of song (i.e., a song), us for songs, And they-that
PSALM 136 (137). 571
And our tormentors for had-carried-us-away for a
mirth : [Saying], " Sing to us hymn : [Saying], " Sing to us
[one] of the songs of Sion." [one] of the songs of Sion."
4. How could-we-sing the 4. How should-we-sing
song of YaHV/eH : In the the song of the Lord : In a
land of a stranger ? strange land ?
5. If I-forget thee, Jeru- 5. If I-forget thee, Jeru-
salem, Let my right-hand salem, May my right-hand
forget. . . . be-forgotten.
6. May-my tongue cleave 6. May my tongue cleave
to my palate. If I-remember to my throat. If I-remem-
thee not ; If I-prefer not ber thee not ; If-I-prefer not
Jerusalem : Above my chief Jerusalem above my chief
joy. joy.
7. Remember, YHWH, 7. Remember, O Lord,
against the sons of 'Edhom, the sons of Edom, in the
The day of Jerusalem, That day of Jerusalem, That-said,
said, " Lay-bare, lay-bare : " Clear - away, Clear - away
Even the foundation in her." her very foundation."
8. Daughter of Babylon, 8. Wretched daughter of
doomed - to - ruin ! Happy Babylon ! Happy shall he
shall he be who requites be who shall-requite thee :
thee : The dealing thou- As thou-hast-served us.
hast-dealt to us.
9. Happy shall he be that 9. Happy shall he be that
seizes and dashes thy suck- seizes and dashes thy little-
lings against the rock. ones against the rock.
There is no title in text, or in St. Jerome. That prefixed by
LXX. is of no authority : Jeremias was never in Babylon. It
may be taken to mean that the Psalm was composed by David,
who is thus gratuitously credited with a foresight of the miseries
of the Captivity, to be communicated to the exiles by Jeremias.1
If v. 8 really presupposes the ruin of Babylon, the Psalm could
not have been written before the sixth year of Darius Hystaspes,
by whose order the city was dismantled, and was soon after
desolate. The view of most Rabbinical expositors ascribes this
1 LXX. (Cod. Alexand.) mentions only "Jeremias" in the title.
572 PSALM 136 (137).
Psalm to Levites who composed it for the use of their exiled
brethren. By others it is assigned to a Levite lately returned
from captivity, whose soul is stirred up within him at the sight of
the ruin wrought by the conqueror.
v. 1. "Rivers," the Euphrates, Tigris, Chaboras, and Eulaeos.
The land was intersected with streams and canals. On account
of their frequent purifications, the captive Jews would naturally
have settled in the neighbourhood of running waters (cf. Acts
xvi. 13). v. 2. "Willows," weeping willows on the banks of the
streams. This may imply figuratively that the voice of joyous
song accompanied by the harp was hushed among them. v. 3.
The reason hereof. " Our tormentors ; " in text, the very obscure
nJ tholaley-nii ; LXX., Vulgate, " they that carried us away," almost
the Targum rendering, "our carriers away;" St. Jerome, "Et qui
affligebant nos laeti : canite " (and they that afflicted us [said]
rejoicing, Sing, &c). Other (conjectural) renderings, "They that
spoiled us " — " mocked us." Talal (verb in text)=" he heaped up ; "
hence, "they that heaped us up," i.e., by reducing our cities to
heaps of ruins (?). Qimchi derives the word from tcilah, " he hung
up" — "asked for mirth (i.e., a joyous strain) on our suspended
[harps]." "Mirth;" LXX. and Vulgate, "a hymn." The
punctuation should be so arranged, that, as in Cod. Vatican, of
LXX., hymn be the complement of "asked us," not of "sing us."
Lit, "of the song of Sion" = one of, a part of the song of, &c,
in v. 4, "the song of YaHW^H," i.e., sacred psalmody, v. 5.
"Right hand forget;" Syriac, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, and
several old Psalters supply " me." St. Jerome, LXX. (and hence
Vulgate), having read tisJikach ( = " will," "may forget"), with
slightly different vocalization, render it as a Passive verb.
" Forget " — its musical skill (?), its power of motion (?). v. 6.
Text, literally, " If I make not Jerusalem to go up above the
summit of my joy ; " Syriac, " If I lift not up," &c. Instead of
proposuero of St. Jerome and Vulgate, the Roman Psalter and
St. Augustine, conformably with LXX., read preeposuero (" if I
prefer not "). " Head of my joy ;" LXX., St. Jerome, and Vulgate,
"in principio laetitise mese " (the beginning, the chief of my joy),
i.e., If Jerusalem and its restoration be not my chiefest joy, or, If I
begin to rejoice, ere Jerusalem be rebuilt. This were surely not
psalm 137 (138)- 573
the case, if, in the land of exile, I could indulge in gladsome
melody, v. 7. "Remember, YH", to (i.e., against, to the preju-
dice of) the sons of Edom " (cf. Ps. Ixxviii. (79) 8 ; cxxxi. (132) 1).
" The day of," &c, the day of Jerusalem's ruin ; St. Jerome and
Vulgate, "in die" (on the day, &c), (perhaps) "the time, when
in wrath Thou wilt remember mercy;" LXX., t?/v rj/mepav, teen
heemeran ( = with reference to the day of J.). Remember their
malignant joy at our undoing (Cf. Lament, iv. 21, 22; Jerem.
xlix. 7 — 22; Ezech. xxv. 12 — 14; Abdias (Obad.) i. 1 — 21;
Isai. Ixiii. 1 — 4). "Lay-bare;" so too Syriac ; LXX., exKevovre,
ekkenonte (empty ye), corresponds to St. Jerome, " evacuate," to
exinafiite of Vulgate. To lay bare the foundations, is to over-
throw from the foundations ; to ruin utterly. Targum, " Destroy."
v. 8. " Daughter of B.," the city and its inhabitants, collectively.
Hash-shedhiidhah, " that art laid waste," or " doomed to be laid
waste;" Theodotion, St. Jerome, "vastata" ( = laid waste);
Symmachus, rj X^o-rpts, hee leestris ( = the she-brigand); Aquila,
Trpovevo/mevfj-ivr), pronefiomevmenee ( = the plundered, the ravaged
one) ; Targum and Syriac, " thou spoiler." This may refer to the
actual state of the city, or should be taken as a prophetic denun-
ciation, viewing as accomplished what is foreseen as certain to
happen. "Wretched," perhaps, as the cause of our misery.
Cf. Jerem. li. 56. v. 9. This horrible retribution is mentioned
Isai. xiii. 16, 18, Nahum iii. 10.
PSALM 137 (138). PSALM 137 (138).
1. To David. I-will-give- 1. Of David. I-will-give-
thanks to Thee with my Thee thanks, O Lord, with
whole heart : Before the my whole heart : [For Thou-
'elohim will-I-sing-praise to hast-heard the words of my
Thee. mouth] Before the angels
will-I-sing-praise to Thee.
2. I - will-bow-me-down 2. I-will-worship toward
toward the Temple of Thy Thy holy Temple, and give-
holiness, and give-thanks to thanks to Thy Name, for
Thy Name for Thy loving- Thy mercy and for Thy
goodness and for Thy truth : truth : For Thou - hast -
574
PSALM 137 (138).
For Thou - hast - magnified
Thy word above all Thy
Name.
3. In the day I - called
Thou-answeredst me : Thou-
didst-enliven me ; strength
[came] into my soul.
4. All the kings of the
earth shall-give-thanks to
Thee, YaHW^H : When
they-have-heard the words
of Thy mouth.
5. Yea, they-shall-sing of
the ways of YHWH : That
great is the glory of YHWH.
6. For [though] high is
YaHWcH, yet He-notices
the lowly : But the haughty
He- knows from afar.
7. If I-walk in the midst
of trouble, Thou-wilt-revive
me ; Against the wrath of
mine enemies Thou-wilt-
stretch - forth Thy hand :
And Thy right-hand shall-
save me.
8. YHWH will-accom-
plish [all] in my behalf;
YHWH, Thy loving-good-
ness [endures] for ever : For-
sake not the works of Thy
hands.
magnified Thy holy Name
above every-thing.
3. In whatsoever day I-
call, hearken to me : Thou-
wilt-increase strength in my
soul.
4. Let all the kings of the
earth give-thanks to Thee,
O Lord : For they-have-
heard all the words of Thy
mouth.
5. Yea, let-them-sing of
the ways of the Lord : For
great is the glory of the
Lord.
6. For the Lord is high,
yet He-notices the lowly :
But the haughty He-knows
afar off.
7. Though I-should-walk
in the midst of trouble,
Thou - wilt - revive me :
Against the wrath of mine
enemies Thou-hast-stretch-
ed-out Thy hand : And Thy
right-hand has-saved me.
8. The Lord will-make-
requital for me : Thy mercy,
O Lord [endures] for ever :
Overlook not the works of
Thy hands.
The ascription " to David " may stand, as the Psalm gives no
clue to guide us either to an affirmative or negative conclusion.
LXX. adds "of Aggaeus and Zacharias," in Cod. Vatican.
Bcllarminc suggests that the mention of these prophets may
psalm 137 (138). 575
imply that they gave the Psalm to be used as a thanksgiving
hymn by the returned exiles.
v. 1. Syriac, "I will-praise the Lord with my whole heart."
"[For Thou hast heard ... of my mouth]," is wanting
in text, in St. Jerome, and in Targum. In the Vatican
Codex of LXX. this clause follows " Before the angels will-
I-sing-psalms to Thee." Most old Latin Psalters, however,
agree here with the Vulgate. "Angels;" so LXX., Arabic, and
Ethiopic. St. Jerome, " deorum " (of the gods). Rashi inter-
prets it of the Princes ; Aben Ezra, Qimchi, and Targum of the
judges, on the strength of Exod. xxii. 9, where 'eldhim ("gods" of
text) clearly means the judges. The poet figured to himself the
Most High enthroned on Sion, and surrounded by hosts of
invisible worshippers, cf. Ps. lxvii. (68) 18. v. 2. Syriac and
St. Jerome, "For Thou hast magnified Thy word {eloquium =
utterance, promise) above every name." As glossed by Thalhofer,
the text seems to mean, "Thy promise to me [2 Kings (Sam.) vii.]
surpasses all that has hitherto made Thy Name glorious." With
St. John Chrysostom (on this Psalm), we may conjecture that the
early MSS. of LXX. had, instead of to dyio'v aov, to hagion sou,
to A.0710V aov, to logion sou ( = " Thy word), but there is no trace
of this variant in the old Latin Psalters, vv. 3 — 5. LXX. render
the Imperfects of text as Optatives; so too St. Jerome in vv. 4, 5,
" Thou-madest-me courageous with strength in my soul," or,
" Into my soul [came] strength ; " Syriac, " Thou didst increase
the strength of my soul " (" strength " rendered robur in Walton's
Polyglot). This is much the same as St. Jerome's "dilatabis.
animse mese fortitudinem " (Thou wilt expand the strength of my
soul). St. Hilary's " Multiplicabis me in anima mea in virtute
tua" (Thou wilt increase [make much of] me in my soul, by
Thy power), is a literal rendering of LXX. v. 4. " For they have
heard," &c, by some rendered "w/rni they [shall] have heard;,
but kl of text is rendered "because" by Syriac, St. Jerome, and
Targum. v. 6. Targum, "The haughty-one from the distant
heavens He thrusts down," or " He knows them so as to keep them
at a distance" v. 8. "Accomplish," &c. ; St. Jerome, " Dominus
operabitur pro me " (The Lord will work for me) ; Gesenius (Heb.
Lex.), "God, who will complete for me," i.e., "plead my cause;"'
576
PSALM 138 (139).
Revised Version, "will perfect that which concerns me,"' cf. Ps.
hi. (57) 3, gomer'alay (performing, completing [all things] for
me); Philipp. i. 6, kirnzXio-u, epitelesei ( = will-perfect) ; Targum,
"The Lord will render evil to them on my account," showing
that, like LXX., they read y'igJimdl (will requite) instead of
yigtimor of text, and that "the works of Thy hands" (David's
prosperity), to their mind, resulted from God's avenging him on
his enemies. "Overlook not;" in text, "intermit not," "desist
not from," " leave not off."
PSALM 138 (139).
1. For the Chief-Musician ;
to David, a Psalm : Y«H-
Wt'H, Thou -hast -searched
me, and known [me].
2. THOU knowest my
down-sitting and mine up-
rising : Thou-understandest
my thought from afar.
3. My path and my
lying - down Thou - siftest :
And Thou-knowest all my
ways [or, with all my ways
Thou-art-familiar].
4. When a word is not
[yet] on my tongue : Lo,
YHWH, Thou-knowest it
all.
5. Behind, and before
Thou-besettest me : And
hast-laid Thy hand upon
me.
6. [Such] knowledge is too
wonderful for me : It-is
high, I-cannot-attain to it.
PSALM
»3§ (139)-
1. For the end, A Psalm
of David. Lord, Thou-hast-
proved me, and knowest me :
2. THOU knowest my
down-sitting and mine up-
rising ;
3. Thou-understandest my
thoughts from afar : My path
and the-course-of-my-life
Thou-hast-traced ;
4. And hast-foreseen all
my ways : Though there be
not a word on my tongue :
5. Behold, Lord, Thou-
knowest all things, both new
and old : Thou-hast-formed
me and laid Thy hand upon
me.
6. Thy knowledge is too
wonderful for me: It is
difficult, and I-cannot-attain
to it.
PSALM 138 (139).
577
7. Whither shall-I-go from
Thy Spirit? And whither
shall-I-rlee from Thy face?
8. Should-I-ascend into
the heavens, THOU art there :
And [if] I-spread-out Sheol
beneath me, lo, Thou art
there (i.e., make it my bed).
9. [If] I-lift (take) the
wings of dawn : And settle-
down in the extremities of
the sea ;
10. Even there Thy hand
shall-lead me : and Thy
right-hand hold me.
n. And should - I - say
(Then said-I), Let nought
but darkness enshroud me :
And the light about me be
night !
12. Even darkness were
not too-dark for Thee : But
the night would-shine as the
day : As the darkness so is
the light [to Thee].
13. For THOU didst-form
my reins ; Thou-didst-cover
me in my mother's womb.
14. I -will -give Thee-
thanks for that I-am fear-
fully and wondrously made ;
Wondrous are Thy works ;
And my soul knows [it] right
well.
LL
7. Whither shall-I-go from
Thy Spirit : And whither
shall-I-flee from Thy pre-
sence?
8. If I-ascend into heaven
THOU art there: If I-go-
down to the nether- world,
Thou-art-present.
9. If I-take my wings at-
dawn : And sojourn in the
furthermost-parts of the sea ;
10. Even thither would
Thy hand lead me : And
Thy right-hand would-hold
me.
11. Then said-I, May be,
darkness shall - overwhelm
me : So shall night be my
light in my pleasures ;
12. For darkness cannot-
be-too-dark for Thee : But
night would-shine as the
day : As its darkness, so is
its light [to Thee].
13. For THOU possessest
my reins : Thou-hast-up-
holden me from [the time
when I was in] my mother's
womb.
14. I -will -give Thee-
thanks, for that Thou art
fearfully wondrous ; won-
drous are Thy works : As
my soul fully knows.
573
PSALM 138 (139).
15. My bony-framework
was not hid from Thee ;
When I-was-made in secret :
I-was-curiously wrought in
the lower-parts of the earth.
16. Mine unformed-body
Thine eyes did see, And in
Thy book were they all of
them written, Days were-
conceived : When not one
among them [as yet was].
17. And how greatly
honoured by me are Thy
friends, O God : How greatly
strengthened is their rule !
18. Would-I-count them,
they - are - more - in -number
than the sand : I -have-waked,
and am still with Thee.
19. OhthatThou-wouldest-
slay the wicked, O God :
Depart from me therefore,
ye bloodthirsty men ;
20. Who with wicked-
devices provokeThee: [Who]
raise-themselves-up vainly —
Thine adversaries.
21. Do I not hate them-
thaMiate Thee, YaHW*H ?
And do I not loathe thcm-
that-rise-up against Thee ?
22. With thorough hatred
do-I-hatc-them : They-arc-
become mine enemies.
23. Search me, O God,
and know my heart : Try
mc, and know my thoughts ;
24. And sec if there be
15. My bony-frame, which
Thou-madest in secret, was
not hid from Thee : Nor my
substance in the lower-parts
of the earth.
16. Thine eyes beheld my
shapeless-mass, And in Thy
book were they all written,
They were to be fashioned
day by day : Though as yet
there was not one of them.
17. But Thy friends, O
God, are greatly honoured
by me : Their rule is greatly
strengthened.
18. I-would-count them,
but they are more-in-num-
ber than the sand : I -wake,
and am still with Thee.
19-OhthatThou-wouldest-
slay sinners, O God ! Ye
bloodthirsty men, depart
from me ;
20. For ye-say in thought,
In vain do-they-take Thy
cities.
21. Have I not hated
them, O Lord, that-hate
Thee : And wasted-away
because of Thine enemies ?
22. With thorough hatred
do-I-hate them : And they-
are become mine enemies.
23. Prove me, O God, and
know my heart : Examine
me, and know my paths ;
24. And sec if there be
PSALM 138 (139). 579
any way of grief in me : any wicked way in me :
And lead me in the way And lead me in the way
everlasting. everlasting.
Ibn Ezra deems this "the crown of all the Psalms." The
ascription " to David " (to which in Cod. Alexand. is added, " of
Zacharias in [for ?] the dispersion ") is questioned, though not on
cogent grounds, on account of the frequent Aramaisms occurring
in the Psalm. It may be divided into four strophes of six verses :
(r) Per prcesentiam, "He searches the reins and the hearts;"
(2) Per essentiam, He is everywhere present, both in active power
{per potenticwi) and substantially ; (3) Man and the universe are
the creation of God, who cannot but know the works of His free
energy; (4) speaks for itself (vv. 12 — 24).
v. 2. " Down-sitting and uprising," all I think, feel, or do,
whether at work, or at rest. "From afar;" Syriac, "from on
high;" Lyranus, "long beforehand " = from eternity. v. 3.
" My lying-down Thou winnowest " (accubitum meum eventilasti),
St. Jerome; LXX., "My path and my rush (i.e., bed of rushes)
Thou hast traced." The old Latin versions, however, take
crxolvov, sckoinon ( = " rush ") of LXX. for a measure of distance,
whence they render it directio (direction) or limes ( = path) ; as
St. Hilary observes, it is a measure of the way one has made on a
journey. " Funiculum " (measuring-line) of Vulgate may be under-
stood as the metonymical term for a well-ordered course of
conduct, in conformity with the moral (semita, path) and positive
injunctions of the Law, which fits in with the directio, limes
(tendency, aim, path) of the elder Latin Psalters. "Thou
knowest " (better), " art familiarly acquainted with all my ways."
v. 4. St. Jerome, " Quia non est eloquium," &c. (for there is no
utterance, &c.). "Word," in text milldli, a poetic and Aramaic
synonym of ddbhcir ( = " word," "thing"); by LXX. rendered
"an unjust word;" Symmachus, So'Aos, dolos (deceit, craft), hence
in many old Latin Psalters, " there is no guile (non est dolus)
on my tongue ; " Syriac, " If there be any tergiversation on my
tongue," Thou, Lord, knowest all of them (kulhein) ; Targum,
" When there is not yet a word on my tongue, behold, Lord,
Thou knowest all my thoughts." v. 5. Gesenius, "Thou besettest
me on every side" — so that I cannot flee from Thee. Tsar'tdni
580 PSALM 138 (139).
means primarily, " thou hast bound me together (into a bundle or
roll)," "thou hast formed me," so LXX., Syriac, St. Jerome, and
Vulgate. Without rejecting this latter rendering, Jennings and
Lowe prefer, "Thou hast compassed me;" so Targum ; "Laid
hand" to protect, guide, and chasten; cf. Job xiii. 21 ; xxxiii. 7.
v. 6. St. Jerome, "Super me est scientia, et excelsior est" ([Such]
knowledge is above me, and is too high). Cf. Rom. xi. 33.
vv. 7 — 12. The abstract notion of the Divine omnipresence is
presented concretely by the highest, the lowermost ("heaven,"
the " underworld "), by the extreme East and West. v. 8. " If I
spread out Sheol beneath me," i.e., make it my bed, cf. Isai.
Iviii. 5 ; Syriac, " If I go down to hell." v. 9. " If I lift (take)
the wings," &c, if, with the swiftness of the rays of dawn, I could
fly from the extreme East to the furthermost West ; Cod. Vatican.
of LXX. read kclt opOov, kat' orthon (straight forward), a blunder
copied in a few old Latin Psalters, " Si sumpsero pennas meas in
directum " (If I should take my wings [to fly J straight forward) ;
but Cod. Alexand. reads, kut opdpov, kat' orthron (toward the
dawn). Instead of kaiiphiy ("wings of") of text, LXX. read
kenaphay ("my wings"). v. 11. Gesenius, "Nothing but," or,
"merely darkness shall fall upon me," i.e., overwhelm me — make
me disappear from sight ; St. Jerome, " If I should say, Perhaps
darkness will cover me ; night also shall be light (lux) about
me ; " Syriac, " I said, Darkness shall shine to me, and let the
light about me be night." "About me;" in text, a word with
the self-same letters, but differently vocalized, as that LXX.
render, " in my pleasure " (iv 777 rpvcftfj p.ov, en tee tryphec mou,
in deliciis meis). v. 12. St. Jerome, "Sic tenebrae sicut lumen"
(-as is light so is darkness), v. 13. Qimchi, "If, when but a
germ, Thou didst fully know me, how much more now ? "
" Formed," so Syriac ; cf. pario (I acquire). " Reins," the seat
of emotion, desire, passion. " Covered me," so Gesenius ; the
verb in text means "to weave," "interweave," "to fence" — as
with a hedge, "to cover," "to protect;" St. Jerome, "'orsus es
me" (Thou didst begin to weave me), cf. Job x. 11. v. 14.
Hitzig, " For Thou hast proved Thyself wonderful ; " Syriac,
"On account of the wonder Thou hast wrought;" St. Jerome,
"Quoniam terribiliter magnificasti me" (for that Thou hast
PSALM 138 (139). S8l
wondrously formed me, with stupendous skill). v. 15. "My
bony framework," text {literally); Targum, LXX., "My bone;"
it means also "strength," "body," "the substance of anything,"
"the thing itself ;n St. Jerome, "My bones." "Which Thou
madest," i.e., "Since Thou, for 'twas Thou that madest;" text,
" when I was made in the womb," a dark and hidden place = " the
lower-parts of the earth." "I was curiously wrought;" in text,
ruq-qaniti, "I was variegated," "embroidered," Root rciqam,
whence the Romance languages have borrowed ricamar, recamare
(Ital., Span.), the French r'ecamier ( = embroiderer), used here of
the gradual formation of the manifold bodily organs in the womb ;
St. Jerome, "imaginatus sum" (I was fashioned after a certain
model) ; LXX. read v'qomdth/ (and my stature, i.e., my bony frame
which imparts to me solidity, makes me stand, r/ v>7roo-Tao-is /xov,
hee hypostasis mou = my substance). "Lower parts of earth,"
glossed by Targum, " in the womb ; " by others, " while I was
being shaped here below;" Syriac, "I descended into the lower
parts of the world." v. 16. "Unformed substance;" in text,
golinl, golem ("something rolled together," hence, "unformed
matter"), which, as Rosenmiiller observes, occurs only here in
the Hebrew Scriptures ; Targum (but not accurately), "my body."
The context requires the meaning usually assigned, " the foetus,"
or " embryo," ere the plastic force develops the outline, and
differentiates the several organs of the body. St. Jerome,
" Informem adhuc me " ( = while I was as yet unformed), cor-
responding to afxopfywTov jae, amorphoton me (me unshaped), of
Symmachus. "Book," the Divine Idea (cf. Exod. xxxii. 32, 33).
