Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 2 · Psalm 42
PSALM XLII.
TO the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sonnes of Corah.
The Forty second is the first of the second Book of Psalms, in the Hebrew partition of them, (which second Book reaches to the end of Psalm Lxxii. and contains one and thirty Psalms.) It was composed in time of his distress, in his flight from Absalom, and is chiefly spent in bemoning his detention from Sion, the place of Gods solemn worship; and was set by him to the tune known by the name of Maschil, (see note on Psalm xxxii. a.) and committed to the Prafect of his Musick, to be sung by the posterity of Coreh, the sons of Heman, 1 Chron. xxv. 4. stiled Heman the singer, 1 Chron vi. 33. who came from Elkanah, Assir, Abiasaph, v. 36.37. three of the posterity of Coreh. Exo. vi. 24. and 1 Chron. vi. 22.31. and were not slain Num. xxvi. 11.
1. As the‖binde brayeth. harta. panteth after the water-brooks, so†brayeth. panteth my soul after thee, O God.
No Deer, when he is in the greatest inward inflammation, expresseth more ardent desire and thirst of water, than my heart is at this time affected with toward God and his publick service.
2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
I am in a most impatient thirst, much afflicted to be kept so long from that place, where God is pleased to exhibite himself to those that come to worship him.
3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
It is very great cause of continual sorrow unto me, to hear men reproach me for my trust in God, thinking that I am wholly forsaken by him.
4. *I remembred these things, and poured out my soul upon me: for I had gone into the covering, or had gone with the multitude, I had put them forward.When Ib. remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise,‖a festival multitude, or multitude going indevotion. with a multitude that kept holy-day.
This puts me into a great excesse of sorrow and impatience, when reflecting on what I have formerly injoyed, I remember how I was wont to goe in the society of many pious men, to the place of Gods worship, in a most cheerfull, devour, alacrious manner; but now am, as in a wilderness, wholly deprived of these most divine, pleasant, and valuable opportunities.
5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, for the help of†or my, see note. f. his countenance.
But let me not be dejected, or disturbed even with this, though as sad a reflection as is possible, viz. to be deprived of these blessed advantages of solemn converse with God: A full reliance, and resignation to the divine will, is a medicine for this also: and I doe not yet despair, but I shall finde some way of escape, for which to pay my acknowledgements. The time will come, when God shall afford me occasion to praise him (see ver. 8.) for this deliverance also, and for the supports which his favour hath yielded me in the midst of all this sadness.
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan,c. and‖Hermanim, fro… the little hill. of the Hermonites, from the hill Missar.
Mean-while in this great dejection of my spirit, flying from one place to another, from one side of Jordan, and the countrey adjoyning, passing over that River, and then still flying on the other side of it, from Hermon to Tabor, I have nothing to support my selfe, but meditation on that God which I have hitherto served, and never been destituted by him.
7. d.Deep calleth unto deep†by the voice. at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows*against me have passed by, or over. are gone over me.
And by the same God, by the same most gracious providence, I have now been supported also. For though I have for a while been under thy displeasure, thy punishments lying heavy upon me, and by them my enemies incouraged to designe me all mischief, (who seeing the effects of thy displeasure on me, are soon excited to adde more weight to my pressures) and though by the conjunction of these I have been ready to he overwhelmed: yet at length all is past over without doing me any hurt.
8. ‖In the d…y commanded the Lord his benignity, and in the night was his song with me, my prayer.Yete. the Lord will command his loving kindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
And the account of it is clear. His gracious providence hath surrounded me day and night, my whole time hath been divided between receiving, and acknowledging, and again praying for mercies from him, as from one that delighted in doing me good.
9. I will say unto God, My rock, why hast thou forgotten me? why goe I mourning, because of the oppression of the enemy?
Thus therefore have I constantly addressed my self to him in this mournfull ditty, saying, O thou which art the only aid and support of my life, the only sure fortresse wherein I can repose any trust, how am I despised and rejected by thee? what a black gloomy condition am I now in? mine enemies being permitted by thee to oppresse me sorely.
10. As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me, while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
Shimei hath reviled me bitterly 1 Sam. 16.7, 8. I am pierced hereby, & wounded to the very heart, like one that hath received a killing wound, or stroke in his body. And in this greatest exigence, this lowest depression, that either the scorn or malice of mine enemies can bring upon me, concluding by my pressures, that God hath utterly forsaken me,
11. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health off. my countenance, and my God.
