Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 2 · Psalm 56
The Fifty Sixth Psalm.
TO the chief Musitian, upon ‖the silent Dove afar off.Jonath Elem Rechokim, Michtam of David when the Philistims a.†had him in their power.took him in Gath.
Paraphrase. The fifty sixth Psalm was composed by David (as Psalm 34. was) at Adullam, or some place of his flights, in remembrance of his great deliverances out of the hands of Saul, and in reflexion on the time when he was with the Philistims, 1 Sam. xxi. in which he resembleth himself to a Dove a great way from home, sitting sadly and solitarily by it selfe. It is called his jewel (see note on Psal. xvi. a.) in respect of the memorableness of the escapes, which were the matter of it, and he committed it to the Praefect of his Musick, to be solemnly and publickly sung.
1. Be mercifull unto me, O God, for man*gapes after me. wouldb. swallow me up, he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Blessed Lord, my enemy Saul is very earnest and diligent to devour me, he is continually designing some mischief against me, O be thou gratiously pleased to interpose thy hand of deliverance for me.
2. ‖my observers gape daily.Mine enemies would daily swallow me up, for they be many that fight against me, O thou most high.
I am watched on every side by a multitude of envivious persons, who fain would get me into their snares; but thou, O Lord, art able to disappoint them all.
3. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
When any the greatest cause of fear approacherh me, I have my sure refuge on which I may repose my self, thy over-ruling providence, O Lord.
4. †In the Lord his word will I boast.c.In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust, I will not fear what man can doe unto me.
Thou hast promised me thy constant aid; and the fidelity of that and all other thy promises is matter of glorying, and firm confidence to me, and I cannot be brought to apprehend any danger from the malice of men, be it never so great, as long as I have this so impregnable a bulwark to secure me.
5. Every day they*depra… d.wrest my words, all their thoughts are against me for evil.
My enemies I know are very diligent and industrious, they doe their utmost to deprave my words and actions, to put the most odious interpretations upon them; their plots and consultations are wholly spent to worke me some mischief.
6. Theye. gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soule.
Very busy they are in meeting, and laying their heads together, they manage it with all secrecy, as so many treacherous spies, they have an evil eye upon every thing I doe, and fain would finde occasion to insnare and ruine me.
7. f.‖According to their iniquity abjection shall be to them, or they shall be cast away—Shall they escape by their iniquity? In thine anger cast down the people, O God.
Their whole confidence is in their falseness and wickedness, certainly thou wilt not permit such acts to prosper finally; Thy patience will at length be provoked, and then thou wilt suddenly subdue them, and destroy them.
8. Thou tellest my wandrings, put my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?
I have been long banished from my home, wandring up and down in great distress, my condition hath been very sad and lamentable. And all this I am sure is particularly considered by thee, thou knowest the†foreign the dayes of my vagrancy Chald. dayes of my exile, and vagrant condition, thou reckonest and layest up all the tears that drop from me, for thou hast a sure record, a book of remembrance for all that befalls me, and wilt, I doubt not, in thy good time, vindicate my cause, and deliver me.
9. When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turne back: this I know,‖that foreign for God is for me.
I need no other weapons to discomfit my enemies …ut my prayers, for of this I have all assurance, that God doth espouse my cause, and in his good time upon my humble and constant addresses to him, he will certainly take my part, and come in seasonably to my rescue.
10. †In God …is word will I glory, in the Lord his word will I glory. See note c.In God will I praise his word, in the Lord will I praise his word.
11. In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid what man can doe unto me.
He is my God, and my Lord, a God of all mercy and goodness, and a Lord of all power and might. The former of th…se hath inclined him to espouse my cause, to make me most gracious promises of preservation and deliverance; and the latter secures me of his strength and fidelity, his ability and readiness to perform them. And this is matter of all joy and comfort to me in my distress; of confidence, that having relied on him, I shall not be forsaken by him, nor fall under the malice and power of any of mine enemies.
12. Thy vows are upon me, O God, I will render praises unto thee.
I am under the greatest oblig…tion to return my thanksgiving to thee, and all the oblations of a gratefull heart: In this I shall be carefull not to fail, but sing praises to thee for ever, who art thus graciously pleased to own and vindicate thy unworthy servant.
13. For thou hast delivered my soule from death, wilt not thou recover my feet from falling? that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Thy preservations I have signally experimented several times, when my very life hath eminently been in danger. And these pledges of thy mercy give me assurance, that thou wilt now rescue me from all my dangers, and give me space and opportunities to live and serve thee, and walk acceptably before thee.
Annotations on Psalm LVI.
