Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 9
PSALM IX.
The Title. TO the chief Muſician upon Muth-labben.] It is here again very uncertain what is meant by this word Muth-labben: namely, whether it were the name of ſome Inſtrument, or ſome Tune, or ſome ſong, or ſome part in muſick; as ſome indeed think that hereby was meant that which we call the Counter-tenor. Some tranſlate the words, upon the death of his ſon, and ſo conceive the Pſalm was compoſed upon the death of Abſalom, which Davids extreme heavineſſe then makes improbable. Others render it upon the death of Laben, and ſo hold that Laben was the name of ſome great Commander, that was ſlain when David got ſome glorious victory over his enemies; or that it was Nabal, or Nebal, that is here by a tranſpoſition of the letters called Laben. And then again others tranſlate it, Upon him that was between, that is, that ſtood between the two camps, when he came forth and defied the whole army of Iſrael, meaning Goliah. But it is evident that this Pſalm was compoſed after the Ark was placed in Sion, verſ. 11, and 14. and whether therefore it were compoſed in remembrance of a victory obtained ſo long before, is altogether uncertain.
Verſ. 1. I will praiſe thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, &c.] That is, firſt, ſincerely, wholly aſcribing the glory of our deliverances to thee, without the leaſt ſelf-reſpect: and 2ly, with as much affection as poſſibly I can, not praiſing thee with my lips, when my heart is far from thee; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. But how could he doe this, the wonderfull works of God being infinite in number? I anſwer: Either this muſt be reſtrained to the miraculous deliverances which God had wrought for him and his people; or the meaning muſt be, that he would ſpeak of the ſeverall ſorts of his marvellous works; or elſe, he ſhews hereby, not what he ſhould be able to doe, but what he did deſire, and would endeavour to doe.
Verſ. 2. I will be glad and rejoyce in thee, &c.] To wit, as acknowledging thee the only authour of all my joy: I will ſing praiſe to thy name, O thou moſt high! that is, who doſt every way tranſcendently excell thoſe that are higheſt and greateſt here in this world. And this title David gives God in this place, becauſe in his marvellous works for him and his people he had ſhown himſelf ſuch.
Verſ. 5. Thou haſt rebuked the heathen, &c.] See the Note upon Pſal. 6.1. This implyes that his enemies were many, & as it were from ſeverall nations combined together againſt him: thou haſt put out their name for ever and ever; to wit, either by deſtroying them utterly, that ſo they may be no more named amongſt the living, and by degrees their very memory periſh together with them; or by bringing them to ſuch a reproachfull ruine, that they loſe thereby all that glory and renown they had formerly gotten.
Verſ. 6. O thou enemy, deſtructions are come to a perpetuall end, &c.] If we read this, as it is in the margin of our Bibles, The deſtructions of the enemy are come to a perpetuall end; and their cities haſt thou deſtroyed &c. the meaning ſeems then to be clearly this: O Lord, thou haſt put an end to the deſtructions, which the enemy began to make amongſt thy people; and thou haſt deſtroyed their cities, whereas they thought to have deſtroyed ours. But reading it as it is in our Bibles, it may be underſtood, either to be ſpoken ironically, O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetuall end; and thou haſt deſtroyed cities, &c. as if he had ſaid, O thou enemy, thou haſt f…niſhed the ruine thou didſt intend to bring upon us, by deſtroying our cities; to which then that muſt be oppoſed which follows in the next verſe, But the Lord shall endure for ever, &c. Or elſe it muſt be underſtood as ſpoken by way of inſultation over the proud enemy, as it he had ſaid, Whereas thou, O proud enemy, didſt reſolve never to give over deſtroying, till thou hadſt brought all to ruine; deſtructions thou ſeeſt are come to a perpetuall end, thou ſhalt no more for ever deſtroy as thou beganſt to doe: thou haſt indeed deſtroyed cities, &c. but (verſ. 8.) the Lord shall endure for ever; he hath prepared his throne for judgement, that is, it belongs to him to judge the world as a righteous judge, and though therefore he doth it not at all times, he will certainly doe it.
Verſ. 9. The Lord alſo will be a refuge for the oppreſſed.] That is, Such they ſhall eſteem him, and ſuch he will be unto them.
Verſ. 10. Thou, Lord, haſt not forſaken them that ſeek thee.] That is, thoſe that endeavour to approve themſelves to thee, that they may enjoy thy favour; or thoſe that by faith do pray unto thee: and indeed this laſt is chiefly here meant.
