Exposition of the Whole Bible

mention of Haleb, fays, this is Aram Zobab, Moreover, this pfalm was written when Foab returned, and {mote of Edom, in the valley of falt, twelve thoufand;, the valley of fait was near the dead fea, and upon the borders of Jdumea; the battle fought here by Yoab was either the fame with the former, or different from it, at or about the fame time; and accounts feemingly different from this are given in thefe the number is faid to be eighteen thoufand

Syrians, and the victory is afcribed to David; and in the latter the fame number as there, but faid to be

Edomites, as here, and the flaughter afcribed to Abifoai, The note of R. Abendana’, for the re- conciling of this, is worth tranfcribing: * Our

‘Rabbins of blefled memory fay there were twe

battles; that bi/bai, the fon of Zeruiab, flew eighteen thoufand, and after that Yoab came and fmote of them twelve thoufand; and this is what is faid; and Foab returned, &c. the-fenfe is, he returned after Adifbai: and in the book of Samuel the battle is afcribed to David, becaufe he was the root or chief (é. ¢, under whom Foab and Abifhai fought) but R. David Kimchi writes, that there were between them all eighteen thoufand only; that Abi/bai began the battle, and fmote of them fix thoufand, and after that, Yoad returned, and {mote of them twelve thoufand; but of a truth the wife R. Foe? Ben Sueb gives the right fenfe of this affair, which is this; When David was fighting with the Syrians of Nabaraim and Zobab, it was told him that Edom was come out to meet him, and help the Syrians; and then he veiled himfelf in prayer, and faid this pfalm; and Yoab turned from the army, and went to meet the Edomites, that they might not pafs over to help the Syrians, and join them, and he fmote of them twelve thoufand s

}and David was left fighting with the Syrians of

Nabaraim and Zobah, and fubdued them under him, and he turned to help Foab; and Abifbai, the fon of Zeruiah was over the army, and he {mote of them eighteen thoufand, and they were in ali thirty thoufand, according to our Rabbins of blefsed memory; amd the text in 2 Sam. vill. 13. fhould be inverted’ and explained thus; “* when

‘* he returned from fmiting the Syrians, he got.

«¢ him in the valley of falta name; for his fame “‘ went abroad, becaufe he fmote there eighteen ‘© thoufand, and ‘this was in Edom.’? The Tar-

gum very wrongly renders it, ‘* and there fell of “¢ the armies of David and Foad twelve thoufand.”” The title of this pfalm, in the Syriac verfion, is, ** which David gave out, faying, if I fhould come. ‘6 into the hands of Sau/, I thall perifh; and he. “ fled, and thofe that were with him: but to us it “¢ declares the converfion of the Gentiles, and the “¢ rejection of the Jews.” ‘The former part of which is quite foreign; but the latter feems to be tight; for reference is had to both in this pfalm, and to Chrift, the banner difplayed, or enfign lift up, and to his dominion over Jews and Gentiles in the latter day, and to that falvation which is alene in him, Reet ie vor y¥.1. O God, thou haft caft us off, 8 is faid in this verfe, and the two following, are fome applied to times paft; to the diftrefs of | people of J/rael by their neighbours in the times ¢ the judges; to their being fmitten by the Pdilifines, in the times of Zi and Samuel; and to the victory they obtained over them, when Sau/ ‘and his fons were flain; and to the civil wars between the houfe of Saul and David but rather the whole belon s.

to future times, which David, by a prophetic fpirit, was led to on the occafion of the vittory ob- tained, when before this the nation had been in bad eircumftances. This refers to the cafting off of the Jews as 4 church and nation, when they had rejected the Meffiah and killed him, perfecuted his apoitles, and defpifed his gofpel; of which fee Rom, xi.15, 19—~21. Thou haft feattered us 5 as they were by the Romans among the feveral nations of the world, and among whom they are difperfed to this. day; or thou bast broken us*, -as in Pfal.\xxx. 12. not only the walls of their city were broken by the battering rams of the Romans, but their commonwealth, their civil ftate were broke to pieces by them. ‘Yarchi applies this to the Romans: his note is this; ‘* when Edom fell by his *¢ hand (Davia’s) he forefaw, by the holy Ghoft, s¢ that the Romans would rule over J/rae/, and de- “<< cree hard decrees concerning them.”? Thou bajft been difpleafed, not only with their immorality and profanenefs, with their hypocrify and infincerity, with their will-worfhip and fuperftition,. and the obfervance of the traditions of their elders; but alfo with their rejection of the Meffiah, and contempt of his golpel and ordinances. O ¢urn thy felf tous again which prayer will be made by them, when they fhall become fenfible of their fins, and of their ftate and condition, and fhall turn unto the Lord; and when he will turn himfelf to them, and turn away iniquity from them, and all Ifrael fhall be faved, Rom. xi. 25, 26. or thou wilt return unto us'; who before were caft off, broken, and he was difpleafed with; or others to us.

¥. 2. Thou baft made the earth to tremble; thou baft broken it, &c.]. As is frequently done by an earthquake; which, whatever natural caufes there may be of it, is always to be afcribed to God. The ancient heathens ™ were of opinion, that all earthquakes were of God. This refpects not the whole earth, but the land of J/rael only; and fo the Targum, © thou haft moved the land of J/rae/, thou «< haft fhaken and rent it;” and it does not defign a natural earthquake in it, but a figurative one; a fhaking and rending of their civil and churchftate; fee Heb. xii. 26, 27. Heal the breaches thereof; for it foaketh, which will be done in the Jatter day, when they fhall return into their own land, and be reftored as at the beginning, J/a. XXX, 30. | ¥. 3. Thou haft foewed thy people hard things, &c.] As to have their city and temple burnt, multitudes of them flain, and the reft carried captive, and put into the hands of cruel lords and hard mafters, and made a proverb, ataunt, anda curfe in all places; and all this done to a people that were the Lord’s by profeffion, who called themfelves fo, though now a /o-ammi; and _thefe were hard things to fiefh and’ blood, yet no other than what they deferved. Thou haft made us to drink the wine of aftonifbment; or of trembling", Ua. li. 17. that is, to endure fuch troubles as made them tremble, and aftonifhed and ftupified them; took away their fenfes, and made them unfit for any thing, being fmitten with madnefs, blindnefs, and aftonifhment of heart, as is threatened them, Deut, xxviii. 28. fee Rom. xi. 7, 8.

y¥. 4. Thou baft given a banner, &c.) The word pj is, by Zarchi, taken to fignify temptation or trial°; and he interprets it of many troubles which they had, that they might be tried by them, whether they would ftand in the fear of God, and fo confiders thefe words a8 a cohtinuation of the account of the diftreffes of the people of J/rael; but they are rather to be confidered as declaring a peculiar bleffing and favour beftowed upon fome among them, who are here defcribed, when the reft were involved in the greateft calamities, fignified by a banner or enfign given them; by which is meant, not fo much David literally, and the victory he obtained over the Syrians and Edomites, of which the banner difplayed might bea token; but the Meffiah, who is faid to be given for a banner, or fet up as an enfign for the people, J/a. xi. 10. for the gathering of them to him, to prepare them for war, and animate them to fight the good fight of faith, and oppofe every enemy; to direct where they fhould ftand to be on duty, where they fhould go, and whom they fhould follow; and is expreffive of the victory over fin, Satan, and the world, they have through him: and this is given to them that fear thee; who have the grace of fear put into their hearts; who fear the Lord and his goodnefs, and ferve him with reverence and godly feat; who worfhip him both inwardly and outwardly, in fpirit and in truth, whether among Jews or Gentiles; though the former may be chiefly intended; fuch as Old Simeon, Anna the prophetefs, and others, to whom Chrift was made known; and efpecially the apottles of Chrift, and thofe to whom their miniftry became ufeful; whole bufinefs it was to difplay this banner, fet up this enfign, and hold out this flag; as it follows: That it may be difplayed becaufe of the truth. Selah. not becaufe of the truth of Abraham, as the Targum; nor becaufe of the truth, fincerity and uprightnefs of thofe that fear the Lord; but becaufe of his own truth and faithfulnefs in the performance of his promifes made concerning the difplaying of this banner; or the fending ot his Son into the world, and the preach= ing of his gofpel init; fee Rom, xv. 8.

