Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 1 · Commentary on psalm 35
PSAL. XXXV.
David prayeth for his owne safety, and his enemies confusion. 11 He complaineth of their wrongfull dealing, and sheweth his contrary carriage. 22 Therby he inciteth God against them.
A Psalme of David.
PLead thou Iehovah with them that plead with me, war thou against them that war against me. Lay hold on the shield and buckler, and stand up for my helpe. And draw out the speare and sword to meet with my persecutors; say to my soule I am thy salvation. Let them be abashed and ashamed that seek my soule, let them be turned backward and confounded that thinke mine evill. Let them be as chaffe before the wind, and the Angell of Iehovah driving them. Let their way be darknesse and slippernesses, and the Angell of Iehovah pursuing them. For without cause they have hid for me the corruption of their net, without cause they have digged for my soule. Let tumultuous ruine come on him, he not aware; and let his net which he hath hidden catch him; with tumultuous ruine let him fall thereinto. And my soule shall be glad in Iehovah, shall joy in his salvation. All my bones shall say; Iohovah, who is like thee, that riddest free the poore afflicted from the stronger than himselfe, and the poore afflicted and needy from the spoiler of him? Witnesses of cruell wrong did rise up, things that I knew not they did aske of me. They repaied me evill for good, the bereaving of my soule. And I, when they were sicke, my cloathing was sackcloth; I afflicted my soule with fasting, and my prayer returned upon my bosome. I walked as if he had been a fellow-friend, as if he had been a brother to me: I bowed downe sad as hee that bewaileth his mother. But in my halting they rejoyced and were gathered together, the smiters were gathered together against me, and I knew it not: they rent and were not silent. With hypocrites, scoffers for a cake of bread, gnashing their teeth against me. Lord, how long wilt thou see? returne my soule from their tumultuous ruines, my alonely soule from the Lions. I will confesse thee in the great Church, I will praise thee among a mighty people. Let not them that are my enemies with falsity, rejoyce at me, them that are my haters without cause winke with the eye. For they speake not peace, and against the quiet ones of the earth they imagine words of deceits. And they have enlarged their mouth against me; they have said, aha, aha, our eye hath seene. Iehovah thou hast seene, cease not as deafe: O Lord, be not farre off from me. Stirre up and awake to my judgement, my God and my Lord, to my plea. Iudge me according to thy justice, Iehovah my God, and let them not rejoyce at me. Let them not say in their heart, aha our soule: let them not say, we have swallowed him up. Let them be abashed and confounded together that rejoyce at mine evill; let them be cloathed with bashfulnesse and shame that magnifie against me. Let them shout joyfully and rejoyce that delight my justice; and let them say continually, magnified be Iehovah, that delighteth the peace of his servant. And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, all the day thy praise.
Annotations.
PLead] This properly is to contend or debate a matter with many words, as the next word, war or fight, is with deeds. But Gods pleading o…imes is in action; as he pleaded Davids cause against Nabal, when he slew him, 1 Sam. 25. 39. And as here David prayeth, so God elsewhere promiseth to plead with those that plead with his people, Isa. 49. 25. warre] which in the originall tongue hath the name of cutting, biting or devouring, for warres devoure and consume many. So the sword is said to have a mouth, that is, an edge, Iob 1. 15. Heb. 11. 34. and to eat, that is, to kill and consume, 2 Sam. 11. 25.
Vers. 3. drawout] or, as the Hebrew phrase is, empty, that is, unshead; the like is of the sword, Exod. 15. 9. Levit. 26. 33. sword] or close weapon, as the name signifieth. This interpretation seemeth best, because of the Hebrew pause, which joyneth this word with the former, speare: thus also these two weapons of offence are answerable to the former two of defence, the shield and buckler: and of this Hebrew name Segor, the Greeke Sagaris (and perhaps the Latine Securis,) seemeth to be borowed, for a sword or axe. And in Iob 28. 15. this word is used for a close treasure, or stored gold; as here for a close weapon. Otherwise wee may reade according to the Greeke, and other versions, close thou, or stop, to wit, the way or passage.
