Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 9
PSAL. IX.
VPonUpon Muth-Labbon] This was the name of a certain Inſtrument, ſay ſome; the beginning of a Song, ſay others, to the tune whereof this Pſalm was to bee ſung. Montanus, and many more hold it to be an Annagramatiſm, and render it, For the death of Nabal, viz. by a covert intimation, and inverſion of the Letters. So in the Title of Pſal. 7. Cuſh Benjemini, for Kiſh the Benjamite. This is,
Parcere nominibus, dicere de vitiis.
Verſ. 1. I will praiſe thee, O Lord, with my whole heart] This is a gratulatory Pſalm, wherein David ſhews his thankfulneſs,Cic. which a very Heathen calleth Maximam imò matrem omnium virtutum reliquaram, the Mother of all the reſt of the Vertues. True thankfulneſs, as one well obſerveth, is here and in the next verſe deſcribed,
1 By the matter of it.
2 By the manner.
Firſt, for matter, the Pſalmiſt delivereth it in Four parcels.Of foreign ſeems to come Cipher.
1 The acknowledging of God in all.
2 A Ciphering, and ſumming up of ſpecial Mercies.
3 An expreſſion of Spiritual joy in God, as well as in his Gifts.
4 A dedication of our Songs and ſelves to his Name.
Secondly, For the manner, he preſſeth
1 Integrity for the ſubject, and object, verſ. 1,
2 Sincerity for affection, and end, verſ. 2.
I will be glad and rejoyce in thee] Spiritual cheerfulneſs is the Mother of Thankfulneſs, Jam. 5.13. Birds when got in the air, or on the top of trees, and have taken up a ſtand to their mind, ſing moſt ſweetly.
O thou moſt High] God was ſo firſt called by Melchiſedeck, upon a like occaſion, as here by David, Gen. 14.19, 20. The Greeks might have their foreign, for the Sun which they worſhipped, from this Hebrew Helion moſt High.
Verſ. 3. When mine enemies] This, Tremellius maketh to be the form of praiſe which the Pſalmiſt profeſſeth, that he will ſing to God, and rendereth it thus, That mine enemies returning back are fallen, &c.
And periſh at thy preſence] The victory is of God, and to him alone to be aſcribed. The Romans in their Triumphs preſented a Palm to Jupiter. The Graecians alſo thankfully aſcribed to Jupiter their deliverance from the Perſians, wrought by Themiſtocles, and there-hence called him foreign, that is, Deliverer.
Verſ. 4. For thou haſt maintained my right] Heb. Thou haſt done me judgement. Locus hic in ſignis eſt, ſaith Polanus: this is an excellent place, and maketh much to the comfort of Gods poor people that are oppreſſed by the World … the righteous Judge will not fail to right them. See Luke 18.7, 8.
Verſ. 5. Thou haſt rebuked the Heathen, &c.] God firſt chideth the Churches Enemies by lighter Judgements; if theſe be not improved, he deſtroyeth them, Pſal. 119.21. and becauſe they ſought to obſcure and extirpate his name from amongſt men, therefore he puts out their name, that is, their fame and reputation for ever and yet, or for ever and a day, as we uſe to ſay: —Ingloria vita recedit, they go out in a ſnuff, as did the Primitive and Modern Perſecutors, of abhorred memory.
Verſ. 6. O thou enemy] The ſame whom he called Wicked one in the former verſe; where the word Wicked is of the ſingular number, q. d. O thou implacable Wretch, that wouldſt never be reconciled till thou waſt ruined; which now thou art, &c. Some read it interrogatively, and withall ironically, O enemy, are deſtructions come to an end? and Cities ſo waſted that they can never be repaired? q. d. So indeed thou haſt deſigned it, but art fairly diſappointed. And the like beſel Antiochus, Nero, Diocleſian, Philip the Second of Spain, Charls the Ninth of France, and other bloudy Perſecutors, with their devilliſh thoughts and threats; which they could never effect and accompliſh.
Their memorial is periſhed with them] Heb. Of them, of them (twice) for more vehemency. The vulgar (after the Greek) hath it cum ſonitu, with an humming noyſe, ſo that the ſound thereof ringeth all the World over. R. David rendreth it, Memoria eorum periit; ſuntne illi? Their memorial is periſhed; have they yet a being any where?
