The title to this psalm is the same essentially as the title to Ps. xlii., xliv., xlv., xlvi., xlvii. On the meaning of the terms occurring in the title, see Notes on the title to Ps. xlii.
TTEAR this, all ye people; give ^^ ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.
The author of the psalm is unknown. There is no evidence that it was composed b)- David; and, in fact, tlie presumption is that he was not the author, as his name is not prefixed to it.
It is, of course, impossible to ascertain the occasion on which it was composed. It would seem from tlie psalm itself (see Notes on ver. 5) that it was Avritten in view of some evil or wrong which the author was suffering from rich oppressors, and that he sought consolation in his trials from the reflections which he makes in the psalm, — to wit, from the fact that wealth constitutes no secui-ity, — that it givea no permanence to the projects of its owners — and that it really possesses no 2^oiver in carrying out the plans of those who abuse it to purposes of oppression and wrong. The wealthy man, no matter how great his possessions may be, cannot ledeeni a brother from the grave; he cannot save liimself from the tomb; he cannot make liis possessions pei-manent in his family; lie cannot take his riches with him when he dies. There is really, therefore, nothing io fear from the man of wealth, for whatever such a man can do must be temporaiy. The higher interests of the soul cannot be ^ected permanently by anything so uncertain and transitory as riches. It is not improbable that this train of thought was suggested by an actual occurrence in the life of the psalmist, Avhoever he was; but the reflections are of universal importance in regard to riches considered as a means of power, and to their real value as it respects the great interests of man.
I. An introduction, calling attention to the general subject as worthy of the consideration, of all classes of persons, both low and high; as conveying lessons of wisdom; and as being the result of much retiection, vers. 1-4.
II. The main subject in the psalm, or the iK)int to be illustrated; to wit, that the righteous have no reason to be afraid when rich oppressors compass them around; or tvhcn the rich oppress and wrong them^ ver. 5.
III. Keasons for this; or, reasons why those who are possessed of wealth, and who glory in the self-importance; derived from wealth, should not be feared, vers.
(1) No one can by his riches save another — not even his own brother — from the grave, for all (whatever may be their condition) must die, and leave their wealth to others, vers. 6-10.
(3) They will not learn wisdom on this subject from the experience of the past, but the coming generation is as foolish as the one that went before,
(4) All must go down to the grave, however rich they may be, ver. 14.
(o) There is a better liope for the righteous, and though he goes down to the grave, he will live hereafter,
(6) The rich can carry none of their Avealth with them when they go to the grave. All must be left behind, and pass into the hands of others, vers. 16 -20. The conclusion from the whole, therefore, is, that Ave should not be " afraid " Avhen one is made rich — Avhen the gloiy of his house is increased; for the possession of Avealth by another, though an enemy, gives him no such, permanent power as to make him an object of dread. In our real, our highest interests, Ave must be safe, Avhatever the rich oppressor may do.
1. Sear this, all ye people. That is, What I am about to utter is Avorthy of universal attention; it pertains equally to all mankind. Tlie psalmist therefore calls on all the nations to attend to Avhat he is about to say. Conip. Notes on Isa. i. 2. If Give ear. Incline your ear; attend. Couip. Notes on Ps. xvii. 6. See also Isa. xxxvii. 17; Iv, 3; Dan. ix. 18; Prov. ii. 2. IT -^H ye «*»*- habitants of the world. The truth to be declared does not pertain exclusively to any one nation, or any one class of men. All are interested in it. The term here rendered ^corld — ihv], hheled — means properly dura- D 2
8 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of
Hon of life, lifetime; then, life, time, age; and then it comes to denote the world, considered as made up of the living, or the passing generations.
2. Both loto and liigh. Those alike of humble and those of exalted rank, for it pertains equally to all. On the meaning of the terms employed here, see Notes on Isa. ii. 9. These truths pertained to the " low;" that is, to those of humble rank, as teachino: them not to envy the rich, and not to fear their power; and they pertained to those of exalted rank, as teaching them not to trust in their riches, and not to suppose that they could permanently possess and enjoy them. ^ Rich and poor together. As equally interested in these truths;• that is, What the psalmist was about to say was adapted to impart useful lessons to both classes. Both needed instruction on the subject; and the same class of truths was adapted to furnish that instruction. The class of truths referred to was derived from the powerlessness of wealth in regard to the things of most importance to man, and from the fact that all which a man can gain must soon be left: — teaching those of one class that they should not set their heart on wealth, and should not pride themselves on possessing it, and teaching the other class that they should not envy or fear the possessor of riches.
3. Mg mouth shall speaJc oftvisdom. That is, I will utter sentiments that are wise, or that are of importance to all; sentiments that will enable all to take a just view of the subject on which I speak. This indicates confidence in what he was about to utter, as being eminently deserving of attention. \ And the meditation of mg heart shall be of tmderstanding. AVhat I rcHect on, and what I give utterance to^ in the matter under
4 I will incline mine ear to a
consideration. The idea is, that he had meditated on the subject, as to what was real wisdom in the matter, and that he would now give utterance to the result of his meditations. It was not wisdom in general, or intelligence or understanding as such, on which he designed to express the results of his thoughts, but it was only in respect to the proper value to be attached to wealth, and as to the i\ict of its causing fear (ver. 5) in those who were not possessed of it, and who might be subjected to the oppressive acts of those who w^ere rich.
4. I will incline mine ear to a parable. The phrase " I will incline mine ear" means that he would listen or attend to, — as we incline our ear towards those whom we are anxious to hear, or in the direction from which a sound seems to come. Comp, Ps. v, 1; xvii. 1; xxxix. 12; Isa. i. 2, On the word rendered parable here — •^T^, mashal — see Notes on Isa.
xiv. 4. Comp. Noteg«Dn Job xiii. 12; xxvii. 1. The word properly means similitude; then, a sentence, sententious saying, apophthegm; then, a proverb; then, a song or poem. There is usually found in the word some idea of comparison, and hence usually something that is to be illustrated bg a comparison or a stor^'. The reference here would seem to be to some dark or obscure subject which needed to be illustrated; which it was not easy to understand; which had given the writer, as well as others, perplexity and difficulty. He proposed now, with a view to understand and explain it, to place his ear, as it were, close to the matter, that he might clearly comprehend it. The matter was difficult, but he felt assured he could explain it, — as when one unfolds the meaning of an enigma,. The problem — the "parable" — the parable; I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
5 Wherefore " should I fear
difficult point — related to the right use, or the proper value, of wealth, or the estimate in which it should be held by those who possessed it, and by those who did not. It was very evident to the author of the psalm that the views of men were not right on the subject; he therefore proposed to examine the matter carefully, and to state the exact truth. ^ I loill open. I will explain; I will communicate the result of my careful inquiries. \ My darlc saying. The ■word here used — niTT, Hhidah — is rendered dark speeches in Num. xii. 8; riddle, in Judges xiv. 12, 13, &c., to 19; Ezelc. xvii. 2; hard questions in 1 Kings x. 1; 2 Chron. ix. 1; darlc saying (as here) in Ps.lxxviii. 2; Prov. i. 6; dark sentences, mDan.v'm. 23; and proverb in Hab. ii. 6. It does not elsewhere occur. It means properly something entangled, intricate; then, a trick or stratagem; then an intricate speech, a riddle; then, a sententious saying, a maxim; then a parable, a poem, a song, a proverb. The idea here is, that the point was intricate or obscure; it was not well understood, and he purposed to lay it open, and to make it plain. ^ Upon the harp. On the meaning of the word here used, see Notes on Isa. v. 12. The idea here is, that he would accompany the explanation with music, or would so express it that it might be accompanied with music; that is, he would give it a poetic form — a form such that the sentiment might be used in pubhc worship, and might be impressed upon the mind by all the force and power whicli music would impart. Sentiments of purity and truth, and sentiments of pollution and falsehood also, are always most deeply imbedded in the minds of men, and are made most enduring and etiective, when they are connected with music. Thus in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass V me about?
the sentiments of patriotism are perpetuated and impressed in song; and thus sentiments of sensuality and pollution owe much of their permanence and power to the fact that they are expressed in corrupt verse, and that they are perpetuated in exquisite poetry, and are accompanied with song. Scenes of revelry, as well as acts of devotion, are kept up by song. Religion proposes to take advantage of this principle in our nature by connecting the sentiments of piety with the sweetness of verse, and by impressing and perpetuating those sentiments through associating them with all that is tender, pure, and inspiriting in music. Hence music, both vocal and that which is pi'oduced by instruments, has always been found to be an invaluable auxiliary in securing the proper impression of truth on the minds of men, as well as in giving utterance to the sentiments of piety in devotion.
5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil. This verse is designed evidently to state the main subject of the psalm; the result of the reflections of the author on what had been to him a source of perplexity; on what had seemed to him to be a dark problem. He had evidently felt that there was occasion to dread the power of wicked rich men; but he now felt that he had no ground for that fear and alarm. He saw that their power was short-lived; that all the ability to injui-e, arising from their station and wealth, must soon cease; that his own highest interests could not be aflected by anything which they could do. The '* days of evil" here spoken of are the times which are referred to in the following phrase, " when the iniquity of my heels," etc. ^ When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about. It would be difficult to make any sense out of this expression,
6 THey that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, '" nor give to God a ransom for him;
though it is substantially the same rendering which is found in the Vulgate and the Septuagint. Luther renders it " when the iniquity of my oppressors encompasses me." The Chaldee Paraphrase renders it, " why should I fear in the days of evil, unless it be when the guilt of my sin compasses me about?" The Syriac renders it, " the iniquity of my enemies" The Arabic, " when my enemies surround me." De Wette renders it as Luther does. Rosenuiiiller, " when the iniquity of those who lay snares against me shall compass me around/' Prof. Alexander, " when the iniquity of my oppressors (or supplanters) shall surround me." The word rendered Jieels here — ^p^?, dkaih — means properly heel. Gen. iii. 15; Job xviii, 9j Judges v. 22; then, the rear of an army, Josh. viii. 13; then, in the plural, footsteps, prints of the heel or foot, Ps. Ixxvii. 19; and then, according to Gesenius {Lex.) a Her ill ivait, insicliator. Perhaps there is in the word the idea of craft; of lying in wait; of taking the advantage— from the verb DpV' (^J^<^1), to be behind, to come from behind; and hence to supplant; to circumvent. So in Hos. xii. 3, "in the womb he held his brother by the heel " (comp. Gen. XXV. 26). Hence the word is used as meaning to supplant; to circumvent. Gen. xxvii. 36; Jer. ix. 4 (Heb., ver. 3.) This is, undoubtedly, the meaning here. The true idea is, when 1 am exposed to the crafts, the cunning, the tricks, of those who lie in wait for me; 1 am liable to be attacked suddenly, or to be taken unawares; but what have I to fear? The psalmist refers to the evil conduct of his enemies, as having given him alarm. The}' were rich and powerful. They endeavoured in some way to supplant him — perhaps, as we should say, to " trip him up " — to overcome him by art, by power, by trick, or by fraud. He had leen afraid of these powerful foes; but on a calm review of the whole matter, he came to the conclusion that he had really no cause for fear. The reasons for this he proceeds to state in the following part of the psalm.
