Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 132
The Hundred and Thirty Second Pſalm.
A Song of Degrees.
The hundred thirty ſecond ſeems to have been at firſt a compoſure of Solomon's upon the building the Temple, (part of it v. 8, 9, 10. inſerted in Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the Temple, 2 Chron. 6.41, 42.) It is the recounting of David's care of the Ark, and of God's promiſes made to him and his poſterity, as alſo of the ſetting apart of Sion to be the place of the Temple; and it was after uſed upon the rebuilding the walls, after the return from the captivity.
1. LOrd, remember David and all his ‖humility,afflictions.
2. How he ſware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob.
3. Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my houſe, nor go up into my †bed-ſtead foreignbed,
4. I will not give ſleep to mine eyes, nor ſlumber to mine eye-lids,
5. Untill I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
Paraphrase. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Bleſſed Lord remember, I beſeech thee, and reward upon his family, the great piety and humility of David my father, the eminent expreſſions of his zeal toward thee. He was ſo highly concerned for the ſervice of God, that having built himſelf houſes, 1 Chr. 15. he immediately prepared a place for the Ark of God, v. 1. and brought it up thither in pomp, ch. 15. and 16. having, it ſeems, ſolemnly vow'd to doe ſo, before ever he would dedicate and bleſs (or dwell in) his own houſe, chap. 16.43. and not content with that, his zeal farther brake out to Nathan the Prophet, chap. 17.1. being troubled to think of the magnificence of his own houſe, whilſt the Ark was but in a tent, and reſolved if God would have permitted him, to have erected a magnificent ſtructure, wherein the Ark of God ſhould be placed, and God's ſolemn worſhip performed.
6. Lo, we heard of it at Ephrata, we found it in the fields of the wood.
7. We will go into his tabernacles, we will worſhip at his footſtool.
8. Ariſe, O Lord, into thy reſt, thou and the Ark of thy ſtrength.
Paraphrase. 6, 7, 8. At the bringing it up to Jeruſalem there were great ſolemnities, a ſacred devout proceſſion, and all the parts there about reſounded with joy and acclamations upon the bringing it to and ſeating it in Zion; every one with great alacrity reſolving to go up and pay their devotions there, as in the place of God's ſpecial reſidence, where his Law is laid up, and from whence he is graciouſly pleaſed to anſwer the prayers, and to reveal himſelf to his ſervants. This therefore David was reſolved to bring to a place where it might remain, that ſo God might in a manner inhabit among us, and direct us, and aſſiſt in all our undertakings.
9. Let thy Prieſts be cloathed with righteouſneſs, and let thy Saints ſhout for joy.
Paraphrase. 9. The Prieſts in their ſacerdotal garments, the emblems of the ſanctity of their office and perſons, being by him appointed, 1 Chron. 15.11. to attend on it, and the Levites carrying it on their ſhoulders, v. 15. and the ſingers celebrating it with great rejoycing, v. 19, 20, &c.
10. For thy ſervant David's ſake, turn not away the face of thine anointed.
Paraphrase. 10. Now therefore, O Lord, I beſeech thee, remember the piety and humility, and all the acceptable graces of this thy faithfull beloved, zealous ſervant, and for his ſake reject not me his ſon, whom thou haſt eſtabliſht in his kingdom; but continue with me, and accept of me, whilſt I actually perform what he had deſigned, whilſt I build a temple for thy preſence and ſervice.
11. The Lord hath ſworn in truth unto David, he will not turn from it, Of the fruit of thy body will I ſet upon thy throne.
Paraphrase. 11. To him thou haſt made thy moſt faithfull promiſe, that the kingdom, which was not eſtabliſht in Saul's family, ſhould be confirmed on his poſterity.
12. If thy children ſhall keep my covenant and my teſtimony that I ſhall teach them, their children alſo ſhall ſit upon thy throne for evermore.
Paraphrase. 12. And not ſo onelyonly, but that to all ages it ſhould continue in the ſame line, if they ſhall but be carefull to perform conſtant and uniform obedience to all the commands of God.
13. For the Lord hath choſen Zion, he hath deſired it for his habitation.
14. This ſhall be my reſt for ever, here will I dwell, for I have deſired it.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. The place which I deſign for this ſtructure is that of Zion, a place with which God is ſo well pleaſed, that he never intends to remove thence, nor conſequently to tranſplant the royal throne from that family which placed it there, if they will but be carefull to qualifie themſelves for the continuance of ſo great a mercy.
