Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 58
PSAL. LVIII.
VErſ. 1.Una ligati, ut Gen. 37.7. vel. ab …N Mutus quia congregatio ante oratorem eftquaſi mutus. Aben-Ezra. Do yee indeed speak righteouſneſs O Congregation?] Or, O Councell; you that are gathered together on a knot, under a pretence of doing juſtice, and promoting the publick good by giving faithfull advice to the King. Colloquitur Abner… & reliquis, ſaith Kimchi, David here talketh to Abner and the reſt, who to pleaſe Saul pronounced David a rebel, and condemned him abſent for an enemy to the State. And for as much as there is no greater injury than that which paſſeth under the name of right, he ſharply debateth the matter with them whom he knew of old to be very corrupt; painting them out in their colours, and denouncing Gods heavy judgments againſt them for their unjuſt dealings with him. The word rendred Congregation is not found elſewhere in that ſenſe. It ſignifieth dumbneſſe; and is by the Spaniſh tranſlators rendred, O audiencia, by Antiphraſis, ut lucus, quia non lucet.
Do ye judge uprightly, O yee ſons of men?] i.e. O ye carnall profane perſons that ſavour not the things of the Spirit, q. d. ye are fit perſons to make Counſellors of State. Sedes prima & vita ima agree not. Dignitas in indigno eſt ornamentum in luto, ſaith Salvian. You do much miſ-become your places.
Verſ. 2. Yea in heart you work wickedneſſe] There the Devill worketh it as in a forge; ye are alwaies plotting and plowing miſchief, and that not ſo much for fear of Saul, or to pleaſe him, as out of the naughtineſſe of your own hearts; and all this you know in your conſciences to be true. Kimchi ſaith, that the word Aph or yea importeth, that their hearts were made for a better purpoſe; and therefore their ſin was the greater. Corruptio optimi p…ſſima.
You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth] i.e. Your bribes, ſaith Kimchi; theſe ye weigh or poiſe,Manus veſ…rae …oncinnant iniquitatem. Vul. quaſi eſſent recta, as if there were no hurt in them; ſo Demoſthenes weighed Harpalus his goblet, to the great danger of his Country, and his own indeleble infamy. The Arabick rendreth it, Manus veſtra in tenebris immerſe ſunt, your hands are drowned in darkneſſe; you ſeem to do all according to law and Juſtice (pictured with a pair of balances in her hand) when indeed you weigh out wrong for right,Trutina juſtior. Prov. foreign. Pythag. Symb. and do things foreign, by partiality, 1 Tim 5.21. by tilting the balance o't'one ſide.
Verſ. 3. The wickedare eſtranged from the womb] q.d. Theſe enemies of mine are old ſinners; hardened and habituated in wickedneſſe from the very womb; it hath alſo grown up with them, and quite turned away their hearts from God and goodneſſe, whereunto they ſtand utterly acroſs, and have an innate Antipathy, they are not only averſe thereto, but adverſe alſo; yea to their ſinews of Iron they have added brows of braſs, Iſa. 48.4. ſinfull indeed we are all by nature, and a birth-blot we bring into the World with us, making us ſtrangers to, and ſtrayers from God. But ſome God ſanctifieth even from the womb, as he did Jeremy; and ſome by the light of nature, not altogether extinct, and by Gods reſtraining grace are reigned in from notorious outrage in ſin. Whereas others caſt off by God, and ſuffered to walk after their own hearts luſts, in pe…us indies proficiunt, wax every day worſe and worſe, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh, till their iniquity be full, and ſo wrath come upon them to the utmoſt. But as young Nettles ſting ſtrait, and young Crabfiſhes go backward, and young. Urchins are rough ſo naughty nature ſoon appeareth in little ones. Va…ezatha the youngeſt of Hamans ſons, is by the Hebrews ſaid to be the moſt malicious; and hath therefore one letter in his name bigger than the reſt.
They go aſtray aſſoon at they be …orn] Heb. From the b…y; Partus ſequitur v…ntrem, no ſooner could they do any thing but they were doing evill, liſping out lyes and ſlanders be…imes.
Verſ. 4. Their poyſon is like the … a Serpent] Their inbred corruption (the ſpawn of that old Serpent, Gen. 3.) is ſtrong, and full of infection, able to kill both the party in whom it is, and the other alſo upon whom it is caſt. Malice drinketh up the moſt part of its own Venome, but ſome it ſpetteth out upon others; for it is not like the Maid whom Avi…en mentioneth, who feeding upon Poyſon was her ſelf healthy, yet infected others with her venemous breath.Deut. 32.31 Hot poy…on have they, like as the Hot poyſon of a Serpent (ſo ſome render it) yea of the worſt ſort of Serpents, the Aſp (for Serpentum quot colores tot dolores, Lib. 8, c. 3ſaith Iſidore) the venome whereof is incurable, ſaith Pliny; unleſs the members touched therewith bee immediatly cut oft.
