Works Volume 4, Book 3 · Psalm 75
The Seventy Fifth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, Altaſchith, A Pſalm or ſong of Aſaph.
Paraphrase. The ſeventy Fifth Pſalm was compoſed by Aſaph, to the tune known by the name Altaſchith. (ſee note on Pſal. 57. a.) praiſing God for all his wondrous acts of mercy, and of juſtice upon the enemies of his people, and was committed to the Praefect of the Muſick.
1. Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks; ‖and near is thy name to them that declare thy wondrous works.for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.
Paraphrase. 1. We bleſs and magnifie thy mercies, O Lord, and again we bleſs and magnifie them, and have all manner of inducement and obligation thus to do, not only becauſe we have received ſo many ſignal ingagements from thee, but eſpecially becauſe the performance of this duty of praiſe is ſo richly accepted and rewarded by thee, and thy power and providence aſcertain'd to the preſent defenſe of all thoſe that performe it faithfully, that wait on thee for thy aids, and fa…l not in acknowledging the receit of them.
2. When I ſhall ‖take a fit time.receive the congregation, I ſhall judge uprightly.
Paraphrase. 2. For God is a moſt upright judge, and if he doth a while delay the puniſhing of wicked men, and relieving the godly, that certainly is but an act of his wiſe diſpoſal, to chooſe the fitteſt ſeaſon for it, a time which in all reſpects is moſt agreeable; and then he will certainly interpoſe in mercy to the one, and juſt vengeance to the other.
3. The earth and all the inhabitants thereof †were melted. foreignare diſſolved, I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.
Paraphrase. 3. When the whole land was in a civil combuſtion, one part as it were melted and diſſolved from another, 'twas God alone that kept it from utter deſtruction, by preſerving alive the pious men, who by their Prayers and Interceſſions are wont to contend and prevail for averting of ruine, (ſee note b.) or ſupported it ſtill upon the proper baſis, and re-eſtabliſht David in his Throne.
4. I ſaid unto the fools, Deal not ſo fooliſhly, and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn.
5. Lift not up your horn on high, ſpeak not with a ſtiff neck.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. Repreſt and brought down the wicked Rebells, that ſcoft at God and his Anointed, and were obſtinately bent to exalt themſelves in his ruine. Theſe did God in his good time bring down and put to ſhame.
6. For *neither from the Eaſt, nor Weſt, nor deſert of Mountains Forpromotion cometh neither from the Eaſt, nor from the Weſt, nor from the South.
7. But God is the ‖Governor.Judge, he putteth down one, and ſetteth up another.
Paraphrase. 6, 7. For indeed it is he only that can exalt or ſuppreſs, and no power on earth can properly be ſaid to do it, this is the priviledge and prerogative of the one ſupreme ſupereminent ruler of all the world; and in great juſtice he thus diſpoſeth of this, as of all things here belong, as he ſees fitteſt (never ſuffering wicked men continually to proſper.)
8. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, and the wine is red, it is full of mixture, and he poureth out of the ſame; but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth ſhall wring them out, and drink them.
Paraphrase. 8. All that befalls either good or evil men comes certainly from God, who hath in his power judgments of the moſt direful aloy, moſt fitly compared to a cup of the ſtrongeſt wine, with the addition of the moſt ſtupifying mixtures, myrrhe, &c. (ſee note on Rev. 14.10. c.) and in the diſpenſing and pouring out of this, ſome drops may fall to the portion of godly men in this world, ſome afflictions for a time; but then for the wicked they muſt expect the bottom of the cup, the bittereſt and moſt intolerable part of ſuffering, every drop of thoſe dregs of Gods wrath to be drunk up by them, in this life probably, but undoubtedly in another.