6. They that trust in their wealth. The first reason why there was no cause of alarm is drawn (vers. 6 — 10) from the poicei'Iessness of wealth, as illustrated by the fact that it can do nothing to save life or to prevent death. He refers to those who possess it as trusting in their wealth, or relying on that as the source of their power. ^ And boast themselves; pride themselves; or feel conscious of safety and strength because they are rich. It is the power which wealth is supposed to confer, that is alluded to here. ^ In the multitude of their riches. The abundance of their wealth.
7. None of them can ly any means redeem his brother. None of those who are rich. This verse might be literally rendered, " a brother cannot by redeeming redeem; a man cannot give to God his own ransom." The passage, therefore, may mean either, as in our version, that no one, however rich, can redeem a brother — his own brother — by his wealth; or, that a brother — one who sustains the relation of a brother — cannot rescue another from death. On the word redeem, see Notes on Ps. xxv. 22; Isa. xliii. 3. It means here that he could not rescue him, or save him from the grave; he could not by his wealth preserve him in life. The whole expression is emphatic: "redeeming he cannot redeem; " that is — according to Hebrew usage — he cannot possibly do it; it cannot be done. There is here no particular reference to the means to be employed.
8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and * it ceaseth
but only an emphatic statement of tlie fact that it cannot hif any i^ossihilifii he done. The object is to show how powerless and valueless is wealth in regard to the things that most pertain to a man's welfare. It can do literally nothing in that which most deeply affects man, and in which he most needs help. There is no allusion here to the redemption of the soul, or to the great work of redemption, as that term is commonly understood; but it is true, in the highest sense, that if wealth cannot "redeem" life, or keep our best and nearest friend from the grave, much less can it avail in that which is so much more impoi'tant, and so much more difficult, the redemption of the soul from eternal ruin. Here, also, as in the matter of saving from the grave, it is absolutely true that wealtb can do nothing — literally, nothing — in saving the soul of its possessor, or in enabling its possessor to save his best friend. Nothing but the blood of the cross can avail then; and tlie wealth of the richest can do no more here than the poverty of the poorest. ^ Nor give to God a ransom foi' him. This would be more literally rendered, " a man cannot give to God his ransom;" that is, he cannot, though in the possess-on of the most ample wealth, give to God that which would purchase his own release from the grave. On the word ransom, see as above, the Notes on Isa. xliii. 3. Comp, Matt. xvi. 26. 8. For the redemption of their soul is precious. The word soul here means life, and not the immortal part. The only question which the psal'uist here considers is the value of wealth in preserving life, or in saving man from the grave. The phrase, "their soul," refers doubtless to the man and his brother, as alluded to in the previous verse. The idea is, that neitber can the man of wealth ransom his own life from the grave, nor the life of his brother. Wealth can save neither of them. The word " precious" means costly, valuable. 'J'he word is applied (1 Kings x. 2, 10, 11) to gems, and then to the costlier kinds of stones employed in building, as marble and hewn-stones, 2 Chron. iii. 6. Comp. Notes on Ps. xxxvi. 7. The idea here is, that the rescue of the life, or the saving from the grave, would be too costly; it would be beyond the power of all wealth to purchase it; no amount of silver or gold, or raiment, or precious stones, could constitute a sufficient price to secure it. ^ And it ceaseth for ever. That is, Wealth for ever comes short of the power necessary to accomplish this. It has always been insufficient; it always tvill be. There is no hope that it ever will be sufficient; that by any increase in the amount, — or by any change in the conditions of the bargain, — property or riches can avail for this. The whole matter is perfectly hopeless as to the power of wealth in saving one human being from the grave. It must always y*a«7 in saving a man from death. The word rendered ceaseth — hl'H, hhadal — means to leave off, to desist, to fail. Gen. xi. 8; Ex. ix. 34; Isa. ii. 22. As there is no allusion here to the redemption of the soul — the immortal part — this passage affirms nothing in regard to the fact that the work of redemption by the Saviour is completed or finished, and that an atonement cannot be made again, which is true; nor to the fact that when salvation through that atonement is rejected, all hope of redemption is at an end, which is also true. But though there is, originally, no such reference here, the language is such as is adapted to express that idea. In a much higher and more important sense than any which pertains to the power of wealth in saving from the grave, it is true that the work of the atonement ceased for ever when the Redeemer expired on the cross, and
9 That lie should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
10 For y he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the
brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling-
that all hope of salvation ceases for ever when the atonement is rejected, and when man refuses to be saved by his blood; nothing then can save the soul. No other sacrifice will be made, and when a man has finally rejected the Saviour, it may be said in the highest sense of the term, that the redemption of the soul is too costly to be effected by any other means, and that all hope of its salvation has ceased foe evee.
9. That he shoidd still live for ever. That his brother whom he could not redeem — or that he himself— should not die, ver. 8. The idea is, that the price of life is so great that no wealth can rescue it so tliat a man shall not die. ^ And not see corriqdion. Should not return to dust, or moulder away in the grave. See Notes on Ps. xvi. 10.
10. For he seeth that toise men die. He must see this; he does see it. He perceives that no one can be saved from death. It comes on all alike — the wise and the unwise. Nothing saves from it. The allusion is here especially to the rich, whether they are wise or whether they are fools and " brutish." The simple fact, as stated, is that no matter what may be the character of the man of wealth, whether wise or foolish, he must certainly die. His wealth cannot save him from the grave. The possessor of wealth himself sees this. It cannot be concealed from him. ^ Likeloise the fool. The rich man who is a fool, or who is destitute of wisdom. He who is rich and wbo is Avise — wise in the things of this life and wise unto salvation — (or who is gifted with a high degree of intelligence and who evinces wisdom in respect to the higher matters of existence) — and the rich man who is a fool — (who is regardless of his highest interests, and who evinces no special intelligence, though possessed of wealth), — all, all die alike. ^ And the brutish person. The rich man who is stupid and dull; who lives like a brute; who lives to eat and drink; who lives for gross sensiiality — he dies as well as he who is wise. Wealth cannot in either case save from death. Whether connected with wisdom or folly — whether carefully husbanded or lavishly spent — whether a man employs it in the highest and noblest manner in which it can be devoted, or in the indulgence of the most low and debasing enjoyments— it is alike powerless in saving men from the grave. ^ And leave their tcealth to others. It all passes into other hands. It must be so left. It cannot be carried away by its possessor when he goes into the eternal world. It not only cannot save him from the grave, but lie cannot even take it with him. All his houses, his lands, his title-deeds, his silver, his gold, his parks, gardens, horses, hounds — all that he had accumulated with so much care, and worshipped with so idolatrous an afiection, is not even his own in the sense that he can take it with him. The title passes absolutely into other hands, and even if he could come back to earth again, he could no longer claim it, for when he dies it ceases to be his for ever. How powerless, then, is wealth in reference to the great purposes of liuman existence!
11. Their imcard thought is. Their secret expectation and feeling is that they have secured permanency for their wealth in their own families, though they themselves may pass away. The essential thought in this verse is, that the rich men referred to in the foregoing verses imagine that their possessions will be perpetuated in their own families. The word ren-
places to ^ all generations: they call their lands- after their own names.
dered imvard thouglit — nt1p> kereh — means properly the midst, the middle, inner part; and lience it comes to mean the heart, or the mind, as the seat of thouf^ht and aftection: Ps. v. 9; Ixiv. 6. It means here, their hope, their calcuhition, their secret expectation; and the whole verse is designed to show the value or importance which they attach to wealth as being, in their apprehension, fitted to build up their families for ever. 1[ That their liotises shall continneyb;' eiter. Either the dwellings which they rear, or — more probably — their families. ^ And their dwelling-places to all generations. Marg., as in Heb., to generation and generation. That is, for ever. They expect that their possessions will always remain in the family, and be transmitted from one generation to another. ^ They call their lands after their own names. They give their own names to the farms or grounds which they own, in the hope that, though they must themselves pass away, their names may be handed down to future times. This practice, which is not uncommon in the world, shows how intense is the desire of men not to be forgotten; and at the same time illustrates the main thought in the psalm — tlie importance attached to wealth by its possessor, as if it could carry his name down to future times, when he shall have passed away. In this respect, too, wealth is commonly as powerless as it is in saving its possessor from the grave. It is not very f^ir into future times that mere wealth can carry the name of a man after he is dead. Lands and tenements pass into other hands, and the future owner soon ceases to have any concern about the name of the former occupier, and the world cares nothing about it. A man must have some other claim to be remembered
12 Nevertheless, man heing in honour abideth " not: he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This their way is their
than the mere fact of his having been rich, or he will be soon forgotten. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxii. 15 — 19.
