Works Volume 4, Book 3 · Psalm 81
The Eighty Firſt PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian upon Gittith, A Pſalm of Aſaph.
Paraphrase. The eighty firſt Pſalm, ſaid to be compoſed by Aſaph for the feaſt of trumpets, Lev. 23.24. Numb. 29 1. and 10.10. (which was inſtituted to commemorate the deliverance out of Egypt, the ſounding of the trumpet being a token of liberty, Lev. 25.10.) is a ſolemn invitation to all, to ſing praiſes to God for his great deliverances and ſpecial mercies to his people, whoſe ſins are the only averters of his favour, and originals of their miſery. It was ſet to the tune called Gittith, (ſee Pſal. 8. a.) and committed to the Praefect of the Muſick.
1. Sing aloud unto God our ſtrength, make a joyful noiſe unto the God of Jacob.
2. ‖Take up or lift up.Take a Pſalm and †anſwer, … ſpeak, or ſing tobring hither the timbrel, the pleaſant harp with the Pſaltery.
3. Blow up the trumpet in the *firſt day of the month, o… the new moon, on the day of our feaſt.new moon, in the time appointed, on our ſolemn feaſt-day.
Paraphrase. 1, 2, 3. The God of Jacob is our only refuge, preſerver and deliverer, O let us joyn in the moſt ſolemn joyful expreſſions of thankfulneſs to him: All the ſweeteſt and moſt pleaſant inſtruments of Muſick are in all reaſon to accompany, and indeavour to improve our lauds, and all the whole nation to be aſſembled at thoſe times which are ſolemnly ſet apart for theſe offices, the beginning of every month, to conſecrate all that follows.
4. For this was a ſtatute for Iſrael, and a law of the God of Jacob:
5. This he ordained in Joſeph for a teſtimony, when he went out *upon, … againſt foreignthrough the land of Egypt, where I heard a language that I underſtood not.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. And this is but agreeable to the ordinances of divine ſervice given by God himſelf on mount Sinai for all poſterity moſt ſtrictly to obſerve, ſoon after that great and ſignal time of his ſhewing himſelf in power and majeſty againſt Pharaoh and the Egyptians, when he lived among ſtrangers, and were cruelly handled by them.
6. I delivered his ſhoulders from the burthen, his hands ‖paſt awaywere delivered from the pots.
Paraphrase. 6. 'Twas then the mighty work of his over-ruling power, upon our addreſſes made to heaven, ſpeedily to reſcue us out of that great ſlavery, to redeem us from thoſe ſevere tasks of working in the kilns under Pharaohs officers.
7. Thou calledſt in trouble, and I delivered thee; I anſwered thee in the †or co…er… or, hiding-place from thunder, or by, or … thunder.ſecret place of thunder, I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.
Paraphrase. 7. And ſoon after, at the giving of the law in Sinai, when the thunder and lightning and tempeſt was ſo terrible, that they all quaked, and beſought to be freed from it, he was pleaſed to free them accordingly, and ſecure them from all danger. A little before (Exod. 17.) they were in diſtreſs for water at Rephidim, it being for their trial that God ſuffered them to be in want for a while; and though they behaved it very ill, ſhewed themſelves a faithleſs murmuring people, yet God ſpared them then, and inabled Moſes by ſtriking the rock Horeb to bring forth plenty of water for them.
8. Hear, O my people, and I will teſtifie unto thee, O Iſrael, if thou wilt hearken unto me.
9. There ſhall no ſtrange God be in thee, neither ſhalt thou worſhip any *heathen, or foreignſtrange God.
Paraphrase. 8, 6.. But having this experience of their infidelity and proneneſs to apoſtatize and return to Egypt, preferring the falſe Gods there before the true God, which brought them out from thence, he thought good in that terrible manner, v. 7. to give them ſevere precepts and ordinances of not admitting any Idol or heathen worſhip among them.
10. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Paraphrase. 10. Severely requiring them to commemorate and ſerve and worſhip him, as the God which had with ſuch prodigies of judgments on the Egyptians, and miracles of mercies toward them, delivered them out of that tyrants hands, and by bringing them water in time of diſtreſs out of the hardeſt rock, demonſtrated his power and readineſs to grant them the greateſt abundance, if by humility and obedience and fidelity, and conſtant addreſſes to him in all their wants, they ſhould render themſelves capable of it.
11. But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Iſrael ‖obeyed me not foreignwould none of me.
Paraphrase. 11. But they were far from the performance of this condition, from qualifying themſelves by obedience, and †foreign acquieſced not in my word, C…a…l.acquieſcence and delight in him, for his performance of this moſt gratious promiſe to them.
12. So I gave them up unto †the imaginations of their hearts foreigntheir own hearts luſts, and they walked in their own counſels.
Paraphrase. 12. And accordingly God withdrew his protection, grace and favour from them, delivered them up to follow their own corrupt counſels and purpoſes, to injoy their own choiſes, the vanities of their Idol worſhips, which were not able to protect them, and all the ſad conſequences thereof.
13. ‖or If foreignO that my people had hearkened unto me, and Iſrael had walked in my ways!
14. I ſhould ſoon have ſubdued their enemies, and turned my hand againſt their adverſaries.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. Had they but performed their part of Covenant to God, afforded chearful obedience, and faithfully obſerved his directions, he would have been moſt ſure to have performed his promiſe to them, and by interpoſition of his ſtrength immediately have diſcomfited and deſtroyed their ſtouteſt enemies.
15. The haters of the Lord ſhould have †yielded feigned obedience, ſee note on Pſal. 18. ….ſubmitted themſelves unto him; but their time ſhould have endured for ever.
Paraphrase. 15. All that oppoſed them, and ſo reſiſted the counſels of God for making Iſrael a moſt happy and proſperous people, ſhould certainly have been brought low, and for dread of his power performed a feigned, though not real, obedience to him; and ſo the peace and ſtrength of the people of Iſrael ſhould have been moſt durable and laſting.
16. He ſhould have fed them alſo with the *fatfineſt of the wheat; and with honey out of ‖the r…c….the ſtony rock ſhould I have ſatisfied thee.
Paraphrase. 16. And that accompanied with all temporal plenty, the moſt fertile harveſts and richeſt acceſſions, the beſt ſorts and greateſt ſtores of every thing, not only for neceſſity, but delicacy. (And ſo parallel to this the world of Chriſtians, if they would but ſet themſelves chearfully to the practice of his precepts ſhould find a wonderful ſpiritual completion of this promiſe not only ſufficient, yea abundant grace to perform what is required of them in that degree as will be accepted, but withal the moſt exuberant joys and pleaſures in this world, (abſtracted from the bliſs of the other world) in the conſtant exerciſes of his graces, and practice of thoſe duties.)
Annotations on Pſalm LXXXI.
foreignV. 2. Take a Pſalm] What foreign ſignifies, will be diſcerned beſt from the Chaldee, who render it by foreign Lift up your voice in a laud or Pſalm; ſo Abu Walid, ſound, or ſing out aloud praiſe, or ſongs of praiſe; according to the notion of foreign for lifting up, applied to the voice, whether in ſinging or weeping, which the LXXII. duly render, foreign, to raiſe, or lift up the voice. It is alſo applied to ſpeaking, as when Balaam is ſaid to take, or lift up a parable, Num. 23.7, 18, & 24.3, 15, 20, 21, 23. So Job. 27.1. Job added foreign to lift up his parable: the LXXII. render it, foreign, he adding ſpake. So Hab. 2.6. foreign they ſhall lift, or take up a parable. All Hebrew dialect for pronouncing, or ſpeaking aloud, or ſolemnly, as here the Pſalm is ſolemnly to be ſung, and ſo to be lifted up. As for foreign,foreign which follows, it may perhaps be be beſt rendred, anſwer the timbrel, from the notion of foreign for referre, or perhaps rather according to the Chaldee uſe of the word, ſpeak, or annuntiate to the Timbrel; as Jud. 11.40. the daughters of Iſrael went yearly foreign to ſpeak to the daughter of Jephtha, i. e. to annuntiate, ſing ſongs to her, by way of lamentation; the LXXII. render it foreign, to mourn for, and ſo the reſt of the antient Interpreters agree: and then by analogy, this here will be ſinging a chearful, as that was a doleful ſong. So Jud. v. 11. foreign they ſhall reherſe, by way of Praiſe or Pſalm, the righteouſneſses of the Lord. But others derive foreign from foreign; ſo doth Abu Walid, and under that root renders it ſtrike up, or play on the Timbrel.
