Works Volume 4, Book 3 · Psalm 88
The Eighty Eighth PSALM.
A Song or Pſalm for the ſons of Corah, to the chief Muſitian upon ‖the hallo… inſtruments for anſwering.Maalath Leannoth, Maſchil of Heman the Ezrahite.
Paraphrase. The Eighty eighth Pſalm being a ſad complaint addreſt unto God in time of ſome heavy affliction, (moſt probably in the time of the *foreign it was written in the perſon of them that were in captivity. Kimchi.captivity, as Pſal. 89.) was committed to the Praefect of the Muſick to be ſung by the poſterity of Corah, the hallow inſtruments, pipe, flute, &c. being appointed to anſwer their voices. It was ſet to the tune called Maſchil (ſee note on Pſal. 32. a.) from the title of a divine ſong, compoſed by Heman the ſon of Zerah, the ſon of Judah.
1. O Lord God of my ſalvation, I have cried day and night before thee;
2. Let my prayer come before thee, incline thine ear unto my cry.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. Thou, O God, art he from whom my deliverance muſt come, no other means can be effectual for me, to thee I continually addreſs my prayers; O be thou gratiouſly pleaſed to hear and anſwer them.
3. For my ſoul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto †hades foreignthe grave.
4. I am accounted with them that go down unto the pit: I am as a man that hath no ſtrength:
Paraphrase. 3, 4. For this I am one way competently qualified, viz. by the great meaſure of my preſent troubles and dangers, mine own abſolute impotence, and the deplorableneſs and deſperateneſs of my condition.
5. Free among the dead, like the ſlain that lie in the grave, whom thou remembreſt no more, and they are cut off from thy hand.
Paraphrase. 5. I am now ſo low, that I begin to have the priviledges of dead men, thoſe that are at the loweſt, or that being brought down to the grave are out of the malice and thought of their enemies: I am laid aſide as one not conſidered, or concerned in the affairs of this world, ſequeſtred from the converſation of Men, and (which is the worſt part of my miſery) from the Sanctuary, accounted by men as one wholly forgotten and forſaken by thee, no part of thy care, and as uncapable of reſtauration by thy power as thoſe that are dead already.
6. Thou haſt laid me in the loweſt pit, in darkneſs, in the deeps.
Paraphrase. 6. Thou haſt permitted me to be brought to a ſtate of the utmoſt diſtreſs and deſtitution.
7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou haſt afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Paraphrase. 7. The effects of thy diſpleaſure lie very preſſing upon me, as one that leans with his whole weight upon another; my afflictions come in one upon the neck of another, as waves of the Sea beating upon any veſſel.
8. Thou haſt put away mine acquaintance far from me, thou haſt made me an abomination unto them: I am ſhut up, and I cannot come forth.
Paraphrase. 8. The ſharpneſs of thy puniſhments hath averted all men from me, they account me forſaken by thee, and ſo they forſake me, get aloofe from me, as from an execrable thing, and ſo leave me as in a priſon, a ſtate of reſtraint and perfect ſolitude, from which I cannotiſce…rn any way of reſcue or redreſs.
9. Mine eye mourneth by reaſon of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have ſtretched out my hands unto thee.
Paraphrase. 9. I look, and waite, and languiſh, but receive no mitigation to my afflictions; I continually pray and importune thee, my voice and hands (and heart) are for ever imployed in ſending up my complaints to thee.
10. Wilt thou ſhew wonders to the dead? ſhall the dead ariſe and praiſe thee? Selah.
Paraphrase. 10. Thou haſt promiſed me relief, and ſo thy fidelity is concerned in it, which therefore I am confident I ſhall at length receive from thee; O when wilt thou pleaſe to reach it out and afford it me? If thou doſt not ſpeedily, I am likely to be conſumed and deſtroyed by my preſſures, and then there will be no remedy, no capacity of thy relief; unleſs thou work a miracle for me, and raiſe me when I am dead, out of the grave again, and ſo exerciſe not only thy ſpecial extraordinary providence and mercy, but even thine omnipotent creative power in my reſtauration.
11. Shall thy loving-kindneſs be declared in the grave, or thy faithfulneſs in deſtruction?
12. Shall thy wonders be known in the dark, and thy righteouſneſs in the land of forgetfulneſs?
13. But unto thee have I cryed, O Lord, and in the morning ſhall my prayer prevent thee.
Paraphrase. 13. All that I have to do, O Lord, is in prayer and with importunity daily and duly to ſolicite thee, after this manner.
