Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 2 · Psalm 68
The Sixty Eighth Psalm.
TO the chief Musitian, A Psalm or Song of David.
Paraphrase. The sixty eighth Psalm, beginning in the same manner as Moses's song at the setting forward of the Arke did, Num. x. 35. was composed by David afterward (as appears by the mention of the Temple, i. e. the Arke and Sanctuary at Jerusalem, v. 29.) in commemoration of the great deliverances afforded to the Israelites, and judgments inflicted on their enemies, (especially in that of their coming up out of Aegypt) and mystically conteining and predicting the resurrection of Christ, and the exaltation of the Christian Church consequent thereto. It seems to have been formed by David on the like occasion as Moses's was, at the bringing up of the Arke 2 Sam. vi. 12. and was committed to the Praefect of his Musick, to be sung with all Musical instruments of joy, 2 Sam. vi. 15.
1. ‖or, God shall— foreignLet God arise, let his enemies be scattered; let them also that hate him flee before him.
The Arke is a token of the special presence of allmighty God, who when he is pleased to interpose, subdues all before him, no enemy of his or of his people can stand or prosper. And so when Christ, mystically typified by the Arke of God, comes into the world, it is the great God of heaven and earth that exhibites himself in our mortal flesh, and being crucified by the Jews, he shall by his own allmighty power be raised again, and ascend to heaven, and then subdue or destroy, convert by the preaching of the Gospel, or utterly exterminate, the people and whole nation of the Jews his crucifiers.
2. As smoak is driven away, so†shalt thou drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so*shall let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
As soon as God appears, they vanish and are routed immediately: smoak doth not turne into aire, wax doth not melt at the heat of the fire more speedily. And as certainly and suddainly shall the either melting or vanishing, conversion or destruction of the Jews follow the resurrection and ascension of Christ. As soon as he is ascended, the apostles shall set on preaching, and begin first at Jerusalem and Judaea; and by that time they have gone through all the cities of Judaea, and converted all that are perswasible, Christ shalll come in judgment on the obdurate, Mat. x. 23. the Roman Eagles or armies, Mat. xxiv. 28. (with the Ensigne of the Eagle) in that very generation, v. 34. wherein Christ ascended, shall besiege and take Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and take away both their place and nation. And tho…gh this were some years (about forty) before it was finished, yet with God, with whom a thousand years are but as one day, 2 Pet. lii. 8. these forty years are but proportionable to a moment, and so to that space which is required to the vanishing of smoak, or melting of wax before the fire: (and so the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, v. 9. this praediction of the greatest swiftness of destroying his enemies, hath its due completion.)
3. But‖the righteous shall let the righteous be glad, let them rejoyce before God; yea let them exceedingly rejoyce.
And this shall be matter of the highest superlative joy to all pious men, who have answers to their prayers from the presence of God in the Arke; but most eminently to all faithfull obedient servants of Christ, who shall in a notable manner be delivered out of that common calamity, wherein the unbelieving Jews shall be involved, and (by the power of Christs spirit in their hearts, chearfully received and made use of) be ascertaind of their portion in eternal heaven.
4. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name; extoll him thata rideth upon the†highest heaven. heavens*or, his name is Jehovah. by his name Jah, and rejoyce before him.
He that thus presentiates himselfe in the Arke, as also the Messias, that shall be borne, and rise again in our flesh, is no other than the supreme omnipotent God of heaven and earth, creator, first mover, and ruler of the uppermost heaven and all under it: let all the world worship, and acknowledge and magnify him as such, and take pleasure in performing obedience to him.
5. A father of the fatherless and a Judge of the widows is God in his holy habitation.
Though he inhabites the highest heaven, yet is he pleased here below to exhibite himself in the Arke first, and after in our humane flesh, to relieve and patronize all that are in distress, to heal the broken in heart, those that are opprest with the burthen of their sins, and so supply all other (even secular) wants to all that by humble devout prayer and relyance on him are qualified for it.
6. God‖maketh the destitute dwell at home. setteth theb. solitary in families, he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
He is made up all of pity and compassion to all that are in want and distres, that serve and wait on him;*so the Chald. brought the Israelites out of Aegypt, their state of hard slavery, and punished their oppressors very heavily, and so constantly supplies all his servants wants. And this in an eminent manner shall be the worke of the Messias, by his miracles, going about, doing good, and healing diseases; but especially by his death, working spiritual redemption (the most soveraign mercy) for our souls, whilst the impenitent infidels, that resist and frustrate all his methods of grace and mercy, are finally forsaken by him.