¥. 5. That thy beloved may be delivered, &c.] Some think that thefe words exprefs the effeé or. end of the banner being difplayed; but becaufe of the word Se/ab at the end of the preceding verfe, which makes fo full a {top; rather they are to be confidered in conftruction with the following claufe. By the Lord’s defoved ones are meant, not fo much the people of J/rael, who were loved and © chofen by: the Lord above all people on the face of the earth; as the elect of God, both among Jews and Gentiles, who are the chofen of God, and precious, and are loved of him with a free, fovereign, everlafting and unchangeable love; thefe are the beloved of Father, Son, and Spirit; who falling into.a ftate of condemnation and death in Adam, and being under the power of fin, and involved in the guilt and filth of it, and being fallen into the hands of many enemies, fin, Satan, and the world; ftood in need of deliverance out of ‘all this, which they could not work out of themfelves, nor any creature for them; wherefore, that they might be delivered, the following requeft is made. Save with thy right band; from fin, the caufe of damnation; from the law, which threatens with condemnation and death; from Satan, that would devour and deftroy; and from all their enemies; from wrath to come, from hell and the fecond death; or from going down to the pit of corruption. ‘The perfons for whom this petition is put up are not only David himfelf; but all the beloved ed ones; and thefe God has appointed unto falvation; Chrift is the Saviour of them, and to them falvation is. applied in due time by the Spirit, and in a little while they will be in the full poffeffion of it: and this is wrought out by the right band of the Lord; either by his mighty power, the faving ftrength of his right hand, who is mighty to fave; or by his Son, the man of his right hand, made ftrong for himfelf, who is able to fave to the uttermoft; and by whom God has determined to fave, and does fave all his people: or the words may be rendered, fave thy right band, thy Benjamins, who are as near and dear to thee as thy right hand, being his myftical felf, to whom falvation is brought by him, Ja. Ixiii.1, 5. And bear me; in fo doing, he fuggefts he would hear and anfwer him; his prayers would be ended and accomplifhed; this being the fum of them, his own falvation, and the falvation of the Lord’s beloved ones. The cetib, or writing of this claufe is, bear us, the keri, or reading of it is, bear me. ¥. 6. God hath f{poken in bis holinefs, &c.] Or in his holy place? in heaven, the habitation of his holinefs and of his glory; or zu the houfe of the fanéiuary, as the Targum; in the tabernacle, in the holy place by Urim and Thummim, and in the moft holy place by his facred oracle, from between the mercy-feat: or by bis boly ones, as the Arabic verfion; by his holy prophets, Samuel and Nathan, by whom he fpoke to David concerning the kingdom; and by his holy Spirit dictating this pfalm, and the reft unto him; and by his Son, his holy One, by whom. he has fpoken in thefe laft times unto his people, to which this pfalm has reference: or it may be underftood of the perfection of his holinefs in which he has fpoken, and by which he has {wore; not only to David literally, concerning the extent of his dominion, the perpetuity and ftability of it; but to David’s fon and antitype, the Meffiah, concerning his feed, poffeffion, and inheritance, P/fal. Ixxxix. 19, 20, 35, 36. andii. 8, g. I will rejoice; at the holinefs of the Lord, which is matter of joy to the faints, efpecially as that is difplayed and glorified in falvation by Chrift, P a/.

Xcvii. 12. and at what he faid in his holinefs to David, concerning his temporal kingdom, and the duration of it; becaufe he knew that what he faid he would perform; and at what was f{poken to him by the Meffiah, in council and covenant, concerning his feeing his feed, and prolonging his days; which was the joy fet before him, which carried him through his forrows and fufferings, Hed. xii, 2. wherefore he believed his kingdom fhould be enlarged, both among Jews.and Gentiles, ‘as follows. I will divide Shechem; a city in mount Ephraim, Joh. xx. 7. and fo was in the hands of Ifpbofoeth the fon of Saul; as the valley of Succoth,Gilead, Ephraim and Manafeb after mentioned, and all the tribes of Z/rael were, but Fudab, 2 Sam. ii. 4, 9. but becaufe of God’s promife, David believed that they would be all in his poffeffion; fignified -by dividing, as a land ‘is divided for an inheritance when conquered, Fo/b. xii. 7. or this is faid in allufion to the dividing’ of fpoils in a conquered place; and fo the Zargum, * I will divide the **¢ prey with the children of Fofepb, that dwell in ‘*_Shechem;” and as Shechem was the fame with Sychar, near to which our Lord met with the Samaritan woman, and converted ‘her, and many others of that place, then might he be faid to among them, to Chrift and his church,, J/a, divide the fpoils there; fobm iv. 5, 29,°415. 426 And mete out the valley of Succoth; witha meafuring line, fo taking poffeffion of it; 2 Sam. viii. 2. Zech. it. 1—4. Succoth was near to Shechem, “Gen. xxxill. 17, 18. and was in the tribe of Gad, and in.a valley, Fob. xiii. 27. there was.a Succoth in the plain of ‘fordan, 1 Kings vii. 46. it. fignifies, booths, tents, or tabernacles, and may myitically fignify the churches of Chrift, wherein he dwells and ex~ ercifes his dominion. eax Wate y¥. 7. Gilead is mine, &c.] This is: particularly mentioned, becaufeover»this Abner. made. J/bbo~ Joeth king, 2 Sam. ii. 9. and is the place, to, which the Jews fhall be brought in the latter day, whem converted, Zech. x. 10. It was a country that abounded with paftures fit for feeding cattle, um. XXxii. 1. Cant, iv. 1. and may point out thofe green paftures, where Chrift makes his flocks to lie down and reft. And Manaffeb is mine; Epbraim alfo is the ftrength of mine bead: thefe two were alfo un der Saul’s fon when David firft came to the throne, but afterwards became his, as was promifed him, and he believed, 2 Sam. ii. 9. and v..1-—3.. And the concord and harmony of the people of God a— mong themfelves, and under David their Prince, the King Meffiah, are ‘fignified by fudab and £- phraim being one in the hand of the Lord; and by the ceafing’ of the envy of the one, and of the vexation of the other, Ezek. xxxvii. 19, 24. Ifa. xi. 13. Ephraim. was more numerous and populous than Manaffeh, and abounded with mighty men, which. are the‘ftrength of a prince, and therefore called here the ftrength of shis head. ‘fudah is my lawgiver; manifeftly referring to Gen. xlix. 10. which furnifhed out perfons fit to be counfellors in enaéting laws, and proper to be employed in the execution of them.’ The great Lawgiver is Chrift himfelf, who:came of this tribe, J/a. xxxiii-22. All this is expreffive of dominion over the whole land of Fudea, Epbraim and Manaffeh, with the places mentioned with them; the houfe of Fofeph beings as Aben Ezra obferves,: in the north: part of it, and Fudab in the: fouth.,Next mention: is made of the fubjeétion of.the»Gentiles, and dominion over them,; 1 wh @reeited ssief -¥. 8. Moab is my wafb-pot, &c.]. To. wath: hands

_and feet in: and fo the Syriac verfion, and Moab the wafbing of my feet, a-vefl for’ lowiand mean - fervice, and fo denotes the fervile fubjeétion of the, Moabites to David; fee 2.Sam. viii..2.,and: as the words may be rendered, the pot of my wafping "« Great numbers of the Moabdites might be at this time fervants to the J/raelites, and to David and his court. particularly;.and might; be employed as the Gi- __ beonites were, to be drawers of water to fill thein pots,’ in’ which they wafhed: their hands and feet, and their bathing veftéls, in which they bathed them= ~ felves: Aben Ezra explains it, ** I will wath their

<< Jand as a pot;” and fo may not only fignify the” very great fubjection of the Gentiles, even:the os 23. and Ix. 14. but as Moab was begotten and born in uncleannefs, and his pofterity:an, unclean ge ration; it may defign the wafhing, 3 tifying and juftifying of the Gentiles im of Chrift, and by his Spirit, 1 Cor. vis rnvo Edom will 1 caft out my fooes asa f S ing their land, Rath iv. 7. fo fome: or of fubduing them; putting: thei feet on w. 1¢ fhoe i upon the necks of them, Fab. x. 24. So Kimebs interprets it, ‘* the treading of my foot,” to which the Targum agrees, paraphrafing it thus; ** upon *¢ the joint of the neck of the mighty men of Edom, *« T have caft my fhoe.” It may allude to a cuftom ‘ in confirming a bargain, or taking poffeffion, to pluck off the fhoe in token of it. $437) may be rendered my glove; as it is by the Zargum on Ruth iv. 7, 8. for as the fhoe inclofes and-binds the foot, fo the glove the hand: and the dllufion may be thought to be to a cuftom ufed by kihgs, when they fat down before any ftrong city to befiege it, to throw in a glove into the city; fignifying, they would never depart from the city until they had took it. Hence the cuftom, which ftill continues, of fending a glove toa perfon challenged to fight. And indeed the cuftom of cafting a fhoe was ufed by the emperor of the 4dyffines, as a fign of dominion '. Take the phrafe in every light, it fignifies victory and power; that he fhould be in Edom as at home, and there pluck off his fhoe, and caft it upon him; either to carry it after him, as fome think, which was the work of a fervant, to which the Baptift alludes, Matt. iii. 11. or rather, to clean it for him; for as Moad was his wafh-pot, to wafh his hands and feet in; Edom was his fhoe-cleaner, to wipe off and remove the dirt and duft that was upon them “; all which denotes great fubjeétion: and this was fulfilled in David, 2 Sam. viii. 14. and may refer to the fpread of the gofpel in the gentile world, and the power accompanying that to the fubduing of many finhers in it, carried thither by thofe,whofe feet were fhod with the preparation of the gofpel of peace. Philiftia, triumph thou becaufe of me; {ome take this to be an ironical expreffion, like that in Eccl. xi. 9. fo R. Mofes in Aben Ezra, and alfo Kimchi. Triumph now as thou ufedft to do, or if thou canft: but rather they are ferioufly fpoken, feeing they had reafon to rejoice and be glad, becaufe they had changed hands and matters for the better, being fubjet to David, 2 Sam. viii. 1. with this compare P/a/. cviii. 9, and may very well be applied to the Gentiles, fubdued and conquered by Chrift, who triumph in him s and becaufe delivered out of the hands of fin, Satan, and the world, thro’ his victorious arms.