14. Lord, why caſteſt thou off my ſoul? why hideſt thou thy face from me?
Paraphrase. 14. Lord, be thou at length pleaſed to receive my prayers, which proceed from an humble and devout ſoul, to reſtore thy favour and mercy to me.
15. I am afflicted, and ready to die from my youth up: while I ſuffer thy terrors, I am diſtracted.
Paraphrase. 15. My preſſures are very extreme and of long duration, and the continual new dangers that incompaſs me put me in great anxiety and conſternation.
16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me, thy terrors have cut me off.
Paraphrase. 16. The ſenſe of thy diſpleaſure, and the direful expectation of all the miſerable effects thereof (till thou art pleaſed to look favourably on me) do even overwhelme and deſtroy me.
17. They came round about me ‖all the day. foreigndaily like water, they compaſt me about together.
Paraphrase. 17. And like continual floods of water incloſing me round about, leave no way of paſſage out of them.
18. Lover and friend haſt thou put far from me, and mine e acquaintance †ſculke, or hide themſelves.into darkneſs.
Paraphrase. 18. As for any humane aid of friends or neighbours, I have not the leaſt tender of that, they from whom I had moſt reaſon to expect it are affrighted with the ſight of my afflictions, fly from me, leſt I ſhould implore their aid, and keep themſelves at a great diſtance from me. 'Tis thou, O Lord, which haſt thus puniſht me for my ſins; and from the return of thy mercy alone am I to expect relief.
Annotations on Pſal. LXXXVIII.
foreignTit. Leannoth] That foreign ſignifies hollow inſtruments, hath been taken notice of note on Pſal. 53. a. To this our Engliſh hath joyned Leannoth, as if both together, Maalath-Leannoth were a proper name. But as the former was a miſtake, ſo the latter is a double addition to it; firſt in that it is joyned to it, when in the original 'tis not, 2. in that the importance of it, which is plain, is not conſidered, foreign is literally (as from the LXXII.foreign their foreign, the Vulgar and the Interlinear read it) ad reſpondendum, for anſwering, for which the learned Caſtellio reads alternis, by way of anſwer, or alternation. This, I ſuppoſe, refers to the cuſtome in ſinging their Anthems to inſtruments, or the conjunction of vocal and inſtrumental Muſick, mentioned note on Pſal. 87. d. where the Corahites, or ſingers beginning the tune, as a praecentor, the inſtruments follow to the very ſame tune, which is properly ſtiled anſwering them; this being the primary uſe of foreign (as to begin, ſo) to continue a ſong, to proceed, or go on in a tune begun by any. So 1 Sam. 18.7. foreign and the women anſwered playing, and ſaid—which phraſe is expounded by the former verſe, which tells us, that the women came out of all cities, ſinging and dancing, with tabrets, with joy, and with inſtruments of Muſick, and ſo their ſinging going firſt, they followed or anſwered their voices with tabrets and inſtrumental Muſick. Proportionable to this was the antient Greek cuſtome, Poetically expreſt by Apollo and the Muſes, Apollo ſinging, and they following foreign, anſwering with Muſical inſtruments, to the tune which he began. So in Homer in a funeral, there are firſt foreign, the beginners, or praecentors of the lamentations, and then foreign, the company ſtood about waiting, and foreign, the women came after, or anſwered in their mourning, this wailing bearing then proportion with the Muſick which was after uſed in their Funerals. See note on Matth. 9. h. And although the Hebrew Muſick be not much known or diſcernible to us of theſe times, yet perhaps ſome foreign may be taken notice of in this Pſalm, by which to judge of that which now we ſpeak of, their alternation, or anſwering. For this Pſalm ſeems to be compoſed of two parts, the one reaching to v. 9. the other beginning at v. 9. and continued to the end of the Pſalm, and the ſeveral parts of each of theſe very agreeable and anſwering the one to the other. Thus when v. 1. the firſt part begins, O Lord God, I have cried night and day before thee; the ſecond anſwers, verſ. 9. in the very ſame ſcheme, Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have ſtretched out my hands unto thee. When, v. 3. we read, For my ſoul— my life draweth nigh unto the grave; The tenth bears proportion, Wilt thou ſhew wonders to the dead? Shall the dead ariſe and praiſe thee? Again, v. 6. Thou haſt laid me in the loweſt pit, in the darkneſs in the deeps: And then v. 11. Shall thy loving kindneſs be ſhewed in the grave, or thy faithfulneſs in deſtruction? So when v. 