7. O God, when thou wentest forth before thy peop…e, when thou didst march through the wilderness. Selah.
8. The earth shook, the heavens also dropt at the presence of God,†this is Sinai before the presence— evenc. Sinai it selfe was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
God, at his bringing his people, with an high hand out of Aegypt into Canaan, conducted them through the wilderness in a pillar of cloud and fire, to denote his special providence over them, and bringing them to Mount Sinai, delivered them his Law in a most solemn dreadfull manner, the earth trembling, Exod. xix. 18. and the aire sending out thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud of tempestuous rain, v. 16. as a token of his presence there, and an essay of the terrible account that should be exacted on those that obeyed not this Law. And in the like dreadfull manner shall Christ, after his ascending to heaven, come to visit his crucifiers, and avenge all impenitent unbelievers.
9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentifull rain, whereby thou didst confirme thine inheritance when it was weary.
When they were in great distress in the wilderness for want of food, God made abundant provision for their refreshment and sustenance, by sending them, together with the thunder, plentifull refreshing shours, by raining down quails and Manna from heaven; and above all, the divine irrigation of the law was thence distill'd. And so shall the Messias make his spiritual supplies in great abundance to the comfort of all humble penitent hearts, that are sensible of their wants, and that ardently desire and pray to him for the supply of them.
10. d.Thy‖living creatures have i… bited congregation hath dwelt therein; for thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
And so the wilderness became an habitable place, or constantly Gods holy Angels went along with them, to defend and conduct, and provide for them: Instances of Gods gracious and special providence, and protection over all those that stand in need of him, and faithfully serve, and humbly wait on him. And parallel to these, Christ, at his departure from the world, shall leave his Apostles and their successors, called Angels of the Churches, Rev. ii. and iii. to provide for the spirituall wants of all his faithfull disciples, all docible Christians.
11. The Lord gave the word; great was the companye. of†women that proclaimed it, or, to the women th… published the victories of the great ar…. those that published it.
And continually from time to time God gave us victories over the nations, abundant matter of praise and triumph, which the train of singing women, mustering themselves up in another army (according to their wont) set forth in their triumphant hymns (A type of the victories over death and hell by the resurrection of the Messias, which the women in like manner, Mary Magdalen &c. should first publish to the Disciples, and they preach to the whole world.)
12. Kings of armiesf. did fly apace, and she that tarried at dome divided the spoile.
To this or the like purpose, that all the Canaanitish Kings with their forces, that opposed or stood out against them, were utterly routed and put to flight, Jos. x. and the weakest Israelites, they that could not enter the battel were yet partakers of the spoiles of their wealth. (And so in like manner that by the resurrection of Christ the powers of hell should be discomfited, and the humble meek peaceable Christian reap the fruit of it.)
13. *or shall ye ly among the brickbats, or rubbish ye wings—Though ye have lyen amongg. the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with‖yellowness of— yellow gold.
And the Israelites that were opprest, and long lay in a sad and black destitute despised condition, were now at length advanced to all prosperity, splendor and glory: (as was remarkable at their comming out from the kilns of Aegypt, with the Jewels and wealth of the Aegyptians, and afterward more illustriously, at their injoying of Canaan.) And so under Christs kingdome the heathenish Idolaters, that were brought to the basest and most despicable condition of any creatures, worshiping wood and stone, &c. and given up to the vilest lusts, and a reprobate minde, Rom 1. should from that detestable condition be advanced to the service of Christ, and practice of all Christian vertues, charity, meekness, &c. the greatest inward beauties in the world.
14. ‖O God by scattering Kings on it, thou wert white as snow on Salmon.h.When the Allmighty scattered Kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
15. †the hill of Bashan became the hill of God, the high hill, the hill of Bashan.The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan, an high hill, as the hill of Bashan.
When God destroyed and dissipated the Kings of the seven nations bef…re them (for though it was by their armes, yet was their strength so small in proportion to the giantly inhabitants, that the victory was wholly to be attributed to God his providence was illustriously visible in it; and the people were by this means soon possessed of the land, on this and on the other side of Jordan, a most fruitfull and profitable possession (caused by the melting of the snow that lay on the top of the hills, and exceedingly inrich'd all the plains that lay below them) and there dwelt, remarkable and illustrious in the eyes of all their neighbours. And so upon Christs rising from the dead, and thereby conquering death and hell, and soon after, upon his victorious conquest over his enemies, the Jews his crucifiers, which would not suffer him to reign over them, the Church of Christ typified by the people of Israel, should be possest of a prosperous and flourishing condition in Judaea, and even in the heathen world; though for a while it should sometimes meet with persecution from the heathen Emperors, yet at length Christianity should be victorious, and subdue the greatest opposers to the faith.
16. i.Why*do ye exalt your selves, leap ye, ye high hills? This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in: yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.
