Works Volume 4, Book 3 · Psalm 86
The Eighty Sixth PSALM.
A Prayer of David.
Paraphrase. The Eighty ſixth Pſalm was compoſed by David in ſome time of diſtreſs, probably in his flight from Abſolom, and is a mixture of ardent prayer to God, and full indiſturbed relyance on him, and adoration of his power and mercy.
1. Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: I am poor and needy.
2. Preſerve my ſoul, for I am holy: O thou my God, ſave thy ſervant that truſteth in thee.
3. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I cry unto thee daily.
4. Rejoyce the ſoul of thy ſervant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my ſoul.
Paraphrase. 1, 2, 3, 4. O God of all mercy, that never faileſt to hear and anſwer the prayers of thoſe that being in diſtreſs addreſs themſelves to thy throne of grace, with humble obedient and devout hearts, with full reliance and affiance on thee, with conſtancy and perſeverance in fervent prayer, I that am qualified by my preſent diſtreſs and want of thy ſupplies to receive this mercy from thee, that have been wonderfully favoured by thee, and do with all reverence, and yet alſo with confidence, and importunately, and conſtantly, and ardently pour out my petitions before thee, beſeech thee at length that thou wilt hearken unto me, reſcue me out of my preſent diſtreſs, refreſh and comfort me in my affliction.
5. For thou, Lord, art good and ‖pardoning foreignready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Paraphrase. 5. For it is thy property to hear and anſwer Prayers, and moſt gratiouſly to pardon the ſins of all humble ſuppliants, and to abound to them in mercy and benignity.
6. Give ear, O Lord to my prayer; and attend the voice of my ſupplications.
Paraphrase. 6. And hereon I found my truſt and importunity, that thou wilt now grant this my petition.
7. In the day of my †diſtreſs. foreigntrouble I will call upon thee, for thou wilt anſwer me.
Paraphrase. 7. When I am in the greateſt ſtreights, then, a… in thy ſpecial opportunity, I addreſs my prayers unto thee, being then moſt confident that thou wilt give me an anſwer of mercy.
8. Among the ‖or, Angel…gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.
Paraphrase. 8. Of all the Angels in heaven, much more of the falſe heathen Idol gods, there is none fit to be compared with thee; their power to relieve is not comparable to thine, nor proportionably their readineſs for ſuch a work of mercy.
9. All nations whom thou haſt made ſhall come and worſhip before thee, O Lord, and ſhall glorify thy name.
Paraphrase. 9. And this is ſo evident in thy works of creation (but eſpecially in thy works of redemption, and thy ſtrange providential diſpenſations, and interpoſitions of thy hand in behalf of thy ſervants) that all the blindeſt Idolatrous Gentiles may therein diſcern reaſons abundantly ſufficient to convince them of thy power, and to bring them, as proſelytes, to thy worſhip, to acknowledge and magnifie thy divine Majeſty; and ſo at length they ſhall do *foreign this ſhall be in the days of the Meſſias. Kimchi.in the days of the Meſſias.
10. For thou art great, and doſt wondrous things; thou art God alone.
Paraphrase. 10. For to thee only belongs the ſoveraign commanding controlling power, to which all creatures yield their obedience, as being the one only God over all the world: None but thou only haſt the priviledge of working true miracles, of reſiſting the moſt puiſſant power of men, and ſo of reſcuing the moſt diſconſolate ſufferers out of the utmoſt diſtreſſes.
11. Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Paraphrase. 11. O Lord, let thy ſpirit direct and guide all the actions of my life, that they may be acceptable to thee, that I may uniformely practice what thou requireſt: O be thou pleaſed to purge all hypocriſy out of my ſoul, that I may perform a ſincere univerſal obedience to thy commands, not taking any intereſt of the world or fleſh into competition with thee.
12. I will praiſe thee, O Lord my God, with all mine heart, and I will glorifie thy name for evermore.
13. For great is thy mercy toward me, and thou haſt delivered my ſoul from the loweſt hell.
Paraphrase. 12, 13. This I am ſure is moſt perfectly due to thee, and with it all the praiſes and acknowledgments of my whole ſoul, and that for ever; It being a work of thy ſuperabundant mercy toward me thy poor indigent, helpleſs, and withall moſt unworthy ſervant, that thou haſt not permitted me to be ſwallowed up with that abyſs of dangers that have incompaſt me, but as yet preſerved, and ſo in ſome degree delivered me out of them.
14. O God, the proud are riſen againſt me, and the Aſſemblies of †formidable, or potent.violent men have ſought after my ſoul, and have not ſet thee before them.
Paraphrase. 14. For they are a ſort of obſtinate, and withall very numerous, powerful, and formidable enemies, that have ſet themſelves purpoſely to deſtroy me, without any fear of thee, or imagination that thou wilt interpoſe any hinderance to the proſperous ſucceſs of their deſigns.
15. But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compaſſion, and gratious, long-ſuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Paraphrase. 15. But thou, O Lord, wilt undoubtedly relieve me, and diſcomfit them. Of this thy divine attributes aſſure me, who art ſo wholly made up of mercy and pity to them that are in diſtreſs, and cry to thee for help, that I cannot doubt of thy hearing and reſcuing me at this time: and though thou defer…eſt the execution of thy wrath upon wicked doers, on purpoſe to reduce them by thy patience to repentance; yet when this work of thy long-ſufferance and mercy proves in effectual, when men go on impenitently and obſtinately in their courſe, thy fidelity and performance to thy ſervants that are oppreſt by ſuch, as well as that ſoveraign property, thy mercy, oblige thee to diſcomfit and exemplarily to puniſh them, and relieve and deliver thoſe that are, oppreſſed by them.