My soul shall still make a comfortable reflection in its constant recourse to God: in this my saddest condition, I have alwayes had some hope and comfort left to support me, and keep me from being utterly cast down, or disturbed immoderately. And upon the strength thereof, I shall for ever incourage my selfe, to rely and cast my selfe intirely on him: not despairing but that he will one day return in mercy to me, deliver me out of all my distresses, and shew forth his favour and loving kindnesse to me.
Annotations on Psalm XLII.
V. 1. Panteth] foreign foreignsignifies to cry, and is applied to Beasts, especially to Deer, when they impatiently desire the water. This they are said to doe, when they have eaten some vipers, which medicinally they are said to seek and eate, and then are inflamed thereby, and vehemently desire water to cool them. This they doe again when they are …u…ed hard that they may cool, and relieve themselves from the doggs that way. But the more prompt and ready interpretation is, that feeding in a dry and parched wildernesse, they want, and oft-times can finde no water, and then goe about and make a mournfull noise for it. And thus is it most fitly applied to David, when in his flight from Absalom he was thus in the wilderness, destitute of the spiritual advantages of joyning with the people of God in his service. The word foreign foreignmust be here taken in the foeminine gender, as appears by foreign following; and accordingly the LXXII. read foreign in the foeminine.
V. 4. Remember] The first words of this v. 4. are by the LXXII. literally rendred from the Hebrew. That reads foreign,foreign where the future (as oft elsewhere,) being used for the praeter tense, the rendring must be, I remembred these, and poured out my soul on my selfe, i. e. gave my self up into the power of my passion, let loose the reins to my grief; the word foreign foreignsoul being used for the sensitive part of the man, and so for grief and passionate sorrow. And thus the Lxxii. render it, foreign, I remembred these things, and poured out my soul upon me. But in the remainder of the verse there is some difference: foreign foreignin the future for praeter again, they render, foreign I will passe; whereas setting down the cause of his sorrow, and the object of his remembrance, it is most reasonable to render it in the time past, for, or because I had past. Then for foreign foreign, they read foreign, in the place of the wonderfull tabernacle; in all probability reading foreign (which is a future verb, from foreign) as if it were from foreign magnificus, grandis, magnificent, great, excellent, and so wonderfull. But of these words in the Hebrew if we take a closer inspection, we shall finde them capable of a double rendring; and it will be very uncertain which shall be preferred. For the verb foreign from whence foreign comes, hath a double notion; it signifies most frequently covering, but sometimes mixing or confounding. In the former notion, it will signifie the covering in the tabernacle, called (from this theme) foreign the covering 2 Kin. xvi. 18. and so the Chaldee here have rendred it foreign, (and the Jewish Arab Interpreter foreign to the same sense) umbraculum the covering, meaning no doubt the tabernacle; and so the Syriack, foreign (from foreign to cover) in thy covering: and then this is fully exprest by the LXXII. their reading, foreign, in the place of the tabernacle; and their meaning is plain, I will pass, for I had past, into the tabernacle, I went with them to the house of God. But Abu Walid, mentioning the opinion of some who would here understand it in the notion of covering, rejects that, and prefers the other, of a company or multitude, or number of men: and the interpretation of the clause in his way is, When I passed in a company, or multitude, whom I set, or put forward to the house of God, i. e. whom I followed, or, drove, as it were, before me. For this he will have to be the signification of foreign to put or set forward, and cause to move or goe, as a nurse doth her child, (so the word is used in the Misnah) putting it forward to goe. And so R. Tanchum renders the word, I caused them to goe. The Jewish Arab Interpreter, in a note, saith, it implyes such a putting forward or egging, as the Arabians use in their journyings, especially by night: So, saith he, our fathers used to incite and put men forward, saying, Arise, let us goe up to Zion to the Lord our God. But this word foreign may likewise be compared with the Arabick foreign, and then it will signifie, to goe hastily, and to throng. And to this agrees foreign foreignin the end of the verse, which literally signifies the feasting multitude: the Chaldee read foreign &c. the tumult or noise of the people which come to celebrate the feasts at Jerusalem; but the Lxxii. foreign, the noise of the feasters, from that notion of foreign or foreign to tumultuate or make a noise, which refers to the noise and stirre at going up to the feast from all parts of Judea. The Jewish Arab interpreter renders it foreign the multitude of such as went in devotion [to the Temple.] And so Abu Walid explains it of such as came to the house of God, taking foreign in the notion wherein the Arabs usually take foreign, to goe in devotion, or visit some place accounted sacred. This notes the joy in undertaking the journey to Gods service, and not the festivity it selfe, when they were come up. Their very going up was a kinde o… procession, much more then their feasts themselves; in opposition to which the celebration of Idolatrous feasts is by the Jews called foreign a sadness: though the heathen Tacitus make the contrary observation, (as every one thinks fit to commend his own rites, and defame others) Romani laetos …estos{que} ritus habent, Judaei tristes sordid…s{que} The Romans have joyfull and festivall rites, the Jews sad and sordid.
