Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 3 · Commentary on psalm 2
PSAL. LXXIV.
The Prophet complaineth of the desolation of the Sanctuary. 10 He moveth God to helpe in consideration of his power, 18 of his repreachfull …nemies, of his children, and of his Covenant.
An instructing Psalme of Asaph.
WHerefore, O God, hast thou cast us off to perpetuitie: shall thine anger smoake against the sheep of thy pasture? Remember thy congregatiō, which thou hast purchased of old, the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed, this mount Sion wherin thou hast dwelt. Lift up thy feet to the desolatiōs of perpetuitie, the enemy hath done evill to all things, in the Sanctuary. Thy distressers roare in the mids of thy synagogues; they have set their signes for signes. He was knowne, as he lifted on high, axes against the thicket of the wood. And now the carved workes thereof all together they have beat down, with beetle and mallets.
They have cast into the fire thy sanctuaries, to the earth they have profaned the dwelling place of thy name. They said in their heart, let us make spoile of them altogether; they have burned all the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signes, there is not any Prophet more, nor any with us that knoweth how long. How long, O God, shall the distresser reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name to perpetuity? Wherefore turnest thou away thine hand, even thy right hand? draw it out of the midst of thy bosome, make a full end. For God is my King from antiquity, he worketh salvations in the midst of the earth. Thou didst breake asunder the sea by thy strength, didst breake in peeces the heads of the dragons in the waters. Thou didst quite burst the heads of Livjathan, didst give him for meat to the people that dwell in drie desarts. Thou didst cleave the fountaine and the streame, thou diddest dry up the rivers of strength. The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast prepared the light and the Sunne. Thou hast constituted all the borders of the earth, the summer and the winter, them hast thou formed. Remember this, the enemy reproacheth Iehovah, and the foolish people blaspheme thy name. Give not the soule of thy turtle-dove to the wilde company; the company of thy poore afflicted forget not to perpetuity. Have respect unto the covenant, for full are the darknesses of the earth, of the habitations of violent wrong. Let not the oppressed return ashamed; let the poore afflicted and needy praise thy name. Rise up, O God, pleade thou thy plea, remember thy reproach from the foole all the day. Forget not the voice of thy distressers; the tumultuous noise of them that rise up against thee ascendeth continually.
Annotations.
OF Asaph] or, to Asaph; in Chaldee, by the hands of Asaph: see Psal. 50. 1. If Asaph (who lived in Davids daies) made this Psalme, it was a prophesie of troubles to come. If some other Prophet made it when calamities were on Israel, then was it committed to Asaphs posterity the singers, called by their fathers name; as Aarons posterity, are called Aaron, 1 Chron. 12. 27. thine anger smoake] or, thy nose smoke, that is, burne, as was threatned, Deut. 29. 20. A manifestation of fore displeasure: see Psal. 18. 9. and 80. 5. sheepe or flocke, that is, us thy people, as Psal. 79. 13. The stocke comprehendeth sheepe and goats, Lev. 1. 10.
Vers. 2. purchased of old] or bought of y…re, when thou broughtest them out of Egypt, Exod. 15. 16. or understand, that thou hast purchased it, hast redeemed, &c. the rod of thine inheritance] that is, Israel, Ier. 10. 16. called elsewhere the line of Gods inheritance, Deut. 32. 9. which he measured out for himselfe as land is meted with a rod or line. It may also be read the scepter, or the tribe of thine inheritance, as Esa. 63. 17. for the Hebrew Shebet, which properly is a rod or staffe, is sometime a scepter, Psal. 45. 7. sometime a tribe, Psal. 78. 67.
Vers. 3. Lift up thy feet] or thy hammers, that is, thy strokes, to stampe or beat downe the enemy unto perpetuall desolations. Thus the feet are used to tread downe with, Isa. 26. 6. and so the Greeke taketh it here, changing the metaphor, and translating it, thy hands, which are also instruments to strike downe with. Or lift up thy feet, that is, Come quickly to see the perpetuall desolations which the enemy hath made. hath done evill] that is, broken, robbed, burned, wasted all things; as did Nebuchadnezar in the Temple, 2 King. 24. 13. and 25. 9, 13, 14, &c.
Vers. 4. thy synagogues] or assemblies, either the courts and places about the temple, where the people assembled, or the other synagogues in Ierusalem, as after in vers. 8. he speakes of all the synagogues in the land, places where prayers and lectures of the law were used, Act. 16. 13. and 15. 21. The assembly of Christians is called also by this name synagogue, Iam. 2. 2. their signes] or banners, which are signes of victory, or of idolatry. See after, vers. 9.
Vers. 5. He was knowne] He, that is, A man, or every one of the enemies was knowne, that is, renowmed, or famous, as having done some notable act. as he lifted on high] or, as he that bringeth aloft, that is, as a man brings the axe aloft over his head, to fell downe the thicke wood with might and maine. They cut downe the wood of the temple, as men doe trees in a forest. thicket of the wood] that is, the thick wood or tree, whose boughes are wrapped one in another: or, (if we understand it of the wood-worke in the Temple,) the infolded graven wood, which he that did most eagerly cut downe, was most renowmed.
Vers. 6. And now] or, And then, at the same time. So Ps. 27. 6. carved workes] gravings, or (as the Hebrew phrase is) openings, used for graven or carved workes, Exod. 28. 11. The Greeke here turneth it, doores, which also have their name of opening.
Vers. 7. thy sanctuaries] the temple (which had divers holy places) was burned by Nebuzar-adan, 2 King. 25. 9. to the earth] to wit, burning or rasing downe to the ground.
