The Book of Psalms Paraphrased, Book 5 · Psalm 109
PSALM CIX.
To the chief Muſician. A Pſalm of David.
ARGUMENT.
Moſt Interpreters conſent to the opinion of Aben Ezra, and D. Kimchi, that David (to whom the Title aſcribes this Pſalm) hath reſpect here, in the firſt place, to the grievous perſecution which he ſuffered by Saul, and ſome of his Court: who would let him enjoy no reſt, but having driven him from his own houſe, purſued him ſo cloſe, whereſoever they heard he was; that he could have no certain dwelling: but became like a Locuſt (as he ſpeaks Verſe 23.) which having no neſt (as Bochartus obſerves, P. II. L. IV. de Animal. ſac. cap. 2.) leaps or flies from hedge to hedge; as he did from place to place. To provoke Saul to this rage againſt him, as they all loaded him with many calumnies; (which made David curſe them, to Saul's face, 1 Sam. XXVI. 10.) ſo one eſpecially among the reſt, who is generally thought to be Doeg the Edomite, was notoriouſly guilty of this wickedneſs: whom, by a prophetical Spirit, he here moſt ſolemnly curſes, in a direfull manner; and pronounces the heavieſt judgment upon him and his Family: his inhumane villany being ſo great, that it made him an exact picture of the Traitour Judas, to whom the Apoſtle Saint Peter, I. Act. 20. applies the eighth Verſe of this Pſalm. The reſt of which is ſpent in Prayer to God, againſt ſuch falſe accuſers; and in vows of the Praiſes he would give Him, when he was delivered from the miſchief, which thereby they deſigned to him. Accordingly, when he was ſettled in his Throne, he ſent this Pſalm among others, unto the Maſter of Muſick in the Tabernacle; to perpetuate the memory of God's mercy to him.
Concerning ſuch Imprecations, as we here meet withall, ſee the Argument of Pſalm XXXV. which is of the ſame nature with this.
1. HOld not thy peace, O God of my praiſe.
1. O God, the ſupreme Judge of the world, who, as Thou haſt given me hitherto continual cauſe to praiſe Thee ſo, I hope wilt ſtill vindicate my honour; I appeal unto thy Majeſty: beſeeching Thee to declare thy ſelf on my ſide; and make it appear that I am innocent.
2. For the mouth of the wicked, and the mouth of the deceitfull are opened againſt me: they have ſpoken againſt me with a lying tongue.
2. For men of no conſcience, have taken the liberty to invent the moſt miſchievous lies of me; whereby, though they always ſpake me fair to my face, they have wickedly traduced me to Saul, behind my back.
3. They compaſſed me about alſo with words of hatred: and fought againſt me without a cauſe.
3. And ſpread thoſe falſe reports ſo diligently, that I find they have made me odious every where: and thereupon, without any provocation from me, have levied war againſt me, to take away my life, 1 Sam. XXIII. 8, 25.
4. For my love they are my adverſaries: but I give my ſelf unto prayer.
4. Who have been ſo far from doing them any harm, that I have deſerved well of them: (1 Sam. XIX. 4, 5.) and even now, when they requite my kindneſs with indeavours to deſtroy me, do nothing but recommend my ſelf by prayer to thy protection; refuſing to make uſe of the opportunity I had to revenge my ſelf upon them, 1 Sam. XXIV. 9, 10, &c.
5. And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
5. And yet this will not mollifie them; but ſtill they are ſo extreamly ungratefull, as to repay my kindneſs, with new attempts to doe me miſchief, (1 Sam. XXVI. 2.) And the more affection I expreſs, with the greater hatred am I proſecuted.
6. Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan ſtand at his right hand.
6. So implacable is his malice, who is the principal Authour of the calumnies wherewith I am loaded, (1 Sam. XXII. 9, 11.) againſt whom therefore I implore thy juſtice, O moſt righteous Judge of the world: Let the worſt man that can be found, be appointed to hear his cauſe when he is accuſed; and his moſt malicious Adverſary plead againſt him.
7. When he ſhall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer become ſin.
7. When ſentence is given, let him be condemned to be as guilty, as really he is: and if he petition for a pardon, let it not onelyonly be rejected, but prove an aggravation of his crimes.
8. Let his days be few, and let another take his office.
8. Let him (and the falſe Traitour, who in future times will uſe the Meſſiah, as now they do me) be cut off before his time: and his Office, (1 Sam. XXI. 7. XXII. 9.) wherein he behaves himſelf with ſuch inſufferable inſolence and falſhood, be transferred to a better man.
9. Let his children be fatherleſs, and his wife a widow.
9. Let not his Fatherleſs Children ſucceed him, in any thing that he hath: nor his Widow, have any thing left to maintain her.
10. Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them ſeek their bread alſo out of their deſolate places.
10. Let them not have ſo much as an houſe, wherein to put their heads: but be perpetual Vagabonds, ſupporting a miſerable life by begging an Alms; and ſeeking where to lodge, becauſe their own dwellings are laid waſte and deſolate.
11. Let the extortioner catch all that he hath: and let the ſtranger ſpoil his labour.
11. Let his Creditour (pretending a judgment) ſeize on all his eſtate: and a ſtranger, by that means, reap the fruit of all his care and labour.
12. Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherleſs children.
12. Let no man ſhew the leaſt kindneſs to his memory; or upon that account beſtow an Alms upon his Fatherleſs Children.
13. Let his poſterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
13. Let them rather be odious for his ſake, and the ſooner deſtroyed: ſo that they be the laſt of the name; and, in the next generation, not one of that family be found.
14. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembred with the LORD: and let not the ſin of his mother be blotted out.