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou haſt afflicted me with all thy waves. The anſwer is in the 14, 15, & 16 v. Lord, Why caſteſt thou off my ſoul? why hideſt thou thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up, while I ſuffer thy terrors, I am diſtracted. Thy fierce wrath— Laſtly, as v. 8. Thou haſt put away my acquaintance far from me,— So v. 18. Lover and friend haſt thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance— In each of theſe the analogy is ſo very diſcernible in reſpect of the matter, that we may not unreaſonably reſolve that the alternation here was not betwixt the firſt and ſecond verſes, and ſo on betwixt the third and fourth, but betwixt the firſt and ſecond part, and the ſeveral leſſer partitions of the one and other. As when among us a tune is made up of many lines or meaſures, and when that is done, it begins again, and is again completed in the ſame number of lines or feet, and one of theſe is performed by vocal, and the other to the very ſame tune by inſtrumental Muſick. And this ſeems to be the ſcheme or ſort of the foreign for anſwering, or alternation, in this place. The Jewiſh Arab renders it, A Pſalm with which the waiters of the Sons of Korah praiſed [God] by playing on the Tabrets, and anſwering with underſtanding (ſo they render Maſchil) Heman the Ezrahite anſwering them. And he explains it in a note, that this Pſalm David delivered to the ſons of Korah, and the ſons of Heman, therewith to praiſe [God] commanding the ſons of Korah to play on the inſtruments, and the ſons of Heman to anſwer them with their voices.
Tit. Ezrahite] Of Heman foreign the Ezrahite, foreignwe have mention, 1 King. 4.31. as of a very eminent perſon, famous for learning, he and his three brothers, Ethan and Chalcol and Darda; for to ſet out the wiſdom of Solomon not only above the Orientals and Aegyptians, v. 30. but even above all men, v. 31. …t is added, he was wiſer than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman and Chalcol and Darda the ſons of Mahol. Who theſe four learned men were, appears 1 Chron. 2.6. where Zerah the ſon of Judah by Tamar is recorded to have five ſons, Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dara (for foreign Dara, ſome copies of the LXXII. read foreign, the Syriack foreign Dardaa.) Hence appears the reaſon of their name Ezrahite, both there and here, and in the title of Pſal. 89. becauſe they were the ſons of Zerah; ſo the Chaldee interprets it in their rendring, 1 King. 4.31. he was wiſer than all men foreign than Ethan the ſon of Zerah — And whereas it is ſaid in that place, 1 King. 4.31. that they were the ſons of Mahol, it muſt be reſolved that Mahol was the name of a woman, Zerah's wife, whoſe wiſdom transfuſed to her children, ſeems to be the cauſe, that in a compariſon of wiſdom, her name is ſet down, and not her husbands, though in that other place, 1 Chron. 2. his name is ſet down, and not hers, and ſo likewiſe in their being called Ezrahites, from Zerah their father. Now that this Heman the grandchild of Judah, and Ethan his brother, both antienter than Moſes, were the authors of this and the next Pſalm, inſcribed foreign to or of Heman, foreignand foreign to or of Ethan (as other Pſalms foreign to or of David, a ſignification of his being the Author) will not be very reaſonable to define, there being in the next Pſalm inſcribed to Ethan, ſuch expreſs mentions of David, and Gods oath to him, v. 3.19, 20, 35. of Gods judgments on the Aegyptians, v. 10. and of all other things of a date much later than the age of Judah's grandchild, that it is not probable that they ſhould be ſo expreſly Propheſied of by one which is not taken notice of in Scripture as a Prophet, when neither Moſes nor any other of the Patriarchs had foretold theſe, or any other ſuch things ſo expreſly. Whether this conſideration were it that moved the Chaldee to inſcribe, Pſal. 89. foreign that it was ſpoken by the hand of Abraham, who came out of the Eaſt, as thinking this more reaſonable, to attribute it to that great Patriarch and Prophet, than to Ethan, I cannot define. But that which ſeems to me moſt probable, is, that both this and the next Pſalm were written by an unknown author, and that foreign Maſchil of Heman, foreignand ſo likewiſe Maſchil of Ethan, are but the names of the tune (as of Maſchil hath been reſolved note on Pſal. 32. a.) to which theſe two Pſalms were ſet, each of thoſe wiſe men having compoſed a ſong known by that name.