12. IsevertJieless, man being in honour abideth not. No matter to what rank he may rise, no matter how much wealth he may accumulate, no matter how fixed and secure he may seem to make his possessions, he cannot make them permanent and enduring. He must pass away and leave all this to others. The word rendered abideth — "yT^^ yalin — means properly to pass the night; to remain over night; to lodge, as one does for a night; and the idea is, that he is not to lodge or remain permanently in that condition; or, more strictly, he will not lodge there even for a night; that is, he will soon pass away. It is possible that the Saviour had his eye on this passage in the parable of the rich fool, and especially in the declaration, " This night thy soul shall be required of thee," Luke xii. 20. ^ Se is like the beasts that parish. He is like the beasts; they perish. This does not mean that in all respects he is like them, but only in this respect, that he must die as they do; that he cannot by his wealth make himself immortal. He must pass away just as if he were an animal of the inferior creation, and had no power of accumulating wealth, or of laying plans that stretch into the future. The squirrel and the beaver — animals that lag up something, or that, like men, ha\e the power of acctimulating, die just like other animals. So the rich man. His intelligence, his high hopes, his far-reaching schemes, make no difference between him and his fellow-men and the brute in regard to death. They all die alike.
13. This their way is their folly. This might be rendered, "This is folly: yet their posterity i approve their sayings. Selah., 14 Like sheep they are laid in their way or course of life. It is their folly;" oi', such is their folly. On the word ^vay, see Notes on Ps. i. 6. The idea is, that it is folly for a man to cherish these hopes; to feel that wealth is of so much importance; to imagine that it can deliver fi'om the grave; to suppose that he can perpetuate his own name, and secure his possessions in his own family upon the earth. And yet the world is still full of men as foolish as were those in the time of the psalmist; men who will not be admonished by the suggestions of reason, or by the experience of six thousand years in the past. This is one thing in which the world makes no progress — in which it learns nothing from the experience of the past; and as the beaver under the influence of instinct builds his house and liis home now in the same way that the first beaver did his, and as the brutes all act in the same manner from generation to generation, accumulating no knowledge, and making no advances from the experience of the past, so it is w^ith men in their desire to grow rich. On other points the world accumulates knowledge, and profits from experience, garnering up the lessons taught by past experiment and observation, and thus becoming wnser in all other respects; but in regard to the desire of wealth, it makes no progress, gains no knowledge, derives no advantage, from the generations of fools that have lived and died in past ages. They now engage in the pur- ■suit of gold with the same -zeal, and the same expectation and hope which were evinced in the first ages of the world, and as if their own superior skill and wisdom could set at nought all the lessons taught by the past. •[[ Yet their posteritii. The coming generation is as confident and as foolish as the one that went before.
the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion '' over them in the
^ Approve their sayings. Margin, delight in their mouth. That is, they delight or take pleasure in what proceeds from their mouth; in what they say; in their views of things. They adopt their principles, and act ou their maxims; and, attaching the same importance to wealth which they did, seek as they sought to perpetuate their names upon the earth.
14. Like sheep they are laid in the grave. Tlie allusion here is to a flock as driven forward by the shepherd; and the meaning is that they are driven forward to the grave, as it were, in flocks, or as a flock of sheep is driven by a shepherd. The \/ord rendered "are laid" — ^Tiip, shattu — is not probably derived from the verb m^, shuth, or ni"ffi'> shith, as our translators seem to have supposed, but from nrili5> shathath, to set, or place; and the meaning is, " Like sheep they put them in Sheol, or the grave;" that is, they thrust or drive them down thither. In other Avords, this is done, without intimating by whom it is done. They are Tirged forward; they are driven towards the tomb as a flock of sheep is driven forward to the slaughter. Some influence or power is pressing them in masses down to the grave. The word rendered grave is Sheol. It is sometimes used in the sense of the grave, and sometimes as referring to the abode of departed spirits. See Notes on Job X. 21, 23; Ps. vi. 5. It seems here to be used in the former sense. *^ Death shall feed on them. The word rendered/ee(^ here — n^n, raah — means properly to feed a flock; to pasture; then, to perform the office of a shepherd. The idea here is not, as in our translation, "death shall feed on them;" but, death shall rule over them as the shepherd rules his flock. The morning: and their sliall consume 2 in nlluslon to \\iQ fioch suggested this. They are driven down to the grave, or to Sheol. The shepherd,- the ruler, he who does this, is death; and the idea is not that death is a hungry monster, devouring them in the grave, but that the shepherd over that flock, instead of being a kind and gentle friend rsnd protector (as the word " shepherd " naturally suggests), is death— 9. fearful and grim Ruler of the departed. The idea, therefore, is not that of feeding, specifically, but it is that of ruling, coutrolling, guiding. So the Septuagint, Qdvarog ■Koif.iavti avrovg. The Vulgate, however, renders it, mors dejpascet eos; and Luther, der Tod naget sie; death gnaws or feeds on them. ^ And the upright. The just; the righteous. The meaning of this part of the verse undoubtedly is, that the just or pious would have some kind of ascendancy or superiority over them at the period here referred to as the " morning." ^ Shall have dominion over them. Or rather, as De Wette renders it, shall triumph over them. That is, will be exalted over them; or shall have a more favoured lot. Though depressed now, and though crushed by the rich, yet they will soon have a more exalted rank, and a higher honour than those who, though once rich, are laid in the grave under the dominion of death. ^ In the morning. That is, very soon; tomorrow; when the morning dawns after the darkness of the present. See Notes on Ps. xxx. 5. There is a time coming— a brighter time — when the relative condition of the two classes shall be changed, and when the upright— the pious — though poor and oppressed now, shall be exalted to higher ^ honours than theg will be. There is no certain evidence that this refers to the " morning " of the resurrection; but it is language which well expresses the idea when connected with that doctrine, and which can be best expkiined on the supposition that that doctrine was referred to, and that the hope of such a resurrection was cherished by the writer. Indeed, when we remember that the psalmist expressly'refers to i\\Q'' grave" in regard to the rich, it is difficult to explain the languao-e on any other supposition than that he refers here to the resurrection— certainly not as well as on this suj)position — and especially when it is remembered that death makes no distinction in cutting down men, whether they are righteous or wicked. Both are laid in the grave alike, and any prospect of distinction or triumph in the case must be derived from scenes beyond the grave. This verse, therefore, may belong to that class of passages in the Old Testament which are founded on the belief of the resurrection of the dead without always expressly affirming it, and which are best explained on the supposition that the writers of the Old Testament were acquainted with that doctrine, and drew their hopes as Avell as their illustrations from it. Comp. Dan. xii. 2; Isa. xxvi. 19; Ps. xvi. 9, 10. % And their leauty. Marg., strength. The Hebrew word m^'xw?, form, shape, image; and the idea here is, that their form or figure will be changed, or disappear, to wit, by consuming away. The idea of beauty, or strength, is not necessarily in the passage, but the meaning is, that the form or figure which was so familiar among men will be dissolved, and disappear in the grave. ^[ Shall consume in the grave. Heb., in Sheol. The word probably mer.ns here the grave. The original word rendered consume, means literally to make old; to wear out; to waste away. The entire form of the man will disappear. ^ From their dtvelling. Marg., the grave being a habitation to every one of them. LXX., " and their help shall grow old in the grave from their glory." So the Latin Vulgate. The whole expression
15 But God will redeem my sonl from the i power of ^the grave; for lie sliall receive
16 Be not tlioii afraid wlien one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
is obscure. The most probable meaning is, " they shall consume in the grave, from its being a dwelling to him;" that is, to each of them. Sheol, or the grave, becomes a dwelling to the rich man, and in that gloomy abode — that which is now his dwelling— he consumes away. It appertains to that dwelling, or it is one of the conditions of residing there, that all consume away and disappear. Others render it, " so that there is no dwelling or habitation for them." Others, and this is the more common interpretation, " their form passes away, the underworld is their habitation." See De Wette in loc. This last rendering requires a slight change in the punctuation of the original. DeAVctte, Kote, p. 339. The general idea in the passage is plain, that the possessors of wealth are soon to find their home in the grave, and that their forms, with all on which they valued themselves, are soon to disappear.
15. But God unll redeem my soul from the poiver of the grave. Literally, from the hand of Sheol; that is, from the dominion of death. The hand is an emblem of power, and it here means that death or Sheol holds the dominion over all those who are in the grave. The control is absolute and unlimited. The grave or Sheol is here personified as if reigning there, or setting up an empire there. Comp. Notes on Isa. xiv. 9. On the word redeem, see the references in the Notes on ver. 7. •![ For he shall receive me. Literally, he shall take me. That is, either. He will take me from the grave; or, He will take me to himself. The general idea is, that God would take hold of him, and save him from the dominion of the grave; from that power which death exercises over the dead. This would either mean that he would be preserved from going down to the grave and returning to corruption there; or, that he would hereafter be rescued from the power of the grave in a sense which would not apply in respect to the rich man. The former evidently cannot be the idea, since the psalmist could not hope to escape death; yet there might be a hope that the dominion of death would not be permanent and enduring, or that there would be a future life, a resurrection from the grave. It seems to me, therefore, that this passage, like the expression in ver. 14, " in the morning," and the passages referred to in the Notes on that verse, is founded on the belief that death is not the end of a good man, but that he will rise again, and live in a higher and better state. It was this consideration which gave such comfort to the psalmist in contemplating the whole subject; and the idea, thus illustrated, is substantially the same as that stated by the Saviour in Matt. x. 28, " Fear not them which kill the bodv, but are not able to kill the souf."
16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich. Do not dread the power derived from wealth; do not fear anything which a man can do merely because he is rich. The original is, " when a man becomes rich." The allusion is not necessarily to a bad man, though that is imphed in the whole passage, since there is no reason for fearing a good man, whether he is rich or poor. The only thing that seems to have been apprehended in the mind of the psalmist was that power of doing injury to others, or of employing means to injure others, w hich wealth confers on a bad man. The psalmist here changes the form of the expression, no longer referring to himself, and to his own feelings, as in the former part of the psalm, but making an application of the whole
17 For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing '^ away; his glory shall not descend after him.
course of thought to others, showing them, as the result of his own reflection and observation, that no man had any real cause for dread and alarm when riches increased in the liands of the wicked. The reasons why this power should not be feared are stated in the following verses. ^ When the glory of his house is increased. Rich men often lavish much of their wealth on their dwellings; — on the dwelling itself; on the furniture; on the grounds and appendages of their habitation. This is evidently referred to here as " the glory of their house j" as that which would be adapted to make an impression of the power and rank of its possessor.
