Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 144
The Hundred Fourty Fourth Psalm.
A Psalm of David. The hundred forty fourth is a fiducial and humble prayer to God for deliverance from his heathen enemies, and prosperity upon his people, and this founded in his former experiences of Gods interposition for him, for which he humbly praiseth and blesseth his holy name. It was composed by David, in reflexion,‖foreign, Lxxii. so the Chaldee also v. 10. as 'tis thought by some, on Goliah and the Philistims; but most certainly of a latter date, when he was setled in the kingdome, see v. 2, and 10. By the Jews, Kimchi and Saadiah, Gaon it is referred to the Messias.
1. BLessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to warr and my fingers to fight.
2. My†mercy foreign goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield, and he in whom I trust, who subdueth my people under me.
Paraphrase. For all the preservations and victories which have been injoyed by me, I am infinitely obliged to bless and praise and magnify the one supreme God of heaven and earth, from whom it is that I have received all the strength and skill in military affairs which I have ever shewed; an act of whose special mercy and favour, preservation and protection I must acknowledge it, that I have ever been successefull or safe in any enterprise. In him therefore with all reason I wholly repose my full trust and confidence.
3. Lord,a. what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him? or the sonne of man, that thou makest account of him?
4. Man is like to vanity: his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away.
For my selfe, I am but a mean, infirme, frail, mortal man, subject to all the misadventures which are consequent to the feeble, inconstant, transitory condition of men, and it is an infinite mercy of dignation in God, to take so much consideration of me, as to make use of me as his instrument in subduing the enemies of his people. (And herein was David a type of Christ, who having humbled himself to assume our humane mortal flesh, became by his divine power in that flesh victorious over the powers of hell. Heb. 2. b.)
5. Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and*let them smoke foreign they shall smoak.
6. Cast forth lightening, and scatter them; shoot out thine arrows and destroy them.
7. Send thine hand from above, rid me and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;
8. Whoseb. mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
It must therefore be thine own work, O Lord, the interposition of thine own almighty hand, to which we must owe all our deliverances and preservations. If thus thou wilt vouchsafe to owne thy servants, and by thy messengers and ministers, the Angels of thy presence, exhibite and presentiate thy selfe among us, then shall all our enemies be disperst and destroyed, not by the strength or dint of our weapons, but as by thy thunderbolts and darts of lightening, by the artillery of heaven, by thy divine assistance, and protection over us (see note on Psal. xviii. d.) And thus be thou graciously pleased to magnify thy power and mercy to us at this time, to deliver us from these puissant heathen armies, which have nothing but their own strength and number to depend on or boast of, which worship and rely on false idol gods, which are not able to helpe, and so are sure to disappoint them, and so their hands faile no less in their undertaking then their mouths doe, when thou the only Lord of heaven and earth, of those Angelical hosts, comest out and appearest against them.
9. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a Psaltery,‖of ten strings foreign see Psal. xxxii. note a. and an instrument of ten strings, will I sing praises unto thee.
All the returnes that I can make for this mercy, is my praising and magnifying thy name for it: And that I shall be carefull to performe with the choicest ditties and sweetest instruments, (and all little enough to resound thy praises, who hast wrought so wonderfully for us) saying,
10. It is he that giveth salvation unto Kings, who delivereth David his servant from the hurtfull sword.
All honour and praise be ascribed to the supreme God of heaven, from whom it is that the greatest Kings of the earth receive their strength and authority, and to whom they owe all their deliverances and preservations. And the same strength and power of his hath he graciously pleased to afford me at this time, that have no other title to it, but that I am his servant, and of my selfe so much weaker than my adversaries, that I am sure to be destroyed by them, if God do not defend and preserve me.
11. Rid me and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
O be thou now pleased to continue this thy mercy to me, the enemies being still the same, Idolatrous, heathen, wicked men; that do not acknowledge or confess the true, but profess and depend on false Idol gods, and seasonably at this time to rescue and preserve me out of their hands.
12. That our sons may be as plants†growing great foreign grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be asc. corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
13. That our garners may be full, affording*from this to that sort, see note c. all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our‖folds, see note d. streets:
14. That our oxen may bed. †fat or fleshystrong to labour: that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no*cry complaining in our‖fields, or yards. streets.