15. I will abundantly bleſs her proviſions, I will ſatisfie her poor with bread.
16. I will alſo cloath her Prieſts with ſalvation, and her Saints ſhall ſhout aloud for joy.
Paraphrase. 15, 16. Shall they but doe ſo, he will alſo add all other ſorts of bleſſings, a great plenty and proſperity to the whole nation, and a ſucceſſion of mercies, which ſhall require the thankſgivings and ſolemn acknowledgments of the Prieſts and Levites and ſingers, whoſe daily office it is, by God himſelf appointed them, thus conſtantly to celebrate his mercies, to offer up prayers and praiſes to him continually.
17. There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.
Paraphrase. 17. And by this means ſhall God be ingaged to continue his favour to the poſterity of David, to make it a moſt flouriſhing royal family, and continue it ſhining and burning in a continual ſucceſſion till the coming of the Meſſiah, who is promiſed of the ſeed of David.
18. His enemies will I cloath with ſhame; but upon himſelf ſhall his crown flouriſh.
Paraphrase. 18. And all that oppoſe and invade them ſhall certainly be diſappointed and put to flight, God's ſpecial protection continuing to the poſterity of ſo good a King, to perpetuate the Kingdom to them.
Annotations on Pſal. CXXXII.
foreignV. 1. Afflictions] The ſignification of foreign in this place is worth the conſidering. The LXXII. render it foreign meekneſs, the Syriack foreign humility, meekneſs, lenity, but the Chaldee foreign affliction. The original foreign ſignifies eſpecially two things, to ſpeak or anſwer, and to be afflicted, humbled, or depreſt. The context referring to David's oath or vow to God, of preparing a place for the Ark, which it ſeems was under vow, though it be not mentioned in the ſtory, may ſeem to incline it to the former ſignification, of ſpeaking or making promiſe to God, Remember David and all his ſpeeches, how he ſware unto the Lord— But the ancient interpreters authority may be preferred for the latter rendering; yet not for that of afflictions (for what reference could thoſe have to his vow of preparing a place for the Ark, or of building the Temple?) but of humility, meekneſs, or pious affection to God, which excited him ſo to ſwear. And this the rather, becauſe when he had built himſelf a palace, 1 Chron. 15.1. it appears by the context, that he did not bleſs it, ch. 16.43. nor conſequently live in it (for that he might not doe till it were bleſt) untill he had firſt prepared a place, and brought up the Ark to it. So again when he deſigned to build a temple for it, the firſt propoſition which he made to Nathan to this purpoſe, was introduced with a conſideration and ſpeech of great humility, 2 Sam. 7.2. See now I dwell in a houſe of Cedar, but the Ark of God dwelleth within curtains. He was ſo humble, that he could not dwell in his houſe till the Ark of God was brought to Sion, nor then could he think meet to be himſelf in ſo ſtately a palace, whilſt the Ark of God was but in a plain tent or tabernacle. But eſpecially this humility of David's is diſcernible in the paſſage recited, 1 Chron. 17.16, &c. where upon God's promiſe to him, that he would build up his houſe, eſtabliſh his family in the Kingdom, he came and ſate before the Lord, and ſaid, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my houſe, that thou haſt brought me hitherto? and ſo on in a ſpeech of greateſt humility and meekneſs, and fit here to be commemorated in the beginning of this Pſalm, which belongs not onelyonly to the preparing a place for the Ark on David's part, but alſo to God's promiſe of eſtabliſhing the Kingdom on his ſeed, v. 11, &c.
V. 6. Heard of it] The chief difficulty in this Pſalm is, what is here meant by hearing of in Ephrata. And firſt, it is certain that Ephrata is Bethleem, Mich. 5.2. ſecondly, foreign ſignifies we have heard it, foreignrather than we have heard of it. And then it may be interpreted, that in the proceſſion of the Ark through the tribe of Judah, being returned from the Philiſtims, we heard the joyfull acclamations which accompanied it in Bethleem; this not onelyonly when 'twas placed in Kiriath-Jarim, but when 'twas ſettled at Jeruſalem; Bethleem, as Aben Ezra ſaith, being but three miles from Jeruſalem. And in accordance with this ſenſe, Kimchi, Jarchi and Aben Ezra agree to interpret the fields of the wood foreign to be Jeruſalem, foreignas in the Prophets frequently the Temple is called foreign the wood. And to this inclines the correſpondence between foreign we found it, v. 6. and foreign till I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation, &c. v. 5. This ſeems the moſt probable meaning of this paſſage, the difficulty of which the learned Caſtellio hath remarked with this note, Hujus loci ſententiam non intelligo, I underſtand not the meaning of this place. Some probability there is, that the fields of the wood ſhould be the houſe of Amidadab in the hill of Kiriath-Jarim, ſo called becauſe it was a city in a woody place, 1 Sam. 7.1. from whence David and all Iſrael reſolved ſolemnly to fetch it, and brought it to the houſe of Obed-Edom, v. 13. And then hearing of it at Ephrata muſt ſignifie hearing it much talkt of when he dwelt at home, in his fathers houſe at Bethleem. But the former is the more obvious interpretation. The Jewiſh Arab is obſcure, and probably corrupted, yet the words ſeem thus to ſound, And we, behold, heard it in the graſs or paſtures of multitude, abundance or plenty, and we found it between the deſart and the wood.