Vers. 4. that seeke my soule] that is, my life to take it away: for so this phrase commonly meaneth, as Psal. 38. 13. and 54. 5. and 70. 3. Exod. 4. 19. Mat. 2. 20. and sometime is so explained, as Psal. 63. 10. 1 King. 19. 10. they seeke my soule to take it away. Yet somtime this phrase intendeth seeking the soule for ones good, as Psal. 142. 5. turned backward] a token of feare, shame, and discomfiture, as Psal. 129. 5. and 40. 15. and 70. 3. and 9. 4. Isa. 42. 17. Ier. 46. 5.
Vers. 6. Darknesse, &c.] that is, most darke and slippery: meaning, fearfull, dangerous, troublesome, &c. Nahum 1. 8. Psal. 88. 7. and 107. 9. Prov. 4. 19. So elsewhere it is said, their way shall be unto them us slippernesses in the darknesse; they shall be driven and fall therein, Ier. 23. 12.
Vers. 7. the corruption, &c.] that is, their corrupting pernicious net, or their insnaring corruption: or understanding the word in, we may reade, they hid their not for me in a pit, (or, in a corrupting ditch;) as Psal. 7. 16. have digged] to wit, a pit to fallin; so Iob 6. 27. Or, have diligently searched, and laid wait. So digging is used for seeking, Iob 3. 21. and 39. 32.
Vers. 8. tumultuous ruine] calamitie, wasting or desolation that is with noise and sonnd as of waters, Isa. 17. 12, 13. So Psal. 63. 10. Prov. 1. 27.
Vers. 10. my bones] that is, my strong and solid members (as the Chaldee translateth it members,) delivered out of danger: meaning that with all his strength he would praise God: So the bones are said to rejoyce, Psal. 51. 10. the loines to blesse, Iob 31. 20. the spoiler] or robber, that by open violence taketh away. Compare Iob 5. 15.
Vers. 11. of cruellwrong] that is, cruell, violent, or (as the Greeke saith,) unjust witnesses. So Exod. 23. 1. Deut. 19. 16.
Vers. 12. the bereaving of] that is, to deprive, bereave or rob me of my soule or life; or, to bereave my soule of comfort. The word properly signifieth the bereaving or losse of children.
Vers. 13. s…ck…loth] used to bee worne in signe of sorrow, Psal. 69. 12. Gen. 37. 34. Mat. 11. 21. Rev. 11. 3. Here … are to understand the word was, on gave, as is expressed, Psal. 69. 12. even as the word afflicted, here expressed, is there understood, Psal. 69. 11. with fasting] another signe and cause of sorrow: wherefore mourning & fasting are used for the same, Matt. 9. 15. with Mark. 2. 19. returned up on … bosome] or, into my bosome. The meaning may be, I prayed …ften for them, secretly, and with hearty laving affection. For, the returning of the prayer seemeth to meane the often minding and repeating of it; the bosome signifieth secrecie, Prov. 21. 14. and 17. 23. Psal. 89. 51. and inward affection, Num. 11. 12. Ioh. 1. 18. Or wee may reade it thus; Let my prayer returne into thy bosome, that is, I wished no worse to them than to my selfe, let me receive of God such good as I prayed for them. See Psal. 79. 12.
Vers. 14. sad] or blacke, to wit, in blacke and mournfull attire, and with sad and heavy countenance, as the Greeke here translateth it, Scuthropazon, which word the new testament also useth, Matt. 6. 16. Luke. 24. 17. So after in Psal. 38. 7. and 42. 10. and 43. 2. bewaileth his mother] mourneth at her funerall. In this case the affections are most strong. Therefore the Priests were permitted to mourne for such, Levit. 21. 1, 2, 3.
