Works Volume 4, Book 3 · Psalm 79
The Seventy Ninth PSALM.
A Pſalm of Aſaph.
Paraphrase. The ſeventy ninth Pſalm is ſpent wholly in a view of ſome great calamity befalling the congregation of the Jews; not ſo probably the taking of the Ark by the Philiſtims, (which was not then at Jeruſalem, v. 1. but at Shiloh, 1 Sam. 4.4. as the deſtroying the Temple in the times of Nebuchadonoſor. It was compoſed by Aſaph, either the Recorder in Davids time, and then it was praediction. (ſee note on Pſal. 73. a.) or by ſome other of that name, and then it might be hiſtory. It was fitted, as Pſal. 74. for the Church in any time of perſecution.
1. O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy Temple have they defiled, and laid Jeruſalem on heaps.
Paraphrase. 1. O bleſſed Lord, thy diſpleaſure is heavy upon us, … an effect and evidence of that, a multitude of wicked men, the profeſt enemies of thee and thy ſervice, have … …d this people that are called by thy Name, and owned by thee in a ſpecial manner: And in this invaſion they … ſpared that place ſet apart on purpoſe for thy ſervice, and the exhibition of thy divine preſence, but have foully violated and profaned it, and laid waſte the whole city wherein it is ſituate.
2. The dead bodies of thy ſervants have they given to be meat to the fouls of the heavens, the fleſh of thy ſaints unto the beaſts of the earth.
3. Their blood have they ſhed like water round about Jeruſalem, and there was none to bury them.
Paraphrase. 2, 3. At other times in common calamities, ſome ſpecial ſervants of thine have been exempted, Noah from the deluge, Lot from the overthrow of Sodom, ſee Ezek. 14.14.) but now thy choſen people, ſet apart by thine own appointment, as thy ſubjects and ſervants, have all without any diſcrimination been ſlain in the field, ſlaughtered in great abundance, their bodies neglected and left unburied, ſo that the wild beaſts and fowls have fed on them, and their blood poured out moſt barbarouſly, and running down in ſtreams through the ſtreets of Jeruſalem.
4. We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a ſcorn and deriſion to them that are round about us.
Paraphrase. 4. They that formerly lookt on us with reverence, as a people guarded and ſecured by thy protection, do now deride and ſcorn us, and upbraid us with our calamities, and the truſt which we ſtill repoſe in God, when we are forſaken by him.
5. How long, Lord, wilt thou be angry, for ever? ſhall thy jealouſie burn like fire?
Paraphrase. 5. Bleſſed Lord, be thou pleaſed in thine own time at length favourably to return to us, and not to pour out thy fierceſt wrath, and deſtroy us utterly.
6. Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
Paraphrase. 6. Thoſe that have thus butchered us are aliens from thee, neither know thy laws, nor acknowledge thee to be their God, and conſequently never worſhip nor pray unto thee. 'Twill not be ſtrange for thy heavieſt puniſhments to light on them, as on thy profeſt enemies: O let them not fall on us, who profeſs to be thy ſervants.
7. For they have devoured Jacob, and laid waſte his dwelling-place.
Paraphrase. 7. Beſide their heathen ſins of Idolatry and all impiety, it cannot but be a great addition to their guilts, a kind of ſacriledge and violation of thee, that they have invaded and waſted this land of thine, which thou haſt given to the poſterity of thy choſen ſpecial ſervants, Abraham and Iſaac and Jacob, with whom thou haſt entred into Covenant that thou wilt be their God, and they thy people.
8. O remember not againſt us ‖oldformer iniquities; †make haſte, let thy compaſſions prevent us foreignlet thy tender mercies ſpeedily prevent us, for we are brought very low.
Paraphrase. 8. 'Tis certain, our continued obſtinacies and rebellions againſt thee, from the beginning of our being a nation to this time, have moſt juſtly brought down thy judgments on us; and if to our preſent provocations thou add the multitude of our old abominations, that of the golden calf, &c. we can expect nothing but utter deſolation and deſtruction. O be pleaſed not to lay them to our charge, heap not all our Anceſtors idolatries and rebellions upon our ſhoulders, leſt we, that have a full weight of our own, be aſcertain'd to ſink and be drowned under them. We are now very ſore afflicted and diſtreſt, O do thou make all ſpeed to return to us; Our miſeries have fully qualified us for thy ſeaſonable mercies, O be thou gratiouſly pleaſed to interpoſe them for us, and reſcue us out of our preſent captivation.
9. Help us, O God of our ſalvation, for the glory of thy name, and deliver us, and purge away our ſins for thy names ſake.
Paraphrase. 9. Thou, O God, art our only redeemer and deliverer, be thou gratiouſly pleaſed to relieve and reſcue us, and thereby to ſhew forth the glory of thy power and mercy, and all thy divine attributes. O free us from the effects of thy diſpleaſure due to our ſins, be thou gratiouſly reconciled to us. And this we beg and hope, upon no other inforcement but that of thine own mercy, promiſed to thoſe that make their humble addreſſes to thee, and of thine honour, which ſeems to be concerned in the preſerving thine own people.