¥.9. Who will bring me into the firong city? &c.} Which fome underftand of Rabbah of the Ammonites, which Foab befieged, and fent to David to come and take it in perfon, 2 Chron. xii. 26, 29. The Targam interprets it of Tyre, which was a ftrong fortified city, Zzek. xxvi. 4, 11. It rather feems to be the fame with dom, or the metropolis of the Edomites; fince it follows: Who will lead me into Edom? which was fituated in the clefts of the rock, and on the height of the hill, Jer. xlix. 6. but is myftically to be underftood of the city of Rome, the great and mighty city, as it is often called in the book of the Revelation, chap. xi. 8. and xvii. 18. and xviii. 10. whofe deftruction is certain, being predicted; and after which there have been defires raifed in the hearts of God’s people in all ages; and particularly juft before the time, God will put it into the hearts of the kings of the earth to burn it with fire; who are here perfonated by David, as defirous of entring into it in triumph to deftroy it, Rev. xvii. 16., | y. 10. Wilt not thou, O God? &c.] This is an anfwer to the queftion, and is made by putting anether, which tacitly contains in it an affirmation, that God would do it. He has foretold the de- {truction of the Romifh Antichrift; he has faid ir fhall be: he is faithful to his purpofes, prediétions and promifes; he is able to effect it; ftrong is the Lord that judgeth Babylon, Rev. xviii.10. He will put it into the hearts of the kings of the earth to hate her; he will encourage them to reward her double; he will give her blood to drink,. becaufe fhe is worthy; her deftruétion will be according to his righteous judgment, and will -be irretrievable; he will call upon all his people to rejoice at it; whofe fhoutings on this occafion will be like thofe of perfons that enter into a conquered. city in triumph. Which dad caft us off; who feemed in former times to have caft off his people, when they were killed all the day long; accounted as fheep for the flaughter; were flain in great numbers in the Let Countries; burnt here in England; mafiacred in France and Ireland: efpecially God feemed to have caft off his people, and to have had no fregard to his intereft, when Antichrift fo prevailed, that all the world wondered after the beaft: And thou, O God, which didft not go forth with our armies; but fuffered the antichriftian beaft to make war with the faints, and to overcome and kill them; and which was the cafe in many pitched battles with the Waldenfes and Albigenfes before the Reformation; and with the Proteftants in Germany fince. But this will not be always the cafe; he whofe narhe is the Word of God, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, will fight with the antichriftian powers, and overcome them, and make his people more than conquerors over them; and his having formerly feemed to have caft them off, and not going forth with their armies, will ferve as a foil, to fet off the glorious and complete victory that will at laft be obtained.

¥.11. Give us help from trouble, &c.] To have trouble is the common lot of all men, but efpecially of the people of God. They have fome troubles which others have not, arifing from indwelling fin, Satan’s temptations, and the hidings of God’s face; and as for outward troubles, they have generally the greateft fhare of them, which are certain to them by the appointment of God, and the legacy of Chrift; tho’ they are needful and for their good, and lie in their way to heaven. But perhaps here is particularly meant the time of trouble, which will be a little before the deftruétion of Antichrift; which will be great, and none like its will be the time of ¥acod’s trouble, tho’ he fhall be faved out of it, Fer. xxx. 7. This will be the time of the flaying of the witneffes, the hour of temptation, that will try the inhabitants of the chriftian world; and when the faints, as they do in all their times of: trouble, will feek to the Lord for help, in whom it is, and who has promifed it, and gives it feafonably, and which is owing wholly to his own grace and goodnefs; and therefore it is afked that he would give it. For vain is the help of man; or the Salvation of man”; man himfelf is a vain thing; vanity itfelf, yea lighter than vanity; even man at his beft ftate, and the greateft among men; and therefore it is a vain thing to expect help and falvation from men, for indeed there is none in them; only in the Lord God is the falvation of his people, both temporal and fpiritual.:

¥. 12. Through God we fhall do valiantly, &c.} Or, through the Word of the Lord, as the Targum,

Chrift, whofe name is the Word of God, appearing at the head of his armies, ina vefture dipped in blood, and with a fharp {word proceeding out of his mouth, will infpire his people to fight valiantly under him; and who, in his name and ftrength, will get the victory over all their enemies, the beatt, falfe prophets and kings of the earth, and all under them; fee Rev. xix. 11-—25. For be it is that hall tread down our enemies; as mire in the ftreet, or as grapes in a wine-prefs; even kings, captains, mighty men, and all the antichriftian nations and there will be an end of all the enemies of Chrift and” his people; after which they will {pend an endlefs eternity together, in joy, peace and pleafure, The victory is wholly afcribed to God the Word; it is not, they that fhall do valiantly, that fhall tread — down their enemies; but he by whom they halt do valiantly, fhall do it; even the mighty in He, to whom was promifed, in #den’s garden, the bruifing the head of the ferpent, and all enemies, Gen. iit, 45. and who has the fame name here as thete. uci | i

To the chief mufician, upon Neginath, a p/alm of David.

NEGIN AT H is either the beginning of a fong, as Aben Ezra; or the mufical note or tune of one: or rather, the name of a mufical inftrument, which. was touched by the hand, or with a quill or bow. It is the fingular of neginoth, ufed in the title of P/al. iv. fee the note there. This pfalm was written by David, when.at the end of the earth, or land of Yadea, as appears from y. 2. either when he was. fighting with the Syrians, as R. Obadiab, and fo was compofed about the fame time with the former; or when he was in the land of the Pdili/- tines, being obliged to fly there from Saul, as Kimchi and others: or rather, after he himfelf was king, fince mention is made of the king in it; and when he fled from his fon 4b/alom, and pafied over to the other fide of Fordan, and came to Mabanaim, 2 Sam. xvii, 22, 24. where very probably he wrote this pfalm. In it refpect is had to the Meffiah, as in ¥. 2, 6. tho’ drama thinks it was compofed after the prophecy came to Nathan, that David fhould not build the temple; fee y."4.

¥.1. Hear my cry, OGed, &c.|) Being in diftrefs; and which was vocally expreffed with great fervency and importunity.. étend unto my prayer 5 which was made by him, and not for him; in- | wrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and put up by. him with a true heart and full affurance of faith, and: related to his own cafe. in particular. Aben Ezra thinks that the former word defigns public prayer, vocally and openly. exprefled; and that this intends prayer in the heart, or mental prayer:~ both the Lord hears and attends unto, and is here requefted; which is marvellous. grace and condelcenfion in him. -

¥.2.° From the end of the earth will I cry.unto thee, &c.} Where he now was, as is obferved on the title of the pfalm,; fee the note there: tho’ he was diftant from his own houfe, and from the houfe of God, he did not reftrain, prayer before him, but » continued to cry unto him, and determined to do fo; and as the people of God are fometimes forced to flee to diftant parts, they have a God ftill to go

#0, who is a God afar off) as well as at hand. may be the pfalmift may perfonate the church in gofpel-times, throughout the whole world, even at the further parts of it, im the ifles afar off, where mien may and do lift up holy hands to Ged witheut wrath and doubting. When my heart is overwhelmed, or covered *; with grief and forrow for any trouble, outward or inward, and ready to fink, a foelt rt and fail and die. Sometimes. the faints are overwhelmed with a fenfe of fin, are prefled down with ally when in diftreffing circumftances; and he | and to' his righteoufnefs for juftification and the weight and burden of its guilt; their faces are covered with fhame and confufion; and their hearts are fwallowed up and overwhelmed with overmuch forrow, both at the number of their fins, and.at the aggravated circumftances of them; and efpecially when they are without a view of pardoning grace and mercy, P/a/.xxxvin. 4, 10. and xl. 12, Lam. iii. 42, 43. and fometimes they are overwhelmed with afflictive. providences; the Lord caufes all his waves and billows to go over them, and they are juft ready to fink; and did he not flay his hand, and ftop contending with them, the fpirit would fail before him, and the fouls that he has made, P/al. xlii,.6, 7. J/a. lvii..16, and fometimes, with divine defertions, which caufe a deliquium of foul, and throw them into fainting fits, Cant.v.6. and fometimes thro’ unbelieving frames; and did not the Lord appear to them, and ftrengthen their faith, and remove their unbelief, they would fink and.die away, Pfal. lxxvii. 2, 3,7, 8,9. and XXVil. 13.. And at all fuch times it is right to cry unto the Lord, and make the following requeft to him: Lead. me to, the rock that is higher than I; not the land of J/rael, as Kimchi thinks, the pfalmift being now in the low lands of the Pdiliffines;, aor °

Ferufalem, and the fort and hill of Zion; he being now at the extreme and lower parts of the land; this fenfe is too low. Some think that fome great difficulty is meant; which feemed infuperable, and like a rock inacceffible, which he could not get up to, and upon, and get over; and therefore defires the Lord would lead him up it and over it, before whom. every rock, mountain and hill, becomes 2 plain, Zecb. iv. 7. but rather Chrift is meant, the rock of J/rael, the rock of our falvation, and our refuge. Ele is higher than David, and all the kings of the earth; higher than the angels in heaven, and than the heavens themfelves, Hed. vii. 26. and who by his height is able to protect and defend his peo~ ple from all their enemies; and by the fhade he cafts to vefrefh and comfort them; and by the fufficiency in him to fupply all their wants; for he is as a rock impregnable, and well ftored, J/a, xxxiii. 16, and xxxii. 2. And here gracious fouls defire to be led by the Spirit of God always, and efpeci lead them to his blood for pardon and c tance with God, and to his fulnefs for reth fup-, 0 per abs. sa and covert from the ftorms and tempefts of-divihe "4 * -. ~ wrath} ty MOM afylum, Tigusine verfion, Vatablus; perfugium, Cocceius refal tan’s fiery darts, and the blaft of his terrible temptations, J/a.xxv.4. And a ftrong tower from the enemy; from Satan the devouring lion, from furious perfecutors, and-every other enemy 5 fee Prov.

xviii, 10. and this experience the pfalmift had of protection from the rock in former times, made him defirous of being led to it now, dl

¥.4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever, &c.]