Verſ 7. But the Lord ſhall endure for ever] Vivit Chriſtus regnat que alioqui totus deſperaſſem, ſaid that good Dutch Divine, upon the view of the Churches enemies, i.e. Chriſt liveth and reigneth for ever, ſetting one foot on the earth, and the other on the ſea, as Lord of both; otherwiſe I ſhould have been altogether hopeleſs. Bleſſed bee God that he is God, was a learned Divines motto.
Verſ. 8. And he ſhall judge the world, &c.] See on verſ. 4.
Verſ. 9. The Lord alſo will be a refuge, &c.] Heb. An high tower, edita arx, wherein men are ſecured, and eſcape the impreſſions of an enemy. The very Lame and Blinde, thoſe moſt ſhiftleſs Creatures, when they had gotten the ſtrong Hold of Zion over their heads, thought that then they might ſecurely ſcorn David and his Hoſt, 2 Sam. 5.6, 7. yet their Hold failed them: So did the Tower of Shechem thoſe that ran into it. Not ſo the Almighty, his poor oppreſſed. Univerſal experience ſealeth to this truth; neither can one inſtance be given of the contrary; Higgaion, Selah. It is reported of the foreign, that living in the Fens, and being vext with Gnats,Herod. Lib. 2. they uſe to ſleep in high Towers, whereby, thoſe Creatures not being able to ſoar ſo high, they are delivered from the biting of them: So would it be with us when bitten with cares and fears, did we but run to God for refuge, and reſt confident of his help.
Verſ. 10. And they that know thy name will put their truſt in thee] They can do no otherwiſe that ſavingly know Gods ſweet Attributes, and noble Acts for his people. We never truſt a man till we know him, and bad men are better known than truſted. Not ſo the Lord, for where his name is poured out as an oyntment, there the Virgins love him, fear him, rejoyce in him, repoſe upon him.
Them that ſeek thee] So they do it ſeriouſly, ſeaſonably, conſtantly.
Verſ. 11. Sing praiſes to the Lord, &c.] This is the guiſe of godly people, to provoke others to praiſe God, as being unſatisfiable in their deſires of doing him that ſervice, and as deeming that others ſee him as they do totum totum deſiderabilem, worthy to bee praiſed, Pſal. 18.3. highly to be admired, verſ. 1. of this Pſalm.
Verſ. 12. When he maketh inquiſition for bloud] for innocent bloud unjuſtly ſpilled; as he did for the bloud of Abel, Gen. 4.10. of Naboth (1 King. 9.26. ſurely I have ſeen yeſterday the bloud of Naboth; Murther ever bleeds freſh in the eyes of God) of Zechariah the Son of Barachiah, 2 Chron. 24.22. thoſe ungrateful Gueſts, who ſlew thoſe that came to call them; And when the King heard it (for Bloud cryes aloud) he was wroth, and deſtroyed thoſe Murtherers, Matth. 22.6, 7. Theſe ſhall have bloud to drink; for they are worthy, Revel. 16.6. God draws Articles of enquiry in this caſe as ſtrict, and as critical, as ever the Inquiſition of Spain doth; the proceedings whereof are with greateſt ſecrecy, and ſeverity.
He forgetteth not the cry of the Humble] Heb. of the poor, lowly, meek, afflicted. Humility and Meekneſs are Collactancae, twin-ſiſters, as Bernard hath it.
Verſ. 13. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, &c.] Theſe are the words (ſay ſome) of thoſe humble ones whom God forgetteth not; they were Gods remembrancers. See Iſa. 62.6. or, it is a prayer of David for further deliverances, according to that, I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praiſed, Pſal. 18.3. Betwixt prayſing and praying he divided his time, and drove an holy trade between Heaven and Earth.
Thou that lifteſt me up from the gates of death] i.e. Ex praeſentiſſimo & certiſſimo interitu, from deſperate and deadly dangers, ſuch as threaten preſent deſtruction; and ſhew a man the Grave even gaping for him. David was oft at this paſs; and God delivered Paul from ſo great a death, 2 Cor. 1.10. he commonly reſerveth his hand for a dead lift, and reſcueth thoſe who were even talking of their Graves.
Verſ. 14. That I may ſhew forth all thy praiſes] i.e. All that I can compaſs or attain unto: Alitèr omnes laudes Dei dici non poſſunt, quia plures ignorat home quàm novit, ſaith R. David here: for all the praiſes of God cannot be ſhewn forth; ſith thoſe wee know not are more than thoſe we know.
