Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 1 · Psalm 18
The Eighteenth Psalme.
Paraphrase. TO the chief Musitian, a Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said,
The Eighteenth Psalm was indited by David in commemoration of the many victories, and now quiet settlement in the Kingdome of Israel and Judah, which God had bestowed on him by his powerful interpositions for him, in subduing the Philistims, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites, that rose up against him, in quieting the rebellion of Absalom, (soon after which it is recorded, 2 Sam. xxii.) but especially in rescuing him out of the malitious bloody hands of King Saul. This he composed, and committed to the prefect of his Musick, to be sung on‖for all the days wherein God had delivered him— Chald. Paraphr. solemn dayes, for the commemorating of these deliverances and victories. And these were the words of it.
1. I will love thee, O Lord my strength.
O blessed Lord, I acknowledge thee to be the sole author of all my deliverances and victories; and so by all obligations imaginable I stand ingaged, most passionately to love, and bless, and magnifie thee, to pay all the affections of my whole soul, a due tribute to thee: and this I do, and am firmly resolved to do all my dayes.
2. The Lord is my‖refuge. a.rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God,*my rock foreign my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
To thee I have in all my distresses made my resort, as to a place of perfect strength, to a mighty champion to rescue me, and thou hast never failed to answer me in these addresses. O my God, thou hast been a place of strength and security unto me, and on that account I have alwayes had confidence, and chearful expectations of deliverance, whatsoever my dangers have been; thou hast been my sure safeguard, so that I have needed no other shield, my mighty deliverer (see note on Luk. 1. n.) and my most impregnable fort or castle.
3. I will*praise and call upon the Lord, so— call upon the Lord, b.which is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies.
If I am distrest, or assaulted by my adversaries, I have then my sure sanctuary to resort unto. To him I come with acknowledgments of his abundant mercies formerly received from him, the essays of his power and readiness to relieve me, and withall the pawns and pledges of them for the future; and to my songs of praise, I adde my humblest requests and supplications for deliverance: and doing thus, I never fall of my returns from God, never miss the deliverance that I stand in need of.
4. The†cords. c.sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5. The‖cords. sorrows of hell compassed me about, the snares of death prevented me.
When whole armies of blood-thirsty enemies closed me on every side, ready as a torrent to overwhelm me, and were very terrible in that appearance, when their designs were even come to their desired issue, and there was no visible way of my escape or preservation;
6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cryed unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even unto his ears.
In these streights immediately I made my address to God, and most passionately poured out my requests before him: and he from Heaven, that place of his peculiar residence, (and therefore the sanctuary whence all rescues come, as the place to which all petitions are brought,) afforded me a speedy audience, considered, and immediately granted my desires.
7. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8. There went up a smoak out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured, coals were kindled by it.
9. He bowed the Heavens also andd. came down; and darkness was under his feet.
10. And he rode upon a Cherub and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the‖See Psal. civ. note c. wind.
11. He made darkness his secret place: his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds past, hail-stones and coals of fire.
13. The Lord also thundred in the heavens, and the highest gave his voice, hail-stones and coals of fire.
14. Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered them, and hee. shot out lightnings and discomfited them.
15. Then the chanels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered; at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
And then speedily he exprest his great displeasure and wrath against my adversaries: a most dreadful thing, the wrath of an All-powerful God, able to set all the world on trembling, and not so only, but even to set it on fire and consume it, (see Exod. xx. 18. and Heb. xii. 29.) Then might you discern him interposing his hand for the discomfiting my enemies, as signally as if he had descended in a black thick cloud with a mighty wind, and appearance of Angels in shining garments, (as we read of his exhibiting himself Num. ix. 15. Mat. ix. 7. Heb. xii. 18.) with tempestuous showers of hail and fire, (such as Jos. x. 11. Exod. xix. 23.) with thunders and lightning; all these on purpose (as with arrows and fiery darts) to annoy and pursue them: and finally, with the same notoriety of his presence, as when the waters of the sea were driven back by a strong east wind, and the deep turned into dry ground, Exod. xiv. 21, 22. to give the Israelites a safe passage out of their thraldome, and to drown the Egyptians.
16. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
And thus did he, as by a party sent on purpose from Heaven, deliver and rescue me from‖foreign from many people, Chald. the multitude of my adversaries.
