Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 2 · Commentary on psalm 17
PSAL. LVIII.
David reproveth wicked Iudges: 4 describeth the nature of the wicked; 7 devoteth them to Gods judgements: 11. Whereat the just shall rejoyce.
To the Master of the Musicke Corrupt not; Michtam of David.
INdeed, O assembly, speake yee justice? judge ye righteousnesses, O sonnes of Adam? Yea in heart ye worke injurious evils in the land, ye weigh the violent wrong of your hands. The wicked are estranged from the wombe, they erre from the belly, speaking a lye. Hot poison they have, like as the hot poison of a Serpent, as of the deafe Aspe, that stoppeth his eare. Which will not heare the voice of charmers, of him that inchanteth, inchantments of him that is made wise. O God, breake their teeth in their mouth; burst out the Lions tushes, O Iehovah. Let them be refused as waters that passe away: bend he his arrowes, be they as cut off. As a snaile that melteth, let him goe away; as the untimely birth of a woman; as they that have not seene the Sunne. Ere that they shall perceive your thornes of the Bramble: even alive, even in wrath, he will tempestuously whirle it away. The just shall rejoyce when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the bloud of the wicked. And earthly man shall say, Surely there is fruit for the just; surely there is a God that judge in the earth.
Annotations.
COrrupt not] Bring not to perdi…ion, &c. See Psal. 57. 1. and 16. 1.
Vers. 2. O assembly] O band, Company or congregation. The Hebrew Aelem. which hath the signification of binding as a sheafe or bundle, seemeth here to be a company that are combined, and confederate. Or, it may be taken for the binding of the tongue, that is, dumbnesse, (as before in Psal. 56. 1.) and be read thus; Of a truth, doe yee speake dumb justice? or, mutenesse of justice? As blaming them for speaking and boasting of justice, when indeed justice was dumb, and opened not her mouth, but they gave most unjust sentence. righteousnesses, or equities, that is, righteous, plaine, and equall things. Iudges are called Gods, Psal. 82. 6. and therfore should imitate God, who saith, I doe speake justice, and declare righteousnesses, Isa. 45. 19.
Vers. 3. yee weigh] or, ye balasse, (of the Hebrew Palas) ye peise. A similitude taken from the weighing of things which should be in even peise and proportion, Prov. 16. 11. so justice should weigh all words and works in equitie, and reward them accordingly: but these weighed out wrong for right.
Vers. 4. from the womb] that is, even from their mothers womb, the wicked are estranged (doe alienate themselves) from God, justice, and vertue. This noteth mans naturall corruption. So in Esa. 48. 8.
Vers. 5. Hot poison they have] or, Hot wrath is to them. The Hebrew Chamath signifieth both poison and rage or fury, each of them being hot. The Greeke here turneth it rage; the similitude of a serpent rather giveth it to be poison, as Psal. 140. 3. Rom. 3. 13. Deut. 32. 24. Though both are fitly applied to the wicked, who like serpents in fury spit out their venome and malice. like as] or, according to the likenesse. It maketh an exact comparison, as no whit inferiour to the serpent, which was the instrument to poison mankinde, Gen. 3. serpent] or snake, called in Hebrew Nachash, of expertnesse, for it was more subtile than any beast of the field, Gen. 3. 1. deafe aspe] or cockatrice, or the serpent Python. called in Hebrew Pethen, which name noteth (by the contrary) the unperswadednesse which this Psalme sheweth to be naturally in that beast. And so the wicked have the title of Apeitheis, Unperswaded, or Disobedient, Tit. 1. 16. Ephes. 2. 2. stoppeth] Hebr. will stop, that is, usually stoppeth his eare, with his taile (as humane writers report) whiles the other hee layeth on the ground; or, is naturally deafe of it.