Yet was not God pleased so farre to favour either of these high hills, as to chose them for the place of his habitation; but hath now brought the Arke of the Covenant, and placed it on Mount Sion, not the highest hill in those parts, but one of an humble and moderate size, preferring this before all other for the place of his special residence; and this so, as never to remove from thence (as formerly he hath done) to any other station, as long as the Jewish state lasted. (And so proportionably shall Christ erect his Church in the hearts of the meek and lowly, Mat. v. 3. whereas the proud and lofty, as they will oppose and stand out against him, so shall they be utterly rejected by him.)
17. k.The‖Chariot. chariots of God†is two myriads, thousands multiplyed or iterated, The Lord is among them, Sinai is in the Sanctuary. are twenty thousand, even thousands of Angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
There therefoce the hosts of Angels, infinite numbers of them, took up their station, and so signified this to be the place of the special presence of God, that Lord of hosts that appeared so terribly in mount Sinai, who is said to reside where these his courtiers of heaven, his guards of attendants, are visible. (But much more illustriously shall Christ be present in his Church by the ministry of many thousands of Angels, after his resurrection, being that very God that once appeared by his Angels in Mount Sinai, and hath all the hosts of them continually ministring to him.)
18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast*carried away captives foreign led captivity captive, thou hast‖taken foreign received gifts for men;†and even the rebel: foreign yea for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
The God of heaven hath pleased to reveal himself in great Majesty, to return victoriously to his throne in heaven, being, as a triumphant conqueror, attended by many captives, inabling his people the Israelites by the conduct of David to overcome the heathens, and subject some of them to this Law of God, to bring them in proselytes to their religion, and those particularly which long held out against it, the Gibeonites, and the like; and by this means (as conquerors are wont to scatter largesses, donatives, so he)†foreign Chald: foreign Syr: and hast given hath distributed among these (the spectators of his power among his people) the greatest blessings, the richest donatives imaginable, the dignity of worshipping and praying to him in his Sanctuary, (as afterwards in the Temple) whereby God vouchsafeth now to be present among those, to hear and answer their prayers, that were before strangers to him. (And thus Christ having by his resurrection overcome death, hell and sin (and also, soon after, signally destroyed his crucifiers) shall send his Apostles and Evangelists to preach his gospel to the whole heathen world, induing them with gifts of tongues and miracles &c. to qualify them for their office, and by them bring many Disciples to the faith, particularly a remnant of the unbelieving Jews, who seeing the Idolatrous Gentiles come in, were stirred up with emulation, and so timely prevented their ruine, and lived members of the Church of Christ, to which he promised his presence; see Eph. iv. 8.
19. Blessed be the Lord, who daily*heapeth lead upon u…, foreign loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Thus doth God our great deliverer from time to time continually oblige us with a great weight of mercies afforded us: Blessed be his name for it.
20. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong thel. ‖going… forth, or passages … death.issues from death.
'Tis not in the power of any other, but of this God whom we worship, to work the least deliverance for any; His priviledge it is to rescue out of the greatest dangers, and to him we owe all our escapes. From him also have all the signal judgments proceeded, under which our enemies have fallen, the Aegyptians, and the inhabitants of the seven nations.
21. †even, see note l.But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the*crown of haire foreign hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
And indeed for all those that will not be wrought on, and brought home to him, by all his wise and gratious methods, but still resist and stand out impenitently in their sins, 'tis in all reason to be expected from his justice, that he shall poure out his vengeance upon these stout presumptuous sinners heads, and destroy them utterly. And thus shall it befall those that hold out against the Messias, when the Apostles, after his resurrection, shall, with the conviction which that brought, and the miraculous powers shed on them by the holy Ghost, preach the Gospel to his crucifiers, and call them to repentance; for then, upon their persisting in their obstinacy, their utter destruction is to be look't for.
22. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea.
The Lord hath promised now to repete among us all his glorious acts, to doe as great things, command as signal deliverances and victories for Jerusalem, as were wrought in Batanca or the red sea. (And all this but an essay of the deliverance of the Messias from the very power of the grave, consequent to which is our resurrection, as also of the spiritual deliverance wrought for Christians from the power of sin and satan.)
23. That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
The blood of thy enemies, shed in such abundance, that thy dogs shall lap and drink it, shall be the sea in which thou shalt pass, and that red without a figure. (And proportionably shall be the destructions on the enemies of Christ and Christians, in the age of the Messias.)
24. They have seen thy goings, O God, even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
After the comming out from Aegypt and delivery of the Law, by the ministry of whole hosts of Angels, the Arke and the Tabernacle being built, constantly marched before them in all their journeyings, with a procession of like solemnity, though performed by meaner persons, an host, though not of heavenly officers, and so conducted them, to the place of their promised rest, Num. x. 35. and with it God himselfe went, as a King before them, to rule and guide and protect them. (And so shall Christ by his grace, by his word and his sacraments, when he is in heaven.)
