Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 1 · Psalm 7
The Seventh Psalm.
‖A Psalm or Song.a.SHiggaion of David which he sang unto the Lord concerning the words ofb. Cush the Benjamite.
Paraphrase. The Seventh is styled by a peculiar title, not elsewhere used in this Book, which yet signifies no more than a Song or Psalm of David, a pleasant delightful ditty, being indeed a cheerful commemoration of Gods continued kindness to, and care of him, and a magnifying his name for it, together with a confident affirmation or prediction, that his enemies shall but bring ruine on themselves, by designing to mischief him: and this he sang unto the Lord on occasion of some malitious words, delivered by some servant of Saul, stirring him up against David 1 Sam. xxvi. 19. (The Chaldee Paraphrast misunderstands it as an interpretation of his song made on the death of Saul, to vindicate his no ill meaning in it. v. 3.)
1. O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust, save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.
Thy many continued deliverances and wonderfull protections, which assure me of thy special kindnesse toward me, make me to come to thee with assiance and confidence, and to appeal only to thy peculiar favour, and thy allmighty power, so frequently interessed for me, and upon this account to importune and depend on thee for my present rescue from all my persecuters and opposers.
2. Lest he tear my soul like a Lion, renting it in pieces, while there is none to deliver me.
Shouldst thou withdraw thy aid one hour, I were utterly destitute; and then as the Lion in the wildernesse prevails over the beast he next meets, seises on him for his prey, kills and devours him infallibly, there being none in that place to rescue him out of his pawes, the same fate must I expect from Saul my ragefull implacable enemy.
3. O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my hand,
I am accused to Saul as one that seeks his ruine, 1 Sam. xxiv 9. repro…hed by Nabal that I have revolted from him. 1 Sam. xxv. 10. and that shews me that by many I am lookt on as an injurious person. But O Lord, thou knowest my integrity, that I am in no wise guilty of these things, I have not done the least in…ury to h…m; I may justly repeat what I said to him, 1 Sam. xxvi. 18. What have I done, or what evil is in my hand?
4. If I havec. rewarded evil to him‖that did it to me, or have despoiled— that was al peace with me: yea, I have delivered him that without cause is me enemy.
I have never provoked him by beginning to do him injury, nor when I have been very i…l …d, returned any evil to the injurious: he is my enemy without any the least cause or provocation of mine; and being so, I yet never acted any revenge upon him, but on the contrary in a signal manner spa…ed him twice, when he fell into my hands, 1 Sam. xxiv. 4.7. and c. xxvi. …. 3. If th…s be not in both parts exactly true,
5. Let the enemy persecute my soul and take it, yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and‖cause my honour to dwell foreign lay mine honour in the dust.
I shall be content to undergoe any punishment, even that he that now pursues me so malitiously, obtein his desire upon me, overtake, and use me in the most reproachful manner, and pou… out my heart blood upon the earth.
6. Arise O Lord in thine anger, list up thy self‖in, or over, See Note c. because of the rage of my enemies, and†raise up for me the judgment foreign the Chaldee read foreign speed or hasten for me. awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded.
But thou knowest my guiltlesnesse O Lord, To thee theref…re I appeal for my relief: be thou gratiously pleased to vindicare my cause, to expresse thy just displeasure against my malitious adversaries and calumniators, and speedily exercise the same justice, in taking my part against those that injure me, which thou severely commandest the Judges on the earth to dispense to the oppressed.
7. So shall the congregation of the people compasse thee about,‖for that foreign for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
This shall be a means to make all men admire thy works, to address and repair and flock unto thee, acknowledge thee in thy attributes, and enter into and undertake thy service; and let this be thy motive at this time to shew forth thy power and majesty, to e…e…ute justice for me and to that end to ascend‖foreign thy tribunal, where thou sittest to oversee, and to judge the actions of men.
foreign the house of thy Majesty. Chald.8. The Lord shall judge the people: Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousnesse, and according to mine innocency that is in me.
Thou art the righteous Judge of all, do thou maintain the justice of my cause, and vindicate my perfect innocence in this matter.