foreignV. 3. In the new moon] The word foreign muſt here be rendred in the beginning of the month, that ſo foreign, that follows, may be rendred, as it truly ſignifies, in the new Moon. 'Tis true, that from foreign new, foreign doth indifferently ſignifie the novilunium, and the firſt day of the monethmonth; but here the new Moon being peculiarly expreſt by foreign, and that ſaith Aben Ezra, becauſe the moon is then hid (from foreign texit) to which the Chaldee accords, foreign in the hidden moon ('tis ſtrange the Latine ſhould render it in menſe qui coopertus eſt, when foreign ſignifies firſt moon, and from thence monethmonth) to avoid tautology, foreign muſt be rendred the new monethmonth, i. e. the firſt day of the monethmonth. Thus, Num. 28.17. is rendred by the Targum foreign the beginning of the monethmonth, and foreign in the plural foreign the beginning of the moneths, not of the moons. The Syriack ſet this down here moſt expreſly, foreign in the beginning or firſt of the monethmonth, and on the new moon, which meeting alwayes together, were feſtival among the Jews (the Jewiſh Arab reads, over the ſacrifice, in the dayes that his people keep the feaſt) and ſo the trumpet to be ſounded thereon. The LXXII. read the foreign, on an eminent day, I ſuppoſe, rather by way of Paraphraſe, for ſuch it was, than by deducing the word from foreign computavit, as ſome imagine, becauſe the feſtival recurs conſtantly on a numbred or fixt day.foreign Then for foreign that literally is to be rendred, on the day of our feaſt: the LXXII. joynes it with the former, and reads, foreign, in the eminent day of our feaſt (ſome feſtival dayes being among the Jews more eminent than others, the firſt and laſt dayes of thoſe feaſts, which continued many dayes;) but this ſure again by way of paraphraſe, not of literal rendring, the prepoſition ל on being not taken notice of in their rendring.
V. 6. Delivered] From foreign tranſiit, to paſs away, foreignor over, is foreign here, they paſſed, i. e. went out, or away, to denote an eſcape or deliverance. The LXXII. read foreign, they ſerved, or had ſerved, as from foreign ſerviit, through the great affinity betwixt the two letters ד and ר, in which alſo the ſenſe is not amiſs expreſt, if only we read it as in the preterpluperfect tenſe, they had ſerved, for that ſignifies that now they did not, but were delivered from it.foreign As for foreign from which they paſt, it ſignifies a pot, or other utenſil made of earth, to be ſet over the fire to heat any thing; and ſuch it ſeems the Iſraelites were imployed in making, when they were under the task-maſters in Aegypt.
