Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 60
PSAL. LX.
UPon Shuſhan Eduth] An Inſtrument ſo called, or to the tune of ſome ſong ſo caſ…. The words ſignifie the Lil…y of the Teſtimony, or, of king …; whereof many make manyfold conſtructions, but they are all conjecturall.
Michtam of David, to teach] The Hebrews have a proverb Li…lm…d l…tammed. Men muſt therefore learn that they may teach.Pſalmo doctrinal. Hiſp. David here imparteth what he had learned of Gods goodneſſe; and would teach others, eſpecially when they go to war, as (Judg. 3.2. & 2 Sam. 1.18) to call upon God, and to lean upon his promiſes; as himſelf had done with ſingular ſucceſſe.
When he ſtrove with Aram Naharaim] Cum rixaretur, …. Meſopotomia, called here Aram Naharaim, lay between thoſe two famous rivers. Euphrates and Tigris; and ſo ſeemeth to have been a part of that earthly paradiſe, Gen. 2. whereof ſince Adams Fall, and Noahs Flood, cecidit … ſpina, ſaith One, the roſe is gone, the thorn only remaineth. A Country fruithall beyond beleef, as Her…datus hath it; but inhabited by ſuch as here joyned with the Ammonites and other enemies of the Church; and were therefore ſought by David, and at length vanquiſhed. See 1 Chron. 19.
And with Aram Zobah] Or, Caeleſyria, whereof Damaſcus was the Metropolis.
When Joab returned] ſc. From the ſlaughter of the Syrians.
And ſmot of Edom] That is, of the Edomites, who had ſet upon Iſrael in the South, when Joab with the army was fighting againſt the Syrians in the Eaſt. Joab therefore at his return took them to do; and ſlew twelve thouſand, after that Abiſhai had firſt ſlain ſix thouſand of them, all which eighteen thouſand are ſaid to have been ſlain by David, as being Rex & Radix victoriae, ſaith Kimchi, the King and Root of the victory, 2 Sam. 8.13.
In the Valley of ſalt] Where Abraham had once fought with the four victorious Kings, Gen. 14. and afterwards Amaziah with the Edomites, likewiſe ſlaying ten thouſand, 2 King. 14.7. In the midſt of theſe conflicts and buſtles, David is thought to have written this Pſalm, together with Pſal. 44. & 108.
Verſ. 1.Aber.-Ezra. O God thou haſt caſt us off] Some gather from this ſad complaint, that David was ſometimes worſted in theſe wars; though it be not particularly ſo recorded in the Scriptures. Dubia eſt Martis alea, foreign, 2 Sam. 11.25. the beſt cauſe hath not alwaies the beſt ſucceſſe, Jud. 20.21, 25. Others think that the Pſalmiſt here complaineth of the ſad condition of the Iſraelites after that Saul was ſlain in Mount Gilboah, and the Philiſtines tyrannized at their pleaſure, 1 Sam. 21.7. Whereupon alſo followed thoſe civill diſſentions and ſeditions, whilſt ſome of the Tribes ſet up Iſhboſheth, and others went after David. Theſe miſeries he here mentioneth the rather, that Gods goodneſſe in the preſent ſettlement of the Kingdome might the better appear. Hence moſt Interpreters read the words in the preterpluperfect, Thou hadſt caſt us off, thou hadſt ſcattered us, &c. but now 'tis well with us for the preſent; and better yet it will be.
Verſ. 2. Thou haſt made the earth to tremble] By ſundry fearfull and diſmall fractions and concuſſions in our ſtate.
Thou haſt broken it] In alluſion to Earthquakes.
Heal the breaches thereof] Remedy the diſorders, and cure the diſeaſes, like a good Phyſician. The Greeks call a King foreign ab foreign Medela, from his healing-office, God is Jehovah the Phyſician, the ſun of Righteouſneſſe hath healing under his wings.
For it ſhaketh] Nutat ac mox ruitura videtur, it will ſurely down, if not timely ſhored up.
Verſ. 3. Thou haſt ſhewed thy pe… hard things] God will be ſure to plow his own ground, whatſoever becommeth of the waſte; and to weed his own garden, though the reſt of the World ſhould be let alone to grow wild.
Thou haſt made … drink, the wine of aſtoniſhment.] Vinum vacillationis, we are intoxicated with our afflictions, according to that Deut. 28.28, 34. we are drunk with them,Fuimus obſtupefacti tanquam venefica potione. or rather mad, and put quite beſides all faith and hope in a manner.
Verſ. 4. Thou haſt given a banner] All the forementioned had formerly befaln them, but now it began to be better, the ſcene to be altered, banners erected, and diſplayed in token of victory, and for a ſingular ſign of Gods favour, in that juncture of time and depl…red condition of theirs.
Becauſe of their…th. Sc…h] Heb. From the face of the …, that is, … reference with thy promiſes, which thou faileſt not to fulfill.
Verſ. 5. That thy beloved may be delivered] Heb. Thy darlings, thoſe that fear thee, verſ. 4. for, for their ſakes it is, that God doth good to a people; to all others he ſeemeth to ſay, as Eliſha once did to Jehoram that wicked King of Iſrael, what have I to do with thee, &c? Were it not that I regarded ſuch and ſuch people, I would not look toward thee, nor ſee thee, 2 King. 3.13, 14.