V. 6. Hermonites] The land of Jordan is that which lies and is enricht by that river, whose head is at the foot of Lebanon. Of Hermon, a high hill on the other side of Jordan on the east, and known by four names, see note on Psal. xxix. d. From this foreign foreignHermonim here hath its name, and signifies the region betwixt Hermon and Tabor, and the inhabitants thereof: which being on a little rising, it may here be fitly exprest by foreign from the hill of lit…leness, or the little hill, but Solomon Jarchi and Aben Ezra render Hermonim as the common name of severall hills, as the Alpes in Italy, the mountains of Ararat in Asia, the mountains of the Moon in Africk. And then Missar may likewise be the name of an hill, possibly that which bordered upon Soar. Gen. xix. 30. and then Missar and Hermon will be the gesses of Davids march, the length of the whole countrey beyond Jordan, which he traverst in his flight from Absalom, 2 Sam. xvii. 22.
V. 7. Deep] foreign foreignis an abysse, or deep pit, a place of much waters; sometimes the whole globe of earth and sea, Gen. 1.2. sometimes the whole body of waters here below, Gen. vii. 11. Prov. viii. 24; and frequently the bo…tome of the sea, styled foreign the Abyss, Luk. viii. 31. Here it signifies literally a multitude of waters, either all breaking out of the earth, called the fountains of the great deep Gen. vii. 11. (see the Targum on Eccl. i. 7.) or else some pouring down out of the clouds (see note on Psal. xxix. 3.) some rising out of the earth: so saith the Chaldee, foreign, the superior abysse calls unto the inferior abysse. Instead of calling some render meets; so Symmachus, foreign, one deep met another: and that notion the Jewish Arab interpreter embraces, foreign deep meeting deep. And this no doubt may goe for a significant paraphrase of it, and hath foundation in the affinity betwixt foreign to meet, and foreign to call. But the literal notation of foreign is certainly that of calling; and that is retained by the Chaldee, and Syriack, and the Lxxii. and the rest of the antient interpreters: and the expression is poetical, their meeting together is, as it were, calling to, and answering one the other. And thus, we know, it was in the deluge (to which this probably refers) Gen. vii. 11. the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows or floodgates of heaven were opened. This their breaking out at the same time from both places, from above and from below, seems to be the fullest meaning of the abysse calling to, and answering one the other. And that which is supposed to begin, and so to call the other, is the Superior, that from the clouds (so saith the Chaldee:) and this calling is by means of the water-spouts, so the clouds are poetically styled foreign foreignthy (i. e. Gods) spouts (foreign a pipe or spout, from whence is Assinarus the name of a river in Thucydides l. vii. descending from a steep place in a deep channel) The Lxxii. read foreign thy cataracts, pouring down of waters from a much higher place to a low, from the top of an hill or house; that as, when it rains apace, that which falls on the top of the house, being conveighed thence by spouts, (domatum fistulas, S. Jerome calls them) comes pouring down upon the ground, and makes a great noise in falling, (so Kimchi explains it, as the water from the house top flows down by the pipe, and causeth a great sound by its descent) and much increases the flood of water that was below: so God pouring out rain from the clouds, as by those spouts from the top of the house, first makes a great noise, then much increases the water which was formerly below, and makes the springs and brooks to rise, as it were in answer to this voice of the clouds, which by this means call upon them, and rouse them up. This makes it necessary to render foreign foreignby the voice of the water-spouts, as the instrument by which the superiour abysse calls to the inferior; as one calls, or signifies his pleasure, or summons another by a pipe. 