Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 1 · Psalm 4
The Fourth Psalme.
TO thea. *Master of the stringed Instruments.Chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalme of David.
Paraphrase. The fourth Psalm was composed by David, possiby on the same occasion (or a like) as the third, and by him commended to the Pracentor or master of his Musick, to be sung to the stringed Instruments, the Psaltery and Harp, &c.
1. b.Hear me when I call, O God of my Righteousnesse, thou hast enlarged me when I was in distresse, have mercy upon me and hear my prayer.
O mercifull God, the only authour of all that is any way good in me, and the continuall defender and supporter of my innocence, against all that have risen up against me, I beseech thee at this time to lend a favourable ear unto my Petitions: Thou hast constantly given me relief in all my straits, extricated me out of all my difficulties, be thou pleased now to make good thy wonted mercies toward me, and grant me deliverance at this time also.
2. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my n glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity,c. and seek after leasing?
O you that calumniate me and my government, and by defamations endeavour to stir up the people against me (so did Absalom ii Sam. xv. 3.) will ye never give over so great a wickednesse? will ye still go on in lying and false speaking?
3. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that isd. godly for himself, the Lord will hear when I call unto him.
3. This you are to know, that God hath separated me of his great mercy, and set me upon the throne to be his Vicegerent upon earth, and consequently to be employed in his speciall services, and by so doing hath engaged himself to preserve me in it Psa. 89.21. which is my ground of most confident assurance that he will hearken to my prayers, and deliver me out of your hands.
4. e.*Be angry.Stand in awe and sin not, commune with your own heart upon your bed, andf. be still.
If you are displeased at my being King, ye are now to remember that being set on the throne by God, this displeasure of yours cannot be separated from rebellion against God himself; Let this be matter of serious sad examination, and discussion of conscience to you, and so work compunction in you, perswade you to quit your hostile designes, and yield subjection where it is due.
5. Offer theg. Sacrifices of righteousnesse, and put your trust in the Lord.
And then upon your change you may most seasonably render solemn thanks to God for your time of repentance and escape out of so desperate an enterprise, blesse and praise him, and adhere to him constantly for the future.
6. There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lordh. lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
Some are apt to be discouraged and despair in this distresse, the appearance of the enemy is so formidable, and our preparations for resistance so small; But I have a sure fortresse that cannot fail, the favour of God espousing my cause, and supporting me, and this is all that remains for us to take care of, by continuall ardent prayer to invoke his help, and chearfully to depend on it.
7. Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine encreased.
This security of thy favour alone, is matter of greater exultation to me, then to worldlings is, or can be the most plentifull harvest, wherein yet they are wont to rejoyce so profusely (and on confidence thereof to be so secure for the time to come, Luk. xii. 19.) that the greatest joy is proverbially stiled, the joy in harvest.
8. I will*together, also foreign both lay me down in peace, and sleep, for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety.
I therefore as well as they will have my rejoycing also, as they in confidence of their full barns, so I in my reliance on the sole providence of Heaven; In which confidence I can sleep securely, repose my self in him, to whom alone all my safety is due, and whose only guard is, without all sollicitude or preparations of mine, abundantly sufficient for me.
Annotations on Psal. IV.
