Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 124
The Hundred Twenty Fourth Psalm.
A Song of ‖ascentsDegrees of David. The hundred twenty fourth is an acknowledgment of Gods assistance, and a thankfull commemoration of the deliverances wrought signally by him. It seems first to have been composed by David upon his deliverances from the hands of Saul, and after of Absolom, and being very applicable, was appointed to be sung by the Levites after the returne from the captivity, and is very agreeable to any other eminent deliverance wrought by God for his servants.
1. IF it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say,
2. If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us,
3. They had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.
4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the†torrent foreign stream had gone over our soule.
5. Then*it had past over our soule, even swelling or proud waters. thea. proud waters had gone over our soule.
Paraphrase. It is now full time to look back with humility and thankfulness on the dangers and miseries we have past, and devoutly to acknowledge to whom our whole deliverance is to be imputed. 'Tis now most evident to us, that the mischief designed us was no lesse than utter ruine and destruction, that the power of the designers was equal to their malice, and that no humane means were any way able to have resisted or diverted them; they were so mightily inraged and violently bent against us. One only means there was which could avail us in this condition, the supreme, omnipotent, irresistible strength of heaven; and that hath signally appeared for us, and rescued us out of this ruine.
6. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
His holy and glorious name be now and ever magnified, that he hath not permitted them to have their will, but timely delivered us from their rage.
7. Our soule is escaped, as a bird out of the snare of the foulers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
8. Our helpe is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
And now being safely returned from our captivity, we have leisure to review our former state, the very same that the silly bird is in, when it is caught in a gin or springe; we were fast in their hands, they had long pursued their game, and at length were possest of it, we were taken in their nets. And in this seasonable point of time God came and disappointed their malice, and rescued us out of their hands, (David by the death of Absolom, the Jews by the Persians breaking the Chaldean monarchy, to which the deliverance of the Jews was consequent.) And so our deliverance is to be acknowledged as an immediate work of Gods interposition, and as signal an evidence of his overruling power as the creation of the whole world was, when it was wrought by a word of his.
Annotations on Psalm CXXIV.
V. 5. The proud waters] This verse is from the Hebrew thus literally to be rendred, foreign Then had it past over our soule (foreign in the singular belonging to the foreign torrent in the former verse:) then follows by opposition foreign foreignswelling, lifted up, or proud waters. The word is from foreign to swell or boile as water in a pot over the fire, and from thence 'tis applied metaphorically to other things. And by comparing the Arabick, it is probable that the signification of the Root is more general, for any encrease, or superabundance. The Lxxii. here render it foreign, by that phrase I suppose meaning very deep waters, either unfordable, where there is no standing, or else rapid, against which there is no holding out, no resisting. The Syriack read foreign copious, plentifull waters. Thus the meaning is clear, the torrent (v. 4.) had past over our soule, and that torrent farther exprest by swelling or proud, i. e. great plenty of waters breaking in, for such is a torrent. The Jewish Arab translates it, Then they had drowned us as water, and had been as a torrent over our soules. The Lxxii. here, as in the former verse, read foreign, as there foreign, our soule past through the water, and our soule past through the torrent; but this, I suppose, as a paraphrase, not so much to express the condition in, or under, as the escape and deliverance out of the danger: but the Hebrew foreign over our soule, will not bear that. And the Chaldee and Syriack exactly follow the Hebrew.