Under the protedtion of the Lord, as in a fhepherd’s tent, or as in one belonging to a general of an army, where are fulnefs and fafety; fee the note on P al.

xxvii. 5. or elfe the tabernacle of the congregation is meant; the houfe of 'God, the place of divine and public worfhip, where he defired and determined always’to continue, P/a/. xxiii./6. or elfe the tabernacle which was prefigured by that below, where he knew he fhould dwell to all, eternity. ~Kimchi, by for ever, underftands a long time; and Farchi explains it both of this world and of the world to come; which is true, underftanding the tabernacle of the church below, and the church above. J will truft in the covert of thy wings. Selah. or, in or into ibe fecret of thy wings *; this he determined to make his refuge forthe prefent time, and whilft in this world; fee the note on P/a/, lvii. 1.

¥. 5. For thou, O God, haft beard my vows, &c.] Or my prayers, as the Septuagint and other verfions. Vows are fo called, becaufe it was ufual to make vows in trouble, when. prayer was’ made ‘to the Lord for help and deliverance, P/fal, Ixvi. 13, 14. and cxxxii. 1, 2. This is a reafon why the pfalmift was encouraged to put his truft in the Lord, becaufe his prayers were heard by him; or he was fure they would be, as he had intreated, y. 1. The paft is put for the future, as Kimchi and Ben Melech oblerve; and it may be becaufe of the certainty of his prayers being heard’; «and which may be concluded, from the Lord’s declaring himfelf a God hearing prayer, from the prevalent mediation of Chrift, from the affiftance and interceffion of the Spirit, and from the exercife of faith in prayer, and the divine promifes; or whilft he was crying to God, an anfwer was returned, and he was delivered out of his troubles, J/a.1xv. 24. Dan. ix. 20, 21, 23. Another reafon follows: Thou bast given me the beritage of thofe that fear thy names not the land of J/rael, as Aben Ezra and Farchi; which was given for an inheritance to the pofterity of Abrabam, Pial. cv. 11. and which was never more fully in their poffeffion than in the times of David: nor the tabernacle or fanétuary of the Lord, as Kimchi; where he defired to dwell, y. 4. and now had his requeft granted: but the heavenly glory, the incorruptible inheritance, the inheritance of the faints in light,- prefigured by them both; which is the gift of God their Father to them his children; comes to them thro’ the death of Chrift the teftator; is not of the law, and the works of it; is not acquired nor purchafed: but is owing to the free grace of God; to predeftinating grace, as the fource of it, to juftifying grace, thro’ the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as the right unto it; and to regenerating and fanctifying grace, as the meetnefs for it. Wherefore it manifeftly belongs to thofe that fear the name of the Lord, himfelf, his perfections, particularly his goodnefs; who adore and admire, ferve and worfhip him, internally and externally; not with a flavifh fear, but with a fi- wrath; a fhadow and a fcreen from the heat of Sa-—

"24 lial, godly*fear. The Targum renders it, “ Thou ** haft given an inheritance to them that fear thy ** name;” that. in the king’s Bible is, ‘¢ an inhe- ** ritance in the world to come;” fo the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental verfions; and which fenfe is given by Aben Ezra. It may be underftood of them that fear the Lord, being the inheritance titype, and who is defigned in the next verfe; fee Deut. xxxii,g. Pfal. ii. 8, and xvi. 6:

add days to the days of the king*, Meaning either himfelf, who, tho’ his life was in danger by fight« ians and Edomites, or rather thro’ the confpiracy of his fon; yet was affured that he fhould: yet live many years more, and efpecially in his ‘pofterity 5 and that his kingdom would be eftablifhed for ever, as was promifed him, 2 Sam. vii. 12—.16. Or'rather, the King Meffiah, fo the Zargum; and Kimchi obferves, that if this pfalm re-

{pects the captivity, the king is the King Meffiah: it may be underftood of his life as man; who, tho’ he died, rofe again, and lives for evermore; and that, as to the glory of God the Father, fo to the eood of his people, for whom he makes interceffion; and of the continuance of his fpiritual feed, in whom he may be {aid to live, and his days be prolonged; J/a- lili. 10. and of the duration of his kingdom, of which there will be no end. For it is an everlafting one, as follows: And his years as many generations; he living, and his pofterity and kingdom continuing age after age. The Zargum is, ** his years as the generations of this world;

y. 7. He fhall abide before God for ever, &c.] Or fit’; or may he fit. Being raifed from the dead; he was received up to heaven, into the prefence of God, and fat down at his right hand; where’ he abides for ever, a Prieft upon’ his throne, having an unchangeable priefthood, Heb. vii.24. And prepare merty and truth, which may preferve him;

which, if literally underftood of David, is a prayet that the Lord would fhew him favour and kindnefs, and perform his promifes to him, whereby: his life would be preferved from the plots and con= fpiracies of his enemies, and his kingdom be eftablithed; or that he might be exalted to’ exercifemercy towards his fubjects, and adminifter juftice, or execute the judgment of truth among them; which would make for the prefervation of his per-. fon, and the fupport of his throne and govern~ ment, Prov. xx. 28. But as the words may be applied to the Meffiah, they are to be underftood, not of the prefervation of his corporal life whilft here. on earth; but either of the prefervation of his people, in whom he lives, thro’ the mercy and truth of God, -expreffed in the exertion of his power, by

| which they are preferved unto the heavenly kingdom and glory; or of the fecurity of his kingdom, which, not being of this world, is not fupported by worldly power and policy, but in a fpiricual manner and by fpiritual means; fuch as mercy, or grace and truth; that is, the doctrines of ggace — and truth, which came by Chrift, and are preached by his minifters, and are the means of continuing, promoting and preferving his kingdom and intereft in the world. Or the words may be rendered, may mercy and the truth of manna keep thee; the true manna, Chrift; fee Yobm vi. 32. or mercy and truth, as the manna, keep thee*; as that was kept in the golden pot, Exod. xvi. 33. or rather, as goodly heritage; prolonging the king’s life; and preparing mercy and truth to preferve him. That that kept and fuftained the J/rae/ites in the wilder- J may daily perform my vows; which is done by

¥. 8. So will I jing praife unto thy name for ever, &c.} Or conftantly; and not only in this world, but in that to come, for the favours before mentioned; for hearing his prayers; giving him a praifing the Lord, giving him the glory of all mercies, as vowed and promifed; fee P/as.l.14. The Targum adds, ‘in the day of the redemption of J “¢ rael, and in the day that the King Meffiah fhal& ‘* be anointed, that he may reign.’* podse

To the chief mufician, to Jeduthun, a pfalm of David. od

Oncerning Yeduthun, fee the note on the title of pfalm thirty-ninth. Kimchi thinks this pialm was written concerning the captivity;. and Farchi AyAin Sp concerning the decrees and judgments made againf{t J/rael by their enemies; and fo fome of their ancient expofitions“; but it feems to have been compofed by David when in diftrefs, either through Sau/ and his courtiers, or by reafon of the confpiracy of bfalom. Theodoret takes it to be a prophecy of the perfecution of Axtioshus in the times of the Maccabees.

y.1. Eruly my foul waiteth upon God, &c.] In the ufe of means, for anfwers of prayer, for performance of promifes, and for deliverance from enemies, and out of every trouble: or is filent‘, as the Targum; not as to prayer, but as to murmuring; patiently and quietly waiting for falvation until the Lord’s time come to give it; being ubjeé to him, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic and Ethiopic verfions; refigned to his will, and patient under his afflicting hand: it denotes a quiet, patient waiting on the Lord, and not merely bodily exercife in outward ordinances; but an inward frame of fpirit, a foul-waiting on the Lord, and that in truth and reality, in oppofition to mere form and fhew; and with conftancy waiteth, and only’ on him, as the fame particle is rendered in y. 26. and fo Aben Ezra hese. From him cometh my falvation; both. temporal, fpiritual and etesnal, and not from any creature; the confideration of which makes the mind quiet and eafy under afflictive providences.: the contrivance of everlafting falvation is from the Father, the impetration of it from the Son, and the application of it from the Spirit.

yx. 2. He only is my rock and my falvation, &c.] The rock on which the church is built, and every believer; and which was Davia’s fafety, thelter and fhade, and which made him eafy in his prefent ftate; and he was the author of his falvation, and the rock and ftrength of it, P/al. xcv, 1. He is my defence; or refuge; fee Pfal. ix. g. and xlvi. 7. and lix. 9,17. I Jhall not be greatly moved; or with much motion, as Kimchi, or with great motions, as ‘farchiz he could not be moved off of the rock on which he was built; nor out of the city of

_refuge, whither he had betook himfelf for fafety; and though he might be troubled in {pirit, and fhaken in mind, and ftaggered in his faith, and fall from fome degree of ftedfaftnefs of it; yet not fall fo as to be utterly caft down, or finally and totally, and fo as to perifh eternally. Aben Ezra interprets it, /hall not be moved into the great deep; into the aby{s or bottomlefs pit; and fo fome of the assem

4 Vid. Yalkut Simeoni in loc.

Midraffes expound #7 of hell ®; but much better is the Targum, ‘I fhall not be moved in a day of “« great affliction;” fee Adis xx. 23. 1 Theff. Ml. 3.