" Days were conceived-of, when as yet there was not one of
them," so the Ketliibh ( = written text) ; Qeri (marginal emen-
tion =to be read), instead of Id (" not one of them ") of text, /<? =
to it ( = '■'■for it, one among them "), with reference, may be, to
the time chosen for the animation of the foetus. The Qerl is
preferable to the Ketlubh, or text. " Days," again, may be taken,
as by LXX., adverbially, rj/xepas, heemeras (by day, daily), whence
in some old Latin Psalters, per diem, per dies, in die (daily, day by
day), i.e., in the course of time, the Divine Idea was gradually
realized, and fashioned in the womb after the pattern conceived
in the Divine mind, ere one of them existed ; Syriac {literally),
582 PSALM 138 (139).
"My reward" (reading gemUli instead of goPmi of text), "mine
eyes did see : in Thy books all shall be written, and yet there is
no one in them." We omit several other attempted explanations.
v. 17. "Friends," "lovers," not "thoughts," "counsels," is the
rendering of every one of the ancient versions. In the Lexicons,
both meanings are assigned to the word in text. In v. 2 rendered
" my thought from afar ; " Targum, " And how dear to me,
O God, are the just that love Thee ! " So too Rashi. St. Jerome,
" But to me how honourable are Thy friends, O God, how mighty
their /cw-ones " ( = pauperes eorum), cf. Theodoretus, 01 TreV^res
avTuiv, hoi peneetes avion (their poor-ones) ; Syriac, "With me Thy
friends are in highest esteem, they and their princes are become
exceedingly great ; " Targum, " Quam fortes summae eorum "
( = how mighty their numbers). " Greatly strengthened ; " LXX.
render the corresponding word in text (Jerem. xv. 8), " Their-
widows are multiplied" &c. " Rule," dominion, principality (in
text, rosh), LXX. render (Numb. i. 49) "their number" (Vulgate,
"the sum of them ") ; in Exod. xxx. 12, "account" (a-v\X.oyi<jjx6v,
syllogismon) ; Vulgate, " the sum," " the census." The modern
rendering, "thoughts" (favoured by Aben Ezra, Qimchi, &c),
avoids the abrupt transition to " friends." Jeremias, Patriarch of
Constantinople, alleged this verse in proof of the cultus due to the
Saints, when rejecting the advances of the Lutheran sectaries. If
the modern rendering of text be accepted, then, " How weighty are
Thy thoughts," i.e., " how hard to understand " (cf. Rom. xi. 33,
"unsearchable"), v. 18. Glossed by Qimchi, "Morning finds
me awake, and absorbed in the endless task, wholly occupied with
the contemplation of Thy friends "—thoughts (?), counsels (?) ;
Syriac, "I am again with Thee." v. 19. Syriac, "Oh! that Thou
wouldest . . . and that bloodthirsty men would depart from me ! "
v. 20. St. Jerome, "Who speak against Thee wickedly: in vain
arc Thine adversaries lifted up" (frustra elevati sunt adversarii
tut). Syriac, " For they have spoken evil of Thee, and have
taken Thy city for vanity " ( = in vanitatem) ; Targum, " Who
swear by Thy Name for a deceitful purpose, in vain do Thine
enemies swear ; " T. K. Cheyne, " Who defy Thee with outrageous
acts, and utter Thy Name for lies ; " Symmachus, i-rr/jpO-qa-av
/xaTcu'ws ivavTLot <tov epeertheesan mataios enantioi sou ("Thine
PSALM I39 (140).
583
adversaries are vainly lifted up ") ; Vulgate may mean that the
godless minority, murmuring covertly against God, hope to get
the upper hand, so as to render the success of the godly majority
•of none avail (in vanitate) [?]. Rashi and Aben Ezra quote
R. Moses and other Rabbinical expositors who, with LXX.,
render the closing words ("Thine adversaries"), Thy cities, v. 22.
Lit., " with perfection of hatred do I hate," &c. v. 23. " Search,"
"explore;" the same verb occurs in v. 1; St. Jerome, "and
know my thoughts." v. 24. St. Jerome, "way of deceit" (doli);
text, "way of grief," "of pain," to which "iniquity" surely leads,
cf. Isai. xiv. 3. "Way everlasting," leading to God.
PSALM 139 (140).
1. For the Chief-Musician.
A Psalm of David.
2. Deliver me, Y«HW<?H,
from the wicked man : From
the violent man preserve
me;
3. Who imagine evil-things
in [their] heart : Every day
they - gather - together for
wars (lit., they - gather -to-
gether wars).
4. They - have - sharpened
their tongues like a serpent :
The venom of an asp is
under their lips. Selah.
(Rom. iii. 13.)
5. Keep me, YHWH,
from the hands of the
wicked, From the violent
man preserve
have - purposed
aside my steps.
6. The proud have-hid a
me : Who
to - thrust -
PSALM 139 (140).
1. For the end, a Psalm
of David.
2. Rescue me, O Lord,
from the evil man : From
the unjust man deliver me ;
3. Who devise injustice in
[their] heart : Continually
do-they-stir-up wars.
4. They -have -sharpened
their tongues like [that] of
a serpent : The venom of
asps is under their lips.
5. Keep me, O Lord,
from the hand of the sinner,
From unjust men rescue
me : Who have-purposed to-
trip-up my steps.
6. The proud have-hidden
5 34
PSALM 139 (140).
snare for me, and cords ;
They-have-spread a net by
the side of the road : They-
have-set traps for me. Selah.
7. I-said to YHWH.Thou
art my God ('£//) : Give-ear,
YHWH, to the voice of my
supplications.
8. YHWH, 'Adonay, Thou
strength of my salvation :
Thou-hast-covered my head
in the day of battle.
9. Grant not, YaHW^H,
the desires of the wicked :
Further not his evil-purpose,
[lest]they-be-liftedup. Selah.
10. [As for] the head of
them - that - compass - me -
about : May the mischief of
their own lips cover them.
11. Let burning-coals fall
upon them ; May-He-cast
them into the fire : Into
whirlpools, [from which] they
cannot at all rise.
12. An evil-speaker shall-
not prosper in the earth,
The violent man : — Evil
shall-hunt him into whirl-
pools (?) [or, precipices (?),
falls (?)].
13. I -know that YaH-
WY1 1 will-maintain the cause
of the afflicted : The right of
the needy.
14. Surely the just shali-
a snare for me, They-have-
stretched-out ropes for a
snare : They - have - set a
stumbling-block for me by
the wayside.
7. I-said to the Lord,
THOU art my God : Hearken,
O Lord, to the voice of my
supplication.
8. O Lord, Lord, Thou
strength of my salvation :
Thou-hast-overshadowed my
head in the day of battle.
9. Give me not over, O
Lord, against my desire, to
the sinner: They-plot against
me. Forsake me not, lest
they-boast-themselves.
10. [As for] the heads of
their faction : The mischief
of their own lips shall-over-
whelm them.
11. Burning-coals shall-
fall upon them, Thou-wilt-
cast them into the fire: In
afflictions they shall not bear
up.
12. A talkative man shall
not prosper in the earth :
Misfortunes shall-hunt the
unjust man to destruction.
13. I -know that the Lord
will-maintain the right of
the needy - one : and the
cause of the poor.
14. Surely the just shall-
PSALM 139 (140). 585
give-thanks to Thy Name : give-thanks to Thy Name :
The upright shall-dwell in And the upright shall-dwell
Thy presence. before Thy face.
The general strain of this Psalm, which closely resembles that
of Pss. vii. liv. (55), lvi. (57), lxiii. (64), &c, favours the ascription
"to David."' Qimchi takes it for an invective against Doeg and
the Ziphites. The Psalm falls into four strophes, consisting of
three verses ; the second, however, consists of but two verses with
three clauses. The Selah in text marks the close of the first three
strophes. The concluding strophe, expressive of steadfast hope,
contains but two verses.
v. 2. "Wicked man," "violent man" (///., "man of violences"),
are to be taken as collective Singulars, as required by the Plural
in v. 3. v. 3. " Every day ( = continually) are they gathered
together for battles," or, "They are daily stirring up wars." v. 4.
"Asp"(?), "adder" (?) ; "akh'sh&bh, in text; it occurs nowhere
else: species undetermined, v. S. "Covered," as with a helmet.
LXX. seem to have thought rather of a refreshing shadow in
the heat of battle (cf. Ps. lix. (60) 9). Olshausen suspects the
Masoretic text of corruption. Syriac, "Grant not, O Lord, his
purpose to the wicked, lest he mount up {ascendat)." v. 10. Lit.,
" The head of them surrounding me : The mischief of their lips
shall [let it] cover them." St. Jerome, taking the initial word
{rosh = head) in the sense of " wormwood," " poison," " The
bitterness of them that sit at table with me " ( = Amaritudo
convivarum meorian) ; the rest exactly as in Vulgate. Schegg
suggests, " The main end of their counsels [the misery they have
brought upon me], the labour of their lips [in apposition to the
initial clause, i.e., what they have brought about by repeated and
wearisome conferences], shall [let it] cover them." Cheyne
eludes the difficulty by joining the final word of v. 9 to v. 10,
" Let not them that compass me about, //// up their head : Let
the mischief of their own lips cover them." v. 11. "Let them
totter [from their own place]; rain down hot coals upon them.
Let Him cause them to fall into the fire, into nets, that they rise
not again." Cod. Alexand. agrees with Vulgate. Syriac, "To
my head. Let the iniquity of their lips cover them ; Let coals
fall upon them, let them fall into the fire, nor be able to rise."
586 psalm 140 (141).
" Into deep-pits " (omitted in Syriac version), bemahamdrdth, the
word in text, occurs nowhere else in Biblical Hebrew. By
St. Jerome, Symmachus, and Targum, it is rendered "pits,"
"ditches;" by others, "nets," "snares;" "floods of water "by
Perowne — guesses one and all. v. 12. Lit., "a man of tongue;"
not merely "a talkative man," but with the implied notion of a
slanderous tongue, cf. 4. " Prosper," " continue," " be established."
" The man of violence ( = the violent man), evils shall hunt him
into whirlpools;" LXX., "The unjust man evils shall hunt to
destruction," rightly rendered by St. Augustine venabuntur in
interitum (shall hunt, &c); "in interitum " (to, into destruction),
not interitu (in destruction), being the reading of most Latin
expositors. The closing word of v. 12 (in text, madhchephoth,
rendered above "deep-pits"), Gesenius explains as "hastily,"
"urgently;" others by "to," or "with drivings-along," i.e.,
"driving him along," "by repeated thrusts;" Revised Version,
"to overthrow [him]." v. 14. "Dwell," cf. Pss. x. (11) 7; xv.
(16) 11. v. 12. St. Jerome exactly as in Vulgate.
PSALM 140(141). PSALM 140(141).
1. A Psalm: to David. 1. A Psalm of David.
YrtHW^H, I - have - called Lord, I-have-called to Thee,
upon Thee, haste-Thee to hearken to me : Attend to
me : Give-ear to my voice, my voice, when I-call to
when I-call to Thee. Thee.
2. Let my prayer be- 2. Let my prayer rise-up
acceptable [as] incense as incense before Thee : The
before Thee : The lifting-up lifting-up of my hands as the
of my hands as the min'chah evening sacrifice.
(i.e., oblation) of evening.
3. Set a watch, YHWH, 3. Set a watch, O Lord,
before my mouth : Keep the upon my mouth : And a
door of my lips. strong door (lit, a door of
fortification) to my lips.
4. Incline not my heart to 4. Incline not my heart
[any] evil thing, To practise to evil things, To frame
knavery in wickedness with excuses for sins, with men
PSALM I40 (141).
587
men that - work iniquity :
And let me not eat of their
dainties.
5. Let a just-man smite
me [in] kindness and rebuke
me, [it shall be as] oil upon
the head, Let not my head
refuse [it] : For ever is my
prayer against their wicked-
nesses.
6. [When] their judges
have-been-hurled-down the
sides of the rock : Then
shall they hear my words as
welcome.
7. As when one ploughs
and breaks up the ground :
Our [Their (?)] bones are-
scattered at the mouth of
Sheol (i.e., the grave's
mouth).
8. But to Thee, YaH-
Wt'H, 'Adonay, are mine
eyes : In Thee do-I-take-
refuge : Pour not out my
soul (i.e., my life).
9. Keep me from the
hands of the snare they-
have-laid for me : And from
the gins of the workers of
iniquity.
10. Let the wicked fall
[each one of them] into his
own nets : While I at-the-
same-time escape.
that-work iniquity : For-I-
will-take-no-part in their
pleasures.
5. The just man may-
chasten me in mercy, And
reprove me ; But the oil of
the sinner shall never anoint
my head : For still my
prayer [continues] against
that-wherein-they-delight.
6. Their judges have-been-
swallowed - up beside the
rock : They-shall-hear-my
words, for they are power-
ful.
7. As a clod of earth is-
crushed upon the ground :
Our bones have - been-
scattered at [the mouth of]
the grave.
8. But to Thee, O Lord,
my Lord, are mine eyes
[directed] : In Thee do-I-
trust ; Take not away my life.
9. Keep me from the
snare which they-have-set
for me : And from the pit-
falls of the workers of
iniquity.
10. Sinners shall fall
[each one] into his own
net : But I am alone, until
I-escapc.
This Psalm presents several difficulties to the expositor, which
result from the abrupt transition in vv. 5—7, and from the
588 psalm 140 (141).
obscurity of the allusions. It is commonly referred to the period
of Saul's persecution, whether to the incident recorded in 1 Kings
(Sam.) xxiv. (David in the cave of Engaddi), is not easily deter-
mined. With equal probability, Delitzsch assigns as the time of
the Psalm the period of Absalom's revolt, seeing in v. 2 an
allusion to David's enforced absence from public worship, in v. 6
the punishment in store for the rebel leaders, and a promise of
amnesty for their followers. David may have used it as an
evening-hymn. Be that as it may, from the earliest ages, this
Psalm has invariably been sung in the Vesper Office of the
Eastern Churches. In the (so-called) Apostolic Constitutions
(Bk. 8, § 3, No. 35), it is designated 6 ij/aX/xos e7riAi'^vto?, ho
psalmos epilychnios ("the Psalm at the lighting of the lights");,
its selection is accounted for by St. John Chrysostom in his
commentary on this Psalm.
v. 2. " Prayer be directed ; " so too St. Jerome, i.e., let it go
up straight as the cloud of incense; explained also, " be accept-
able ; " by Rabbi Isaac Leeser, " be valued." " [As] incense "
(cf. Osee (Hosea) xiv. 3, "So will we offer in return our lips [as]
calves"). Min'chah, cf. Lev. ii. 1 — 11; an unbloody offering
consisting of fine flour, oil, and incense, or of unleavened cakes
mingled with oil, part of which was to be burnt on the altar
as "a sweet savour to YaHWeH." This, as well as the incense,
accompanied the morning and evening burnt-offering of the lamb.
Uplifting of hands — in prayer, as is added by the Targum, cf.
1 Tim. ii. 8. v. 3. Shorn'' rah (a watch, guard, gag), a7ra£ Aeydyuevoi',
hapax legomenon, i.e., occurs nowhere else. " Keep the door," &c,
or, " Set-a-guard at the door of my lips ; " St. Jerome, strangely
enough, "Serva paupertatem labiorum m." (Keep the poverty of
my lips), rendering dal (door) in its meaning of " poor," " weak."
I -XX. have taken "keep" for a noun, as Bythner ("Lyre of
David") also does — mts'rdh (preservation); St. Augustine and
Verona Psalter, "ostium continentiae circa labia mea" (a door of
self-control about my lips), v. 4. Syriac, " That my heart may
not turn aside to a wicked thing, and 1 commit deeds of iniquity
with the wicked; let me not take salt with them;" St. Jerome,
"Incline not my heart to an evil word (verhi/m = word or thing),
to revolve in my mind impious thoughts {volvere cogitations
PSALM 140 (141). 589
impias), with men working iniquity : nor to eat of their dainties
(neque comedere i?i deliciis eoriwi)." LXX. render here, as else-
where (e.g., 1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 3 ; 1 Chron. xvi. 8 ; Ps. xiii. (14) 1,
&c), "to practise" as meaning "to consider," "deliberate,"
especially for evil purposes, "to plot," "to plot mischief ;" here
they have taken it to mean, the framing, the alleging of pretexts,
pretences, excuses for a sinful course (in peccatis, in sins),
which pretexts are the verba malitice (words of wickedness) just
mentioned. Targum renders " to pretend pretences," " to thinking
thoughts," cf. St. Jerome, volvere cogitationes, " I-will take no part
in their choice-things ; " things, not persons, seem to be meant
here. " Choice-things " = their sinful pleasures ? The word
rendered "dainties," "delicate fare," occurs nowhere else in the
Hebrew Scriptures, v. 5. "The just" may be either any just
man, or God. " Oil," here, as elsewhere in the symbolism of the
Divine Scriptures, oil figures joy, prosperity. Syriac, "The just
man shall [may (?)] teach me, and rebuke me : the oil of the
sinner shall not anoint my head, for my prayer is against their
wickedness;" St. Jerome, "Let a just-man correct me in mercy,
and rebuke me, the oil of bitterness [oleum aniaritudinis, taking
ros/i, "head," in its other meaning — -"a bitter, poisonous plant"]
shall not anoint my head : for still is my prayer for their wicked-
ness (pro malitiis eorum)," which may mean that he prays for his
malignant foes (?) ; that he implores blessings upon them, despite
their evil designs. " In their wickednesses ; " rendered by LXX.
and Vulgate, " in their pleasures." LXX. probably took " wicked-
nesses " as meaning " will," " delight," the sense it bears in
Chaldee. The clause may be (conjecturally) glossed, " I will
have neither lot nor part in the pleasures of the ungodly, for I
continually pray [for still is my prayer] to be guarded from them "
— so Thalhofer. If, as Schegg surmises, /'// ("in their pleasures")
refers .to time, then, "While they are enjoying their sinful
pleasures [or, maturing their malicious devices], I pray/' Rabbi
Isaac Leeser, "for still my prayer also [is offered] in their
calamities." v. 6. Syriac, "And their judges are put down
(repressi sunt) with a strong hand (manu lapidea), and they
heard," &c. The rendering here is that of Delitzsch. LXX.,
"for they are sweet" (on rfivvOrjo-av, hoti hecdynthecsan), for which
590 PSALM 141 (142).
Vulgate read rjSvi'r/Orjcrav, eedyneetheesan (they are powerful) ;
St. Jerome, " Quoniam decora sunt " (because they are seemly,
charming). If, with Delitzsch, we refer the Psalm to Absalom's
rebellion, the sense is, "When the leaders shall have paid the
condign penalty, the people will welcome the amnesty I shall
proclaim." If we refer it to 1 Kings (Sam.) xxiv., then, " When
their leaders {i.e., Saul) were let go ( = allowed to escape) along
the sides of the rocky cave, they heard my words that they were
sweet." Cod. Vatican, of LXX. renders judges KparaLoi, krataioi
(Their mighty-ones). " Juncti petrae " of Vulgate is a corruption
of juxta petram ( = near the rock), the reading of most old
Psalters and St. Jerome, v. 7. St. Jerome, "As the husbandman
[in text, pholcach = Arabic, fallah = an agricultural labourer] when
he cleaves the ground, our bones are scattered at the mouth of
the grave (inferni) ;" Syriac, "As the ploughshare cleaving the
ground: so are our bones scattered at the edge of the grave."
The allusion is obscure, hence a multitude of conjectural expla-
nations, v. 8. " But " refers, most probably, to the petitions of
w. 1 — 5. "Pour not out my blood" as Gesenius explains it
(v. 10, hemistich b) ; St. Jerome, "Simul autem ego transibo "
(But I shall at the same time escape) ; Lowe and Jennings,
" Whilst I, at the same time, escape ; " Cheyne, " Unhurt shall
I be, until I pass by." Others connect the singulariter (corres-
ponding to the simul of St. Jerome) with hemistich a. " Let
them be ensnared one by one ;" Thalhofer, Singu lariter = probably,
"free from persecutors," and hence ( = alone) KarafAovas, kala-
monas, of LXX. ; " Let them fall into, ... so shall I be without
assailants ["alone"], until (not exclusive) I escape all peril," or
" Despite their numbers, they shall fall, whilst I, though alone,
escape all danger, since God shields me."
PSALM 141 (142). PSALM 141 (142).
1. A Mas'kil to (i.e., of) 1. A didactic Psalm of
David : when he was in the David, when he was in the
cave. A Prayer. cave; a Prayer. (1 Kin;j;s
(Sam.) xxiv. ?)
2. With my voice to YaH- 2. With my voice I-cried
PSALM 141 (142).
591
W>H will-I-cry: With my
voice to YH WH will - I -
make-supplication.
3. I -will-pour-out before
Him my plaint : My trouble
before Him will-I-declare.
4. When my spirit faints
within me, Then Thou
knowest my path ; In the
way wherein I-walk : Have-
they-hidden a snare for me.
5. Look on the right-hand
and see that there is none
that-recognizes me ; Refuge
has-failed me : There is none
caring for my soul.
6. I-cried to Thee, Y^H-
Wrfi, I-said, THOU art my
refuge : My portion in the
land of the living.
7. Attend to my cry ; for
I am - brought very low ;
Deliver me from my per-
secutors : For they - are -
stronger than I.
8. Bring-forth my soul
out of prison, That I-may-
give-thanks to Thy Name :
The just shall-surround me,
Because Thou -hast - dealt -
bountifully with me.
to the Lord : With my voice
to the Lord made-I-supplica-
tion.
3. I-pour-out my prayer
before Him : And mine
affliction before Him do-I-
declare.
4. When my spirit was-
fainting within me, Then
THOU knewest my paths ;
In the very way wherein I-
was - walking : They - hid
a snare for me.
5. I-looked on the right-
hand and beheld that there
was none that would-
acknowledge me : Refuge
has-failed me : There is
none that cares for my soul.
6. I-cried to Thee, O
Lord, I-said, Thou art my
hope : My portion in the
land of the living.
7. Attend to my supplica-
tion ; for I-am brought very
low ; Deliver me from my
persecutors : For they - are
stronger than I.
8. Bring-forth my soul out
of prison, That-I-may-give-
thanks to Thy Name : The
just wait-expectant for me,
till Thou-reward me.
"A Didactic Psalm," so far forth as it teaches how one ought
to behave in extreme peril. Qimchi, Rashi, and others of that
school refer the Psalm to the time when David hid in the cave
5Q2 PSALM 142 (143).
of Odollam (^-Hebrew, KAdhulldm = "justice of the people"),
1 Kings (Sam.) xxii., a far more probable view than that which
assigns it to the incidents recorded ch. xxiv. of the same Book
(the cave of En-gaddi = Hebrew, "En-gedl = " the eye [i.e.,
fountain] of the kid ").
vv. 2, 3. In text the verbs are in the Future, and should be so
rendered, v. 4. "When my spirit fainted [///., " was-wrapped-in
darkness," " overwhelmed with anxious forebodings "] within me "
{lit., "upon me"). This first clause is by many joined to v. 3, just as
the self-same words are connected in the title of Ps. ci. (102) 1.
v. 5. "Look . . . see," addressed to God, Imperatives, and so
rendered by St. Jerome. By Qimchi and Aben Ezra they are
said to be Infinitives absolute ; but in Targum, Syriac, LXX.
{Cod. Vatican.), and Vulgate, " I looked . . . and saw." "Right-
hand," where the advocate, the defender, takes his stand (cf. Pss.
xv. (16) 8; cviii. (109) 6, 31; cix. (no) 5; cxx. (121) 5).
"Recognizes," or "takes notice," or "knowledge," cf. Ruth ii.