Be thou pleased at length to restore peace and prosperity to the land; that our families may flourish in goodly and beautifull children; that our provisions at home, and our flocks and herds abroad may be very thriving and prosperous; and th…t those goods which thy blessing bestows upon us may not be in danger of hostile invasions; that we may possesse and injoy our selves in a chearfull continued peace, without any disturbances or disquiets.
15. Happy is the people that is in such a case: yea happy is the people whose God is the Lord.
This were a very happy condition indeed; and this and all other happiness of what sort soever is the sure and constant portion of those that performe faithfull obedience unto God, and depend on him only for the acquiring it.
Annotations on Psalm CXLIV.
V. 3. What is man] By foreign foreignman, and foreign foreignsonne of man, as all or any of mankinde may be understood, in the condition of frail, mortal, miserable, and unworthy creatures; so the Psalmist himself, David, and the son of David, the Messias, is especially to be understood in this place. The occasion of the Psalm is, by the title in the Lxxii. and Latine and Arabick, not improbably noted to be the combat with Goliah. And for the setting out the wonderfull mercy of God to him in that, 'twas very considerable, that he was but a young stripling, the youngest and most unconsiderable of all the sons of Jesse, who also was but an ordinary man. And accordingly Ps. viii. which hath probably been resolved to be composed on this occasion of Goliah of Gath, the same consideration hath a principal place, v. 4. What is man, that thou art mindefull of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? there foreign and foreign, weak man and son of mortal ordinary man, as here foreign and foreign. Which accordance as it is some argument to confirme that (as this) Psalm to have been composed on that occasion, so it will apply these words in their more eminent, prophetick, mystical sense, to Christ our Saviour in his state of humiliation (wherein yet by the power of his Divine nature he did so many wonderfull works) by virtue of the Apostles testimony Heb. ii. 6. where he cites those words from Psal. viii. 4. (exactly parallel to these) and applies them particularly to Christ.
V. 8. Mouth speaketh vanity] In this verse somewhat more seems to be exprest than is ordinarily observed in it.foreign The Chaldee interprets it of false oaths and wicked lawes; and the most obvious sense is followed by the rest of the interpreters, vain or lying speeches, and wicked works or actions: and thus it may fitly enough be adapted as the motive to God to destroy them. But if we consider 1. that the prayer is against Davids enemies, the Philistims, and those by the title of foreign foreignsons of the stranger, the title that ordinarily belongs to Idolaters, and 2. that foreign foreignand foreign vanity and falsehood frequently signify the false Idol gods, and 3. that their mouth speaking fitly signifies profession either of a true or false God, and 4. that foreign foreigntheir right hand may poetically signify, him, or them, on whom they depend, as their foreign, their patrons or auxiliaries, (as when it is said, the Lord at my right hand, Psal. cx. 5. and many the like, the meaning is, he assists and takes my part) and so foreign foreignright hand of falsehood, be a vain gainless helper, that fails all that depend on him; on these considerations it will not be unreasonable thus to interpret the whole verse of these Idolatrous Philistims, whose gods cannot stand them in any stead against the one true God of heaven, to whom David makes his address; and that this is the fuller importance of it, and that as a motive fit here to be used in a prayer to God, to incline him to own his suppliants against such kinde of enemies as these.
