Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 4 · Psalm 99
The Ninety Ninth Psalm.
The ninety ninth Psalm, antiently‖foreign A Psalm of David. Lxxii. Syr. Lat. &c. attributed to David, seems first to referre to his quiet establishment in that throne to which God had chosen him, but prophetically also (as the former) to the Kingdome of the Messias.
1. THe Lord reigneth,a. let the people†be unquiet tremble: he*that fitteth sitteth between the Cherubims, let the earth be moved.
Paraphrase. The omnipotent God of heaven, that God that hath promised to be present in his sanctuary, and appointed the Cherubims to be placed covering the propitiatory, thereby to denote his presence there to all that seek him and pray to him, hath at length been pleased to shew forth his power in behalfe of his servant David, hath discomfited the Canaanites and Jebusites, and other his heathen enemies, and now quietly seated him in his throne (a lively image of his erecting the Messias's kingdome in mens hearts) and so shall firmly continue in despite of all commotion or opposition whatsoever. (The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church, the spiritual Kingdome of Christ here.)
2. The Lord is great in Zion, and he is high above all people.
And herein hath God magnified himselfe in the sight of all the people round about, the God that is worshipt and presentiates himself in the Arke, now placed in Zion, is discerned even by heathen men to be farre too strong for any nation to resist or oppose.
3. ‖They shall confess foreignLet them praise thy great and terrible name,†that for it is holy.
This they now are forced to acknowledge, to dread his power and vengeance, and confess that it is most justly evidenced on them, to the subduing of them, and magnifying his people. (This was more eminently fulfilled in the conversion of the Gentiles to Christ.)
4. The Kings strength also loveth judgment: thou doest establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
All the strength and ability that David hath had to bring him to this height and peace and stability, he hath received wholly from God: and …hat God which hath thus holpen him, hath done it to this great end, to punish sin, and s… up all manner of virtue, casting out and destroying the detestable idolaters, severely visiting their unnatural sins upon them, and by excellent laws, and Rulers after his own heart, indeavouring to advance the practice of all purity and justice and charity among the Iews.
5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstoole; for he is holy.
O let us all make our humblest united approaches unto him: and as they that petition a Prince on earth, use to cast themselves prostrate at his feet, so let us be prostrate in his sanctuary (see v. 9.) that place of his peculiar residence, where we are appointed to assemble; and let us there uniformely adore, and praise, and magnify him for this signal act of his glorious goodness and mercy toward us, and offer up our prayers and supplications unto him, as to one that never fails to make good his promise of hearing and answering the prayers of his faithfull servants, which are ardently addrest to him.
6. Moses and Aaron amongb. his‖chief men priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name: they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
Thus hath he constantly dispensed his mercies to his people at the prayer of those holy men whom he hath set over them. Three eminent instances there are of it recorded. One Exod. xxxii. 11. when at the prayer of Moses God was propitiated after the great provocation of the golden calfe. A second Num. xvi. 46. when upon Aaron's making the atonement for the people in the business of Coreh, the plague was stayed. A third 1 Sam. vii. where upon Samuel's burnt-offering v. 9. and prayer v. 5. and crying importunately and constantly to God for the people v. 8. the Lord heard him v. 9. and the Philistims were discomfited v. 10.
7. He spake unto them inc. the†pillar of cl…d cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinances that he gave them.
With every one of these God was pleased to commune and talke, as a friend with a friend, giving them vocal answers out of a bright cloud which incompassed them, a wonderfull dignation of Gods to those faithfull servants of his which obeyed and observed his commands.
8. Thou answeredstd. them, O Lord our God; *O God then wert propitiated for their s…kes, even punishing, or when th… wert p…ishing their machinations.thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.
And when the people had provoked God, and God's wrath was allready gone out against them for their crying sins, these mens prayers were so effectual with him, as to avert the plagues, and obtain remission for them.
9. Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.
O let these unspeakable dignations of his, and signal answers unto the prayers of his servants, bring us all to his sanctuary on our knees, to praise and adore his sacred and glorious majesty, and offer up our continual and ardent prayers unto him.
Annotations on Psalm XCIX.