17. For lohen he dieth. He must die. His wealth cannot save him from the grave. It is always to be assumed of rich men, as of all other men, that they toill have to die. The point is not one which is to be argued; not one about which there can be any doubt. Of all men, whatever else may be said of them, it may always be affirmed that they must die, and important inferences may be always drawn from that fact. •[[ He shall carry nothing away. It is not improbable that the apostle Paul had this passage in his eye in what he says in 1 Tim. vi. 7, " For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out." See Notes on that passage. Comp. Job xxvii. 16-19. \ His glory shall not descend after him. His wealth, and those things which have been procured by wealth, as indicating station and rankf cannot accompany him to the other Avorld. This is said to show that he is not to be " feared " on account of his wealth. The argument is, that whatever there is in wealth that seems to give power, and to aflbrd the means of doing injury, must soon be sepa-
18 Though, ^ while he lived, he blessed his soul: (and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself:)
rated from him. In respect to wealth, and to all the power derived from wealth, he will be like the most poor and penniless of mortals. All that he possesses will pass into other hands, and whether for good or for evil, it will no longer be in his powder to use it. As this must occur soon, — as it may occur in a moment, — there is no reason to "fear" such a man, or to suppose that he can do permanent injury by any power derived from wealth. Comp. Notes on Isa. xiv. 6, 7, 10, 11.
18. Though while he lived. Marg., as in Heb., in his life. More literally, in his lives. The idea is, as long as he lived. % He Messed his soul. That is, he blessed himself; he congratulated himself; he regarded his condition as desirable and enviable. He "took airs" upon himself; he felt that his was a happy lot; he expected and demanded respect and honour from others on account of his wealth. He commended himself as having evinced sagacity in the means by vvliich he acquired wealth — thus imparting honour to himself; and he congratulated himself on the result, as placing him in a condition above want, and in a condition that entitled him to honour. A striking illustration of this feeling is found in the parable of the rich fool, Luke xii. 19, " And I Avill say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." ^ And men tvill praise thee. Others will praise thee. He not only blessed or commended himself, but he might expect that others would praise and congratulate him also. They would regard him as a happy man; — happy, because he had been thus successful; happy, because he had accumulated that which was the object of so universal desire among men. Success,
19 ^ He sliall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
1 The soul shall go.
though founded on that which is entitled to no praise, and which is even the result of unprincipled conduct, often secures the temporary praise of men, while a want of success, though connected with the strictest, sternest virtue, is often followed hy neglect, or is even regarded as proof that he who fails has no claim to honour. ^ When thou doest toell to thyself. Well, in reference to success in life, or in the sense that thou art prospered. Your industry, your sagacity, your prosperity will he the theme of commendation. To a certain extent, where this does not lead to selfflattery and pride, it is proper and right. The virtues which ordinarily contribute to prosperity are worthy of commendation, and should he held up to the example of the young. But what is evil and wrong in the matter here referred to is that the man's commendation of himself, and the commendation Ly others, all tends to foster a spirit cf pride and self-confidence; to mal.e the soul easy and satisfied with the condition; to produce the feeling that all is gained which needs to be gained; to make the possessor of wealth arrogant and haughty; and to lead him to neglect the higher interests of the soul.
19. He shall go to the generation of his fathers. To be gathered to one's own people, or to his fathers, is a common expression in the Old Testament in speaking of death. See Gen. XXV. 8, 17; xxxv. 29; xlix. 29, 33; Numb. xx. 24, 26; xxvii. 13; xxxi. 2; Deut. xxxii. 50; Judges ii. 10. It means that they were united again with those who had gone before them, in the regions of the dead. Death had indeed separated them, but by death they were again united. ^f They sliall never see light. He and the "generation" to which he has gone to be united, would no more see
20 Man tliat is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts rf that perish.
the light of this world; no more walk among the living: Job xxxiii. 30. Comp. Notes on Isa. xxxviii. 11; Ps. xxvii. 13. The meaning is, that the rich sinner will die as others have done before him, leaving all his earthly possessions, and will no more be permitted to revisit the world where his forsaken possessions are, and will not even be permitted to look on what before had been to him such a source of self-confidence, selfgratulation, and pride.
20. 3Ian that is in honour. Man that is in possession of wealth, or that occupies an exalted rank. See Notes on ver. 12. ^ And iindersta^ideth not. That is, who has no proper appreciation of what it is to be a man; of what is his true rank as a man; of his relations to God; of his condition as an immortal being, — man that values himself only on the fact that he is rich; that lives for this world alone; that regards it as a sufiicient distinction that he is rich; that degrades his nobler nature in the mere enjoyment of the pleasures of sense, — is like the beasts, — is in no way elevated above them. ^ Is Wee the leasts that perish. They live only for this life. They have no higher nature than that which pertains to the senses, and they live accordingly. The man who, though of exalted rank, lives for this life alone, herein resembles them. See Notes on ver. 12. Alas! what multitudes there are who thus live, — whose only aim is to secure the wealth and the honours of this life, — who have no more thought of a future state, and who form no more plans in regard to a future world, than do the brutes! For many there are in exalted stations, who are surrounded by all that wealth can give, yet who no more admit the thought of a future world into their hopes and plans than if tLey had no othsr endowinent than the camel or the ox, and whose conduct in this respect would not be changed if all the higher endowments which constitute the nature of man were withdra'.vn, and they were at once rciluced to the condition of a brute. While, therefore, the main liurpose of this psalm is to show that wealth confers no power which is to be dreaded, — that its possessor, though wicked, cannot permanently injure ns, since he must soon pass away by death, — the course of thought at the same timcf teaches us that we should not desire wealth as our portion; that we should not live for this, as the main object of life. The possessor of the most ample fortune must soon be laid in the grave. All tliat he has acquired will pass into other hands, and will be his no more. But he has a higher nature. He may live in a manner different from the brute that perishes. He may act with reference to a higher — an eternal — state of existence; and, when he dies, he may leave his earthly inheritance, whether great or small, only to enter on an inheritance that shall be permanent and eternal. " What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark viii. 36.
This psalm purports to be a " psalm of Asaph." This is the first of the psalms ascribed to him. Twelve in all are attributed to him, viz., Ps. 1., and Ixxiii.-lxxxiii. Asaph Avas a Levite, a son of Berachiah, 1 Chi-on. vi. 39; xv. 17. He was eminent as a musician, Keh. xii. 46; 1 Chron. xvi. 7, and Avas appointed by " the chief of the Levites," at the command of David, with two others, Heman and Ethan, to preside over a part of the sacred choral services of public worship, 1 Chron. xv. 16-19. They had charge particularly of the worship as conducted with " cymbals of brass," 1 Chron. xv. 19. The "sons of Asaph" are afterwards mentioned among the choristers of the temple (1 Chron. xxv. 1, 2; 2 Chron. xx. 14; xxix. 13; Ezra ii. 41; iii. 10; Keh. vii. 44; xi. 22); and tliis office appears to have been hereditary in his family, 1 Chron. xxv. 1, 2. Asaph was celebrated in after times as a prophet and a poet, 2 Chron xxix. 30; Neh. xii. 46. The title, rendered in the margin, '"'■for Asaph," may mean cither that the l)salni was composed by Asajjh himself, or that it was composed esj)ecially for him, by David or by some one else, and that it was committed to him to be set to music, or to be sung by that band of musicians over which he Avas appointed to preside. Comp. Notes on the title to Ps. xlii. The presumption is, that it was composed by Asa])h, as this is the most natural explanation of the title, and as there is nothing in the circiunstances of the case to render this improbable.
Of the occasion on wh.'oh the psalm was composed wo have no information. There is nothing in the title to indicate this, nor is there anything in the psalm itself which would connect it -wdth any knoMTi events in the JcAvish history. There are no local allusions, there are no names mentioned, there are no circumstances refen'cd to, which enable us to detennine the time of its composition.
The object of the psalm seems to be to set forth the value and importance of spiritual religion as compared with a mere religion of forms. It is one among numerous portions of the Old Testament which show that the Jewish religion contemplated and required spirituality in its worshippers, and that it was not designed to be merely fonnal. Thei*e Avas, indeed, great tendency- among the JcAvish people to rely on the forms of religion, and it must be admitted that there Avas not a little in their modes of Avorship Avhich Avent to foster this unless there was constant vigilance on the part of the Avorshipper, and on the part of the public teachers of religion. At the time Avhen this psalm Avas composed, it would seem that there Avas a general reliance on the mere ceremonies of public Avorship; that much of the spirituality of religion had vanished; and that under the forms of religion, and connected Avith a decent and even scrupulous attention to them, there Avas a great, if not general, prevalence, of moral corruption among the people. See vers.
In the composition of the psalm, therefore, the author represents a scene of solemn judgment; describes God as coming Avith pomp, and amidst fire and
THE " miglity God, even the Lord, hatli spoken, and called tempests, to pronounce a sentence on man; and then, as in his presence, and as amidst these solemn scenes, shows what will be found to be true piet}-; what will meet with the approbation, and what will incur the disapprobation, of
I'he psalm may be regarded as composed of the following parts.
I. A solemn representation of the scenes of judgment; of God as coming to judge his professed people, assembling together those Avho had aA'owed themselves to be his friends, and who had pledged themselves to be his amidst the solemn scenes of sacrifice, vers. 1-6.