14. But, according to the juſt ſentence of thy Law, (XX. Exod. 5.) let the puniſhments (which were due long ago, but thy patience moved Thee to forbear) fall all upon him: let him ſuffer for the ſins of his progenitours on both ſide; in whoſe wicked ſteps he would not ceaſe to tread.
15. Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
15. Let it be ſeen that their wickedneſs is not forgotten, though committed many years ago: but proſecute it with a continued vengeance; till no body remember, that there were ſuch people in the world.
16. Becauſe that he remembred not to ſhew mercy, but perſecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even ſlay the broken in heart.
16. This will be but a deſerved recompenſe of all his cruelties: For as he let all benefits ſlip out of his mind, and was ungratefull to thoſe, who had obliged him: ſo he had no ſenſe of that common compaſſion, which is due to the calamitous; but when he ſaw me in a neceſſitous condition, deſtitute of Friends, and dejected in ſpirit, made no other uſe of it but to perſecute me to the death.
17. As he loved curſing, ſo let it come unto him: as he delighted not in bleſſing, ſo let it be far from him.
17. What can be more juſt, then that the miſchief, in which he delighted, and both wiſhed and deſigned to others, ſhould fall upon himſelf? and that he ſhould never meet with the bleſſing of thoſe righteous courſes, which he always hated and avoided?
18. As he clothed himſelf with curſing, like as with his garment: ſo let it come into his bowels like water, and like oyl into his bones.
18. His very buſineſs was to ſlander others every where; taking a pride in the miſchievous effects of his curſed lies: and therefore let him feel the miſerable fruit of this wickedneſs, ſpreading himſelf, like the water he drinks, into every vein of him; and ſticking as cloſe to him, as oyl unto the bones.
19. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
19. Let him be involved in perpetual misfortunes and miſeries; and never be able to ſhake them off: Let him be hampered in ſtraits and difficulties; without any poſſibility of getting out.
20. Let this be the reward of mine adverſaries from the LORD, and of them that ſpeak evil againſt my ſoul.
20. This ſhall moſt certainly be the reward, which the righteous Lord will give to my malicious adverſaries; for all the pains they have taken, by ſlanderous reports and calumnies, to take away my life.
21. But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy names ſake: becauſe thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.
21. Which I commend to thy protection, O Lord, the Governour of all things; beſeeching Thee to take my part, and appear for me: though not for my honour, yet for thy own; whoſe kindneſs is ſo exceeding bountifull unto all, that for that reaſon I am incouraged to hope Thou wilt deliver me; to whom Thou haſt engaged thy ſelf, by many promiſes of mercy.
22. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
22. Which I never needed more then now: for I am ſo poor, and forſaken of all my friends, (1 Sam. XXV. 8, &c.) that I am ready to faint away with grief and ſorrow, like one that is wounded at the very heart.
23. I am gone like the ſhadow when it declineth: I am toſſed up and down as the locuſt.
23. The evening ſhadow doth not vaniſh ſooner then I, from the place of my preſent abode, (1 Sam. XXII. 1, 3, 5. XXIII. 13, 14.) which I am forced to quit on a ſudden; and to wander like the Locuſt, which flies, or is driven, with the wind, uncertainly from place to place.
24. My knees are weak through faſting: and my fleſh faileth of fatneſs.
24. And for want of food in thoſe deſart places, I am ſometimes ſcarce able to remove: for my body, which heretofore was plump and fat, (1 Sam. XVI. 12.) is now grown lank and thin; like one of thoſe miſerable lean Creatures.
25. I became alſo a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me, they ſhaked their heads.
25. Which, inſtead of moving their pity, hath expoſed me to ſuch contempt and ſcorn; that when I am ſeen by any of them, they deride and ſcoff at me as an undone wretch, that vainly hopes to eſcape their hands.
26. Help me, O LORD my God: O ſave me according to thy mercy.
26. But my hope is, that Thou, O Lord, who haſt hitherto been my moſt gracious God, wilt ſeaſonably interpoſe for my relief: and deliver me, out of that tender mercy, which is wont to extend it ſelf to thoſe who have nothing elſe to depend upon.
27. That they may know that this is thy hand: that thou LORD haſt done it.
27. Whereby they themſelves may be convinced, and forced to acknowledge; that, not by chance, no more then by my ſmall forces, but by thy Almighty power alone, and thy care of me, O Lord, I am delivered.
28. Let them curſe, but bleſs thou: when they ariſe, let them be aſhamed: but let thy ſervant rejoice.
28. Thy bleſſing and protection I implore; which if Thou wilt vouchſafe me, let them go on to curſe and ſlander me as long as they pleaſe; it ſhall not hurt me: nay, let them aſſault me with armed force, they ſhall onelyonly be confounded at their vain attempt; and give thy ſervant the greater cauſe, to rejoice at their diſappointment.
29. Let mine adverſaries be clothed with ſhame: and let them cover themſelves with their own confuſion, as with a mantle.
29. Which ſhall ſo increaſe the confuſion of my malicious adverſaries; that they ſhall not be able to bear the diſgrace: but wiſh they could hide themſelves from the ſight of their ſhame, which their own wickedneſs hath brought upon them.
30. I will greatly praiſe the LORD with my mouth: yea, I will praiſe him among the multitude.
30. In hope of which defeat, I now beforehand to the Lord the beſt expreſſions of my gratitude, that I am able to make: not onelyonly in private, but in the greateſt Aſſemblies; where I will not ceaſe to praiſe his Almighty love.
31. For he ſhall ſtand at the right hand of the poor, to ſave him from thoſe that condemn his ſoul.
31. And bid them truſt in God; who hath pleaded my cauſe, and reſcued me from death: and will ever be the Advocate of him that hath no helper; but depends on his goodneſs, to deliver him from the hands of thoſe Judges, who proſecute the unjuſt ſentence, they have paſſed upon him to loſe his life.