10, 19. v. 7. "Attend," lit., "prick up," "sharpen Thine ears;"
verbs in Imperative, and so rendered. v. 8. "Prison," either
figurative, or the cave itself. " Shall surround me ; " LXX. have
rendered the verb, "shall wait for me," which is the rendering of
Aquila and Vulgate, and is, in Chaldee and Syriac, the meaning
of the verb ("surround"), and in Job xxxvi. 2, is to be rendered,
'•'■wait for me" ("suffer me"); Syriac, "And that the just may
consider me, when Thou shalt reward me ; " Symmachus, " The
just shall crown Thy Name;" St. Jerome, "In me coronabuntur
justi, cum retribueris mihi " ( = because of me, the just shall be
crowned, when Thou shalt reward me) ; Qimchi, " the just shall
crown themselves (shall triumph), inasmuch as Thou dealest
bountifully with me," i.e., compensating me for my present
calamity.
PSALM 142 (143). PSALM 142 (143).
1. A Psalm of David. 1. A Psalm of David,
YaHWeH, hear my prayer, when he was pursued by
give-ear to my supplica- Absalom his son (2 Kings
PSALM 142 (143).
593
tions : In Thy faithfulness
answer me, [and] in Thy
justice.
2. And enter not into
judgment with Thy servant :
For before Thee no [man]
living shall-be-justified.
3. For the enemy has
persecuted my soul ; He-
has-trampled my life down
to the earth : He-has-made-
me to-dwell in dark-places,
as those long dead.
4. Hence does my spirit
faint within me : My heart
within me is-desolate.
5. I-remember the days
of old ; I-meditate on all
Thy doings : On the work
of Thy hands I-muse.
6. I - spread - forth my
hands to Thee : My soul
is to Thee, as a thirsty land.
[Selah.]
7. Hasten [to] answer me,
YHWH; My spirit fails;
Hide not Thy face from me :
Else I-become-like them-
th'at-go-down to the pit.
8. Cause-me-to-hear Thy
loving - goodness in the
morning : For in Thee do-
I - trust ; Cause - me - to -
know the way wherein I-
MM
(Sam.) xvii). Lord, hear my
prayer, give - ear to my
supplication in Thy faithful-
ness : Hearken to me in
Thy justice.
2. And enter not into
judgment with Thy servant :
For before Thee none living
shall-be-justified.
3. For the enemy has-
persecuted my soul ; He-
has-brought-down my life to
the ground : He-has-made-
me to-dwell in dark-places,
as those who have been long
dead.
4. Therefore is my spirit
dismayed within me : My
heart within me is-troubled.
5. I-remembered the days
of old ; I-meditated on all
Thy works : I-mused on the
doings of Thy hands.
6. I - spread - forth my
hands to Thee : My soul
is to Thee as a waterless
land.
7. Hear me speedily, O
Lord ; My spirit has-failed ;
Turn not away Thy face
from me ; Else I-become-
like them-that-go-down to
the pit.
8. Cause me to-hear Thy
mercy in the morning ; For
I - have - hoped in Thee ;
Make known to me the way
wherein I-should-walk : For
594 psalm 142 (143).
should-walk : For to Thee to Thee have-I-lifted-up my
have-I-lifted up my soul. soul.
9. Deliver me from mine 9. Rescue me from mine
enemies, YHWH : In Thee enemies, 0 Lord, To Thee
do-I-covertly-confide. have-I-fled-for-refuge.
10. Teach me to do Thy 10. Teach me to do Thy
will, For THOU art my God ; will, For THOU art my God :
Let Thy good Spirit guide Thy good Spirit shall-guide
me on level ground [or, in a me in the straight way,
straight path]. [into a level land].
1 1. For Thy Name's sake, 1 1. Thou - shalt - quicken
YtfHWYH, quicken me: In me, O Lord, for Thy Name's
Thy justice bring my soul sake in Thine equity : Thou-
out of distress. wilt-bring my soul out of
affliction.
12. And in Thy loving- 12. And in Thy mercy
goodness cut - off mine Thou - wilt - destroy mine
enemies, And destroy all enemies, And wilt-destroy
that-afflict my soul : For I all that afflict my soul : For
am Thy servant. I am Thy servant.
This is the last of the Seven Penitential Psalms ; it consists of
two parts, each of which contains six verses ; the division between
the complaint (vv. 1 — 6) and prayer (vv. 7 — 12) is marked by the
Selah. In the text it is inscribed "to David," and is referred by
Qimchi to the same occasion as the foregoing Psalm. In some
copies of LXX., however, it is said to have been written " when
he was pursued by his son Absalom," a reference suggested by
the deep tone of anguish and by the consciousness of sin that
I invades the Psalm. If not composed by David himself, we may
assert with Delitzsch that it is " an extract of the most precious
balsam from the old Davidic odes."
v. 1. "faithfulness, justice," cf. 1 St. John i. 9. v. 2. Cf.
Job ix. 32 ; xxii. 4. v. 3. "Trampled," or "crushed," "smitten"
my life down to the ground ; so LXX., eis rrjv yrjv, cis teen geen
(to the earth, ground). "Dark-places,"///., "in darknesses," cf.
Ps. lxxxvii. (88) 7, where it is coupled with "the shadow of
death." "Long dead," moriuos seculi (dead of old, dead ages
PSALM I43 (144). 595
since, whose memory is utterly perished, cf. Lament, iii. 6,
mortui sempitemi, "for ever dead," can never return to this
world), v. 4. " My heart is stunned," " stupefied ; " Gesenius
(s.v.), " is disheartened." v. 5. " I called to mind what God
had done for Israel in times gone by," cf. Ps. ex. (in), v. 6.
" My soul is to Thee," &c. ; Syriac, " My soul thirsts after
Thee, as the land," &c. v. 8. " Morning," i.e., early, soon ; cf.
Ps. lxxxix. (90) 14. v. 9. "In Thee . . . covertly confide,"
Gesenius' rendering of a pregnant and obscure phrase. Aben
Ezra considers it as equivalent to "in Thee have I taken refuge."
" Unto Thee [have I fled] and covered " (i.e., hid myself), which
perhaps means, "To Thee alone have I laid open my distress,
which I have hidden from men;" St. Jerome, "a te protectus
sum" ( = by Thee am I shielded). Syriac omits this phrase.
v. 10. "Spirit," either an angel, or, more likely, the Spirit "that
spake by the Prophets," cf. 2 Esdras (Nehem.) ix. 20; Ps. 1.
(51) 13. "Level ground," free from all risk of stumbling and
fall. To be taken, 7j0lkS)<;, eethikos, the path, not indeed of
prosperity, but of virtue, as is shown by the parallel, " Teach me
to do Thy will," cf. Isai. xxvi. 7 ; LXX., lv rfj tvOda, en tee evtheia
(in the straight [way]) ; Cod. Alexand., " in the land of upright-
ness," closer to the text.
PSALM 143 (144). PSALM 143 (144).
1. To David. Blessed be 1. A Psalm of David,
YtfHW^H, my Rock, Who against Goliath. Blessed
teaches my hands for the be the Lord my God, Who
war: My fingers for the trains my hands for the fight:
, battle. My fingers for the war.
2. My loving - goodness, 2. My mercy and my
my fortress, My high-tower refuge, My helper and my
and my deliverer-mine ; My deliverer. My protector, and
shield, and He in whom I- He in whom I-trust : Who
take-refuge : Who subdues subdues my people under
my people under me. me.
3. YHWH, what is man, 3. Lord, what is man,
596
PSALM 143 (144).
that Thou-noticest him ? A
son of man, that-Thou-
makest-account of him ?
4. Man, to a breath is-he-
like. His days are as a pass-
ing shadow.
5. YHWH, bow Thy
heavens, and come-down :
Touch the mountains, and
they-shall-smoke.
6. Lighten lightning, and
scatter them. Send-forth
Thine arrows, and terrify
them.
7. Stretch-forth Thy hand
from on high, Snatch me
away, and deliver me out of
great waters : Out of the
hand of aliens,
8. Whose mouth speaks
falsehood : And their right-
hand is a right-hand of lies.
9. 'Elohim (i.e., O God), a
new song will-I-sing to Thee :
On a nebhel (lute, psaltery)
of ten-strings will-I-play to
Thee ;
10. Who gives victory to
kings ; Who rescues David
His servant from the hurtful
sword,
11. Rescue me, and deliver
me out of the hand of aliens,
Whose mouth speaks false-
that - Thou-shouldest-reveal
Thyself to him ? A son of
man, that Thou-shouidest-
take - him - into - considera -
tion ?
4. Man, he is like to
vanity. His days pass-away
as a shadow. (Ps. ci. (102)
12.)
5. Bow Thy heavens, O
Lord, and come - down :
Touch the mountains, and
they-shall-smoke.
6. Flash lightning, and
Thou - shalt - scatter them :
Send-forth Thine arrows and
Thou-shalt-discomfit them.
7. Stretch-forth Thy hand
from on high, Rescue me,
and deliver me out of many
waters : Out of the hand of
aliens,
8. Whose mouth speaks
falsehood : And their right-
hand is a right-hand of
iniquity.
9. O God, I -will-sing to
Thee a new song : On a ten-
stringed psaltery will-I-play
to Thee ;
10. Who givest victory to
kings ; Who hast-rescued
David Thy servant from the
hurtful sword,
11. Rescue me, And de-
liver me out of the hand
of aliens, Whose mouth
PSALM 143 (144).
597
hood : And their right hand
is a right hand of lies.
12. [We] whose sons are
as plants grown-up in their
youth ; And our daughters
like corner-pillars [beauti-
fully] carved [after the mode
of] the structure of a palace ;
13. Our garners full, afford-
ing-store of every kind ; Our
sheep multiplying-in-thous-
ands ; In ten-thousands in
our fields.
14. Our kine laden [with
flesh and fat] ; No breach,
and no sallying-forth : And
no outcry in our streets.
15. Happy the people to
whom it is thus : Happy the
people whose God is YaH-
W*H.
speaks falsehood : And their
right hand is a right hand of
iniquity.
12. Whose sons are like
young plants in their youth ;
Their daughters are-decked
and adorned after the simili-
tude of a temple ;
13. Their
garners
overflowing
full,
from one into
another ; Their sheep are
prolific, countless as they go
forth [to pasture].
14. Their oxen are fat ;
There is no breach in the
wall, and no going-out : And
no outcry in their streets.
15. Men-call the people
happy to whom this lot
belongs : [But] happy is the
people whose God is the
Lord.
The ascription " to David " is favoured by the authority of
Qimchi and others, as also by the fact that to the end of v. 1 1
the Psalm is little more than a cento of quotations from earlier
Psalms [Pss. viii. and xvii. (18)], which (especially the latter) are
allowed on all hands to be Davidic. " Against (or concerning)
.Goliath," to be met with in some MSS. of LXX., is wanting in
Grigen's Hexapla, and, as St. Hilary observes, is an interpolation,
as there is no trace in the Psalm of an allusion to the encounter
with Goliath. On the other hand, certain peculiarities of expres-
sion, to be noticed in vv. 6, 7, may be alleged in support of the
view which assigns the Psalm to the post-Exilic period.
1. "Teaches my hands," &c, cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 35. v. 2.
"My loving-goodness," cf. Ps. lviii. (59) n, 18; Jonas ii. 9; cf.
Ps. xvii. (18) 2, 3. " My deliverer to me" (or '''for ?ue"), " mine"
598 psalm 143 (144).
added for emphasis — so Qimchi ; it occurs in the other copy of
Ps. xvii. in 2 Kings (Sam.) xxii. 2. "My people;" in Ps. xvii. 48,
" peoples ; " St. Jerome, Targum, and Syriac take the word in
text (\inimi) to be a plural form ("peoples," not "my people").
v. 3. Cf. Ps. viii. 5. v. 4. Cf. Pss. xxxviii. (39) 6, 7 ; ci. (102) 12.
"A breath ;" LXX., St. Jerome, Vulgate, "vanity " "emptiness;"
Symmachus, ar/x^, at/no ( = to a vapour, to smoke), v. 5.
A Theophany with its usual accompaniments; cf. Ps. xvii. 10, 15.
"Touch mountains," as in Ps. ciii. (104) 32. v. 6. Lit., "light-
ning Thou lightning." This verb occurs here only. The verb
rendered "snatch me away," in v. 7 and in v. 11 ("Rescue me"),
is taken in the Syriac and Chaldaic sense ; in Hebrew it means,
"he tore in pieces," "distended," "opened" — the mouth, in
threatening, mockery, rash speech, v. 7 and v. n, a refrain from
vv. 7, 8. "Aliens," cf. Ps. xvii. (18) 46. "Right-hand;" they
are perjured, the right hand being lifted up in taking an oath,
vv. 12 — 15. Most competent judges are of opinion that vv. 12 —
15 are an adventitious fragment of some poem, or psalm* portray-
ing the prosperity of the chosen race at the brightest period of its
history — at the close of David's reign, or in the early years of
Solomon (?). We are hampered in limine with the difficulty of
assigning an intelligible meaning to 'asher, the initial word of v. 12.
Gesenius (L/eb. Lex. s.v.) renders it, "in order that;" others,
"because," "when," "whilst;" LXX., Syriac, and Vulgate cut
the Gordian knot by rendering it "whose" and dealing with the
suffixed Possessives ("our," "ours") as if they were of the third
Plural ("their"), v. 12. "Our daughters as corner-pillars;" so
Gesenius, s.v. zazvith, "corner," "angle," which occurs only in
Plural here (zaiviyyoth) and Zach. ix. 15 (of the corners of the
altar). St. Jerome, " quasi anguli " ( = as corners, corner-stones).
Targum refers this word to ziw, or ziv ("splendour," " brightness"),
ziutanin, " splendid," which is followed by LXX., KtKaWwTTLo- fxtvat,
kekallopismenai ( = beautified, embellished). " Caryatides " are not
to be thought of here, since, as far as can be ascertained, they
were unknown in Jewish and Syrian architecture. "Carved,"
"hewn," "sculptured ;" but LXX., Syriac, Symmachus, St. Jerome,
" decked out" {ornati, St.Jerome, referring to the anguli). " [After]
the structure of a temple" (or "palace," hiykhal means both) ; in
PSALM 143 (144). 599
text, tablinith hcykhal (Gesenius, " the structure," " the style of
building" — "model," "likeness"), St. Jerome's "ad similitudinem
templi" ( = after the fashion of a temple), v. 13. "Our cellars,
barns, storehouses" — "giving out," "furnishing," lit., " making-
to-go-out" — "from zan to zan,, = lit.i "from species (or kind) to
species," i.e., " of every kind " = " all manner of stores ; " Ibn
Ezra, " from food to food," i.e., continual supplies of food ;
Targum, "from year to year," i.e., " from harvest to harvest;"
LXX., St. Jerome, Vulgate, " from this to that," showing that
they read [had (?)] in their unpointed text zu (easily confounded
in Hebrew script with en). " Garners so full that they are bursting
with one kind of store after another;" St. Jerome, "overflowing
from this into that " (ex hoc in Mud). " Our sheep (flocks)
thousanded, ten-thousanded [so literally in text], in our out-of-doors
[-places]," i.e., fields, pastures. The flocks were almost con-
tinually in the open. v. 14. "Our kine (epicene in text) laden
[with flesh and fat];" St. Jerome, "Our bulls are fat;" LXX.,
"Their oxen are fat" ( Tracts) ; but Gesenius, "laden [with
young]," "pregnant," which, perhaps, suits better the description
of the flocks (?). " Breach " {fterets), cf. Amos iv. 3 ; another
rendering (Rabbinical), " no breaking in." " And no going-out "
— either to war, or, as Dr. Cheyne, following the lead of Qimchi,
interprets it, "no going forth" of a captive train driven along by
their conquerors, with their flocks and herds. Another rendering,
" no parting." " Nothing swerves from the right line," is
Dr. Lowy's interpretation. LXX., " No falling-down of a hedge
(fence), nor passage through (Sie£oSos, diexodos), nor cry in the
folds (€7ratvWiv, epavlesin)," which closing word shows that LXX.
had in mind the enclosure wherein the flocks and herds were
folded. " Going out " is taken by some to mean " abortion "
(suffering abortion, untimely travail). St. Jerome, "non est
egressus" (no going out). "No cry, outcry [of distress];"
St. Jerome, " ululatus in plateis nostris " (nor howling in our
broad ways); Syriac (from Walton's Polyglot), "Whose sons are
brought up (aluntur) as a plant from their childhood ; Their
daughters, as brides, are adorned after the fashion of [ad instar)
temples. Their cellars are full, pouring themselves forth one into
another. Their sheep are teeming (fcetant), and are reared
600 PSALM 144 (145).
(nutricantur) in their broad-places (plaieis); their cows are
pregnant, and their is none barren among them ; there is no
breach {ruptitra), nor howling {ululatus) in their broad-places
{plateis). Is not the people whom such things befall happy ? "
v. 15. Lit., "O the happinesses {sic) of the people to whom it
is thus," i.e., "that is in such case!"
PSALM 144 (145). PSALM 144 (145).
1. Praise ; of David. 1. A Hymn of David. I-
fAleph.) I-\vill-extol Thee, will-exalt Thee, my God, O
my God, the King: And King: And I-\vill-bless Thy
will-bless Thy Name for ever Name for ever and ever.
and ever.
2. (Beth.) In every day 2. Every day will-I-bless
will-I-bless Thee: And I- Thee: And I-will-praise Thy
will-praise Thy Name for Name for ever and ever,
ever and ever.
3. (Gi-mel.) Great is 3. Great is the Lord, and
YtfHWt'H, and highly to- highly to-be-praised : And
be-praised : And of His of His greatness there is no
greatness there is no search end (limit).
(i.e., His greatness is un-
searchable).
4. (Da-leth.) Generation 4. Generation after genera-
to generation shall-praise tion shall-praise Thy works :
Thy works : And proclaim And proclaim Thy power.
Thy mighty-deeds.
5. (He.) The splendour 5. They-shall-speak of the
of Thy glorious majesty : glorious majesty of Thy
And the facts of Thy holiness: And shall-rccount
wonders (i.e., Thy wondrous- Thy wondrous-deeds.
works) will-I-rehearse.
6. (Waw.) And they-shall- 6. And they shall speak
speak of the might of Thine of the might of Thy terrible
awful-acts : And of Thy [acts] : And shall-tcll of Thy
greatness will- 1 -tell. greatness.
7. (Za-yin.) The memory 7. They - shall -celebrate-
PSALM 144 (145).
6oi
of Thy great goodness shall-
they-pour-forth : And shall-
sing of Thy justice.
8. (Cheth.) Gracious and
compassionate is YHWH :
Slow to anger, and of great
loving-goodness.
9. (Teth.) YHWH is
good to all : And His tender-
compassions are over all His
works.
10. (Yodh.) May all Thy
works give-thanks to Thee,
YHWH: And Thy pious-
ones bless Thee.
11. (Kaph.) The glory of
Thy kingdom shall-they-tell :
And talk of Thy might ;
12. (La-medh.) To make-
known to the sons of man
His mighty-acts : And the
glorious majesty of His
kingdom.
13. (Mem.) Thy kingdom
is a kingdom of (for) all ages :
And Thy dominion [endures]
in everygeneration and gene-
ration.
[(Nun.) The verse begin-
ning with ATu)i (i.e., N) is
wanting in text, Targumim,
Aquila, Symmachus, Theo-
dotion, and St. Jerome.]
14. (Sa-mekh.) YaHWeH
upholds all the falling : And
raiscs-up all that-are-bowed-
down.
with -out- pourings -of-praise
the memory of Thine abound-
ing goodness: And shall-
exult in Thy justice.
8. The Lord is compas-
sionate and merciful : Long-
suffering, and abounding in
mercy.
9. The Lord is good to
all : xA.nd His tender-mercies
are over all His works.
10. May all Thy works
give-thanks to Thee, O Lord :
And may Thy saints bless
Thee.
11. They shall-speak of
the glory of Thy kingdom :
And talk of Thy dominion :
12. That they-may-make
known to the sons of men
Thy might: And the glorious
majesty of Thy kingdom.
13. Thy kingdom is a
kingdom everlasting : And
Thy dominion [endures] in
everygeneration and genera-
tion.
[The Lord is faithful in
all His words : And holy in
all His works.]
14. The Lord supports all
that are-falling : And sets-
up all that-are-broken-down.
602
PSALM 144 (145).
15. (Ayin.) The eyes of
all wait upon Thee : And
Thou givest them their food
in its season ;
16. (Pe.) Opening Thy
hand : And satisfying the
desire of every living-thing.
17. (Tsa-dhe.) Just is
YtfHW^H in all His ways :
And kind in all His works.
18. (Ooph.) Nigh is
YHWH to all who-call-upon
Him : To all who-call-upon
Him in truth.
19. (Resh.) The desire
of them-that-fear Him will-
He-fulfil : He-will-also-hear
their cry, and will-save them.
20. (Shin.) YHWH keeps
all that-love Him : But-all
the wicked will-He-destroy.
21. (Tau.) My mouth
shall - speak the praise of
YHWH ; And let all flesh
bless His holy Name for ever
and ever.
15. The eyes of all wait
for Thee [O Lord]. And
THOU givest [them] their
food in due season ;
16. Thou-openest Thou
Thy hand : and abundantly-
satisfiest every living-thing
with blessing.
17. The Lord is just in all
His ways : And holy in all
His works.
18. The Lord is nigh to
all who call upon Him : To
all who call upon Him in
truth.
19. He-does the will of
them-that-fear Him : And
hearkens to their supplica-
tion, and saves them.
20. The Lord preserves
all who-love Him : But He-
will-utterly-destroy all sin-
ners.
21. My mouth shall-speak
the praise of the Lord ; And
let all flesh bless His holy
Name for ever and for ever-
more (lit., " unto the age of
the age ").
This is the last of the eight Alphabetical Psalms — eight in all,
counting as we do, with LXX. and Vulgate, Pss. ix. and x.
(Hebrew numbering) as one Psalm. It is the only Psalm that
is called T'hillah ( = praise, hymn), of which word the Plural,
/' liillnn. is the title of the whole Psalter — Sepher Thill'im (=The
Book of Psalms). It is recited twice in the Synagogue Morning
Service. Here, as in some other instances, the alphabetical
arrangement is not fully carried out, Nun ( = N) being omitted,
PSALM 144 (145). 603
may be through the carelessness of a scribe. It is, however, far
more probably an interpolation made up, partly of the Nun
hemistich of Ps. ex. (in) 8 {"Faithful are all," &c), and of
v. 17 of this Psalm. The ascription "to David," though
questioned, may stand ; but it is impossible to assign to this
Psalm a definite historical situation. It is probably to be referred,
if he be its author, to the closing years of his reign. We read in
the Talmud : " Every one who repeats the T'hill&h of David
[the title of this Psalm in text] thrice daily, may be sure that he
is a son of the world to come. Why? Not only because it is
alphabetical (for such too is Ps. 119 ( = cxviii.), and in an eight-
fold degree), nor because it rehearses God's care for all His
creatures (see the Great Hallel, Ps. exxxv. (136) 25), but because
it unites within itself both these qualities."
v. 1. "Name," i.e., God, so far forth as known in and by His
works, and Self-manifestation in the natural and supernatural
order, corresponding somewhat to our Western " Idea.'" v. 3.
"Highly-to-be-praised," or "highly praised;" the same word
occurs in Ps. xvii. (18) 4. "Unsearchable," lit., "there is no
search, no scrutiny." v. 4. " Works," " mighty acts," doubtless
the wonders wrought in Israel's behalf, transmitted by a con-
tinuous tradition, "from generation to generation." v. 5. Lit,
" The splendour of the glory of Thy majesty." " And the facts
of (v'dhibh'rey) Thy wonders will-I-rehearse " — in song (?), i.e.,
"Thy wondrous deeds." LXX. read fdkabberu (-"they shall
speak of," "tell"); final Yodh ( = y) and Waw ( = w, v), initial
being transposed in our present text. " I-will-rehearse " they
read (or had) in the third Plural; St. Jerome, "loquar" (I will
speak of), v. 6. "Terrible-acts," punitive judgments executed
on the Gentiles. "Greatness," "grandeur;" in text it is Singular
according to the vowel points, but according to the letters it is
Plural ; hence St. Jerome, translating from an unpointed (i.e.,
vowelless) text, renders it " magnitudines tuas "( = " Thy great-
nesses," or "great acts"). The Qeri ( = marginal emendation)
puts it in the Singular, v. 7. "Pour-forth," lit., "bubble-out,"
" Gush forth with " = " utter," " publish." "Abounding goodness ;"
in text, rabh-toblikha. Qimchi construes this rabh as a noun
("the greatness," the abundance of); it is so rendered in LXX.