In this part of the psalm there are the following things:
{a) A general summons to the world, from the rising to the setthig sun, ver. 1. {b) The statement that the great principles on which all would be determined would proceed out of Zion, or would be such as wei'e inculcated there in the Avorship of God, ver. 2. (c) A description of God as coming to judgment amidst fire and tempest, ver. 3. {d) A general call to the heavens and the earth, that His people might be summoned from all quarters with reference to the final sentence, vers. 4, 5. (p) A statement that perfect justice would be done, whi(^h the very heavens would reveal, for that God was himself the judge,
II. A declaration of the great principles on which the judgment w^ould proceed, and by which the issue would be determined. It Avould not be by an observance of the mere external forms of devotion, but by spiritual religion; by a sincere worsliip of God; by a holy lijfe, vers. 7 23.
This portion of the psalm is divided into two parts: the frst, showing that it is not by mere outward forms that acceptance can be found Avith God, but that there must be, under these fonns, pure and spiritual religion, vers. 7-lo; and the second, that the wicked cannot hope to meet with the favour of God
tlie earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.
though they do observe these foims, vers. '16- 23.
First. It is not by mere external forms that acceptance can be found with God, vers. 7-15.
(«) A statement of the fact, and of the grourds of the fact, that God Avill testify against them, vers. 7, 8. {b) The mere offering of sacrifices cannot be acceptable to Him. He does not oucd their sacrifices, as all the beasts of the world are His, vers. 9-13. {c) Only praise — spiritual worship — Humble trust in him— can be admitted as true righteousness; as that wliich will be acceptable to him, vers. 14, 15. Second. The wicked cannot be accepted and apprpved though they do observe the forms of religion, vers. 16-23. («) Such men, though in the priestly office, cannot be regarded as appointed by God to declare his will, or to represent him on earth, vers. 16, 17. (b) A description of the actual conduct of man}' of those who professed to be His friends; who were rigid in their observances of the external forms of religion, and Avho Avere even in the priestly office, A-ei'S. 18-21. {c) As before (vers. 14, 15);— only the righteous— the spiritually minded— the upright— can in such a solemn trial meet Avith the approbation of God, vers.
This psalm, therefore, is one of the most instructive portions of \\w Old Testament, as setting forth the necessity of spiritual religion, and the fact that a mere observance of forms can ncAer constitute that righteousness which Avill make men acceptable to God.
1. The mighty God, even the LOED. Even Jehovah, — for this is the original Avord. The Septuagint and Vulgate render this '• The God of gods, the Lord." De "Wette renders it, " God, God Jehovah, speaks." Prof. Alexander, " The Almighty, God,
2 Out /of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shiiied.
3 Our God shall come, //and
Jehovah, speaks;" and rcmarlcs that the word "mighty" is not an adjective agreeing with the next \\or^(t,he miglitij God), hut a suhstantive in apposition with it. The idea is, that he who speaks is the true God; the Supreme Ruler of the universe. It is that God who has a right to call the world to judgment, and who has power to execute his will. ^ Hath spoken. Or rather, speaks. That is, the psalmist represents him as now speaking, and as calling the world to judgment. ^ And called the earth. Addressed all the inhabitants of the world; all dwellers on the earth. ^ From the rising of the sun nnto the going down thereof. From the place where the sun seems to rise, to the place where it seems to set; — that is, all the world. Comp. Notes on Isa. lix. 19. See also Mai. i. 11; Ps. cxiii. 3. The call is made to all the earth; to all the human race. The scene is imaginary as represented by the psalmist, but it is founded on a true representation of what will occur — of tlie universal judgment, when all nations shall be summoned to appear before the final Judge. See Matt. xxv. 32; Rev. XX. ll-il..
2. Out of Zion. The place where God was worshipped, and where ha dwelt. Comp. Notes on Isa. ii. 3. ^ The perfection of heautg. See Notes on Ps. xlviil. 2. ^ God hath shined. lias sinned forth, or has caused light and splendour to appear. Comp. Deut. xxxiii. 2; Ps. Ixxx. 2; xciv. 1 (see marg.) The meaning here is, that the great principles ■which are to determine the destiny of mankind in the final judgment are those Avhich proceed from Zion; or, those which are taught in the religion of Zion; they are those which are inculcated through the church of God. God has there made known his law •
shall not keep silence; a '»fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
he has stated the principles on which he governs, and on which he will judge the world.
3. Our God shall come. That is, he will come to judgment. This language is derived from the supposition that God zt7i7/ judge the w^orld, and it shows that this doctrine was understood and believed by the Hebrews. The New Testament has stated the fact that this will be done by the coming of his Son Jesus Christ to gather the nations before him, and to pronounce the final sentence on mankind: Matt. xxv. 31; Acts xvii. 31; X. 42; John v. 22. ^ And shall not keep silence. That is, he will come forth and express his judgment on the conduct of mankind. See Notes on Ps. xxviii. 1. He seems now to be silent. No voice is heard. No sentence is pronounced. But this will not always be the case. The time is coming when he will manifest himself, and will no longer be silent as to the conduct and character of men, but will pronounce a sentence, fixing their destiny according to their character. ^ A fire shall devour before him. Comp. Notes on 2 Thess. i. 8; Heb. X. 27. The language here is undoubtedly taken from the representation of God as he manifested himself at Mount Sinai. Thus, in Ex. xix. 16, 18, it is said, "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud; and Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly, ^ And it shall he verg tempestuous round ahotit him. The word here used — "1^,*^, saar — means properly to shudder; to shiver; and then
4 He shall call to tlie heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5 Gather » my saints together unto me; those that hc.ve made a covenant * with me by sacrifice.
it is employed to denote the commotion and ragin^!^ of a tempest. The alkision is doubtless to the descent on Mount Sinai (Ex. xix. 16), and to the storm accompanied by thunder and lightning which beat upon the mountain when God descended on it to give his law. The whole is designed to represent God as clothed with appropriate majesty when judgment is to be pronounced upon the world.
4. lie shall call to the heavens from above. He will call on all the universe; he will summon all worlds. The meaning here is, not that he will gather those who are in heaven to be judged, but that he will call on the inhabitants of all worlds to be his witnesses; to beartlieir attestation to the justice of his sentence. See ver. 6. The phrase " from above " does nof, of course, refer to the heavens as being above God, but to the heavens as they appear to men to be above themselves. ^ And to the earth. To all the dwellers upon the earth; to the ivhole universe. He makes this universal appeal with the confident assurance that his final sentence wnll be approved; that the universe wall see and admit that it is just. See Rev. XV. 3; xix. 1-3. There can be no doubt that the universe, as such, will approve the ultimate sentence that will be pronounced on mankind. •[[ That he may judge his people. That is, all these arrangements — this coming with fire and tempest, and this universal appeal — will be preparatory to thejudgingof his people, or in order that the judgment may be conducted with due solemnity and propriety. The idea is, that an event so momentous should be conducted in a way fitted to produce an appropriate impression; so conducted, that there would be a universal conviction of the justice and impartiality of the sentence. The reference here is particularly to his professed "people," that is, to determine whether they were truly his, for that is the main subject of the psalm, though the language is derived from the solemnities appropriate to the universal judgment.
5. Gather my saints together unto me. This is an address to the messengers employed for assembling those who are to be judged. Similar language is used by the Saviour (Matt, xxiv. 31): "And he [the Son of Man] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." The idea is, that God will bring them, or assemble them together. All this is language derived from the notion of a universal judgment, as if the scattered people of God were thus gathered together by special messengers sent out for this purpose. The word " saints" here refers to those who are truly his people. The object — the purpose — of the judgment is to assemble in heaven those who are sincerely his friends; or, as the Saviour expresses it (Matt. xxiv. 31), his "elect." Yet in order to this, or in order to determine Avho are his true people, there Avill be a larger gathering — an assembling of all the dwellers on the earth. ^ Those that have made a covenant tvith me hy sacrifice. Ex. xxiv. 6, 7. Comp. Notes on Heb. ix. 19-22. The idea here is, that they are the professed people of God; that they have entered into a solemn covenant-relation to him, or have bound themselves in the most solemn manner to be his; that they have done this in connexion with the sacrifices which accompany their worship; that they have brought their sacrifices or bloody offerings as a pledge that they mean to be his, and will be Lis. Over
G And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God I is judge himself. Selah.
tlicse solemn sacrifices made to him, they have bound tlicmselvcs to be the Lord's; and the purpose of the judgment now is, to determine whether this was sincere, and whether they have been faithful to their vows. As applied to professed believers under the Christian system, the idea here presented would be, that the vow to he the Lord's has been made over the body and blood of the Redeemer once cHered as a sacritice, and that by partaking of the memorials of that sacrifice they have entered into a solemn *' covenant" to be his. Nothing more solemn can be conceived than a *' covenant" or pledge entered into in such a manner; and yet nothing is more painfully certain than that the process of a judgment will be necessary to determine in what cases it is genuine; for the mere outward act, no matter how solemn, does not of necessity decide the question whether he who performs it will enter into heaven.
6. And the heavens shall declare his 7'ighteousness. Shall make it known, or announce it. That is. the heavens — the heavenly inhabitants — will bear witness to the justness of the sentence, or will approve the sentence. See Notes on ver. 4. Comp. Ps. xcvii. 6. ^ For God is judge /liinself. The judgment is not committed to mortal men, or even to angels. Creatures, even the most exalted and pure, might err in such a work as that of judging the world. That judgment, to be correct, must be founded on a perfect knowledge of the heart, and on a clear and complete understanding of all the thoughts, the motives, the words, the deeds of all men. It cannot be supposed that any created being, however exalted, could possess all this knowledge, and it cannot be supposed that any created being, however pure, could be so endowed as to be secure against error in pronouncing a judgment on the countless millions of men. But Go<l combines all these in himself; — a ])erfect knowledge of all that has ever occurred on earth, and of the motives and feelings of every creature, — and, at the same time, absolute purity and impartiality; therefore his judgment must be such that the universe will see that it is just. It may be added here that as the New Testament has stated (see Notes on ver. 3) that the judgment of the world in the last day will be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the considerations just suggested prove that he is Divine. The immediate point in the passage before us is, that the fact that God will preside in the judgment, demonstrates that the acts of judgment will be right, and will be such as the " heavens"— the universe — will approve; such, that all worlds will proclaim them to be right. There is no higher evidence that a thing is right, and that it ought to be done, than the fact that God has done it. Comp. Gen. xviii. 25; Ps. xxxix. 9.