foreignV. 15. Proviſions] The Hebrew foreign, from foreign to hunt, ſignifies any victuals that is taken with hunting, and abſolutely fleſh, food, proviſions for a journey: ſo Joſ. 9.11. take in your hands foreign proviſion for your journey. The LXXII. renders it literally foreign, not in the notion of hunting, but to ſignifie that which is hunted, and ſo taken; as among us veniſon, the Engliſh of venatio, is the fleſh which is thus caught. But this word foreign was it ſeems miſtaken, and by tranſcribers diſguiſed into foreign widow, and ſo by the Latin rendred viduam, and ſo transfuſed into many other interpretations.
foreignV. 16. Salvation] What foreign ſalvation here imports, will be beſt judged by Pſal. 116. There the taking the foreign cup of ſalvations v. 13. is expounded v. 14. by paying his vows unto the Lord, thoſe oblations which he had vow'd, as his foreign expreſſions of thankfulneſs for God's deliverances (as Pſal. 50.14. offering of thankſgiving and paying of vows are put together) and in plain terms v. 17. the ſacrifice of thanksgiving. Accordingly, as the LXXII. rendred —foreign the treſpaſs-offering or peace-offering, Lev. 7. by foreign ſacrifice of ſalvation, v. 1. ſo they vary the ſtyle, and reade foreign ſacrifice of praiſe v. 2. and foreign ſacrifice of ſaving praiſe, v. 3. (ſee note on Heb. 13. e.) The Chaldee Pſal. 116. reade foreign the cup of redemptions, i. e. ſuch a cup, as they that have received any redemption or deliverance, are wont to take, to expreſs their thankfulneſs (the foreign cup of bleſſing in the Chriſtian ſtyle) and ſo here foreign the garments of redemption, were ſuch literally as the Prieſts uſe in time of ſacrifice, when they are ſolemnly to acknowledge any deliverance or mercy received from heaven, or more probably a Poetical, or Rhetorical ſcheme, ſuch as Iſa. 59.17. righteouſneſs as a breaſtplate, and the helmet of ſalvation, and Eph. 6.14.17. and 1 Theſſ. 5.8. And accordingly to the Prieſts being cloathed with ſalvation is here annext, her ſaints ſhall ſing aloud with joy.
V. 17. foreignLamp] The notion of foreign lamp here will be diſcerned by conſidering the double property of a lamp or candle; 1. that it ſhineth, 2. that from that, when it is near ſpent, another may be lighted, and burn afreſh, and ſo the light be, from one to another, perpetually kept in. For by this double reſemblance a ſucceſſion of Kings in a family is lively expreſt. Of David himſelf it is ſaid 2 Sam. 21.17. thou ſhalt go no more with us to battel, that thou quench not the light of Iſrael: and of the ſucceſſion 1 King. 11.36. Ʋnto his ſon will I give one tribe, that David my ſervant may have a light or lamp alway before me in Jeruſalem; and again ch. 15.4. for David's ſake did the Lord give him a lamp in Jeruſalem, to ſet up his ſon after him. And ſo here foreign a lamp to mine anointed, is a royal ſeed or poſterity to riſe up in ſtead of David, and ſit upon his throne. The ſame was before meant by the budding of the foreign horn of David. foreignThe horn is proverbially the regal dignity, and the budding thereof, the bringing forth ſucceſſors to the Kingdom. The ſame is again repeated v. 18. upon him, i. e. his poſterity, ſhall his crown flouriſh; where for foreign his crown, foreignthe LXXII. reade foreign, not his but my, and taking foreign in the notion of ſeparation or ſanctification, reade foreign my holineſs. That this doth myſtically refer to Chriſt, the Jews confeſs. So ſaith R. Saadiah, The lamp is the King which illuminates the nations; and Kimchi, that the horn of David is the Meſſias. To whom it is farther agreeable, that he is ſaid foreign to flouriſh or bud forth, which is another of his titles, and to that foreign may poſſibly be added alſo.