Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 84
PSALM LXXXIIII.
Verſ. 1. HOw amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of hoſts!] That is, How deſirable and delightfull a thing is it to enjoy thine Ordinances there in the aſſemblyes of thy people! ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 43.3.
Verſ. 2. My ſoul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord, &c.] See the Notes Pſal. 42.1, 2. And he ſaith the courts of the Lord, becauſe none but the Prieſts might goe in any further then the courts. My heart & my flesh crieth out for the living God; ſee the Notes Pſal. 42.1, and 63.1.
Verſ. 3. Yea, the ſparrow hath found an houſe, and the ſwallow a neſt for her ſelf, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, &c.] That is, in and about the Temple where thine altars are, to wit, the altars for incenſe and burnt-offerings. But however this is clearly inſerted with reſpect to his deſire of being where Gods altars were.
Verſ. 4. Bleſſed are they that dwell in thy houſe, &c.] To wit, the Prieſts and Levites; but ſee the Note Pſal. 23.6: they will be ſtill praiſing thee; the joy they take in being there yielding them matter of continuall praiſe; and ſo they ſhall be bleſſed both in that their holy and happy imployment, and in the benefits they ſhall reap by being there, which ſhall continually fill their mouths with thy praiſes.
Verſ. 5. Bleſſed is the man whoſe ſtrength is in thee, &c.] That is, ſay ſome expoſitours, that by thy grace and providence receives that ſtrength and vigour, both of body and mind, that he can come from the place of his abode to thy Temple to keep thy ſolemn feaſt there, or that relyes upon thee, that thou wilt ſtrengthen him to goe up to thy temple. But I rather conceive the meaning to be this, that the man is bleſſed that doth rely upon God for ſtrength and help in every thing whatſoever; that makes account that all his ſtrength depends merely upon God; & ſo thereupon (as is implyed in the following words) deſires much to be in Gods Temple, to wit, that he may thereby ſtrengthen his faith, and may ſeek Gods face and favour, who is his ſtrength. In whoſe heart are the waies of them; to wit, the waies of them whoſe zeal in going up to the houſe of God is deſcribed in the following verſe; that is, who doth from his heart deſire, and delight, and purpoſe and reſolve to be going in thoſe waies that lead to thy houſe, that he may enjoy thy preſence there, ſo that the thoughts of his heart are continually upon that. Yet ſome underſtand this laſt clauſe of thoſe whoſe hearts are ſet to walk in the waies of Gods commandements.
Verſ. 6. Who paſsing through the valley of Baca, make it a well, &c.] That is, who do chearfully paſſe through any difficulties which they meet with in the way, as they goe up to Gods houſe. Some think that there was a valley, through which ſome of the Iſraelites were to goe as they went up to Zion, that was called the valley of Baca. But becauſe the word Baca may be rendered tears or mulberry trees, as it is in the margin of our Bibles, the meaning of theſe words ſeems to be this: who paſſing through the valley of tears, to wit, by reaſon of the many troubles and difficulties they meet with in their way, or, through the valley of mulberry trees, that is, through dry and ſandy deſarts, becauſe in ſuch places mulbery trees are wont to grow; make it a well, that is, forget their thirſt, by reaſon of their eagerneſſe to goe up to Gods houſe; and that dry valley is to them all one, as if it were a valley full of ſprings and wells of water: or they make it a well, that is, rather then they will be hindered from going up to Gods houſe, with much labour they dig wells and ſprings of water all the way as they goe, for the refreſhing of themſelves, and the encouragement of others that are to goe that way; and where the ground will not yield any ſprings, they digge pits, or make ciſterns, for the receiving and keeping of rain-water, ſo that all the way along it ſeems to be as a well. It may alſo be rendered, who paſsing through the valley of mulberry trees, make him a well; and then the meaning muſt be, that the remembrance of God, to whom they are going, is to them as a well of living waters to refreſh their ſpirits; it makes them not mind their thirſt, but goe chearfully on through all difficulties. The rain alſo filleth the pools; that is, through Gods grace and favour to them, the pits and ciſterns they have digged and made are filled with rain; or, by their longing deſire and hope of meeting with their God in Zion, they are refreſhed, as with ſhowrs of rain.
Verſ. 7. They goe from ſtrength to ſtrength, &c.] That is, In ſtead of being wearied with their journey, they ſhall rather gather ſtrength as they goe, and grow ſtronger and ſtronger; ſo eager they ſhall be in going up to Gods houſe. It may alſo be rendered, they goe from company to company; and then the meaning is, that they goe up by troops or companies; or that as they goe along, one troop doth ever and anon overtake another; or that out of the great alacrity of their ſpirits as they goe along, ſometimes they joyn themſelves to one company, ſometimes to another, that they may hear Gods praiſes, and talk together of Gods mercies, till they all meet together at laſt in Zion.
Verſ. 8. O Lord God of hoſts, hear my prayer, &c.] To wit, for bringing me again to enjoy thy preſence in thy Sanctuary. And becauſe he calls God here the Lord God of hoſts, ſome hereby are induced to think that David compoſed this Pſalm, when by following his wars abroad he was hindered from reſorting to Gods houſe, as at other times he was wont to do.
Verſ. 9. Look upon the face of thine anointed.] That is, Look favourably upon me, whom thou haſt anointed to be king. Yet becauſe David was a type of Chriſt, there may be alſo a requeſt included in theſe words, that God would be favourable to him in and through the mediation of that his promiſed Meſſiah.
Verſ. 10. I had rather be a dore-keeper in the houſe of my God, then to dwell in the tents of wickedneſſe.] That is, I had rather be in the meaneſt condition where I might daily worſhip God, then to be in the higheſt place of honour and power, or in the ſtatelieſt habitations of the great ones of the world, or any other, where wickedneſſe reigns. Yet ſome alſo think, that the word tents is uſed to imply their unſtable and flitting condition. However it may well be, which ſome ſay, that this is the rather added for the encouragement of the ſons of Korah, to whom this Pſalm was committed, as appears in the Title, who were porters or door-keepers in the houſe of God, as is clear 1 Chron. 9.19, and 26.1.
Verſ. 11. For the Lord God is a Sun.] To wit, in that he doth enlighten and enliven his Church, when as all the world beſides lye under darkneſſe and the ſhadow of death, and in that he doth chear and warm and comfort the hearts of his people by his lightſome countenance, and is the fountain from whence all bleſſings and comforts are derived to them.
The Lord will give grace and glory.] That is, ſaving grace here, and the glory of heaven hereafter: or, he will receive them into his grace and favour, and afterward raiſe them to great dignity and honour.
Verſ. 12. Bleſſed is the man that truſteth in thee.] To wit, though he be for a time deprived of thy preſence in the Sanctuary.