604 PSALM 145 (146).
and Vulgate, v. 8. Cliannfm = "gracious," not "merciful," but
the spontaneous outcome of kindness, mainly, though not ex-
clusively, towards inferiors. Rachum = "compassionate," connotes
dependence and affliction calling for pity and relief. Chesedh =
"benignity," "benevolence," "loving-goodness" to all, whether
equals or inferiors; also "piety," " dutifulness " towards God
and His representatives, v. 9. St. Jerome, " in universa opera "
( = towards all His works). Qimchi takes this as a hint to be
kind to the brute creation, v. 10. "Saints;" in LXX., St. Jerome,
Vulgate, the usual rendering of chas'idh'c-kha ( = Thy chasidtm),
i.e., those endowed with chesedJi — see above, v. 13. The Syriac
and Arabic have the Nun verse, v. 15 was continually on the
lips of the neophytes, in connection with the Eucharistic banquet.
"Eyes hope," are raised to Thee in hope. v. 16. "Opening
( = Thou openest) Thy hand, and abundantly-showing (=showesti
to every living-thing favour," cf. Acts xiv. 17. In vv. 14 — 16
there is a repetition and development of vv. 8, 9. For v. 15, and
hemistich a of v. 16, cf. Ps. ciii. (104) 27, 28. Targum of v. 16,
"Thou fillest every living-thing with its desire;" Syriac, "Thou
fillest the desire of every living thing." Ratson. in text
(1) "delight," "satisfaction," (2) "that which gives delight,"
(3) "will," "liking," "good-pleasure," (4) "good-will," "favour."
Gesenius (s.v.), referring to this verse, renders it "benefits." It
may mean God's favour as the source of good, or the desire of
the creature, or the object of its desire, or, again, the gratification
of the creature. Cf. Deut. xxxiii. 23; Prov. xviii. 22. v. 17.
"Kind;" in text, chasidh ; in LXX., St. Jerome, and Vulgate
rendered "holy;" it may also be rendered "gracious," "loving."
PSALM 145 (146). PSALM 145 (146).
1. Halalu-YaH ! Praise 1. Alleluia. Of Aggaeus
YaHWcH, O my soul ! and Zacharias.
2. I-will-praise YHWH 2. Praise the Lord; O my
while I live: I-will-sing- soul! I-will-praise the Lord
hymns to my God while I while I live : I-will-sing to
yet am. my God as long as I exist.
Trust not in princes,
PSALM 145 (146).
605
3. Trust not in princes :
[Nor] in the son of man, in
whom there is no help (lit.,
no salvation).
4. His breath goes-forth ;
he-returns to his earth : In
that very day his purposes
perish.
5. Happy is he that has
the God of Jacob for his
help : Whose hope [rests]
upon YrtHWVH his God ;
6. Who made heavens and
earth, The sea and all that
therein is : Who keeps truth
for ever ;
7. [W7ho] executes judg-
ment for the oppressed,
Gives bread to the hungry :
YHWH looses the bound
[or, the prisoners].
8. YHWH opens [the
eyes of] the blind, YHWH
raises-up them - that - are -
bowed-down : YHWH loves
the just. '
9. YHWH guards the
strangers, The orphan and
widow He-upholds : But the
way of the wicked He-sub-
verts [perverts].
10. Y./HWVH shall-be-
king for ever, Thy God, O
Tsiyyon, unto generation
and generation. Halalu-
YaH.
3. [Xor] in the sons of
men, in whom there is no
help [or, safety].
4. His breath goes-forth ;
and he-returns to his earth :
In that very day all their
plans come-to-nought.
5. Blessed is he whose
helper is the God of Jacob :
Whose hope is in the Lord
his God ;
6. Who made heaven and
earth, the sea and all-things
that are in them.
7. Who keeps truth for
ever, WTho executes judg-
ment for the wronged : Who
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord looses the fettered-
ones.
8. The Lord gives-light
to the blind, The Lord sets-
up the broken-down : The
Lord loves the just.
9. The Lord guards' the
strangers, The orphan and
the widow He-upholds : But
the way of sinners He-shall-
utterly-destroy.
10. The Lord shall-reign
for ever, Thy God, O Sion,
unto all generations.
6o6 PSALM 145 (146).
This Psalm begins a series of " Alleluatic " Psalms, wherewith
the Psalter closes. LXX. ascribe this, as also the next three
Psalms, and Ps. cxxxvii. (138), to Aggasus (Haggai) and Zacharias.
Theodoret observes that this ascription is wanting in the text, in
the earlier expositors, and in Origen's Hexapla. It is omitted in
several old Latin Psalters. While it need not be taken to mean
that either of these Prophets composed this, or the following
Psalms, it is most probable that it represents a time-honoured
tradition, which credits these Prophets with no small share in the
ritual arrangements of the second Temple, than which nothing
can be more credible. It may thus be taken as an indication of
date. From vv. 7 — 9 we may gather that the situation imme-
diately subsequent to the return from Captivity left much to be
desired, and the rebuilding of the Temple seems to have come to
a standstill.
v. 2. The poet declares his resolve, not to lose heart, but ever
to praise Him who has broken the bonds of captive Israel, and to
rely in cheerful trust upon Him. v. 3. "Trust not," &c, a
warning to those of his fellow-countrymen who, disheartened at
the delay of the restoration of the Temple, trusted overmuch in
the influence of the Persian grandees, and in favour at Court ;
cf. Ps. cxvii. (118) 8, 9. "No help," or "no safety," "no
salvation;" cf. Ps. xxxii. (33) 16; lix. (60) 13. v. 4. "His
breath," cf. Ps. ciii. (104) 29. "He ["the son of man" of v. 3]
returns," not "his breath," as in text; the verb "returns" has the
Masculine prefix, while rucJio — " his breath," is Feminine; cf.
Gen. ii. 7: iii. 19; Eccl. xii. 7. vv. 5 — 9. Rather should they
trust in the God of their fathers ("God of Jacob"), who is
Almighty, "the Maker of heaven," &c, a designation character-
istic of the post-exilic Psalms, and especially of the Gradual
Psalms. "Keeps truth" is ever faithful to His promises; is just,
merciful, and gracious. He surely cannot fail to relieve His
distressed people, He, the eternal King of Israel, who reigns on
Sion, and will not suffer Himself to be dethroned by heathens,
or by Samaritans, v. 7. "Looses the fettered," cf. Isai. lxi. 1.
v. 8. "Raises," "sets up," i.e., "comforts the afflicted;" the
word in text {zoql'pli) occurs only here and in v. 14 of preceding
'in. v. 9. "Strangers," "the orphan and widow," instances
PSALM 146 (147).
607
of helplessness. " He upholds," " sets up ; " Gesenius (s.v.),
" restores," " confirms," establishes on a stable footing ; cf. Ps.
cxlvi. (147) 6. "Subverts,"///., "bends," "twists," "distorts,"
"makes-crooked," "makes to slant;" as Dr. Cheyne suggests,
"allows them to turn aside into the trackless waste." LXX.,
a<f>aviel, aphaniei (He will do away with, obliterate) ; St. Jerome,
who, with scarce an exception, renders this Psalm word for word
as in Vulgate, has " conteret " (crush, utterly undo).
PSALM 146 (147).
1. Halalii-YaH! For 'tis
good to-sing-praise to our
God : For it is sweet ;
comely is the hymn.
2. YrtHW^H builds -up
Jerusalem : The outcasts of
Israel He-gathers-together ;
3. [Tis He] who heals the
broken in heart : And binds-
up their wounds ;
4. [Who] apportions a
number to the stars : And
calls them all [by their]
names. ,
5. Great is our Lord
['Adhoney-nu], and abound-
ing in might : His under-
standing is infinite [lit., of
His understanding there is
no number].
6. YHWH sets up the
meek : He-brings the wicked
clown to the ground.
7. Sing -ye to YHWH
with thanksgiving : Play to
our God on the harp ;
PSALM 146 (147).
1. Alleluia. Praise-ye the
Lord, for psalmody is good :
Let praise be joyfully and
comely sung to our God.
2. The Lord builds-up
Jerusalem : The dispersed
of Israel will - He - gather-
together ;
3. Who heals the broken
in heart : And binds-up
their bruises ;
4. He numbers the multi-
tude of the stars : And calls
them all by names.
5. Great is our Lord, and
great is His power : And
His wisdom is infinite.
6. The Lord lifts-up the
meek : But He - brings
sinners down to the ground.
7. Sing to the Lord with
thanksgiving : Play to our
God on the harp ;
6o8
PSALM 147.
8. Who covers the heavens
with clouds, Who prepares
rain for the earth : Who
makes mountains sprout-
forth grass ;
9. Giving to the beast its
food : [And] to the young
ravens which cry.
10. Not in the strength of
the horse does-He-delight :
Not in the legs of man does-
He-take-pleasure ;
11. YHWH takes -
pleasure in them-that-fear-
Him : In them-that-hope in
His loving-goodness.
8. Who covers the heaven
with clouds ; And prepares
rain for the earth : Who
makes grass to spring-up on
the mountains, [and green-
herb for the service of men].
9. Who gives to the cattle
their food : And to the
young ravens that-call-upon
Him.
10. Not in the strength
of the horse is His delight :
Nor does He-take-pleasure
in the legs of a man.
11. The Lord takes-
pleasure in them-that-fear-
Him : And in those that-
hope in His mercy.
12. Laud YHWH, O Jeru-
salem : Praise thy God, O
Sion ;
13. For He-has-strength-
ened the bars of thy gates :
He-has-blessed thy children
within thee ;
14. Who-makes thy border
peace : With the fat of wheat
does-Hc-fill thee.
IS- Who sends-forth His
decree upon earth : Very
swiftly does His word run ;
16. WTho gives snow like
wool : He - scatters hoar-
frost like ashes ;
[PSALM 147.] Alleluia.
1 2- 1. Praise the Lord, O
Jerusalem : Praise thy God,
O Sion :
13-2. For He - has -
strengthened the bars of thy
gates : He-has-blessed thy
children within thee ;
14-3. Who makes thy
borders peaceful : And fills
thee with the finest wheat ;
1 5-4. Who sends - forth
His oracle (i.e., command)
to the earth : His word
runs swiftly ;
16-5. Who gives snow
like wool : He-scatters mist
like ashes ;
PSALM 147.
609
17. Casting-forth His ice
like morsels : Before His
cold who can-stand ?
18. He - sends - out His
word and melts them ; He-
causes His wind to - blow,
[and the] waters flow.
19. He-declares His words
to Jacob : His statutes and
His judgments to Israel.
20. He-has not dealt thus
with every [i.e., any] nation :
And as for [His] judgments,
they-know them not. Halalu-
YaH!
17-6. He-casts-forth His
ice like morsels : Before
His cold who can-stand ?
18-7. He-sends-out His
word and melts them : His
wind blows and the waters
flow.
19-8. Who declares His
word to Jacob : His ordi-
nances and judgments to
Israel.
20-9. He has not done so
to any [other] nation : Nor
has - He - shown them His
judgments. Alleluia !
Pss. cxlv. (146) — cl., which close the Psalter, are daily recited
at Morning Prayer in the Synagogue. The present Psalm is
unquestionably post-exilic, and may have been written for the
dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, which was kept with the
rejoicing described in 2 Esdras (Nehemias) xii. 27 — 43; cf.
vv. 2, 3; 13, 14, supra. From ii. 5; vii. 3, 4 of his narrative,
we learn that Nehemias had set his heart on rebuilding and
fortifying Jerusalem, a purpose he carried through to its com-
pletion under circumstances of no ordinary difficulty and dis-
couragement (cf. ii. 17 — iv. 23). When this Psalm was written,
Jerusalem had been rebuilt ; a considerable number of the
scattered exiles had returned to their native land, " the wounds "
inflicted by Divine justice were at length healed (vv. 2, 3). For
this Israel thanks the All-knowing, Almighty God, whose wont it
is to rescue the oppressed and to punish the oppressor (vv. 4 — 6).
Thus the initial Alleluia is, so to speak, the proposition whereof
the Psalm is an expansion.
v. 1. " For He is good. Sing [ye or thoii\ praises to our God,
for He is benign (generous, propitious)," &c, is an admissible
rendering; Professor Cheyne, "Praise YaH, for it is good to-
make-melody to Him : praise is seemly to our God;" Perowne,
NN
6 10 PSALM 147.
" For 'tis good to sing-praises to our God, For 'tis sweet : comely
is the hymn-of-praise," or, " For He is good : sing to our God, for
He is lovely : comely is the hymn of praise." Of these alternate
renderings, the former is all but that of St. Jerome's version.
LXX. {Cod. Vatican}), "... for a good-thing is a psalm
( = psalmody) ; let praise be sweetly-sung to our God." v. 2.
"Building," in text; cf. Ps. cxxi. (122) 3. "Outcasts;" ///.,
" the expelled," " the thrust out ; " St. Jerome, " ejectos " =
the ejected, corresponding to the i£w<r/xevov<;, exosmenous, of
Symmachus; LXX. and Vulgate, " dispersions "=" the dispersed"
(abstract for concrete), v. 3. " Broken heart," cf. Ps. xxxiii. (34)
19; Isai. lxi. 1. v. 4. "Assigns [appoints] a number to the
stars" — the All-knowing, the Almighty; cf. Isai. xl. 26 — 29,
where the self-same thought is developed ; lit., " to all of them
names He calls;" St. Jerome, "calls every one by its name."
v. 5. Lit., "To (of) His understanding there is no -number"
instead of "no searching" in Ps. cxliv. (145) 3 ; Isai. xl. 28. Cf.
Rom. xi. 33. v. 6. A brief summary of His providential govern-
ment of man. "Sets up," " upholds," the same word as in v. 9 of
foregoing Psalm, v. 7. A fresh outburst of praise, the beginning of
a new strophe, according to Thalhofer, but we discover here no
regular strophic division. vv. 8, 9. This may allude to the
cessation of the dearth, whereby the neglect to rebuild the Temple
was visited, cf. Nehem. v. ; Aggaeus (Haggai) i. "The mountains,"
which cannot be artificially irrigated. " And green-herb for the
service [use] of man," an interpolation from Ps. ciii. (104) 14,
copied from Cod. Vatican, of LXX., wanting in text, in St. Jerome,
in Cod. Alexand. of LXX., and in many old Latin Psalters, v. 9.
Lit., "to the sons of the raven;" cf. Job xxxviii. 41 ; St. Luke
xii. 24. vv. 10, 11. Glossed by Thalhofer, "He regards not the
nations that presume upon, and boast of their cavalry ["strength
of the horse "] and infantry [" legs of a man ; " shot], the leg from
the knee downwards] ; His good pleasure is in Israel, that
worships Him, and trusts in His mercy." vv. 12 — 20 (thus
numbered in Vulgate) form Ps. 147 according to LXX. and
Vulgate. St. Jerome leaves it to each one's judgment to decide,
whether it be a separate Psalm or a continuation of the foregoing.
He observes, however, that the theme is the same in both. It
PSALM 148. 6ll
may be alleged in favour of the division, that vv. 1 — 11 deal with
God's mercies to the nation at large, while vv. 12 — 20 are
specially addressed to the holy city. Be this as it may, it is most
probable that both Psalms were written by the same author,
and were sung simultaneously in public worship. LXX. add
to Alleluia, of this and the next Psalm, "of Aggasus and
Zacharias," to be taken as indicating the date of its com-
position, v. 12. "Jerusalem," "Sion,"are synonymous, v. 13.
"Bars of gates," cf. 2 Esdras (Nehem.) iii. vii. 1 — 4, to which
this may be taken as a direct reference. " Blessed . . .
children " refers to the increase of families, and hence of the
population, v. 14. Lit, "The setting ( = who sets, i.e., makes)
thy borders peace," cf. Isai. lx. 17, 18. He makes the city
and the surrounding district secure against the inroads of the
Samaritans and of other foes. "Fat of wheat," finest of wheat,
cf. Ps. lxxx. (81) 17. v. 15. God's saying, command, decree (in
hemistich b, "His word "), is likened to a messenger speeding from
heaven to earth to execute His behests, v. 16. "Wool;" in text,
"//z<?wool ;" Targum, "snow as white as wool." In text, a parono-
masia, keplwr, ka-epher ("hoar-frost like ashes "). v. 17. "Ice;"
in text, qorach ( = " ice "), used poetically (so Gesenius, s.v.) for
" hail." " Morsels," cf. German flocken, used both of morsels of
bread and of snow: "bits," " fragments," "crumbs of bread."
God accomplishes the greatest things with the same ease as a
child causes some locks of wool to fly, or scatters a few ashes,
v. 18. "Melts them," i.e., snow, hoar-frost, ice, which thaw under
the genial breath of spring. Thus far God's works are for
mankind (cf. St. Matt. v. 45). But Israel is especially privileged,
as the recipient of the oracles of God (cf. Rom. iii. 1, 2).
"Word," "ordinances," "judgments," are synonymous = the
revelation of the will and purposes of God.
PSALM 148. PSALM 148.
1. Halalu-YaH ! Praise- 1. Alleluia! Praise the
ye YtfHW^H from the Lord from the heavens :
heavens: Praise Him in the Praise Him in the heights.
&*
heights.
6l2
PSALM 148.
2. Praise-ye Him, all His
angels : Praise Him, all His
hosts.
3. Praise Him, sun and
moon : Praise Him, all stars
of light.
4. Praise Him, ye heavens
of the heavens : And ye
waters, that are above the
heavens.
5. Let - them - praise the
Name of YHWH : For He
commanded, and they-were-
created ;
6. And He-made-them-to-
stand-fast for ever and ever :
A decree has-He-given, and
none of them transgresses
[it], [or, which shall not pass
away].
7. Praise YHWH from
the earth : Ye sea-monsters
(dragons) and all deeps ;
8. Fire and hail, snow and
vapour : Stormy wind ful-
filling His word ;
9. Ye mountains, and all
hills : Fruit-trees, and all
cedars ;
10. Beasts, and all cattle :
Creeping-things, and winged
fowl (fowl of wing) ;
1 1. King of the earth, and
all peoples : Princes and all
judges of the earth ;
12. Young-men, and also
2. Praise-ye Him, all His
angels: Praise Him, all His
hosts.
3. Praise Him, sun and
moon : Praise Him all ye
stars and light.
4. Praise Him, ye heavens
of heavens : And all waters
that are above the heavens.
5. Let-them-praise the
Name of the Lord : For
[He spoke, and they were
made], He commanded, and
they-were-created ;
6. He - has - established
them for ever, even for ever-
more : He has made a
decree, and it-shall not pass-
away.
7. Praise the Lord from
the earth : Ye dragons and
all deeps ;
8. Fire, hail, snow, ice,
Stormy wind ; Which do His
bidding ;
9. Ye mountains, and all
hills : Fruit-bearing trees,
and all cedars :
10. Beasts and all cattle:
Reptiles and winged fowl.
11. Kings of the earth;
and all peoples : Princes,
and all judges of the
earth ;
12. Youths and maidens;
PSALM I48. 613
maidens : Old - men with Old-men with the young :
boys [or, with children] ; Let-them-praise the Name
of the Lord.
13. Let-them-praise the 13. For His Name alone
Name of Y^HW^H, For is-exalted.
His Name only is-exalted :
His glory is above earth and
heavens.
14. And He-has-raised-up 14. His praise is above
a horn for His people, A heaven and earth. And
[matter of] praise for all His He-has-exalted the horn of
pious-ones ; For the children His people, A hymn for all
of Israel, a people near to His saints, For the children
Him. Halalu-YaH ! of Israel, a people that-
draws-near to Him. Alleluia.
A strain of jubilant thanksgiving on the part of the chosen
people (" a people near to Him," "His saints"), for their wondrous
deliverance from Captivity, a mercy passing all expectation.
Hence the universe, in its two main divisions of heaven and
earth, is called upon to swell the chorus of praise. The Psalm
consists of two parts : 1. By the inhabitants of heaven, by the
stars of the firmament (vv. 1 — 6), God is to be praised.
2. (vv. 7 — 14) All here below are summoned to join in the
concert.
v. 2. "Hosts;" St. Jerome, "exercitus" ( = armies), i.e.,
"angels," as is evident from the parallelism, v. 3. "Stars of
light," so St. Jerome, light-giving, shining stars, v. 4. " Heavens
of heavens " — the common Hebrew idiom for " the highest
heaven" (cf. " King of kings," " Lord of lords"), or for "all the
heavens" (cf. 2 Chron. ii. 5, 6). "Waters above the heavens,"
cf. Gen. i. 7. v. 5. " He spoke, . . . were made," a glossema of
LXX., borrowed from Ps. xxxii. (53) 9. " He," He Himself,
emphatic. v. 6. " Made them," i.e., the heavenly bodies,
•% I'ecree," statute, the law, or norm of their movements, which,
as the text may be rendered, "none of them transgresses (shall
transgress);" the verb, being in Singular, is to be taken in the
distributive sense, "and not [one of them] transgresses it." v 7.
6 14 PSALM 149.
The earth, the second division of the universe. " Dragons,"
"sea-monsters," cf. Gen. i. 21 ; first mentioned in the ascending
scale of animal life. v. 8. "Vapour;" in text, qitor ( = smoke ;
Ps. cxviii. (119) 83, "vapour," "cloud"). "Smoke" is by some
preferred to " vapour," for as " snow " answers to hail, so does
" smoke " to " fire." Valeat quantum ! LXX., Vulgate, St. Jerome,
"ice," probably as derived from the Chaldee q'tar ( -he bound).
" Fulfilling [///., "doing"] His word," hence, not moved by blind
unconscious fatality, but serving God's purpose for the benefit, or
for the chastisement of man. v. 9. In text, " tree of fruit;" by
St. Jerome rendered " lignum fructiferum " (fruitful, fruit-bearing
tree), collective Singular. " Cedars " gathers under one species
the trees that are not cultivated by man. v. 10. "Beasts . . .
cattle," both wild and domesticated. "Fowl;" St. Jerome, "aves
volantes " (flying birds). vv. 11, 12. As in Gen. i., man is
addressed last. In vv. 7 — 10 the order of Gen. i. is not adhered
to (Gen. i. 21 — 25). v. 13. St. Jerome, "Gloria ejus in ccelo et
in terra" ( = His glory, grandeur, majesty [is made manifest] in
heaven and on earth), v. 14. "And He-has-raised-up a horn
for His people : A praise [a matter of praise] for all His saints,"
or, " [He is an object of] praise to all," &c, or, " This horn
is a praise ( = glory) for all," &c. " Saints ; " in text, chasidhav
= " His pious-ones," either His loving, dutiful servants, or the
objects of His chesedh ( = benevolence, predilection). " Near
to Him ; " lit., " His relative ; " LXX., Vulgate, and St. Jerome,
"approaching Him;" Syriac, "A people connected with Him."
Israel is so called, as being set apart for God's worship, a priestly
race, bound to Him by a special covenant, and in close com-
munion with Him (cf. Lev. x. 3; Deut. iv. 7; Ephes. ii. 13).
In the present connection, " Near to Him " has a liturgical,
sacrificial meaning.
PSALM 149. PSALM 149.
1. Halalu-YaH. Sing to 1. Alleluia. Sing to the
YHWH a new song: His Lord a new song: His
praise in the congregation praise in the congregation
of the pious (beloved). of the saints.
2. Let Israel rejoice in 2. Let-Israel rejoice in
PSALM I49.
615
his Makers (sic) : Let the
sons of Sion be-joyful in
their King.
3. Let-them-praise His
Name in the dance : With
tambourine and harp let-
them-play to Him.
4. "YVzHWVH has-pleasure
in His people : He-adorns
the meek with salvation.