They are like the deaf Adder (or Aſp) that ſtoppeth her ear] So that their naughtineſs is not natural only, but habitual, acquired, wilful; they refuſe to bee reformed, they hate to be healed, and muſt therefore be turned over to God with a Noluerunt incantari, they would not be reclaimed, they are uncounſelable, unperſwadeable,. The Adder, or Aſp here hath her name Pethen from perſwadeableneſs; but it is by Antiphraſis. Wicked men are likewiſe ſaid to bee foreign unperſwaded, or diſobedient, Tit. 1.16. and children of diſobedience, Epheſ. 2.2. ſuch as whom Non perſuadebis etiamſi per ſuaſeres, ſpeak you never ſo perſwaſively, yee ſhall never perſwade. Nay, but we will have a King, ſaid they of old, when they had nothing elſe to ſay. So Pharaoh, when clearly convinced, ſent for the Sorcerers.
Verſ. 5. Which wil not hearken to the voyce of Charmers] Such there are,Vide Plin. lib. 2 c. 7 & l. 8. c. 3. Q…um caeperet incantatore… ſuum pati, allidit unam aurem terrae & caud… obrurat alteram Aug. in … Horat. Epiſt. 2 the Devils ſpel-men, Eccleſ. 10.8. that can inchant ſome kind of Serpents, and ſome they cannot, as Jerem. 8.17. That the Serpent here ſpoken of, when ſhe beginneth to feel the Charmer, clappeth one of her ears cloſe to the ground, and ſtoppeth the other with her tayl, is affirmed by Hierom, Auſtin, and Caſſiodore. And that ſhee doth this, although by harkening to the Charmer provoking her to ſpet out her poyſon, ſhe might renew her age, is affirmed by others; ſemblably, perverſe people will not be perſwaded to live happily, reign everlaſtingly.
— At Paris ut vivat rog…et que beatus,
Cogipoſſe negat.
Verſ. 6. Break their teeth, O God] Diſarm, and diſable them from doing mee miſchief. See Pſal. 3.7. & 10.13. & 57.4. to which laſt hee ſeemeth here to referre.
Verſ. 7. Let them melt away as waters] As Snow-waters before the Sun-beams, quickly melted, and ſoon drunk in by the dry earth, Job 24.19. In Pern, they ſay, there is a River called the Diurnal-river, or the Day…river, becauſe it falleth with a mighty current in the day, but in the Night is dry, becauſe it is not fed by a Spring, but cauſed meerly by the melting of the Snow, which lyeth on the Mountains thereabouts.
When he bendeth his how] i.e. Let him be utterly fruſtrated, let all his miſchievous deſigns and endeavours be blaſted, and come to nothing. In that famous Battel betwixt Theodoſius and Maximus, Milites nobis qui aderant retulerunt, De civ. Dell. 5. c. 26ſaith Auguſtine, extorta ſibi eſſe de mantbus quacun que jaculaba…tur; cum à Theodoſii partibus in adverſaries vehemens ventus iret; & non ſolum quacun que in eos jaciebantur concitatiſſime raperet verum etiam ipſorum tela in eorum corpora retorqueret, the Souldiers told us,Iithmalalu reciprocam haber ſignificationem. Et hoc Sauls contigit. that their Darts thrown againſt the Chriſtians, were by a violent wind brought back upon themſelves. Accordingly ſome render this Hemiſtick thus; When he bendeth, &c. let him be as they that cut off themſelves.
Verſ. 8. As a ſnail which melteth] The Pſalmiſt heapeth up many very fit Similitudes agreeable to theſe mens avarice and ambition, which was to raiſe themſelves and their poſterity to great eſtates: but all ſhould come to nothing ſuddenly.
Verſ. 9. Before your pots can feelth… th…rns, &c.] Of this Text we may ſay as one doth of another, it had been eaſie had not Commentatours made it ſo knotty.Proverb. … 2. l. 2. Prov. … I am for that of Druſius, Tractum à ſemicrudis car…ibus ollâ exiractis priuſquam ignis calorem ſenſcriut; 'Tis a compariſon taken from raw fleſh, taken out of the pot before it hath felt the full force of the fire.
Both living and in his wrath] i.e. When they are moſt vigorous and vivacious, to ſee to, his wrath ſhall ſweep them away.
Verſ. 10. The righteous ſhall rejoyce, &c.] giving God the glory of his juſtice againſt his enemies, and care of his poor people. See Exod. 15.1. Rev. 15.3. H…ſt. 7.10. & 8. & 9. Prov. 11.10.
He ſhall waſh his feet in the bloud of the wicked] A ſpeech borrowed from great Conquerours, wading up to the anckles in the bloud of their enemies; or as ſome think, from thoſe that tread the Wine-preſs with joy. Some make this the ſenſe, the righteous ſeeing the ruine of the wicked ſhall become more cautious: according to that, Alterius perditio …ua ſit cautio.
Verſ. 11. So that a man ſhall ſay, verily there is a reward] Not the religious only, but the rational, Paſſim & palam h…c duo profitebuntur, ſhall every where, and all abroad ſay, as here,
There is a reward] See my Righteous mans recompence.
Verily he is a God that judgeth the earth] Sitteth not idle in Heaven, letting things run here at ſixes and ſevens, as Fate or blinde Fortune will. C…rioſus eſt, plenuſ que negotii Deus, ſaith Cicero.