Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 4 · Psalm 102
The Hundred Second Psalm.
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord.
Paraphrase. The hundred and second Psalm,foreign in the person of the Captives, Kimchi. So Chald. v. 24. foreign the way of our exile. styled from v. 17. and 23. the prayer of the afflicted, seems to have been composed in time of the * Captivity (see v. 13, 14. &c.) probably by Nehemiah, after the return of Ezra with commission for rebuilding the Temple, see Nehem. i. 3. &c. and is a fit forme for any that is sore afflicted and ready to‖foreign ‖ foreign when he faints, Chald. faint under the weight, and out of a mournfull soule affectionately addresseth his prayer to God.
1. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.
2. Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble: incline thine eare unto me, in the day when I call, answer me speedily.
O blessed Lord, that hast promised thy seasonable relief to all that in time of distress humbly require it from thee, I am now overwhelmed with sorrow (see Nehem. i. 4.) and desire to poure out my soule unto thee, to cry and call for thy relief, O be thou gratiously pleased to admit my address, and not to reject or cast me from thee, to hear and answer my petitions, and that, as the exigence of thy people requires, with all speed possible.
3. For my dayes*are consumed in the smoak, or end in smoak, are consumeda. like smoak, and my bones are burnt up as‖dry wood an hearth.
If thy relief be not speedy, we shall soon be consumed, our life will be suddenly at an end, our strength is allready well-nigh exhausted.
4. My heart is smiten, and withered like grass, †because foreignso that I forget to eat my bread.
The punishments which we groan under are so pressing, that they permit me not to take my ordinary food, and that brings fainting and feebleness upon me.
5. By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
My grief and sorrow is such that it hath wholly emacinated me.
6. I am like a Pelican of the Wilderness, I am like an owle ofb. the‖wast places, or desolations, desert.
And for any relief from man, I am as distetute and hopeless of it as the most solitary Pelican in the desert, which complains so sadly, or the owle that constantly takes up his lodging in ruinous houses,
7. I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
Or the sparrow, that having never a mate, sits very sad and solitary and mournfull, expecting the returne of her company, and in the mean time hath no provision of food nere her, no allay of her sorrow or solitude.
8. Mine enemies reproach me all the day, and†my slanderers have they that arec. mad against me are sworn against me.
My adversaries imploy both their tongues and hands, make no scruple of the soulest slanders and perjuries to mischief me.
9. d.*whereforeFor I havee. eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping;
This hath been matter of excessive continual sorrow to me, and accordingly I have solemnly betaken my selfe to fasting and mourning.
10. Because of thine indignation and thy wrath, for thou hastf. lifted me up, and cast me down.
And the principal ingredient in my sorrow is the consideration of that great displeasure of thine, to which I am to impute all these sad and direfull effects of it.
11. My dayes are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass.
12. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever, and thy remembrance unto all generations.
13. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favour her, yea the set time is come.
My condition is every day worse and more hopeless than other, my joyless life hastening to its fatal period: and unless thou please to interpose thy soveraign power, I am utterly and finally lost. But herein this one great comfort remains, that thy strength is beyond our weakness, thy eternity is opposed to our frail transitory state, thy mercy surmounts our wants and misery; and on this I still found an hope and confidence, that thou wilt in thy good time returne the captivity of our Church and nation, restore us to the priviledges and blessings of peacable assemblies, and that it will not now be long ere that most desirable and acceptable time come.
14. For thy servantsg. ‖resent,take pleasure in her stones, and†will savour, or deal kindly with favour the dust thereof.
To this hope I am induced by thine own promise, that whensoever thy people are carried captive by heathen enemies, if they shall be truly sensible of thy punishments, and humbled for their sins, thou wilt then remember thy Covenant, and restore them. And this is our condition at this time. Now thy Church is laid wast among us, (see Nehem. i. 3.) we cannot choose but be sensible of our loss and our sins, and with all compassion and affection be transported, when we think of either. At present the want of outward prosperity hath not rendred her less desirable in our eyes, but rather inhansed the value of those interdicted felicities, and made us vow all r…adiness to endeavour the repairing of those ruines, whensoever thou shalt please to grant us that welcome opportunity.
15. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the Kings of the earth thy glory.
16. When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
17. He will regard the prayer of the*shrub foreign destitute, and not despise their prayer.
When that blessed time shall come, it shall be an effectual means to bring in whole heathen nations, Princes and people to thy service, when they see so great a deliverance wrought for thy people, their captivity returned, and their Temple reaedified, evidences as of the omnipotent power of God, so of his readiness to hear the prayers of those that are brought to the lowest ebbe of misery and destitution.