5. Let the pious exult in
glory : Let-them - sing - for -
joy on their beds ;
6. High-praises Divine be
in their throat : And a two-
edged sword in their hand ;
7. To execute vengeance
on the nations : Punish-
ments on the peoples ;
8. To bind their kings
with chains : And their
nobles with fetters of iron ;
9. To execute on them
the judgment written : A
glory it is for all His
pious-ones [or, The glory
is He of all His pious (i.e.,
beloved)]. Halalu-YaH.
Him that made Him : And
let the sons of Sion exult in
their King.
3. Let-them-praise His
Name in the dance : On
timbrel and harp let-them-
play to Him.
4. For the Lord takes-
pleasure in His people :
And will - exalt the meek
with salvation.
5. The saints shall-exult
in glory : They-shall-rejoice
on their beds ;
6. High - praises Divine
shall-be in their throat : And
two-edged swords in their
hands ;
7. To execute vengeance
on the nations : And punish-
ments among the peoples :
8. To bind their kings
with chains : And their
nobles with iron manacles.
9. To execute on them
the judgment written : Such
glory have all His saints.
Alleluia.
Obviously a post-exilic Psalm. v. 2. " Makers," either a
scribe's blunder, or, as Qimchi and Aben Ezra take it, a Plural
of excellence. Qimchi instances Job xxxv. 10, "My Makers."
"Maker of Israel," whom He chose as His covenant people, and
whose national existence and life He so wondrously restored
(cf. 1 Kings (Sam.) xii. 6). v. 3. " Dance," cf. 1 Sam. xviii. 6 ;
2 Sam. vi. 16. "Tambourine," beaten in dancing [toph in text,
6l6 PSALM 150.
cf. Arab, duff, whence Spanish adufe). v. 4. " Pleasure," since He
restored them (cf. Isai. liv. 7, 8). "Adorns," beautifies (cf. Latin
ornare beneficiis) ; Isai. Iv. 5; lx. 7, 9, 13; lxi. 3 ("beautified,"
"glorified"); LXX., Vulgate, St. Jerome, "Exalt," "He-will-
exalt," "salvation," deliverance, or victory; St. Jerome, "in Jesu,"
cf. Heb. iii. 18. v. 5. "Beds," continually, without intermission,
or, in security undisturbed. "Beds," erst of sorrow, but now
of rest, of rejoicing in their deliverance and in the anticipation
of the glories in store for them (cf. Osee (Hosea) vii. 14).
v. 6. "High-praises," ///., "exaltations," " extollings ; " Targum,
" praises." vv. 7 — 9. Messianic forecasts. We may read between
the lines that, when this Psalm was composed, the condition of
the restored exiles was fairly prosperous, as may be gathered from
its tone of jubilant thanksgiving, and steadfast reliance on the
Messianic promises. "Glory . . . His saints" may mean, "He
is the source of their glory," "The glorious object of their
songs of praise;" or, the glorious office of subjecting heathen
nations is assigned to them. "Pious-ones," or "loving," or
"beloved," cf. 1 St. John iv. 10.
PSALM 150. PSALM 150.
1. Halalu-YaH. Praise 1. Alleluia. Praise the
God ('El) in His sanctuary: Lord in His holy -places:
Praise Him in the firma- Praise Him in the firma-
ment of His might. ment of His power.
2. Praise Him for His 2. Praise Him for His
mighty -acts: Praise Him mighty - acts : Praise Him
according to the abundance according to His abundant
of His greatness.1 greatness.
3. Praise Him with blast 3. Praise Him with sound
of shophar : Praise Him of trumpet: Praise Him
with nebhel and kinnor. with psaltery and harp.
4. Praise Him with tarn- 4. Praise Him with
bourine and dance : Praise timbrel and dance : Praise
Him with stringed - instru- Him with stringed-instru-
ments and pipe. ments and the organ.
5. Praise Him with clear- 5. Praise Him on melo-
J Or, " manifold greatness."
PSALM 150. 617
sounding cymbals : Praise dious cymbals : Praise Him
Him with clanging cymbals, on cymbals of joyous-sound.
Let everything that - has -
breath praise the Lord.
6. Let everything that- Alleluia.
breathes praise YaH. Hal-
alu-YaH !
It is most probably addressed to the choirs of Levites, who
were wont to accompany the sacred chants with instrumental music.
v. 1. Where praise is to be given : in the sanctuary at
Jerusalem, and in the heavenly sanctuary. The parallelism
excludes the rendering, " in His saints." St. Jerome, " in forti-
tudine potential ejus" (in the strength of His power), v. 2.
Wherefore! vv. 3 — 5. How! v. 3. "Trumpet," in text shophar,
the horn blown to usher in the Jubilee, the new moons (cf.
Ps. lxxx. (81), and on other festive occasions (2 Kings (Sam.)
vi. 15). St. Jerome, most accurately, "in clangore buccina?"
(with the sound of the horn). Buccince. is more accurate than
tuba, of Vulgate, as tuba was straight, while shophar was, or
resembled, a ram's horn. v. 4. "Stringed-instruments;" in text,
minnhn ; read here only. " Uggabh, rendered " organ " by LXX.
and St. Jerome, which may be misleading. The word occurs
but four times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and here only in
connection with sacred music. It was probably a shepherd's
pipe, a reed-pipe, the shalm. "Timbrel," the "tabor," or
"tabret," a kind of tambourine, v. 5. "Cymbals," mentioned
only here and 2 Kings (Sam.) vi. 5, also in connection with
sacred music. "Loud cymbals," so Gesenius ; and St. Jerome,
" cymbalis sonantibus " (^sounding cymbals). By others rendered
"castanets;" in text, literally, "cymbals of hearing;" LXX.,
" melodious cymbals," " cymbals of joyful sound ; " St. Jerome,
"tinkling cymbals," cf. 1 Cor. xiii. 1. A note of Aben Ezra on
this Psalm shows that it is labour lost to strive to identify the
instruments here mentioned, v. 6. St. Jerome, "Omne quod
spirat laudet Dominum " (Let everything that breathes praise the
Lord). Lit., " Let all the breath {i.e., the whole of animate
creation) praise YaH;" a fitting colophon to the "Book of
Praises " = Sepher Tehillim.
6l8 NOTE TO THE PSALTER.
The following Masoretic note is appended to the Psalter, in
the Hebrew Scriptures : " The number of verses in the Psalms
is 2,000, and 500 and 7 and 20 ( = 2,527), ad'kzk" their sign
(i.e., memorial), and its middle is Psalm lxxvii. (78) 36, And they
flattered Him with their mouth, &c, and its sections (^-sedarim)
are 19, and Psalms 150."
.The Vatican Codex of LXX. (Alexandrian also) adds the
following Psalm (Ps. 151), prefaced as follows: "This Psalm is
a genuine one (t8ioypa<£os, idiographos = autograph) of David,
though supernumerary (///., outside the number), [written] when
he fought in single combat with Goliad " (Cod. Alexand., Goliath).
Syriac title : " This Psalm was written by David ; it is outside the
number, and is not found in all copies. When he fought single-
handed with Goliath then he uttered it."
1. Small was-I among my brethren, and youngest in
the house of my father ; I -shepherded (i.e., tended) my
father's sheep.
2. My hands made a [musical] instrument, and my
fingers tuned a psaltery.1
3. And who shall-tell my Lord?'2 The Lord Himself,
He Himself hearkens.
4. He-sent-forth His Angel, and took me from my
father's sheep, and anointed me with the oil of His
anointing.
5. My brothers were handsome and tall, but the Lord
took not pleasure in them.3
6. I-went-forth to meet the foreigner (i.e., Philistine),
and he-cursed me by his idols.
4/. But I-drevv his sword from beside him, and
beheaded him, and removed reproach from the children of
Israel.
1 Cf. Amos vi. 5.
'- Or, "Who can-tell-out to (concerning [?]) my Lord [His praises (?)] ?
He is the Lord," &c.
: ( "1. 1 Sam. \vi. 6.
* Between vv. 6, 7, the Arabic version inserts: "And I cast at him, on
his forehead, three stones, l>y the strength of the Lord, and overthrew him."
TLhc Canticles, or Songs of tbe ©10 ano IRew
TEestament useo in tbe /Ifcornincj ano lEvenino ©ffices
of tbe Cburcb of 1Rome.
THE SONG OF MOSES. (Exod. xv. i— 19.)
/ [Thursday at Lauds. ]
i. Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this
song to Y<?HW>H, and spoke, saying, I-will-sing to
YHWH, for He is highly exalted ; The horse and his
rider has-He-thrown into the sea.
2. My strength and song is Y«H, And He-is-become
my salvation : This is my God, and I-will-celebrate Him ;
The God of my father, and I-will-extol Him.
3. YHWH is a man of war : Y«HW>H is His Name.
4. The chariots of Phar'ft6h (i.e., Pharaoh) and his
host has-He-cast into the sea : And his chosen-captains
are-sunk in Yam-Suph (i.e., the Red Sea).
5. The deeps cover them : They-went-down into the
depths like a stone.
6. Thy right-hand, YHWH, is-glorious in might : Thy
right-hand, YHWH, has-shattered the enemy.
7. And in the greatness of Thy majesty Thou-hast-
destroyed them-that-rise-up against Thee : Thou-sendest-
forth Thy wrath, it-devours them as stubble.
<5. And with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were-
piled-up, The floods stood-up as a heap : The depths
congealed in the heart of the sea.
9. Said the enemy, I-vvill-pursue, I-will-overtake, I-vvill-
divide the spoil : My soul shall-be-filled with them (i.e.,
My desire shall-be-glutted with them; ; I will-draw my
sword, my hand shall-inhcrit (i.e., destroy) them.
620 THE SONG OF MOSES.
10. Thou-didst-blow with Thy wind, the sea covered
them : They-sank like lead in the mighty waters. (Gese-
nius, s.v., " They-are-rolled-down like lead," &c.)
1 1. Who is like Thee among the 'Elim (gods), YHWH ?
Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness ; Terrible in praises,
doing a wonder ?
12. Thou-stretchedst-out Thy right-hand, the earth
swallowed them.
13. Thou-hast-led in Thy loving-goodness the people
[whom] Thou-hast-redeemed : Thou-hast-guided [them] in
Thy strength to the dwelling of Thy holiness.
14. The peoples have-heard, they-tremble : Travail
has-seized upon the inhabitants of Pelasheth (i.e., Philistia).
15. Then were the princes of 'Edhom terrified; The
mighty-men of Moabh, trembling lays hold on them : All
the inhabitants of Khena"an (Chanaan) melted-away.
16. Terror and dread fell upon them ; By the greatness
of Thine arm they-are-still as a stone : Till Thy people
pass-over, Y^HW^H, Till the people pass over whom
Thou-hast-gotten.
17. Thou-shalt-bring them in, and plant them in the
mountain of Thine inheritance, The place Thou-hast-
made for Thy dwelling, YHWH : The sanctuary, 'Adonay,
Thy hands have-founded.
18. YHWH shall-reign for ever and ever.
19. For the horse of Pharaoh, with his chariot and
horsemen went into the sea, and YHWH brought-again
the waters of the sea upon them : But the children of
Israel walked on dry-land in the midst of the sea.
This hymn of jubilant gratitude is one of the earliest and
most sublime productions of Hebrew poetry, fitly accounted by
Herder as "the most ancient and melodious paean in the world."
v. 1. " Highly exalted," beyond the power of thought and
utterance, v. 2. " My strength," by His might alone am I
delivered. " Song," or " hymn," whereof He is the theme. " My
salvation "= my deliverer; the motive of the "song." "I-will-
< ■ lebrate," so Gesenius (s.v.); Targum, "And I-will-build Him a
THE SONG OF MOSES. 621
sanctuary." "My father," collective Singular = the Patriarchs to
whom were made the promises but just now so wondrously
fulfilled, cf. Exod. iii. 15. v. 3. "Man of war;" LXX., in their
dread of anthropomorphism, render " bringing wars to nought."
"YtfHWVH," the covenant-Name but lately revealed, cf. Exod.
iii. 15; vi. 3. v. 4. "Captains," picked commanders; in text,
shdlishdv; LXX., iy>un-aTa?, tristatas ; Revised Version, " His
chosen captains" (lit., " the choice of his captains") ; Vetus Itala
follows LXX. literally, " terni statores ; " St. Jerome interprets it
of the three chief dignitaries of the kingdom, who stood next to
the King, hence his "electi principes " (= chosen captains);
cf. Dan. v. 7 ; Ezech. xxiii. According to Origen (in Catenis), they
were soldiers fighting in chariots, of which each one contained
three soldiers, one of whom drove, while the others fought.
Others bethink themselves of the Roman triarii (soldiers in the
third rank from the front). But cf. Exod. xiv. 7, where the word
plainly means fighters in chariots, so named because three rode
and fought in one chariot. In Samuel and Chronicles the
Shalishhn are the King's chief attendants — his adjutants, so to
speak, v. 7. "Majesty;" Targum, " strength "—" Destroyed,"
the verb in text means properly "to pull down" — houses, walls;
hence Vulgate deposuisti is close enough to the text, "put down ;"
humbled their pride, v. 8. "Blast of nostrils;" LXX., Vulgate,
"the breath of Thine anger." The hot east wind (Exod. xiv. 21),
which piled up the waters, and dried the bed of the sea, is
probably no less accurate. "As a heap;" LXX. and Jonathan
ben Uzziel, "like a wall;" so Exod. xiv. 22. v. 9. In text, the
rhythm of this verse is admirable. " My soul shall be filled with
them," i.e., "my desire for vengeance shall be fully satisfied."
" My hand shall inherit (sic) them," a rendering accounted for by
the fact that the conqueror becomes the heir, so to speak, of the
vanquished foe, and enters into possession of all they leave after
them. But it were better to take this verb in its primary meaning,
as assigned by Gesenius (s.v.), "to take," "to take possession of,"
"to occupy," especially by force. Hence Rashi, " My hand shall
impoverish them ; " Targum, " My hand shall destroy, or cut
them off;" LXX., KvptcvVct, kyrievsei (shalt gain possession of,
seize) ; Vulgate is close enough to the text. v. 10. " Didst-blow ; "
622 THE SONG OF MOSES.
this is not mentioned elsewhere ; Targum, " Thou saidst by Thy
word " (Dixisti verbo hid). " Mighty waters ; " " majestic waters "
were closer to the text. v. 1 1. " Among the gods; " so too LXX. ;
Aben Ezra understands it of the angels ; Vulgate, "the mighty."
The poet speaks from the standpoint of the heathen, who ascribed
power to their gods, while he denies them even reality. "Terrible
in praises," the overthrow of the Egyptians cannot be sung
without exciting a holy fear. "Wonder;" in text, Singular; but
as Abarbanel observes, "a miracle comprising many." v. 13. The
poet now turns to the future destinies of Israel. As Aben Ezra
observes,- the Preterites here are prophetic, Preterites of confidence.
v. 14. "Have-heard;" so too LXX., instead of ascenderunt
(=rose up) of Vulgate, v. 15. "Mighty-men of Moab," ///.,
"the rams of Moab," i.e., the leaders, the nobles. "Melted-
away" = LXX., iTUKrjaav, etakeesan; Vulgate, obriguerunt (they
became stiff), gives the contrary sense, vv. 16, 17. These verbs
may, as in LXX., be rendered as Optatives. " Thou-hast-gotten,"
since Israel has been chosen out of the heathen masses to be
God's peculiar possession. " Pass-over " were better understood
of the march round the mountainous district of Seir, and thence
through Moab, than of the sole crossing of the Jordan (cf. Ueut.
ii. 4). "Mountain of Thine inheritance," with "holy dwelling"
of v. 13, needs not to be restricted to Mount Sion, or Mount
Moriah, but may well be taken of the whole of Chanaan, "a land
of hills and valleys " (Deut. xi. 11). " The place," the permanent
settlement Thou hast chosen for Thy dwelling, i.e., Palestine, the
Holy Land. v. 18. St. Jerome's "in reternum et ultra" (for ever
and beyond), seems to indicate that, in his mind, cetermim applied
to the long duration of the Mosaic theocracy, the ultra to the
Kingdom of God in the Christ, "of whose Kingdom there shall
be no end." v. 19. The narrative, interrupted by the Song, is
here resumed. The Breviary, however, appends this verse, and
ends at v. 20. " The horse of Pharaoh ; " so too LXX., ittttos,
hippos ( = " horse," collective Singular ; cf. " horse and foot ").
As Thalhofer remarks, eques (horseman) of Vulgate is either a
scribe's blunder, or an unauthorized emendation for equns (horse).
St. Paul (1 Cor. x. 3) sees in this wondrous passage from
fxmdage to freedom the foreshadowing of our deliverance in holy
THE SONG OF MOSES. 623
Baptism. In thanksgiving for the " unspeakable gift " bestowed
therein, this Song is chosen as the Canticle of Ferial Lauds, on
Thursday, the day which, reminding us of the institution of the
Holy Eucharist, brings home to us the glory to come, whereof It
is at once the pledge and the earnest. Hence, too, on Easter
Eve, a portion of it is sung after the fourth Prophecy (cf. the
Collect which follows and the Exultet).
THE SONG OF MOSES. (Deut. xxxii. 1—43.)
[Saturday at Lauds.]
i. Give-ear, ye heavens, and I- will-speak : And let the
earth hear the words of my mouth :
2. My doctrine shall-drop as the rain, Mine utterance
shall-flow like the dew : As showers upon the tender-grass,
And as pouring-rain on the herb ;
3. For I-will-proclaim the Name of Y^HW^H : Give-
ye (i.e., ascribe-ye) greatness to our God.
4. The Rock, His work is perfect ; For all His ways
are judgment : A God of faithfulness, and without iniquity ;
Just and upright is He.
5. Does corruption [reach] unto Him? No. His
children [bear] their blemish [or, Corruption befalls Him
not, His children bear their blemish] : A generation
perverse and crooked.
6. Do-you-requite YHWH thus, O people foolish and
not wise? Is He not thy father [who] has-gotten thee?
He has-made thee, and established thee.
7. Remember-thou the days of old, Consider the years
of each generation (lit., generation and generation) : Ask
thy father, and he-will-inform thee ; Thine elders, and they-
will-tell thee.
8. When "El'yon (i.e., the Most High) gave to the
nations their inheritance, When He-separated the sons of
man (Adam) : He-fixed the bounds of the peoples Accord-
ing to the number of the children of Israel.
9. For the portion of YHWH is His people: Jacob
the measuring-line of His inheritance.
624 THE SONG OF MOSES.
10. He-found him in a desert land, And in a waste
howling wilderness : He-compassed him about, He-took-
care of him, He-kept him as the apple of His eye ;
11. As an eagle stirs up her nest, Flutters over her
young. He [she (?)] spread-out His wings, took him, He
bore him on His pinions :
12. YtfHW^H alone did-lead him : And there was with
him no strange god.
13. He made him to ride on the high-places of the
earth, And he ate the produce of the field (that he might
eat) : And He made him to suck honey from the rock, And
oil out of the flint of the rock (i.e., flinty rock) ;
14. Curdled-milk of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat
of lambs, And rams the sons (of the breed) of Bashan, and
goats, With fat of kidneys of wheat : And of the blood of
the grape thou-drankest wine.
15. But Yeshurun grew-fat and kicked ; Thou-art-
grown-fat, thou-art-grown-thick, thou-art-become-sleek :
Then forsook-he God [who] made him, And despised the
Rock of his salvation.
16. They-provoked Him to jealousy with strange
[gods], With abominations they-angered Him.
17. They-sacrificed to demons, [to] a no-God, To gods
they-knew not : To new-ones that of late came-up, Whom
your fathers dreaded not.
18. The Rock that-bare thee thou-neglectedst, And
hast-forgotten the God that-gave thee birth.
19. And YHWH saw [it], and rejected [them] : Because
of the provocation of His sons and of His daughters.
20. And He-said, I-will-hide My face from them, I-
will-see what their end shall be : For a perverse generation
are-they, Children in whom is no faith.
21. They have-provoked Me to jealousy with no-'El
(i.e., that which is no God) ; They-have-angered Me with
their vanities : And I will-provoke them to jealousy with
a no-people (i.e., those who are not a people), I-will-anger
them with a foolish nation.
22. For a fire is-kindled in My wrath, And burns to
THE SONG OF MOSES. 625
the lowest Sheol (i.e., hell) : And devours the earth and
its produce, And sets-on-fire the foundations of the
mountains.
23. I-will-heap upon them evils : Mine arrows will-I-
spend upon them ;
24. Wasted with hunger, consumed by fever And bitter
pestilence : And the tooth of beasts will-I-send upon them,
With the venom of crawling-things of the dust.
25. Without shall the sword bereave, And from the
inner-chambers terror : [It shall-destroy] both young-man
and maiden, The suckling with the man of hoary-hair.
26. I said, I-would-blow them away (i.e., scatter them
as with the wind) : I-would-make the remembrance of
them to cease from man (i.e., from among men) ;
27. But that I-feared the provocation of the enemy,
Lest their adversaries should-mistake : Lest they-should-
say, Our hand is-exalted [or, our high hand], And not
YaHWeH has-done all this.
28. For a nation destitute of counsel are they. And
there is no understanding in them.
29. Oh that they-were-wise, that they-understood this :
That they-would-consider their last-end !
30. How should one chase a thousand, And two put-
to-flight ten-thousand : Except their Rock had-sold them,
And YtfHW^H had-shut (i.e., had delivered) them up [into
the power of their foes] ?
31. (For not as our Rock is their rock: Even our
enemies being judges.)
32. For of the vine of Sedhom (i.e., Sodom) is their
vine, And of the fields of "Amorah (i.e., Gomorrah) : Their
grapes are grapes of gall, Clusters of bitternesses are theirs ;
33. Venom of dragons is their wine : And the cruel
poison of asps.
34. Is not this laid-up with Me : Sealed-up in My
treasuries ? [or, treasures ?]
35. To Me (i.e., Mine) is vengeance, and retribution,
At the time when their foot shall-slip : For nigh is the day
of their ruin, And what is impending over them shall-come
OO
626 THE SONG OF MOSES.
quickly [or, What is prepared, destined, in store for
them, &c.].
36. For YtfHWVH shall-judge His people, And repent-
Him for His servants : When He-sees that the hand (i.e.,
their strength) is gone, And there is none bond or free.
37. And He-shall say, Where are their gods : The rock
in which they-took-refuge ;
38. Who did-eat the fat of their victims, [And] drank
the wine of their libation ? Let-them-rise-up and help you,
Let it (viz., that rock) be your hiding-place.
39. See now that I, [even] I am He, And there is no
god with Me : I-kill, and make-alive ; I-wound, and I heal ;
And there is none that-can-deliver out of My hand.
40. For I-lift-up My hand to heaven, And say, " [As] I
live for ever,"
41. If I -sharpen the lightning of My sword (i.e., My
glittering sword), And my hand take-hold on judgment,
I-will-render vengeance to Mine adversaries : And them-
that-hate Me will-I-requite.
42. I-will-make Mine arrows drunk with blood, And
My sword shall-devour flesh : With the blood of the slain
and the captives, From the head of the commanders of the
enemy.
43. Praise, O ye nations, His people ; For He-will-
avenge the blood of His servants : And will-render
vengeance to His adversaries, And His people shall-purify
His land (or, And shall-reconcile His land, [i.e.], His
people).
Moses is the author of this sublime poem, which by the
Rabbis is justly styled the "Summary of the Law." It may be
divided into four parts: (1) vv. 1 — 3. The exordium or proem.
