Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 120
PSALM CXX.
The Title. A Song of Degrees.] There are here fifteen Pſalms together that have all this Title. Some ſay, becauſe they were culled out by the Jews to be ſung at their ſeverall ſtages or ſtations, as they went up from Babylon to return back to the land of Canaan: & others, becauſe they were ſung by the Levites on their ſolemn feſtivall daies, or elſe at the dedication of Solomons Temple upon the fifteen ſteps or ſtairs, whereby they went up by degrees to the houſe of the Lord. And indeed we read of certain ſtairs that were in Solomons Temple 2 Chron. 9.11. And the king made of the algume trees terriſes (or, as it is in the margin, ſtairs) to the houſe of the Lord; which ſome conceive to be the ſame that are called Neh. 9.4. the ſtairs of the Levites, & to which the prophet Ezekiel may ſeem to allude Eze. 40.6. But the moſt probable reaſons that are given why theſe Pſalms were called ſongs of degrees I conceive to be theſe. 1. Becauſe they raiſed up their voices to a very high ſtrain in ſinging theſe Pſalms, or haply ſung them in tunes, wherein they raiſed their voices by degrees ſtill higher & higher; as it is ſaid 2 Chron. 20.19. that the Levites ſtood up to praiſe the Lord God of Iſrael with a loud voice on high: or 2. becauſe they were ſung by the Levites ſtanding in ſome high place, from whence the people might the better hear them: or 3. becauſe they are Pſalms of choiceſt uſe & greateſt excellency, even as a man of eminency above others is 1 Chron. 17.17. tearmed a man of high degree.
Verſ. 3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou falſe tongue?] As if he had ſaid, Thou lookeſt for ſome great reward and preferment from men; but, alas, what is the recompence that ſhall be given thee? to wit, from the Lord. To which an anſwer is given in the next verſe, Sharp arrows of the mighty, &c. But now it may be read, as it is in the margin, what shall the deceitfull tongue give unto thee, or what shall it profit thee? and then it is all one as if he had ſaid, Alas, thou wilt gain nothing by it: meaning thereby, firſt, that no profit would thereby redound to him; others he might bring into great danger and diſtreſſe, but he the whilſt ſhould get nothing by it; and none but men deſperately wicked would hurt others without hope of any advantage to themſelves: and 2. that all their ſlanders & fraudulent dealing would come to nothing, becauſe God would vindicate the innocency of his ſervants, & retort the evil intended againſt them upon the heads of thoſe that ſought to miſchief them.
Verſ. 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, &c.] That is, the mighty God of heaven & earth ſhall ſuddenly bring upon thee (ſee the Note Deut. 32.23.) plagues & ſorrows and terrours, that ſhall pierce as deeply, and give thee as ſore deadly wounds, as do the ſharpeſt arrows ſhot by a mighty man, & wherewith thou ſhalt be long tortured, according to the torments of him that ſhould be burnt with coals of juniper; which is ſaid, becauſe, as they ſay, juniper wood, being of a ſaltiſh & fat and gummy ſubſtance, doth make a very ſcorching fire, and the coals thereof do burn exceedingly. And ſome there are that conceive, that by theſe arrows of the mighty are meant thoſe terrours of conſcience, which ſhould ſtick like poyſoned arrows in their boſoms, & that by the coals of juniper are meant the everlaſting torments of hell. But now if we read the words as they are in the margin of our Bibles, It is as the sharp arrows of the mighty man with coals of juniper, then as in reference to the other tranſlation of the foregoing verſe, What shall the deceitfull tongue give unto thee? or what shall it profit thee? the drift of the Pſalmiſt herein is to ſhew what a miſchievous thing a falſe ſlanderous tongue is: as if he had ſaid, whilſt it yields no benefit to the ſlanderer, it is extremely miſchievous to them that are ſlandered by him, It is as the sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper; that is, they wound as deeply and deadly, as do ſuch arrows (ſee the Note Pſal. 57.4.) & that unawares when men are abſent▪ & think not of the danger they are in: and the torment thereof is as the burning of juniper coals. For as juniper wood (according to the report of thoſe that write of the nature of it) is 1. ſoon ſet on fire; 2. the fire in it ſpreads with much violent rage, and makes a mighty crackling noiſe; 3. the coals thereof ſcorch & burn exceedingly; & 4. they retain fire very long whilſt they are covered over with aſhes: ſo 1. the ſlanderous tongues of wicked men do ſoon raiſe up falſe reports of the righteous; 2. theſe falſe reports will ſpread apace with great clamours and noiſe; 3. they bring upon men much bitter ſorrow; & 4. they are not eaſily ſuppreſſed when they are once raiſed, but even when they ſeem extinct, ſome jealouſies thereof will be ſtill nouriſhed in mens breaſts. And to this ſome adde, that as juniper coals burn ſorely, whilſt they yield a very ſweet ſmell; ſo the tongue of the ſlanderer doth often ſorely miſchief a man, under a ſhew of ſpeaking fairly & friendly of him.
Verſ. 5. Woe is me that I ſojourn in Meſech, &c.] A people that were deſcended from Meſhech, one of the ſons of Japhet, Gen. 10.2. often mentioned in the propheſy of Ezechiel, as chap. 27.13. & elſewhere. Many there are that think they are the ſame people, that were afterwards called Scythians, and at this day Muſcovites; & that the rather, becauſe theſe nations were of old famous archers, men of great might for drawing the bow; & Meſech may fairly be derived of an Hebrew word that ſignifyeth to draw: that I dwell in the tents of Kedar; that is, amongſt the poſterity of Kedar, the ſon of Iſhmael, Gen. 25.13. that dwelt in tents; and theſe are thoſe that were called Arabians, a ſavage nation, that had no ſettled dwelling-place, but in their tents were ſtill wandring up & down like beaſts for their prey. And indeed both theſe nations were people fierce & barbarous, great robbers, and ſuch as made nothing of taking away the lives of any that came in their way. Yet it was not becauſe David ever dwelt amongſt theſe nations, that he thus bewails himſelf here, Wo is me that I ſojourn in Meſech, &c. but he ſpeaks it either of the Philiſtines (as ſome conceive) amongſt whom David was ſometimes forced to hide himſelf, or rather of his own countrey-men, & that to ſet forth their barbarous cruelty & inhumanity, & that eſpecially in their ſeeking to take away his life by their falſe ſlanders; as if a man ſhould ſay in theſe daies, living amongſt thoſe that profeſſed themſelves Chriſtians, who yet notwithſtanding ſhould deal with him more like ſavages then Chriſtians, Wo is me that I ſojourn amongſt Turks & Pagans. And withall we may note that David might the more fitly uſe this word ſojourn, Wo is me that I ſojourn in Meſech, &c. becauſe in his exile he had indeed no ſettled habitation, but was continually forced to flee from one place to another.