Verſ. 11. Declare among the people his doings.] That is, Not only amongſt the Iſraelites, but alſo amongſt the nations far and near.
Verſ. 12. When he maketh inquiſition for bloud, he remembreth them, &c.] That is, the people mentioned in the foregoing verſe; or the humble, mentioned in the following clauſe, he forgetteth not the cry of the humble. And this phraſe, when he maketh inquiſition for bloud, implyeth, firſt, that though ſhedders of bloud may eſcape for a time, yet they ſhall ſooner or later be called to an account; ſecondly, that no excuſes or pretences ſhall clear or ſecure thoſe that are indeed guilty of bloud; and thirdly, that God makes precious account of the bloud of thoſe, of whom the world makes no reckoning at all.
Verſ. 13. Conſider my trouble, O thou that lifteſt me up from the gates of death.] That is, ſay ſome Expoſitours, from the counſels and plots of mine enemies; making the ground of this expreſſion to be, the cuſtome of all nations, in making the gates of their cities the place where they ſat in counſell concerning the affairs of the Common-wealth. See the Note Gen. 22.17. But rather I conceive that by being lifted up from the gates of death is meant, his being delivered from deſperate dangers, wherein he ſeemed to be nigh unto death, from the jaws of death, from the mouth and brink of the grave; which indeed thoſe words thou that lifteſt me up ſeem much to favour. See the Note Job 38.17. Yet by the gates of death may be meant the power and dominion of death, which agreeth with that expreſſion of the Apoſtles of deaths reigning, Rom. 5.14.
Verſ. 14. That I may shew forth all thy praiſe in the gates of the daughter of Sion, &c.] That is, in the ſolemn aſſemblies of the inhabitants of Sion; for they uſed to be in the gates of Jeruſalem. And why the inhabitants are called the daughter of Sion, ſee in the Note upon 2 Kings 19.21: and the elegancy is obſervable of oppoſing here the gates of Sion to the gates of death mentioned in the foregoing verſe; God lifted up David from the gates of death, that he might praiſe him in the gates of Sion.
Verſ. 16. The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth, &c.] This may be meant generally of all the judgements which God executeth on wicked men, becauſe they do all ſhew forth the power and holineſſe and juſtice of God; but rather here that judgement ſeems to be particularly intended, which is expreſſed in the following words, the wicked is ſnared in the work of his own hands; becauſe nothing doth more notably diſcover the wiſedome, power, juſtice and providence of God, then when he cauſeth wicked men to be entangled by their own curſed practiſes. In the cloſe of this verſe theſe words, Higgaion, Selah, are added. Concerning Selah, ſee the Note Pſal. 3.2. As for that word Higgaion, it ſignifyeth meditation; and therefore it may ſeem added to imply, that the foregoing clauſe was worthy mens moſt ſerious thoughts: yet ſome take it to be ſome tearm of muſick.
Verſ. 17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, &c.] By hell in the Scripture is ſometimes meant the grave, as Pſal. 16.10. Thou wilt not leave my ſoul in hell: but if nothing elſe were intended here, there were nothing then threatned to theſe wicked wretches, but what is common to the godly together with them. It muſt therefore be underſtood here, I conceive, of the place of the damned, or of the grave and that joyntly together: The wicked shall be turned into hell; as if he had ſaid, There is no cauſe why men ſhould be ſo afraid as they are of theſe proud wicked wretches; at length God will cut them down, and lay them in the grave, and throw their ſouls into hell, and then there will be an end of their oppreſſions. As for this word (turned,) The wicked shall be turned into hell, ſome conceive it is uſed in reference to their returning to the earth, from whence they were taken; others conceive that becauſe of their hell-bred qualities, becauſe they are of their father the devil, Joh. 8.44. and when they are caſt into hell they goe to their place, as it is ſaid of Judas Act. 1.26. thence is this expreſſion of their being turned into hell. But I rather think that this word (turned) doth imply either firſt, that whereas they had ſet themſelves as it were to fight againſt God, he ſhould foil them, and put them to flight, and turn them back into hell: or ſecondly, that their end ſhould be far different from what they expected; for whereas they carried themſelves, as if they had made a covenant with death and with hell, and as if they meant to exalt themſelves above the clouds, in the concluſion they ſhould be brought down to the grave, and their ſouls thrown into hell.
Verſ. 19. Let the heathen be judged in thy ſight.] That is, by thee; as men arraigned before thy tribunall.