17. He delivered me from my strong enemie, and from them which hated me, for they were too strong for me.
And this at a time when they wanted neither power nor will to destroy me, being much superior to me in strength, had not he thus seasonably come to my rescue.
18. They prevented me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my stay.
When my distress was greatest, (see note on Psalm xvii. k.) and all humane aids were obstructed by them, then God, by his own special providence and interposition sustained and supported me.
19. He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He freed me from all my streights, restored me to a prosperous condition: and this upon no other account, but only of his kindness and mercy to me.
20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to thef. cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Thus hath God vindicated my uprightness, and given me at last those returns which were answerable to the justice of my cause:
21. For I have kept the wayes of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
As seeing that indeed I have not knowingly transgrest any command of his, (save only in the matter of Uriah, for which he repented, and obtained pardon from God, 1 King. xv. 5.)
22. For all his judgements were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
But have observed his statutes diligently, never refusing to be ruled by any of them:
23. I was also upright before him, and kept my self fromg. mine iniquity.
And by so doing preserved my innocence, and guarded me from commission of any sin. (This still, according to Scripture stile, to be understood with exception of the matter of Uriah.)
24. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
And accordingly hath God, out of his abundant mercy to me, accepted and rewarded my uprightness, and given testimony to the sincerity thereof.
25. With the merciful thou wilt shew thy selfe merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thy self upright;
26. With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward.
For God is a most just impartial rewarder, sees the heart, and accordingly recompenses. To a merciful pious man he makes returns of mercy and pity; to the upright he will administer justice, vindicate his cause from the oppressor and injurious. He that keeps himself pure from sin, with him God will deal most‖foreign pure, signifies also just and faithful. faithfully; perform his promise to him exactly; never leave any degree of goodness in him unrewarded. And on the other side the rule holds as true, that those that deal frowardly and stubbornly with God, shall be sure to be opposed and punished by him. (See note on Mat. ix. k.)
27. For thou wilt save the afflicted people, and wilt bring down high looks.
For it is Gods constant method, to relieve the oppressed, and destroy (in his due time) the oppressor, be he never so confident.
28. For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will inlighten my darkness.
And on this ground I have built my confidence, that how hopeless soever my present condition can at any time be, the powerful Lord of Heaven, and my gratious God, will rescue me out of it.
29. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my Godh. have I‖or, taken a fort. leaped over a wall.
By him I have been inabled to subdue and bring down the strongest forces.
30. †Gods way foreignAs for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tryed: he is a buckler to all that trust in him.
He is most just and faithful, his promises without all deceit or possibility of failing: he will certeinly protect all those that rely and depend on him.
31. For who is God, save the Lord? or who is a rock, save our God?
This cannot be said of any other. The deities of the heathens are not able to yeeld them any defense, nor any, but the one God whom we adore.
32. It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh myi. way perfect.
From him I have received all my strength, to him I acknowledge it wholly due, that I have been preserved in safety.
33. *He fitteth, makes even—Hek. maketh my feet like hinds feet, and setteth me up upon myl. high places.
When I was pursued by Saul, he inabled me by swif…ness of flight to escape to the wildernesse and mountains, and so to secure my selfe.
34. He teacheth my hands to warre, so that a bow of steel ism. broken by my arme.
At other times he gave me strength for battel, and inabled me to obtain most wonderfull victories, (by mine own hand on Goliah, on all other my enemies by my armies.)
35. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy†care, or discipline. n.gentlenesse‖or hast thou multiplyed to me. hath made me great.
Constantly he hath protected me from all evil, in time of distresse supported me, and at last, by his continued multiplyed acts of providence, raised me to the greatest height.
36. Thou hast inlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
I am now by his mercy brought to a condition of safety, no enemies to distresse or streighten me, no dangers to apprehend:
37. I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38. I have wounded them that they were not able to rise; they are fallen under my feet.
Having put all my enemies to flight, pursued my victory, and finally subdued, and destroyed them,
39. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battell: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
And all by that strength with which thou hast furnisht me: my victories are all thy gifts of mercy.
40. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
Tis thou that hast by thy wise and powerfull providence subjected them to me. (see Jos. x. 24.)
41. They cryed, but there was none to save; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.
When thou wert thus their enemy, there was none to yeeld them any relief; the aid from heaven failed them, and no other would stand them in any stead.