25. The singers went before, and the players on instruments followed after: amongst them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
And the going up of the Arke was very solemn, with voices and instruments of Musick, both which were committed to the Levites care; And the pious women accompanied and bare their part in the quire, (And so when Christ is gone up to heaven, the Apostles shall celebrate and promulgate it to all the world, and Mary Magdalen and other women, witnesses thereof, shall affectionately joyne with them in divulging it.)
26. Bless ye God in the congregation, even the Lord‖ye of the fountain foreign from the fountain of Israel.
And all the people of Israel, all that are come forth from out of the waters of Judah, Is. 48.1. excited and called upon the other to magnify the name of the Lord. (As all Christians shall be obliged solemnly to magnify the name of the Messias, and to that end frequently to assemble together.)
27. There†was is little Benjamin*their ruler. withm. their rulers, the princes of Judah‖their governor…. andn. their counsel, the princes of Zabulon, and the princes of Naphtali.
Particularly the two royall tribes, 1. that of Benjamin, from which the first King sprang. 2. that of Judah, from which the second; and the two learned tribes, Zabulon and Naphtali. (And we may note that the Kingdome of the Messiah should at length be submitted to, by all the Potentates and learned men in the world.)
28. Thy God hath‖established foreign commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
Thus is it meerly the worke of Gods presence, (noted by the Arke) assistance, and providence, that we have thus been enabled to subdue our enemies, and get possession of this good land, (and so the grace of Christ, by which sin and Satan shall be weakned and subdued.) Lord, doe thou continue this thy power and goodness, and goe through with, and confirme this work of mercy which thou hast begun, and thus fa…re advanced in us.
29. Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall Kings bring presents unto thee.
And then, as thy donatives have been imparted to the very heathen enemies of God, v. 18. so by way of return, shall the heathen nations and princes come in to the acknowledgement and worship of thee, and bring sacrifice and oblations to thy Temple, the Queen of Shebah personally, the Asiatick Princes and Romane Emperors by their offerings. (And in like manner the heathen world and the greatest princes thereof shall imbrace and accept the faith of Christ.)
30. o.Rebuke the company of†lancers, or, archers, spear-men, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people,*that tread upon pieces of silver. till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in warre.
And those that hold out, and trust in their military strength, tyrannizing, and oppressing, and subduing all their neighbour nations, and out of an insatiate define of wealth, have they never so much, will have more, and use all violence and warre to that purpose, Jam. iv. 2. these wilt thou severely punish and destroy. (And so shall Christ the greatness of heathen Rome, which having attained to the Empire of the world, and to the greatest wealth imaginable, shall be subdued and destroyed by the Goths &c. and so the Empire subjected to Christianity, in Constantine's time; see Rev. xvii. and xviii.)
31. ‖or, Embassadors foreign. Lxxii.Princes shall come out of Aegypt: Aethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
And by this means shall many other heathen nations, Aegyptians and Aethiopians, &c. be induced to come in as Proselytes, and imbrace the law of God, and offer up their prayers in his Temple. (And so when heathen Rome is subdued to the faith of Christ, the other nations that depend on that Empire shall receive it also.)
32. Sing unto God, ye kingdomes of the earth, O sing praises unto the Lord. Selah.
And Jerusalem shall be a house of prayer to all nations; and this shall be just matter of the most solemn triumphant joy to all the people in the world; all due, and to be acknowledged to the God of heaven.
33. To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens†of old, foreign which were of old: loe, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
To that God that descended and spake to Moses of old out of the cloud, on Mount Sinai, with such thunder as made them all to tremble, (see note on Ps. cxlviii. a.) and will more clearly reveal his will in the fulness of time, by the voice of his own son incarnate, and by the preaching of the Apostles to all the world.
34. Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
O let us all praise the Lord for all the glorious acts of his power toward us, who though he rule in heaven over all the world, yet hath most illustriously exhibited himself to the people of the Jews (see Deut. xxxiii. 26.) and will in like manner to the spiritual seed of Abraham, the Christian Church.
35. O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
O the dreadfull presence of God in his sanctuary, where by his myriads of Angels he exhibites himself to his servants! From him is all our sufficiency to defend our selves, to subdue others, (an essay of the power of his grace without which we can do nothing that is good, and by which we are inabled to do all that he requires, in such a degree as he will be sure to accept.) His glorious name be for ever praised and blessed for it.
Annotations on Psalm LXVIII.
