Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 3 · Commentary on psalm 4
PSAL. LXXVI.
A declaration of Gods majestie in the Church, against her enemies. 12 An exhortation to serve him reverently.
To the Master of the Musicke on Neginoth, a Psalme of Asaph, a Song.
GOd is knowne in Iudah, his name is great in Israel. And in Shalem is his tabernacle, & his dwelling in Sion. There brake hee the burning arrowes of the bow, the shield & the sword, & the war Selah.
Bright, wondrous excellent art thou, more than the mountains of prey. The mighty of heart have yeelded themselves to the spoile; they have slumbred their sleep, & none of the men of power have found their hands. At thy rebuke, O God of Iakob, both chariot and horse hath beene cast asleepe. Thou, thou art fearefull, and who shall stand before thee when thou art angry? From the heavens thou causedst judgement to be heard; the earth feared, & was still. When God arose to judgement, to save all the meeke of the earth Selah. Surely the wrathfull heat of men shall confesse thee, the remnant of the wrathfull heats thou wilt gird. Vow ye, and pay to Iehovah your God: all they that be round about him, let them bring a present to the FEAR. To him that gathereth as grapes the spirit of the Governours, that is fearefull to the Kings of the earth.
Annotations.
ON Neginoth] or, with stringed instruments: see Psal. 4. 1. of Asaph] or, to Asaph: see Psal. 50. 1.
Vers. 3. Shalem] or Salem, the City of Melchisedek, Gen. 14. 18. afterwards called Ierusalem; whereof see the notes on Psal. 51. 20. The Greeke translateth it, in Peace, which is the interpretation of the name Salem, as the Apostle sheweth, Heb. 7. 2. The Chaldee paraphrase saith, Ierusalem. his tabernacle] or tent, pavilion, which is both a meane dwelling, and a moveable, Lev. 13. 42, 43. Heb. 11. 9 10. For both Moses Tabernacle and Solomons Temple were meane cottages in respect of Gods glory, 1 King. 8. 27.
Vers. 4. burning arrowes] or fiery darts, (as the Apostle calleth the tentations of that wicked one, Ephes. 6. 16.) The Hebrew Ri…phei, is properly burning coles, Song 8. 6. figuratively here the glistering brasse-beaded arrowes, elsewhere the fiery thunder bolts, Psal. 78. 48. and burning plague, Deut. 32. 24. Habak. 3. 5. likened to arrowes, Ps. 91. 5. Here it may leade us to minde this Psalme, to celebrate the victories against Satan, figured by the vanquishing of the Assyrians, and other enemies, 2 King. 19. 35. The Chaldee explaineth it thus, When the house of Israel did his will, he placed his divine majesty among them; there brake hee the arrowes and bowes of people that warred; shield, and sword, and battle-ray, destroyed he for ever. and the warre] that is, the army of warriers, the battle-array. See Psal. 27. 3. And thus Shalem, or Peace, is maintained by breaking all warlike instruments: as Esa. 2. 4.
Vers. 5. Bright] made light, that is, Glorious: speaking to God, as vers. 7. wondrous excellent] magnificent: see Psal. 8. 2. mounts of prey] the mountaines of the Lions and Leopards, Song 4. 8. meaning the kingdomes of this world, which make prey and spoile one of another, like wilde beasts, Dan. 7. 4. 5, 6, 7. whom the Lambe on mount Sion excelleth in power and glory, Revel. 14. 1. and 17. 14. Or, from the mounts of prey, that is, when thou commest from conquering the enemies, which lie in the mountaines to make prey of thy people.
V. 6. mighty of heart] or stout, stubborn-hearted; a title of the wicked that are farre from justice, E…. 46. 12. called here in Greek unwise in heart. their sleepe] their eternall sleepe, Ier. 51. 39, 57. the sl…pe of death, Psa. 13. 4. So in the next verse. none of] Hebr. all (or any) have not found, that is, none found. So 1 Ioh. 3. 15. every man-slayer hath not, that is, none hath life. See also Psa. 143. 2. men of power] able men, for strength, courage, and riches (in which last sense the Greeke taketh it here) these did not resist, or could not, as Psal. 77. 5. They were not able (as the Chaldee saith) to take their weapons in their hands.
Vers. 7. thy rebuke] that is, punishment, destruction: see Ps. 9. 6. chariot] that is, Princes and Captaines riding on chariots & horses, on which they were wont of old to fight, Iudg. 4. 3. 1 King. 22. 31. 34. These all by Gods rebuke have beene slaine, as in the campe of Asshur, 2 King. 19. 35. and the host of Antichrist, Rev. 19. 18,—21.
Vers. 8. when thou art angry] Hebr. from then (that is, from the time of) thine anger, after thine anger is once kindled.
Vers. 9. the earth] or, the land; which the Chaldee understandeth thus; the land of the heathens feared, the land of Israel was quiet.
V. 11. shall confesse thee] that is, shall turne to thy praise, when thy people are delivered from the rage of their foes. the remnant] or, the re…under, that is, thy people which remaine and perish not in the rages of the wicked. thou wilt gird] to wit, with joyfulnesse, that they shall sing praise to thee; as the Greek explaineth it, shall keepe a feast to thee. As in Ioel 1. 13. Gird ye, there is understood, with sorrow, or sackcloth: so here seemeth to be understood joy or gladnesse, wherewith persons (or things) are said to be girded Ps. 30. 12. and 65. 13. or, thou wilt gird with strength, as Ps. 18. 40. Or if we referre it to the hot rage of the wicked, the residue thereof thou wilt gird, that is, binde or restraine from attempting further evill.
Vers. 12. Vow ye] men in danger, or deliuered from it, were wont to make vowes unto God, Genes. 28. 20. Iona 1. 16. Psal. 66. 13, 14. round about him] a description of his people, as the twelve tribes pitched round about the Tabernacle, Numb. 2. 2. and the foure and twenty Elders were round about Gods throne, Revel. 4. 4. So the Chaldee expoundeth it, ye that dwell about his Sanctuary. to the feare] that is, the most fearefull God, called Feare or Terrour, for more reverence and excellency, unto whom all feare is due, as Isai. 8. 12. 13. Malach. 1. 6. So Iakob called God the Feare of his father Isaak, Genes. 31. 53. And this was performed when after Asshurs overthrow, many brought offerings to the Lord, 2 Chron. 32. 21, 23.
Vers. 13. To him that gathereth] so the Greeke, to him that taketh away: or wee may reade, Hee gathereth, (or Cutteth off as in vintage;) a similitude from grape-gatherers, which cut off the clusters of the vines; applied here to the cutting off the lives of men. The like is in Rev. 14. 18, 19, 20. also in Iudg. 20. 45. The Chaldee explaineth it, To him that represseth the pride of the spirit of governours; God, to be feared above all Kings of the earth. ...Governours] or Princes, Captaines, that leade and goe before the people. So Gods Angell destroied all the valiant men, and Princes, and Captaines in the Campe of the King of Asshur, 2 Chro. 32. 21.