Tit. Took him] foreign signifies in a latitude not only to apprehend, foreignor take or hold as a prisoner, but simply to have, to possesse, to contain, to have in ones power. Accordingly, as it is here rendred by the Lxxii. foreign they had him in their power, so if we consider the story to which it refers, 1 Sam. xxi. we shall finde no cause to look upon David as a prisoner at the time which is here spoken of. David indeed at Gath was afraid when they told Achish, that this was the man of whom the triumphal songs were made, v. 11, 12. But it appears not, that that speech was by the speakers intended to his disadvantage, but only to represent him a considerable revolter or transfuga fled from Saul. And that nothing but kindness was finally meant him, may be gathered from v. 15. where Achish his words are, Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house? It seems he might have been thought fit for the Kings house and presence, had he not been taken for a mad man. Which is very farre from a prison being designed him. And 'tis yet farther manifest 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. that David soon after this returned to this place to Achish King of Gath again; which is a sufficient argument, that he apprehended not any real danger, when he was there at the first. From all which 'tis consequent, that as the word foreign must not be rendred in the notion of captivity, or imprisonment, so the deliverances here recounted by the Psalmist are not to be applyed to his escape out of the hands of Achish, but belong to the many rescues by God afforded him from Sauls servants, and Court-Sycophants; and so though the title of the Psalm looks only on the Philistim in Gath, yet it takes in the passages following; as Psalm xxxiv, though by the inscription it appear to have been endited, when David changed his behaviour before Achish, takes in also the following story of his dismission (so foreign signifies, and is by the Lxxii. rendred foreign dismist him, by the Chaldee paraphrased, foreign and he left him) and his departure, and the consequents thereof, being penn'd, as is most probable, at Adullam, or some other place of his after flight, while he was persecuted by, and fled before Saul.
V. 1. Swallow] From foreign to draw breath, is the metaphorical use of the word for gaping after, desiring earnestly, and so foreign foreignis here used, for enemies that earnestly desire to get him into their hands. The anti…nt Interpreters generally render it, as if it were from foreign or foreign conculcare, foreign say the Chaldee, he hath trod me under foot, and so the Lxxii. foreign. The same word is again repeated in the same sense v. 2. foreign my observers (or those that watch as spies upon me) gape.
V. 4. In God] That foreign in Piel signifies to praise, there is no doubt; and if it doe so here, it will be necessary to soften the phrase, which otherwise sounds somewhat rough, and instead of foreign foreignwhich we render literally, In the Lord I will praise his word] to read, The Lord his word will I praise,] which is easily done, if only foreign (as oft it is) be reckoned as a pleonasme. But the word signifies also to glory, or boast, as Psal. x. 3. the wicked foreign boasts, the Targum reads, foreign rejoyceth, or glories in his own hearts desire; and this notion seems better to belong to it here, where it is joyned with putting trust in God, for so to glory and boast in God, is to professe dependance on him, and none else, and so the Syriack hath distinctly rendred it foreign, in God will I glory. The Lxxii. seems to have read foreign my words; for they render it foreign, In the Lord I will praise my words, and so the Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick follow them, In Deo laudabo sermones meos, it will not be easy to divine with what sense. What is here said [in God, and again in God] is with some change repeated v. 10. foreign foreignin God and foreign foreignin the Lord. Of these two words the Rabbins observe, that foreign God is foreign the attribute of justice, but foreign Lord, foreign the attribute of compassion. And accordingly the Chaldee here reads, foreign &c. in the attribute of the justice of God I will praise, or rejoyce in his word, foreign in the attribute of his pitty &c. i. e. whether he punish, or he pitties, I will praise him, or boast or glory in him.
V. 5. Wrest] foreign foreignsignifying first to grieve, or be in pain, is used by metonymie for any laborious framing, or forming any thing. Here being applied to anothers words, or speeches, it seems to note the depraving them, labouring, and using great art and diligence, to put them into such a forme as may be most for the disadvantage of the speaker, turning and winding them to his hurt, putting some odious gloss upon them, and so according to sense, may most fitly be rendred depraving. This perhaps the Lxxii. meant when they rendred it foreign, not as that signifies detesting, abhorring, but making them detestable, putting an odious, abhorred sense upon them. The Syriack here read foreign they took counsel against me, reading foreign by taking counsel, labouring and industriously contriving and consulting, foreign my words, by [me] and then supposing the preposition foreign against, to be wanting, they thought fit to supply it, and thus to paraphrase this obscure phrase, and make it agree with that which follows, all their thoughts, or contrivances, are against me for evil.
V. 6. Gather] foreign foreignthat signifies to dwell or to sojourn, signifies also (in the notion of foreign) to assemble, to meet together, and so the Chaldee interpret it here, foreign they shall assemble together; but the Lxxii. reteining the former notion, render it foreign, they shall inhabit.
V. 7. Escape] Of foreign foreignit is observed by Lexicographers, that as in Kal it signifies to escape or goe out, so in Piel, it is used for casting out or throwing away, so saith Kimchi in his rootes, (adding that the noun from thence signifies an abject vile person Jud. xii. 4, 5. and Isa. xLv. 20.) so Jon. ii. 10. where the Hebrew hath foreign the fish vomited out Jonah &c. the Chaldee render it foreign, where it evidently signifies to cast or vomit out; so Le…it. xviii. 25. & 28. the Chaldee useth it of the lands vomiting out its inhabitan…s, and so the Rabbins use foreign for …omit. And then the place will be thus literally interpretable, foreign for, or according to their iniquity, foreign abjection, casting, or vomiting out shall be to them, i. e. they shall, as vile persons, be rejected and cast out by God. And thus the Chaldee appear to have understood it, who render it foreign they shall be empty or vile; and to this best connects that which follows in the verse, In thine anger cast down the people.