V. 4. Rideth upon the heavens] From foreign is foreign, ordinarily used for the evening, and from that notion of it, foreign foreignis here by the Lxxii. rendred foreign, and by the Latine super occasum, upon the going down of the sun; and accordingly foreign,foreign which the Chaldee duly render foreign praise ye, from foreign exaltavit, they render foreign make way, from another notion of foreign for casting up a causeway. But the foeminine foreign is frequently taken for a plain, and so for the desert, and accordingly the Jewish Arab rendreth it here, that dwelleth in absent or remote or secret places. But foreign, in the plural, is acknowledged by the Hebrews to signify the heavens, and so in Arabick foreign heaven, and peculiarly the seventh heaven. This Abu Walid saith belongs to the heavens by reason of their height or supereminency, which signification he affirmes foreign to have: And then there is no need of those other descants, which from the notion of a desert apply it to the uppermost heavens, either as being plain and void of starres, and so a kinde of superior desert, without any thing in it, or (as the learned Grotius piously conjectures, from 1 Tim. vi. 16.) because as a desert it is foreign, not approach't or approachable by any. The Chaldee here explains it, foreign upon the seat of his glory in Araboth, which the Latine there render coelo nono, the ninth heaven. His riding on this, as in a chariot, or horse (so foreign signifies, and from thence foreign a chariot) may signify either to set it a moving, or else in a second notion of foreign for dominari, gubernare, to rule or govern it. In both senses it properly belongs to God, to move the primum mobile, and so to be the author of all motion under it, and to rule and manage it also, and so all the world with it. What here follows, foreign,foreign may promptly and literally be rendred by Jah, i. e. Jehovah, his name, joyning it with foreign precedent, thus, exalt by his name Jehovah him that rideth— But all the Antient Interpreters render it by it selfe, Jah is his name, taking ב (as oft it is) for an expletive, unsignificant. foreign Jah is his name, say the Chaldee; foreign, the Lord is his name, the LXXII. and so the Syriack and Latine &c.
V. 6. Solitary] foreign foreignunicus, and solitarius, signifies also desertus destitute, in the same sense as foreign 1 Tim. v. 5. she that is quite alone, is the periphrasis of the foreign, a widow indeed, one that hath neither husband nor children to supply her, (and so, as it is there, must be maintained by the Church.) Now one that is thus destitute of all means of subsisting, is forced to seek abroad for relief, unless some mercifull-minded person take some care of him; and he that doth so, is fitly styled foreign foreignone that makes him dwell at home, relieves him that he need not seek abroad: and this therefore is a fit title of Gods in this place, joyned with father of the fatherless, preceding, and bringing out the prisoners, or those that are bound in chains; and therefore this sure is the meaning of the phrase.
V. 8. Sinai] What foreign foreignbelongs to, or how 'tis to be rendred, is matter of some question. The Chaldee read it foreign just answerably to the Hebrew, and so define nothing in it; but the Lxxii. (as after them the Latine) joyne it with foreign God, foregoing, foreign from the presence of the God of Sinai, supposing God from his special exhibition of himself, in giving the Law on Mount Sinai, to be stiled the God of Sinai, as from his special presence and favour to the people of the Jews, he is stiled the God of Israel. But it may also be set by it selfe, foreign this is Sinai, to denote deictically, where that shaking of the earth and tempestuous rain was heard, viz. in Sinai. And this the Chaldee and the Syriack will bear. Or lastly, by understanding the preposition foreign in, or the like, it may be rendred, at the presence of God in that Sinai. Each of these is very obvious, but specially the second, and fit to be preferred before the English, which makes a farre greater ellipsis.
V. 10. Thy Congregation] From the word foreign vixit, is foreign vivus, and so foreign foreignPsal. L. 10. the living creature of the wood, and so Psal. civ. 11. Psal. Lxxix. 2. And thus it may signify here, foreign thy living creatures; so the Lxxii. foreign, thy living creatures, and the Latine, Animalia tua, and so the Syriack, foreign, and thy living creatures. That desolate place, where only wilde beasts before could live, was now by those showrs of Manna v. 9. enabled to sustain a multitude of other tamer living creatures, even of men and all their flocks and herds. By this style in prophetick writings the Angels are signified; see Rev. iv. 6. where the foreign foure living creatures full of eyes are certainly foure Angels, and so the Chaldee here, having first set down from the Hebrew foreign thou hast placed thy living creatures there, they adde foreign thou hast prepared thine hosts of Angels. And so possibly it may signify here, thine Angels have resided therein, i. e. among the people; as an exhibition of Gods special presence among them, who is said to be present where his Angels appear, as oft they did among that people, at the giving the Law, in conducting them as by a cloud, and in the supplying of their wants on special occasions.