(2) In the fifteen verses that follow, God's wondrous predilection,
repeatedly made manifest in His dealings with Israel, is set in
contrast with the oft-recurring rebellions and foul idolatry where-
with it was requited. (3) The next seventeen verses set forth the
dire threats of Divine Justice. (4) Yet in wrath God will be
mindful of mercy to His land, and to His people. Its application
THE SONG OF MOSES. 627
to those under the New Covenant is sufficiently obvious, and
accounts for its use in the public prayer of Holy Church. While
it sets forth the awful doom impending over them that abuse
or despise the gifts received from the fulness of the Christ of
God ; in seasons of trial, in the dark and evil days which may
fall to our lot, when the Church is afflicted, it encourages us to
look forward to the victory over the powers of darkness that will
surely open a brighter prospect to the Israel of God.
v. 1. The Prophet calls the angels ("heavens") and mankind
to witness that Israel has been forewarned ; cf. Deut. xxxi. 28, 29 ;
Isai. i. 2. v. 2. "Let my instruction," or, "my teaching drop
as the rain," a general proposition developed by an ascend-
ing gradation in the rest of the verse. " Dew," on which, in
summer, vegetation in the East mainly depends. "Showers" on
the yet tender verdure, "Pouring rains," heavy rains drenching
the soil covered with a more mature growth. v. 3. " I-will-
proclaim," — the main purpose of this poem is "to proclaim,"
celebrate the " Name," a rendering preferable to " I-will-call-
upon" (LXX. and Vulgate), as in the latter sense the verb is
followed by the preposition V (cf. Prov. xx. 6, "will proclaim his
own kindness"), v. 5. Probably a mutilated text. The first
rendering is a conjecture of Mendelssohn, v. 6. " Gotten ; " in
text, qane-kha, qctnah = he founded, acquired, obtained, bought.
Any of these meanings will suit the context, as Israel is God's
"peculiar possession." With the other verbs in this verse, this
may apply to the autonomy divinely bestowed on a race of whilom
bondsmen, v. 8. Restricted by some expositors to the population
of Chanaan, but it is far more natural to explain it as follows :
after the dispersion at Babel, the territory of each race was provi-
dentially marked out " according to the number," &c. Aquila,
Symmachus, and Theodotion agree here with the text ; LXX.
seem to have read " sons of 'El " ( = " sons of God "), hence their
rendering, "angels of God," with reference, perhaps, to the
Rabbinical division of mankind into seventy races, each being
presided over by its respective angel, v. 9. " For " is preferable
here to autem ( = but) of Vulgate, v. 10. "He found him;" so
Aquila, but Onkelos {Targum on Pentateuch) renders the verb in
its other meaning, " he sufficed," whence, " He supplied their
628 THE SONG OF MOSES.
wants," which is pretty close to avTapKrjo-ev, avtarkeesen ("He
maintained him "), of LXX. This has been understood of the
helpless wretchedness of Israel's condition, before Moses was
sent ; but it were better to take it literally, as a description of the
Sinaitic wilderness where God "found" (met) Israel, "compassed
him about " with loving care (cf. LXX., coxXwo-fv avrov, ekyklesai
avton). "Taught him" of Vulgate and LXX. (Gesenius, s.v.,
" He led him [and] took-care of him "), refers most probably to the
promulgation of the Law and of its subsequent developments.
The verb in text will bear the Vulgate rendering, v. n. A
touching presentment of the Divine education of Israel for its
sublime mission, during the desert pilgrimage. " Stirs up " [ad
volandum, to fly, aptly inserted by Vulgate], cf. Exod. xix. 4.
LXX. (Cod. Vatican.) ho.?, iTre-n-oOrja-e, epepotheese ~he yearns over
his brood, a scribe's blunder for eV€7ror^o-€, epepoteese = " flutters
over" (0, th, instead of t, /). "He spread out, . . . bore him"
may be predicated of the eagle, or of God ; the verbs in text are
Masculine, v. 12. Cf. Numb. ix. 18—23. v. 13. "Heights,"
or, as we say, " highlands," i.e., the land of Chanaan, a moun-
tainous region, over the heights of which Israel was led forward
with victory. " Honey," probably that of wild bees hiving in the
clefts of the rocks. " Oil," of olive-trees growing on rocky slopes.
There is no call here for a figurative interpretation, v. 14.
" Butter of kine ; " " butter " is rejected by Gesenius, who renders
it " curdled-milk," "cheese," and asserts on authority that butter
was never used by the ancients, nor even now by the Orientals,
save medicinally. " Bashan," famed for its rich pastures. " Fat,"
the prime parts of these animals. In sacrifices the fat of victims
was burnt on the altar. " Kidneys of wheat," with reference to the
shape of the grains; equivalent to "the choicest wheat." v. 15. He
comes now to their sorry requital of these favours. " Yeshurun ; "
LXX., Jacob; LXX. and Vulgate (ad sensum), "the beloved
one," a diminutive term of endearment, from yashar ( =- straight,
upright) = " the dear little upright people," as Israel was intended
to be among the depraved heathen races; cf. "Saints," the usual
designation of believers in the Pauline Epistles. At any rate, it
is a name denoting special favour, v. 17. "A no-God ;" Onkelos
in Targum, "In whom there is no profit." The allusion here is
THE SONG OF MOSES. 629
to the abominable cults of the Chanaanites, against which Israel
was forewarned (Exod. xxxiv. 12, 15, 16). v. 18. "Gave thee
birth;" more literally, "was in travail of thee." v. 19. Targum
of Onkelos all but agrees with Vulgate, v. 20. " I-will hide," &c,
av0pu)TroTra6H)<;, anthropopathos. " Perverse generation," literally,
and more emphatically, " a generation of perversities [are] they."
v. 21. "Vanities," their false gods, mere figments, destitute of
reality; cf. St. Paul's application of this verse, Rom. xi. 14.
v. 22. The verbs here are in the prophetic Preterite. For the
fulfilment, cf. 4 (2) Kings xxv. 9 ; the jruin wrought by Titus.
The complete fulfilment is reserved till the Second Advent,
vv. 24, 25. "Wasted, worn out, exhausted, . . . devoured;" Vulgate
renders the Participles of text as finite verbs. " Fever ; " in text,
resheph; Gesenius, s.v., (1) a flame, (2) a burning fever. He
renders this clause, " consumed with pestilence." St. Jerome
(probably from a reminiscence of his rendering of Job v. 7)
renders resheph "birds of prey," hence the following qetebh meriri
(bitter pestilence, cutting-off, destruction) is for him their deadly
bite. He seems to have had in view their tearing the flesh off a
still living body. LXX., "the devouring of birds." v. 26. "I
said," with reference to v. 27, perhaps, "I would have said. . . .
Were it not." " Blow them away," i.e., " scatter them as with the
wind." LXX., " I-will-scatter them." Abarbanel, " I will corner
them," push them into a corner, out of sight and memory. Other
Hebrew expositors divide the verb into 'aph'ey hem ( = " I said
[in] anger, Where [are] they?"), the Vulgate rendering, v. 27.
" Feared," " turned aside from," " wished to avoid." How
St. Jerome came to translate it distuli (I delayed, hesitated) is
not easily explained. "Mistake," "judge amiss;" Targum, with
Vulgate, "grow proud." Lest they should not know that they
were mere instruments of God's justice, vv. 28, 29 are referred
to Israel's enemies by Rashi, Abarbanel, &c, but they seem
rather to apply to Israel, as giving the reason of the punishments
threatened in the preceding verses, v. 29. Gesenius, " If they
were wise [which they are not], they would understand this, and
would consider it," &c. v. 30. " Shut them up," i.e., deliver
them to the power of the foe. v. 31. The victorious foes know
full well, by past experience, that their gods are powerless against
630 THE SONG OF MOSES.
our God; a parenthesis, vv. 32, 33. With Rashi, we connect
these verses with v. 26, as giving the reasons of their threatened
rejection; cf. Isai. v. 2. "Fields [vineyards] of Gomorrah;"
Vulgate, "suburbs," as the vineyards would mostly be near the
town-walls, v. 34. Targum of Onkelos, "Are not all their deeds
made manifest before Me, stored up in My treasuries for the day
of judgment?" v. 35. "Mine . . . vengeance;" Targum,
" Before Me is vengeance, and I will requite," quoted by St. Paul
(Rom. xii. 19), not, as is his wont, from LXX., but from the text ;
LXX., " In the day of vengeance I-will-requite." v. 35. " Come-
quickly," "make-haste." De Muis takes this to mean that,
though sharp, the punishment will be short, v. 36. Cf. Ps. cxxxiv.
(I35) :4- "Shall judge," in order to move His people to repent-
ance, whereupon "He will [in His turn] repent Him for His
servants (avOpwiraOws, anthropathds)." "He shall be moved to
pity, when He sees that the hand is departed [^ their military
power is clean gone], and that there are none remaining, whether
shut up or set free" (so Gesenius). Others, referring it to the
Arabic, interpret it "married or single;" others again, "clean
and unclean." Gesenius explains it, "slave, and the freeman."
R. Joseph Qimchi takes it to mean respectively, precious store
carefully locked up, and flocks and herds left in the open.
"When He sees them in utter helplessness." Cf. 3 (1) Kings
xiv. 10; xxi. 21; 4 (2) Kings ix. 8; xiv. 26, where the same
proverbial expression occurs, meaning "men of every sort."
vv- 38> 39- Cf. Judges x. 14. In text, the gods' banquet; but
LXX., "ye did eat," "ye drank." In them you found no help.
v. 39. Cf. Tobias xiii. 1, 2. "Your idols are helpless figments,"
"I, I alone have the power of life and death," &c. vv. 40 — 42.
" I swear by Mine eternity to do for you what I alone can do,"
viz., to deliver you, and to take signal vengeance on your
oppressors, v. 41. "Hate Me," the enemies of My people are
Mine. "From the head of the commanders of the enemy," if
this rendering be admitted, it may be taken in the literal ,sense.
The warrior fights with his helmet on ; but, when taken prisoner,
he is stripped of his accoutrements, and led bare-headed before
his conqueror to receive the doom of death, or of bondage.
Other renderings, " From the head {i.e., beginning) of revenges
THE SONG OF ANNA. 63 1
on the enemy," or, " From the hairy head of the enemy." In
"the bared (shorn) head of the enemy" (Vulgate rendering),
some see an allusion to the practice of shaving the heads of
prisoners, as a mark of slavery. Martini (Italian Version) refers
it to scalping, a Scythian custom, v. 43. LXX. begin, "Rejoice,
ye heavens, with Him, and let all the angels of God adore Him."
" And His people shall purge His land," is Aben Ezra's rendering.
" Purge," by avenging their slaughtered brethren, cf. Numb. xxxv.
33 ; or by burying the corpses of the victims of God's vengeance,
Ezech. xxxix. 12. The other rendering is Rashi's. Targum,
" And will be propitious to His land, and to His people."
THE SONG OF CHANNAH (HHANNAH = ANNA).
i_Kings (Sam.) ii. 1 — 10.
[Wednesday at Lauds.]
i. And Anna prayed, and said : My heart exults in
YaHW^H, My horn is-exalted in YHWH : My mouth is-
enlarged over mine enemies, For I-rejoice in Thy salvation.
2. There-is-none holy as YHWH ; For there-is-none
beside Thee : And there-is-no Rock like our God.
3. Speak no more so-very-haughtily ; Let [not]
arrogance come-forth from your mouth : For a God of
sciences is YHWH, And by Him are actions weighed.
4. The bow of the strong-rnen is broken-to-pieces :
And they that tottered are-girded with strength.
5. The sated have-hired-out-themselves for bread ; And
the famished have-ceased [being hungry] : While the
barren has-brought-forth seven ; And the many of children
(i.e., she that has many children) languishes.
6. YHWH kills, and makes-alive : He-brings-down to
Sheol (i.e., the grave) and brings-up.
7. YaHWeH makes-poor, and enriches : He-brings-
low, He also lifts-up.
8. He-raises-up the poor from the dust, From the dung-
hill He-lifts-up the needy. To seat them with princes,
and to-make-them-inherit the throne of glory : For to
632 THE SONG OF ANNA.
YHWH [belong] the pillars of the earth, And He-has-set
the world upon them.
9. The feet of His pious-ones will-He-keep, But the
wicked shall-be-silenced in darkness : For by strength
shall-no man prevail.
10. YHWH, they-that-contend with Him shall-be-
broken-down-with-fear ; Against them in the heavens shall-
He-thunder ; YHWH shall-judge the ends of the earth :
And He-shall-give strength to His king, And exalt the
horn of His Anointed.
In the opinion of a certain school of expositors, this Song is
suited neither to the person nor to the situation of the mother of
Samuel. It may be a paean of victory celebrating some warlike
achievement, which Anna may have adapted to her triumph over
her rival. But, unless one gratuitously assume a priori that,
under the influx of the spirit of prophecy, Anna could not
foretell, unwittingly it may be, some of the glories of the
Messianic kingdom, this hypothesis needs but a passing mention.
Anna is a type of the mother of the Forerunner, and of the
All-holy. Nor is it a mere coincidence, that in the sublime
hymn of jubilant thanksgiving that welled up from her Imma-
culate Heart, the supremely-Blessed should have borrowed from
this Song. With Sarah and Hagar, Anna and her rival are
respectively types of the Church and the Synagogue. According
to a Jewish tradition, no sooner had Anna conceived, than her
rival was stricken with barrenness, and lost all her children by
death. Thus too, in striking contrast with the Synagogue, the
Church gathered from the Gentiles is the fruitful mother of the
children of adoption. We may thus account for the use of this
Song at the Lauds of Wednesday, a selection to be further
explained by its expression of the sure and certain hope of the
triumph of the Christ of God, at the consummation of ages.
v. 1. " Enlarged," wide-open. I can now answer the taunts
I had heretofore to bear in silence, v. 3. Literally, " Multiply
not [so that] you speak a haughty-thing." "Arrogance;"
Onkelos, "railing," "abuse;" LXX., "tall talk;" "Athdq, in text,
" bold," " impudent ; " in its secondary sense, the verbal stem
means " to become old," whence Vulgate vetera=o\d [reproaches],
ISAIAS XII. I — 6. 633
worn-out jibes, threadbare abuse. " God of sciences " (Plural
emphatic), All-knowing. " By Him are actions," &c. ; in text,
Id with Aleph = /w/, "Though actions be not weighed," but the
marginal emendation ( Qeri) substitutes Id with Waw = to, by Him ;
LXX., "And God prepares {i.e., fulfils) His own designs." The
clause seems to mean that, in virtue of His Omniscience, God
orders and adjusts events according to His plans. Or again,
as All-knowing, He is cognizant of the way to help, and, as Just,
He puts it into execution. vv. 4 — 8. Axiomatic statements ;
such is the wont of His Providence, as is shown in my case.
" While the barren-one," " Yea, the barren," " Even the barren ; "
LXX., "For [because] the barren has borne seven" — "seven,"
for a round number ; cf. our " dozen or so ; " Vulgate, ad sensum,
" plurimos " (very many). " Languishes," as deprived by her
premature bereavement of the support her children would have
afforded to her old age. v. 9. " Darkness," misery. " Silenced,"
cut-off, perish, v. 10. "That contend," lit, "His litigants."
She here alludes, not to her rival, but, under prophetic inspiration,
to the enemies of Israel, of the godly, and hence of God Himself.
The verse is unquestionably Messianic, a warning of judgment by
the Christ of God. In her day, Eli, the high priest, was indeed
an " Anointed one," but there was no king. Eli, therefore, cannot
be meant.
Isaias xii. 1 — 6.
[Monday at Lauds.]
i. And thou-shalt-say in that day, I-will-give-thanks to
Thee, YaHWcH ; For Thou-wast-angry with me : Thine
anger is-turned-away, and Thou-comfortest me.
2. Behold, God is my salvation ; I-will-trust, and will
not fear: For my strength and song is YdW Y^HW^H :
And He-is-become my salvation.
3. Therefore shall-ye-draw waters with joy out of the
fountains of salvation.
4. And ye-shall-say in that day, Give-thanks to
YHWH, call upon His Name, make-known His doings
among the peoples : Make-mention that His Name is-
exalted.
634 isaias xii. i — 6.
5. Sing-ye to YHWH ; for He-has-done gloriously :
Let this be-known in all the earth.
6. Cry-aloud-for-joy, and sing, thou inhabitress of
Tsiyyon (i.e., Sion) : For great in the midst of thee is the
Holy-One of Israel.
In chapter x. of his prophecy, Isaias foretells the doom of the
Assyrian oppressor ; in chapter xi. he foreshows the glories of the
Messianic reign. The present chapter is an outpouring of jubilant
thanksgiving for the deliverance he even now beholds as present,,
and connects with the dawn of the Messianic advent. For here,
as elsewhere, correlated events, though separated by long periods,
blend together in the mental perspective of the Prophet, as type
and antitype. The Song is unquestionably Messianic. Its
gladsome strains celebrate the promised deliverance from the
Assyrian yoke, even as the Song of Moses (Exod. xv.) com-
memorates the miraculous rescue from Egyptian bondage. In
the public prayer of the Church it is a meet thanksgiving for the
deliverance of mankind from the powers of darkness.
v. 1. "Angry with me;" as St. Jerome develops it, "I, who
have deserved Thine anger, have now found mercy," &c.
"Angry," during the dreary years of the Babylonian exile, v. 2.
Trust in God, reliance on His aid, not on the arm of flesh, a
lesson taught by the affliction wherewith they had been visited.
An echo of the Song of Moses (Exod. xv. 2), cf. Ps. cxvii.
(118) 14, which, as closing the Hallel, Pss. cxii. (113) — cxvii.
(118), was sung at the feast of Tabernacles, while the priest
poured the water drawn from the Pool of Siloam into the silver
basin at the foot of the altar of holocausts, v. 3. "Waters." In
the sultry East, water is the chief means of quickening and
refreshment. The Prophet may be said to refer to the life-giving
streams drawn by Moses from " the flinty rock," which is far from
excluding the application of his words to the future outpouring
of the Spirit of holiness (cf. St. John iv. 14; vii. 38, 39).
"Fountains," well-springs ; the Plural connotes their inexhaustible
abundance, v. 4. "Call upon His Name," i.e., publish, proclaim
all that Name implies, His Self-manifestation in His works, in
His Self-revelation, culminating, " in the midst of years," in the
advent of His Christ; cf. Pss. xcv. (96); xcvii. (98); civ. (105).
v. 5. Cf. Exod. xv.
THE SONG OF EZECHIAS.
635
THE SONG OF EZECHIAS. (Isai. xxxviii. 9— 20.)
[Tuesday at Lauds, and for Lauds in the Office of the Dead.]
9. A writing of Chiz'qiyyahu, king of Yehudhah :
When he-had-been sick, and was-recovered of his sickness.
10. I said in the quiet of 10. I said in the half of
my days, I-shall-go into the my days, I-shall-go to the
gates of Sheol : I-shall-be- gates of the grave : I-miss
lacking the residue of my the residue of my years,
years.
11. I-said, I shall not see
the Lord God in the land of
the living : I shall-behold
man no more, nor the in-
habitant of rest.
11. I-said, I shall not see
YdH YdH in the land of
the living : I shall not behold
man any more with [i.e.,
when I am with] the inhabi-
tants of the place-of-rest [?]
(i.e., Hades).
12. My dwelling is-re-
moved and carried - away
from me as a shepherd's shepherd's tent: My life is cut-
tent : -have-cut-off like a off as by a weaver ; While
12. Mine age is removed
and rolled-up from me like a
weaver my life ; He-will-
cut-me off from the thrum ;
from day to night wilt-Thou-
make-an-end of me.1
13. I-calmed [my mind]
until morning ; as a lion, so
breaks-He all my bones :
From day to night wilt-
Thou-make-an-end of me.1
14. As a twittering swal-
low so did-I-chatter ; I-
moaned as a dove : Mine
eyes fail [with looking] up-
ward ; YrtHW^H, I am in
anguish, be-Thou-my-surety.
was yet beginning [the web],
He-cut-me-off ; From morn-
ing to night Thon - wilt -
make-an-end of me.
13. I - waited - anxiously
till morning ; as a lion, so
has-He-crushed all my bones:
From morning till night wilt-
Thou-make-an-end of me.
14. As a young swallow,
so do-I-chatter : I-moaned
as a dove : mine eyes are
dimmed with looking up-
ward; Lord, I-suffer violence,
be-Thou-my-surety !
1 A repetition wanting in the Syriac ; seemingly inserted in the text by
mistake.
636
THE SONG OF EZECHIAS.
15. What shall-I-say? He
has both spoken to me, and
He Himself has-done it : I-
vvill-go-slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of
my soul.
16. 'Adonay, by these-
things men-live : And wholly
therein is the life of my
spirit ; Wherefore recover me
and make-me-to-live.
17. Behold, for peace was
mine exceeding bitterness :
But Thou hast-loved my
life (and drawn it up) from
the pit of destruction ; For
Thou-hast-cast-all my sins
behind Thy back.
18. For Sheol (i.e., the
grave) cannot- give -Thee -
thanks, death cannot-praise
Thee: They-that-go-down
to the pit cannot-hope for
Thy truth.
19. The living, the living,
he shall-give-Thee-thanks,
as I [do] to-day : The father
to the children shall-make-
known Thy truth.
20. YrtHW^H to save me :
Therefore will-we-sing my
songs to stringed - instru-
ments, All the days of our
life in the house of YHWH.
15. What shall-I-say? And
what answer-will- He-make
to me? Since He Himself
has-done it : I-will-reflect
before Thee on all my years
in the bitterness of my soul.
16. Lord, do men live by
these-things, And is the life
of my spirit in such-things ?
Thou-wilt-chasten me, and
make-me-to-live.
17. Behold, unto peace
was mine exceeding bitter-
ness : But THOU hast-de-
livered my soul, that it should
not perish ; Thou-hast-cast
all my sins behind Thy back.
18. For the grave cannot-
give-Thee-thanks, nor can
death praise Thee : They
that go-down into the pit
cannot-hope for Thy truth.
19. The living, the living,
he shall-give-thanks to Thee,
as I [do] to-day : The father
to the children shall-make-
known Thy truth.
20. Lord, save me : And
we-will-sing our psalms All
the days of our life in the
house of the Lord.
This Song is preceded in Isaias xxxviii. by a narrative, which,
in some parts, seems to be an abridgment of 4 (2) Kings xx.
There is no duplicate of the Song in Kings. Another copy would
THE SONG OF EZECHIAS. 637
have been of great use, to clear up obscurities arising from the
concise, poetical diction, in part, too, from incorrect transcription.
In the mode of its composition, it resembles the Psalms, and
not a few of its metaphors are to be found in Job. The title is
paraphrased in the Targum of Jonathan. " A writing of thanks-
giving for the miracle wrought on Ezechias, King of the tribe of
the house of Judah, after he had been sick," &c. (as in text).
v. 10. "In the quiet of," &c, so Gesenius, "when I might
reign in quietness;" LXX., "in the height of," probably reading
(or guessing [?]) Vxamey for bidfimy of text (d mistaken for r) ;
Syriac, like St. Jerome, " in the midst of my years." Many
modern expositors render it (so too Revised Version), " in the
noontide of my," &c. Those who adopt "quiet" explain it
variously. St. Cyril, while mentioning the rendering of LXX.