9. But I will declare for ever, I will ſing praiſes to the God of Jacob.
Paraphrase. 9. As therefore it is my part not to fail to proclaim and bleſs the name of this God for ever, which hath ſo favourably owned the cauſe of his ſervants;
10. All the hornes of the wicked alſo will I cut off, but the hornes of the righteous ſhall be exalted.
Paraphrase. 10. So I ſhall ſecurely remit to him the taking his own time to execute his judgments, to bring down the power of all his enemies, which he will certainly perform, cheriſhing, and at laſt promoting, thoſe that adhere faithfully to his ſervice.
Annotations on Pſal. LXXV.
foreignV. 1. Declare] The whole difficulty of this, v. 1. ſeems to be beſt removed by rendring foreign as a participle plural in the ſenſe of the dative caſe, for then that will expreſs to whom Gods name, i. e. his power is here ſaid to be nigh, viz. foreign to them that de lare (the Chaldee renders it foreign) thy wondrous works. Thus hath the learned Caſtellio rendred it, Cujus praeſens adeſt nomen tua narrantibus miracula. To thee will we give thanks whoſe name is preſent at hand (ſo foreign ſignifies) to them that ſhew forth thy miracles.foreign
foreignV. 2. Congregation] foreign from foreign condixit, ſignifies an appointed time or ſeaſon, as well as place; and in that former ſenſe 'tis moſt commonly uſed either for time in general, or in ſpecial for the four ſeaſons of the year, the months, the ſolemn feaſts, &c. and to this ſenſe of time, not place or congregation, the learned interpreters render it: foreign time, ſaith the Chaldee; foreign time, ſaith the Syriack; foreign, the LXXII. and tempus the Latine; and ſo the Arabick and Aethiopick, and the Interlinear ſtatutum tempus; and Caſtellio, certum tempus: and then with foreign from foreign cepit, it may fitly ſignifie the taking a fit ſeaſon. And then follows the foreign I will judge rectitudes, underſtanding it of the Lord. That the ſpeech belongeth to God, appears by the next verſe, his eſtabliſhing, or ſupporting the pillars of the earth, preſerving religious perſons, who in the Hebrew dialect are frequently ſtiled pillars: ſo Maimonides de Idol: of Abraham that he was foreign the pillar of the world: ſo Gal. 11.9. thoſe eminent Apoſtles, are called foreign, pillars, and oft elſewhere: Which eſtabliſhing and preſerving of them (foreign, ſay the LXXII. I have ſet them firm and ſolid) can belong to none but God; and ſo in the following verſes, till at length, v. 7. 'tis expreſly ſaid, God is the judge, he putteth down one, and ſetteth up another. This is again obſervable, v. 10. For as here, v. 1. and 2. there is an alternation between the Pſalmiſt and God, deſigned to be ſung ſeverally by ſeveral perſons or chori, and ſo both in the firſt perſon, unto thee do we give thanks, ſaith one, and when I— I ſhall judge according to right, ſaith the other, (foreign the words of God, ſaith Kimchi;) ſo again in the concluſion, I will declare, I will ſing praiſes, ſaith one, and All the horns of the wicked will I cut off, ſaith the other; to ſignifie to us the certain anſwers we may expect from God: If we adhere to him and bleſs him, bear thankfully and patiently what he layes upon us, he will certainly eſpouſe our cauſe, defend and ſecure us, judge rectitudes in one place, and cut off the horns of the wicked in the other, which is but the paraphraſe of his judging rectitudes (i. e. the moſt perfect right judgments) here, which yet he oft defers to do, till he find a fit time, either the time of wicked mens having filled up the meaſure of their ſins, or a choiſe ſeaſon when their oppreſſions grow high, and the godly are ready to ſink under them, and then upon their flying to God in their trouble, he delivereth them out of their diſtreſs. Another rendring the former part of the verſe is capable of taking foreign in the front in the notion of although, foreignof which there are many inſtances. So Gen. 47.14. foreign not for, but although Manaſſes was the firſt born, he laid his right hand on Ephraim. So Exod. 34.9. Let the Lord come among us foreign not for, but although it be a ſtiffnecked people. See Joſ. 17.18. Dan. 9.9. Exod. 13.17. Pſ. 41.5. Iſ. 12.1. Pſ. 71.15. And then foreign will … though I take time, i. e. delay, or make ſome ſtay, I will judge rectitudes; according to that of our Saviour, Luk. 18.7. that God will avenge his elect, though he bear or ſtay long; and Habak. 2.3. The viſion is for an appointed time, the foreign here, though it tarry, wait for it, becauſe it will ſurely come, it will not tarry. To which ſenſe it may farther be obſerved, that foreign hath alſo the notion of buying, and then buying times, is a ſolemn phraſe, Dan. 11.9. for making delays, from whence St. Paul hath foreign, redeeming the time, Eph. 5.16.