7. Hear, O my people, and I tvill spealc. God himself is now introduced as speaking, and as stating the principles on which the judgment will proceed. The previous verses are introductory, or are designed to bring the scene of the judgment before the mind. The solemn scene now opens, and God himself speaks, especially as rebuking the disposition to rely on the mere forms of religion, while its spirituality and its power are denied. The purpose of the whole is, by asking how these things will appear in the judgment, to imply the vanity of mere forms of religion now. The particular address is made to the " people'* of God, or to " Israel," because the purpose of the psalmist was to rebuke the prevailing tendency E
8 I -will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt-oiferiugs, to have been continually before me.
9 1" will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds:
to rely on outward forms. *|f O Israel, and I tcill testify against thee. In the judgment. In view of those scenes, and as at that time, I will now bear this solemn testimony against the views which you entertain on the subject of religion, and the practices which prevail in your worship. *\\ I am God, even thy God. I am the true God, and therefore I have a right to speak; I am thy God — the God who has been the Protector of thy people, — acknowledged as the God of the nation, — and therefore I claim the right to declare the great principles which pertain to true worship, and which constitute true religion.
8. / icill not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt -offerings. On the words sacrifices and htirnt-offerings here used, see Notes on Isa. i. 11. The meaning is, " I do not reprove or rebuke you in respect to the withholding of sacrifices. I do not charge you with neglecting the offering of such sacrifices. I do not accuse the nation of indifference in regard to the external rites or duties of religion. It is not on this ground that you are to be blamed or condemned; for that duty is outwardly and publicly performed. I do not say that such offerings are wrong; I do not say that there has been any failure in the external duties of worship. The charge — the reproof — relates to other matters; to the Avant of a proper spirit, to the withholding of the heart, in connexion with such offerings." ^ To have been continually before me. The words "to have been " are inserted by the translators, and weaken the sense. The simple idea is, that their oflerings icere continually before him; that is, they were constantly made. He had no charge of neglect in this respect to bring against them. The insertion of the words " to have been " would seem to imply that though they had neglected this external rite, it was a matter of no consequence; whereas the simple meaning is, that they were not chargeable with this neglect, or that there was no cause of complaint on this point. It was on other grounds altogether that a charge was brought against them. It was, as the following verses show, because they supposed there was special merit in such offerings; because they supposed that they laid God under obligation by so constant and so expensive offerings, as if they did not already belong to him, or as if he needed them; and because, while they did this, they withheld the very offering which he required, and without which all other sacrifices would be vain and worthless, — a sincere, humble, thankful heart.
9. I ti'ill take no bidlock ont of thy house. Bullocks were offered regularly in the Hebrew service and sacrifice (Ex. xxix. 11, 36; Lev. iv. 4; 1 Kings xviii. 23, 33); and it is with reference to this that the language is used here. In obedience to the law it was right and proper to offer such sacrifices; and the design here is not to express disapprobation of these offerings in themselves considered. On this subject — on the external compliance with the law in this respect— God says (ver. 8) that he had no cause to complain against them. It was only with respect to the design and the spirit with which i\\Qy did this, that the language in this verse and the following verses is used. The idea which it is the purpose of these verses to suggest is, that God did not need sxxch offerings; that they were not to be made as if he needed them; and that if he needed such he was not dependent on them, for all the beasts of the earth and all the fowls of the mountains were his, and could be taken for that purpose; and that
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are ^ mine.
if he took what was claimed to ba theirs — the bullocks and the goats — he did not wrong them, for all were his, and he claimed only his own. % Nor he-goats out of thy folds. Goats were also offered in sacrifice. Lev. iii. 12; iv. 21; x. 16: Num. xv. 27.
10. For every heast of the forest is mine. All the beasts that roam at large in the wilderness; all that are untamed and unclaimed by man. Tlie idea is, that even if God needed such offerings, he was not dependent on them, — for the numberless beasts that roamed at large as his own would yield an ample supply. ^ And the cattle upon a thousand hills. This may mean either the cattle that roamed by thousands on the hills, or the cattle on numberless hills. The Hebrew will bear either construction. The former is most likely to be the meaning. The allusion is probably to the animals that were pastured in great numbers on the hills, and that were claimed by men. The idea is, that all — whether wild or tame — belonged to God, and he had a right to them, to dispose of them as he pleased. lie was not, therefore, in any way dependent on sacrifices. It is a beautiful and impressive thought, that the property in all these animals — in all living things on the earth — is in God, and that he has a right to dispose of them as he pleases. What man owns, he owns under God, and has no right to complain when God comes and asserts his superior claim to dispose of it at his pleasure. God has never given to man the absolute proprietorship in any thing; nor does he invade our rights when he comes and claims what we possess, or when in any way he removes what is most valuable to us. Comp. Job i. 21.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.
13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
mountains. That is, I am fully acquainted with their numbers; their nature; their habits; their residence. I have such a knowledge of them that I could appropriate them to my own use if I were in need of them. I am not, therefore, dependent on men to oft'er them, for I can use them as I please. ^ And the wild beasts of the field are mine. Marg., tvith me. That is, they are before me. They are never out of my presence. At any time, therefore, I could use them as I might need them. The word rendered toild beasts — 'j^T, ziz — means any moving thing; and the idea here is, whatever moves in the field, or roams abroad. Everything is his — whether on the mountains, in the forest, or in the cultivated field.
12. If I tvere hungry, I would not tell thee. I should not have occasion to apply to you; I should not be dependent on you. ^ For the world is mine. The earth; all that has been created. ^ And the fulness thereof. All that fills the world; all that exists upon it. The whole is at his disposal; to all that the earth produces he has a right. This language is used to show the absurdity of the supposition that he was in any way dependent on man, or that the offering of sacrifice could be supposed in any way to lay him under obligation.
13. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goafs? This is said to show still further the absurdity of the views which seem to have prevailed among those who offered sacrifices. They offered them as if they were needed by God; as if they laid him under obligation; as if in some way they contributed to his happiness, or were essential to his welfare. The only supposition on which this could be true was, that he
14 Offer unto God tlianksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most Hisrh.
15 And call" uj)on me in the day of trouble; I Avill deliver
needed the flesh of the oue for food, and the blood of the other for drink; or that he was sustained as creatures are. Yet this was a supposition, which, when it was stated in a formal manner, must be at once seen to be absurd; and hence the emphatic question in this verse. It may serve to illustrate this, also, to remark, that, among the heathen, the opinion did undoubtedly prevail that the gods ate and drank what was offered to them in sacrifice; whereas the truth was, that these things were consumed by the priests who attended on heathen altars, and conducted the devotions of heathen temples, and who found that it contributed much to their own support, and did much to secure the liberality of the people, to keep up the impression that what was thus offered was consumed by the gods. God appeals here to his own people in this earnest manner because it was to be presumed that tliey had higher conceptions of him than the heathen had; and that, enlightened as they were, they could not for a moment suppose these offerings necessary for him. This is one of the passages in the Old Testament which imply that God is a Spirit, and that, as such, he is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Comp. John iv. 24.
14. Offer tciito God thanJcsgiving. The word rendered offer in this place — nnT. zehahh — means properly *«- orifice. So it is rendered b}' the LXX., Ovffov, — and by the Vulgate, immola. The word is used, doubtless, with design,— to show what was the Jcind of sacrifice with which God would be pleased, and which he would approve. It was not the mere sacrifice of animals, as they commonly understood the term; it was not the mere presentation of the bodies and the blood of slain beasts; it was an offering which proceeded from the heart, and which was expressive of gratitude and px*aise.
This is not to be understood as implying that God did not require or approve of the offering of bloody •sacrifices, but as implying that a higher sacrifice was necessary; that these would be vain and worthless uuless they were accompanied with the offerings of the heart; and that his worship, even amidst outward forms, was to be a spiritual worship. *[f And pay thy voivs unto the Most High. To the true God, the most exalted Being in the universe. The word voivs here — ~)"T!?, neder — means properly a vow or promise; and then, a thing vowed; a votive offering, a sacrifice. The idea seems to be, that the true notion to be attached to the sacrifices which were prescribed and required was, that they were to be regarded as expressions of internal feelings and purposes; of penitence; of a deep sense of sin; of gratitude and love; and that the design of such sacrifices was not fulfilled unless the " vows " or pious purposes implied in the very nature of sacrifices and offerings were carried out in the life and conduct. They were not, therefore, to come merely with these offerings, and then feel that all the purpose of worship was accomplished. They were to carry out the true design of them by lives corresponding with the idea intended by such sacrifices— lives full of penitence, gratitude, love, obedience, submission, devotion. This only could be acceptable worship. Comp. Notes on Isa. i. 11-17. See also Ps. Ixxvi. 11; Eccles. V. 5.
15. And call upon me in the day of trouble. This is a part of real religion as truly as praise is, ver. 14. This is also the duty and the privilege of all the true worshippers of God. To do this shows where the heart is, as really as direct acts of praise and thanksgiving. The purpose of all that is said here is to show that true thee, and tliou slialt glorify me.
IG But iTiito the wicked God saitli, "Wliat ^ liast thou to do, to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
re'igion — the proper service of God — does not consist in the mere oflerin<^ of sacrifice, but that it is of a spiritual nature, and that the offering of sacrifice is of no value unless it is accompanied by corresponding acts of spiritual religion, showing that the heart has a proper appreciation of the mercies of God, and that it truly confides in him. Such spirituality in religion is expressed by acts of praise (ver. 14); but it is also as clearly expressed (ver. 15) by going to God in times of trouble, and rolling the burdens of life on his arm, and seeking consolation in him. ^ I toill deliver thee. I will deliver thee from trouble. This will occur {a) either in this life, in accordance with the frequent promises of his word (conip. Notes on Ps. xlvi. 1); or (i) wholly in the future world, where all who love God will be completely and for ever delivered from all forms of sorrow. ^ And thou shalt glorify me. That is, Thou wilt honour me, or do me liouour, by thus coming to me with confidence in the day of calamity. There is no way in w'hich we can honour God more, or show more clearly that we truly confide in him, than b}'^ going to him when everything seems to be dark; when his own ways and dealings are wholly incomprehensible to us, and committing all into his hands.