Vers. 8. Let us make spoile] or, wee will oppresse, prey upon them. Of this Hebrew root, the Dove hath her name in that tongue, as being subject to the prey and spoile of Hawkes, &c. wherefore in vers. 19. he calleth the Church a turtle-dove.
Vers. 9. our signes] the testimonies of Gods presence and favour, extraordinary or ordinary, as the sacrifices, &c. Dan. 11. 31. So Circumcision, the passeover, the Sabbath, &c. were for signes to Israel, Gen. 17. 11. Exod. 12. 13. and 31. 13. or, as the Chaldee expoundeth it, the signes which the Prophets gave us. any Prophet] that could see and foretell by the spirit an end of these troubles, Lam. 2. 9. A Prophet (N…bi) is one that from the inward counsell of God uttereth oracles. In old time he was called a Seer, 1 Sam. 9. 9. Amos 7. 12. how long] to wit, this affliction shall endure. The like speech is in Psal. 6. 4.
Vers. 11. draw it, &c.] this word, or some such, seemeth here to be understood, as often in the Hebrew: see Psal. 69. 11. The drawing the hand out of the bosome denoteth a performance of the worke without …acknesse, as we may see by the contrary, Prov. 26. 15. full end] by consuming our enemies, and accomplishing our deliverance.
Vers. 13. the sea] in Chaldee, the waters of the red sea. of the dragons] or whales, meaning the noble men of Egypt, who pursuing the Israelites were drowned in the red sea, Exod. 14. 28. For great persons are likened to Dragons or Whale-fishes, as Ezek. 29. 3.
Vers. 14. the heads] that is, the head, as the Greek translateth it, called heads for the excellency and principality. of Livjathan] or, of the whale, meaning Pharaoh king of Aegypt, who was drowned with his Princes, Psal. 136. 15. Livjathan is the name of the great whale-fish, or sea Dragon, so called of the fast joyning together of his scales; as he is described, Iob 40. 20. and 41. 6, &c. and is used to resemble great tyrants, here, and in Isa. 27. 3. So the Chaldee expoundeth it, the heads of Pharaoh… mighty men. in dry desarts] that is, to the wilde beasts of the wildernesse, which might devoure the Egyptians after they were drowned, and cast upon the shore, Exod. 14. 30. The beasts may be called a people, as Conies, Pismires, Locusts, &c. are called peoples and nations, Prov 30. 25. 26. Ioel 1. 6. See also the notes on Psal. 72. 9. unlesse by these dwellers in dry places, we understand the Israelites in the wildernesse, to whom the spoile of the Egyptians was as meat; as elsewhere they said of the Canaanites, they are bread for us, Num. 14. 9. This the Chaldee favoureth.
Vers. 15. didst cleave the fountaine] bringing a well and streame of water to thy people out of the rockes, Exod. 17. 6. Num. 20 11. Isa. 48. 21. Psal. 105. 41. rivers of strength] that is, strong, rough, or vehement rivers, as the waters of Iarden were dried up, that Israel might goe thorow, Ios. 3. 15,—17. The Chaldee Paraphrast addeth also the rivers Arnon and Iabok; whereof see Num. 21. 14. Deut. 2. 37.
Vers. 16. the light] The Hebrew Maor is properly a lightsome body, as is the Sunne, Moone, Stars. &c. Genes. 1. 14, 15. and here may be meant of the Moone, as the Chaldee translateth it, for the S…e next followed. For these God is else-where also celebrated, Psal. 2, 6. 7. 8. 9.
Vers. 19. soule of thy turile-dove] that is, the life of thy Church, called a turtle-dove, for their danger to be pre…ed upon by the wicked, as before, v. 8. being of themselves weake, mo…ull, and …morous; also for their faith and lo…lty towards God, and innocency of life. In these respects a… doves mentioned, Hos. 11. 11. Ezek. 7. 16. Isa. 38. 14. and 59. 11. Song 4. 1. and 6. 8. Matth. 10. 16. So the Chaldee explaineth it, Give not the soules of them that teach thy law, to the people which are like wilde beasts. wilde company] or wilde beasts, as the Greeke translateth it, meaning the cruell people like wilde beasts, as the Chaldee saith. The same word straight-way followeth for the Church, or lively stocke of Christ. See the notes on Psal. 68. 11. 31.
V. 20. the covenant] which thou didst make with our fathers, (as the Chaldee addeth to explaine it,) it may be meant of the covenant with Abraham and his seed, as is expressed, Psal. 105. 8, 9. 10. or, which was made with Noah, that the world should no more be drowned, as once it was, when it was full of cruelty, Genes. 6. 13. 17. 18. and 8. 21, 22. which covenant the Prophets apply to the Church after, Esa. 54. 9. the darknesses] that is, darke places, as in Ps. 88. 7. and 143. 3. he meaneth that the base obscure places werefull of violence, even folds or habitations of cruelty; no cottage being free from the rapine of the enemies. Darke places may be put for base or meare … as in Prov. 22. 29. darke or obscure persons, are the base sort. The Greek here also translateth it darke persons, meaning the vile gracelesse enemies.
Vers. 22. pleade thy plea] defend thine owne cause: see Psal. 35. 1. from the foole] understand, which thou sufferest from the foole, or impious, Nabal, which word was also before, v. 18. whereof see Psal. 14. 1. The Chaldee paraphraseth, from the foolish King.
Vers. 23. ascendeth] that is, commeth up unto thee, it is so great; as Iona. 1. 2. or, it increaseth, as the battle is said to ascend when it increased, 1 Kin. 22. 35.