9. †Wickedness shall now consume or destroy the wicked, & thou shalt establishO Let the wickednesse of the wickedd. come to an end, but establish the just, for the righteous Lord trieth the heart and reins.
God will now soon bring to nought the malitious designements of wicked men, their sins will suddenly provoke and call down his judgments on them. In like manner he will shew forth his justice in upholding and supporting the innocent, such as he sees upon triall to be sincerely such: for as all righteousnesse belongs to him, the doing of all eminently righteous things, bringing his fierce judgments on the obdurate, and upholding and vindicating all patient persevering righteous persons, when they are causelesly accused or persecuted; so 'tis his property also to discern the secretest thoughts and inclinations, and accordingly to passe the most unerring judgments upon both sorts of them.
10. †my shield is on foreignMy defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.
To thee it peculiarly belongs to deliver and vindicate those whom thou discernest to be sincere or inwardly upright, and accordingly my trust is sixt wholly on thee, and my resort is only unto thee, beseeching thee to shew forth thy power and fidelity for the preserving and securing me.
11. God†is a righteous judge, so foreign is rendred by all the antient interpreters. judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
God is a most righteous Judge, 'tis impossible he should favour the practices of unjust men by whom his purity is continually affronted and provoked,‖See not… c. though through his long suffering, designed for their reduction, he do for a while spare, and not presently consume them.
12. If he turne not, he will whet his sword, he hath bent his bow and made it ready.
Till the wicked return and repent, God seldome ceaseth to warne, and threaten, to prepare and sharpen (as it were) his sword for slaughter, to bend his bow, and make ready the arrow upon the string, shewing him from time to time, what severity he is to expect, if he do not at length reforme, and that tis meerly the compassion of this lover of souls to his creature, that he thus gives him time and warnings, and addes terrors also, if by any means he may be brought home timely to repentance. (Another sence of this verse see in note c. at the end.)
13. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death, he†will make or hath made foreign ordaineth hise. arrows‖or pursuing, or burning arrows. against the persecutors.
On his farther continuance in this wicked course, God still continues his decree to bring final vengeance on him, in case he will not amend by all these warnings; and yet is he a while longer pleased to spare, if yet he may gain and reduce them.
14. Behold he travaileth with iniquity, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falshood.
And if still all Gods longanimity & mercy prove successeless, if it be perverted only into a means of incouraging him in mischievous, ungodly, treacherous designes, attempts and actions,
15. He hath made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
The infallible consequent is, that the mischief and ruine which he designes to others, shall not seize on them, but on himself, and bring perpetual destruction upon him.
16. His mischief shall return on his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down on his own pate.
All his attempts against other men, his oppressions and violences shall, when he least looks for it, like an arrow shot up against heaven, come down most sadly and piercingly upon his own head: this is all the fruit he is likely to reap of his mischievous machinations.
17. I will†confesse foreign praise the Lord according to his righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.
This is a signàl illustrious demonstration both of the omnipotence and just judgments of God (mixt also with exceeding patience and longanimity toward sinners) and challenges from every pious heart a gratefull acknowledgement, all lauds and praises most justly due to his supreme Majesty.
Annotations on Psalm VII.