V. 1. Tremble] Of foreign foreignwe have spoken before (see note on Ps. iv. e.) and observed the notion of it, as for anger so also for fear (so saith Abu Walid of this root, that in the Arabick it signifies trembling and commotion, and is sometimes from anger, sometimes from fear, and other occasions) the word generally signifying motion or commotion, either of body or of minde, and both these being equally commotions of minde. Here the context may seem to direct the taking it in the notion of commotion simply, as that signifies foreign sedition or tumult of rebels or other adversaries. And then the sense will lye thus, The Lord reigneth, foreign foreignlet the people be moved, i. e. Now God hath set up David in his throne, and peaceably setled the kingdome on him, in spight of all the commotions of the people. The Lxxii. render it to this sense (as Ps. iv. 4.) foreign, let the people be angry, or regret it, as much as they will. The Chaldee and Syriack use the same word foreign, from foreign to be moved, which competently agrees to this notion, as also the latter part of this verse: for as foreign foreignin the participle, he that sitteth on or inhabiteth the Cherubims, is all one directly with foreign the Lord, so foreign from foreign, which, as foreign also, signifies motion and agitation, is exactly the same with foreign, and accordingly the Chaldee renders it foreign, the former word foreign or foreign reduplicated, and so to the very same sense; the Lxxii. have foreign be shaken, the Latine moveatur be moved, the same also. Yet may it also be read as in the future, and in the notion of fearing and quaking; The nations shall tremble; and the earth shall be moved, as appearances of God are wont to be received with trembling and amazement, and at the giving the law, the people trembled and the earth shook, and this will be a fit expression of the subjecting the heathen world to Christs kingdome. Abu Walid doubts whether foreign should be referred to foreign to signify let the earth be moved, the same with foreign, or whither to God, and so be of the signification with foreign in Arabick, to hang, making the earth the accusative case, he that sitteth between the Cherubims hangeth (fast) the earth, according to that of Job xxiii. 7. and hangeth the earth upon nothing. And thus in an Hebrew-Arabick glossary it is rendred foreign hanging.
V. 6. Priests] foreign,foreign from foreign to minister, is a common title of civil as well as Ecclesiastical officers. Hence it is that Exod. ii. 16. where the Hebrew hath foreign, the Chaldee reads foreign the Prince of Midian. So Exod. xix. 22, 24. foreign clearly signifies, not the sons of Aaron, but the first-borne or chief of the families. So 2 Sam. viii. 18. Davids sons were foreign, not Priests, but Princes or chief Rulers; foreign great men, saith the Chaldee, the same called foreign principal or chief men at the hand of the King 1 Chron. xviii. 17. Of which sort was Ira, called foreign, not a Priest, but a chief Ruler about David, 2 Sam. xx. 26. And in the more general notion of the word, as it comprehends both civil and Ecclesiastical Rulers, it is evident that Moses as well as Aaron are here rightly recited foreign among God's Rulers or chief men.
V. 7. Cloudy pillar] What foreign foreignstation or pillar of cloud here signifies, as farre as referrs to Moses and Aaron, there is no difficulty. For as in their passage out of Aegypt, God conducted and protected them by a bright cloud, Ex. xiii. 21. which is there, as here, called foreign a pillar, signifying thereby the forme or similitude of an hollow pillar, or concave body over their heads, coming down to the ground on every side of them, and so like wings incompassing and shielding them (see note on 1 Cor. x. a.) so when 'tis added c. xiv. 1. that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, that Lord that in the verse immediately foregoing went before them in a pillar of cloud, there can be no doubt but God, as here is said, spake unto them in a pillar of cloud. So Exod. xvi. 10. the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud, and the Lord spake unto Moses saying: so Exod. xvii. 6. when God saith unto Moses, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite, and water shall come out, this is again this foreign pillar, or (according to the notion of the theme foreign stetit) standing of the cloud on Horeb. So Exod. xix. 9. Loe I come to thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever: and so v. 16. as there were thunders and lightnings, so there was a thick cloud upon the mount, and the Lord descended v. 18. and answered Moses by voice v. 19. and to this commerce Aaron was admitted v. 24. So c. xx. 21. Moses drew near to the thick darkness (all one with the cloud) where God was, and the Lord spake unto Moses v. 22. All the difficulty is, what relation this of the pillar of cloud can have to Samuel, in whose time this is not reported. To this the answer might be, that although the answering them v. 6. were common to all the three persons, Moses and Aaron and Samuel, yet there is no necessity that the pillar of cloud should be common to them all; 'twere sufficient that it is applicable to Moses and Aaron, though not to Samuel. But yet even of Samuel it is evident, that (as 'tis here) God spake unto him, calling him by his name, 1 Sam. iii. and 'tis there said at the fourth time of calling, when he proceeded to speak and reveal himselfe to him, v. 10. the Lord came, and stood, and called, Samuel, Samuel. This must certainly signify the same thing that was said of Gods appearing to Moses, Exod. xvii. 6. I will stand before thee upon the rock. And that being reasonably resolved to be this of the pillar of cloud, in probability this to Samuel being parallel to that, may be conceived to be this pillar of cloud also, though at three former calls 'tis certain it appeared not. So again at the time when Samuels offering and prayers were so signally heard at Mizpeh 1 Sam. vii. it is said v. 9. the Lord answered him, and v. 10. the Lord thundered with a great thunder; where Gods voice, and thunder, were questionless like that of Exod. xix. 16. where the cloud is mentioned as well as the thunder; and indeed where thunder is, a cloud is supposed to be, and so this answering of Samuel with thunder, must be Gods speaking to him at this time (if not before) out of the cloud also. Thus in the New Testament we so frequently have the voice of God out of a cloud, that when the voice is mentioned without the mention of the cloud, the cloud is yet to be supposed, as that from whence the voice came.