¥. 3. How long will ye imagine mifchief again# @ man? &c.) Againft a good man, as the Targum 5 or againft any J/raelite, as Kimchi, or rather he ~ means himfelf, a fingle man, a weak man, and an innocent one; which aggravated their fin, in devifing his hurt, and contriving ways to take away his lite, as did Saul and his courtiers; and Abfalom, and thofe that were with him. R. Yonah, from the Arabic language, interprets the word here ufed of putting, or drawing out the tongue to a great’

length; that is, multiplying words, as lies and ca-. lumnies, in agreement with the next verfe; but Farchi, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi, explain it as we do, of devifing mifchief. The Targum is, «* how “« long do ye rage againft a goodman?” Ye fall be flain all of you this is a further aggravation of their folly, fince it would iffue in their own ruin 5 the mifchief they devifed for him would fall upon themfelves. Some underftand this ®¥an 47% dy way of prayer; as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, “© may ye be flain all of you:” there is a double reading of thefe words; Ben Napthali, who is followed by the eaftern Jews, reads them actively, ye /hall fay; with which agree the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental verfions; and fo the Targum, ** ye fhall become ‘¢ murderers all of you.” Ben Afber, who is followed by the weftern Jews, reads paffive— ly, as we do, ye fhall be flain; and which is approved by ben Ezra, Kimchi, and others. As a bowing wall fhall ye be, and as a tottering fence s which are eafily and fuddenly pufhed down; and fo thefe fimilies denote the eafy, fudden, and cer- though fome conneét the words with the men aeainit whom mifchief was imagined by his enemies, who was like a bowing wall and a tottering fence; and fo are expreffive of his weaknefs, and of the eafy deftruction of him; and read the words, ye foall be flain all of you, in a parenthefis; but the former fenfe feems beft.

¥. 4. They only confult to caft him down from bis excellency, &c.| Either from the excellency of God, from his greatnefs, and from his height, as

Kimchi, or from his grace, as the Arabic verfion; _ that is, they confulted to difcourage him from looking to God, his rock and fortrefs, and from trufting in him; or rather, from his own excellency, from that high eftate of dignity and honour he ~ was advanced to, or defigned for, namely, his kingly office. Saul and his courtiers confulted how how to prevent his coming to the throne, and 4)- Jalom and Abithopbel how to pull him down from it, and feize his crown and kingdom; which latter beft agrees with the expreffion here. They delight in lies; in making and in {preading them, in order to hurt his character, and give his fubjects an ill opinion of him; and thereby alienate their affections from him, and weaken their allegiance and obedience to him; fee Rev. xxii. 15. | They ble/s with their mouth; faying, God blefs the king, or fave the king. | But they curfe inwardly; they curfe the king in their hearts, and when by themfelves in private, when they imagine nobody hears them; fee Eccl. x. 20. Selab; fee the note on Pal. iii, 2. ¥. 5. My foul, wait thou only upon God, 8ec.] Be filent and fubject to him, acquiefce in his providences, reft in him patiently and quietly, wait for his falvation; fee the note on y. 1. perhaps fome new temptation might arife, and David’s foul began to be uaeafy and impatient; for frames are very changeable things; and therefore he encourages it to be ftill and quiet, and patiently wait on the Lord, and on him only. For my expectation is from him; or my bope, as the Targum, the grace of hope is from the Lord, and the thing hoped for is from him; he is the author and the object of it; and his word of promife encourages to the exercife of it; or my patience x as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic verfions.. The grace of patience is from the Lord; the means of it is his word; and it is exercifed, tried and increafed by afflictions fent and fanétified by him; and expeéfation is nothing elfe than thefe graces in exercife, a waiting patiently for things hoped for. Old Teftament-faints expected the firft coming of Chrift; New Teftament-faints expect his fecond coming; and all expe& good things from him in time and eternity; nor fhall their expectation fail and perifh; and there- | fore is a reafon why their fouls fhould wait only on the Lord. yr. 6. He only is my rock and my falvation, &c. ] See the note ony. 2. He is my defence; thefe epithets of God are repeated, to ftrengthen his faith and hope in him, and to encourage a patient waiting upon him. J Joall not be moved 5 neither greatly, nor at all; his faith gets frefh ftrength and vigour, the more he confiders God as his rock, falvation, defence and refuge; fee the note on ms. ‘ y. 7. In God is my falvation, &c.] Or upon God"; he that is God over all has took it upon him to fave me; he is the author of falvation to me; and it is in him fafe and fecure, and I fhall be faved in him with aneverlafting falvation. And my glory; the author of all his temporal glory, honour and dignity; and of all his fpiritual glory, which Jay in the righteoufnefs of Chrift put upon him, and in the grace of God wrought in him; and of the eternal glory he was waiting for; and befides, God was the object of his glorying, of whom he boatted, and in whom he gloried; fee P/al. iti. 3. The rock of my ftrength, and my refuge is in Gods not only his ftrength, as well as his righteoufnefs and refuge; but the firmnefs and fecurity of his ftrength were in God, who is the rock of ages, in whom is everlafting ftrength.; y¥. 8. Trujft in bim at all times, ye people, 8c.) ‘Of the houfe of J/rael, as the Targum or of God, as Aben Ezra; all that ate D/raelites indeed, and are the Lord’s covenant-people; thefe are exhorted and encouraged to truft in him; not ina creature, nor in any outwatd thing, in tiches, wifdom, ftrength, birth, privileges, the law, and the works of it; intheir own righteoufnefs, in their hearts, in themfelves or in others; but in the Lord only, both for temporal and fpiritual bleffings: the Zargum is, in bis Word; his effential Word, by whom the world was made, and who, in the fulnefs of time, was made flefh, and dwelt among us, and who is a proper object of truft; in him fhould the people of God truft; in his perfon for acceptance with God, in his righteoufnefs for juftification, in his blood for pardon, in his grace for fupply, and in his ftrength for fupport, deliverance, and falvation, and that at ail times: there is no time excepted; there is not a moment in which the Lord is not to be trufted in: he is to be trufted in, in adverfity, as well as in profperity; in times of affliction, when he is prefént, and will not forfake; in times - of temptation, when his grace is fufficient for them; and in times of darknefs, when he will arife and appear unto them. Pour out your heart before bim + as Hannah did, 1 Sam. i. 15. and as water is poured out, Lam. ii. 19. it means the defires of the heart, the complaints of the foul, the whole of their cafe which they fhould fpread before the Lord, and make known unto him; fee Pai, cii. title, and cxlii..2. the phrafe denotes the abundance of the heart, and of its requefts, and the freedom with which they fhould be made to the Lord; for thro® the blood and facrifice of Chrift,'a believer may come to the throne of grace with boldnefs and liberty, and there freely tell the Lord all his mind and the whole that is in his heart. God isa refuge for us. Selah. to whom the faints may have recourfe in all their times of trouble, and where they find fafety and plenty, J/a. xxxiii. 16, ¥. 9. Surely men of low degree are vanity, &c.J Or fons of Adam’ of the earthly man; of fallen Adam; one of his immediate fons was called Hebel, vanity; and it is true of all his fons; but here’ it defigns only one fort of them; fuch as are poor and low in the world; mean men, as the phrafe is rendered in J/a. ii. g. fee the note on Pfal. xix. 2. thefe are fubject to finful vanity; their thoughts are vain, their affections vain, their minds vain their converfation vain, finful, foolith, fallacious. and inconftant. The wicked poor are, generall; fpeaking, of all perfons, the moft wicked; and therefore, though they are the multitude, they are not to be trufted in. ~The Arabic verfion is, they are as a fhadow, fleeting and unftable, no folidity in them; the Syriac verfion, as a.vapour, that foon paffeth away, like the breath of the mouth, and fo not to be accounted of. And men of high degree are. a lie; or fons of men; of we the great men *, as it. is rendered in J/a. ii, 9, noblemen, men of high: birth, fortune, rank, and quality; thefe are a fe fallacious and deceitful: they talk of their blood, as if it was different from the reft of mankind; but trace them up to their original Adam, and it is a lie.. All men are made of one blood, As xvii. 26. their riches promife them peace and pleafure, and long life, but do not give thofe things, Luke xii, 16—-20. their honour is fickle and inconftant; they are fet in high places, and thofe are flippery ones; they are brought to defolation in a moment, and b MN “yy fuper Deo, Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis; faper Deum, Vatablus, Cocceius.! CON 12 filif Adam, Mufculus, Michaelis; nati plebeio homine, Junius & Tremellius; plebeii, Gejerus; fons of bafe men, Ainfworth. & WN 3D nati praftante viro, Junius & Tremellius; fons of noble men, Ainfworth, Vid, Schindler, col. 214.

_and if they continue in them till death, their glory, does not defcend after them, P/al. xlix. 17. and Ixxiii. 18,. they make promifes of great things

“to thofe who.apply to them, but rarely perform, and ‘are by no means to be confided in,, ‘This dif-

‘tinétion of high and low degree is obferyed in Fam.