Tit. Shiggaion] Whence the word foreign foreigncomes, or what literally it imports, will hardly be defined. The use of it here, and Hab. iii. 1. (the only places where 'tis read in Scripture) giving us no farther light, than that in all likelihood it signifies a song or Canticle. Here 'tis rendred foreign a Psalm by the LXXII; there foreign an ode or song; and so the vulgar Latine here, Psalmus David. And that so (most probably) it signifies, we may conclude from the consequent foreign which he sang, the verb in the Hebrew, from whence is the ordinary noun foreign a song or Canticle. And so the Chaldee Paraphrase foreign The Interpretation of the Ode which he sang, adding by way of explication foreign when he spake a song— But the origination of the word doth not readily give it this sense; for the radix foreign or foreign both in Hebrew and Chaldee, signifies ignoravit or erravit; and from thence in the place of Habakuk, Aquila and Symmachus render it foreign ignorances, and Theodotion foreign voluntarie sins; and the vulgar Latine have forsaken the LXXII. and render it ignorantiis ignorances; and the Chaldee making a long Paraphrase of it, brings it about to that sense of foreign error or ignorance. OnelyOnly the Arabick reteins Song or Canticle, and the Syriack leaves out all mention of it both here and there. The Hebrews conjecture is not improbable, that this word was the beginning of an old Hebrew Song, to the tune of which this was to be sung, and so was intitled by it. But because there is no such word in use among the Hebrews for any thing else but a song, and because from thence regularly comes the plural foreign in Habakuk, 'tis most probable that as foreign signifies delectatur, is pleased or delighted (Thus Prov. v. 19. foreign we render, be ravisht, the vulgar, delectare be thou delighted, and the Syriack, be thou fed; and so Prov. XX. 1. foreign qui delectatur, whosoever is delighted, saith the vulgar, useth it luxuriously or voluptuously, saith the Syriack) so from thence foreign may be an old word for a song, in respect of the delight and pleasure of the Musick of it. And thus Abu Walid understands it here, from the notion of delight, or rejoycing.
Tit. Cush] What is meant by Cush the Benjamite, is made matter of question: many, from S. Hierome, applying it to Saul a Benjamite, and (as some adde) the son of Kish, and the words delivered by him,foreign i. Sam. xxii. 8. (but there is great difference between foreign Chush and foreign Kish, and yet more between the son of Kish, & Chush himself;) and others to Chushi the Arc…te (but his name is written with ח and so very distant, and was Davids friend, not enemy;) others to Shimei a Benjamite, that is known to have cursed David, ii Sam. xvi. (but that was in the businesse of Absalom, and the time of his rebellion, to which this Psalm hath no propriety, but to the matter of Saul.) But that which is most probable is this, that Cush was some servant of Saul, which had raised some malitious slander on David, as if he sought to take away the Kings life; and either his name Cush, or else so styled here from the name of the nation, Aethiopia, ordinarily styled foreign because the Aethiopians being servants of all nations, the word foreign Aethiopia taken for one of that Countrey, as Canaan for a Canaanite, might proverbially be taken for a servant. Thus Amos ix. 7. where the Hebrew reads, Are ye not to me as the sons of foreign Aethiopians? the context inclines to interpret it, servants; for to that sense it follows, Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Aegypt, redeemed them thence, and so bought them to be my servants? Now that the servants of Saul are fitly called Benjamites, may appear both by Sauls being so, and their reteining to him, and by the express words i. Sam. xxii. 7. Then Saul said to his servants, Heare now ye Benjamites— That some one or more of Sauls servants, to incense their Master, should calumniate David, is easily believed: And to this David refers i. Sam. xxvi. 19. in his words to Saul, If they be the children of men that have stirred thee up against me, cursed be they before the Lord— And some eminent passage to this purpose no doubt there was, though it be not set down in Scripture.
V. 4. Rewarded] This verse, by the ambiguousness of some words in it, is variously interpretable. The most literal, which I suppose is the safest rendring of it, will thus be collected. First the word foreign foreignwhich we render return, signifies not only to recompense, but simply to do either good or evill to any: and accordingly it is oft rendred by the Septuagint in the good sense, foreign, to do, not only to repay good; Sometimes 'tis simply foreign to work, foreign to attempt, foreign to do; And whether it be of good or evill, the context must direct and restrain it. So likewise foreign,foreign which we render [was at peace] besides that vulgar signification for peace, which generally belongs to the Noun, signifies very frequently to give, and to retribute, and is then rendred in the good sense, foreign, and foreign, to give, and recompense, very oft; and in the ill sense foreign and foreign, to punish and repay, and the like; and sometimes simply to doe, to perform, and is then foreign, to fulfill, to perform, to doe. This is observed by the great Grammarian Abu Walid, out of several examples, that both foreign and foreign have a double signification, of doing a thing first, as also by way of retribution or return, whether in good or evill; and accordingly he gives a twofold sense of these words, [If I have returned like to him that did evil to me first] and [if I have done evill to him that was at peace with me.] Thus then the sense of the former part of the verse ariseth foreign If I have done evill to him that did it to me, or, If I have repaid, or returned to him that did or returned me evill, i. e. If, when to my good, or