V. 11. Those that published it] foreign,foreign from foreign to bring good newes, is certainly in the foeminine gender, and so must belong to the women who were wont to celebrate victories, or any kinde of good news, with singing and Musick. Thus, after the coming of Israel out of Aegypt, Exod. xv. 20, 21. Miriam the Prophetess the sister of Aaron took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances; and Miriam answered them, sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. This therefore in all reason must be the literal notation of the verse, and accordingly Gods giving the word is his affording those victories, that matter of triumph and foreign to the Israelites (and not, as the Chaldee surmises, the publishing the Law by Moses and Aaron) but hath a farther completion in the resurrection of Christ. All the difficulty is, whether foreign be in the notion of the dative or the genitive case. If in the genitive case, then foreign foreignmust be rendred company, great was the company of the women that thus sang; as indeed all the women, all the femal quire or congregation solemnly came out, and joyned in these songs of victory, and foreign an host is oft taken for the congregation or assembly in the service of God. But it may also be in the dative, and then the whole verse runs thus, God gave the word to the femal nuntios of the great army, the men of Israel being the great army, and the women the singers of their victories: and thus the learned Castellio understands it, Suppeditabit Dominus argumentum nuntiis magni exercitus foeminis, The Lord shall afford matter (of triumphant song) to the women the nuntios of the great army. And thus the Lxxii. may be understood, foreign (I suppose it should be foreign, the Lord God shall give the word or matter to the women that Evangelize to or for the great army, i. e. which supply the office of praecones thereto, in proclaiming their victories; though 'tis c…rtain the Latine, that render it virtute multa, by much virtue, did not thus understand it.
V. 12. Fly apace] This v. 12. is most unhappily transformed both by the Lxxii. and vulgar Latine, so that 'tis not possible to make any tolera…le sense of it. foreign. Rex virtutum dilecti dilecti, & speciei domus dividere spolia. The occasions of their misrendring are discernible. For foreign foreignshall fly, from foreign fugit, they deriving the word from foreign, rendred it foreign. And so for foreign foreignhabitation, or woman inhabitant, from foreign habitavit, they read it as from foreign, and render it foreign, pulchritude: which latter, if it had been rendred in the nominative case, the beauty of the house divideth the spoile, it might have had some sense (meaning by the beauty of …he house the woman in it) as the Syriack seems to have taken it. But the Chaldee for the inhabitress of the hous …enders foreign the congregation o… Israel.
V. 13. Po…s] What foreign foreignhere signi…ies is very uncertain. The Jewish A…ab, as Solomon Jarchi also, read it in that notion of limites, bounds, or wayes or paths, wherein we have foreign Jud. v. 16. which we there render sheepfolds, but the Chaldee renders foreign bounds in the divisions of the way, the Syriack and Arabick, paths and wayes, (and to this notion it is imputable that the Lxxii. render it foreign inheritances, portions, because mens portions of land or possessions were thus severed from other mens, by such boundaries.) The same word we have again Gen. xLix. 14. where though we read couching between two burthens, yet the Chaldee and Syriack accord in the former notion for wayes and bounds; and in that is there a fit character of Issachar, as a merchant and trafficker in the world, that he is, as a strong asse, lying down between the two wayes, as being weary with hard travail, and able to goe no farther. And if thus it be rendred here, it will be significant enough, to express a wofull forlorne condition, to lye down betwixt the bounds, i. e. in the high wayes. But it is here by most thought to signify somewhat belonging to pots, and may be very probably the same that the Arabs call foreign Athaphi, stones set in a chimny for the pot to rest on, the pots being without legs. Of these the Arabians had three, and the third being commonly (to them in the desert) some fast piece of a rock, or the like behinde the pot, as in a chimney the back of the chimney it selfe, and that not looked on as distinct from the chimney, the other two at the sides which were loose, might fitly be here exprest in the dual number, foreign: And then the lying between these will betoken a very low squalid condition, as in the ashes or amidst the foot and filth of the chimney. And this I suppose the meaning of those that render it tripodes, or chytropodes, or uncini, or cremathrae; all belonging to this one end of setting pots over the fire, which having no legs, were thus upheld by this supply of stones or broken bricks on each side. These two rendrings may seem somewhat distant, and yet considering that the Termini or bounds in divisions of wayes were but heaps of stones, or broken bricks, or rubbish, the word foreign, which signifies these, may well signify these supporters of the pots also, in respect of the matter of them, being such stones or broken bricks; and accordingly the Syriack foreign, which is here used to render it, is by Sionita rendred scobes brickbats; and that is all one with the Arabick foreign, with the usual change of ח into ש, and both may well be as I conceive, from the Hebrew foreign (in Chaldee foreign) in the notion of contundere and confringere, to break in pieces. To this also the Chaldee here agree, which render it foreign from foreign concussit, or projecit, broken bricks, or rubbish, that are thrown away. From this notion of foreign 'tis not very remote, that foreign is used for a dunghill Psal. cxiii. 7. where the poor are said to lie, meaning the meanest and vilest place, whether all the trash and rubbish are cast out. And it may be remembred; that when Job was brought by Satan to his lowest pitch of affliction, we found him satt down among the ashes, and scraping himself with a potsheard, Job 11.8. which assures us that the ashes and potsheards, and all such kinde of rubbish, lay together, and that lying or sitting down among these, was an effect of the greatest debasing and sadness. And then this is most proper for the turne here, that lying foreign among the brickbatts or rubbish, should be the thing meant, as an exposition of the most mean, dejected and squallid condition. As for the forme of speech foreign,foreign which is rendred though ye have lien, it may be interrogative, have, or shall you lie, thus? foreign &c. Ye wings of the dove which are covered with silver, and her feathers foreign with the yellowness of pure gold, foreign shall ye lie among the pots, or potsheards? This seems to relate to the wings of the Cherubims in the Arke, whereby Gods presence was exhibited to his people; and by that it was that the Israelites were rescued out of Aegypt the place of their bondage, and low despised condition. And therefore it was no more imaginable that God should permit this people of his thus to continue among the potsherds, then that the Arke of his presence should perpetually be kept in a captive or mean despised condition.