V. 6. foreignPromotion] That foreign here ſignifies mountains in the genitive plural, and ſo is governed of foreign from the deſert preceding, is agreed by all the antients, and then it is to be rendred from the deſert of the mountains, or the mountanous deſert: ſo the LXXII. foreign; the Latine, neque à deſertis montibus, nor from the deſert mountains, the Chaldee with ſome change, neither from the North of the deſerts, nor from the South of the Mountains; but the Syriack expreſly, foreign nor from the deſert of the mountains, and ſo the Interlinear alſo. And then the ſpeech muſt be elliptical, and the ſupply of it fetcht either from the precedent verſe, or elſe rather from the ſubſequent, and not be promotion only, by which ſome interpreters render foreign, as if it were the infinitive (from foreign, exaltavit) exaltare, or exaltatio; but more fully pulling down, and ſetting up, thus, For neither from the Eaſt (ſo foreign literally from the going out, ſignifies) nor from the Weſt, nor from the deſert of Mountains, foreign &c. For God judgeth— Thus the Jewiſh Arab, neither from the Eaſt, nor from the Weſt, nor from the deſerts and mountains cometh that unto you. The word foreign here alludes to the foreign ver. 7. and foreign ver. 5. On this verſe the Rabbins have their changes. Kimchi's Father would have foreign to be cuſtom or impoſt (from 1 King. 10.28.) foreign to be traffick (Ezek. 27.14.) foreign to be eloquence (Cant. 4.3.) the ſeveral ways of preferment in the World. R. Obad. Gaon interprets foreign the riſing of the ſtars, foreign their ſetting, foreign the primum mobile (for ſo 'tis called) and ſo to refer to Aſtrological prediction…, pretended from the horoſcope. But David Kimchi himſelf having mentioned his Fathers deſcant, tranſlates it literally, neither from the Eaſt, nor from the Weſt, &c. i. e. it is not acquired by mans diligence in going hither and thither, &c. and although he prefer the notion of exaltation, or promotion, yet he gives a note from R. Aba an antient Rabbin, that foreign in every other place of Scripture but this, ſignifies mountains, And then why not in this alſo?
V. 7. foreignJudge] The word foreign ſignifies ſomewhat more than an ordinary juſticiary among us, for to ſuch it ſcarcely belongs to beſtow honours, and preferments at pleaſure. It is the ſtyle whereby the Captains and managers of the wars of the people of Iſrael were ſtyled, Gideon, and Sampſon, &c. which, as the Roman Dictators, acted in an unlimited power. Theſe were raiſed up by God, when the people were oppreſt, or captivated, to vindicate them to their antient liberties; and from hence the Latine Suffes and Suffetes is derived, qui ſummus Poenis magiſtratus eſt, 8 bell: Pun.ſaith Livy, which was the ſupreme Magiſtrate among the Carthaginians, and to theſe the managery of their wars belonged,10 bell. Pun. quod velut conſulare imperium apud Carthaginenſes erat, ſaith Livy, again, becauſe the government of the Carthaginians, was as it were conſular. And in this notion it is here attributed to God, as to judge rectitudes, puniſh and avenge them of their enemies, v. 2. (the foreign here referring to the foreign there) ſo to ſubdue their oppreſſors here (as a Captain in war) and reſtore to their Countrey again.