Commentary on Ezra Nehemiah Ester Job and Psalms, Commentary 5 · Psalm 83
PSAL. LXXXIII.
VErſ. 1. Keep not thou ſilence O God] Ter idem dicit ad vehementiam, He ſaith the ſame thing thrice to ſhew his earneſtneſs. The Hebrew is, Be not ſilent to thee, that is, in thine own cauſe, as verſe 5. The Septuagint and Vulgar have it, O God, who is like unto thee?Concurrunt magno impetu, conatu, & ardore.
Verſ. 2. For let thine enemies make a tumult] Thine, becauſe ours; for there is a league offenſive, and defenſive betwixt God and his people; the Church muſt therefore needs bee invincible, becauſe God is ſo.
Have left up the head] Being inſolent and confident,Kimchi. they bear their noſes high in the air, uttering loud and lofty language; as did Rabſhaketh, ſent by Sonnacherib, 2 King. 18. to which times ſome referre this Pſalm, as others to thoſe of Jehoſaphat, 2 Chron. 20.
Verſ. 3. They have taken crafty counſel, &c.] They have negotiated this league with much ſubtiltie and ſolicitation, conferunt & captant confilia, they are cruel-crafties. Malignaverunt conſilium, ſaith the Vulgar.
And conſulted againſt thy hidden ones] Hidden under the hollow of thy hand, under the ſhaddow of thy wing; and therefore ſafe from ſtrife of tongues or force of hands, Pſal. 27.5. & 31.21. Commodum inſtituto epithetum. The Greek rendreth it, Thy Saints, ſuch as whoſe life is hid with Chriſt in God. Col. 3.3. 1 John 3.2. The ſame Hebrew word is uſed for the inward oracle of the Temple, Ezek. 7.22. a type of Heaven, the Saints Country.
Verſ. 4. They have ſaid come, &c.] The wicked have their Come, Prov. 1.11. as well as the Saints, Iſa. 2.3, 5. Zach. 8.21. but for a worſe purpoſe.
Let us cut them off] Them, by way of contempt, as not worth naming, they were ſo baſe. The Devill and his Imps would utterly root out the Church; but that cannot bee, Jer. 31.36. Mat. 16.18.
That the name of Iſrael, &c.] But Iſrael hath ſtill a name, when Moab, Ammon, Edom, &c. live but by fame only See Jer. 48.2.
Verſ. 5. They have conſulted together with one conſent] Heb. With one heart, concorditor, as if they had all but one heart. This was not unity but conſpiracie; ſuch as is that of Papiſts, Rev. 17.13, 14.
They are confederate againſt thee] Heb. They have ſtricken a Covenant, viz. with oaths and ſolemn ceremonies, cutting the Sacrifice in twain,Virg. Aeneid. 8. and paſſing between the parts thereof, as Jer. 34.18. — caeſa jungebant faedera porca.
Verſ. 6. The Tabernacles of Edom, and the Iſhmaelites, &c.] Exercitu ex variis gentibus couflato, at odds amongſt themſelves, and yet well agreed for a miſchief to the Church, who might ever well ſay as the Hare in Martiall.
In me omnis terrae que avium que mariſ que rapina eſt;
Forſitan & caeli, ſi canis astra tenet.
As Dogs fighting and intertearing one another, can give over and joyn together to follow the harmleſſe Hare that paſſeth by them; ſo here! If Manaſſeh be againſt Ephraim, and Ephraim againſt Manaſſeh, yet they will be both againſt Judah.
And the Hagarens] Who came alſo of Hagar, as well as the Iſamaelites; but were a diſtinct people, and would be called Saracens, Saracens in Arabick is Theeves.from Sarah the freewoman: for honour ſake, as if the Promiſes made to Abraham and Sarah had belonged to them. Ptolomy maketh mention of the Saracens, and placeth in Arabia the ſeat of the Hagarens; where there is alſo a City called Agra, of Hagar, likely. Aben-Ezra ſaith they came of Agar, by another husband. The Chaldee calleth them Hungarians.
Verſ. 7. Gebal and Ammon and Amalec] Sic enarrae & enumerat inimieos decem conglobatos. Anſwerable whereunto were the ten Kings of Chriſtendome,Ezek. 27.9. who gave their power to the beaſt. Gebal might be the inhabitants of Gabel, a City of Phenicia ſaith Stephanus, or of Syria, ſaith Strabo, which Ʋolaterran ſaith was called Gibel, in his time, but anciently Biblus, See Joſh. 13.5.
Verſ. 8. Aſſur alſo is joyned with them] The Chaldee paraphraſeth Sennacherib, alſo the King of Aſhur, &c. So doth the Turk, with the Churches enemies; howbeit Italy is the mark he ſhooteth at; and the Proteſtants have the happineſs (as alſo America) to be further out of his way, and no part of his preſent aim, for the greateſt part of them.
