Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 149 – Psalm 150
PSAL. CXLIX.
Verſ. 1. SIng unto the Lord a new ſong, &c.] See the Note Pſal. 33.3. Moſt of our beſt Expoſitours conceive that this Pſalm was compoſed immediately upon or before the deliverance of the Jews out of the Babylonian captivity, & that one main ſcope of the Pſalmiſt therein was, to arm them againſt the ſtreights they were ſtill to goe through, and the ſore calamities that would again befall them, eſpecially under the perſecution of Antiochus, and that by putting them upon the expectation of that their full redemption, which was then ſhortly to be accompliſhed by Jeſus Chriſt, whereof their deliverance out of Babylon was but only an outward pledge. And if this were the drift of the Pſalmiſt, it may be probably thought that he took this expreſſion from that propheſy of Iſaiah, chap. 42.10. where ſpeaking of the kingdome of Chriſt, he hath theſe very words. Sing unto the Lord a new ſong, &c. But the truth is, I ſee not in any clauſe of the Pſalm, why it might not be as well written concerning the victories of David over the nations round about him. However, in the next clauſe, and his praiſe in the congregation of ſaints, there is an intimation, that however Gods people had been ſcattered, or diſturbed in the publick ſervice of God, yet now they ſhould have their holy aſſemblies again.
Verſ. 4. For the Lord taketh pleaſure in his people, &c.] That is, of his own free grace he hath ſet his love upon them, & ſo he delighteth in them, and in their ſervice: he will beautify the meek with ſalvation; that is, he will make his poor afflicted & deſpiſed people, that meekly wait upon him, glorious by the wonderfull deliverances he will work for them: Gods taking their part ſhall be an honour to them; according to that Pſal. 91.15. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him & honour him; ſee the Note alſo Pſal. 132.16. And for this word, the meek, ſee tne Note Pſal. 22.26. Yea and this may be extended alſo to the honour that God puts upon the faithfull, when they are delivered from the ſtate of wrath, and tranſlated into a ſtate of adoption, and eſpecially when in heaven God ſhall cloath them with unexpreſſible glory.
Verſ. 5. Let the Saints be joyfull in glory, &c.] That is, Let them rejoyce gloriouſly; or rather, Let them rejoyce in or for that glory which God ſhall put upon them, to wit, by bringing them into a flouriſhing condition again. Yet this too may be extended to the ſpirituall glory of the ſaints here, and their eternall glory in heaven. Let them ſing aloud upon their beds; that is, by night, as well as by day; ſee the Note Job 35.10. Or elſe this expreſſion of ſinging upon their beds may be uſed, to imply the cauſe of their joy, to wit, that God ſhould bring them to live peaceably and ſecurely again, according to that Levit. 26.6. ye shall lye down, and none shall make you afraid: and that the rather, becauſe their conſciences ſhould now alſo be quieted, and ſhould yield them much ſweet refreſhing, whereas before, the apprehenſion of Gods wrath in the ſad condition they were brought into, had ſorely perplexed them.
Verſ. 6. Let the high praiſes of God be in their mouth, &c.] It is in the Hebrew, in their throat; thereby to ſet forth, that they ſhould ſing aloud, which is not done without ſome ſtraining of the throat, as we may ſee alſo Iſa. 58.1. where that which we tranſlate, Cry aloud, is in the Hebrew, Cry with the throat. As for the following words, & a two-edged ſword in their hand, that ſeems to imply, that whereas of late years they had been of abject ſpirits, & in a ſervile condition, forced to undergoe any thing the heathens round about would doe to them, now they ſhould take courage again, & go out againſt their enemies with weapons in their hands, to defend themſelves, & to deſtroy them. And indeed, if we underſtand this of the begining of Davids reign, that which follows in the next verſes, To execute vengeance, &c. may well be meant of the many glorious victories which he obtained over the heathen nations round about him. But now becauſe many of our beſt Expoſitours do underſtand this of the times after the Babylonian captivity, & we cannot find that ever the Jews after that did ſo univerſally prevail againſt the heathen, as ſeems to be ſet forth in the following verſes, To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with ſetters of iron, &c. (for that which was done by the Maccabees cannot amount to ſo much, eſpecially conſidering in what a ſad condition they did at laſt leave that people;) therefore they doe generally referre this to the daies of Chriſt, & do accordingly hold that this, with that wch follows in the 2. next verſes, is meant either 1. of the Churches victories in the daies of the Goſpel over her mighty enemies; or 2. of the ſaints ſubduing the heathens, and bringing them to ſubmit to the yoke of Chriſt, by the preaching of the Goſpel, that two-edged ſword of the word, as it is called Heb. 4.12. and Revel. 1.16. wherein the high praiſes of God, in giving his ſon for mans Redemption, are ſet forth, and thereby men are ſubdued unto God; or 3. of the ſaints judging the world together with Chriſt at the day of judgement, the ſword being a ſign of judiciary power.
