Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 74
PSALM LXXIV.
The Title. MAſchil of Aſaph.] See the Notes on the Titles of the 32. and 50. Pſalms. Becauſe it is clear that this Pſalm ſets forth the ſad condition Gods people were in, either when Jeruſalem was taken and the Temple was burnt by the Chaldeans, (which the mention that is here made verſ. 6, 7. of deſtroying and burning the Temple ſeems to imply) or when the Temple was at leaſt defaced and pillaged and profaned by Antiochus, 1 Mac. 1.21, &c. (which to many ſeems moſt probable, becauſe then they had no prophet amongſt them, as is ſaid here verſ. 9. whereas at the Babylonian captivity they had divers prophets;) either we muſt ſay, that it was compoſed by ſome of the poſterity of Aſaph, or by ſome other holy man of God that lived in thoſe times, and that it was committed to them who were ſingers in the Temple, or that, if it were made by David, or Aſaph himſelf, it was written as a propheſie of the great miſeries that were in future times to come upon the people of God.
Verſ. 1. Why doth thine anger ſmoak, &c.] See the Note Deut. 29.20: againſt the sheep of thy paſture; that is, thine own people, for whom thou haſt undertaken to provide as a ſhepheard for his flock, and haſt accordingly diſpoſed of them in a rich and fruitfull ſoil, the land of Canaan.
Verſ. 2. Remember thy congregation which thou haſt purchaſed of old, &c.] To wit, ever ſince thou madeſt a Covenant with Abraham and his ſeed; or, ever ſince thou didſt deliver them from their bondage in Egypt, when they were firſt reduced by thee into the form of a common-wealth, and had laws and a form of government preſcribed them, whereby they were to live under thy obedience as thine own peculiar people: the rod of thine inheritance which thou haſt redeemed; that is, thy people who are thy peculiar portion, or the land which thou haſt given thy people, for their portion; for in that expreſſion, the rod of thine inheritance, he alludes to the cuſtome of meaſuring out portions of land by a pole or rod, as elſewhere to meaſuring by a line or cord, ſee the Note Deut. 32.9, and Pſal. 16.6. Yet if we read it (as it is in the margin of our Bibles) the tribe of thine inheritance, then I conceive that thereby is meant the tribe of Judah, amongſt whom God choſe to dwell in a ſpeciall manner; which appears more plainly by the following words, this mount Sion, wherein thou haſt dwelt; wherein alſo the people of God expreſſe this to be their greateſt grief, that the worſhip of God ſhould be ſuppreſſed by their enemies.
Verſ. 3. Lift up thy feet unto the perpetuall deſolations, &c.] That is, Come in ſpeedily, and with chearfulneſſe and courage, to ſee and revenge the deſolations which the enemy hath made, and which are like to be perpetuall, unleſſe thou, Lord, art pleaſed to interpoſe thy ſelf; or, come in to trample and tread down the enemy, that hath made ſuch deſolations amongſt us. It is in effect the ſame with that Pſal. 68.1. Let God ariſe, and let his enemies be ſcattered, &c. Even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the Sanctuary; that is, the Temple: yet ſome extend this alſo to their ſynagogues. What the Chaldeans did in this regard, ſee in 2 Kings 25.9, &c. and what Antiochus Epiphanes did, ſee 1 Mac. 1.21, &c. and 2 Mac. 6.1, 2, &c.
Verſ. 4. Thine enemies roar in the midſt of thy congregations.] To wit, in the Temple; it may be extended to their ſynagogues alſo. It is meant of the clamours of the enemy, when they deſtroyed Gods people and his holy place; of which likewiſe there is a like complaint Lam. 2.7. they have made a noiſe in the houſe of the Lord, as in the day of a ſolemn feaſt.
They ſet up their enſigns for ſigns.] To wit, of their victory; glorying, in a manner, as if they had vanquiſhed the Lord Jehovah, whoſe houſe they deſtroyed. And it may be alſo that theſe ſigns, which they ſet up of their conqueſt, are covertly oppoſed to the ceremoniall ſigns, whereby formerly God had teſtifyed his preſence there; as if they had ſaid, In ſtead of the ſacred ſigns of Gods dwelling there, the enemy ſet up their ſigns in token that they had now ſubdued that place.