at least blameless, innocent behaviour, Saul repayed nothing but evil, I have upon that provocation done or repayed injury to him. This is thus farr plain, whether either or both the words be taken simply for doing, or respectively for returning, repaying of evil; for 'tis certain, when evill is returned to good, this is called repaying of evill, as much as when it is returned to evill. And thus the LXXII. understood and render it, foreign If I have repayed evill to them that have repayed evill to me; and so the vulgar, and the Aethiopick, Si reddidi retribuentibus mihi mala, If I have returned evill to them that retributed evill to me; both of them to the sense of repaying in each place; whereas the Syriack hath it, If I have repayed evill to him that did evill to me, and so the Arabick, If I have retributed to them that have done me evill. With this coheres (and is not with any reason to be disjoyned) the later part of the verse, foreign foreignand have, or, and if I have— foreign here is an ambiguous word, oft signifying, and rendred foreign, to take out, or lead out, or snatch out, and so to deliver; but it primarily signifies detrahere, spoliare, adimere, exuere, to take off, to despoile, and so from thence is the noun foreign a garment, which is wont to be put off or changed: (The Jewish Arab. expresseth it by foreign from foreign which signifies two contraries, to put on, and to take off, or away) In this sense the Syriack expresly use it, Act. xix. 37. where foreign Church-robbers are rendred by this word foreign that robb'd or spoil'd the Temple, and Col. ii. 8. nequis foreign Let no man despoil you, (In this notion the Septuagint render it Job xxxvi. 15. foreign to oppress; and thus the Chaldee understand it here, foreign (from foreign pressit, afflixit) and if I have afflicted them; and so the Syriack also, if I have oppressed:) and thus the sense is perspicuous and current, without any disturbance or confusion, If I have returned evill to them that dealt ill with me, or if I hauehave despoiled him that without cause was my enemy, Then— And in this peculiar notion of despoyling an enemy, in which it is most frequent, it seems to have some reference to Davids dealing with Saul. In the cave he took not from him his garment, but the skirt onelyonly; and that onelyonly as a testimony of a greater kindness, the sparing his life. In the camp finding him asleep, he only took away his spear, and that upon the same ground; and having evidenced his integrity, returned it carefully again. The LXXII. have much changed this last part of the verse, rendring it foreign, Let me fall away from my enemies empty (and from thence the vulgar and Arabick and Aethiopick have their rendrings:) and unless they thought the true sense of the words sufficiently exprest in the former part of the verse, and thereupon took liberty to give a various descant upon the latter, (as the LXXII are oft observable to doe) I profess not to give an account of it. Other considerable variations they have in this Psalm: v. 6. for foreign foreignin the rages or burnings, from foreign in Hithpael irâ exarsit, (and so rendred by the Chaldee foreign though applyed to God, and not to the enemies) the LXXII. read foreign in the ends or bounds, (taking it for foreign which signifies thus, from foreign transiit) the extreme parts or borders, which being taken by an enemy, give him a great advantage over the inhabitants; as Ehuds taking the Foords of Jordan toward Moab, Jud. iii. 28. (foreign foords from the same radix) was the sure means of subduing Moab, and destroying all the inhabitants at that time. Where yet one thing may be observed, and learnt from them, that foreign being in the beginning of the verse used for in, may most probably signifie so here also, and be rendred in, or over; and so the Chaldee reads over my oppressors, and the Syriack, and Arabick, over the necks of my oppressors; and perhaps the LXXII. were willing to express this by foreign, lift up thy self in or over their bounds or borders, as a phrase to express his subduing of them; choosing purposely not to repeate the word anger or fury, because that had been sufficiently exprest in the former part, as far as referred to God, to whom the Chaldee apply it also in the latter place, and the other antient Translators doe not at all mention it. So v. 9.foreign instead of foreign the righteous Lord, they read foreign God, and keep the other word divided to begin the next verse, foreign, righteous is my help from God—So v. 11. where the Hebrew hath foreign foreignand God is angry every day, the LXXII. read foreign it seems in the original notion for fortis, strong (and so doth the Chaldee also foreign in fortitudine;) but not only so, but then again read it foreign nor, and then make up this large paraphrase, instead of [God is angry] foreign, and he is strong and patient, and doth not bring forth or let loose anger every day; which the Arabick follow exactly, the Syriack as far as the foreign nor, is not angry every day, and the vulgar to the same sense, nunquid irascitur? is he angry every day? And considering the context, and the intire designe of this and the following verses, this may well passe for a perspicuous paraphrase of it, and not any contradiction to the rational, though it agree not to the literal notion of it. So verse 12. foreign if he turn not, foreignthey read in the second person plural by way of paraphrase, foreign, if ye turn not; and so the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick. In this place Aben-Ezra's glosse may deserve to be remembred, who applyes foreign if he return not to God, referring to foreign v. 7.foreign return thou on high; that as that belonged to Gods ascending the throne of judgment, standing up to exert his vindicative justice, so his not returning here, should signifie his foreign, his not appearing in this manner in vengeance.