‘4.9, 10. To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity,; takea pair of balances, and

‘put men’ both of high and low degtee together in will go down; for take them altogether, they are lighter than that: the word /ighter is not in the text, but is rightly fupplied, as itis by Aben Ezra, ‘Kimcbi, and Ben Melech.. This laft claufe, according to the accents, may be beft rendered thus; being put in the balance, they muft afcend s they.are lighter than vanity together. The Targumis, “if *< they fhould take the fons of men in a balance, <¢ and weigh their fates, they themfelves would be “« iigbter than nothing, as one;’’ or than vanity to-. ‘gether.

y¥. 10. Trust not in oppreffion, 8cc.] Either in the power of oppreffing others; fee Ja. xxx. 12. or in riches gotten by oppreffion, which being put into a man’s. hand by his friend, he keeps, and will not return them; fo Aben Ezraand Kimchi interpret it of mammon unlawfully obtained; mammon of unrighteoufnels, or unrighteous mammon;_ And become not vain in robbery;

fee Fer. xvii. 11. in riches gotten by open rapine and theft; and men become vain herein when they boaft of fuch _ riches, place their confidence in them, and think to make atonement for their fins by burnt-facrifices purchafed with them, J/a, Ixi. 8. Df richesincreafe; in a lawful way, in fuch manner as the fruits of the earth do, as the word ™ ufed fignifies > if they increafe in great abundance from a little, as from one grain of corn many proceed; and.infenfibly, as the feed fown grows up, a man knows not how, through diligence, and the blefling of God from heaven. Set yot your heart upon them; your affections on them; they are enfnaring, they are apt to take the heart from God, to draw off the affections from Chrift, and things above, to choak the word, and lead into many temptations and burtful lufts 5, let not your hearts be elated, or lifted up with them; be not high minded, or filled with pride and vanity on account of them; nor put any truft in them, for they are uncertain things. archi interprets it of the increafe of the riches of others; fee P/a. xlix.

y.: 1. God hath fpoken once, &c.| One word of his is: more to be confided in, and depended on, than all the men and things in the world. The meaning is not that God hath only fpoke once he

HIS pfalm was compofed by David, either when he was perfecuted by Sau/, and obliged to hide himfelf in defart places, as in the foreft of

A pfalm of David, when he was in the wildernefs of Judah.

hasfpoke often; he fpoke all things out of nothing; -in creation; he fpoke all the words of thelawar amount Sizai; he {poke by the prophets under the ~ Old Teftament-difpenfation, and by his Som in the laft days, and ftill by the minifters»of the gofpel: but the fenfe is, that what God has once ftands s it is irreverfible and immutable satis firm, fure, and unalterable; he does not repent, he can-. not lie, nor will he alter the thing that is gone out of his lips; and therefore his word isto be trufted to, when men of high degree area lies, Twice have I beard this; that is, many times, as Kimchi explains it: the Targum refers this, and the preceding claufe, tothe delivery of the law: ** one law:God “ fpake, and twice we heard it from the mouth of “¢ Mofesthe great {eribes” but the meaningis, that the pfalmift had heard of two things, and ‘was well affured of the truth of them, and which*were the foundation of his truftand confidences one is mentioned in'this verfe, and the other in the next; the firft is, That power belongeth unto Gods great power, even almighty power, as appears from the creation of all things out of nothing, the preferva- _ tion of them in their beings, the government of the world, the redemption of his people by Chrift, | the work of grace upon their hearts by this ‘Spirit, the perfeverance of the faints, their deliverance from their enemies, and the deftruction of them: The ancient Cabalifts * among the Jews have endeavoured, from this paflage, to eftablifh a Trinity in unity, they fpeak of *¢ three fuperior Sepbirot,’ or <* numbers 3 and of them it is faid, God bath fpoken once, twice have I beard this; once and twice, lo, the three. fuperior numbers, of whom itis faid, one, one, one, three ones; and this is the mean-~ ing of God bath fpoken once, twice have I beard. this; this in it makes them one.” Uf sit <I

. ¥. 12. Alfo unto thee, O Lord; ‘belongeth mercy, &c.] This isthe other thing the pfalmift had heard, and was affured of, and which encouraged his hope and truft in the Lord; that mercy belonged to him, P/al.:cxxx. 7. as appears, not Only from the common bounties. of his providence, daily beftowed upon his creatures; but from the fpecial gift of his Son, and of all fpiritual mercies and bleffings in him; from the regeneration of the Lord’s people, the pardon of their fins, and their eternal falvation. For thou renderest to every man according to his work, and which is a reafon proving that both power and mercy belong to Gods power in punifhing the wicked according to their deferts, and mercy in ‘rewarding the faints, not in away of merit, or of debt, but of grace. Some interpret the words, as Aben Exra and Kimchi obferve, though thou rendereft, &c. that is, God is gracious and merciful, though he is alfo juft and righteous in rendering to every man as\his work is, xxiv. 1. all which were in the tribe of Fudab, Joth. XV. 55, 62. or when his fon 4b/alom rebelled againft him, which obliged him to flee from Yerufalem, and go the way of the wildernefs, where Ziba and Barzillai fent him food, teft his young men that were with him fhould faint there, 2 Sam.’ XV. 23. and xvi. 2.:and xvii, 29.. The Septuagint ‘verfion,’ and thofe that follow:that, «call it the wil-!

dernefs-of [dtimea, or Edom, as the Arabic verfion; and fo the' Chaldee paraphrafe,-** in the-wildernefs

<< which was‘6n the border of the tribe of Fadab 5”

as Edom was, Fofo:xv-21. fo the Meffiah, David's “fon,” was inca wildernefs, where he was tempted'by the devil,: and-where he was hungry and thirfty in a literal fenfe, as David was here in a fpiritual fenfe, ‘asthe pfalm fhews, Matt. iv: 1, 2. and the church of God, whom David fometimes perfonates, is faid to’be in a wildernefs, where fhe is fed for a time, and times, and half atime, even during the whole reign of the antichriftian beaft, Rev. xii. 14. and indeed all the faints are, at one time or another, ina defart ‘condition, and whilft they are here, are jn the wildernefs of the people, Ho/. ii 14. Ezek. XX. 35.

xt! O God, thou art my God, 8c.] ° Not by nature only, or by birth, nor merely as an J/raelite and fon of dbrabam, but by~grace through

Chrift, and_in virtue of an everlafting covenant, the bleffings and promifes of which were applied unto him; and he, by faith, could now claim his intereft in them, and in his God as his covenant-God; who is a God at hand and‘afar off, was his God in the wildernefs of ‘fudea;as in his palace at Ferufalem.

The Targum is, “* thou art my ftrength.”* Early, will T feck thee, or I will morning thee° 1 will feek thee as foon as the morning appears; and fo the Targum, “I will arife in the morning before «thee;” it has refpeé to prayer in the morning, and to feeking God betimes, and in the firft place's fee Pfal, v. 3. and lv. 17. or diligently?; as a merchant feeks for goodly pearls, or other commodities fuitable for him; fo Aben Ezra fuggelts, as if the word was to be derived, not from 9muy the morning, but from "id merchandize; and thofe who feck the Lord both early and diligently fhall find him, and not lofe their labour, “Prov. ii. 4,°5.: and viii. 17. Heb. xi. 6. © My foul thirfteth for thee; after his word, worfhip, and ‘ordinances; after greater knowledge of him, communion with him, and more grace from him} particularly after par- ~ doning grace and juftifying righteoufnels; fee P a/.

xiii. 1, 2. Matt. v. 6. My fle/h longeth for thee: which is expreflive of the fame thing in’ different words; ‘and denotes, that he moft earneftly defired, with his whole felf, his: heart, foul and ftrength, that he might enjoy the prefenceofGod. In adry ang thirfty land, where no water is; fuch was the wildernefs of Fudea, where he now ‘was, and where’

he was deftitute of the means of grace, of the ordinances of God’s houfe, and’ wanted comfort and refrefhment.for his foul, which he thirfted and longed after, as a thirfty man after water in a defart lace.

y. 2. To fee thy power and thy glory, &c.] Either the ark, as the Jewifh writers generally interpret it; the fymbol of God’s prefence and glory, and which is called his ftrength and his glory; fee Pfal. \xxviii. 61, and cxxxii. 8. orrather, the Lord Chrift, who is the"power of God, as well as the wifdom of God; by whom he made the world, and upholds it, by whom he has redeemed his people, and keeps and preferves them; and whofe power is feen in the efficacy of the word and ordinances: and who is alfo the glory of God; he is the brightnefs of his Father’s glory; his glory is the glory as of the only begotten of the Father; he

* GOWN fub auroram quero te, Pifcator.

hhomage.and worfhip; and the glory of all the di- Vine attributes is difplayed in the work of falvation and redemption he has wrought out; and this glory is to be feen, thro’ the glafs of the word and ordinances, in the houfe of God. Hence it follows; So as I have feen thee in the fanétuary s where he comes and bleffes his people, and manifefts himfelf unto them, as he does not unto the

-world; where his goings are feen, and his footfteps: traced, Pfal. xviii. 24. The pfalmift calls to mind former experiences in the fan@tuary; and thefe ftimulate him to an eager defire of frefh taftes of the grace of God, and clearer views of his power and glory. Or, as in a dry and thirfty land, my foul longed and thirfted for thee, fo have I defired to fee thee in the fan@tuary; or fol fee thee there as if in the fanctuary.