foreignV. 5. Free] From foreign to free, is foreign here, free (in oppoſition to ſervitude) manumitted, ſet at liberty. The uſe of this word may more generally be taken from 2 Chron. 26.21. where of Ʋzziah being a leper, 'tis ſaid, that he dwelt foreign in an houſe of freedom, for he was cut off from the houſe of the Lord. The meaning is, that after the manner of the lepers, he was excluded from the Temple, and dwelt foreign ſaith the Chaldee there, in ſome place without Jeruſalem, which is therefore called the houſe of freedom, becauſe ſuch as were there were exempt from the common affairs and ſhut up from the converſation of men. And in proportion with theſe, they that are dead and laid in their graves, are here ſaid to be free, i. e. removed from all the affairs and converſation of the World, even foreign from the commandments, ſay the Jews, of them that are dead, Nidda, fol. 76. Thus is death deſcribed, Job 3. by lying ſtill, and quiet, and at reſt, v. 13. in deſolate places, v. 14. where the wicked ceaſe from troubling, and the weary be at reſt, v. 17. where the priſoners reſt together, and hear not the voice of the oppreſſor, v. 18. and where the ſervant is foreign (as here) free from his maſter. v. 19. In this verſe there ſeems to be a gradation. To be ſlain is more than to dye, to be in the grave more than either, but to dye by a foreign to be cut off by exciſion, not to have foreign the remembrance of bleſſing, to be utterly forgot, and have no ſhare in the world to come, which they ſay every Iſraelite hath, is the utmoſt pitch of miſery.
V. 10. Dead] That foreign here ſignifies the dead, foreignthoſe that lye in the grave, there can be no queſtion. The Chaldee render it foreign the carcaſſes that are putrified in the duſt. So Iſa. 26.14. foreign ſhall not riſe, is but the interpretation of what went before, they are dead, they ſhall not live, and ſo v. 19. the earth ſhall caſt out foreign the dead bodies. So Prov. 21.16. the man that wandreth from the way of underſtanding ſhall remain foreign in the congregation of the dead: the Chaldee reads foreign with the ſons of the earth. The ſame word is elſewhere uſed for gyants, Gen. 14.5. and Iſa. 17.5. which makes it probable that the word comes from a notion of the root foreign not ordinarily taken notice of by Lexicographers (who generally take it for healing and curing) ſuch as may be common to theſe two ſo diſtant derivatives, dead men, and gyants. The gyants we know are in moſt languages expreſt by phraſes taken from the bottom or bowels of the earth foreign, and terrae filii, born from, or ſons of the earth: and juſt ſo the Chaldee even now rendred foreign where 'twas uſed for dead bodies, Prov. 21.16. which gives us reaſon to reſolve, that the Radix originally ſignified ſomething pertaining to the lower parts of the earth, and ſo 'twill be fitly communicated to theſe two, which in the notion of healing it will not be. And to this accords a notion of the word foreign among the Hebrews, for metals, minerals, gold, ſilver, coral, &c. which are digged out of the earth, and from the very bottom of the Sea, the abyſſe, which is very agreeable to both theſe notions of the word, the dead being there laid and diſpoſed of, after their departure out of this world, their bodies in the grave, and their animal Souls in Scheol, the ſtate of ſeparation, not otherwiſe capable of being deſcribed but by foreign, hades, foreign, diſappearing, the abyſs, or deep; and the gyants by their great ſtrength and exerciſe of it (in invading and oppreſſing others) and by being of uncertain originals, phanſied to have received their birth from ſome ſubterranean powers, and ſo called by that title. The LXXII. deducing the word from foreign to heale, render it here and elſewhere foreign ▪ Phyſitians, and the Latine medici; but the Syriack foreign ſtrong men or Gyants.
V. 18. Acquaintance] From foreign was darkned, foreignis foreign here, an obſcure dark place, an hole, or hiding-place; and then foreign a darke place, or hole to my acquaintance, ſignifies the lying hid, and ſculking of friends, hiding themſelves, for fear they ſhould be ſeen by him, and called to help him. The Jewiſh Arab reads. And mine Acquaintance are become as darkneſs.