Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 40
The Fortieth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Fortieth Pſalm is an acknowledgment of Gods mercies to David, and of his obligations to God; and contains a prophetick mention of the mutual contract betwixt God the Father and Chriſt the Son. It was compoſed by David, and committed to the Prefect of his Muſick.
1. I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Paraphrase. 1. In the greateſt of my troubles, I repoſed my full truſt and confidence on the Lord; I waited his good time, and continued my conſtant prayers unto him, and in due ſeaſon he heard and granted my requeſt.
2. He brought me alſo out of ‖a ſounding pit▪an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and ſet my feet upon a rock, and eſtabliſhed my goings.
Paraphrase. 2. And though I were very deeply immerſt in calamities, and ſo as my condition was well nigh deſperate; yet he reſcued me out of all, and ſet me in a condition of ſafety and ſtability.
3. And he hath put a new ſong in my mouth, even praiſe unto our God: many ſhall ſee it and fear, and ſhall truſt in the Lord.
Paraphrase. 3. Thus hath he given me abundant matter of praiſe and thanksgiving unto his bleſſed name, who hath thus magnified his mercy to me. And this dealing of his with me may well allure all men to the conſideration of it, and thereby to the performing of all faithful obedience, and placing their full truſt and adherence on him.
4. Bleſſed is the man that maketh the Lord his truſt, and reſpecteth not the proud, nor ſuch as turn aſide to lies.
Paraphrase. 4. There being no ſuch happy man as he that relyes not on any wit or aid or ſtrength of man, but repoſeth his full truſt in God, and on that ſecurity, never applyes himſelf to the practiſes of atheiſtical, inſolent, deceitful men, in hope to gain any thing by ſuch arts as theſe.
5. †Many things haſt thou done, O Lord my God: thy wonders and thy thoughts toward us I am not able to ſet in order before thee.Many, O Lord my God, are the wonderful works which thou haſt done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward; they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: If I would declare and ſpeak of them, they are more than can be numbred.
Paraphrase. 5. O thou God of power, and fatherly goodneſs toward me, thou haſt abounded to me in thy rich mercies: thy works, and thy counſels of grace to us are wonderful, and inexpreſſible: I would fain make ſome acknowledgment thereof to thee; but they ſurpaſs my arithmetick to recite, much more to make a juſt valuation of them.
6. Sacrifice and offering thou didſt not *delight in foreigndeſire; mine eare haſt thou opened: Burnt-offering and ſacrifice thou haſt not required.
Paraphrase. 6. Above all is that admirable work of thy mercy in giving the Meſſias. In ſtead of the legal ſacrifices of all ſorts, which were but ſhadows of this great evangelical mercy, thou haſt decreed that thine eternal Son ſhall aſſume our humane nature, and therein abundantly fulfil all that which the ſacrifices and oblations did faintly prefigure, and thereby take away ſin, which the legal obſervances were not able to do.
7. Then ſaid I, Lo, I come: in the *folding of the bill, or roll of writing.volume of the Book it is written of me:
Paraphrase. 7.8. At this coming of the Meſſias therefore, the ordinances of Moſaical ſacrifices ſhall be aboliſhed; and the eternal Son of God ſhall agree and contract with his Father, to perform that perfect obedience to his laws, and to offer up himſelf ſuch a divine and ſpotleſs ſacrifice for the ſins of the whole world, as ſhall moſt effectually tend to the working an expiation for ſin, and bringing men to the performance of holy ſincere obedience to God, (thus viſibly exemplified to them by Chriſt,) and conſequently to ſalvation. And upon this intuition, he ſhall moſt gladly, and with all delight and joy, ſet about the whole will and counſel of God, and go through the office aſſigned him very chearfully and heartily. (Another ſenſe of the words as underſtood of David himſelf, ſee in note d.)
8. ‖To do, or, that I ſhould do thy will, O my God, I have delighted therein. foreign, &c.I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea thy law is †in the midſt of my bowels, foreign ſee Pſal. 22.14.within my heart.
9. I have preach't righteouſneſs in the great congregation: loe I have not ‖confined. foreignrefrained my lips, O Lord, thou knoweſt.
Paraphrase. 9. I will proclaim this, and all other thy works of evangelical infinite mercy before all that acknowledge and profeſs thy ſervice: my tongue ſhall never be confined, or ſilent in this matter, any more than, as thou knoweſt, hitherto it hath been.
10. I have not hid thy righteouſneſs within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulneſs and thy ſalvation: I have not concealed thy righteouſneſs and thy truth from the great congregation.
Paraphrase. 10. This goodneſs of thine, this performance of all thy rich promiſes, this work of redemption and ſpiritual deliverance, is too great to be meditated on in ſilence: 'tis fit to be proclaimed aloud, to be promulgated to all men in the world.
