Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 128
The Hundred Twenty Eighth Psalm.
A Song of Degrees. The hundred and twenty eighth is a short enumeration of the present felicities which from Gods special blessing are ascertain'd to every pious man. It was on that account thought fit to be solemnly pronounced by the Levites, and sung after the returne from the captivity, as a special eminent blessing of God to his people.
1. BLessed is every one that feareth the Lord, that walketh in his wayes.
Paraphrase. There is no such assurance of the comforts and felicities of this life, as that which is made over by God to all pious obedient servants of his.
2. For thou shalt eate the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
Such men shall not fail of a blessing on all their honest labours, but have plenty here, and, which is much more, take comfort in injoying that plenty, which covetous worldly men never doe; and after an age of felicity and prosperity here continued (save only when God sees fit to give his mixture of the cross) shall be transplanted to†foreign Good shall be to thee in the world to come. Chal. eternal immarcescible joyes.
3. Thy wife shall be as thea. fruitfull vine by the sides of thine house; thy children like Olive plants round abouta. thy table.
4. Behold thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.
One prime and special blessing of heaven it is, that he shall have a fruitfull wife, and a plentifull and prosperous family of children. Of the former of which the clusters of such a vine as may for its fertility be styled the great bearer, (hanging so thick, that they even cover the walls of the house where they were wont to be planted) is the fittest resemblance; and of the latter, the verdure of the Olive is a proper emblem, with which as the tables without doors were wont to be surrounded, so shall his table be adorned and incompassed with a multitude of flourishing children. All true temporal felicity is comprised in this, and this shall be the pious mans portion.
5. The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the dayes of thy life.
6. Yea thou shalt see thy childrens children, and peace upon Israel.
And whatever else he can stand in need of, it shall be performed to him by God, in answer to his prayers which he offers up in his holy place: and as an accomplishment of felicity to him, his intercessions shall be heard for others, even for the publick of the nation; he shall be an instrument and a witness of good to the whole land; God shall be atoned by such as he, and turne the captivity of his people by way of returne to his prayers and saith and patience. God shall inlarge his dayes, and crown them with that double blessing of old age, first, the sight of a numerous posterity, and secondly, the restoring of peace and prosperity to the Kingdome.
Annotations on Psalm CXXVIII.
V. 3. Fruitfull vine] In all countreys the several sorts of vines have several names and appellations, among the Jews foreign and foreign &c. and one sort seems here to be known by the title of foreign the fruit-bearing vine, foreignas among us 'tis ordinary to style such a kinde of fruit the great bearer. Vines, it seems, were then planted on the sides of houses, as now they are among us, and not onelyonly in vineyards, to stand by themselves; and to that also the Psalmist here refers. So likewise of Olive-plants 'tis observable, not only that tables were drest up with the boughs of them, ramis felicis Olivae, but that in the Eastern countries they were usually planted (as in arbours) to shade the table, entertainments being made without doors, in gardens, under that umbrage, which gave all the liberty of the cool winds and refreshing blasts. An image whereof we have Gen. xviii. 4. wash your feet, and rest your selves under the tree; and a full expression, Hest. i. 5. the King made a feast in the court of the garden of the Kings palace.