Annotations on the Pentateuch, Psalms, Song of Songs, Biblical commentary 6 · Book 3 · Commentary on psalm 5
PSAL. LXXVII.
The Psalmist sheweth what fierce combat hee had with diffidence. 11 The victory which he had by consideration of Gods great and gracious workes done of old.
To the Master of the Musicke, to Ieduthun, a Psalme of Asaph.
MY voice was to God, and I cried out: my voice was to God, and he gave eare unto mee. In day of my distresse I sought the Lord, my hand by night reached out and ceased not, my soule refused to be comforted. I remembred God, and made a troubled noise; I meditated, and my spirit was overwhelmed Selah. Thou heldest the watches of mine eies, I was stricken amazed and could not speake. I recounted the daies of antiquity, the yeeres of ancient times. I remembred my melody in the night; with my heart I meditated, and my spirit searched diligently. Will the Lord cast off to eternities, and not adde favourably to accept any more? Is his mercy ceased to perpetuity; is his word ended to generation and generation? Hath God forgotten to be gracious; hath he shut up in anger his tender mercy Selah? And I said, doth this make me sicke, the change of the right hand of the most high?
I will record the actions of Iah; surely, I will remember thy miracle from antiquity. And I will meditate of all thy worke, and will discourse of thy practises. O God, thy way is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as God? Thou art the God that doest a marvellous worke, thou hast made knowen thy strength among the peoples. Thou hast redeemed thy people with arme, the sonnes of Iakob, and of Ioseph Selah. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee, they trembled, also the deeps were stirred. The clouds streamed downe waters, the skies gave out a voice, also thine arrowes walked about. The voice of thy thunder was in the round aire; lightnings illuminated the world, the earth was stirred, and quaked. Thy way was in the sea, and thy pathes in the many waters, & thy footsteps were not knowen. Thou didst leade thy people like a flocke, by the hand of Moses and Aharon.
Annotations.
TO Ieduthun] or, for him: see Psal. 39. 1. and 62. 1.
Vers. 2. he gave eare] so the Greeke explaineth the Hebrew phrase to give eare: see the like Psal. 65. 11.
Vers. 3. sought the Lord] in Chaldee, sought instruction from before the Lord, and the spirit of prophesie rested upon me. retched out] or, flowed, was powred out, that is, was stretched out in prayer: (a vehement figurative speech, like that of powring out the heart, Psal. 62. 9.) or, was wet with continuall wiping of mine eies: or by hand may be meant plague or sore (as in Iob 23. 2.) which continually ran. The Chaldee expoundeth it, by night mine eie dropped teares, and ceased not.
Vers. 4. meditated] or praied. See Psal. 55. 3, 18. overwhelmed] or covered it selfe, that is, swowned or fainted with sorrow. So Psal. 142. 4. and 143. 4. and 107. 5. Lam. 2. 12.
Vers. 5. the watches] or the wards, custodies, (that is, as the Chaldee explaineth it, the lids) of mine eies, so that I cannot sleepe. stricken amazed] beaten with terrour, as with a hammer; or, as the Greeke saith, troubled. So Dan: 2. 1, 3. Gen. 41. 8. could not speake] so the Hebrew phrase spake not, is sometime to be interepreted: as, who shall judge, 2 Chron. 1. 10. for which in 1 King. 3. 9. is written, who can (or, is able to) judge. So Psalme 78. 20.
Vers. 6. of ancient times] or, of eternities, that is, of ages past. This hee did according to the commandement, Deut. 32. 7. for former histories are written for our learning, Rom. 15. 4. 1 Cor. 10. 11.
Vers. 7. my melody] or musicall play, to wit, how I had before time played, and sung songs of praise for thy benefits; (see Psal. 33. 2, 3.) or, I remembred my musicke, and tooke my instrument, and thus I sung. spirit searched] in Chaldee, the knowledge of my spirit searched marvellous things.
Vers. 11. doth this make me sicke] doth it grieve and weaken me, that the right hand (the administration) of God is changed, and hee keepeth not one constant course in his workes? The Prophet seemeth to checke himselfe for his infirmity. Or, (taking it not for a question) it maketh me sicke; or, this is my infirmitie. the change] or, that changed is; for so the Hebrew phrase, to change, may be resolved.
Vers. 12. will record] will remember for my selfe, and mention to others: The Hebrew implieth both these, by a double reading. miracle] that is, miracles or wondrous works (as the Greeke explaineth it) all and every of them, done of old. So after in vers. 15.
Vers. 13. discourse] or meditate, intreat of, both in minde and talke.
Vers. 14. in the Sanctuary] or in sanctitie, in the holy place, as the Greeke turneth it: meaning, it is most holy, and secret, hidden from the eyes of the world, as holy things were hidden in the Sanctuarie, especially the Ark and Cherubims where God sate. So as it was not lawfull for people or Priests to see them, Num. 4. 6, 7, 15, 20. Levit. 16. 2. Compare also herewith, Psal. 73. 16, 17. The Chaldee translateth, O God how holy are thy wayes. a God] or a mightie one, a Potentate: Hebr. Ael. So in the next verse. as God] in Greeke, as our God: in Chaldee, as the God of Israel.
Vers. 15. Marvellous work] that is, works, wonders. This is taken from Exod. 15. 11.
Vers. 16. with arme] that is, with power: an arme stretched out, as Exod. 6 6. in Greeke, with thine arme. of Iaakob] that is, the tribes of Israel, borne of him. of Joseph] this may be meant (as the Chaldee Paraphrast taketh it) of all the Israelites whom Ioseph nourished, Gen. 45. 10. 11. and 50. 21. called therefore his sonnes; or in speciall of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasses, the sonnes of Ioseph, noted from the rest, for more honour. Compare also herewith Psal. 80. 2, 3.
Vers. 17. The waters] of the red sea, Exod. 14. 21. Psal. 114. 3. The Chaldee paraphraseth, They saw thy divine Majestie from the midst of the sea, O God. trembled] or were pained, as a woman in travell. So Psal. 29. 8. and 97. 4.
Vers. 18. streamed] or gushed with a tempest. These things were when the Lord looked unto the host of the Aegyptians out of the fiery and cloudy pillar, and so feared and hindred them with stormy tempests, that their chariot wheeles fell off, &c. Exod. 14. 24. 25. And thus Israel was baptised in the cloud and in the sea, 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. thine arrowes] or stones (as this word also signifieth, Lam. 3. 16.) meaning haile-stones. See Psalm. 18. 15. Ios. 10 11.
Vers. 19. in the round aire] in the sphere or globe. The aire is so called of the round forme, which it (with all the heavens) hath. Of the thunder in the aire, see Iob 37. 2,—5. Psal. 29.
Vers. 20. Thy way] wherein thou wentest, and leddest thy people; confounding thy foes, Exod. 14. 19, 20, 22. Nehem. 9. 11. So elsewhere, his way is in the whilewind, Nahum 1. 3. were not knowne] to wit, before that time; nor after, for the waters returned to their force, and drowned the Aegyptians: Exod. 14. 27. So his other wayes are past finding out, Rom. 11. 33. that men must walke by faith, not by sight, 2 Cor. 5. 7.
Vers. 21. lead thy people] thorow the sea, and after thorow the wildernesse towards Canaan; Moses being their King, and Aaron their Priest. The Memory of which mercy is often celebrated, Deut. 8. 2,—5. 15. and 32. 10. Ier. 2. 2, 6. Amos 2. 10. Mic. 6. 4. Psal. 136. 16. Act. 7. 35. 36.