Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 109
PSALM CIX.
Verſ. 1. HOld not thy peace, O God of my praiſe.] Many of our beſt Expoſitours take the word praiſe actively, as if he had ſaid, O God whom I deſire alwaies to praiſe, or, O God, who haſt alwaies given me occaſion to praiſe thy name, appear in my defence, and be the ſame to me ſtill, that thou haſt alwaies hitherto been, that I may praiſe thy name. But others take it paſſively, as if he had ſaid, O Lord, thou art he in whom only I glory, accounting it my greateſt praiſe that I am thy ſervant, and have an intereſt in thee, and in whom alone all my praiſe doth conſiſt, becauſe thou upholdeſt me in my juſt cauſe; whilſt others cry out againſt me, as a perfidious wicked man, I beſeech thee appear ſtill in my defence. And indeed this laſt I conceive the moſt probable; and that becauſe this ſeems to be prefixed, as by way of oppoſition to that which follows in the next verſe, for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitfull are opened againſt me: as if he had ſaid, Becauſe wicked men do ſlander me, I appeal to thee for my juſtification, as the witneſſe and patron of mine innocency; and therefore whilſt they cry out againſt me with full mouth, as a peſtilent enemy to the ſtate, be not thou ſilent, on whom I wholly depend for the clearing and avenging of mine integrity: and though all the world condemn me, yet as long as thou doſt approve me, that is a ſufficient praiſe to me. But however, becauſe it is generally thought that it was Doeg, (or, as ſome think, Saul) againſt whom particularly David prayes in this Pſalm, as ver. 6, &c. ſet thou a wicked man over him, &c. it is moſt probable that this Pſalm was compoſed in the time of Davids troubles under Saul: and withall, becauſe one clauſe of this Pſalm verſ. 8. let another take his office or charge, is by the Apoſtle Peter applyed to Judas Act. 1.20. therefore it is alſo clear, that David ſpeaks here of himſelf in the perſon of Chriſt, as foretelling by the ſpirit of propheſy, that it would hereafter fare with Chriſt, as it then fared with him: and ſo in reference to Chriſt, the drift of theſe words may be the ſame with that branch of Chriſts prayers Joh. 17.1. Father, glorify thy Son, that thy Son may glorify thee, &c.
Verſ. 2. For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitfull are opened againſt me, &c.] See the foregoing Note, as alſo the Notes 1 Sam. 24.9. and Pſal. 43.1. In reference to Chriſt, this may be meant of thoſe clamours of the Jews, Crucifie him, crucifie him, as likewiſe of the flatteries of Judas and others, when they meant to betray him: and ſo likewiſe the following words, they have ſpoken againſt me with a lying tongue, may be meant of the many horrible ſlanders which they caſt upon Chriſt.
Verſ. 3. They compaſsed me about alſo with words of hatred, and fought againſt me without a cauſe.] See Joh. 15.24, 25.
Verſ. 4. For my love, they are my adverſaries; but I gave my ſelf to prayer.] That is, I think not of requiting evil for evil, but flying to God by prayer is my only defence and refuge; ſee the Note Pſal. 35.13. and 69.13. How this was accompliſhed in Chriſt, and particularly in his praying for thoſe that crucified him, Luk. 23.34. we may eaſily conceive.
Verſ. 6. Set thou a wicked man over him, &c.] This may be taken as ſpoken indefinitely of every one of his enemies before-mentioned (and ſome conceive it was accompliſhed, when the Romans came to tyrannize with ſuch horrible cruelty over the Jews;) or of ſome one that was the chief and the moſt miſchievous amongſt them, the head and the ring-leader of all the reſt. And therefore taking the words as ſpoken by David with reference to himſelf, the moſt Expoſitours hold that this is meant of Doeg; who did not only incenſe Saul againſt him more then any of his enemies beſides, but alſo cauſed a whole city and family of the prieſts to be cruelly ſlaughtered for his ſake. But taking them as ſpoken with reference to Chriſt, it is clearly meant of Judas, who was guide to them that took Ieſus, Act. 1.16. and to whom Peter doth expreſly apply one branch of theſe curſes, Act, 1.20. As for this firſt imprecation, it is meant of appointing ſome wicked cruell tyrant to exerciſe dominion over him at his will and pleaſure. And the very ſame in effect may be intended alſo in the next clauſe, if we read it, as it is in the margin of our Bibles, and let an adverſary ſtand at his right hand; that is, let him have ſome powerfull and bitter enemy continually with him, that may diligently watch and vex and purſue him, and that may continually oppoſe and hinder him in all that he undertakes: for ſtanding may imply all aſſiduity and diligence in doing theſe things; & the ſtanding of an enemy at the right hand of a man, gives him an advantage to hinder ſuch a one in any thing he would doe. Yet I know there are ſome Expoſitours that underſtand both clauſes in a more reſtrained ſenſe: Set thou a wicked man over him, to wit, to be his judge; and let an adverſary ſtand at his right hand, to wit, to accuſe him. But now reading the ſecond clauſe, as it is in our Bibles, and let Satan ſtand at his right hand, that which is hereby deſired muſt needs be, that the devil might be ſtill powerfull with him to lead him into any wickedneſſe, and afterwards to accuſe him, and to terrify him, and at laſt to drag him to eternall perdition: and indeed of Judas it is expreſly noted what power the devil had over him; as that it was the devil that put it into his heart to betray Chriſt, Joh. 13.2, and verſ. 27. that after the ſop Satan entered into him. And juſt indeed it was that he ſhould be ſubject to the devil, that would not be ſubject to Chriſt. As concerning the lawfulneſſe of theſe curſes, ſee the Note Pſal. 28.4.