Verſ. 5. A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees.] Divers Expoſitours underſtand theſe words thus, That the more active and induſtrious any man was in cutting down the timber and other wooden work of the Temple, the more famous and highly eſteemed he was amongſt their enemies. But becauſe of that which is by way of oppoſition added in the following verſe, But now they break down, &c. our Tranſlation will not ſo well bear this expoſition: but rather the meaning ſeems to be this, A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees; that is, formerly men were famous for contributing their help in a laborious way to the building of the Temple, by cutting down trees that ſtood thick together in the woods, or the greateſt and beſt timber-trees, and by hewing and ſquaring them for the building after they were cut down.
Verſ. 6. But now they break down the carved work thereof at once.] That is, all the carved work of the Temple, not ſparing any part thereof; or, they all at once ſtrive who ſhall be forwardeſt in this ſacrilegious work. And very obſervable it is which is noted by a learned Interpreter, to wit, that the words in the originall rendered in our Tranſlation with axes and hammers, are not properly Hebrew but Syriack words, purpoſely to hint thereby the time when & the perſons by whom this was done.
Verſ. 7. They have caſt fire into thy Sanctuary.] How this was done by the Chaldeans is evident 2 Kings 25.9: and concerning the times when Antiochus Epiphanes tyrannized over the Jews it is expreſly ſaid, that the gates of the Temple were burnt with fire, 1 Mac. 4.38.. So that I ſee not why from this place any ſhould confidently conclude, as yet ſome have done, that this Pſalm cannot be underſtood of the deſolations that were made by Antiochus, but of the deſtruction of the Temple by the Babylonians.
Verſ. 8. They ſaid in their hearts, Let us deſtroy them together, &c.] That is, all their holy places, wherein they uſe to meet to worſhip God, according to that which follows, they have burnt up all the ſynagogues of God in the land, or rather, all the people of Iſrael, not ſparing any. This was inwardly the deſire and purpoſe of their hearts, when they were pouring forth their rage upon the people of God.
Verſ. 9. We ſee not our ſigns, &c.] That is, the ſigns of Gods favourable preſence amongſt us, as his own peculiar people, which formerly we enjoyed: whereby may be meant, 1. the miracles that he had frequently wrought in former times for their deliverance, and for the deſtruction of their enemies; which indeed are often called ſigns and tokens in the Scripture, as Pſal. 78.43. he wrought his ſigns in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan; and ſo alſo Pſal. 135.9: and 2, their ſacred ceremonies, which were ſigns of Gods dwelling amongſt them, and of all the covenant bleſſings which they enjoyed above other nations, as the Ark, the Urim and Thummim, their ſacrifices and ſacraments and ſabbaths, and all other legall rites, which were alſo ſigns and ſhadows of good things to come: and 3. the ſigns whereby the prophets were wont to ſhadow forth the things which they foretold were to come to paſſe. And this ſome conceive is added, as in oppoſition to what they had ſaid before of their enemies verſ. 4. they ſet up their enſigns for ſigns; as if they had ſaid, Whilſt we daily ſee the ſigns of our enemies ſubduing us, our ſigns, of Gods favourable preſence amongſt us, we ſee not. And then it followeth, there is no more any prophet, neither is there among us any that knoweth how long: where by their not having any prophet may be meant, that they had no ordinary teacher, to inſtruct and comfort them in their great afflictions; and by their not having any that knoweth how long may be meant, that they had none endued with an extraordinary ſpirit of propheſie, that could inform them how long their troubles would continue; according to that Lam. 2.9. the law is no more, her prophets alſo find no viſion from the Lord. Or elſe both clauſes may intend the ſame thing, to wit, that they had not, as formerly, any prophet amongſt them. Now however it be clear that thus it was with the Jews under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, for which ſee 1 Maccab. 4.46; yet I ſee not why it may not be alſo meant of the Babylonian captivity. For though Ezekiel and Daniel were prophets amongſt the Jews in Babylon, yet becauſe it is evident that Ezekiel began not to propheſie till the fifth year of Jehoiachins captivity, Ezek. 1.2, and that we read not of his propheſying any longer then till the 25. year of that captivity, Ezek. 40.1. or at the moſt till the 27. year, Ezek. 29.17: and for Daniel, we read not that he taught the people as a prophet, and when and how long he propheſied is very uncertain; it may well be that for a time, either before or after the propheſying of Ezekiel and Daniel, they were in Babylon without any prophet at all amongſt them.