'Tis true, the fountains in the earth, the meatus by which the waters pass into the sea, are by the Targum Eccl. i. 7. styled foreign the water-pipes of the abyss; and that may seem to determine the phrase here to these inferiour waters. But 'tis as sure, that any other course of waters may be so called also; and so this opening of the windows of heaven, the cataracts from the clouds, that superior abyss, as here the Chaldee understands it. And this is a most poetical expression of miseries flowing in one upon another, some from God, and some from men; Gods punishments for sin inviting as it were, and calling out the infernal spirits, and the malice of men here below, which seeing God displeased, and so being permitted by him to be executioners of his wrath, break out violently upon him. And the same is farther exprest by the two words in the remainder of the verse. All foreign foreignthy collisions or fractures] from foreign to break, i. e. all the effects of thy displeasure, which come like waves of the sea, raising themselves, and then breaking and pouring out upon me. This the Lxxii. read, foreign not in the notion of that word, which the vulgar understand it in, when they render it excelsa tua, thy high things; but as that word oft signifies wavering, and being driven uncertainly (see note on Luk. xii. a) and those we know are compared to the waves of the sea, driven by the winds and tost, Jam. i. 6. The Syriack render it foreign thy tempests, from foreign to break; and so also the Arabick, thy tempests. The other word foreign is best rendred by billows, foreignfrom foreign to roll or tumble together in an heap, as the sea doth its billows: and so the Lxxii. express the meaning by foreign, which signifie these. To this the foreign following will be most fitly annext, All thy collisions and rollings on me. And then foreign foreignwill stand by it self, and be best rendred passed by, or over, without doing me any harme at all. So Psal. xLviii. 4. The Kings of the earth were assembled, they passed by together, without any hostile attempt; as farther appears there, v. 5. they were troubled and hasted away. And thus the word foreign is most frequently rendred foreign, passing over, or by. And then the following verse, In the day commanded the Lord his benignity] connects very perfectly with it, as the account, why the collisions and rollings on him, the sea foaming and making a noise, did yet passe over, and not drown or hurt him, viz. because God day and night continually protected him.
V. 8. …he Lord] For the understanding of this v. 8. and connecting it with the antecedents and consequents, the frequent observation of the future tense being used for the praeter, will be most usefull, and indeed perfectly necessary. For the former verse being in the first part of it a sad description of his miserable estate, and the effects of Gods displeasure toward him, and the latter part of it (as hath been shewed) a thankfull acknowledgement of his deliverance from all the mischievous effects of it; this v. 8. will be a fuller declaration of this mercy of God, to whom only the deliverance was due, In the day commanded the Lord — Not, The Lord will command his loving kindness— but more fitly and literally, foreignforeign In the day time commanded the Lord his loving kindness, i. e. God was thus pleased to deal with me, all the day long to send out (so foreign signifies to dispense, to conferre) benefits and mercies on me, and in the night his song was with me; every day I received, and every night I made acknowledgment of his mercies to me: and my prayer to the God of my life, i. e. I still lookt upon God as one that savoured me, and constantly preserved me, and poured his benefits upon me, and so prayed to him with all joy and cheerfulness and alacrity, and as it follows v. 9. I will say unto God, My rock, why hast thou forgotten me? And this seems to be the clearest meaning of this place; though the learned Castellio, having rendred foreign obruunt overwhelme, v. 7. hath accordingly affixt another interpretation to these verses, solebat Jova &c. Nunc mihi— God was wont to conferre his benefits in the day time, &c.— Now I must thus make my complaint unto my God.
V. 11. My countenance] foreign foreignhere my countenance, may possibly have this difference from foreign his countenance, v. 6. (which the Chaldee there renders the redemption foreign which is from before him) that David first mentions the salvations of Gods countenance, i. e. his saving power and providence, and then closeth the Psalm by applying it to himself, and acknowledging the particular mercy of his deliverance. Yet considering that all the Antients versions, the Chaldee only excepted, seem to have read foreign my countenance (foreign, faciei mei, my face) in both places, and that these words are the burden as of this, so of the following Psalm, and that as the sense is the same in other words, so in all likelihood the two Psalms did correspond in this; therefore 'tis not improbable, that the old reading was here in both places foreign, my countenance, as it is in both places of the following Psalm.