Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 64
PSAL. LXIV.
A Pſalm of David] Of like argument with the former. The Arabick prefaceth, when Taluth (i.e. Saul) perſecuted him. By this and many the like Pſalmes we may ſee, that David did not complain for nothing; and his ſingular conſtancy under ſo many trials, may well make us reſolve as … did when he had read the life of holy Hilarion, he rolled up the book and ſaid, Well: Hilarion (David) ſhall be the Champion that I will imitate.
Verſ. 1. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer] Or, in my meditation. To an effectuall prayer muſt concur meditation, invocation, affection, and beleef of audience, as here.
Preſerve my life] Heb. Lives; ſo uſually called for the many faculties, operarations, revolutions, commodities of life.
Verſ. 2. Hide me from the ſecret counſel of the wicked] Or from the myſterie of evill-do…ers, from the Church malignant, that myſtery of iniquity. See the contrary, Pſal. 121.1.
From the inſurrection, &c.] Heb. From their tumult, their hurricum, their open force, as well as from their ſecret fraud. Let thy protection equal their projects, who turn every ſtone to undoe mee.
Verſ. 3. Who whet their tongue like a ſword] The tongue in its form reſembleth a flaming ſword, and being ſet on fire of Hell it woundeth deeply and dangerouſly. It is ordinary with David to compare aulicas criminationes cum a…is caſtrenſibus, court calumnies with warlike weapons, Pſal. 5, & 11. & 57.4. See there.
And … their bows to ſhout their arrows] Heb. Bend their arrow, that is, as Pſal. 11.2. they bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the ſtring, &c. See a like phraſe, Jer. 9.3.
Even bitter words] Virulent and venemous quae leviter volant, non leviter violant: for as Medius in Plutarch ſaith, though the wound they make be haply healed;foreign Plut. Aliquid ſaltem adb…reb it. Machiavel. yet there will be ſtill a ſca…. An aſperſion, though not ſ…lly beleeved, leaveth behind it a lower eſtimation of the party than before.
Verſ. 4. That they may ſh…t in … the perfect] Innocency and integrity is … target againſt calumny; but every Z…pyr… ſhall be ſure of his … wrong, will ſhoot him down if hee can.
Suddenly do they ſhoot at him] As the hunter when he lyeth hid in a buſh; or as when hedges are lined, as they call it, with muskettiers, which gall and kill.
And feel not] They are not at all touched either with reverence toward God, or reſpect to man, but are utterly debauched, they ride on without reigns, &c. There is an elegancy in the originall, that cannot be engliſhed.
Verſ. 5. They encourage themſelves in an evill matter] Thus he riſeth in his complaint, and ſheweth how by the neglect of piety and humanity, they were grown obdurate and obſtinate, yea confident, or rather impudent, in their evill practices.
They commune of laying ſnares privily] viz. To intangle and intrap mee. See Neh. 4.11. with the Note.
They ſay, who ſhall ſee them?] God who is All-eye ſhall, but they having hid God from themſelves, think they can likewiſe hide themſelves and their ſnares from God. But foreign
Verſ. 6. They ſearch out iniquities] Abſtruſiſſima quae que exquiſierunt; they ſearch the Devils Skul for new inventions, who is ready enough to lend them his ſeven heads to plot, and his ten horns to puſh at good people. How wittily wicked was Saul to deſtroy David, if he could have done it? See his counſell to the Ziphites, 1 Sam. 23.22.
They accompliſh a diligent ſearch] Heb. A ſearch ſearched, i. e. They ſeek out all occaſions, they try all tricks, they do all that can be done to undoe mee. Whereunto he fitly ſubjoyneth this Epiphonema by way of exclamation, Adeo intimum viri & cor profundum eſt, So deep is the inward part and heart of man! (for ſo I read it) ſo deep and fathomleſſe, ſo deceitfull, and deſperately wicked.
Verſ. 7. But God ſhall ſhoot at them, &c.] He ſhall overſhoot them in their own bow, pay them home in their own coyn; he will deal with them lege talionis, for he loveth to retaliate, ſee verſe 4. they ſhall find that he can handle his armes a fair deal better againſt them, than they did againſt David.
With an arrow ſuddenly] As was Ahab, and the rich fool, Luk. 12. whiles he ſat pruning himſelf like a bird on a bough, death fetch'd him off ſuddenly by his ſhaft ſhot at him, and down he came tumbling. See 1 Theſ. 5.3.
Verſ. 8. So they ſhall make their own tongue, &c.] According to Prov. 12.13. Pſal. 59.12. See the Notes.
And all that ſee them ſhall flee away] With horrour and aſtoniſhment, Heb. they ſhall wander about in their flight; this is ſpoken of their favourers and abbetters fearing to fall under the like puniſhment, and being agitated by the furies of their own evill conſciences.
Verſ. 9.Poena ad paucos, metus ad omnes. And all men ſhall fear] Seeing ſuch and ſuch hanged up in Gibbits, as it were, for a terrour to others.
And ſhall declare the work of God] viz. His power and providence, which ſome doubt of till thus powerfully convinced, as Claudian was by the deſtruction of Ruffinus.
Abſtulit hunc tandem Ruffini poena tumultum,
Abſolvit que deos; & non jam ad culmina rerum
Injuſtes creviſſe queror; tolluntur in altum,
Ut lapſu graviors ruant —
Verſ. 10.Inde arripient fanctae cujuldam jicta… argumentum. Beza. The Righteous ſhall bee glad in the Lord] Not my ſelf only, but all the Saints ſhall be comforted, confirmed, and occaſioned to make their boaſt of God with an holy gloriation.