Chief Musician] The Hebrew foreign signifies to urge or presse to the performing any work or task,Tit. and properly belongs to the foreign the overseer and follower of workmen of any kinde. So ii Chron. ii. 2. where Solomons workmen are numbred, there are also MMM foreign which the Lxxii there rightly render foreign, Praefects over them, and v. 18. foreign taskmasters, and c. xxxiv. 12. foreign overseeers, (though v. 13. and Ezr. iii. 8, 9. the Copies have foreign over the workmen only) and where the same thing is set down again, i. Kin. v. 16. they are called foreign, and in the Lxxii foreign, set over his works. The word is used more particularly of Musicians. To this purpose see i. Chro. xv. 21. where after the appointing of Singers with instruments, &c. v. 16.19, 20. Mattathiah, &c. are appointed foreign, we render it, to excell, but in the margin, to oversee, i. e. to take care of, and order the Musick (as Neh. 12.42. Jezrahiah is the Overseer foreign of the singers.) And from hence is the word foreign foreignhere, to the Master, or Ruler, or Praefect. Of whom, or over what he was praefected, is here also exprest foreign foreignover the musical Instruments. Thus foreign signifies, and thus we have foreign Psa. lxvii. 25. the minstrels or players on Instruments differenced from the Singers foregoing. And then the whole phrase foreign put together, here signifies perspicuously [To the Praefect of the musicall Instruments] such there were, more then one, among Davids Officers, that waited on the Ark, i. Chron. xv. 21. And to one of these this Psalm was committed by David, to be sung and plaid to in divine service. The same we finde again, Hab. iii. 19. foreign To the Praefect or Master of my stringed Instruments. From this sense of this word foreign ursit, coegit, institit, there is a secondary use of it for finire to end, and from thence we have foreign Psal. ciii. 9. rightly rendred foreign unto the end, and again, vincere and triumphare to overcome and triumph. And from those two notions the LXXII have taken their rise of rendring it here, foreign to the end, and foreign to overcome in the Conclusion of Habakkuk (in like manner as Aquila hath foreign here) and i. Chron. xv. 21. foreign to prevail, but have lost the sence in all these places, and only hit it ii Chro. ii. 2. and 18. and xxxiv. 12. where, as hath been said, they render it foreign overseers or praefects, set over the workmen, and foreign taskmasters, and foreign overseers.
V. 1. Hear me] The Hebrew foreign foreignis certainly the Imperative, and so is used Psal. xxvii. 7, and therefore must be rendred [hear, or answer me] and thus the Chaldee understood it, and paraphrase it, In time of my prayer, foreign receive from me, by which also they render foreign hear or hearken, in the later end of the verse. But the Lxxii. and from thence the other Antient Interpreters, seem to have read foreign in the Preter tense, and so render foreign he hath heard me, and accordingly the Greek Fathers, S. Chrysostome especially, have observed Gods speed in hearing the prayers of pious men, even before they have made an end of them, foreign, for it is not, saith he, When, or After I had prayed he heard me, but foreign, when I prayed in the present, he hath heard me already in the time past, foreign, whilst thou speakest or sayest, I will say, Behold here am I, as he cites it from Isai. Lviii. 9. concluding that it is not our multitude of words that is wont to perswade with God, foreign, but a pure soul, and the shewing forth of good works. A Doctrine of most comfortable truth, but not founded in the Hebrew reading here.
V. 2. My glory] the Hebrew foreign how long my glory into ignominie] is elliptical, but easily supplied, and made intelligible, thus, How long will you reproach my glory, foreignby [glory] meaning his regal power and majesty which God had bestowed on him. This the Lxxii. render somewhat otherwise, foreign How long are ye heavy hearted, why do ye love vanity? By this phrase foreign possibly explicating (as in a periphrasis) the great hardnesse of heart in Absalom and the like, who would defame so worthy a person, as David, approved and anointed by God, and would not be overcome or melted with his goodness; or perhaps reading the Hebrew somewhat otherwise that now we do, foreign to which their rendering will be literall,foreign and the variation not very great, reading foreign in two words and converting כ into ב; which way soever it is, 'tis evident the vulgar Latine follow them usque quà graves corde ut quid — and the Arabick and Aethiopick to the same purpose.
V. 3. Godly] The acception of foreign in this, and some other places, deserves here to be observed. It signifies ordinarily a pious, or charitable, and beneficent person. But when it is spoken of Man, referring to God, it notes one that hath received favour or mercy from him, and is all one with foreign, one that hath found favour with God. ‖See Schindl. pentagl. p. 618. C.So Psal. xvi. 10. Thou shalt not suffer foreign him, that is so favoured by thee, to see corruption. So Ps. xxx. 4. Sing unto the Lord foreign ye that have felt his mercy and bounty. And so here David, seeing fit, in his plea against his enemies, who blasted him as a man of blood, and a guilty person, to insist on God selection, and advancement of him to the Kingdome, (noted by foreign foreignhath separated to a function, the Chaldee reads foreign, in the same sence, as foreign in the New Test. denotes setting apart to the Apostolical function Act. xiii. 2.) and so referring to these words of Gods testimony, 1 Sam. xiii. 14. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and hath commanded him to be Captain over his people, he chooses to use that more modest form of foreign an Eleemosynary, or beadsman, that God hath advanced and chosen to this great dignity. This is in a like style set down Psalm Lxxviii. 70. He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfold, From following the ewes great with yong he took him, that he might feed Jacob his people, &c. and Psalm LXXXIX. 20. I have found David my servant, with my holy oyle have I annointed him. Of this see more Psal. Lxxxvi. note a.