V. 14. When the Almighty] The construction of these two verses lies thus, foreign foreignO God, by scattering Kings there, or, when thou, O God Almighty, didst scatter Kings (such were Sehon King of the Amorites and Og King of Basan, and the Kingdomes of Canaan, Psal. cxxxv. 11.) in or on it,foreign foreign say the Lxxii. i. e. on Salmon (and Basan following) foreign,foreign thou wert white as Snow, or else thou didst snow (from foreign snow) foreign on Salmon; that is, thou didst there appear in the most shining, bright, the most white, propitious forme; thy mercies made that place more beautifull, then the crown of snow doth the head of that mountain, when it melts in fertile moisture on the neighbouring valleys. Salmon is the name of a very high hill, which consequently used to have snow lying long upon it; and it is particularly specified here in opposition to Bashan following: for as Bashan was beyond Jordan, a rich and fruitfull mountain, called by the LXXII. foreign a fat hill, and foreign a hill that yeelded much butter and cheese; so this was on this side Jordan, the portion of the tribe of Ephraim, see Jud. ix. 40. And so by naming these two mountains, he poetically expresses first their victories, and then secondly the whole possession of the people of Israel, on this, and on that side Jordan. And then the sense lies clear, When the Kings, the Governors of those nations, were killed or put to flight by the Israelites, setting upon them in their own lands, then did God illustriously exhibite himselfe to them there, or on it, shined as bright, was as remarkable, as the snow on that hill used to be; and then also foreign foreignthe hill Bashan, which was a gibbous protuberant hill, (so foreign, an hill of gibbosites, signifies) and was formerly in the hands of the heathen King Og, foreign did, as the former, Salmon, become the hill of God, i. e. was possest by the Israelites his people.
V. 16. Why leap ye] foreign foreignfrom foreign occurs only here, and is by guess rendred to leap, or lift up, or exal… ones selfe; but may best be interpreted, not leap or hop (as an expression of joy) but lift up or exalt your selves, as an effect of pride. Thus certainly the Chaldee understood it, who paraphrase it thus, foreign, Why doe ye lift your selves up ye high hills? 'Tis not, saith God, my pleasure to give the Law upon high and supercilious or proud hills; behold Mount Sinai is a low one, and the word of God is pleased to place his Majesty on that. But the place here seems not so properly to referre to Mount Sinai, whereon the Law was given before their taking possession of Canaan, here mentioned in the precedent verses, as to Mount Sion, where David placed the Arke, and where the Temple was built. However, this seems to be the meaning of foreign exalting themselves, God having not chosen any of the highest hills to build his Temple on, but this of Sion, of a very moderate sise, lower than the hill of Hermon, and at the foot of it, Psal. cxxxiii. 3. Kimchi both in his roo…es and Commentaries thinks the interpretation of R. Hai considerable, who would have it the same in sense with the Arabick foreign, which is to look after and observe. And thus the importance will be the same, What look you for, expect ye, ye high hills, to be done unto you? ye are not those which God hath chosen to beautify with his glorious presence, but Mount Sion: and so the Jewish Arab, What expect you?
V. 17. Chariots] foreign foreignbeing in the singular, and the myriads in the dual, and the iterated thousands (so foreign, from foreign iteravit, is best rendred) in the plural, it follows that all those thousands and myriads of Angels (for though Angels are not mentioned, they are to be understood, as Jude 14. foreign, holy myriads) are but as it were one chariot of Gods, i. e. one instrument of transporting him, or conveighing him from heaven to earth, i. e. an evidence of his special presence in the Arke (as after in the Temple, and at length in our humane flesh.) So that all that is signified by the whole verse, is this, That as God at the giving the Law on Mount Sinai did evidently exhibite himself by the ministry of his Angels, himself being invisible, and uncapable of circumscription or definition by any local dimensions; so he would exhibite himself in the Sanctuary, or place set apart for his worship, by the Angels dwelling there perpetually (an emblem of which was the picture of Cherubims shadowing the propitiatory or covering of the Arke) and so carrying up the prayers which should be offered there, and bringing down returns to them. In which respect God is said to be foreign foreignamong them, in this his holy place, i. e. among the Angels that are present there. And to that also belongs what follows, foreign Sinai is in the Sanctuary, i. e. all the Angels that ministred at the giving the Law in Sinai are constantly attendant on this place of Gods service.