42. Then did I beat them as small as the dust before the winde: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
Being thus assisted by thee, I put to flight and destroyed all their forces.
43. Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people, and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
And now I am landed in a calme harbour, after all the stormes that incompast me, not onelyonly mine own kingdome being quieted, but the neighbouring heathens, Philistims, Moabites &c. added to my dominions,
44. As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangerso. shall‖or, ly, or yeeld feigned obedience to me. submit themselves unto me.
Some of them overcome & subdued by me, others through their dread of my power paying a feigned obedience to me;
45. The strangers shall†languish, or, consume foreign fade away, and*move fearfully out of their holes, or fenced places. bep. afraid out of their close places.
And these living in a languishing condition of fear and dread, keeping close, not daring to appear abroad, for the terror that thy signal presence with me hath brought upon them.
46. The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock: and let the God o… my salvation be exalted.
Blessed and exalted be the name of the living Lord, which hath given me strength, and rescued me from all my distresses.
47. It is God that avengeth me, and‖destroyeth, or breaketh to pieces, foreign See 2 Chr. xxii. 10. subdueth the people under me.
All this work of execution on mine enemies, and of subduing them under me, is to be attributed to him only.
48. He delivereth me from mine enemies, yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
To him therefore I desire to acknowledge both my rescue, and my victory over all the forces that have been raised against me.
49. Therefore will I give thanks unto thee (O Lord) among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
And for this will I laud and magnifie his holy name among all the people of the world. And this shall be the summe of my lauds.
50. Great deliverance giveth he to his King, and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seedq. for evermore.
O thou which hast wrought these wonderfull deliverances for him whom thou hast set up on the throne, which hast exalted me to this dignity, and since incompast me with thy signal favour and mercy, and wilt perpetuate the same to all my posterity, that shall succeed me in the regal power, (if they continue to adhere faithfully to thee) and wilt at length shew forth thy power and mercy, in a most illustrious manner in the Messias, the son of David, whose Kingdome shall never have end; To thee be all honour and glory and praise to all eternity.
Annotations on Psalm XVIII.
V. 1. Rock] Though foreign foreignprimarily signifie a rock, and so is used, and rendred foreign rock in most places; yet by Synecdoche it sometimes signifies a towre or fort, 2 King. xiv 7. because such are commonly, for security, built on rocks or hills; and by Metaphore also any refuge, to which any whether man or beast is wont to resort, because (as Psal. civ. 18. is affirmed) to rocks and hills they are wont to fly from approaching dangers. Thus Psalm xlii. 10. foreign my rock] is by the Chaldee rendred foreign my hope, by the LXXII. foreign my helper. So when Isa. xxxi. 1. Israel is reproved for going down to Aegypt for helpe, as to a refuge, it is said v. 9. foreign: we render, his rock, or strong hold; it must be his refuge (or those to whom he went down for helpe) shall passe away for fear. This therefore is the fittest rendring of the word in this place; the primitive notion of rock being after exprest by foreign which signifies that exactly, and the Synecdochical notion for a fort or tower, in the very next word foreign my tower, or fortresse: and to that the Chaldee agree who render it foreign my fortitude, or strong hold for resort; the LXXII. foreign my firmament, and so the Latine (as Psal. xxx. 3. foreign strength.) Apollinar… us hath foreign to the same sense, the Syriack foreign my confidence, or my hope. All which are meant to signifie the Metaphoricall, and not Originall notion of it.
V. 3. Worthy to be praised] foreign foreignliterally signifies laudatum, praised, and so it is rendred both by the Interlinear, and Castellio; but the meaning of it will be best resolved on by the antient Interpreters, that have not followed the phrase so literally. foreign, say the LXXII. praysing I will call upon the Lord; not reading foreign (as some suppose,) but thus choosing to expresse the sense: and so the Latine, laudans invocabo; the Chaldee foreign in a song or hymne I poure out prayers; Apollinarius, foreign praising thee with prayers, or joyning my praises and requests, my doxologies and litanies together. But the Arabick more expressely, I will praise the Lord and call upon him: and R. Tanchum, I will call upon him, and seek him with celebration and praise. And this, without question, is the meaning of the Poetick phrase, I will call on him being praised, i. e. I will first praise, then call upon him; praise him for his past mercies, and then petition for fresh: the uniting of these two being the condition, on which they may hope for deliverance from God. A like phrase we have in Latine, laudatum dimisit, he dismist him being praised; i. e. first praised him, then sent him away; and many the like.
