Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 111
The Hundred and Eleventh Psalm.
a.Praise ye the Lord. The hundred and eleventh Psalm is one of those whose title (see notea.. on Psal. cvi.) is Hallelujah, and is accordingly spent in praising and magnifying the name of God for all his works of power and mercy. It is composed in twenty two short meters, each beginning with the several letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.
1. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the‖secret or counsel foreign assembly of theb. upright, and in the congregation.
Paraphrase. From the bottome of my soule, and with the full quire of all the faculties thereof, I will acknowledg and bless the name of God. This I will doe more privately in counsel of all pious men, the true Israelites, when ever any transaction of concernment is to be advised on by those that make strict conscience of their duty; and this will I doe in the most publick and solemn assembly. No juncto is too close, no congregation too wide, for such a most due performance.
2. The works of the Lord are great, †studied by or found by, or in all their purposes, or designes.c.sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
Marvailous are the works of God, and of all other sorts of study most worthy to be the exercise and imployment of all pious men, who can entertain themselves with more pleasure in such meditations, than in all other the most sensual divertisements, and receive great profit and advantage by it.
3. His work is*honour and glory foreign honourable and glorious, and his righteousness endureth for ever.
All that he doth is infinitely magnificent and beautifull, the works of his creation most admirable and stupendious, and so the works of his preservation and providence full of omnipotent greatness and wisdome. But above all, his justice and purity, his detestation of all sin and exact fidelity in all his promises is infinitely to be magnified, as that which goes through all his other works.
4. He hath made‖him a name or memorial by or of his wonderfull— his wonderfull works to bed. remembred: The Lord†gracious is gracious and full of compassion.
The great miraculous works of his providence among us have made such impressions on men as will never be forgotten, but recorded and reported for ever: and indeed God hath made special ordinances, the Passeover &c. to that purpose: Yea they have given him a title whereby he is known by all, the same that he once proclaimed of himself to Moses, when he desired to know and discern his nature more perfectly, The Lord, gratious— i. e. a most gratious and mercifull Lord, not forward to punish every sin that out of frailty is committed against him, but abundant in mercy and loving kindnesse to all that faithfully adhere to him.
5. He hath given‖or spoile, see note d. meat unto them that fear him; he will ever be mindefull of his Covenant.
He never fails to provide for them that serve and obey him, all things that they stand in need of; he hath promised never to leave nor forsake such: and whatsoever he hath thus by Covenant obliged himself to, he will be certain duly to performe. Thus did he promise Abraham concerning his posterity in Aegypt Gen. xv. 13. and accordingly it was signally performed.
6. He hath shewed his people the‖virtue foreign power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
His providence hath most effectually and eminently been discernible in his dealing with his people the Jews, before whom he hath cast out the Canaanites and other inhabitants of seven very fruitfull nations, who had exceedingly provoked him with their unnatural sins, and given to this his people the quiet possession of them, to which they had not the least right or title but from his immediate donation.
7. The works of his hands are†fidelity verity and judgment, all hise. commandments are sure.
And herein, as in all things else, his actions have been most just and righteous, just vengeance to obdurate sinners, as perfect fidelity and performance of his promise to Abraham his servant. And so all his appointments both for the rooting out and planting in; his menaces and promises, are most assuredly performed, there is no frustrating of any of them.
8. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and righteousness.
Being once ratified and confirmed by him, they are sure to have that exact uprightness in them that they remain steady and immutable.
9. He sent redemption to his people, he hath commanded his covenant for ever; holy and reverend is his name.
And the like wonderfull act of power and mercy and fidelity was it in God, that he rescued & brought out the seed of Abraham, to whom his promises were made, from the slavery of Aegypt (an emblem of our greater redemption f…om the bondage of sin and Satan wrought by his own Son) and by a mighty hand made good his promises to them of bringing them into Canaan. Thus firme and inviolable are all Gods pacts and agreements made with his people, to whom as his mercies are most admirably firme, and for ever to be acknowledged with thanksgiving, so his judgments are most dreadfull and formidable to all that provoke them to fall upon them.
