Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 132
The Hundred Thirty Second Psalm.
A Song of Degrees. The hundred thirty second seems to have been at first a composure of Solomons upon the building the Temple, (part of it v. 8, 9, 10. inserted in Solomons prayer at the dedication of the Temple, 2 Chron. vi. 41, 42.) It is the recounting of Davids care of the Ark, and of Gods promises made to him and his posterity, as also of the setting apart of Sion to be the place of the Temple; and it was after used upon the rebuilding the walls, after the return from the captivity.
Paraphrase. 1. LOrd, remember David and all hisa. ‖humility,afflictions,
2. How he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob,
3. Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor goe up into my†bed-stead foreign bed,
4. I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eye lids,
5. Untill I finde out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
Blessed Lord, remember, I beseech thee, and reward upon his family, the great piety and humility of David my father, the eminent expressions of his zeal toward thee. He was so highly concerned for the service of God, that having built himself houses, 1 Chr. xv. he immediately prepared a place for the Ark of God, v. 1. and brought it up thither in pomp, ch. xv. & xvi. having, it seems, solemnly vow'd to doe so, before ever he would dedicate and bless (or dwell in) his own house, chap. xvi. 43. and not content with that, his zeal farther brake out to Nathan the Prophet, ch. xvii. 1. being troubled to think of the magnificence of his own house, whilst the Ark was but in a tent, and resolved if God would have permitted him, to have erected a magnificent structure, wherein the Ark of God should be placed, and Gods solemn worship performed.
6. Lo,b. we heard of it at Ephrata, we found it in the fi…lds of the wood.
7. We will goe into his tabernacles, we will worship at his foo…stoole.
8. Arise, O Lord, into thy rest, thou and the Ark of thy strength.
At the bringing it up to Jerusalem there were great solemnities, a sacred devout procession, and all the parts there about resounded with joy and acclamations upon the bringing it to and seating it in Zion; every one with great alacrity resolving to goe up and pay their devotions there, as in the place of Gods special residence, where his Law is laid up, and from whence he is graciously pleased to answer the prayers, and to reveal himself to his servants. This therefore David was resolved to bring to a place where it might remaine, that so God might in a manner inhabite among us, and direct us, and assist in all our undertakings.
9. Let thy Priests be cloathed with righteousness, and let thy saints shout for joy.
The Priests in their sacerdotal garments, the emblems of the sanctity of their office and persons, being by him appointed, 1 Chron. xv. 11. to attend on it, and the Levites carrying it on their shoulders, v. 15. and the singers celebrating it with great rejoycing, v. 19, 20, &c.
10. For thy servant Davids sake, turne not away the face of thine anointed.
Now therefore, O Lord, I beseech thee, remember the piety and humility, and all the acceptable graces of this thy faithfull, beloved, zealous servant, and for his sake reject not me his son, whom thou hast establisht in his kingdome; but continue with me, and accept of me, whilst I actually performe what he had designed, whilst I build a temple for thy presence and service.
11. The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David, he will not turne from it, Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne.
To him thou hast made thy most faithfull promise, that the kingdome, which was not establisht in Sauls family, should be confirmed on his posterity.
12. If thy children shall keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for evermore.
And not so only, but that to all ages it should continue in the same line, if they shall but be carefull to performe constant and uniforme obedience to all the commands of God.
13. For the Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation.
14. This shall be my rest for ever, here will I dwell, for I have desired it.
The place which I designe for this structure is that of Zion, a place with which God is so well pleased, that he never intends to remove thence, nor consequently to transplant the royal throne from that family which placed it there, if they will but be carefull to qualify themselves for the continuance of so great a mercy.
15. I will abundantly bless herc. provisions, I will satisfie her poor with bread.
16. I will also cloath her Priests withd. salvation, and her saints shall shout aloud for joy.
Shall they but doe so, he will also adde all other sorts of blessings, a great plenty and prosperity to the whole nation, and a succession of mercies, which shall require the thanksgivings and solemn acknowledgments of the Priests and Levites and singers, whose daily office it is, by God himself appointed them, thus constantly to celebrate his mercies, to offer up prayers and praises to him continually.
17. There will I make the horne of David to bud; I have ordeined ae. lamp for mine anointed.
And by this means shall God be ingaged to continue his favour to the posterity of David, to make it a most flourishing royal family, and continue it shining and burning in a continual succession till the comming of the Messiah, who is promised of the seed of David.
18. His enemies will I cloath with shame; but upon himself shall his crown flourish.
And all that oppose and invade them shall certainly be disappointed and put to flight, Gods special protection continuing to the posterity of so good a King, to perpetuate the Kingdome to them.
Annotations on Psalm CXXXII.
V. 1. Afflictions] The signification of foreign foreignin this place is worth the considering. The Lxxii. render it foreign meekness, the Syriack foreign humility, meekness, lenity, but the Chaldee foreign affliction. The original foreign signifies especially two things, to speak or answer, and to be afflicted, humbled, or deprest. The context referring to Davids oath or vow to God, of preparing a place for the Arke, which it seems was under vow, though it be not mentioned in the story, may seem to incline it to the former signification, of speaking or making promise to God, Remember David and all his speeches, how he sware unto the Lord— But the antient interpreters authority may be preferred for the latter rendering; yet not for that of afflictions (for what reference could those have to his vow of preparing a place for the Ark, or of building the Temple?) but of humility, meekness, or pious affection to God, which excited him so to swear. And this the rather, because when he had built himself a palace, 1 Chron. xv. 1. it appears by the context, that he did not bless it, ch. xvi. 43. nor consequently live in it (for that he might not doe till it were blest) untill he had first prepared a place, and brought up the Ark to it. So again when he designed to build a temple for it, the first proposition which he made to Nathan to this purpose, was introduced with a consideration and speech of great humility, 2 Sam. vii. 2. See now I dwell in a house of Cedar, but the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains. He was so humble, that he could not dwell in his house till the Ark of God was brought to Sion, nor then could he think meet to be himself in so stately a palace, whilst the Ark of God was but in a plain tent or tabernacle. But especially this humility of Davids is discernible in the passage recited, 1 Chron. xvii. 16. &c. where upon Gods promise to him, that he would build up his house, establish his family in the Kingdome, he came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? and so on in a speech of greatest humility and meekness, and fit here to be commemorated in the beginning of this Psalm, which belongs not only to the preparing a place for the Ark on David's part, but also to Gods promise of establishing the Kingdome on his seed, v. 11, &c.