V. 5. Sorrows] foreign foreignsignifies two things, a cord, and a pang of a womans travaile; and which it signifies, must be resolved still by the context. 1. Here, where 'tis joyned with incompassing, it is most fitly to be understood in the former sense, because ropes or cords are proper for that turne, as for holding and keeping in, when they are inclosed. And thus I conceive it most proper to be rendred in the next verse, where it is joyned with snares, to which cords very well agree (see Psalm CXL. 5. The proud laid a snare for me, and cords) but pangs of travail do not. The Chaldee indeed paraphrase it in that other sense of pangs, d stresse hath compast me as a woman in travail, which hath not strength to bring forth, and is in danger to dye; and the LXXII. read foreign the pangs of death: But it is usual for them thus to doe, when the same Hebrew signifies two Greek words, to take one of them for the other; and accordingly 'tis from them taken by S. Luke Acts ii. 24. where yet the mention of loosing] and being holden] must needs restrein it to the other sense of cords and not pangs, (see Annot. c. on A…t. ii.) And thus the Interlinear reads funes here, and the learned Castellio, Lora, Cords. And in the next verse the Chaldee reads the same word by foreign a troupe, or an army; which may well be the meaning of the figurative expression; for a company (which we call a band) of souldiers, much more an army, incompasse and girt in, as cords doe: and the Syriack there expressly foreign the cords of scheol besieged me, and so the margin of our English; and therefore in all reason it must be so also in this verse.
V. 9. Come down] This whole passage of 9.foreign verses from v. 7. to 15. is but a Poetical description of Gods executing vengeance on Davids enemies. And as in the New Testament, Christs vengeance on his crucifiers (the Jews,) is frequently called the coming of Christ, and sometimes coming in clouds, (see Mat. xxiv. note b. and 2 Thess. ii. note b. and 2 Pet. i. e.) and as Psal. xcvi. 13. Gods judgments are exprest by, he cometh, he cometh, and Psal. xcvii. 5. by the presence of the Lord, and many the like: so here we have the representation of a glorious and terrible coming of God, bowing the heavens, and coming, inclosed with a dark cloud, v. 11. as being invisible; riding on a cherub, or Angel, v. 10. (all Gods appearances being by Angels,) and this in a tempestuous manner, haile, thunder, and lightning, v. 12, 13, 14. and foreign (thrice repeated) coals of fire, thereby representing the bolt, or thunder-shaft, which is with great fitnesse thus exprest poetically, as the lightning by brightness, the congealed moisture of the cloud by haile (which in those countries accompanied thunder, as rain does with us, Exod. ix. 23.) so that missile shot out of the cloud with so much terror both of noise and splendor, what is it but the earthy sulphureous part, made up of the same ingredients as a fiery cinder among us, and all this to denote the terriblenesse of it; and lastly, after the manner of his destroying of the Aegyptians, by drying up the channels of the Sea, that deep whereon the earth is oft said to be founded, and so ingaging them in it, and then bringing the waters upon them, to the overwhelming them all: and all this but preparatory to Davids deliverance, which follows v. 17.
V. 14. Shott out] The Hebrew foreign foreignsignifies to multiply, and to shoot or dart. In the latter sense 'tis Gen. xLix. 23. the archers grieved him, foreign and shot at him. And thus by the comparison here made between arrows and lightning, we may conclude it to signifie. Yet the antient Interpreters generally render it in the former notion. The Chaldee read foreign and many lightenings, the LXXII. foreign and he multiplyed lightnings, and so the Syriack and Vulgar Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick from them; and so also the Interlinear, multiplicavit, and Castellio, crebris fulgoribus, with frequent lightnings: and onelyonly our English seems to have pitched on the right rendring it, cast forth, in the old, and shot forth, in the new translation.