Verſ. 7. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, let his prayer become ſin.] That is, If he begs for mercy, inſtead of finding mercy thereby, let his entreaties enrage the judge the more, and provoke him to greater wrath againſt him. But this may be alſo underſtood with reference to Gods tribunal, When he shall be judgeed, let him be condemned, &c. that is. When he ſhall at his going out of this world be judged by the Lord, let him be condemned without mercy; and though he ſhall then pray to God for the pardon of his ſins, yet let them not be pardoned, but let his prayer adde to the number of his ſins.
Verſ. 8. Let his daies be few, &c.] That is, Let him live but a while after his ſin; or rather, Let him be cut off by an untimely death: which how it was accompliſhed in Judas, we ſee Matth. 27.5. and with reference to this place Chriſt ſpake that of Judas Joh. 17.12. thoſe that thou gaveſt me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the ſon of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled: and ſo likewiſe the Apoſtle Peter expreſly ſaid, Act. 1.20. that the next clauſe, and let another take his office, was to be accompliſhed by chuſing another Apoſtle into the room of Judas; yet it may be meant of Doeg, with reference to that office which he held under Saul, 1 Sam. 21.17. and which doubtleſſe puffed him up, and made him the more inſolently cruell to David and others.
Verſ. 10. Let his children be continuall vagabonds and begge: let them ſeek their bread alſo out of their deſolate places.] That is, Let them come out of their plundered houſes to begge bread of thoſe that paſſe by; or, being driven out of their dwellings, where they were ſpoyled of all they had, let them go about from one place to another begging for bread.
Verſ. 11. Let the extortioner catch all he hath, &c.] To wit, by intangling him with bonds, and other fraudulent oppreſſive courſes, as with ſo many pits and ſnares, and thereby ſtripping him by degrees of all that he hath: and let the ſtranger ſpoil his labour; that is, let him ſtrip him of thoſe things he hath gotten by much labour. And by the stranger may be meant, either any that having no intereſt in what he hath, do only ſurprize them by fraud or violence; or elſe ſpoilers of ſome forreign nation, who when they come to pillage men, are wont to make clean work, and to ſhew no pity.
Verſ. 14. Let the iniquity of his father be remembred with the Lord, &c.] That is, Let him be puniſhed not only for his own ſins, but alſo for the ſins of his progenitours.
Verſ. 15. Let them be before the Lord continually, &c.] That is, Let their ſins never be forgiven; or, Let the Lord be continually puniſhing the ſins of his parents in him and his poſterity, till they be no more remembred amongſt men.
Verſ. 16. Becauſe that he remembred not to shew mercy, but perſecuted the poor and needy man, &c.] That is, me and others, that are diſtreſſed and afflicted, ſee the Notes Pſal. 40.17, and 69.29: that he might even ſlay the broken in heart; that is, the man that was ſorely afflicted in ſpirit, becauſe of his diſtreſſes: and indeed of Chriſt it is noted, that he was a man of ſorrows, and acquainted with grief, Iſa. 53.3. and that he was broken in heart for our ſins, My ſoul, ſaith he, is exceeding ſorrowfull even unto death ▪ As for that expreſſion, Becauſe that he remembred not to shew mercy, it implyes, either 1. that the kindneſſe that his enemy had formerly received from him might have put him in mind to have ſhewed mercy to him; or 2. that the extremity of miſery he was in might have ſtirred up in his enemy thoughts of pity towards him, as naturally men are wont to take compaſſion of thoſe that are in a very ſad condition; and that becauſe he did not this, therefore it was juſt that God ſhould not ſhew the leaſt mercy to him or his. And how truly this might be ſaid concerning the mercileſſe dealing both of Judas and the Jews with Chriſt, we may eaſily conceive.