V. 6. Heard of it] The chief difficulty in this Psalm is, what is here meant by hearing of in Ephrata. And first, it is certain that Ephrata is Bethleem, Mich. v. 2. secondly, foreign foreignsignifies we have heard it, rather then we have heard of it. And then it may be interpreted, that in the procession of the Ark through the tribe of Judah, being returned from the Philistims, we heard the joyfull acclamations which accompanied it in Bethleem; this not only when 'twas placed in Kiria…h Jarim, but when 'twas settled at Jerusalem; Bethleem, as Aben Ezra saith, being but three miles from Jerusalem. And in accordance with this sense, Kimchi, Jarchi and Aben Ezra agree to interpret the fields of the wood foreign foreignto be Jerusalem, as in the prophets frequently the Temple is called foreign the wood. And to this inclines the correspondence between foreign we found it, v. 6. and foreign till I finde out a place for the Lord, an habitation, &c. v. 5. This seems the most probable meaning of this passage, the difficulty of which the learned Castellio hath remarked with this note, Hujus loci sententiam non intelligo, I understand not the meaning of this place. Some probability there is, that the fields of the wood should be the house of Aminadab in the hill of Kiriath-Jarim, so called because it was a city in a woody place, 1 Sam. vii. 1. from whence David and all Israel resolved solemnly to fetch it, & brought it to the house of Obed-Edom v. 13. And then hearing of it at Ephrata must signify hearing it much talkt of when he dwelt at home, in his fathers house at Bethleem. But the former is the more obvious interpretation. The Jewish Arab is obscure, and probably corrupted, yet the words seem thus to sound, And we, behold, heard it in the grass or pastures of multitude, abundance or plenty, and we found it between the desert and the wood.
V. 15. Provisions] The Hebrew foreign,foreign from foreign to hunt, signifies any victuals that is taken with hunting, and absolutely flesh, food, provisions for a journey: so Ios. ix. 11. take in your hands foreign provision for your journey. The Lxxii. renders it literally foreign, not in the notion of hunting, but to signify that which is hunted, and so taken; as among us venison, the English of venatio, is the flesh which is thus caught. But this word foreign was it seems mistaken, and by transcribers disguised into foreign widow, and so by the Latine rendred viduam, and so transfused into many other interpretations.
V. 16. Salvation] What foreign foreignsalvation here imports, will be best judged by Ps. cxvi. There the taking the foreign foreigncup of salvations v. 13. is expounded v. 14. by paying his vows unto the Lord, those oblations which he had vow'd, as his foreign expressions of thankfulness for Gods deliverances (as Ps. L. 14. offering of thanksgiving and paying of vows are put together) and in plain termes v. 17. the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Accordingly, as the Lxxii. rendred foreign the trespass-offering or peace-offering, Lev. vii. by foreign sacrifice of salvation, v. 1. so they vary the style, and read foreign sacrifice of praise, v. 2. and foreign sacrifice of saving praise, v. 3. (see Note on Heb. xiii. e.) The Chaldee Psal. cxvi. read foreign the cup of redemptions, i. e. such a cup, as they that have received any redemption or deliverance, are wont to take, to express their thankfulness (the foreign cup of blessing in the Christian style) and so here foreign the garments of redemption, were such literally as the Priests use in time of sacrifice, when they are solemnly to acknowledge any deliverance or mercy received from heaven, or more probably a Poetical, or Rhetorical scheme, such as Isa. Lix. 17. righteousness as a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation, and Eph. vi. 14, 17. and 1 Thess. 5.8. And accordingly to the Priests being cloathed with salvation is here annext, her saints shall sing aloud with joy.
V. 17. Lampe] The notion of foreign foreignlampe here will be discerned by considering the double property of a lamp or candle; 1. that it shineth, 2. that from that, when it is near spent, another may be lighted, and burne afresh, and so the light be, from one to another, perpetually kept in. For by this double resemblance a succession of Kings in a family is lively exprest. Of David himself it is said 2 Sam. xxi. 17. thou shalt goe no more with us to battel, that thou quench not the light of Israel: and of the succession 1 King. xi. 36. Unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light or lamp allway before me in Jerusalem; and again ch. xv. 4. for Davids sake did the Lord give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him. And so here foreign a lamp to mine anointed, is a royall seed or posterity to rise up in stead of David, and sit upon his throne. The same was before meant by the budding of the foreign foreignhorne of David. The horne is proverbially the regal dignity, and the budding thereof, the bringing forth successors to the Kingdome. The same is again repeated v. 18. upon him, i. e. his posterity, shall his crown flourish; where for foreign foreignhis crown, the Lxxii. read foreign, not his but my, and taking foreign in the notion of separation or sanctification, read foreign my holiness. That this doth mystically refer to Christ, the Jews confess. So saith R. Saadiah, The lamp is the King which illuminates the nations; and Kimchi, that the horne of David is the M…ssias. To whom it is farther agreeable, that he is said foreign to flourish or bud forth, which is another of his titles, and to that foreign may possibly be added also.