V. 20. Cleanness] What is here me…nt by the cleannesse of Davids hands, to which he here pretends, may to some seem difficult, especially when so many other expressions are added to it; keeping Gods wayes indefinitely, not wickedly departing from him, v. 21. having all Gods judgments before him, and not putting away his statutes, v. 22. being upright before him, and keeping himselfe from his iniquity, v. 23. and again, righteousnesse and cleannesse of hands in his eye-sight, v. 24. when yet if we consider the series of the history, this Psalm 2 Sam. xxii. was indited after the commission of those great sins, of Adultery with Uriahs wife, making him drunk, contriving his death, and these lived in a long space, at least a twelve monethmonth, before Nathan came to him from God, and brought him to repentance; which as it was a conjunction of many known deliberate wilful sins, and a long course and stay in them, so no doubt it could not be reconcileable with Gods favour, whilst unrepented of, nor consequently with that uprightnesse in Gods sight, which here is spoken of. With that indeed many sins of weakness or suddain surreption, for which his heart presently smites him, (such as that of numbring the people) might be competible, as being but the spots of sons, such as God is favourably pleased to pardon in his sons, and sincere servants; but for these wasting wilful sins, which have none of that excuse of weaknesse at the time of Commission, nor that instant smiting of the heart, humiliation and confession, and change, and sacrifice, to allay the poyson of them, but accumulation of more, one on the back of the other, and a long continuance in them, these are not of that sort; they exclude from the favour of God, as long as they remain unreformed. For the answering of this therefore, it must be remembred, 1. that Repentance, when sincere, restores to the favour of God: and David was now in that state, at, and long before the time of inditing that Psalm, supposing it to be composed by him after the quieting of Absaloms rebellion, as the series of the story sets it, 2 Sam. xxii. and then be his sins as red as scarlet, God hath made them as white as snow, Gods pardon and acceptance sets him right again; and that may be his ground of confidence, in thus mentioning the cleannesse of his hands, viz. such as now was restored to him by repentance. 2. As general affirmations have frequently some one or perhaps more exceptions, which yet comparatively, and in balance with the contrary, are not considered; so his profession of Universal uprightnesse here, is to be interpreted with this exception of that matter of Uriah, according to that style of Scripture, which saith of him, that he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the dayes of his life, save onelyonly in the matter of Uriah the Hittite; which though it were very foule, yet was not fit to prejudice the universal uprightnesse of all the rest of his life, and so is not named here in the Psalm, but must, as an implicite exception, be, from that passage in the Kings, fetcht, to give the true importance of these phrases, which in sound pretend to Universal Uprightnesse and sincerity, but must be taken with this allowance, except, or save only in that one matter.
V. 23. Iniquity] For foreign foreignfrom mine iniquity] which the LXXII. and Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick follow, the Chaldee seems to have read foreign from iniquities, in the plural, for so they read foreign from debts or faults, and so the Syriack also. But the Vulgar reading need not be parted with, being in sense the same, I kept my selfe from mine iniquity, i. e. from my falling into any such.
V. 29. Leaped] In this 29. v. where the Hebrew read foreign I will run through a troop, foreignthe Chaldee have foreign I will multiply armies, but the Lxxii. foreign, I shall be delivered from temptation; both no doubt by way of Paraphrase, not literal rendring. In the end of the verse, the word foreign foreignfrom foreign to look, signifies both a wall, from whence to look, and observe the approach of enemies, and also a watch-tower or fort, from the same ground. Thus wall among us, being lightly deduced from vallum, signifies also a fort, Colwal, the fort on the hill; because generally when walls are thus built in war, there are some such forts erected on them. To this is joyned foreign foreignfrom foreign to leap or leap over. If we take foreign in the notion of a wall, then 'tis rightly rendred, I will leap over a wall: but if in the notion of a fort, then 'tis to seize on it with force and suddenness, as if one leapt into it, and so will be best rendred to take ti. Thus the Chaldee foreign I will subdue fortified towers.
V. 32. Perfect] That foreign foreignsignifies intire or absolute, compleat or perfect, there is no question. Being applied to a way, 'tis generally thought to signifie uprightness of manners. But the context here will not permit it to be taken in that sense, being joyn'd with strength for the battel. As then sin is the blemish of manners, and the grace to eschew that, is fitly yet figuratively said to make the manners perfect, or foreign immaculate (as the Lxxii. and Latine and Syriack here read;) so Gods power and providence, that delivers from dangers, which are as contrary to the health and safety of the body, as sins are to the safety and health of the mind, may as fitly be said to make the way perfect, or intire, i. e. safe; and to that the context confines it in this place.