Vers. 15. my halting] that is, my calamitie and infirmitie, whereby I seemed ready to fall. So in Psal. 38. 18. Ier. 20. 10. the smiters] that smote me with the tongue, as Ier. 18. 18. and as here followeth, they rent, &c. The Seventy in Greeke turne it Scourges, alluding (as I thinke) to the scourge of the tongue, as Iob 5. 21. and another Greeke version hath plectai, smiters. It may also be read the smitten, that is, abjects, vile persons, Iob 30. 8. (as the Chaldee expresseth it, the wicked;) or understand smitten on their feet, as 2 Sam. 4. 4. that is, lame, so faining themselves: or smitten in spirit, as Esai. 66. 2. that is, grieved in outward shew. they rent] to wit, me with reproaches, as Matt. 7. 6. or rent their garments, counterfeiting sorrow for me, Iob 2. 12.
Vers. 16. hypocrites] or, close dissemblers, which outwardly cover and cloke their wickednesse, wherewith inwardly they are defiled, Matt. 23. 27, 28. or which have their hearts covered, Iob 36. 13. The Greeke also (from whence our English word hypocrisie is borrowed,) signifieth an under judgement, that is, dissimulation. scoffers] or, of scoffes, that is, men that make scoffs; as in Psal. 36. 12. pride is for proud persons. for a cake of bread] that is, for good cheare, for their bellies: or, at their belly cheare, at banquets. So Solomon speaketh of some that will transgresse for a peece of bread, Prov. 28. 21. The originall word Mag…nog is a cake, 1 King. 17. 12. and as bread is used for all food, Psal. 136. 25. so a cake seemeth to be used for all juncates or dainty meats; as in Hos. 7. Ephraim is likened to a cake, and their enemies to banketters that greedily eat them up, verse 8, 9. so here David matcheth his adversaries with hypocriticall and scoffing parasites, whose God was their belly, as Phil. 3. 19. Or wee may figuratively take this word for a mocke jest, or mer…ment, and so reade it, with hypocriticall jesting scoffers: and this the Greeke favoureth, saying, they mocked me with mockage. gnashing] or, they gnashed: Hebr. to gnash; but a word thus indefinite, following another with person, is it selfe of the same, by proprietie of the Hebrew tongue. So Psal. 49. 15. their teeth] the teeth of them and him, that is, of every of them. See Psal. 2. 3.
Vers. 17. returne] or, reduce, restore stay my soule or life: so Iob 33. 30. alonely] or solitarie, desolate soule: See Psal. 23. 21,—23.
Vers. 18. a mightie people] or, a strong, to wit, in number, that is, a great multitude. The word Ghnatsum, as it is mighty in strength, Psal. 135. 10. Prov. 30. 26. so is it many in number, Psal. 40. 6. 13. and 105. 24. and 137. 17.
Vers. 19. enemies with falsitie] that is, for a false cause; or (as the Greeke explaineth it) unjustly. winke] make secret signes by the winking of the eye, which argueth both privie and scoruefull gesture; therefore this alwaies is a signe of evill, Prov. 10. 10. and 6. 13. not peace] that is, not peaceably or friendly, which yet some hypocrites doe, Psal. 28. 3. or, not speake to come to any sound composition, or peaceable end which one may trust unto. But God speaketh peace to his people, Psal. 85. 9. words of deceits] deceitfull words or things.
Vers. 21. hath seene] or, seeth, to wit, the evill of David, or, that which we desired. In speeches of evill cases, often the Hebrew useth silence. So after in Psal. 54. 9. and 59. 11. and 118. 7.
Vers. 23. to my judgement] that is, to judge and avenge me of mine enemies: so after, to my plea, is, to plead my cause, as vers. 1.
Vers. 25. aha our soule] that is, aba… have our desire. Soule is sometime put for desire, Psal. 41. 3.
Vers. 26. cloathed with bashfulnesse] meaning their confusion on every side, when nothing but their shame appeareth and so continueth. So Psal. 109. 29. and 132. 18. Iob 8. 22. that magnifie] to wit, their mouthes, as is expressed, Hobad. 1. 12. Ezek. 35. 13. that is, speake great things and boastfully, as the Greeke explaineth. So after in Psal. 38. 17. and 55. 13. delight my justice] whom my justice and innocency pleaseth or delighteth, and the defence thereof.