16. O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me: give thy ſtrength unto thy ſervant, and ſave the ſon of thy handmaid.
Paraphrase. 16. Lord, if it be thy will may this now be thy opportunity, to reſtore thy wonted mercies to me, to interpoſe thy power for my reſcue, and deliver me thy moſt lowly ſervant out of theſe preſent dangers.
17. Shew me a token for good, that they which hate me may ſee it and be aſhamed; becauſe, thou, Lord, haſt holpen me, and comforted me.
Paraphrase. 17. Let thy favour and kindneſs toward me be now by ſome means, as thou ſhalt think good, ſignally and illuſtriouſly expreſt, that it may be effectual to work a ſhame and reformation in mine enemies, ſo far at leaſt, as to give over their malitious deſign, when they diſcern thee to eſpouſe my cauſe, to take my part, to aſſiſt and ſupport me againſt all their machinations.
Annotations on Pſalm LXXXVI.
foreignV. 2. For I am holy] The meaning of foreign which we render, for I am holy, may deſerve to be examined. The Chaldee directly follow the Hebrew words, and are to be interpreted by them, and give no help toward the underſtanding them. The LXXII. read foreign, which is as literal, the very word foreign, with an aſpirate for ח (as foreign with γ for ח) being moſt probably formed, by an eaſie change, from the Hebrew foreign: This ſignifying originally 1. piety, to God, 2. probity, 3. mercy or benignity, the Syriack, it ſeems, thought it ſo unreaſonable for the Pſalmiſt to affirm any of theſe of himſelf, that taking it in the third notion, that of goodneſe, as that is all one with mercy, they apply it not to the Pſalmiſt, but to God, foreign thou art good; and ſo the Arabick alſo. That this was by them done either through change or miſunderſtanding the Hebrew, is not probable, when there is another notion of the word, which as it will beſt accord with this place, ſo it will perfectly juſtify this their rendring, that of foreign, ſee note on Pſ. 4. d.) one that hath found favour with God. This beſt accords with the reſt of the titles here given to himſelf, poor and needy, v. 1. thy ſervant that truſteth in thee, v. 2. one that cries daily to thee, v. 3. that lifts up his ſoul to thee, v. 4. Which what are they but the deſcription of Gods Eleemoſynary, the notion of foreign elſewhere? Another poſſible notion of the word, and which recedes very little from this, (ſuch as may be owned of the Pſalmiſt ſpeaking of himſelf) may be taken from Prov. 2.8. For as here the prayer to God to keep or preſerve his ſoul, is backt with this motive, for I am foreign; ſo there the aphoriſme is delivered expreſly, for he will preſerve the way foreign of his pious ones, which the LXXII. render there foreign, of them that revere, or fear, or worſhip him. In this ſenſe it is uſed, Pſal. 32.6. For this ſhall every foreign pious, godly man, (that fears, or worſhips God) pray unto thee in a time when thou mayeſt be found; A promiſe again of Gods being found granting the requeſts of ſuch of theſe, when they pray to him. And in this notion of the word, for one that fears and reveres, and humbly addreſſeth his prayers to God, there will be no more difficulty for the Pſalmiſt to ſay this of himſelf, than that he truſteth in him, in the end of the verſe, cries daily to him, v. 3. lifts up his ſoul unto him, v. 4. calls upon him, v. 5. and 7. or that he prayes and ſupplicates to him, v. 6.—And thus, Pſal. 116.15. ſpeaking of himſelf, pretious, ſaith he, in the ſight of the Lord is the death foreign of his holy ones, thoſe who depend, and wait and rely on him, in the former verſes. Nor can it be ſtrange that any or all of theſe ſhould here be introduced with a foreign for, as the grounds of his begging an audience to his prayers, when God, who though he be not obliged by the merits of our performances, is yet by the force of his own promiſe, hath promiſed to hear the prayers of ſuch as come thus qualified to him. The Jewiſh Arab renders it, Preſerve my ſoul, and I ſhall be pure.
V. 8. foreignThe Gods] That by foreign Gods foreign high angels are to be here underſtood, is the gloſs of the Targum, and ſo the word frequently ſignifies, ſee note on Pſ. 82. b. yet the mention of all nations immediately following, and thoſe evidently in the notion of the heathen Idolaters of the world, or whom it is ſaid, that they ſhall come and worſhip thee, O Lord, i. e. forſake their Idols, and become proſelytes to the true God, makes it reaſonable to underſtand it here of thoſe, whether good Angels or Devils, which are by thoſe nations adored, and prayed to, and depended on, that ſo the connexion may be evident, Among thoſe Gods none is like to thee, O Lord; and conſequently, All nations ſhall forſake them, and become worſhippers of thee.
V. 11. Ʋnite] For foreign unite (retained alſo by the Chaldee,) the LXXII. foreignread foreign— Let my heart rejoyce, reading it ſeems foreign from foreign to rejoyce, as when Job 3.6. we read in the Hebrew foreign let it not rejoyce, the Chaldee read foreign let it not be united, when yet the next verſe determines it to the ſenſe of joy, let no joyful voice come therein. Here the points differing, the rendring muſt in reaſon be as from foreign univit, and note the contrary to hypocriſie, or unſincere, partial obedience, ordinarily expreſt by the double heart.
foreignV. 14. Violent] From foreign to fear, or be frighted, is foreign here, and therefore is moſt literally to be rendred terrible or formidable. Yet Abu Walid and Kimchi among the ſignifications of it, put fortis, potens; and accordingly the LXXII. renders it foreign, powerful men, and the Chaldee foreign which as it ſignifies potent, ſo alſo cruel, oppreſſing men, from foreign fortis & durus fuit.