V. 9. Come to an end] How foreign is to be rendred both for the notion and sense, foreignwill deserve to be considered. The word foreign complevit, sinivit, used sometimes for good, sometimes for ill, must here be in the latter sense, and then must be rendred either filled up simply, or else destroyed or consumed. In the former sense the LXXII. read foreign, let it be accomplisht or silled up, and so the Syriack and Aethiopick; but the Chaldee foreign, from foreign agreeing in signification with foreign destruxit, let it be destroyed; and so the Latine, consumetur, shall be consumed: and both these may well have place, being one consequent to the other; when iniquity is filled up, when tis come to the full measure, attained its end, saith the Arabick, then Gods judgments come, it shall be destroyed. But the Interlinear have another understanding of it, Consumet malum impios, Evil shall consume the wicked; and in concent therewith, Abu Walid observes the verb foreign to be used transitively sometimes, and instanceth in this place, giving it the notion of excidere, and consumere, as well as perficere. And this rendring may deserve to be preferred before either of the former. Now for the tense it is certainly in the future, and not in the Imperative mood; yet those two are so promiscuously taken the one for the other, that the Interpreters for the most part render it in the Imperative, let it be— The thing from thence observable is, that in Sacred style, especially in the Prophetick Dialect, the use of the Imperative mood must not be alwayes thought to denote a wish, or, when it is of ill, to be a curse, but only a prediction. And this may be of use frequently in Interpreting this Book of Psalms, wherein those many passages which in sound passe for wishes of ill, or curses, are but predictions of the ills that shall befall wicked men. To foreign is here annexed the particle foreign foreignnow, either as an expletive, or to denote the approach of the destruction spoken of.
V. 13. Arrows against the persecutors] The Hebrew foreign signifying two things, to persecute, foreignand to be set on fire, (see note on Ps. x. a) the LXXII. renders foreign here by foreign, and the Latine by ardentibus, and so the Syriack (and the rest) seems to take it, foreign; I suppose it should be, foreign from foreign ferbuit, ebullivit. But the Chaldee restrain it to the other notion, of persecuting, by the addition of foreign the righteous, he will make his arrows against the persecutors of the righteous. And this may probably enough be resolved on as the sence of the place. And yet the words are capable of a yet farther rendring, thus; foreign Sagittas suas fecit in ardentes, or in persequentes, he hath made his arrows for burning or persecuting ones, as that signifies, he hath made his arrows burning or pursuing arrows. Thus the preposition לל may either be a pleonasme, as it is not unusual; or rather may serve to help the construction of the verb, with a double accusative, as it doth Exod. xxvii. 3. foreign All the vessels thereof thou shalt make brasse. So Abu Walid thinks, and renders it, he maketh his arrows bright; the Jewish-Arabick translator, swiftly pursuing, persecuting arrows. And thus burning arrows, as burning darts, may well signifie sharp, and terrille arrows, which yet being but made or ordained, or (in the present) in fieri, in making, or ordaining, and not yet shot or sent out of the bow, as terrible as they are, they still denote Gods sparing a little longer, meanwhile preparing for it, and giving fair treatable warnings, of what will come at last, if they reform not.