11. †confine, foreignWithhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy loving-kindneſs and thy truth continually preſerve me.
Paraphrase. Be thou therefore pleaſed not to be confined or reſtrained in thy bowels toward me at this time, but ſhew forth thy compaſſions to me: Thou art good and gratious, and faithfully performeſt all that thou ever promiſeſt: O let thy promiſed mercy be continually made good to me, for my deliverance from all dangers.
12. For innumerable evils have compaſſed me about; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, *and I could not ſee, foreignthat I am not able to look up: they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart faileth me.
Paraphrase. 12. And this moſt ſeaſonably at this time, now that I am ſurrounded with ſo many dangers, now that the puniſhments which my ſins have moſt juſtly deſerved, my multiplyed crying innumerable ſins, have ſo violently ſeized upon me, caſt me into a black and comfortleſs condition.
13. Be pleaſed, O Lord, to deliver me: O God, make haſt to help me.
Paraphrase. 13. O bleſſed Lord, let it be thy good pleaſure to afford me ſpeedy deliverance out of it.
14. ‖or, They ſhall.Let them be aſhamed and confounded together, that ſeek after my ſoul to deſtroy it; let them be driven backward and put to ſhame that wiſh me evil.
Paraphrase. 14. Let not them proſper and ſucceed in their attempts, that deſign to take away my life, or do me any other miſchief; but do thou pleaſe to diſcomfit and diſappoint them all: And this I am confident thou wilt do.
15. †or, They ſhall.Let them be deſolate for a reward of their *turpitude.ſhame, that ſay unto me, Aha, Aha.
Paraphrase. 15. And reward their abominable actions, with confuſion and deſolation, that triumph over me in my diſtreſs, and ſcoffe at my placing my affiance and truſt in God.
16. Let all thoſe that ſeek thee rejoyce and be glad in thee: ‖and ſay alwayes, Let the Lord magnifie them that love thy ſalvation. foreignLet ſuch as love thy ſalvation ſay continually, The Lord be magnified.
Paraphrase. 16. By this means ſhall all pious men, that place their truſt in thee, and depend onelyonly on thy aids and reſcue, be incouraged for ever in their hopes and adherence on thee, and praiſe and magnifie thy mercies, and applaud thee for them.
17. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
Paraphrase. 17. How low ſoever my condition is, my comfort is, that God hath a fatherly care of me. On thee, O Lord, is all my truſt, whether for deliverance or relief: O defer not the interpoſition of thy hand, but haſten ſpeedily to my ſuccour.
Annotations on Pſal. XL.
foreignV. 2. Horrible pit] From foreign perſonnit, is foreign here, a noiſe or loud ſounding, and being applied to a pit, is a reſounding pit, or a pit of ſounding; it ſignifies the depth and watryneſs of it, from the conjunction of which proceeds a profound noiſe, or ſound, when a ſtone, or any ſuch thing is thrown into it. Thus the Chaldee underſtand it, rendring it foreign, from foreign to make a tumultuous noiſe. The LXXII. read foreign miſery, and ſo the Latine miſeriae, the Syriack, foreign ſadneſs, the Arabick, perdition; either by way of paraphraſe to ſignifie the miſerable ſad eſtate of him that is ingulfed in ſuch a pit, or elſe referring to another notion of foreign, for a vaſt or deſolate place, ruine or perdition. But the notion of the word is beſt fetcht from Iſa. 17.12. where we have the foreign noiſe of the people, foreign like the noiſe of many waters, foreign ſo ſhall they make a noiſe; foreign ſaith the Chaldee, they ſhall ſound tumultuouſly.
foreignV. 4. Maketh] For foreign poſuit, ſet, or put, the LXXII. read foreign name, and ſo render it foreign, whoſe hope is the name of the Lord; and ſo the Latine, Syriack, Arabick, and Aethiopick: and the ſenſe is not at all wronged by it. Only the Chaldee reads foreign which hath put. In the end of the verſe, where the Hebrew hath foreign thoſe that decline to a ly, foreign(for which the Chaldee hath thoſe that ſpeak lies) from foreign to go out of the way, the LXXII. read foreign, and lying madneſſes, as if it were from foreign, uſed among the Chaldees for being mad. The Latine follow the LXXII. inſanias falfas; but the Syriack agree with the Chaldee, lying ſpeech, and the Arabick, lying fables.