10. The fear of the Lord is thef. beginning of wisdome; a good understanding*are they to all that do them foreign have all they that doe his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
There is therefore no such excellent prudential course as the preserving in our breasts a just and due reverence of God, an awe to his lawes, and a dread to his judgments; and when all is considered, this will be sound the prime wisdome. And the reason is clear; The Law of God is the declaration of those things which are most our concernments to know, his commandments bring all profitable knowledge and judgment to them that carefully set themselves to, and are daily exercised in the practising of them. They that constantly guide their lives according to those divine directions, will soon discern experimentally what others at a distance never dream of, that the practice of his precepts is of all other things most for their turns, most agreeable to all their interests both in this and an…ther world. And so for that most eminent mercy of such his divine and most excellent precepts (as well as for other parts of his Covenant, his grace and mercies) all possible praise is for ever due to his most holy name.
Annotations on Psalm CXI.
V 1. Praise ye the Lord] What was observed,foreign and competently proved, note a on Ps. cvi. that Hallelujah was no part, but only the Title of the Psalm, is applicable to this also and more that follow, and is here most clearly demonstrable. For this Psalm (as also the next) is one of those that are composed with exact respect to the order of the letters of the Alphabet. And it is S. Hieromes true observation, that this Psalm is the first, which is purely Alphabetical. the xxv. and others, which are well-nigh such, failing or abounding in some letter, whereas this, leaving foreign for the Title, begins with foreign, as the cxii. doth with foreign, and in very short meter goes on exactly according to the letters of the Alphabet, which it could not be imagined to do, if it began with foreign Hallelujah.
V. 1. Upright] Of the word foreign foreignupright, 'tis Kimchi's observation, foreign it is an appellative of Israel, as Num. xxiii. 10. Let me die foreign the death of the upright. And so they are called by a name of much affinity with this, Jesharun, in the notion, and by analogy as in the New Testament the Christians are called Saints.
V. 2. Sought out] foreign to seek, investigate, foreignsearch, is used for meditating, studying, and from thence foreign a school, or place for study of the Law, and in Arabick foreign an Academie, or University; and accordingly 1 Cor. i. 20. foreign, the inquirer, is the student, he that spends his time in searching and finding out difficulties (see Note f. on that place:) and then foreign here applied to the great works of God, may be rendred are studied, or meditated on, foreign by all that have delight or pleasure in such study or meditation, sought of all that desire them, saith the Jewish Arab. But the word also signifies to be found, Isa. Lxv. 1. I am found by them that sought me not. And then this will bear an excellent sense, frequently met with in other places, that the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, his way is plain unto the righteous, (so Abu Walid, they are evident or plain to all that delight in them, or love them) though the wicked shall fall therein, and the like. The next words, foreign,foreign are capable also of another rendring, in the notion of foreign Eccl. iii. 1. where we render it purpose, and Eccl. v. 7. where we render it matter, and the Lxxii. foreign thing, in both places. And by analogy with those the phrase may here signify in all their parts, designes, or purposes, or in all their several concernments.
V. 4. Made his wonderfull works to be remembred] The most proper rendring of this verse will be pitcht on by observing the notion of foreign for a memorial, any thing by which a man may be remembred, any name or title attributed to any for any notable action or excellency. So the Lxxii. Exod. xvii. 14. render foreign by foreign name, and Hos. xii. 5. The Lord God of hosts, foreign the Lord is his memorial; that sure is, the Lord is his name. And accordingly the Mazorites call God's name foreign memorial. Accordingly foreign foreignhe made a memorial, is no more than he hath made him a name; either by common way of speaking, he hath left remembrances of himself which will continue (as Gen. xi. 4. Let us make us a name, and 2 Sam. vii. 9. I have made thee a great name, and v. 23. of God himself, that he went to make him a name, and to doe for you great things, very agreeable to the style here, he hath made a memorial or name foreign by his wondrous works, and so the Chaldee understand it here, foreign he hath made him a good memorial) Kimchi reads it, a memorial of his wonders in Aegypt, in giving us the Sabbath, Passeover, and other feasts; accordingly Aben Ezra renders foreign v. 5. the spoile of the Aegyptians, according to the promise of God, Gen. xv. 13. But it may be also interpreted more minutely and critically, he hath made him a title, a name, by which he expects to be called, viz. this which here follows, as the breviate of that by which he was pleased to proclaim himself, Exod. xxxiv. 6. foreign The Lord mercifull and gratious, not making this a distinct sentence from the former, but affixing it as that name which he hath made himself by his works.