Verſ. 17. As he loved curſing, &c.] To wit, ſay ſome Expoſitours, 1. in that he delighted to denounce curſes and imprecations againſt men; or 2. in that he did wittingly and wilfully runne on in thoſe waies of wickedneſſe, which muſt needs bring Gods curſe upon him, (which was as if he had deſired Gods curſe) and would not walk in thoſe waies wherein he might have been certainly bleſſed (as it was with Judas, that for a little mony betrayed his Saviour, and with the Jews in generall, that deſpiſed and crucifyed him, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be bleſſed; crying out, His bloud be upon us and upon our children;) or 3. which I like the beſt, in that he delighted to doe all the miſchief he could to the godly, and took no delight at all in doing them good: ſo let it come to him; that is, let that be done to him, which he hath done to others.
Verſ. 18. As he clothed himſelf with curſing like as with his garment, &c.] To wit, in that he practiſed it as conſtantly, as men wear their garments; or, in that he loved it, and delighted & gloried in it, as ſome men do in their coſtly apparel; ſee the Note Pſal. 73.6: ſo let it come into his bowels like water; that is, as water doth when a man drinks, or when a man is ſunk under water, & then it runs into his body: and like oyl into his bones; that is, as oyl which is of that efficacy, that it will pierce to the very bones and marrow. And the meaning of this is, that he deſires, either that the curſe of God might fall upon him in great meaſure, as men pour down water when they are thirſty, or as men, when they have aches in their bones, or upon other occaſions, uſe much ointments; or that it might ſeize upon him not only outwardly in outward calamities, but alſo inwardly in his ſoul, his mind & conſcience, as by continued horrid terrours, and by being delivered up to a reprobate ſenſe, &c.
Verſ. 19. Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, &c.] See the Note Job 8.22: and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually; that is, let the curſe of God lye cloſe upon him, and cleave faſt unto him.
Verſ. 20. Let this be the reward of mine adverſaries from the Lord, and of them that ſpeak evil againſt my ſoul.] That is, againſt me; or rather, that by their ſlanders ſeek to take away my life.
Verſ. 21. But doe thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy names ſake, &c.] See the Notes 1 Sam. 12.22. and Pſal. 25.11: becauſe thy mercy is good; ſee the Note Pſal. 69.16.
Verſ. 22. For I am poor and needy, &c.] See the Notes Pſal. 40.17. and Pſal. 69.29: and my heart is wounded within me; that is, I am in a manner a dead man; or rather, my heart is broken with ſorrow: which how it was verified in Chriſt, we ſee, Matth. 26.38. and Luk. 22.44.
Verſ. 23. I am gone like the shadow, when it declineth, &c.] That is, ſwiftly & ſuddenly; for no ſooner is the ſun covered with a cloud, but preſently the ſhadow is gone: but ſee the Note alſo Pſal. 102.11. I am toſſed up and down as the locuſt: to wit, becauſe as locuſts are continually leaping up and down, yea and are often carried away by the winds, Exod. 10.19. and driven away by men, as being miſchievous, hurtfull creatures; ſo was David perſecuted from one place to another, and ſo was Chriſt hurried up and down from one tribunal to another; both being looked upon as miſchievous perſons, not to be endured in the places where they lived. Yet becauſe locuſts have dry and thin bodies, ſome think that in this compariſon the Pſalmiſt doth alſo allude to that leanneſſe of body, whereof he ſpeaks in the next verſe.
Verſ. 24. My knees are weak through faſting, &c.] To wit, for want of m…at; or through grief and anguiſh of mind, which makes men oftentimes even to loath their food, Pſal. 102.4.
Verſ. 27. That they may know, &c.] Having in the foregoing verſe prayed for deliverance, Help me, O Lord my God, &c. he adds, That they may know that this is thy hand: as if he had ſaid, Let my deliverance be ſuch, that mine enemies themſelves may ſee, that there is a divine hand in it; or, By my deliverance let mine enemies come to know, that this which I now ſuffer is of thee, by thine appointment and by thy diſpoſing providence; and that thou didſt but make uſe of them as thine inſtruments for my correction: which fully agrees with that which is ſaid of Chriſt Iſa. 53.10. It pleaſed the Lord to bruiſe him, he hath put him to grief.
Verſ. 31. For he shall ſtand at the right hand of the poor, &c.] To wit, even then when he may ſeem to have caſt him off; which David ſpeaks with reference to himſelf; but ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 16.8: to ſave him from thoſe that condemn his ſoul; that is, that unjuſtly cenſure and ſlander him; or, that ſeek to take away his life by judging him to be a malefactour, not worthy to live, and ſo proceeding againſt him in a judiciary way: which we know was the condition both of David and Chriſt.