Verſ. 12. For God is my king of old, working ſalvation in the midſt of the earth.] That is, openly in the view of all men all the world over. And hereby the Church encourageth her ſelf in that prayer in the foregoing verſe, that God would pluck his right hand out of his boſome to deſtroy her enemies; namely, becauſe God was her king (however now for a time he afflicted her, and ſeemed to withdraw himſelf from her) and ſo had been of old (ſee the Note above verſ. 2.) and becauſe all the ſalvation, that had been ever wrought for any upon the face of the earth, was his work; and the ſame therefore he could doe for his people again. See alſo the Note Pſal. 44.4.
Verſ. 13. Thou didſt divide the ſea by thy ſtrength; thou brakeſt the heads of the dragons in the waters.] That is, Thou haſt deſtroyed Pharaoh, his Nobles and army: who are tearmed Sea-dragons or Crocodiles, in alluſion either 1. to the cruelty of the Egyptians in ſlaying the male-children of the Iſraelites; or 2. to their purſuing them through the red ſea; or 3. to the ſituation of Egypt, that lay cloſe upon the ſea, and was beſides plentifully watered with that great river Nilus, wherein there were many Crocodiles and Sea-dragons, as is evident by a like expreſſion which the prophet Ezekiel uſeth concerning Pharaoh, Ezek. 29.3. Thus ſaith the Lord God, Behold I am againſt thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lyeth in the midſt of his rivers.
Verſ. 14. Thou brakeſt the heads of Leviathan in pieces, &c.] That is, of Pharaoh; ſee Iſa. 27.1, and 51.9. But why are there many heads here aſcribed to Leviathan? I anſwer, either 1. thereby the better to repreſent the dreadfulneſſe of this adverſary of Gods people, by ſetting him forth not as an ordinary whale, but as ſome many-headed monſter, or as a Sea-monſter, that had a head as bigge as many heads, as the Elephant is for this cauſe called Behemoth, that is, Beaſts, ſee the Note Job 40.15; or, 2. to expreſſe hereby the deſtruction of Pharaohs Princes and Captains together with himſelf, and that either by tearming them the heads of Pharaoh, or by ſpeaking of them as of ſo many ſeverall Leviathans, Thou brakeſt the heads of the Leviathans, that is, of every one of thoſe Sea-monſters, Pharaoh and all his great ones with him. And gaveſt him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderneſse; of which expreſſion there are ſeverall expoſitions given by Interpreters: as 1. that being drowned in the red ſea, and ſo made meat for the fiſh therein, they hereby became meat alſo for the people inhabiting the adjacent wilderneſſe, that lived much upon the fiſh of that ſea; or 2. that their dead carcaſes being caſt upon the ſhoar, (as is expreſſed Exod. 14.30.) became meat for the birds and beaſts of prey that were in the forementioned wilderneſſe, who are called here the people inhabiting the wilderneſſe, as elſewhere the ants are called a people not ſtrong, and the conies a feeble folk, Pro. 30.25, 26. and the locuſts a ſtrong nation, Joel. 1.6. and indeed this expoſition I conceive very probable; or 3. that the Iſraelites being gotten ſafe over the red ſea, or the nations that dwelt in the wilderneſſe there, did even glut and ſatiate themſelves with the ſpoil of their dead carcaſes, and did long after live upon the wealth which they got by that means.