foreignV. 5. Cannot be reckoned up] For the Hebrew foreign which is beſt rendred, I cannot ſet in order, i. e. recount, diſpoſe or enumerate before thee, the LXXII. read, by way of paraphraſe, foreign, there is none that ſhall be likened to thee; perhaps from another notion of foreign to compare or aſſimilate. So Pſ. 89.7. Who in between foreign ſhall be compared, or likened to the Lord? But the clear rendring of them, and of the whole verſe, lyes thus; foreign,foreign Thou haſt done great, or many things, O Lord my God, foreign thy wonders and thy thoughts to us-ward I cannot recount before thee: foreign, &c. I will declare, or, If, or, when I would declare and ſpeak of them, foreign they are too ſtrong, or according to the ordinary notion of the word in Arabick, too great, or many above numbering, or to be numbred. The LXXII. expreſs it rightly, foreign they are multiplyed above number.
foreignV. 6. Mine ear] foreign is literally to be rendred [thou haſt bored or opened my ear] ſo the Chaldee and Syriack underſtand it. Boring the ears, we know, was a ceremony uſed to a ſlave, that would not have his liberty, but loved his Maſter, and would not go out free, Deut. 15.17. Exod. 21.6. and the ceremony ſignificative; for …oring of the ear ſignified opening it, and the opening the ear is a ſign of hearkning, as that is in order to, and all one with obedience, The Hebrew foreign ſignifies alſo to cut; and 'tis poſſible it may ſo ſignifie here, the circumciſing of the ear, a phraſe frequent in Scripture to denote ready and willing obedience. For this the LXXII read foreign, thou haſt prepared me a body; either from this of circumciſing the ear, which denotes the fitting and preparing the whole body, or perhaps from a ſecond notion of foreign to prepare meat, to provide a feaſt, 2 King. 6.23. he prepared foreign great proviſion foreign for them. But this account will not ſerve for foreign, body, which they read in ſtead of ears: herein it is hard to define with any certainty. Only it is not improbable, that this reading of the modern copies of the LXXII. was not the original reading, but inſtead of foreign, body, foreign, ears. The antient Scholiaſts acknowledge this reading; and the Latine which generally follows the LXXII. in their variations from the Hebrew, doth here read, aures autem perfeciſti mihi, thou haſt perfected ears for me: by which they muſt be thought literally to have rendred the Greek foreign, in the notion of foreign, for perficio. And that thus it was read in S. Jeromes time, may be concluded from his Epiſtle ad Suniam e… Fretellam, who had objected to him the moſt minute differences between the Latine and the LXXII. but take no notice of any difference in this. The ſame reading Euſebius Caſarienſis follows, and ſo interprets it, thou haſt perfected to me ears, and obedience to thy words. See Caten. Gr. Pat. in Pſal. à Dan. Barbaro, Venet. 1569. p. 463 and the Expo. Gr. Patr. in Pſalm. ſet out by Balthaſar Corderius, Tom. 1. Ed. Antw. p. 735. & 749. foreign. Ears haſt thou prepared me, thou haſt required of me obedience only, for ears ſignifie obedience. And then it is moſt likely, that the Apoſtle, Heb. 10.5. reading foreign, but a body thou haſt prepared me, by that means to fit it more perfectly to the incarnation of Chriſt, the copiers of the LXXII. here thought fit to accord it to the Apoſtolick ſtyle, and ſo put foreign inſtead of foreign. If then it be demanded, how it comes to paſs, that the Apoſtle reads it with that variation, both from the Hebrew and the LXXII. alſo; the anſwer is obvious, that the Apoſtle attended more to the ſenſe, than to the words, and citing it from the LXXII, changed it into thoſe words which more fully and perſpicuouſly expreſt the myſtery of Chriſts incarnation. This the Hebrew ſomewhat obſcurely expreſt, by my ear haſt thou bored, or opened, thereby noting his taking on him the form of a ſervant, ſuch as had their ears bored or opened; which implies his incarnation, and withall adds to it the principal end of it, to obey and do the will of him who ſent him. This was yet more obſcure in the reading of the LXXII. (that which I ſuppoſe to be theirs, for the reaſons forementioned) thou haſt prepared or made me ears:] where yet ears being parts of a body, the making him them, is ſtill the making him a body, and that in order to his hearing and obſerving his Fathers will exactly. But the Apoſtles reading, though it be far diſtant from the letter of the Hebrew, and in part from the LXXII. (as I ſuppoſe it to have been originally) yet is the moſt perſpicuous interpretation of the *foreign. Expos. Grac. Patr. a Balthas. Corder. ed. p. 749.meaning of it; Chriſts body comprehending the ears, and that aſſumed on purpoſe to perform in it the utmoſt degree of obedience to the will of God, to be obedient even to death, and thereby to be as the Prieſt, ſo the Sacrifice alſo, that of which all the ſacrifices and burnt-offerings under the Law were but types and ſhadows, and at the preſence of which they were to ceaſe, as