¥. 3. Becaufe thy loving-kindnefs is better than life, &c.j For life without the love of God is nothing elfe than death: a man that has no hare in the love of God, is dead while he lives; all the enjoyments of life, health, riches, honour, friends, &c. are nothing without the love of God; the meaneft temporal bleffings with it, are preferable to the greateft without it, Prov. xv. 17. it lafts longer than life, and therefore muft be better than that y death cannot feparate from it; it continues to all eternity. And that the faints prefer it to this natural life, appears by their readinefs to lay it down for the fake of Chrift and his gofpel, in which the loving-kindnefs of God is fo richly manifefted unto them; to which may be added, that it is the love of God which gives to his people fpiritual life, and which iffues in eternal life, and therefore muft be better than a temporal one. The Targum is, ‘* for better is thy kindnefs, which thou «¢ wilt do for the righteous in the world to come, ss than the life which thou giveft the wicked in this s© world.” My lips fhall praife thee; that is, for thy loving-kindnefs, and becaufe it is better than life, and any enjoyment of it.

y.4. Thus will I blefs thee while I live, &c.} With his whole heart and foul, as he had fought after him, and as under a fenfe of his loving-kindnefs; and as he now praifed him with his lips, fo he’ determined to do as long as he had life and being by proclaiming his bleffednefs, by afcribing bleffing and honour to him, and by giving him the glory of all mercies temporal and {piritual. J will lift up my hands in thy name; not againtt his enemies, againft thofe that fought againft him, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it, but unto God in heaven; and that not as a gefture ufed in fwearing, but either in bleffing, as 4ben Ezra obferves; fo the high-prieft lift up his hands when he bleffed the people; or in prayer, or in both, fo Farchi’s note is, to pray and to praife; fee the note on Pfal. xxviii. 2. The Zargum is, ** in the name of “© thy Word, I will fpread out my hands in prayer «6 for the world to come;” that is, in the name of the Meffiah, the effential Word, in whofe name prayer is to be made, and whereby it becomes prevalent and fuccefsful; fee Fobm xiv. 13, 14. and xvi. 23, 24,26. This is a prayer-gefture; fee the note on P/al. xxviii. 2.

oy. 5. My foul foall be fatisfied as with marrow and fatnefs, 8¢c.] When he fhould return to the houfe of the Lord, and partake of the provifions of it, called the fatnefs of his houfe, P/a, xxxvi. 8.

fee the note there. The phrafe denotes the abundance of fpiritual refrefhment and delight in the word

.word and ordinarices, and the preat fatisfaction had in them 3 and may have fome regard to benefits arifing from prayer, as well as other’ ordinances. Fat was not to be eaten under the legal difpenfation, and therefore not to be literally taken s but in the typical and fpiritual fenfe which David underftood, and therefore refpeéts that, or otherwife he would {peak contrary to the law of God: he refers to thofe fpiritual good things which they typified, and give fpiritual pleafure and fatisfaction. And my mouth fhall praife thee with joyful lips, fuch a full meal, fuch a rich entertainment, calls for abundant thankfulnefs; which is here fignified by the mouth praifing the Lord, and doing this with lips of fhouting, expreffions of joy, fongs of praife, jubilee-fongs. The allufion is to the ufe of mufic and finging at feftivals; fee J/a. v.12. ¥. 6. When I remember thee upon my bed, &c.] Or beds *; feeing he lay in many, as Kimchi obferves; being obliged to flee from place to place. The fenfe is; that when-he was on his bed in the night-feafon, when alone, and free from worldly cares and fatigues, and called to mind the love of God to him, the paft experience of his kindnefs, his promifes to him, and the fulfilment of them; that he fhould then be delightfully entertained, abundantly fatisfied, and his mouth be filled with fongs of praife. And meditate on thee in the nightwatches; which the Jewifh writers on the text fay, were three, as they- were with the Jews, but with the Romans four; fee the note on Matt. xiv. 25. and the night in the times of Homer* was divided into three parts: the night-feafon is a very proper one for meditation, on the perfections, providences, promifes, word and works of God; and which is very delightful and profitable, when attended with the prefence, Spirit, and grace of God. The Targum is, ‘© in the watches I will meditate, on thy ** word,” ¥.7+ Becaufe thou haft been my help, &c.] Or, that thou baft been my belp*; and fo the words may be confidered as the fubject of his meditation in the night- watches, at leaft as a part of it; and as what gave him a great deal of pleafure to reflect upon, how the Lord had been in times paft a prefent help to him in time of trouble. Therefore in the fhadow of thy wings will I rejoice; meaning under the protecting power of God, where he knew he was fafe, and therefore had reafon to rejoice. The allufion is to the chirping of chickens under the wing of the hen; fee P/al. lvii. 1. and Ixi. 4. The Targum is, ** in the fhadow of thy /Lekinah will I re- “ joice;” referring it may be to the /hekinab, or prefence of God between the cherubim,whofe wings overfhadowed the mercy-feat. y. 8. My foul followeth bard after thee, &c.| In a way of duty, and in the ufe of means, as prayer, meditation, &#c. tho’ at a diftance from the houfe of God, and worfhip of it; that he might not lofe fight of him; that he might know more of him, and have more communion with him;_ being drawn after him with the cords of love, and ftrongly affected to him. Or, my foul cleaveth after thee, or ¢o thee‘; not to the world, and the things of it; not to that which is evil, but to that which is good, even the /ummum bonum; not to the creature, but to the Lord; which is expreffive of union to him, even fuch an one as is between man and. wife, who cleave to each other, and are one of duty. To cleave.to the Lord, is to hold to him the head; to exercife the graces of faith, hope and love upon him; and to follow him in, his ways and worfhip 5 to abide by his truths; to attend his ordinances; to keep clofe to-his people, and to adhere firmly to his caufe, and intereft; fee 4s xi. -

23. The Targum is, ‘* my foul cleaveth after thy “ law.’ Thy right hand upboldeth. me; that he fell not through the fnares laid for him, and the ftumbling-blocks thrown in his way; that he ftood and bore up under all his afflictions, temptations and difficulties; that he was enabled to follow hard after the’Lord, and cleave unto him; this fupported, fupplied and protected him, even the mighty power and grace ot God. In what a happy, comfortable, and fafe condition muft the pfalmift be! his foul following hard after the Lord; and the Lotd holding and fuftaining him with his right hand! and how vain muit be the attempts of his enemies again{t him! whofe deftruction is next predicted,.

¥.9. But thofe that feck my foul to deftroy tt, &c.

Meaning his life; for.as for his foul, that was immaterial and immortal,,and could never be deftroyed by man: but as for his natural life, his enemies laid {nares for that, and fought to take it away, and nothing lefs would fatisfy them. Shall go into the lower parts of the earth; not the grave, whither the righteous go as well as. the wicked; » befides, by their being the portion of foxes, as follows, it feems that they fhould have no burial; bug hell.is meant, the bottomlefs-pit. Some take it to be a prayer, as Kimchi and Ben Melech;. may they go, or let them go, &c, fee Pfal. ly. 15. The allufion may be thought to be to the death of Korab and his company.

¥. 10. They fhall fall by the fword, &c.] As Saul, his fons, and mighty men did, 1 Sam, xxxi, 4, 55 6. or, they foall make bim pour out"; that is, his blood, by the bands or means of the fwords meaning either fome principal enemy, as Sgu/ in particular, or every one of his enemies; who fhould be thruft with the fword, their blood let out, and. they flain: fo Antichrift, the enemy of David’s fon, will be put to death in this manner, Rev. xiii. 10. hey hall be a portion for foxes; falling in defolate places where foxes run, and fo become the food of them, and have no other burial. The foxes hunt after dead carcafes, and will find them out where they are, in holes and ditches; as appears from the cafe of Ari/tomenes, related by

Paufanias“: fo the followers of Antichrift, their — flefh will be eaten by the fowls of heaven, Rev. xix. 17, 18.;

y. 11. But the king fhall rejoice in God, &c. Not -

Saul, as R. Obadiah; as if David withed him well and that he might have reafon to rejoice in tho’ he fought his hurt; which fenfe is rejected by. Aben Ezra; but either David, who {peaks of himfelf as king, being anointed by Samuel, and who, _ upon the death of Sau/, was fo in fact; and w rejoiced, not merely at the deftruction of his enemies, for he lamented the death of Saul, 2 Sam.i 17. but in God, in his grace and goodnefs to and in his power and juftice fhewn in the venge taken on them. Or rather, the King M who —. Feoiced CAPA MPI adhelit por te;

aod ‘éommunion in the exercife of grace, and difcharge — rejoiced in God becaufe of the good of his people, their converfion and falvation, and their deliverance from their enemies, P/al. xxi. 1. Luke x. 21. Every one that fweareth by bim fball glory; not by David, tho’ fuch a form of fwearing was ufed; fee faithful fubjects {wearing allegiance to him: but rather by the Lord, in whom the king fhould rejoice; and defigns the worfhippers of him; fwearing by him, being fometimes put for the whole worfhip and fervice of God, Deut. vi. 13. The heathens,ufed to fwear by their deities, and their chief was called Fupiter Horcius, becaute he prefided over oaths *, rejoice in God; ad interids fuch as believe in him and confefs him 5 fee //a. xlv. 23. compared with Rom. xiv. 11. And every fuch an one will glory, not in themfelves, nor in any thing of theirs, but in Chrift, in his grace and righteouinefs, and in what he is unto them. But the mouth of them that {peak lies foall be ftopped fuch as Saui’s courtiers, who invented and {pread lies of David; but now upon the death of Sau/, and David’s advancement to the throne, would be filent; their mouths being ftopped either by death, or thro’ fear: and fo all the followers of Antichrift, that make and believe a lie, will have their mouths ftopped, when caft into the

Or elfe that the King Chrift fhould j lake of fire, Rev. xxi. 8:

To the chief mufician, A pfalm of David.