Save with thy right hand] Heb. ſave thy right hand, which ſeemeth to be afflicted together with us; becauſe the enemies ſay, he cannot ſave us; thus Kimchi expoundeth it.
Verſ. 6. God hath ſpoken in his holineſs] He hath aſſured mee all theſe following places; therefore I looked upon them long ſince, as already mine, and now I am Maſter of them.
I will rejoyce] As having peaceable poſſeſſion of all; though I have come hardly by it. Now I ſee that whatſoever God by his ſervant Samuel aſſured me of, was true, and to bee truſted; albeit I ſometimes doubted of it, Pſal. 116.11. 1 Sam. 27.1.
I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth] Which places though they longeſt held out againſt mee under Iſhboſheth, yet now that they are come in, they ſhall have civill uſage under mee, and be better dealt with than thoſe outland-enemies, Moab, Edom, &c. now brought under my ſubjection.
Verſ. 7. Gilead is mine and Manaſſch] Theſe Countries on the other ſide of Jordan the Syrians happily had gotten, and now David had recovered them.
Ephraim alſo is the ſtrength of my head] Becauſe a populous and potent Tribe. Junius thinks David here alludeth to that of Moſes in his bleſſing of this Tribe, Deut. 33.17. As in the next words to that of Jacob, Gen. 49.10.
Judah is my law-giver] There, viz. at Jeruſalem, ſitteth the Synedrion, Numb. 11.16. and there is my ſoveraign-court of Juſtice, Pſal. 122.5. and of that Tribe, Chriſt the great law-giver of his Church ſhall ſpring.
Verſ. 8. Moab is my waſh-pot] A pot wherein to waſh my feet,Non vas coquendi carnes, ſed lavandi pedes. Kimchi. a veſſel of diſhonour, ſuch as at my pleaſure, I will break in peeces, Pſal. 2.9. and ſuch as I reſerve of them alive, ſhall be my ſcullions and underlings, glad to do my drudgery.
Over Edom I will caſt out my ſhooe] i.e. Walk through their Countrie as a Conquerour; Or, I will tread them under my feet; Or,Exutos mihil calceos & in ipforum caput projectos attollere jubebo. Beza. I will throw my ſhooe at the heads of them, and make them to take it up; Or, I will make no more of ſubduing them, than of caſting my ſhooe over them.
Philiſtia triumph thou becauſe of mee] i.e. Cry me up for thy King; Si velis, & videas quidin extremum eveniet, ſaith Kimchi. Or, triumph thou over mee (by an irony) as thou lately didſt over Saul and his ſons in Mount Gilboah; and as ſince that time thou cameſt forth to ſeek mee; but wenteſt home again by weeping-croſſe.
Verſ. 9. Who will bring mee into the ſtrong City?] Into Rabbah of the Ammonites, which at length he got, 2 Sam. 12. and now wiſheth for. Kimchi readeth it in the preter-tenſe, who hath led mee into the ſtrong Cities? who hath brought mee into Edom? Haſt not thou O God, &c?
Verſ. 10. Wilt not thou O God?] Or, haſt not thou, &c. The glory of all victories is to be given to God in ſolidum. Strong Cities are nothing, when he will have them ſubdued, and ſacked.
Which hadſt caſt us off] See Pſal. 44.9. The Churches proſperity, like checker-work, is intermingled with adverſity.
Verſ. 11. Give us help from trouble] Give it us whenſoever we need it; as hitherto thou very graciouſly haſt done.
For vain is the help of man] As they had lately experimented in Saul a King of their own chuſing, but not able to ſave them from thoſe proud Philiſtines. No more could the Romans the Britans, oppreſſed by their Northern enemies. They ſent to Aetim the Roman Praefect of Gaul, and thus complained to him: The barbarous enemy beateth us to the Sea, the Sea beateth us back to the enemy;Dan. Chron. between theſe two kind of deaths we are either murthered or drowned, &c. But their implorations prevailed not: For Aetius at that time had enough to do to keep his own head, and Valentinian, the Empire. The Saints comfort is, that where human help faileth, divine beginneth, as Philo told his Country-men, when rejected by Caius the Emperour.
Verſ. 12. Through God we ſhall do valiantly] Faciemus militiam, ſome render it, and it is true of the Spiritual warfare alſo; we ſhall be more than Conquerours, even Triumphers, 2 Cor. 2.14. Meminiſſe oportet iſt a nunc eſſe ad ſpirituales Ecoleſiae hoſtes potius quam adverſus armatas ferro copias referenda, ſaith Beza, in his argument and uſe of this Pſalm.
He it is that ſhall tread down our enemies] Corporal and Spiritual; this is a part of Chriſts Kingly Office, to the which he will not be wanting. Pſalmus hic eſt de Meſſia imperante, ſicut David, ſaith Kimchi, out of Deraſh Rabboth. This Pſalm is concerning Meſſiah reigning, as David did.