Verſ. 9. Do unto them as unto the Medianites] And how that was, ſee Judg. 7. & 8. & Judg. 4. Preces ſunt bombar de & inſtrumenta bellica Chriſtianorum, ſaith Luther.
Verſ. 10. Who periſhed at Endor] A place in the Tribe of Manaſſeh near unto that ancient River, the River Kiſon, Judg. 17.1 Sam. 28.
They became as dung] They lay unburied, rotted above ground, and were ſpred as compoſt upon ſoil.
Verſ. 11. Make their Nobles like Oreb and like Zee…] Oreb ſignifieth a Crow, Zeeb a Wolf, Zeboh a cut-throat, Zalmunna a forbidder of ſhadow, or quiet to his ſubjects; fit names for Tyrants, and perſecuters of Gods people.
Verſ. 12. Let us take to our ſelves the houſes of God] Covetous Impropriatours and Oppreſſours have learned this language. Poſſidebant Papiſtae, poſſident Rapiſtae, ſaith One wittily.
Verſ. 13.Captia card …orum. O my God, make them like a wheel] Heb. Like a rouling thing, ſuch as is thiſtle-down, ſaith R. Solomon. Gr. like a top, Tor que illos in modum trochi, whirle them about as boyes do their tops.
As the ſtubble] As before he had brought examples, ſo here ſimilitudes to ſhew what he would have done to the enemy.
Verſ. 14. As the fire burneth a wood] Maxime quando à vento flabellatur, when blown up by a feirce wind, it ſoon turneth a wood into a waſte.
And as the flame ſetteth the mountains on fire] Thoſe ſulphury mountains, ſuch as Aetna, Veſuvius, Peitramala, a mountain in the higheſt part of the Apennines, which perpetually burneth,Il Mercu…io Ialico 178. ſay travellers.
Verſ. 15. So perſecute them with thy tempeſt] Turbina cos, that they may ſtand or ſtay no where.
And make them afraid, &c.] So fright them with thy heavy judgements, that all their wit and courage wherewith they ſhould help themſelves, may bee expectorated.
Verſ. 16. Fill their faces with ſhame] By confounding their confidences, and blaſting their deſigns. They promiſed themſelves a triumph, but let them have the canvaſs.
That they may ſeek thy name O Lord] Ut in viti cogantur quis ſit tam potens Jehovah rogitare, that they may even in deſpight of their heads, be compelled to inquire after thee. It is ſtoried of Sennacherib, that after the deſtruction of his huge army at Jeruſalem, demanding of ſome about him what might be the reaſon that the unreſiſtable God of Heaven ſo favoured the Jewiſh Nation as he had found by ſad experience?Bib. Caſtal, Tabul. anſwer was given that Abraham from whom they defended, ſacrificed unto him his only Son, which purchaſed this Protection to his poſterity. If that will win him, ſaith Hee, I will ſpare him two of my ſons, to procure him to be on my ſide; which Sharezer and Adrammelech his ſons hearing of, prevented their own deaths by his.
Verſ. 17. Let them be confounded, &c.] This and the following verſe, are an expoſition of the former verſe. The Rabbines have a ſaying nulla eſt objectio in Lege, que non habet ſolutionem in latere. The Scripture is its own interpreter.
Verſ. 18. That men may know that thou whoſe name alone is Jehovah] The Eſſentiator, Iſa. 44.6. with Act. 17.25. Rev. 1.4.8. The Jews pronounce not this name at all, but uſe Adonai or Elohim for it. The firſt among the Chriſtians that pronounced it was Petrus Galatinus, following the pronunciation of the Syriacks and Greeks. Genebrard will have it pronounced Jahue, and bitterly enveyeth againſt Beza, and others as prophaners of Gods name, who call God Jova, or Jehova, vocabulo novo, ſaith he, barbaro, fictitio, irreligioſo & Jovem Gentilium redolen…e. It is very likely that of this holy and reverend name of God, the Gentiles called their greateſt God Jove and Jupiter, Aug. de conſe…ſ. Evang. l. 1. c. 22.that is, Jah-pater. Pauſanias alſo telleth us that the Poets thus ſang unto him, foreign. And Varro the learnedſt of the Romans thought. Jove to be the God of the Jews. But he and all men ſhould have known, as here, that Jehovah is God alone; and ſo have ſought to the Jews (of whom alone was ſalvation, Joh. 4.22.) for better underſtanding in the things of Gods Kingdome; acknowledging him to be the moſt High above all the earth, and contemning minutulos iſtos deos modo Jovem ſibi propitium haberet, as another heathen ſaid.