In the gates of the daughter of Zion.] Theſe are oppoſed to the Gates of Death, as Aben-Ezra here noteth; and betoken the moſt publick places, and beſt frequented.
Verſ. 15. The Heathen are ſunk down, &c.] Hoc eſt initium cantici Sanctorum, ſaith Aben-Ezra. This is the beginning of the Saints Song, knit to the former verſe thus: ſaying, The Heathen, &c.
In the Net which they bid, &c.] To Hunters, they are compared for cruelty, and to Fowlers for craft. But ſee their ſucceſs, they are ſunk down in their own pit, caught in their own Net. Thus it befell Pharaoh, Exod. 15.9, 10. Jabin, and Sicera, Judg, 4. Sennacherib, 2 Chron. 32. Antiochus Epiphanes, Maxentius the Tyrant,Euſeb. lib. cap.9.(who fell into the river Tiber, from his own falſe Bridge laid for Conſtantine) The Spaniſh Armado, our Powder-Papiſts, &c. See the Note on, Pſal. 7.15.
Verſ. 16. The Lord is known by the judgement, &c.] The Heathen Hiſtorian obſerved, that the ruine of Troy ſerved to teach men,Herod. that God puniſheth great ſinners with heavie plagues. Go up to Shiloh, &c.
The wicked is ſnared in the work of his own hands] Heb. Palms, hollows, noting the cloſe conveyance of his wicked plots and practiſes, but for his own miſchief.
Higgaion, Selah] Ainſworth rendreth it Meditation Selah; meaning that this is a matter of deep meditation, worthy to be well-minded, and ſpoken, or ſung with earneſt conſideration always. The word is found only here, and Pſal. 92.3. where alſo the wonderful works of God are diſcourſed. R. Solomons Note here is, Ultimum judicium debet eſſe continua meditatio. The laſt Judgement ſhould be continually thought upon.
Verſ. 17. The wicked ſhall be turned into Hell] Heb. into into Hell (twice) that is into the nethermoſt Hell, the loweſt Dungeon of Hell. The word L…ſh…lah hath a vehement inforcement from foreign locall, as Grammarians call it, and importeth, that they ſhall be caſt into outer darkneſs,Auguſt. In tenebras ex tenebris infelicitèr excluſi, infelicius excluden…. R. Solomons Note here is, They ſhall be carried away from Hell to Judgement, and from Judgement they ſhall be returned to the deepeſt Pit of Hell. This if men did but beleeve, they durſt not do as they do, as once Cato ſaid to Ceſar.
And all the Nations] The wicked be they never ſo many of them, they may not think to eſcape for their multitudes, as amongſt Mutineers in an Army, the tenth man ſometimes is puniſhed, the reſt go free.
Verſ. 18. For the needy ſhall not always be forgotten] Becauſe he that ſhall come will come, and will not tarry. The Lord is at hand to help thoſe that are forſaken of their hopes. Julian Lining was apprehended by Dale the Promooter (in Queen Maries days) who ſaid unto him, You hope, and hope, but your hope ſhall be aſlope. For though the Queen fail, ſhe that you hope for ſhall never come at it; for there is my Lord Cardinals Grace,Act. & Mon. 1871. and many others between her and it, &c. But the Cardinal dyed ſoon after the Queen, and (according to Father Latimers prayer) Elizabeth was crowned, and England yet once more looked upon.
Verſ. 19.Luther. Ariſe O Lord, let not man prevail] Prayers are the Churches Weapons, her Bombards & inſtrumenta bellica, whereby ſhe is terrible, as an Army with Banners; ſhe prays down her enemies.
Verſ. 20. Put them in fear O Lord] ſtrike them with a panick terrour, as once the Canaanites, Philistines, 2 Sam. 5. Syrians, 2 King. 7. Germans, in the War againſt the Huſſites, &c. Some read it, Put a Law upon them, bridle them, bound them as thou haſt done the Sea, Job 38.11. The Greek and Syriack favour this reading.
That the Nations may know themſelves to be but men] And not gods, as that proud Prince of Tyrus, Ezek. 27. and Antiochus, who would needs be ſtiled foreign, to ſuch an height of pride will Perſecutors grow, if they proſper, and be not taken a link lower, as we ſay. Home, id eſt fracti, ſaith R. Obad. on this Text; Men, that is, broken crackt-creatures, Morbis morti que obnoxii, woful weights, ſorry and ſickly Caitives. This to know ſavingly, is the beginning of true Humility, ſaith Auguſtine here.