V. 20. Issues from death] foreign foreignmust literally be rendred goings forth to death, and must signify the several plagues and judgments inflicted by God on impenitent enemies, the wayes of punishing and destroying the Aegyptians and Canaanites, drowning in the Sea, killing by the sword, infesting by hornets &c. And these are properly to be attributed and imputed to God, as the deliverances of the Israelites his people in the former part of the verse. And to this sense the consequents incline v. 21. foreign &c. Even God shall wound—The Jewish Arab interprets it kinds of death, or several wayes of death; R. Tanchum, causes. The Lxxii. render it foreign the passages of death, the wayes by which death goes out upon men to destroy them; the Latine exitus mortis goings out of death; the Chaldee more largely foreign &c. from before the Lord death, and the going out of the soule to suffocation, do contend or fight against the wicked. The Syriack most expressely, foreign the Lord God is the Lord of death; but then addes also ex abundanti, foreign and of escaping.
V. 27. Their rulers] foreign,foreign from foreign dominatus est, is here by contraction from foreign their ruler, and being applied to Benjamin, hath respect to Saul, who was of this tribe, the first King that was placed over that people. Which gives the first place to that tribe in this enumeration, so saith the Targum, Benjamin was little among the tribes, which first descended into the sea, therefore at first he received the Kingdome; as the second is given to Judah (who, saith the Chaldee, received the Kingdome next after them) in respect to David. As for Zebulon and Nephtali, why their names are here added, rather than any of the other tribes, the reason may perhaps best be taken from what we finde prophesied of those two Gen. xLix. and Deut. xxxiii. and Jud. v. by Jacob, and Moses, and Debora, that learning and knowledge should be most eminent in those two tribes. Of Nephtali 'tis said Gen. xLix. 21. Nephtali is a hind let loose, he giveth goodly words; and of Zebulon Jud. v. 14. they shall handle the pen of the writer. Whence it is thought to be, that Isa. ix. 1. the comparison is made between the knowledge which should be after Christs coming in the regions where he preached, and Zabulon and Nephtali on the other side, because those were the most learned tribes, and yet should now be obscured and farre outgone by those to whom Christ was first preached.
V. 27. Their councel] The Hebrew foreign foreignsignifies a stone, but is here used in a metaphorical sense for a ruler or governor, as a foundation-stone, which supports the whole building, may fitly be applyed to a commonwealth, and then signify the Prince thereof. Thus 'tis certain the Lxxii. understood foreign, who render it foreign their governors; and the Syriack in like manner, foreign their Sultans or rulers; Abu Walid, their assembly; the Jewish Arab, foreign their captains, or leaders. The Chaldee are willing to refer it to three stones, by which, say they, they of that tribe overthrew their enemies.
V. 30. Rebuke] Of foreign foreignKimchi and Abenezra observe, that as when it is in construction with ב, it signifies to rebuke, so without it, as here, it is to destroy, the most real and sharpe way of rebuking: so Psal. ix. 5. where 'tis interpreted by foreign destroying that follows. Then for foreign foreignthat signifies a congregation, and so is here interpreted by foreign an assembly that follows. Then for foreign foreignarundo a reed, the Latine canna, it is taken for an arrow or a lance, or perhaps a spear, and so the foreign the company of the reed, will denote a military company of archers, or lancers, or spear-men. Then in the next words all difficulty will be removed, if by foreign foreignwe understand not a company of bulls or beasts, but of men which behave themselves like bulls foreign among the calves of the people, i. e. behave themselves toward other men as bulls in the fields doe toward lesser or younger cattel. For then that will denote the most lofty Princes, which fight and disturb and tyrannize over all their neighbour-nations, and by force indeavour to propagate their Empire and Dominions, and will not be restrained within any bounds. And to this belongs that other part of the character, that they are foreign foreign(from foreign conculcavit) treading foreign, upon pieces of silver: the Syriack render it foreign, from foreign operuit, obduxit, covered with gold, to denote those that covet the wealth of the world, and get it, and yet never have enough of it, that disturbe all mens quiet to get themselves possessors of it, and then are not satisfied with it, till they are covered over with it, tread on it &c. (and so out of that insatiate desire, delight in warre, as it follows.) Abu Walid interprets this parcel of the period, by giving foreign the notion of ob or propter because of, [goes about, or treads it about, because of pieces of silver; probably he means because they abound with pieces of silver, or perhaps that they may get pieces of silver.