16. But unto the ivicJced God saith. This commences a second part of the subject. See the introduction. Thus far the psalm had reference to those who were merely external worshippers, or mere formalists, as showing that such could not be approved and accepted in the day of judgment; that spiritual religion — the oifering of the heart — was necessary in order to acceptance with God. In this part of the psalm the same principles are applied to those who actually violate the law which tliey profess to receive as prescribing the rules of true religion, and which they profess to teach to others. The design of the psalm is not merely to reprove the mass of the people as mere formalists in religion, but especially to reprove the leaders and teachers of the people, who, under the form of religion, gave themselves up to a course of life wholly inconsistent with the true service of God. The address here, therefore, is to those who, while they professed to be teachers of religion, and to lead the devotions of others, gave themselves up to abandoned lives. ^ What hast thou to do. What right hast thou to do this? How can men, who lead such lives, consistently and properly do this? The idea is, that they who profe?s to declare the law of a holy God should be themselves holy; that they who profess to teach the principles and doctrines of true religion should themselves be examples of purity and holiness. ^ To declare my statutes. My laws. This evidently refers rather to the teaching of others than to the profession of their own faith. The language would be applicable to the priests under the Jewish system, who were expected not only to conduct the outward services of religion, but also to instruct the people; to explain the principles of religion; to be the guides and teachers of others. Corap. Mai. ii. 7. There is a striking resemblance between the language used in this part of the psalm (vers. 16-20) and the language of the apostle Paul in Rom. ii. 17-23; and it would seem 'probable that the apostle in that passage had this portion of the psalm in his eye. See Notes on that passage. If Or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth. Either as professing faith in it, and a purpose
17 Seeing tliat thou ehatest instruction, and castest my words behind tliee.
18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him,
to be governed by it, — or, more probably, as explaining it to others. The *' covenant " here is equivalent to the law of God, or the principles of his religion; and the idea is, that he who undertakes to explain that to others, should himself be a holy man. He can have no riff /it to attempt to explain it, if he is otherwise; he cannot hope to be able to explain it, unless he himself sees and appreciates its truth and beauty. This is as true now of the Gospel as it was of the law. A wicked man can have no right to undertake the work of the Christian ministry, nor can he be able to explain to othei's what he himself does not understand.
17. Seeing thou hatest instruction. That is. He is unwilling himself to be taught. He will not learn the true nature of religion, and yet he presumes to instruct others. Comp. Notes on Rom. ii. 21. ^ And castest my words heliind thee. He treated them with contempt, or as unworthy of attention. He did not regard them as worthy of being retained, but threw them contemptuously away.
18. When thou sawest a thief. When you have seen or found one who was intending to commit theft, then (instead of rebuking or exposing him) you have been willing to act with him, and to divide the profits. The words "when thou sawest" would seem to imply readiness and willingness to engage with them, as at first sight. Whenever there was an opportunity to share in the results of theft, they were ready to engage in it. The main point in this is, that they were willing to do so even when observing the outward duties of religion, and when professing to and 'hast been partaker -with adulterers.
19 Tliou 2 givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit.
20 Thou sittest and speakest
be the true worshippers of God. A similar sentiment occurs in Eom. ii. 21. See Notes on that passage. ^ Then thou consentedst ivith him. Literally, Thou didst delight in hiui, or hadst pleasure in him. He was a mau after thine own heart. Thou wast at once on good terms with him. ^ And hast been partaker toith adulterers. Marg., as in Heb., thy portion was tvith adulterers. This was a common vice among the Jewish people. See Notes on Rom. ii. 22. The idea here is, that they were associated in practice with adulterers; they were guilty of chat crime as others were. The point of the remark here is, that they did this under the cloak of piety, and when they were scrupulous and faithful in offering sacrifices, and in performing all the external rites of religion.
19. Thou givest thy mouth to evil. Marg., as in Heb., thou sendest. That is, they gave it up to evil; they employed it in evil: — in fiilsehood, malice, deceit, slander, deception, detraction. ^ And thy tongue frameth deceit. The word rendered frameth means properly to bind, to fasten; and then, to contrive, to frame. The meaning is, that it was employed in the work of deceit; that is, it was employed in devising and executing purposes of fraud and falsehood.
20. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother. To the general character of falsehood and slander there is now added the fact that they were guilty of this in the most aggravated manner conceivable — against their nearest relations, the members of their own families. They were not only guilty of the crime against neighbours — against against thy brotlier; thou slanderest thine own mother's son.
21 These things hast thou done, and r I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether
strangers — against persons to whom they sustained no near relationship; but against those of their own liouseholds, — those who^e characters, on that account, ought to have been specially dear to them. The words " thou sittest " probably refer to the fact that they would do this when enjoying social intercourse with them; in confidential conversation; when words of peace, and not of slander, might be properly expected. The word " brother " might be used as denoting any other man, or any one of the same nation; but the phrase \\H^ch is added, " thine own mother's son," shows that it is here to be taken in the strictest sense. ^ Thou slanderest. Literally, Thou gicest to ruin. Prof. Alexander renders it, Thou loilt aim a hloio. The LXX., the Vulgate, Luther, and De Wette understand it of slander. ^ Thine oivn mother's son. It is to be remembered that where polygamy prevailed there would be many children in the same family who had the same father, but not the same mother. The nearest relationship, therefore, was where there was the same mother as well as the same father. To speak of a brother, in the strictest sense, and as implying the nearest relationship, it would be natural to speak of one as having the same mother. The idea here is, that while professing religion, and performing its external rites with the most scrupulous care, they were guilty of the basest crimes, and showed an entire want of moral principle and of natural affection. External worship, however zealously performed, could not be acceptable in such circumstances to a holy God.
21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence. Comp. Notes on Isa. xviii. 4. The meaning is, that while they did these things, — while such an one as thyself; hut I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
they committed these abominations, — he did not interfere. He did not come forth in his anger to destroy them. He had borne all this with patience. He had borne this until it was now time that he should interpose (ver. 3), and state the true principles of his government, and warn them of the consequences of such a course of sin and hypocrisy. Comp. Notes on Acts xvii. 30. ^ Thou thoughtest that I tvas altogether such an one as thyself. The idea here is, that they thought or imagined that God was just like themselves in the matter under consideration, and they acted under this impression; or, in other words, the fair interpretation of their conduct was that they thus regarded God. That is, they supposed that God would be satisfied with the forms of religion, as they were; that all he required was the proper offering of sacrifice, according to their views of the nature of religion; that he did not regard principle, justice, pure morality, sincerity, even as they themselves did not; and that he would not be strict to punish sin, or to reprove them for it, if these forms were kept up, even as they were not disposed to be rigid on the subject of sin. ^ But I tvill reprove thee. I will rebuke thee alike for thy sins, and for this view of the nature of religion. 1 And set them in order. Literally, 1 will array them; that is, I will draw them out to view in their appropriate ranks and orders, as soldiers are drawn up in martial array. They shall be so arranged and classified that they may be seen distinctly. ^ Before thine eyes. So that they may be plainly seen. The meaning is, that they would have a clear and impressive view of them: they would be made to see them as
22 Now consider tliis, ye tliat * forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.
23 Whoso offeretli praise ' glorifieth me: and to him that - ordereth his conversation aright will I show the salvation of God.
they were. This might be done then, as it is done now, either (a) by their being set before their minds and hearts, so that they would see and feel the enormity of sin, to wit, by conviction for it; or {h) by sending such punishment on them for their sins that they might measure the guilt and the number of their transgressions by the penalties which would be inflicted. In some way all sinners will yet be made to see the nature and the extent of their guilt before God.
22. Noiv consider this. Understand this; give attention to this. The word noiv does not well express the force of the original. The Hebrew word is not an adverb of time, but a particle denoting entreaty, and would be better rendered by, *' Oh, consider this;" or, " Consider this, I beseech you." The matter is presented to them as that which deserved their most solemn attention. ^ Ye that forget God. Who really forget him though you arc professedly engaged in his worship; who, amidst the forms of religion, are actually living in entire forgetfulness of the just claims and of the true character of God. % Lest I tear you in pieces. Language derived from the fury of a ravenous beast tearing his victim from limb to limb. % And there be none to deliver. As none can do when God rises up ia his wrath to inflict vengeance. None would venture to interpose; none could rescue from •liis hand. There is a point of time in relation to all sinners when no one, not even the Redeemer — the great and merciful Mediator — will interpose to save; when the sinner will be left to be dealt with by simple, pure, unmixed and unmitigated justice; when mercy and kindness will have done their work in regard to them in vain; and when they will be left to the viere desert of their sins. At that point there is no power that can deliver them.
23. Whoso offereth praise glori- Jieih me. That is, he truly honours me; he is a true worshipper; he meets with my approbation. The word here rendered " offereth " is the same which is used in ver. 14, and means he that sacrifices: — here meaning, he that presents the sacrifice of praise. So the LXX.: " the sacrifice of praise glorifies me." So the Vulgate. 'The idea is, that the worship which God requires is jjraise; it is not the mere external act of homage; it is not the presentation of a bloody sacrifice; it is not the mere bending of the knee; it is not a mere outward form: — it is that which proceeds from the heart, and which shows that there is there a spirit of true thankfulness, adoration, and love. ^ And to him that ordereth his conversation aright. Marg., as in Heb., that disposeth his nra/. Or, more literally, " To him that prepares or plans his way;" — that is, to him who is attentive to his going; who seeks to walk in tlie right path; who is anxious to go in the road that leads to a happier world; who is careful that all his conduct shall be in accordance with the rules which God has prescribed. ^ Will I shoio the salvation of God. This may mean either, " I, the author of the psalm as a teacher " (comp. Ps. xxxii. 8); or, " I " as referring to God, — as a promise tliat He would instruct such an one. Th« latter is the probable meaning, as it is God that has been speaking in the previous verse. The " salvation of God " is the salvation of which God is the author; or, which he alone can give. The idea here is, that where there is a true desire to find the way of truth and salvation, God will impart needful instruction. He will not sulior such an one to wander away and be lost. See Notes on Ps. xxv. 9.