Verſ. 15. Thou didſt cleave the fountain and the flood, &c.] Some underſtand this of Gods cauſing fountains and rivers to break forth out of the earth in ſeverall places, for the watering of the ground. But rather it is meant of Gods miraculous cleaving the rocks in the wilderneſſe, that ſprings and rivers of water might thence break forth for the uſe of Gods people there, Exod. 17.6. Numb. 20.11. And ſo likewiſe the following clauſe, thou driedſt up mighty rivers, ſome underſtand of the ordinary drying up of rivers, when God is ſo pleaſed: but rather it is meant of Gods dividing Jordan before the Iſraelites; wherein it is ſaid that he dryed up mighty rivers in the plurall number, either becauſe many rivers did run into Jordan, or rather becauſe Jordan had at that time overflowed all her banks, and ſo became as it were many ſeverall rivers.
Verſ. 19. The day is thine, the night alſo is thine, &c.] To wit, as being created and governed by thee, and that for thine own ſervice: thou haſt prepared the light and the Sun; where by the light is meant either the light wherewith the night is enlightened (which was laſt named in the foregoing clauſe) to wit, the moon and ſtars; or elſe rather that light which God did create the firſt day, Gen. 1.3. and which afterwards he placed in the Sun, verſ. 13.
Verſ. 17. Thou haſt ſet all the borders of the earth.] That is, Thou haſt created and eſtabliſhed the whole world, even to the utmoſt bounds thereof, Eaſt, Weſt, North and South; or, thou haſt appointed how far the earth ſhould extend, which is prepared for the habitation of man, the bounds whereof were ſo eſtaliſhed, that the raging ſeas could not break through them; or, by the borders of the earth may be meant the bounds and borders that God hath ſet ſeverally to divide one kingdome and country from another, and to allot each nation the limits of their dominion and habitation. However that which the Church would hereby imply, is, that if God were ſo carefull for the world, they hoped he would be much more carefull for his own peculiar people, and would not ſuffer ſtrange nations to break through the borders of that land, which he had allotted them for their dwelling.
Verſ. 18. Remember this, &c.] As if they had ſaid, Though thou paſſeſt by other things, yet let not this be forgotten, to wit, this which follows in the next words; that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people, that is, a baſe, worthleſſe, wicked people, have blaſphemed thy name.
Verſ. 19. O deliver not the ſoul of thy turtle-dove unto the multitude of the wicked.] That is, the life of thy Spouſe, thy turtle-dove: for the Church is here compared to a turtle (as elſewhere to a dove, ſee the Note Pſal. 55.6.) becauſe it is the leaſt and the moſt mournfull of all doves, and moſt conſtant to her mate. And this (ſay ſome Expoſitours) ſuits better with the condition of Gods people, when Antiochus made warre againſt them, than when they were captives in Babylon, becauſe then they were already delivered up into the power of their enemies.
Verſ. 20. Have reſpect unto the Covenant, &c.] To wit, whereby thou haſt engaged thy ſelf that this land ſhould be given to our fathers, and us their poſterity, that thou wouldeſt protect us and bleſſe us therein, and that if for our ſins we were driven from thence, thou wouldeſt upon our repentance bring us back again from the utmoſt coaſts of the earth, Deut. 30.3, 4: for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty; that is, in thoſe countries where the people enjoy not the light of thy word, and ſo live without the knowledge of thee the true God, (ſuch as Babylon was, wherein the Jews were held in captivity) there reigneth nothing but cruelty and oppreſſion, every houſe is a den as it were of beaſts of prey, full of robbers and murtherers, and in every houſe they cruelly oppreſſe thy poor people: Or elſe thus, In thoſe lands which lye under the darkneſſe of ſuch ſore afflictions as ours doth now, being invaded by a barbarous people, and where God hides himſelf from his people, and ſo their enemies apprehend that they may as in ſecret commit what wickedneſſe they pleaſe, all places are filled with the cruelty of bloudy enemies.
Verſ. 22. Ariſe, O God, plead thine own cauſe.] The ground of this expreſſion is either, becauſe in any wrong done to Gods people, God was chiefly injured, eſpecially when they were perſecuted for Gods ſake; or, becauſe the enemy did not only oppreſſe them, but alſo blaſpheme the name of God; or elſe becauſe the maintaining Gods worſhip amongſt them was the chief thing they deſired, and that haply by bringing them again into their own land.