Verſ. 7. To execute vengeance upon the heathen, &c.] It is hard to conceive how this can be applyed to the ſubduing of the heathen by the preaching of the Goſpel, though ſome tearm it a holy revenge, to ſeek the eternall ſalvation of implacable enemies, and others refer us to that of the Apoſtle 2 Cor. 10.6. having in a readineſſe to revenge all diſobedience: And indeed becauſe of this paſſage, I conceive the whole place is rather to be underſtood of the Churches outward victories; for which ſee the foregoing Note.
Verſ. 8. To bind their kings with chains, &c.] This, as is noted before, ſome underſtand of bringing the greateſt under the yoke of Chriſt, which at firſt they count as bonds and fetters, ſee the Note Pſal. 2.3: and others, of the ſaints paſſing that judgement with Chriſt at the laſt day, Matth. 22.13. Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and caſt him into outer darkneſſe. But ſee the Notes above verſ. 6, 7.
Verſ. 9. To execute upon them the judgement written, &c.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, decreed by God; or rather the judgment which God in his written word hath enjoyned them to execute, or foretold they ſhould execute: which ſome refer to that Deut. 7.12. when God gave them that charge concerning the Canaanites, thou shalt ſmite them and utterly deſtroy them, thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them; and others to that more generall prediction concerning the deſtruction of the Churches enemies, Deut. 32.43. Rejoyce, O ye nations, with his people; for he will avenge the bloud of his ſervants, &c. However, obſervable it is, that hereby they were bound up not to proceed otherwiſe againſt the worſt of their enemies, then according to the rule of Gods written word. And there might be alſo in theſe words an alluſion to the old cuſtome in courts of judicature, of writing down the ſentence the court had determined ſhould be executed upon malefactours, which was accordingly read out of that writing they had before them, when ſentence was pronounced againſt them. This honour have all the ſaints; that is, all the people of God have the honour of doing what is before mentioned, to wit, of deſtroying the Lords & their implacable enemies. This, I conceive, is the plain meaning of the words: though others, I know, do underſtand this, according to their different expoſition of the foregoing paſſages, of the honour of ſubduing men by the word, and of ſitting with Chriſt on thrones to judge the world.
PSALM CL.
Verſ. 1. PRaiſe God in his Sanctuary, praiſe him in the firmament of his power.] Divers waies this may be underſtood: as that the people of God are hereby ſtirred up to praiſe the Lord, who had his habitation both in the Temple below, & in the heaven above; or, that in the firſt clauſe the people of God in the Temple are called upon to praiſe God, & in the ſecond the angels in heaven, and, as ſome think, all the heavenly lights beſides; or, that in the firſt clauſe the Iſraelites in the Temple are excited to praiſe God, & in the ſecond all men that are within the compaſſe of the firmament, to wit, all men throughout the world. But I rather underſtand it thus; Praiſe God in his Sanctuary, that is, Praiſe him for his Sanctuary, to wit, for his vouchſafing to dwell there amongſt his people, and to reveal himſelf there to them in his ordinances: or, by his Sanctuary may be meant the heaven; for which ſee the Note Pſal. 20.2. And then what is ſaid in the firſt clauſe, is repea…ed again and explained in the ſecond, praiſe him in the firmament of his power; that is, praiſe him for that glorious work of the firmament, wherein there is ſuch a clear and ſtupendious diſcovery of his infinite power, and from whence he doth alſo by his mighty acts declare the abſolute power that he hath over all his creatures.
Verſ. 4. Praiſe him with the timbrel and dance.] See the Note Pſal. 149.3.
Verſ. 6. Let every thing that hath breath praiſe the Lord.] That is, every living creature. Yet many learned Expoſitours conceive, that as often in Scripture by all flesh is meant all men, ſo here by every thing that hath breath is meant every living man. And ſo, ſay they, in the cloſe of the Pſalms there is an intimation given, that the time was coming, when the Gentiles ſhould ſing theſe Pſalms of praiſe to God, as well as the Jews. And indeed this expreſſion of every thing that hath breath for all men, ſeems thus alſo to be uſed both Deut. 20.16. and Joſh. 11.11.