V. 33. Maketh my feet] The word foreign foreignhere from foreign signifies [he makes my feet alike,] neither of them shorter then his fellow, (that which the Greeks express by foreign,) from whence proceed fleetness or nimbleness, which therefore the Hebrews signifie by this phrase; as on the contrary a lame man is by them stiled foreign one whose legs or feet are not equal, and correspondent one to the other. And this the Lxxii. seem to have considered, when they render it foreign, he that made my feet whole, and compleat as they should be, (see note on 2 Cor. xiii. c.) just in the notion of foreign forementioned, as that is foreign, one whose feet are whole and entire, in opposition to any kind of lameness. The Latine also, that read perfecit pedes meos, hath perfected my feet, and other interpreters that follow the Lxxii. must be understood in this notion. And the Chaldee having retained the Hebrew foreign have added agile, or nimble, to it, by way of paraphrase, foreign which I suppose is most fully rendred, by evening or fitting my feet he makes them nimble, or he fits my feet, nimble as an hinds feet; and not as the Latine renders it, qui ponit pedes meos agiles, which puts or sets my feet nimble: for though it be true, that foreign in Piel is by the Chaldee used for set, yet in this place, where the Hebrew use that word, and the Chaldee take it from them, it is not probable they should use it in a sense wherein the Hebrew did not use it. But however that be with the Chaldee, the Hebrew is sure thus to be rendred, and so is by the interlinear, adaequans, making even.
V. 33. High places] What foreign foreignhigh places] signifies here, may perhaps be question'd. The word signifies any high places, and so is oft taken for altars erected there, which from thence are foreign in the Greek. Besides, it may be thought to signifie the Royal throne, to which David was now exalted, and so constituted by God. But the swiftness of the Hind, that is here joyned with it, doth rather confine it to the most vulgar acception, for the tops of hills, whither both men, and beasts, and birds are wont to fly, for the avoiding any imminent danger; and to such David was forced to fly from Saul, and by that means was then preserved.
V. 34. Broken] from foreign contritus est, to be broken in pieces, is foreign foreignhere, is broken. For it the Lxxii. (and from them the Latine and Aethiopick) seem to have read, foreign thou hast given; for according to that, they render it, foreign—thou hast set or made my arms a brazen bow; and the Chaldee to the same sense, thou hast strengthened my arms as a steel bow, and so the Syriack and Arabick: unless we may rather resolve, that reading as we now do, they thought thus to paraphrase, rather than literally to render the place; and then it will be very proper thus to express the great militarie strength that God had bestowed on David.
V. 35. Gentleness] From foreign afflixit, foreignhumiliavit, depressit, afflicting, humbling, depressing, comes the noun foreign which properly notes affliction, humiliation, poverty; and thus most of the antient interpreters render it here. The Chaldee indeed render it foreign by thy word, from another notion of foreign frequent with the Chaldee, for speaking. But the Syriack read foreign (from foreign erudivit, and castigavit) thy teaching or thy correction; and the Lxxii. rendering foreign which is joyned with it, two wayes, 1. foreign hath rectified me, and 2. foreign shall teach me, (in the notion of foreign, from whence their teachers or masters were called Rabbines) they have to each of those verbs prefixt foreign discipline, by that rendring foreign, and probably noting affliction or chastisement by it. And thus it is appliable to David, who was afflicted, and chastised, and opprest, and kept down for a while; but this in the way to his exaltation, in that notion of foreign for increase or making great, in which the Chaldee interpret it foreign thou hast increased me. But there is another notion of the noun foreign for care, but lightly varied from discipline (by which the Lxxii. and Syriack render it,) and so R. Tanchum here, thy care, or thy providence: so foreign in Arabick signifies, and so Abu Walid understands it, and Kimchi in radic. The Jewish-Arab reads thy answering me, from foreign respondit. As for the foreign hast made me great] R. Tanchum renders it, thou hast multiplied unto me, rendring foreign in the accusative case, thy care thou hast multiplied unto me: and that may be pitcht on as the clearest rendring.