(see above), says that other translators give, "in the half" {Jar
■tj/xlcrei, en heemisei '= in dimidio of Vulgate) "of my days." The
King was then in his thirty-ninth year1 (cf. 4 (2) Kings xviii. 2), as
he lived to the age of fifty-four. "The gates of Sheol," "gates"
for the whole (cf. St. Matt. xvi. 18). "Be lacking," i.e., "missed,"
so Gesenius ; LXX., " I shall part (KaTaXeiij/w, kataleipso) with my
remaining years." "I shall be (am) deprived of," so "I miss,"
" have to seek ; " so Thalhofer. Aptly rendered in Vulgate, qucesivi
("I sought"), v. 11. "YH,YH" seems to be for YHWH, as
is read in some few Hebrew MSS. and in the Syriac. It may be
an emphatic repetition. It refers to the perceptible manifestation
of the Divine Presence over the Ark. " Place of rest " (=Hades),
so Gesenius. Others, "of ceasing [to live]." Thalhofer observes,
that St. Jerome here renders with of text by et ( — and), and takes
him to mean those who enjoy the peace of earthly life, who,
whatever their lot, are happy in comparison with the inhabitants
of the nether world (cf. Pss. vi. 6; xxix. (30) 10; Job x. 21 -T
Eccl. ix. 10). Others understand by chadhel (=rest), "the
present age," " time," " the world " ever tending to its end ^cessa-
tion), v. 12. "Dwelling;" "habitation," so Gesenius. These
comparisons are to be met with in Job : the bodily frame as the
"dwelling" of the soul, Job iv. 19; 2 Cor. v. 1 — 4; 2 St. Peter
i. 13, 14; "the tent," Job iv. 21 (Hebrew text); the "cutting
1 Qimchi, " in the cutting off of my days ;" so too de Muis and Agellius.
638 THE SONG OF EZECHIAS.
short" of life, Job vi. 9; xxvii. 8 (text); "weaver's shuttle," Job
vii. 6. But "age," "generation" (i.e., lifetime), are favoured by
Rashi, and the Targum of Jonathan, " From the children of my
generation are my days removed, they are cut short, they are
departed from me, and are folded up like a shepherd's tent." In
Ps. xlviii. (49) 20 ; the word in text (dor) may be rendered
" habitation." Or again, dor may be taken of his " race," his
"posterity." From 4 (2) Kings xxi. 1 (cf. Isai. xxxviii. 5), we
may infer that the King was then without issue, so that his
premature death would render impossible the fulfilment of the
Messianic promises. " Plucked up," used of the ropes of a tent.
" I have cut off," &c, of Masoretic text, creates a difficulty, as
his impending death was surely not to be self-inflicted, hence the
ancient versions, one and all (Syriac, Symmachus, Theodotion),
render the verb in Passive. " Rolled up " of Vulgate (cf. Revised
Version, " I have roiled up like a weaver my life ") comes from
vocalizing the verb in text (n-gh-l-h = mglila.li, from g&l&h, " he
was naked, made naked"), as n^gh^llah, from gdlal, "he rolled."
As shown above, Targum combines the two meanings, and
favours the Vulgate version of next clause. Targum, " My life
is cut short like the wool of shepherds. By this sickness He
(God) will cut me down." Bickell's rendering preserves the
parallelism and connection of the clauses better than any other :
" My habitation is taken away and is gone from me; as a
shepherd's tent am I rolled up ; as a weaver does he cut off my
life from the thrum." "From morning," &c. ; he expected death
in the course of the day of Isaias' warning, v. 13. "I calmed
[my mind] until morning," so Gesenius ; not very different from
Vulgate, "I was hoping" (cf. St. Jerome on Job iv. 7). Others,
taking "lion" from the next clause, "I compared [myself] to a
lion;" Targum, "I roared like a lion;" Vulgate, "I was hoping
[to live at most] till the next morning." " Break [crush] . . .
bones," better taken impersonally, or of the virulence of the
disease, as the .agent ; he expects death in the evening at the
latest, v. 14. "As a swallow" (k'sus) ; the next word ("dgliur)
puzzles translators: Aquila renders these two initial words, "as a
horse agor " (sus more commonly - " horse ") ; Theodotion, ■" sis
agox" (merely transliterating text); Symmachus, "as a swallow
THE SONG OF EZECHIAS. 639
shut up" ( = caged [?]). In Jerem. viii. 7, Vulgate renders these
same words, " swallow and stork ; " LXX. omits the second word.
St. Jerome's " chick of a swallow " ( = young swallow), shows that
he took dghur to mean " twittering," which suggested the cries of
the nestlings eager for the food brought by the parent bird,
hence "young swallow." Gesenius {Heb. Lex. s.v.) suggests for
"twittering" (which he adopts in his Thesaurus), "a swallow
flying in circles ;" Syriac, " a chattering swallow." "I moaned;"
verb in text means " to murmur," " mutter," " meditate." " Mine
eyes languish [with desire],'' or "grow dim." "Be surety;"
Gesenius, i.e., "take me under Thy protection." In early copies
of Vulgate, sponde ( = " be surety ") is read instead of responde
(= "answer"), which may be taken as equivalent to the former.
" I suffer violence" {vim patior), is a forensic phrase, indicative of
helplessness under wrong, or oppression ; so too respondere, in
this connection, denotes the office of a patron, or advocate,
v. 15. In text, this marks a revulsion of feelings on receiving the
assurance that his life was spared {supra, v. 5). "What can I
say" — that were an adequate thanksgiving? "He has both
promised me " — recovery and length of days, " and He Himself
has performed [it]." " I-will-go-slowly " {i.e., submissively); "I
will act modestly and submissively, as if I would never cease to
lament," Gesenius (s.v. dddhdh). The verb, " I-will-go-slowly,"
occurs only here and in Ps. xli. (42) 5 ; hence a variety of
renderings, Syriac reading " my sleep " instead of " my years " (for
shenothay of text, sKndthi), " He has taken away all my sleep."
No visible difference between the words in the unpointed text.
In some copies of LXX. Theodotion's rendering is met with,
" He has led me all my years " (au-ros eVou/o-ej/ KaOobriyqcriv 7rdvra<;
cviawovs /xov, avtos epoieesen kathodeegeesin pantas eniavtous nwu).
Foreiro aptly observes that 'edaddh means "to go," "to walk;"
thus in text of Eccl. vi. 9, we read, ///., "than the walking
of soul;" in Revised Version, "than the wandering of desire"
{lit. for "philosophical speculation" [P]);1 but "to walk through
(over [?]) all one's years " comes to much the same as Vulgate
"I will reflect upon." v. 16. "Si" ( = if) is wanting in text, and
in the earlier editions and MSS. of St. Jerome, and is unnoticed
1 Knabenbauer's explanation of the clause (Isaias, torn. ii.).
64O THE SONG OF EZECHIAS.
by several commentators. According to Kaulen, it may be an
interrogative particle. On account of the ambiguity of the prepo-
sitions, expositors differ here. It were well to bear in mind that
in Vulgate the plaint continues till v. 17, where Tu autem
( = " But Thou ") introduces the transition from complaint to
thanksgiving, which, in text, begins at v. 15. In Vulgate, v. 15
may be rendered, "Why call upon God for deliverance? Tis
He that has sent this mortal sickness. It remains then for me
but to call to mind my bygone years in bitterness of soul."
v. 16. The trials and miseries of our mortal life — "Lord, hast
Thou indeed appointed to us a life so full of misery ? Is my
life to end thus ? — ' in the midst of my days.' I submit to Thy
chastening, yet do Thou prolong my days." A prayer the
following consideration gives weight to : " Lo, in the flower of
mine age, while (on account of mine efforts to restore Divine
worship, and mine own piety, I looked forward to the long and
prosperous life promised to the godly) I am suddenly cut off as
one of the wicked — 'exceeding bitterness.'" In text, v. 16.
" By these things [Thy promises and wondrous deliverances] men
live [cf. French Von vit, German man lebi\ and my life is wholly
stayed by these things" (mentioned in v. 15). "Thou shalt heal
me [or, do Thou heal mej and prolong my life." " Chasten "
(corripias) of Vulgate comes from reading halam = " he smote,"
" beat," instead of chalam of present text {He instead of He/// =
Chctli). v. 17. "In peace;" so St. Jerome's comment shows
in pace of Vulgate is to be taken. " When peace was restored to
my people, and the city was in security, I alone was brought
down to death's door : thus was peace more bitter than any
bitterness. But Thou hast clung to my soul ( = my life), [and
drawn it up] from the pit of destruction," or " nothingness "
(pregnant construction). " Cast behind — back," i.e., forgiven and
forgotten (cf. 3(1) Kings xiv. 9 ; Ezech. xxiii. 35 ; Ps. xlix. (50) 17).
v. 18. The dead can no longer join in public worship, to which
the verbs in text mainly refer; cf. "when no man can work''''
(St. John ix. 4). " Cannot hope," being no longer in via (on the
way), but in termino, they can neither merit, nor demerit — have
nothing more to hope for. v. 19. " Living," a repetition marking
grateful jubilation. "Sons," perhaps yet to be begotten, v. 20.
THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS. 64 I
" YHWH [is at hand, ready] to save." " Our songs," the public
thanksgiving for his recovery. "Stringed instruments ;" like his
forefather David. His zeal for the splendour of Divine worship is
recorded 2 Chron. xxix. ; for his endeavours to promote sacred
music, cf. 2 Chron. xxix. 25 — 30.
The race of Adam lay under the doom of death, and of
everlasting damnation, when God sent Him of whom the Prophet
Yesha'yahu ( = Isaiah = Divine deliverance) was a type, to
announce and to bestow salvation. When reciting this Song,
we would do well to recall to mind our former wretched con-
dition, and to give thanks for this deliverance. In the Lauds of
the Office of the Departed, this Song, in its former part, voices
the plaint of the holy souls yearning for the vision of God (cf.
v. 13). The remaining verses may be taken as their thanksgiving
for the release a sure and certain hope makes, as it were, already
present to them — hence its selection for Lauds.
THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS.
(Dan. iii. 57—88.)
[Lauds on Sundays and Festivals, and for Ferias in Paschal-time.]
57. All ye works of the Lord, bless the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
58. Ye angels of the Lord, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
59. Ye heavens, bless the Lord : Praise and highly-
exalt Him for ever.
60. All ye waters that are above the heavens, bless the
Lord : Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
61. All ye hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord: Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
62. Sun and moon, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
63. Stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
64. Every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
642 THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS.
65. All ye winds of God, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly exalt Him for ever.
66. Fire and solar-heat, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
67. Winter and summer, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
68. Ye dews and rime, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
69. Ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
70. Ice and snow, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
71. Nights and days, bless ye the Lord: Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
72. Light and darkness, bless ye the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
73. Lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
74. Let the earth bless the Lord : Let it praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
75. Ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
j6. All ye things that-sprout-forth on the earth, bless
the Lord : Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
yy. Ye well-springs, bless the Lord : Praise and highly-
exalt Him for ever.
y8. Ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
79. Ye whales and all that move in the waters, bless
the Lord : Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
80. All ye fowls of the heaven, bless the Lord : Let it
praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
81. Ye beasts wild and tame, bless the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
82. Ye children of men, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
83. Let Israel bless the Lord : Praise and highly-exalt
Him for ever.
THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS. 643
84. Ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord : Praise and
highly-exalt Him for ever.
85. Ye Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord : Praise
and highly-exalt Him for ever.
86. Ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord :
Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
87. Ye holy and humble-men of heart, bless the Lord :
Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
88. Ananias, Azarias and Misael, bless ye the Lord :
Praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.
89. [Bless we the Father, and the Son, with the Holy
Ghost : Let us praise and highly-exalt Him for ever.]
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven :
And worthy-of-praise, and glorious and highly-exalted for
ever. (v. 56 transposed.)
This sublime hymn forms part of that we find in the deutero-
canonical addition to Daniel (iii. 52 — 90), translated by St. Jerome
from Theodotion's version. It is wanting in the Hebrew text.
In the Breviary the ever-recurring refrain, " Praise and highly
exalt," &c., is for the most part omitted, so that, as a rule, two
verses coalesce into one. It is said that Pope St. Damasus I.
added v. 89, to glorify the Most Holy Trinity, and transposed
v. 56 (iii. Daniel) to its present position, as the finale of the Song.
This verse takes the place of the lesser Doxology (" Glory to the
Father," &c), which, on that account, is omitted at its close.
At Sunday Lauds, it is a thanksgiving for the resurrection of the
Crucified, the earnest of the glories wherewith Nature is to be
invested at His second coming. On festivals, it invites the
creation to join with us in celebrating the mystery, or in praising
the wonders God has wrought in His Saints. The altar is the
source of a hallowing virtue and glorified renewal, which reach
even the irrational and inanimate creation (in the early ages the
Sacramentals were blessed and administered during Mass). Meet
then is it that, when returning from the Eucharistic celebration,
we should invite all creatures to join us in thanksgiving to Him
who daily feeds us with His glorified Flesh and Blood, thus
imparting to us the earnest of the glory to come, which from risen
644 TIIE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY YOUTHS.
humanity will flow forth and transfigure "the new heavens and
earth we look for, according to His promise" (2 St. Peter iii. 13).
v. 57. A general summons to all creation. Nature rehearses
the praises of God, in that it shows forth the traces of His wisdom
and power, and clearly mirrors the invisible things of the Godhead
(cf. Wisdom xiii. 3 — 5 ; Rom. i. 19, 20). vv. 58, 59. Vulgate here
follows LXX., as in Theodotion v. 58 follows v. 59. He seems
to have taken " heavens " in the fullest amplitude of its meaning ;
while LXX. follow the order of dignity — " angels," the first and
most gifted of creatures. In v. 59, "heavens" is by them taken
in its more restricted sense, as appears from v. 60 ; cf. v. 80.
v. 60. LXX., "Ye waters and all the things above the heavens ;"
but this conjunction is omitted by Theodotion and by most
ancient versions. v. 61. "Hosts;" Theodotion, "host" in
Singular. The starry heavens, the constellations, planets, &c.
Cf. Isai. xl. 26 ; Baruch iii. 34, 35. v. 64. The Song passes now
to the several sublunary phenomena, v. 65. "Winds of God;"
LXX. and Theodotion, "All ye winds, bless ye the Lord " {-n-avra
tu. 7rvev/xaTa, fianta ta pnevmatd) ; cf. " Stormy wind," Ps. cxlviii. 8.
v. 67. The Sarum Breviary reads here, "frigus et asstes"
(summer), instead of "sestws" of the received text; LXX., /%09
Kol ifsvxos, rhigos kai psychos (frost and cold) coupling together,
as in v. 66, two similar things. Theodotion, Syriac, and Old
Italic omit vv. 67, 68, and differ in the sequence of the verses ;
vv. (of LXX. and Vulgate) 66, 71, 72, 69, 70, 73, thus avoiding
needless repetitions, such as " dew " (ros, rores), vv. 64, 68 ;
"Cold," vv. 67, 69. v. 71. "Nights" precedes "days," conformably
with the Shemitic custom of fixing the beginning of the day
at the preceding evening, v. 78. In Theodotion and Old Italic,
"sea" in Singular, v. 77 (Vulgate) follows next. The repetitions
just now noticed may be due to the translator's inaccurate render-
ing, or misunderstanding of the Chaldaic text, in which the same
word occurs with different shades of meaning, v. 83. " Israel "
chosen by special predilection, v. 85. "Servants," i.e., most
probably Levites and the inferior ministers of the Temple, v. 87.
"Humble of heart," or "afflicted," but bearing affliction with
resignation.
SONG OF HABACUC.
645
SONG OF HABACUC. (Hab. iii.)
[Friday at Lauds.]
1. A Prayer of Chabhaq-
quq the prophet, on Shigh'-
yonoth :
2. YaH W>H, I-have-heard
the report of Thee, [and] am-
(was)-afraid ; YHWH, Thy
work, in the midst of years
do-Thou-revive it ; In the
midst of years make - it -
known : In wrath remember
mercy.
3. God comes from Teman,
And the Holy-One from
Mount Paran. Selah. His
glory covered the heavens,
1. A prayer of Habacuc
the prophet, for ignorances.
2. O Lord, I-have-heard
the report of Thee, and was-
afraid ; O Lord, Thy work,
in the midst of years do-
Thou-quicken it ; In the
midst of years make it
known : In wrath remember
mercy.
3. God shall-come from
the South. And the Holy-
One from Mount Pharan :
His elory covered the
And of His praise the earth heavens, And of His praise
was-full.
4. And [His] brightness
was as the light. He had
horns in His hand (lit,
Horns from His hand to
Him) : And there was the
covering of His might [the
hiding of His power].
5. Before Him went pesti-
lence : And burning- fever
went-forth at His feet.
6. He-stood, and measured
the earth ; He-beheld, and
made the nations tremble ;
And the everlasting moun-
tains were -scattered - into -
dust, The everlasting hills
sank-down : His ways arc
everlasting.
the earth was full.
4. His brightness shall be
as the light. Horns are in
His hands : There was His
power hidden :
5. Before Him stalks death:
And the devil goes-forth at
His feet.
6. He-stood, and measured
the earth ; He-beheld, and
drove-asunder the nations ;
And the everlasting moun-
tains vanished-into-dust, The
hills of the world were-
bowcd, At His everlasting
goings-forth.
646
SONG OF IIABACUC.
7. I -saw the tents of Khii-
shan under calamity : The
curtains of the land of
Midh'yan trembled.
8. Was Y^HW^H angry
against the rivers ? Was Thy
wrath against the rivers?
Thine indignation against
the sea : That Thou-didst-
ridc on Thy horses, [On]
Thy chariots of salvation ?
9. Thy bow was made
quite bare ; The oaths of
(i.e., to) the tribes were a
[sure] word. Selah. Thou-
didst-cleave the earth with
rivers.
10. The mountains saw
Thee, and werc-in-travail ;
The tempest of waters over-
flowed : The deep gave (i.e.,
uttered) his voice, And liftcd-
up his hands on high.
11. The sun [and] moon
stood-still in their (lit, her)
habitation : At the light of
Thine arrows they-went ; At
the gleam of the lightning
of Thy spear [i.e., Thy
glittering spear].
12. In indignation Thou-
didst - march through the
D
land: Id anger Thou-didst-
trample down (i.e., thresh)
tin: nations.
13. Thou -art -come -forth
for the salvation of Thy
7. For [their] iniquity I-
saw the tents of ^Ethiopia
[tremble] : The curtains of
the land of Madian were-
dismayed.
8. Wast-Thou-angry with
the rivers, O Lord ? Or was
Thy wrath against the rivers?
Or Thine indignation against
the sea: That Thou-didst
ride on Thy horses, And Thy
chariots were salvation ?
9. Thou wilt surely take
up Thy bow ; [According to]
the oaths to the tribes, which
Thou didst utter : Thou-
didst-cleave the rivers of the
earth.
10. The mountains saw
Thee, and were-in-pain ; The
inundation of waters passed-
over : The abyss uttered her
voice; The deep-flood lifted -
up its hands.
11. The sun and moon
stood-still in their habita-
tion : At the light of Thine
arrows ; They went at the
shining of Thy glittering
spear.
12. In fury Thou -didst -
trample upon the land: In
anger Thou -didst -astound
the nations.
13. Thou -art -come -forth
for the salvation of Thy
SONG OF HABACUC.
647
people, For victory with
Thine anointed: Thou-didst-
strike-off the head from the
house of the wicked-one,
Laying-bare the foundation
even to the neck. Selah.
14. Thou - didst - thrust-
through with his own spears
the head of his leaders ;
They - rushed - [upon me]-
like-a-storm to scatter me :
Their rejoicing was as to
devour the poor secretly.
15. Thou-didst-tread the
sea with Thy horses : The
foam of mighty waters.
16. I-heard, and my belly
trembled ; At the voice my
lips quivered ; Rottenness
entered into my bones, and
my knees and feet trembled
(lit., I trembled in my lower-
parts) : I who must-silently-
wait for the day of trouble,
When [it (?)] he-comes - up
against the people [that-]
shall-invade them (lit., him).
17. For [though] the fig-
tree shall not blossom, And
there be no produce in the
vines ; The labour of the
olive may-fail, And the fields
yield no food : The flock
may-be-cut-off from the fold,
And there-shall be no cattle
in the ox-stalls ;
18. Yet I will-rejoice in
people, For victory with
Thine Anointed : Thou-
didst-smite the head from
the house of the wicked-one,
Thou - didst - lay - bare its
foundation even to the neck.
14. Thou-didst-curse his
sceptres, the head of his
warriors, rushing on like a
whirlwind to scatter me ;
Their exultation was as that
of one who devours the poor-
man secretly.
15. Thou madest a path
in the sea for Thy horses,
In the mire of deep waters.
16. I-heard, and mine
inmost parts shuddered, My
lips quivered at the report ;
May rottenness enter into
my bones, and swarm be-
neath me ; That I-may-rest
in the day of trouble, That
I-may-go-up to our girded
people.
17. For [though] the fig-
tree shall not blossom, And
there be no fruit in the vine-
yards : The labour of the
olive may disappoint ; and
the fields yield no food :
The flock shall - be-cut-ofT
from the sheep-fold, And
there be no cattlc-in the
stalls :
18. Yet I will-rejoice in
648 SONG OF HABACUC.
YaHWcH : I-will-joy in the the Lord : And will-exult
God of my salvation. in God my Saviour.
19. YHWH 'Adonay is 19. The Lord God is my
my strength, And He- makes strength, And He-will-make
my feet like hinds' [feet], my feet like harts' [feet], And
And will-make-me-to-walk will-lead me on my high-
on my high-places : For the places : He, the conqueror,
Chief - Musician on my while I sing psalms,
stringed-instruments.
This sublime poem is the third and closing chapter of the
prophecy of Habacuc. Chap. i. 2 — 4 opens with a denunciation
of the crimes of Judah. 5 — 11 contain a warning of impending
punishment, at the hands of the Chaldeans, as ministers of Divine
justice. After a series of plaints and questionings (vv. 12 — 17),
he receives (chap, ii.) the assurance that Israel is to be restored,
and of the utter ruin which is to overtake the Chaldseans. The
Song (chap, iii.) may be said to combine the two moments of
his prophecy. In v. 2 we have a brief summary of the Song ;
vv. 3 — 7, the glories and terrors of the Theophany, followed by a
two-fold description of the vengeance in store for the oppressors
of God's people, presented (vv. 8 — 11) figuratively, and then
(vv. 12 — 15) in terms setting forth the Divine action. In both
descriptions mercy tempering wrath, judgment is not lost sight of
(cf. vv. 9 — 13). He next passes to the fear wherewith it behoves
the people to await the impending chastisements (vv. 16, 17), a
fear to be tempered with the steadfast hope of future deliverance.
v. 1. Tephill&k, or "Prayer" in the wider meaning, which
comprehends every lifting up of the mind to God ; an earnest
and prayerful meditation on the wrath to come; in a word,
mental prayer. " Shigh'yonoth," derived by St. Jerome from
sh&gk&h ( - ''he wandered," "went astray") ; it occurs once only,
in Singular (sMgkdySn), in Title of Ps. vii. Aquila and Symmachus
agree here with St. Jerome (im uyvor)iiuTwv, epi agiiocanatdn) ;
Theodotion, "for voluntary [faults]," if, however, we are not to
read "involuntary," aKovaiao-iim', akonsiasmdn, for £Kouo-iao-//<'ir,
hekousiasmdn ; LXX., "Prayer of . . . with a song (ixer u>Sr/g,
met1 ddees)." But it is needless to multiply conjectures; the
meaning of the word is irrecoverably lost. v. 2. "Report,"
SONG OF HABACUC. 649
declaration of the judgment impending over Judah and the
Chaldaeans. " Midst of years," to be referred (perhaps) to " the
time appointed" for the fulfilment of the vision. LXX., "Between
(in the midst of) two living creatures [£dW, zddn, animals]
Thou shalt be known." This rendering, taken from the pre-
Hieronymian Latin version, is still preserved in Respond 4
and Respond 6 of the Nocturns of Christmas Day and of the
Circumcision respectively, and in the Tract following the first
Lesson in the Mass of the Presanctified. Tertullian, with some
others, interprets it of the two thieves. Another view of Tertullian
applies this to Moses and Elias witnessing to the Christ on the
Mount of the Transfiguration. Others take it to mean the Jews
and Gentiles called to the unity of the Church — the two Testa-
ments. In some old Catena of LXX., for £ww, zddn (animals),
£a)wv, zddn ( = "lives," "ages") is read. v. 3. "Teman," "the
South," its meaning as a common noun. So Vulgate and
Theodotion ; but LXX., Aquila, and Symmachus, ©at/my
( = " Thaiman "), a topographical name designating the region
to the east of Edom, or Idumaaa, S.E. of Palestine. As "Mount
Pharan " occurs in the next clause, Teman seems to be required
by the parallelism. The allusion to Deut. xxxiii. 2 is obvious.