10. Wherefore ſhould the heathen ſay, Where is their God? let *the revenge— be known— foreignhim be known among the heathen in our ſight by the revenge of the blood of thy ſervants which is ſhed.
Paraphrase. 10. If thou do not interpoſe for our relief, the idolatrous nations will reſolve that our God is not able to defend us, and ſo reproach and blaſpheme thee. Be thou therefore pleaſed to ſhew forth thy power in relieving us, and requiring our blood at the hands of thoſe which have moſt unjuſtly deſtroyed us, that not only we may be delivered by thee, but our oppreſſors, thy enemies may be taught to fear thee, by beholding thy power and juſtice in thy ſignal vengeance on them.
11. Let the ſighing of the priſoner come before thee: according to the greatneſs of thy ‖arm foreignpower preſerve thou thoſe that are appointed to die.
Paraphrase. 11. Many of us are now in bands ready for the ſentence of death, whenſoever theſe tyrannical enemies pleaſe; O thou that art the refuge of all ſuch, be thou pleaſed, in anſwer to our ſaddeſt moans, ſeaſonably to interpoſe for our preſervation.
12. And render unto our neighbours ſeven-fold into their boſom, their reproach †the reproach of them who have—wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
Paraphrase. 12. To repay all thoſe injuries and contumelies, in thy juſt meaſure of retaliation, to all thoſe that have oppreſt and contumeliouſly handled us, and ſo to own us as our patron and advocate.
13. So we thy people and ſheep of thy paſture will give thee thanks for ever, we will ſhew forth thy praiſe to all generations.
Paraphrase. 13. For this timely interpoſition of thine, O Lord, our conſtant acknowledgments and commemorations of thy mercies ſhall be our perpetual tribute through all ages, our poſterity to all ſucceſſions joyning with us in that payment.
Annotations of Pſal. LXXIX.
foreignV. 1. Heaps] foreign from foreign oblique or crooked (or elſe foreign being it ſelf …heme) ſignifies heaps. So Mic. 1.6. I will ma… …aria foreign for an heap; the Chaldee render it foreign for heaps, though here by way of paraphraſe they read foreign for a deſolation; and ſo the Syriack alſo foreign deſolate. The LXXII. here read foreign, for an hoord of ripe fruit, becauſe that is wont to be laid in heaps; which the Latine reads, I ſuppoſe to the ſame ſenſe, in pomorum cuſtodiam, for the keeping of apples, or for a place where apples are kept. But the original ſeems to refer to one ſort of heaps, that of graves, which are made by aggeſtion or caſting up of earth, to cover the dead body that lies under. So Job 30.24. foreign into the grave. And this is here fitly applied to Jeruſalem, the ſtately buildings whereof underwent the ſame deſtruction with the inhabitants; it was before their dwelling place, it is now their Sepulchre, the whole city is turned into ſeveral tombs or monumental heaps. Abu Walid aſcribes to the word the notion of deſolations, and waſts, and ſo the Jewiſh Arab.
foreignV. 8. Former iniquities] foreign may probably here have a ſpecial reference to thoſe firſt ſins, which this people had been guilty of after their coming out Egypt. Such was their Idolatry in the Golden calf. Of that God tells them Exod. 32.34. In the day that I viſit, I will viſit their ſin upon them, viz. this ſin of theirs. Accordingly the Jews have a received maxim, foreign, there is no viſitation, in which there is not ſome viſitation of, or infliction for the calf. To this the Hebrew foreign (from foreign head or feet) ſeems to incline, and ſo doth the Chaldee, which renders it our iniquities foreign that were from the beginning; and the LXXII. by foreign, (as that is all one with foreign ▪ thoſe that were from the beginning) are to the ſame ſenſe; and ſo the Syriack by foreign our old ſins, and the vulgars Antiquarum, their antient ſins.
V. 10. Let him be known] That foreign cognoſcatur, foreignlet be known, is to be connected to the noun foreign revenge, and not to the Name of God praeceding, is agreed on by the antient Interpreters. So the LXXII. foreign— And let the revenge of the blood of thy ſervants which is poured out be known among the heathen before our eyes. So the Syriack, foreign Let the avenging or inquiſition be known among the nations in our ſight. And ſo may the Chaldee be rendred alſo, foreign, Let the avenging of the blood of thy ſervants be manifeſted among the people, that we may ſee it. And ſo the others alſo.
V. 12. foreignReproach] foreign moſt fitly belongs here to the perſons foregoing, viz. our neighbours, and not to the reproach, thus, Render our neighbours ſeven fold into their boſome, i. e. as they have dealt with us, ſo do thou deal with them, return to them ſeven fold, by way of puniſhment, for all their oppreſſions and injuries done to us: then follows foreign, the reproach of them which have reproached the…e, O Lord, i. e. repay or return reproach, and (from the former words) ſeven times as much reproach, to them which have reproached thee, O Lord. Thus the Chaldee their foreign may be rendred, who have reproacht— and ſo the Interlinear reads probrum eorum qui affecerunt te probris, the reproach of them that reproached thee.