we know they did, and as is expreſt here in the following words, Burnt-offering and ſin-offering haſt thou not required: Then ſaid I, Loe I come — That this whole paſſage is an eminent prophecy of Chriſt, appears by the Apoſtle, Heb. 10.5. who makes Chriſt, not David, to be the ſpeaker here; wherefore when he, i. e. Chriſt, cometh into the world, he ſaith, Sacrifice— which makes it leſs neceſſary for us in this place to ſeek for any firſt ſenſe, wherein David might be interpreted to ſpeak this of himſelf; but rather to account of it, as the great ſignal wonder of mercy, done by God to men, which, in the recounting of Gods wonderful works and thoughts to us-ward, v. 5. he ſeaſonably brings in by the ſpirit of prophecy, viz. the birth of the Meſſias, and the Sacrifice of himſelf, wherein ſo many, even innumerable, and unexpreſſible mercies were compriſed, and folded up. If it may be thus underſtood, as an inſtance brought in by David (prophetically) of Gods wonderful mercies, then will theſe three verſes be no more but a deſcription of Chriſts coming into the world; after which David again proceeds to the recounting of Gods mercies, more generally, verſ. 9. But becauſe there is no aſſurance of this, and the Apoſtles words, Heb. 10.5. may refer only to the higher and Prophetick completion of the words, and yet not prejudice a firſt immediate ſenſe of them, as belonging to David, it is not amiſs therefore here (though not in the paraphraſe) to annex that, viz. that God prefers obedience, noted, as was ſaid, by opening the ear, before the richeſt oblations and holocauſts; and that therefore David deſignes that, as his way of rendring his humbleſt thanks for Gods mercies, by performing faithful obedience to his commands. This is the literal meaning of [Sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou wouldeſt not deſire, mine ears haſt thou opened] the latter, that of ready willing obedience, thou haſt much preferred before the former. And again to the ſame purpoſe, Burnt-offerings and ſacrifice thou haſt not required: Then ſaid I, Loe, I come to do thy will, O my God, i. e. They are not ſacrifices, in their greateſt multitude, that God requires and expects of Kings, or ſuch as David, as their returns for the greateſt mercies; but a ready and cheerful obedience to his commands, ſuch a diſcharge of the regal office, as may tend moſt to the honour and glory of God, ſuch as was preſcribed Deut. 17.16. &c. where the duties of a King are ſet down, and in the cloſe of them this, of his writing him a copy of the law in a book, and reading therein all the days of his life, v. 18, 19. In reference to which, as it may truly be ſaid, In the volume of the book it is written of me, (of David, as of all other Kings, in this place of Deuteronomy;) ſo may that be fitly interpreted that follows, O my God, I have delighted therein, made thy ſervice, the ſtudy and practice thereof, the great imployment and pleaſure of my life: yea thy law is in the midſt of my bowels; which was much more then the command of having it written in a Book; I am perfect in the knowledge, and continually exerciſed in the practice and performance of thy commandments.
V. 7. In the Volume] From foreign to roll or fold, foreigncomes foreign, which Symmachus literally renders foreign, folding, and Theophylact on Heb. 10.7. foreign. a roll. The LXXII. read foreign, which muſt be underſtood in that ſenſe, denoting the round form that a writing is in, when it is folded up (as in Architecture ſome round parts are called foreign, in the LXXII.) and ſo ſaith Suidas, foreign, the word being applyed to a book or writing, (as here) which ſome call the folding. As for foreign a book, foreignthat ſignifies any writing among the Jews, whoſe cuſtom it was to write in a long roll, (ſee note on Luk. 4. a.) and that folded up to preſerve it: and ſo here foreign is no more than a folded paper, or parchment of writing, a roll. Now as by this phraſe any kind of writing is ſignified, and ſo, as it belongs to Davids perſon, it may fitly refer to the book of the Law, wherein the duty of Kings was ſet down, Deut. 17. So it muſt be remembred, that in ſuch rolls were contained their contracts, as among us in indentures ▪ and ſo here the roll of the book (as it belongs to Chriſt) is no more but a bill or roll of contract betwixt God the Father and him, wherein is ſuppoſed to be written the agreement preparatory to that great work of Chriſts incarnation, wherein he undertaking perfectly to fulfill the will of God, to perform all active, and alſo paſſive obedience, even to death, had the promiſe from God, that he ſhould become the author of eternal ſalvation to all thoſe that obey him.
V. 15. For a reward] For foreign For a reward, foreignthe LXXII. ſeem to have read foreign at the heel, and ſo render it foreign, preſently. As for foreign it ſignifies their turpitude, or filthy actions, foreignand ſo their ſhame in that ſenſe, as it is taken for any ſhameful thing; for that is it which is to be rewarded with deſolation.