" Paran," " Pharan " (as St. Jerome invariably transliterates
Hebrew p initial by Ph), a waste mountainous region lying
between Arabia Petraea, Palestine, and Edom. The Prophet
depicts the coming manifestation of God, as Judge, Avenger, and
Deliverer, by traits borrowed from the Sinai'tic Theophany and
from the several events of the desert pilgrimage. " Covered,"
dimmed the light of the heavenly bodies. " Praise," majesty,
splendour, the manifestation whereof will call forth hymns of
wondering praise (cf. Isai. vi. 3, "The whole earth is full," &c).
v. 4. "As the light," i.e., the sun. "Horns from His hand," so
literally in text. " Horns " = lightning-flashes (Gesenius, s.v.) ;
"rays," cf. Exod. xxxiv. 29 (LXX. rendering), "the appearance
of the skin of his (Moses) face was-made-glorious," referred to
2 Cor. iii. 7. "There was," &c. ; for sham ( = "there") of
present text, LXX., Syriac, Aquila, Symmachus read sdm ( = "he
placed"), whence in Syriac version, "In the city of His hands
He will put His strength." v. 5. Having described the majesty
of the Divine manifestation, the poet proceeds to delineate His
PP*
650 SONG OF HABACUC.
action, as avenger and judge. " Death " (in text, dabher), which,
in several other passages, St. Jerome renders "pestilence."
"Resheph," rendered here "devil" by St. Jerome, who learned
from his Hebrew teachers that resheph was their name for the
chief of the apostate spirits; but Job v. 7, "bird;" Cant. viii. 6,
" lampades " = flames, fiery flashes; Ps. lxxv. (76) 4, "volatilia"
= "the flying [shafts] of the bow." Aquila, Symmachus, and
Theodotion here render it " bird," i.e., ravenous, swift-winged
bird. Text, as it stands, means "and a burning freer follows in
His wake." v. 6. " Measured ; " LXX., " and the earth quaked ; "
Targum, "and shook the earth;" Syriac, "He measured," "And
made the nations to tremble." " Everlasting mountains," " hills,"
mountain-ranges and hills as old as creation, as immovable as the
earth itself. " Hills of the earth ; " Vulgate, colles mundi (of the
world), i.e., "everlasting hills," as "61am of text ( = seculuni), save
in later writings, is never used to mean "world," not even in
Eccl. iii. n, where "eternity" ( = desire of eternity) is a better
rendering. "His goings-forth are [as] of old;" explained by
Thalhofer, " In His Self-manifestation by signs perceptible to
sense, as judge and avenger, He will appear as of old." v. 7.
" For iniquity " is intended by St. Jerome to be taken in its
obvious sense, as he interprets "the tents of Ethiopia" of the
worldly-minded, but, as iniquitas is frequently used in Latin for
untoward conditions of affairs, times, and places, it is close
enough to the text, "in affliction," "under calamity." " Khushan
. . . Midian;" Targum understands this as alluding to Judges
iii. 8, 10, and to Gedeon's rout of the Madianites (Judges
vi. vii.). With LXX., St. Jerome, and most expositors, Khushan
is to be taken for Kiish, i.e., /Ethiopia. "Curtains," "veils;"
Vulgate, "skins," i.e., tents covered with skins. v. 8. The
judgment to come passes before the poet's mental vision, under
its two-fold aspect of vengeance on the oppressors of God's
people, and of the wondrous deliverance of the chosen race. By
investing it with the features of former judgments and mercies,
the Prophet sets forth the unity of the plan, and of the aim of
the successive manifestations of God in history. " Rivers . . .
sea," refer to the passage of Jordan, the crossing of the Red Sea.
" Thy horses," the storm-clouds whence God flashed lightnings
on the Egyptian host, Exod. xiv. 24 (cf. Ps. ciii. (104) 3, "Who
SONG OF HABACUC. 65 1
makes the clouds His chariot "). Chariots of victory = victorious
war-chariots, v. 9 combines the destruction of the enemies with
the deliverance of Israel. Literal text, "With nakedness shall
thy bow be-made-naked ; the oaths of ( = to) the tribes, a word ; "
Syriac, "Waking, Thy bow shall awake;" Targum, "Thou art
surely made manifest in Thy power, on account of the covenant
Thy Word (Memra) entered into with the tribes for ever."
Mattoth (here rendered "tribes") may mean "sceptres" (LXX.,
" Bending, thou didst bend thy bow at sceptres, saith the Lord ") ;
"spears," "staves" (so rendered infra, v. 14), "rods." If
"oaths" be referred to (Deut. xxxii. 40 — 42), we may, with
Thalhofer and Revised Version, choose the alternative rendering,
"Sworn were the rods (i.e., punishments) of [Thy] word." Syriac,
" Sated shall darts be at Thy glorious behest," taking shebhii'oth
( = "oaths") of text for an inflexion of sabha" (he was satisfied,
sated). Better, however, with St. Jerome, to take " oaths " as a
complement of the initial verb ("lay-bare," "awaken"), "Thou
shalt awaken (fulfil) the promise contained in, and confirmed by
Thine oaths to the tribes." " Thou didst cleave," &c. ; the Selah
immediately preceding shows that this clause should begin v. 10.
Cf. Pss. lxxvi. lxxvii. (77, 78) 17, and 15, 16. Targum para-
phrases it, " By the sweat of solid rocks there burst forth rivers
overflowing the land." v. 10. " Mountains," cf. Pss. xcvi. (97) 5 ;
cxiii. (114) 3, 4. " Tempest of waters," waters pouring down from
the clouds, bursting up from the earth, cf. Isai. xxiv. 18. "Voice,"
the noise of the flood, v. 11. The storm-clouds intercept the
light of sun and moon. " Habitation," whence they are figured to
go forth, when shining upon the world, cf. Ps. xviii. (19) 6. "They
went," i.e., sun and moon depart, vanish, v. 13. " With Thine
anointed ;" LXX., in some MSS., " to save Thine anointed-ones ;"
Targum, "to redeem Thine anointed one." "Thine anointed"
is gratuitously interpreted of Cyrus, of whom there is here no
definite prophecy. " With Thine anointed " ("cum Christo tuo")
of Vulgate is better rendered as the direct object of " to save,"
"to save (to give victory to) Thine anointed, theocratic King,"
or "Thine anointed people, with whom Thou hast made a
covenant" (cf. Isai. iii. 14. "With the elders" does not imply
that they will be assessors, but that they are to be judged). The
utter ruin of the Chaldoean Empire is figured by the wholesale
652 SONG OF HABACUC.
demolition of a house, v. 14. This threatened overthrow is here
described literally. "Thou hast cursed;" "curse"" is one of the
meanings the verb in text bears (n&qabh'tci), but 4 (2) Kings
xviii. 21 he renders it "pierce," which is close to LXX., Syriac,
and Targum. There is no small ambiguity in the word perdzav ;
by St. Jerome, "warriors;" Gesenius, "leaders," "officers;"
LXX. and Syriac, " princes " (Swacnrcuv, dynaston) ; Targum,
"army." By modern expositors, "villages," "unwalled settle-
ments," "open places," "hordes." v. 15. The overthrow of
Babylon and release of the captives are presented under the figure
of the passage from Egyptian bondage and the crossing of Jordan,
despite the mud of its bed (chomer, in text = " foam," " surge,"
"clay," "mire"), v. 16. Cf. v. 2, "I feared." His prophetic
forecast inspires him with compassion for the Chaldseans, and for
his own people, for whom calamities are in store (cf. i. 6, &c. ;
iii. 17), which cannot be averted (cf. ii. 3). Text runs as follows :
" [I] who shall-rest until the day of tribulation, to go-up (for going
up) to the people he-shall-invade him (it)." The several ancient
versions seem, one and all, to have had the present text before
them, but to have read some few letters differently. LXX., " I
will rest in the day of affliction, from going up to the people of
my sojourning;" Syriac, "For He declared and showed to me
the day of calamity, which is to come upon the people ; " Revised
Version, "That I should rest in [wailing for] the day of trouble,
when it comes up against the people which invades him in troops."
In margin, "When he that shall invade them in troops comes up
against the people," or, "comes up to invade them." Another
rendering, " When it comes upon the people assailing him
[us (?)]." v. 17. A description of the havoc wrought by the
invaders. "Olive, may lie" so literally, an expression common
in Latin poetry for fields, vineyards which disappoint expectations
by failing to yield fruit, v. 19. "High places" ( = b&mdth, in
text), i.e., Chanaan, the Promised Land; cf. Deut. xxxii. 13.
" For the Chief-Musician ; " in his commentary, St. Jerome deals
with these two final words (lamnatscach bineghhwthay) as the
title of the Song. In his version of the Psalms, he invariably
renders the word corresponding to " the Chief-Musician " in the
titles, "Victori" ( = " to the victor," "conqueror"), so too here,
in commentary. As the judgment denounced against the
SONG OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
653
Chaldasans prefigures the victory of the Christ over sin and its
author, and over death, "the wages of sin," this Song is typically
Messianic, hence is it assigned for Ferial Lauds on Fridays, and
for Good Friday Lauds. The extracts from the ancient versions
show that both translation and commentary are, to some extent,
conjectural.
SONG OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
(St. Luke i. 46—55.)
Vulgate.
46. And Mary said, My
soul doth-magnify the Lord,
47. And my spirit exults
in God my Saviour.
48. For He-has-looked-
upon the low-estate of His
bond-maiden ; For behold,
from henceforth all genera-
tions shall-call me blessed.
49. For He that is mighty
has-done to me great-things ;
And holy is His Name.
50. And His mercy is from
generation to generations,
to-them-that-fear Him.
51. He - has - wrought
strength with His arm : He-
has-scattered the proud in
the purpose of their heart.
52. He-puts-down poten-
tates from [their] seat ; And
exalts them-of-low-degree.
53. The hungry He-fills
P'shilta (= simple) Syriac.
46. And Maryam said,
My soul doth-magnify the
Lord,
47. And my spirit rejoices
in God my Saviour (lit.,
Preserver).
48. For He-has-looked
upon the low-estate of His
bond-maiden ; For behold,
from henceforth all genera-
tions shall-give (i.e., ascribe)
to me blessedness.
49. For He that is-mighty
has-done to me great-things;
And holy is His Name.
50. And His graciousness
is unto races and genera-
tions on them-that-fear Him.
51. He-has-wrought the
victory with His arm ; Hc-
has-scattered the proud in
the thought of their heart.
52. He-casts-down the
mighty from thrones : And
exalts the lowly.
53. The hungry Hc-satis-
654 SONG OF THE BLliSSED VIRGIN MARY.
with good-things: And the fies with good-things: And
rich He-sends empty away. the rich He-sends away
emptily.
54. He-took-by-thc-hand 54. He-has-helped Israel
Israel His servant : Being- His servant ; And was-mind-
mindful of His mercy, ful of His graciousness,
55. (As He-spoke to our 55. As He-spoke with
fathers), To Abraham, and our fathers, with Abraham,
to his seed for ever. and with his seed for ever.
Filled with the spirit of prophecy, Elizabeth greets her kins-
woman with praises which the latter, in this sublime hymn, refers
to God. " My soul magnifies ; " St. Ambrose (in Luc. lib. ii.
§ 2 7) observes: "God can receive no increase of greatness from
the human voice, but is magnified in us. For the Christ is the
Image of God ; hence, when the soul elicits a just or pious act, it
magnifies that image of God after which it is created; and while
it thus magnifies Him, it is raised to a higher eminence by a
certain participation of His greatness." " My spirit exults ; " the
aorists in the Greek original are general or gnomic. Filled with
the fulness of Him who was "anointed with the oil of gladness
above His fellows," the joy of the All-holy and Supremely-Blessed
passes human thought and expression. " My soul," " my spirit ; "
as St. Basil observes, she means one and the self-same thing, the
" soul," the life-giving principle of the body, which is in itself
"a spirit," an immaterial substance. "My Saviour," my Jesus,
yea, mine, by a title shared but with Flim who begat the Word
before all ages. v. 48. " Lowly condition," Vulgate, humilitatem
( = humility), may be understood either of the virtue, the inter-
pretation favoured by most of the ancient expositors, or of a
lowly and abject condition, which Maldonatus adopts for several
solid reasons. " Bond-maiden ; " her hallowed lips repeat the
word she coupled with the Fiat of heroic faith, and lowly
obedience, that inaugurated the new Creation. (St. Luke i. 38.)
"All generations," a prophecy, as the Fathers observe, of the
catholicity and perpetuity of the Church, v. 49. The reason of
this perpetual encomium, "For the Mighty-One, whose Name is
holy, has done great things to me." "Mighty," corresponding to
the Hebrew gibbor (Ps. xxiii. (24) 8); to '£1 Shadday ("God
SONG OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 655
Almighty"), Gen. xvii. 1; xxviii. 3; Exod. vi. 3. "Holy . . .
His Name;" "Holy," Ps. ex. (in) 9: "Thou only art holy,"
Apoc. xv. 4. " Name," frequently in the Hebrew Scriptures a
reverent periphrasis for "God." v. 50. "Mercy;" in text, cAeos,
ekos, the usual rendering in LXX. of chesedh ( = loving-kindness,
graciousness, and of their manifestations in God's dealings with
men). "From generation," &c. ; in text, "unto generations of
generations," corresponding to Hebrew fedor, iva dor ( = to gent-
ration and generation), v. 51. "Arm," cf. Ps. lxxxviii. (89) 14,
"Thine is an arm with might." "He has scattered," &c, cf.
Job v. n — 13. A German rationalist has recorded his conviction
that this Hymn gives proof of a mind deeply versed in the Divine
Scriptures, v. 52. Literally in text, "He-puts-down potentates
from thrones;" "potentates" (Sui/acrms, dynastas = "dynasts,"
"princes," "rulers"); especially "the prince of this world,"
"the world-rulers of this darkness" (Ephes. vi. 12). v. 53.
"Hungry," cf. Isai. lxv. 13; Ps. xxxiii. (34) 11; St. Matt. v. 6.
v. 54. Literally in text, "He has taken by the hand," "laid
hold of," hence "helped." "Being mindful of;" text, "to
remember His mercy." " Israel," " the Israel of God." " His
seed," the heirs of his faith, not his merely carnal progeny (cf.
Rom. iv. 12). v. 55. Cf. Ps. xcvii. (98) 3, "He remembered
His mercy . . ., to the house of Israel;" Mich. vii. 20;
Gal. iii. 16. It seems from a comparison of these texts that,
"As He spoke to our fathers" should be taken as a parenthesis.
" He spoke," promised, promises now in course of fulfilment, as
earnest of "the precious and exceeding great promises " mentioned
by St. Peter (2 St. Peter i. 4). This inspired utterance of the All-
holy is daily sung (recited) in the Vesper Service of the Western
Churches. The earliest written trace of its adoption is found in
the Rule of St. Caesarius of Aries, where it appears as a Canticle
of Lauds, as it is even now in the Greek Churches. We cannot
but be impressed by the majestic and sublime simplicity of this
outpouring of the Most Pure Heart of the Ever-Blessed. But
no less admirable is her silence amid the great mysteries, wherein
she bore so conspicuous a part, a silence we must needs imitate,
of our inability to say aught that is worthy of her, who is " more
honourable than the Cherubim, beyond compare more glorious
than the Seraphim " (Anthem of the Greek Church).
656
THE SONG OF ZACHARY.
THE SONG OF ZACHARY. (St. Luke i. 68—79.)
6S. Blessed [be] the Lord,
the God of Israel : For He-
has-visited and made a ran-
som for His people,
69. And has-raised-up a
horn of salvation for us In
the house of David His
servant,
70. (As He-spoke by the
68. Blessed be the Lord
God of Israel : Who has-
visited His people, and
wrought (lit., made) for it
deliverance,
69. And has-raised-up a
horn of deliverance for us
in the house of David His
servant.
70. (As He-spoke by the
mouth of His holy prophets mouth of His holy prophets.
who have-been of old),
71. Salvation from our
enemies, and from the hand
of all that hate us :
72. To perform mercy to
our fathers, And to remember
His holy covenant ;
71. The oath which He-
swore to Abraham our father,
That He would-grant to us,
being-delivered
74. That
out of the hand of our
enemies, we - should - serve
1 1 im without fear,
75. In holiness and justice
before J [im all our days.
And thou, child, shalt-
who [were] of old),
71. That He - was- to -
deliver us from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that
hate us.
72. And He-practised His
graciousness towards (lit.,
with) our fathers, And was-
mindful of His holy cove-
nants,
73. And of the oath which
He-swore to Abraham our
father, That He-would-grant
us,
74. That we-should-bc-
delivered from the hand of
our enemies, and should
without fear serve before
J [im,
75. All our days in up-
rightness and in justice.
76. And thou, child, shalt-
1"' called the prophet of the be-called the prophet of the
Most-High- For thou-shalt- Most-High, For thou-shalt-
THE SONG OF ZACHARV. 657
go-before the face of the go-before the face of the
Lord to prepare His ways ; Lord to prepare His ways ;
77. To give knowledge of 77. That He- may-give
salvation to His people For knowledge of life to His
the remission of their sins, people For the remission of
their sins,
78. Through the bowels 78. Through the bowels
of the mercy of our God, of the graciousness of our
Wherein the Sun-rise from God, Whereby the Sun-rise
on high has-visited us, from on high has-visited us,
79. To shine on them that 79. To give-light to them
sit in darkness and in the that sit in darkness and in
shadow of death, To guide the shadow of death, That
our feet into the way of He-may-guide our feet into
peace. the way of peace.
v. 68. Having written on a tablet in faith and obedience,
" John is his name," his tongue was loosed, and he began to
speak and to praise God. "Blessed," cf. Ps. xl. (41) 14. v. 69.
" Horn of salvation," a mighty salvation (i.e., Saviour) of the
race of David; cf. "the horn of my salvation," Ps. xvii. (18) 3.
"David His servant," cf. Ps. cxxxi. (132) 10. v. 70 had better
be taken as parenthetical. " Prophets," whose utterances
harmonize with those of David, and who foretell the never-
ending duration of his kingdom, " who have been of old," i.e.,
the ancient, the former prophets, v. 71. "Salvation," &c, had
better be taken in apposition to "horn of salvation." vv. 72, 73.
" To do mercy to our fathers ; " " Remember," " Mercy," " Oath,"
are taken by some to be a latent allusion to the name of the
inspired prophet, "Zachariah" ( = Zekhar' Yah = " [whom] Yah
(God) remembers"); "Mercy," Syriac "grace," "graciousness,"
" John " (Yeho-chanan, [whom] YeHoYaYl graciously bestowed).
"Oath" recalls the name of the holy Forerunner's mother,
"Elizabeth" ( = 'Elisheba = 'Elf-shebhaK— " to whom God is the
oath," "who swears by ( = worships) God." "Covenant," or
" testament ; " the Greek haOr'jK-q, diatheekee, means either, but
" testa?ne?it" is the usual Vulgate rendering, as the "testament"
avails only through the death of the testator (cf. Heb. ix.
16 — 20). v. 73. " Oath," probably to be taken (as by Beelen)
658 THE SONG OF ZACHARY.
in apposition to "holy covenant," opxov, orkon, for opKov, orkou,
attracted into the case of the following "which He swore;"
cf. Gen. xii. 3; xvii. 4; xxii. 16, 17; Heb. vi. 13, 14, 17.
v. 75. "Holiness," in our relations to God; "Justice," towards
men; cf. Ephes. iv. 24; t Thess. ii. 10. "Before Him," hence,
not a mere legal fiction ; a real, not merely imputed, but imparted
justice, v. 76. "Yea, and thou, child [in text, waiSiov ( ~ poidion
"little child," "little boy")], shalt-be-called," a frequent
Hebraism, equivalent to " shalt-be," as men are wont to call us,
and we acquire names (cognomens) from what we are, or, at
least, seem to be, cf. Isai. i. 26; iv. 3, and elsewhere. "Prophet"
— "Yea, I tell you, and much more than a prophet," says our
Lord (St. Matt. xi. 9). " Go before ... to make ready," cf.
Isai. xl. 3, 4; Mai. iii. 1; iv. 5, 6, with St. Matt. xi. 10 — 14;
St. Luke i. 17. v. 77. "Knowledge of salvation," i.e., of the
Saviour. The Forerunner thus " prepares His ways," by bringing
men to a knowledge of the "Anointed Saviour," cf. St. John i. 29;
Isai. liii. 11. "For the rm.lrsion ;" in text, ev d^Vet, en ophesei
(-in remission), rightly rendered by Vulgate as equivalent to
el? Ufaaiv (eis aphesin = unto the, for the remission); cf. St. Mark
i. 4 ; Acts v. 31. v. 78. Lit., " Because of the bowels of mercy,"
equivalent to the "tender mercy," "tender pity," a figure common
to Hebrew (Prov. xii. 10) and classical writers. " Sunrise " =
rising sun - "day-spring " = dawn ; in text, avaToXrj ( = anaiole'e =
"sunrise"), whereby LXX. render tsemach ( = bud, sprout, shoot,
branch), from the verb tsCxmcich ( = he sprouted, he produced),
which, in the kindred Syriac and Arabic means "to shine," thus
justifying the LXX. and Vulgate rendering {priens) in Zach. iii. 8 ;
vi. 12. Motsd (the going-out, sunrise, dawn, east) is by LXX. and
Vulgate rendered "east" (Ps. lxxiv. (75) 7). Cf. also Mai. iv. 2,
"The sun of justice." "From on high;" in Zach. vi. 12.
Zorobabel, the ancestor of our Lord, according to the flesh, is
directly meant. He is a type of the Christ, in that he was
chosen to rebuild the Temple; but he- was from below, from
the earth, as his name ("born at [sown at] Babylon") indicates,
while the Christ is "from on high" (cf. St. John i. 18; iii. 31).
'I In- e |, v, \rrses teem with prophetic testimonies, v. 79. Isai.
1,2; the fulfilment whereof is noted by St. Matt. iv. 15, 16.
I • ■ uide" shows the purpose of the "to shine."
THE SONG OF SIMEON. 659
THE SONG OF SIMEON. (St. Luke ii. 29—32.)
[The Canticle for Compline,]
Vulgate. PsJiitta.
29. (Lit.) Now art-Thou- 29. Therefore let Thy
setting-free Thy bondsman, servant, my Lord, depart,
O Master, according to Thy According to Thy word, in
word (i.e., promise), in peace ; peace ;
30. For mine eyes have- 30. For, lo, mine eyes
seen Thy salvation, Thy gracious-One,
31. Which Thou -hast- 31. Whom Thou - hast -
prepared before the face of prepared before the face of
all the peoples ; all nations ;
32. A light for revelation 32. A light for revelation
to the Gentiles, And the of the peoples, And the
glory of Thy people Israel. glory for Thy people Israel.
v. 29. The promise mentioned in v. 26. "Lord;" in text,
o7o-7roTa, despota ( = " master "), seldom used of God, cf. Acts
iv. 24; Apoc. vi. 10. "In peace," Hebrew farewell to a dying
person (cf. Beshalom, Gen. xv. 15). On other occasions, "Go to
peace (les/iatiwi, to, for peace), cf. St. Luke vii. 50, et? dpi)vqv,
eis eireineen (-to, into peace), v. 30. "Salvation;" LXX., in
Isai. xxxviii. 11, render Yah Yah of the text by to o-wrryptov
tov ®eov, to sotcerion ton TJieou ( = the salvation of God).
"Salvation," the Anointed Saviour, vv. 31, 32. The call of the
Gentiles was clearly predicted in the ancient prophecies (cf. Ps.
xcvii. (98) 3; Isai. xliii. 6; xlix. 6; lii. 10). It is worthy of
notice that Simeon grasps a truth the Apostles themselves found
it hard to admit, viz., the full admission of the Gentiles, v. 32.
" A light for revelation of (to) the Gentiles," ///., " the unveiling
of the Gentiles." " Thy people Israel ;" Ven. Bede aptly observes,^
" Well is the enlightening of the Gentiles put before ' the glory of
Israel,' as when the fulness of the Gentiles shall have come in,
then shall Israel be saved" (Rom, xi. 26).
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