V. 44. Submit] That foreign foreignin Piel, as here it lyes, signifies to ly, or speak falsely, there is no question. And so the Chaldee render it, foreign &c. they shall lie in my presence; the Lxxii. foreign they lyed unto me; and so the Latine, and Aethiopick, and Arabick. Only the Syriack with some difference, foreign they shall submit themselves to me: but this I suppose not meant by them in opposition to the former sense, but in this subordination to it; they shall feign themselves to have been obedient to me, shall fear me when they see my power, and themselves unable to resist it, and thereupon flatter, and pretend they have never opposed me. And that is the full meaning of the place, which sets out Davids power so great, that all that were near to see it, dissembled their hostility, made fair with him, which is in effect a subjecting themselves to him, as long as this his power continued; a forced, and so hypocritical subjection, from awe to his greatness, not from love or unfeigned obedience to him. So Abu Walid, who puts among the notions of foreign that of submitting ones self, and for that instances in this place, derives it (as the other of being lean) from the first of lying and denying, viz. submitting feignedly, for want of strength to resist. And to that well accords the conjugation Hithpael 2 Sam. xxii. 45. and Abu Walid thinks foreign which occurs in the same sense, Deut. xxxiii. 29. ought to be reckoned as of that conjugation, the ת being recompensed by Dagesh in כ: And though here it be in the plain form of Piel, yet the Psalm being but one here, and 2 Sam. xxii. the same must be resolved of both places.
V. 45. Afraid] In this place the Hebrew Copies of the Psalms differ from the reading ii. Sam. xxii. 46. One lesser variation there was in v. 44. (See note o.) and in this next verse, a second; whether made by David himself, or by Esdras that collected them into a volume, or by any Scribe that wrote it out, must be uncertain; as also which is the Original reading, that in ii. Sam. or this here. There it is foreign foreignfrom foreign ligavit, and claudicavit: and so 'tis rendred, by the Lxxii. foreign, they shall stumble, there, and foreign here, they were lamed; by the Latine, contrahentur, they shall be contracted, there, and claudicaverunt here, they were lame, as if it were from foreign claudicavit in both places. Here 'tis by transposition of a letter foreign foreignfrom foreign commotus est, trepidavit, being moved, or trembling. In this sense the Chaldee seems to have read it, and render it here foreign and shall go or remove, and there foreign shall be moved; both evidently from foreign was moved. In this variety what shall be resolved, might be uncertain, were it not for one direction, which we have from Mich. vii. 17. There we read foreign shall move, which the Chaldee render by the same word, whereby they render this, ii. Sam. xxii. foreign shall be moved. Now as there and here, the adjunct is the same, foreign from their holes or close or fenced places (from foreign foreignocclusit to shut up) rendred here by the Lxxii. foreign paths, but there more properly foreign claustrum, close place; so in all reason the sense must be the same. There in Michah, 'tis spoken of worms or creeping things, which move out of their holes, and are afraid, i. e. move in great fear, when they come out of their holes (and so foreign, the word used here, oft signifies in Arabick to go out, as Psa. xix. 4. Mat. ii. 6.) and so here being spoken of the Heathen people, which stood in such aw of Dav…d, the conqueror, it signifies, that for fear they ran as into holes and Caverns, whether castles, or other places of security, and now they moved out of them, as worms out of their holes, extreamly fearful, (before he assaults, when they do but hear of him, v. 44.) to fall into the hands of this powerful Prince. And this trembling motion of theirs is exprest most fitly by foreign, that signifies both to be moved, and to tremble; or (more fully) to move fearfully, or sollicitously; and is well enough exprest also by foreign going lame, which is used ii. Sam. xxii. and rendred to that sense by the Lxxii. and Syriack, and Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick, in this place, and moreover in the Arabick dialect hath the notion of fearful, as in Alkamus the great Arabick Lexicon appears. And so the antient Jews, as they doubt which to prefer, foreign or foreign so they resolve one to be the same with the other, only by transposition of letters; and accordingly the Hebrew Arabick glossary renders foreign by foreign to fear. And so this may remove that difficulty.
V. 50. For evermore] That this last passage of the Psalm, which is Prophetical, and extended beyond the person of David, to his seed for evermore, is to be applied to the Messias, may be confirmed from several passages of the Chaldee Paraphrase on this Psalm, especially on v. 29. and 32. On the 29. v. they have these words; Because thou shalt inlighten the lamp of Israel, which is put out in the Captivity, for thou art the author of the light of Israel: The Lord my God shall lead me out of darkness into light, shall make me see the consolation of the age which shall come to the just. And on v. 32. Because for the miracle and redemption which thou shalt shew foreign to thy Christ, and to the reliques of the people which shal remain; all the people, nations and languages shall give praises to thee, &c. And v. 49. thou shalt rescue me from Gog —by whom the Jews are wont to describe Antichrist.