V. 12. Corner-stones] From foreign an angle or corner, two formations there are in these 12, and 13. verses foreign foreignand foreign foreign, and are to be distinguisht by the matter of the context. For as in a building there are either the exterior or interior parts and corners; so here the foreign or outer corners are the stones in the corners of the building, angular pillars saith Castellio, which are here foreign hewen, and squared, and carved, and so for the beauty of them, in an foreign palace especially, are fit to express the daughters of a prosperous family, in whom beauty is much valued. But foreign the inner parts or corners of the building, are the repositories, places on purpose for keeping of store and provisions (such are cellars, larders, and the like) which the Lxxii. rightly render foreign, and the Latine promptuaria, repositories for all kinde of provisions (and not so fitly garners or granaries, which are proper to corne or graine.) The former of these foreign is rendred by the Lxxii. foreign beautified, either by way of paraphrase (as foreign, carved or polished, they render foreign adorned about) or as if it were from foreign beauty or splendor; and so the Chaldee, foreign beautifull. Of the latter when 'tis here said, that being full they bring forth or yeeld foreign, this is interpreted by them foreign, from this to that; not by mistake probably of foreign for foreign, as some conceive, but as taking foreign (as it is) for a word of a large signification, to signify any thing to which the matter spoken of shall determine it, (and so sure the Chaldee doe, which render it foreign from year to year) particularly any kinde of food or victuals, and so by this phrase, from this to that, meaning from this sort to that sort, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi understand it, i. e. somewhat of all sorts, to express the greatest plenty of all commodities for daily use or provisions. The Jewish Arab renders foreign by measures.
V. 14. Strong to labour] From foreign to carry on shoulders, as a porter doth, is foreign foreignhere, not so much to signify their patience of weight (as the Chaldee interpret it by foreign patient of burthen, and strong-backt for carriage or service, saith Abu Walid, and so the Jewish Arab, our oxen carrying forth good) for oxen were not then wont to be so imployed to bear burthens on their backs or shoulders, (though now adayes the Turcomen and such like moving people use to carry their tents and other utensils on cows backs) but more probably to note the weight of flesh they carry about with them, which therefore the Lxxii. render foreign, the Latine crassae, thick or fat, the Syriack foreign strong, for so those are that are most fleshy, and so onustus is wont to be used for rich, or one that is in all plenty, and so not for patience of burthens, though that, as this, do thus originally signify, and though with us the lading be in a cart, yet we use to say the Oxen are heavy laden. The phrase that here follows in this matter of oxen, foreign foreignnot breaking in and not going out, is not improbably to express the safety of their herds, not only from straying, but, as in time of warr, from invaders and abactors, whose breaking in (foreign, breaking down or fall of the partition, or wall, or sept, say the Lxxii.) is attended with the cattels foreign passing through, or going out: and then follows foreign clamour, vociferation; foreign cry, say the Lxxii. The same word they use Isa. v. 7. to render foreign, which is there opposed to righteousness, whether in the notion of justice or mercy, and is the consequent of oppression; and so it may be here fitly used to express hostile oppressions and invasions. But the phrase may be also applied, that among their cattell none maketh abortion, foreign never a breaker out: so Pharez came by his name, Gen. xxxviii. 29. How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee; therefore his name was called Pharez. foreign also hath a peculiar notion in relation to the birth of children; But that being the regular birth, it is not so well appliable to this place, unless by the figure foreign we thus read, no eruption, and no going out, i. e. no violent going out, for then that is clearly no abortion. Kimchi observes of these three verses 12, 13, 14. that there is mention of all those three blessings of the Wombe, of the Earth, and of Cattel, set down Deut. xxviii. 4. The last word of the verse, foreign, we render in our streets; so foreign signifies Gen. xix. 2. as the street is opposed to an house or covert, from foreign broad, or large. But our English street hath a particular relation to a town, or village, or city; and so it seems not so proper to this place, where being applied to oxen, it will signify in reason the place where they lie and feed, foreign, the Lxxii. duly read, in their stabula, whether fields or closes, where they are kept. Or if in that verse it may retein the notion of street, being applied to the men who are thus opprest, and may bemoan their losses in the field by their complaints in the city, (see Mar. v. 14.) yet this will not be applicable to v. 13. where the same word being used foreign, we render it in like manner, in our streets, but being applied to sheep, must signify their folds or pastures, where they lie and bring forth; which though it be abroad, without dores (that is all that foreign imports, from the literal notion of which the Lxxii. there have their rendring foreign, and the Latine in egressibus suis, in their goings out) yet they are safe there, and multiply exceedingly. The Jewish Grammarians, Abu Walid and Kimchi, assigne not to the word foreign any more particular signification then of broadplaces, which may then be as well back-sides; as we ordinarily call such yards as are about the house, in which cattel are kept, or the like places, as well as streets. And the word which the Jewish Arab uses may be rendred fields.