V. 8. Them] The difficulty of this v. 8. will best be cleared by observing the notion of foreign,foreign not to them, or barely as a dative case (forgavest them) but for them, i. e. for their sakes. The Chaldee render it foreign for, or because of them. And then Gods being foreign foreignpardoning or propitiated (so foreign oft signifies remission, propitiation) foreign for them, is his sparing the people for their prayers, as he certainly did in all the examples of Moses and Aaron and Samuel; for all their prayers being for the averting of Gods wrath from the people, Gods being propitiated for them (or as the Lxxii. foreign, easily propitiated by them) is Gods pardoning not them, but the people for their sakes, or at their requests. This signal dignation of Gods to them, in being thus propitiated and reconciled to the people for, or by their prayers, is here farther set off by the addition of foreign foreign— (literally,) and revenging their inventions, i. e. when thou wert revenging or punishing their wicked deeds, when thou wert just entring on the worke, then thou wert propitiated. Thus in the first example, that of Moses, it is visible; The people had terribly provoked God, and God was just punishing them, and he was stayed only by Moses prayers, Exod. xxxii. 10. Now therefore let me alone, saith God, that my wrath may wax hot, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation; i. e. Gods wrath was gone out against them to the destroying of some of them, for this idolatry of theirs: so it appears v. 35. the Lord plagued the people because they made the calfe — i. e. the Lord was foreign,foreign avenging, or acting revenge on their deeds or machinations, and some of the people were allready fallen by Gods hand, and three thousand in one day were slain by the Levites at Moses's command v. 28. and if Moses would have let God alone, they had been all utterly consumed: and now, when Gods wrath was thus high, and ingaged in the execution, Moses besought the Lord v. 11. and God repented him of the evil which he thought to doe unto this people v. 14. So in the second example, that of Aaron, Num. xvi. God saith to Moses v. 45. Get you up from this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment, and it follows, they fell upon their faces (and prayed to God) then v. 46. Moses said to Aaron, Take a Censer, and put fire therein from off the Altar; and put on incense, and goe quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them, for there is wrath gone out from the Lord, the plague is begun, and v. 47. behold the plague was begun among the people: (and so God was literally foreign avenging or punishing their deeds) and he, i. e. Aaron, put on incense, and made atonement for the people, and stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed. The like is also intimated in the third instance, that of Samuel, 1 Sam. vii. For there 'tis evident the Israelites were sore prest and worsted by the Philistims, and afraid of them v. 7. and Samuel tells them, that if they doe return unto the Lord with all their hearts, then they must put away their strange gods—and God will deliver them out of the hand of the Philistims, v. 3. And they do as he bid them v. 4. and kept a solemn fast v. 6. (certainly for the averting some judgement under which they were) and they said to Samuel v. 8. Cease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us— And just then it was, that God was propitiated by Samuels prayers, Samuel took a lamb and offered it, and cryed unto the Lord for Israel, foreign and the Lord answered him, as here in the beginning of the verse, foreign thou answeredst them, O Lord our God. And so in every of the examples here specified, this appears to be the full and ready importance of this passage.