HIS pfalm is applied by R. Obadiah, to Ha- f man and Mordecai. The enemy is Haman, the perfect man fhot at is Mordecai; about whom Haman communed with his friends to lay {nares for him, and fearched diligently for occafions againft him and his people, which iffued in his own deftruétion. The ancient Midrafh ’ of the Jews, applies it to Daniel, when caft into the den of lions; and Farchi fuppofes that David, by a {pirit of prophecy, forefaw it, and prayed for him who was of his feed; and that every thing in the pfalm beautifully falls in with that account: Daniel is the perfect man aimed at; the enemy are the princes of Darius’s court, who confulted againft him, communed of laying fnares for him, and gained their point, which proved their own ruin. But the pfalm literally belongs to David, by whom it was compofed. The Arabic verfion calls it a pfalm of David, when Saul perfecuted him; and the Syriac verfion refers it to the time when Gad faid to him, Abide not in the hold, 1 Sam. xxii. 5. He is the perfe&t man, who was upright and innocent as to what he was charged with in refpect to Sau/; who is the enemy, from the fear of whom he defires his life might be preferved; and who with his courtiers took counfel againft him, and laid deep fchemes to deftroy him, but at laft were deftroyed themfelves, Moreover, the pfalm may very well be applied to the Meffiah, the fon of David, and who was his antitype, and efpecially in his fufferings: He is the perfeét man in the higheft fenfe; the Jews were the enemies that took counfel, and fearched for occa-: fions againft him, and accomplifhed their defigns in a good meafure; for which wrath came upon them to the uttermoft. The pfalmift alfo may be very well thought to perfonate the church and people of God; who in all ages have had their enemies and their fears; againft whom wicked men

Preferve my life from fear of the enemy; David had his enemies, Sau/ and his courtiers, and was afraid of them 3 Chrift had his enemies, the wicked Jews, who fought his life before the time, and therefore he walked no more in wry till near the time; and whofe human nature was fometimes poffeffed of the fears of death, though they were finlefs ones: the church and people of God have their enemies; as the men of the world, who revile, reproach and perfecute them Satan their adverfary, who goes about feeking to devour them; and their own corruptions and lufts, which war againft their fouls; and death, the laft enemy, which is fo to human nature, tho’ by the grace of Chrift friendly to the faints. And the people of God have their fears of thefe enemies; they are afraid of men, their revil= ings and perfecutions, tho’ they have no reafon; fince God is on their fide; and of Satan, whofe fiery darts and buffetings are very diftreffing, the? if refifted he will flee;. and of theit own corruptions, left they fhould one day perifh by them; or at leaft, left they fhould break out, to the wounding of their fouls, and the difhonour of God: and fome of them, thro’ fear of death, are all their lifes time fubject to bondage; which fears, tho’ they are not the faints excellencies, but their infirmities, yet are confiftent with the grace of God; and under the power and influence of thefe fears, they apprehend fometimes their life to be in danger; and therefore pray to the God of their life, who has given them it, and is the preferver of it, that he would preferve their natural life, as he does; as alfo their fpiritual life, which is preferved by him; is bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord. their God, and is-hid with Chriit in God.

¥. 2. Hide me from the fecret counfel of the wicked, &c.] The word ufed denotes both the place where wicked men meet together for confultation;

have devifed mifchief, and levelled their arrows of fee Gen. xlix. 6, P/fal.i. 1. and the counfel itfelf perfecution; tho’ no weapon formed againft them fhall profper. — y.1. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer, &c.] The prayer of the pfalmift was vocal, and exprefsed in a mournful manner, with groans and cries, as the word * ufed fignifies, and with great ardour and fervency; his condition, by reafon of his enemies, being very diftrefling, and therefore he is very eager and earneft that he might be heard, = Euripidis Medea, v.170. Vid.Alex.

and the perfons that entred into fuch meafures, ab Alex.Genial. Dier. 1. 5. ¢.10.

they there take; from the bad effects of which the pfalmift defired to be hid and preferved. So Saul and his courtiers fecretly took counfel againft David, and the Jews againft Chrift, and that very privily and fecretly 5 fee Mart. xxvi. 3. and xxvii, 1. rom the infurreétion of the workers of iniquity; their noife, rage and tumult; fee Pfal. ii. 1, 2. The former phrafe denotes their fecret machinations and defigns, and this their open violence 3 are no y Apud Jarchium & Yalkut Simeoni in loc,

® IFPWI in querimonia mea, Tigurine verfion; in oratione mca gemebunda, Gejerus; fo Michaelis.

73° no other than evil-doers and workers of iniquity; though they might be under a proféffion of religion, as Davia’s enemies, and the Jews who were Chrift’s enemies were, Matt, vii. 225-23: and who -are further defcribed in the next verfes.

¥. 3. Who whet their tongue like a fword, 8c.) Ufe cutting, wounding, killing and devouring words; on which they fet an edge, and make them keener and keener, to hurt and ruin the characters ‘and reputations of good men, and grieve and diftrefs their minds. And bend their bows to fhoot their arrows, even bitter words; fuch are the falfe doctrines of heretical men, which are roots of bitterne{s, that defile fome and trouble others; fuch are the oaths and curfes of profane finners, whofe mouths are full of curfing and bitternefs; and fuch are the blafphemies of Antichrift againft God, ‘againft his tabernacle, and again{t them that dwell therein; and fuch are the hard fpeeches fpoken by ungodly finners againft Chrift and his people;

thefe are like arrows fhot from a bow, and full of deadly poifon, The Targum is; * they ftretch out © their bows, they anoint their arrows with dead- «« ly and bitter poifon.’? There feemis to be an al- Jufion to fixing letters by arrows, and fo fhooting or directing them where it was defired they fhould fall and be taken up 3 fo Timoxenus and Artobazus fent letters to one another in this way, at the fiege of Potidea*: and-after the fame manner the Jews fay’, Shebua and Foab fent letters to Sennacherib, acquainting him, that all //rae/ were willing to make peace with him; but Hezekiah and [aiah would not fuffer them.

‘-¥e4. That they may fhoot in fecret at the perfect, &c.]' Meaning himfelf, who tho’ not without fin, and far from perfection in himfelf, in the fight of God and with refpeé to his righteous law, which was exceeding broad; and therefore he faw an end of all perfection, and'defired that God would not enter into judgment with him; but yet, in the cafe of

Squl, he was quite clear and innocent, and without fault. Likewife the Meffiah, of whom David was a type, may be meant; who has all the perfections of the divine and human nature in him, and is without fin, holy, harmlefs, pure and undefiled: and it may be applied to the church'and people of God, who, tho’ they are not perfec in themfelves, far from ‘it, fin being ‘in them, and their graces weak; unlefs it be in a comparative fenfe; yet they are perfect in Chrift Jefus, their fouls being clothed with his righteoufnefs, and fo are the fpirits of juft men made perfeét. And this charaéter may alfo refpect the truth and fincerity of grace in them, and the uprightnefs of ‘their hearts and converfation; and fueh as thefe, wicked 'men level their arrows:at, and direct their fpite and: venom againft, and that in the moft private and fecret manner. Suddenly do they fooot at him; as unfeen by him, fo unawares to him. And fear not; neither God' nor judgment to come: Fhough fome underftand:this of the perfect, who, though fhot at in this manner, are intrepid and: courageous, and have no fear of their enemies; but the former fenfe feems beft, which deferibes perfons that neither fear God, nor regard man, be Even yt ¥.5. They encourage themfelves in an evil matter, &c.} -Or firengthen him *; that is; Saul,’ by making ufe of arguments’ and reafoning to go on in his wicked perfecution of David; or,’ they ftrengthened and hardened themfelves in their wickednefs, as Sau/’s courtiers, and the enemies of

Chrift did, and as all wicked men do, when they obferve the fentence again{t them is not {peedily executed, Eccl. viii. 11: They commune of laying fnares privily; that is, they converfed together, and ‘confulted how to lay fnares for the perfect man in the moft private manner, that they might entrap him: and deftroy him. bey fay; Who foall fee them? either the fnares laid, or the perfons that laid them? None; no not even God himfelf; fee Pfal.%. 11,14. aa y.6. They fearch out iniquities, &c.]. The Zargum adds, ** to deftroy the juft.” Either occafions againft them, by charging them with fin and fuborning falfe witnefles againft them, as did the enes mies both of David and Chrift; they fought for proper time and opportunity of committing the iniquities they were bent upon, and even fearched for new fins, being inventers of evil things, Rom. i, 30. They accomplifh a diligent fearch; diligently fearched out the perfect man, and found him 3 and alfo falfe witnefles againft him, and carried their point; which was efpecially true with refpeét to Chrift. Both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart is deep; being full of cunning, craftinefs and wickednefs, fo as not to be fearched out and fully known; fee P/fal. v.g. Fer. XVIL Q. t y. But God fhall fooot at them with an arrow, &c.] With one or other of his four judgments; famine, peftilence, fword, and wild. beafts, Lueck. xiv. 24. which he brings upon wicked men; and may be compared to arrows, as they are, Ezek. v. 16, 17. Pfal. xci. 5, 6. Deut. Xxxil. 41, 42. becaufe they move fwiftly. The judgment of wicked men lingereth not, tho’ it may feem todo fo; and becaufe they often come fuddenly and at an unayvares, when men are crying, Peace, peace; and becaufe they are fharp and piercing, penetrate deep, and ftick faft, and wound and kill; they are not arrows of deliverance, unlefs to the Lord’s people, who, by his judgments on the wicked, are delivered from them; but deftroying ones, 2 Kings xiii, 17. Pfal. cxliv. 6. when God draws the bow an fhoots, execution is done. This is faid in oppofition to what wicked men do, y¥. 3, 4. and in juft retae liation; they fhoot at the perfect, and God fhoots at them. Suddenly jhall they be wounded; with the wound of an enemy, with the chaftifement of a cruel one, with a deadly wound that fhall never be healed; not with the arrow of God’s word, but ~ _ with the ftroke of his hand; which comes fuddenly, falls heavy, and makes the wound incurablesa:7t eric Baise. y¥. 8. So fball they make their own tongue to. fall upon themfelves, &c.) The evil things they have _ wifhed for, threatened unto and imprecated on Oy. thers, fhall come upon themfelves;. the curfes they have ‘curfed others with, fhall come upon them felves, the pit they have dug for others, they fall into. So: Haman, to whom fome apply the pfalmy, was hanged on the gallows he made for Mordecai, _and the accufers of Daniel, to whom others appl ‘it, were caft into the fame den of lions they pro= cured for him; and Babylon, who has been drunk with the blood of the faints, fhall have blood given her to drink. «All that. fee them foall flee away; nol iheads in a way of derifion, as far, ‘i.

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