18. This shall be written for the generation to come, and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.
The wonderfullness of this deliverance shall be recorded to all posterity, and in probability be a means of bringing in those that have not yet any being, to be proselytes to the service of so great and compassionate a God;
19. For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth,
20. To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death,
21. To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
22. When the people are gathered together, and the Kingdomes to serve the Lord.
When they hear how signally he doth exercise his power and providence in affairs of the world here below, and how ready he is to relieve and rescue those that are in the greatest distress and destitution, to returne their captivity, and restore them to their countrey again, there to bless and praise, and proclaim the power and mercy of God in his Temple, making their constant solemn resort thither, from all the quarters of the land, at the times by God appointed.
23. h,He weakened my strength in the way, he shortened my dayes.
24. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my dayes: thy years are throughout all generations.
When I consider the sadness of our state, the misery and shortness of our lives, and on the other side the strength and eternity of God, I cannot but address my prayers unto him, with some hope that he will spare us, and restore us to some prosperity, and not cut us off in the most flourishing part of our lives.
25. Of old hast thou laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; they all shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou ‖ change them, and they shall be changed:|see Heb. 1. note c.
27. But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
'Twas he, that by his allmighty power at first created the whole world, and all the parts thereof; and though by the same he will in his due time either destroy, or change them quite from the condition of their creation, yet through all these transmutations he shall continue the same to all eternity.
28. The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
And this irresistible power and immutable will of his is a ground of firme hope and confidence to me, that there shall be a time of rest to Gods faithfull servants, that upon our sincere returne to him, and reformation of our sins, he will returne our captivity: and if this fall not out in our dayes, yet our children and their posterity shall receive the benefit and comfort of it, and be continued a people to him, and thereby for ever ingaged to serve him.
Annotations on Psalm CII.
V. 3. Like smoak] For foreign in smoak, which we read in the Hebrew, the Chaldee and Lxxii. are thought to have read foreign foreignas smoak, and accordingly they render it foreign as smoak. But 'tis more probable that they so express what they thought to be the meaning, then that they read it otherwise then we do: For the Jewish Arab, though reading foreign, yet renders it foreign &c. as smoak is consumed or vanisheth. The Syriack read foreign in smoak, and so the sense will best bear, either my dayes or time of my life foreign consume, and wither in smoak, as Ps. cxix. 83. a bottle in the smoak, afflictions have had the same effect on me, as smoak on those things that are hung in it, dried me up, and deformed me: or perhaps foreign end, or faile, or consume in smoak (as when any combustible matter is consumed, smoak is all that comes from it, and so it ends in that:) and to that the latter part of the verse may seem to incline it, foreign foreignand my bones, or members, or body, foreign foreignare burnt up, as that is all one with consumed; so foreign signifies ustus, exustus est, Isa. xxiv. 6. the inhabitants of the earth foreign are burnt up, foreign saith the Chaldee, are consumed; and Ezech. xv. it. it is cast into the fire for sewel, the fire devoureth both ends, and the midst foreign is burnt up; and Ezec. xxiv. 10. speaking, as here, of the bones foreign let them be burnt up. As for foreign,foreign that is added, the interpreters differ in the understanding it. The word coming from foreign accensus est, may be either the place where the fire is, or the pot which is heated by the flame of the fire, or the wood which is set on fire. The Syriack seems to take it in the first notion, rendring it, my bones are grown white, as the hearth, for so the chimney or hearth doth with the fire constantly burning on it. The Chaldee reads foreign as one of the stones that is set under the pot or cauldron, for that is the most probable meaning of foreign, and the Arabick foreign, see note on Psal. Lxviii. g. But the Lxxii. read foreign as dry wood (foreign saith Hesychius) and the Latine, sicut cremium, as dry combustible wood, and that is most appliable to the matter in hand; the bones or members of the body their being burnt up as dry wood, notes the speedy exhausting of the radical moisture, which soon ends in the consumption of the whole. And then the whole verse fitly accords, My dayes are withered away in the smoak, or perhaps end in smoak, my bones are burnt up like dry wood.
V. 6. Desert] From foreign to be destroyed, or laid wast, Isa. Lx. 12. Jer. xxvi. 8. Zeph. iii. 6. is foreign,foreign a wast place, or desolation, the ruines of an house, or an house ready to fall down, being uninhabited. In this sense it must here be taken, so as to fit it for the owle (so foreign foreignsignifies Lev. xi. 17. Deut. xiv. 16.) here mentioned, for that is known to choose its lodging or place of abode in such ruinous places. The Lxxii. render it foreign in the foundation of an house that is fallen; though the Latine mistook it, when they read, in domicilio, in an house. The Jewish Arab read wast desolate places, or ruines.