The general ideas in the psalm, therefore, are (1) That there is to be a solemn judgment of mankind; (2) that the issues of that judgment will not be determined by the observance of the external forms of religion; (3) that God will judge men impartially for their shis, though they observe those forms of religion; and (L) that no worship of God can be acceptable which docs not spring from the heart.
This psalm purports to be a psalm of David, and the contents of it accord with this supposition, and with the statement in the title in regard to the occasion on which it was composed. There would be no difficulty on the subject, and no ground for hesitation, in regard to the author and the occasion on which it was composed, if it were not for the prayer in ver. 18, ''Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion; build thou the walls of Jerusalem," which, it has been maintained by De Wette, Rosenmiiller, Yenenia, and others, must have been written in the time of the Babylonish exile. Except this, it is admitted on all hands that the psalm in its composition accords entirely with the statement in the title, that it was composed by David. It has, in fact, been generally admitted that the psalm tvas composed by David, though it is the opinion of Rosenmiiller, Venema, and Doederlein, that the last two verses were added by a later hand.
According to the title, the psalm was composed on occasion of the great fault and crime in the life of David, and as an expression of his penitence in view of his sin. On the phrase "To the chief ^Musician," see Notes on the title to Ps. iv. "We are not to suppose that this title was prefixed to the psalm by David himself, but the use to be made of it by committing it to the " chief Musician," or to the overseer of the music in the public Avorship of God, shows that the psalm was considered as designed to be used in public, and was not a mere expression of the private feelings of the author. It was, doubtless, commonly^ understood (and was probably so intendeil* by David himself) that it was to be used as i\ jmblic expression of his penitence in view of his crime; and both the fact of its composition, and the manner in which it was to be used, were to be interpreted as indicating his willingness that the widest publicity should be given to his confession, and that the memory of the crime and of his penitence should be perpetuated in all ages of the Avorld. The phrase in the title, "A Psalm of David," denotes that it was to be used for public worship, or as connected with praise. It was designed not merel}' to express liis private feelings, but was intended to be employed in the solemn services of public devotion. See introd. to Ps. iii.
The phrase "when Nathan the prophet came unto him," refers to the fact recorded in 2 Sara. xii. 1-13. It means that the psalm was the result of the Aisit of Nathan to him; or that it records the feelings of the author, when the sense of his sin had been brought to his mind by the faithful message of the prophet. We may sujipose that the record of his feelings Avas made Avithout delay, for the psalm bears all the marks of having been composed under the deepest feeUng, and not of being the result of calm reflection. On the phrase " after he had gone in to Bath-sheba," see the sad record in 2 Sam. xi. l-o.
De Wette, however, maintains that the psalm could not have been composed by David, but that it must have been Avritten in the time of the Babylonish exile. The only argument Avhich he adduces in favom* of this opinion is the praj-er in ver. 18, " Build thou the Avails of Jerusalem," Avhich, he savs, could not have been a prajer offered ty DaA'id, as there Avas in his time nothing which Avould make this prayer proper. Jerusalem Avas not then in ruins. It had been strongly fortified by DaA'id himself, and required no particular interposition of God as if to restore Avails that had been throwm doAvn; Avhercas, in the time of the exile, such a prayer would have been eminently proper, and Avould be a natural petition for one who loved his country, and Avho, as an expres<^ion of his OA\-n penitence, Avas desirous of doing all he could for the cause of religion. The difficulty Avill be more appropriately met in the 'Notes on those verses. It may be observed here, however, that possibly the expression " Build thou the £ 2
To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David, wlien u Nathan the prophet came unto liim, after lie had j^one in to v Bath-sheba.
IT AVE mercy upon me, O God, -*■-*- according to thy loving-kind-
walls of Jertisalem," may be used in a figurative or spiritual sense, expressive of a desire that God -would bless his people; that he would interpose in their behalf; that he would be their protector and friend; that he would do for them what would be well expressed by building strong and secure walls around a city. But it may be asked, also. Is it absolutely certain that when the psalm was composed the work of enclosing the city of Jerusalem with walls had been completed.^ May it not have been, in fact, that at that very time David was engaged in carrying out his design of rendering the city impregnable by walls and towers, and that in the midst of his intense sorrow for his own sin, though so heinous and aggravated, his heart may have turned to that which was so dear to him as an object to be accomplished, and that even then, in comiexion with his bitter repentance for his sin, he may have prajed that God would fa^-our that great design.'' It is no evidence that our sorrow for sin is not deep and genuine, that, even in our expressions of penitence, om- heart turns to Zion — to the Church — to the great work which the Church is accomplishing, — and that, though our prayers began with a reference to our o^^^^ sin, they should close ■with a petition that God would bless his people, and fulfil the great purposes so near to the heart of piety in reference to the progress of true religion in the world. Indeed, from the very narrative in 2 Sam. (chap, vi.-xii.) it would seem probable that the work of fortifying the city of Jerusalem, contemplated by David, was not yet completed, when he committed the crime for which this psalm is the expression of penitence. It was a work of years to do this: and it is not improbable that the guilty transaction to which this psalm refers occurred in the very midst of his design for the defence and protection of the capital of his kingdom.
The psalm consists of two parts: — I. In the first (vers. 1-12), the psalmist confesses his guilt, and prays for pardon. He begins with an earnest plea for mercy (vers. 1-2); he humbly acknowledges his offence, without any attempt to vindicate himself, or to apologise for it (vers. 3-6); he pleads with God to cleanse him, to pardon him, to create in him a new heart, and not to cast him off or to take his Holy Spirit from him (vers. 7-12).
II. In the second part (vers. 13-19) he shows how he would manifest his sense of the Di\dne mercy if he was forgiven: — expressing the purpose to lead a new life; to devote himself to the duties of religion; to do all in his power to repair the e\ils of his conduct, and especiallj- to induce others to avoid the way of sin, warning them by his example. He says that he would teach transgressors the true ways of God, and that sinners would be converted to Him, ver. 13; that he would sing aloud the praise of God, vers. 14, 15; that he would offer to God the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit, vers. 16, 17; and he then pleads (vers. 18, 19), that God would interpose and bless Zion, that the great work might be completed in which he had been engaged in defending the city, and in preparing a place which would be secure, where God might be worshipped, and where sacrifices and offerings might perpetually ascend on his altar.
1. Have mercy npon me, O God. This is the utterance of a full heart; a heart crushed and broken by the consciousness of sin. The psalmist had been made to see his great guilt; and his first act is to cry out for mercy. There is no attempt to excuse his sin, or to apologise for it; there is no effort to vindicate his conduct; there is no complaint of the righteousness of that holy law which condemned him. It was guilt that was before his mind; guilt only; deep and dreadful guilt. The appeal properly expresses the state of a mind that is overwhelmed at the remembrance of crime, and that comes with earnestness to God to plead for pardon. The only hope of a sinner when crushed with the consciousness; of sin is the mercy of God; and the plea for that mercy will be urged in ness; according unto the multitude of tliy tender mercies "' blot out my transgressions.
the most earnest and impassioned language that the mind can employ. ^ According to thy lovingkimlness. On the meaning of the word here used, see Notes on Ps. xxxvi. 7. {a) The ground of his hope was the compassion of God: {b) the measure of that hope was His boundless beneficence; or, in other words, he felt that there was need of all the compassion of a God. His sin was so great, his offence was so aggravated, that he could have no hope but in a Being of infinite compassion, and he felt that the need of mercy in his case coidd be measured and covered onlg by that infinite compassion. % According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies. The same idea occurs here also. The psalmist fixed his eye on the vastness of the Divine mercy; on the numberless acts of that mercy toward the guilty; here he found his hope, and here alone. Every instance of extraordinary mercy which had occurred in the world furnished him now with an argument in his appeal to God; — was an encouragement to him?« that appeal; — was a ground of hope that his appeal would not be rejected. So to us: every instance in which a great sinner has been forgiven is evidence that we may be forgiven also, and is an encouragement to us to come to God for pardon. See Notes on 1 Tim. i. 16. ^ JBlof out my transgressions. In allusion to an account that is kept, or a charge made, when such an account is wiped away, erased, or blotted out. Com p. Ex. xxxii. 32, 33; see Notes on Isa. xliii. 25; xliv. 22; Col. ii. 14. Never was a more earnest appeal made by a sinner than that which is made in this verse; never was there a more sincere cry for mercy. It shows us where we should begin in our prayers
2 Wash ' me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge '-^ my
when we are pressed down with the consciousness of sin, — with a cry for mercy, and not an appeal to justice; it shows us what is to be the ground and the measure of our hope — the mere compassion of an infinitely benevolent God; it shows us the place which we must take, and the argument on which we must rely — a place among sinners, and an argument that God has been merciful to great sinners, and that therefore he may be merciful to us.
2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity. Literally, " Multiply to wash me." The word rendered throughly is a verb, either in the infinitive or imperative mood, and suggests the idea of multiplying or increasing. The reference is to that which might need constant or repeated washings in order to remove a stain. The word is used, however, adverbially to denote intensity, or thoroughness. On the word tvash as applicable to sin, see Notes on Isa. i. 16. ^ And cleanse me from my sin. Remove it entirely. Make me wholly pure. See Notes on Isa. i. 16. In what manner he hoped that this would be done is shown in the following portions of the psalm. It was (a) by forgiveness of the past, ver. 9; and {b) by making the heart pure and holy through the renewing and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, vers. 10, 11.