V. 4. Stand in awe] What foreign signifies here might be somewhat uncertain,foreign had not the Apostle Eph. iv. given us the meaning of it, foreign denoting commotion either of the body or minde, doth in the latter acception import two things especially, fear and anger, those two principal commotions of the minde. In that of anger we have it, Gen. XLV. 24. where we render it falling out or quarelling, and 11 Kin. xix. 27, 28. in both which we render it rage. So Prov. xxix. 9. And so Gen. xLi. 10. the Hebrew foreign (affirmed of Pharaoh, viz. that) he was wrath, is by the Chaldee rendered foreign. And this is much the more frequent acception of it in the Old Testament. And thus the Septuagint understood it here (and with them the vulgar Latine, Syriack, Arabick, and Aethiopick) rendering it foreign, and from thence in the same words the Apostle makes use of the place Eph. iv. 26. foreign, Be angry and sin not, i. e. when ye are angry take care that ye do not sin, which that it is no allowance of foreign anger there, but only a supposing it present, and a forewarning of the dangerous effects of it, See note on Eph. iv. 9. and that is more evident by comparing it with this Text, where their displeasure against Gods Anointed, David, the first rise of their Rebellion, was certainly a great sin in them.
V. 4. Be still] The Hebrew foreign from foreign siluit, foreignconquievit, cessavit, signifies in relation to actions as well as words, and so denotes a cessation from what they were before doing, which to those that were before about any ill, is repentance, to those which were up in armes, submission, or quiet subjection. And thus 'tis rendered here by the Septuagint foreign, (and to that the vulgar agree) compunction or contrition, as that is taken for amendment, the effect of godly sorrow, and so the Arabick more explicitly, Let it repent you, and the Chaldee, that paraphrases that part of the verse at large [Say your prayer with your mouth, and your petition with your heart, and pray upon your bed, and remember the day of death] instead of foreign reads foreign subdue, quiet, tame your desires or concupiscences, and then connects with that the substance of all the following verse thus, Subdue your concupiscences, and then it shall be reputed to you for a sacrifice of righteousness— Agreeably whereto‖Tom. 1. p. 532. l. 30. S. Chrysostome, foreign, Offer righteousness, this is the greatest gift, this the acceptable sacrifice to God, not to slay sheep— but to do what is just; Wheresoever thou art, thou mayest offer this, thy selfe being the Priest, the altar, the knise, and the sacrifice.
V. 5. Sacrifices of righteousness] foreign sacrifices of righteousness here do most probably signifie the peace offering, foreignor oblation of thanksgiving for deliverance. We have the phrase again Psal. Li. 19. where it is contradistinguisht to foreign the holocaust. And there is reason for this appellation, because the sin was first to be atoned by the sin-offering, and thereby the person restored to some state of righteousness, ere he attempted the other. And withall, it was lawful for a Gentile worshipper, a proselyte of the gates to present a sin-offering, but the peace-offering, foreign the sacrifice of praise, none but the foreign proselyte of righteousness might be allowed to bring. And so it is fitly recommended here, as a consequent of reformation.
V. 6. Lift up] The Hebrew foreign lift up, foreignis here rendred foreign by the Septuagint, and so by the Latine, signatum est, referring to a banner, or standard, or insigne, in Greek foreign, in Hebrew foreign which is wont to be exalted or lifted up, from foreign evexit, exaltavit. Indeed foreign the word here used is not so usual in the Hebrew tongue: but instead of it foreign with foreign and א, and so the Chaldee here hath it; And therefore the Lxxii. had some ground for their change, and no doubt meant to signifie by it, the great security which is injoyed by Gods favour (meant by the light i. e. chearfulness, pleasantness o… his countenance towards us, as they that favour others, look pleasantly on them) viz. the same that from an insigne or banner, the strongest military preparations, and thus it lies very consonant to what went before. Davids visible strength, and military preparations were so small, comparatively with those of his enemies, that they that look't on, were ready to despair of victory. But as Elisha in the mount to his unbelieving intimidated servant, shewed him a vision of horses and chariots round about them, and so more on their, than on the enemies side, so David here to those fearful objectors opposes the favour of God, as a banner or insigne, that hath a whole army belonging to it, i. e. all security attending it.