V. 8. Mad against me] foreign, foreignwhich ordinarily signifies laudavit, signifies also to behave ones selfe indecently, like a mad-man, and in the Chaldee and Syriack dialect to reproach, or slander. Thus Ps. Lxxv. 5. I said foreign, the Chaldee renders it foreign to the scoffers, foreign, they read again foreign scoffe not, and so the sense best bears there, speaking of the rebels that depraved and defamed and slandered him. And so here foreign, adjoyned to foreign my enemies reproach me, are most probably my reproachers, or slanderers; the Chaldee reads again foreign my scoffers or backbiters, and to them most properly belongs, foreign foreignthey have sworne against me, confirmed their slanders by oaths, or execrations upon themselves if they be not true, see Num. v. 21. The Lxxii. read foreign, they that commend me, from the first notion of foreign laudavit, and the Syriack and Latine and Arabick agree with them.
V. 9. For] That foreign foreignsometimes is a note of the cause, sometimes of the effect, and accordingly is sometimes rendred foreign for, or because, sometimes foreign wherefore, see note Luk. vii. d. And to the latter sense the context inclines it here, his eating ashes for bread, i. e. his mourning (see note e.) and plenty of tears, being sure the effect of the reproaches and slanders precedent, caused by them, and therefore not to be thought mentioned here as the cause of them, as the Greek foreign, and Latine Quia, and English For, must import.
Ibid. Eaten ashes like bread] The importance of this phrase foreign foreignI have eaten ashes, may perhaps be mistaken by those who interpret it literally, of feeding on ashes, or mixing ashes with their food, whether it be by eating panem subcinericium, bread baked in the embers, which is not cleansed from the ashes that stick to it, or whether by making ashes one of the ingredients in their bread, or (as‖in vita: Franc. c. 5. cinere conf…ciebat cibaria. Bonaventure saith of S. Francis) casting ashes upon his meat. The use of ashes in mourning is frequently mentioned in Scripture, but that not as of a kinde of diet, but as of that which accompanied sackcloth, and was cast upon their head, or tumbled and wallowed in, or sat in. See 2 Sam. xiii. 19. Esth. iv. 1, 3. Job ii. 8. & xLii. 6. Isa. Lviii. 5. & Lxi. 3. Jer. vi. 26. Lam. iii. 16. Ezech. xxvii. 30. Dan. ix. 3. Jon. iii. 6. And that certainly was the use of ashes among the Jews to disguise them (see 1 King. xx. 38. & 41.) to make them look sadly and neglectedly. But this had no relation to eating, but was generally used in their times of humiliation and fasting, when they eat nothing at all. Only Isa. xLiv. 20. we read, He feedeth on ashes, but that certainly in a prophetical, i. e. figurative sense; for it is applied to the Idol-worshipper v. 17. who prayed to that which cannot hear or help him, any more than ashes would nourish; he cheats and abuseth himself, a deceived heart hath turned him aside, as there it follows. It remains therefore that this one place here in this Psalm, which speaks of eating ashes like bread, be lookt on as a poetical phrase, to be interpreted by the context, and by the general use of ashes in the Scripture. The context speaks of sadness and mourning, and ashes were the solemn rite thereof, being cast upon the head &c. and then fasting being joynd wth mourning, the union of these two are here poetically exprest by eating ashes like bread, i. e. eating no bread, taking no food at all, but instead of that, entertaining themselves with ashes, though not eating them, but sitting down or wallowing in them. And this being the importance of this phrase, the other that follows foreign foreignI mingled my drink with weeping, must be understood by analogy therewith, not literally, that he put any of his tears into his drink, but that instead of drinking (which is exprest by mingling of drink, because they commonly drank their wine mixt with water) he spent his time wholly in weeping and lamenting. Thus Psal. xlii. 3. my tears have been my meat, is no more, but instead of eating I weep; as when Christ saith Jo. iv. 34. My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, i. e. he follows that taske incumbent on him from his Father, and his doing so supplies the place of eating, he doth this instead of that: and so Psal. Lxxx. 5. Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, givest them tears to drink, i. e. they weep and fast, or eat nothing. And so that is the utmost importance of this whole verse, mourning and fasting accompanied with ashes, the ceremony, and tears, a natural consequent of both these.