V. 7. Commandments are sure] From foreign which signifies true and sure and faithfull, is the Epithete of Gods commandments here foreign.foreign How it is to be rendred, will be best guest by considering the context, and the peculiar importance of the Commandments here. The former verse speaks of the heathen nations, the Canaanites &c. who were by Gods appointment rooted out of their land, and the Israelites planted in their stead. In this, saith the Psalmist, there was foreign fidelity and judgment: fidelity in performing the promise made to Abraham many years before, and just vengeance on those nations for their sins, the measure of which they had now filled up. And as the ground of both these, 'tis here added that foreign foreignall his commandments— The word which we render commandments, comes from foreign to visit either for good or evil, which signifies also to command, or give order. So of Cyrus Ezr. i. 2. foreign he hath charged me, and 2 Chron. xxxvi. 23. foreign the Lord hath charged me, (the same Cyrus) to build him an house at Jerusalem. In this sense of the word it may here be fitly used for God's appointments and commands to the children of Israel to root out the Canaanites, and to take possession of their land (not understanding it of the Commandments or Law of God written in their hearts, against which these nations had so unnaturally offended.) So when Joshua, Jos. viii. 29. commanded to cut down the carcasse of the King of Ai &c. the Chaldee render it by foreign, and frequently in the like sense. And then of these commands of God, these appointments of his, for the good of the one sort, and the punishment of the other (the Lxxii. fitly render it foreign, commands or expresses given by him) the Psalmist saith, they are foreign sure, firme, faithfull, i. e. are most certainly performed: whensoever he gives order for the destroying of a nation, it shall certainly be performed, unless by their speedy repentance they avert it, Jer. xviii. 8. and so for his command of building and planting v. 9. And this in both parts is the probablest meaning of the place, as will be guest by the insuing verse, They stand fast for ever and ever—
V. 10. Beginning of wisdome] The word beginning is of uncertain sense. It may signifie the first in time only, and so the rudiments, first foundation, or groundwork, and so though the most necessary, yet the most imperfect part of the work. And if it should thus be understood here and in other places, the sense would be no more but this, that there were no true wisdome, which had not its foundation in piety and fear of God. But the word foreign foreign(as foreign head) signifies the first in dignity as well as in order or time, and is frequently used for the chief or principle of any kinde. So Deut. xviii. 4. foreign (the Chaldee read foreign the head) the prime, the principal, i. e. the best, of thy corne and wine and oile, and of the fleece of thy sheep. So Amos vi. 6. that anoint themselves foreign with the chief of ointments, the best and most pretious; and 1 Sam. xv. 21. foreign the first of that which was devoted, is interpreted v. 9. by foreign and foreign the goodness, and, all the good, as that is opposed to the base and vile in that verse. So Numb. xxiv. Amalek was foreign first, i. e. chief, of the nations. And thus it is to be understood here, that the fear of the Lord (which signifies all piety) is the principal or chief of wisdome, as sapientia prima in Horace is the principal or most excellent wisdome; according to that of Job chap. xxviii. 28. Unto man he said, Behold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdome, and to depart from evill is understanding, that by way of eminence, the most excellent wisdome and understanding. The Jewish Arab reads, The first thing that wisdome gives in command is the fear of the Lord, and a goodnesse of understanding is to all that do that.