Vers. 6. the voice of charmers] which with words use to charme serpents, that they can neither bite nor sting, as may be gathered both by this place, and by Eccles. 10. 11. Ier. 8. 17. And these Charmers have their name in Hebrew of whispering, or, soft, sweet, and eloquent speaking, Psal. 41. 8 Isa. 3. 3. of him that inchanteth] or that conjureth, conjoyneth, associateth. Inchanters have this title here, and in Deut. 18. 11. either because by sorcerie they associate serpents, making them tame & familiar, that they hurt not; or because such persons use to bind and tie bands or things about the body, to heale or hurt by sorcery; or because by their conjuring art, they have society and fellowship with Devils. And that these evill arts are not here approved, the Law sheweth, Deut. 18. OnelyOnly similitudes are taken from them, as elsewhere from the theefe, Rev. 16. 15. the unrighteous Iudge, Luk. 18. 1, 2, 6, 7. the unjust Steward, Luke 16, &c. of him that is made wise] of the wised, that is, the learned, expert, the cunning mage.
Vers. 8. refused as waters] that is, (as the Greeke explaineth,) set at nought, nothing esteemed; as waters that passe away and are not regarded. bend he his arrowes] or, his arrow, (for the Hebrew hath a double reading;) that is, every of his arrowes. And this may be meant of the wicked man, whose arrowes bent at the just, shall be broken: or, of God, who shooteth at the wicked, and cutteth them off. be they as cut off] or, let them be as if they were cut off, or, even as strawes: meaning it of the wickeds arrowes: or if of their owne persons, let them be even cut off, as the Greeke saith, untill they be weakened.
Vers. 9. snaile that melteth] or, snaile of melting, that is, a consuming snaile; which creeping out of the shell, casteth her moistures, and so wasteth to death. Also with salt, a snaile melteth into water. let him go away] or, walk meaning, let him die. So where one Prophet saith, to go with thy fathers, 1 Chron. 17. 11. another saith for it, sleepe, that is, die, 2 Sam. 7. 12. the untimelybirth] or fallen birth, meaning fallen before due time. So Iob. 3. 19. Eccles. 6. 3. 5.
Vers. 10. Ere that they shall perceive] or, Before men shall understand. He speaketh to the wicked of their sudden destruction. The meaning seemeth to be this: Ere men shall perceive (or feele,) the pricking of your thornes, which are thornes of the Bramble, God will as with a whirlewind destroy every of them. The bramble or brier (mentioned also in Iotha…s parable, Iudg. 9. 14, 15.) hath strong and sharpe thornes, fit to resemble the evill counsels and deeds of the wicked. The Hebrew Sir is used both for a thorne, and a pot: wherefore some here translate po…s, yet yeelding the same sense. The Greeke turneth it thornes. as alive] or even quicke; which noteth sudden destruction, as Psal. 55. 16. let them goe downe to hell alive, or their lively vigour, which made them feare no destruction, as Psal. 38. 20. my enemies are alive are mightie. This word is sometime used for raw flesh 1 Sam. 2. 15, which some that translate the former word pots, retain also here. even in wrath, or, a… with burning anger. We may also understand the word thorne thus: as well the living thorne, (that is, fresh and greene,) as the thorne of burning, that is, the burnt or seare thorne: because on the bramble, some of the thornes are parched and arie, when others are young and greene. he will tempestuously whirle it away] God will take away, (or skare away) it, that is, every thorne, as with a whirlwind or tempest. For, as with a whirlwind that passeth, the wicked is no more, Prov. 10. 25.
Vers. 11. his feet in bloud] This noteth both the greatnesse of the slaughter, and comfortable use which the just shall make hereof. Compare Psalm, 68. 24. Esay 63. 3. Rev. 14. 20.
Vers. 12. earthly man] Hebr. Adam, put here for men in generall: as son for sons, 2 King, 21. 6. with 2 Chr. 33. 6. See also Ps. 8. 9. fruit] that is, a comfortable reward, after their labours and troubles. As Heb. 12. 11. Jam. 3. 18. So the Chaldee translateth it, a good reward. God that judge] or Gods judging. A mystery of the holy Trinitie, used sundry times in the Scripture, as, Gods caused me to wander, Gen. 20. 13. he is holy Gods, Ios. 24. 19. he is living Gods, Ier. 10. 10. though most commonly it is otherwise. See the note on Psal. 3. 3.