V. 10, Lifted up] What is meant by foreign foreignthou hast lifted me up, &c. is to be judged by the immediate antecedents, foreign indignation and wrath; by those is meant a vehement displeasure and anger, and in God, in whom anger is not found, effects that bear analogy with those which proceed from angry men. To such it is ordinary to cast to the ground any thing that they are displeased with, and when the displeasure is vehement, to lift it up first as high as they can, that they may cast it down with more violence, and dash it in pieces by the fall. And this is the meaning of the phrase here, and so is a pathetical expression of his present affliction, heightened by the dignity of the publick office wherein Nehemiah was at the time of writing this mournfull Psalm, Nehem. i. 1. and ii. 1. The greater his place was at Shushan, the deeper this sorrow for his countrey-men, and for Jerusale, Nehm. i. 3. pierced him, whereupon he complains that God by way of indignation hath dealt with him, as those that take an earthen vessel, and throw it against the pavement, and that they may beat it to pieces the more certainly, lift it up first, as high as they can, to throw it down with more violence. This the Lxxii. have fitly rendred foreign, and the Latine elevans illi sisti me, having lifted me up, thou hast dasht me to pieces. The Jewish Arab reads, as if thou hadst carried me, and then cast me to them.
V. 14. Take pleasure in her stones] The fullest meaning of foreign will be fetched from the promise of God to the Jews, foreignLev. xxvi. 41. that when they are carried captive by the heathens, and there pine in the enemies land, if they shall confess their iniquity— and if their uncircumcised heart be humbled, foreign we read, and accept of the punishment of their iniquity, then will God remember his Covenant with Jacob &c. and remember the land. In those words it is certain, that foreign is (as we render it) the punishment of iniquity, see 1 Sam. xxviii. 10. and such surely was the demolishing of the Temple, the ruine of that fabrick, which is here exprest by foreign foreignher stones, i. e. rubbish, or heaps of the ruinated stones of the Temple. So that in what sense soever foreign is taken in Leviticus, applyed to foreign punishment of iniquity, in the same it must be taken here, where 'tis applied to the stones or ruines of the Temple; and that is sure a passionate resentment with humble melting sorrow, to look upon the judgments inflicted, assenting to the equity of them. In this sense, I suppose, foreign must be taken in the thirty fourth verse of that xxvi. of Levit. foreign then shall the land resent (we misrender, enjoy) her sabbaths, speaking of the desolate countrey, lamenting and bewailing the loss of those pretious opportunities which they formerly had, and made not use of. And thus in Vespasians coyne, in memory of the conquest of Palaestine, there was on one side a woman sitting weeping under a Palme-tree, and Judaea Capta Jury taken, in the reverse. And so of this Captivity the Psalmist tells us, Psal. cxxxvii. 1. By the waters of Babylon we sat down, and wept when we remembred thee, O Sion. To which kinde of melting resentment seeing the promise is made in that place of Levit. that God will then remember the Covenant, and the land, the Psalmist here fitly endeavours to prove that the time is come, in which God should have mercy upon Sion, v. 13. by this argument, for or because thy servants foreign passionately resent her stones, &c. referring in all likelihood to that promise of God, of which that resentment was the express condition. As for that which follows,foreign foreign it will best be rendred (as it is) in the future tense, they will or shall favour, or deal kindly with her dust or rubbish, i. e. they now promise most affectionately to repair her ruines, according to that of Zorobabel, Zach. iv. 7. he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings, foreign grace, grace to it, or favour, favour, in accord with foreign shall favour the dust of it here: they that now passionately bewail and lament those ruines, and their own and their fathers sins, as the causes of them, shall hereafter joyfully joyne in the repairing thereof, and celebrate their finisht worke with the same tender, though more gratefull or pleasing passion. The Jewish Arab thus renders the verse, For now thy servants are pleased with the stones thereof, contented [or contentedly] and are tenderly affected towards its dust, in honour [or honouring it:] and he explains himselfe in a note, that whereas formerly they set light by the Sanctuary, and sinned against it, they now sought after it, vestigium post oculum (an Arabick phrase proverbially signifying the seeking after that which one hath let goe) magnifying, or honouring the dust thereof, how much more the building thereof, if it might be built?
V. 23. Weakned] From the different acceptions of foreign for answering and afflicting, and by reading foreign for foreign, the Lxxii. have much deformed this ver. 22. rendring foreign foreignhe hath afflicted or humbled my strength in the way, by foreign, he answered him in the way of his strength; and the Latine take it from them, respondit ei in viâ virtutis suae; but the Syriack depart from them, and read foreign &c. They have humbled my strength on earth. Then to foreign foreignhe hath shortned my dayes, the Lxxii. connect the foreign I will say, following, and render it foreign— and the Latine likewise, paucitatem dierum meorum nuncia mihi, declare to me the paucity of my dayes. And herein the Syriack also agree with them; only the Chaldee divide them, and render them aright, My strength is afflicted through the labour of the journey of my exile, my dayes are shortned, I will say before the Lord. And this is surely the full rendring of the verse. The Jewish Arab reads, He hath weakened in this way my strength, and shortned my age from it, i. e. saith he, the way of patience, or enduring and calling [out on thee,] and we being in captivity our strength is weakned from [or by it, or from bearing] it, by reason of the length of it.