7. Secret place] foreign is latibulum, a covering, foreignor place to fly unto from any danger, from foreign to hide, protect, or defend. And then if thunder be joyned with it, foreign will be either the covering of thunder, the cloud where the thunder is hid, (to which the ſtory agrees, where God is ſaid to have ſpoken from the midſt of the cloud, and that with thunders, Deut. v. 22.) as Habak. 3.4. the hiding of his power, or elſe the covering, or hiding-place from thunder. That here it is to be taken in the ſecond ſenſe, will probably be concluded from a parallel place, Iſa. 32.2. There foreign is reſolved to be the covering from rain or inundation; ſo the Syriack expreſly read it foreign a refuge from the ſhowre, and to the ſame purpoſe the Chaldee foreign as they that hide themſelves from the tempeſt or ſhowre, and the LXXII. foreign, he ſhall be hid as from driven rain or water; in like manner as in the former part of that verſe, foreign is by us rendred a hiding place from wind, (the ſame that is elſewhere expreſt by the prepoſition, foreign a protection from inundation, Iſ. 25.4.) and ſo the Syriack reads, foreign from the wind, and ſo all the interpreters agree there. And if they there hold, then by juſt analogy ſo it may be here, and thereto the ſtory alſo well accords. The thunder was that which is ſet down, Exod. 19. and which is there mentioned to be ſo terrible on mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, that all the people that were in the camp trembled, v. 16. and removed and ſtood afar off, Exod. 20.18. and were afraid by reaſon of the fire, &c. Deut. v. 5. & v. 23. it came to paſs, when you heard the voice out of the midſt of the darkneſs, ye ſaid, Behold the Lord hath ſhewed us his glory, &c. Now therefore why ſhould we die? for this great fire will conſume us: if we hear the voice of the Lord any more, then we ſhall die, v. 25. Go thou near and ſpeak to us, v. 27. So the Apoſtle, they intreated that the word ſhould not be ſpoken to them any more, Heb. 12.19. And then as God was pleaſed to hearken to this requeſt of theirs Deut. v. 28. The Lord heard the voice of your words when ye ſpake unto me, and the Lord ſaid, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, they have well ſaid, &c. (which is certainly a form of granting their requeſts, as well as an approbation of their promiſe to obey;) ſo here it is ſaid, Thou calledſt in trouble and I delivered thee, relieved thee from that great fear of thine. And then it follows, I anſwered thee in the covert from thunder, i. e. granted thy petition in delivering thee, or giving thee ſafety from the thunder, in that notion of anſwering for granting a requeſt: Or elſe, I anſwered, i. e. I ſpake to thee, in the covert from thunder, becauſe as God thus by thunder anſwered them here, i. e. ſpake to them in the words here following, v. 8. Hear O my people (according to the uſe of foreign for ſpeaking as well as anſwering, foreignand the Greek foreign, in the ſame ſenſe, ſee Mar. 11. note a.) ſo did he take ſpecial care to preſerve them from receiving any hurt by it (and accordingly Moſes ſaid unto the people, Fear not— Exod. 20.20. and I ſtood between the Lord and you at that time, Deut. v. 5.) and ſo is here ſaid to have anſwered them, foreign in the covering, or hiding-place from the thunder; foreign, in the hiding place of, or from the tempeſt, ſay the LXXII. defended them from it (when it thundred moſt terribly) as in a hiding-place, or ſafe refuge. That it belongs to this time of giving the Law is made evident by that which follows, v. 8. Hear O my people, the form of giving the Law, Deut. v. 1. and, I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt, v. 10. the very firſt words of the Decalogue, Exod. 20.2. This therefore of Gods ſpeaking to them at Mount Sinai, ſo famous for the thunders, is without queſtion that which is intimated in this place, which way ſoever the interpretation lie, whether of his ſpeaking in the place where thunder is hid, as in a repoſitory, i. e. in the clouds, or that he anſwered, or ſpake in the covert from thunder, which by analogy with the two places in Iſaiah, compared together, Iſa. 32 2. and Iſa. 25.4. (where for foreign in one, is foreign in the other) ſeems more probable, and ſo likewiſe by the coherence with the antecedents here, their calling and Gods delivering. The only ſeeming objection againſt interpreting it of Sinai, is, that that murmuring at Meribah, Exod. 17. was before the thundering on Sinai, Exod. 19. whereas here the thunder is mentioned firſt, and then after that Meribah, in the end of this verſe. But that will eaſily be anſwered, as by the neerneſs of thoſe two paſſages the one to the other, ſo alſo by the liberty taken in Poems of not obſerving ſtrict order in each narration, (ſee Pſal. 83.9. where the victory over the Midianites, Judg. 7. is mentioned before that of Siſera, Judg. 4.) but eſpecially by looking forward to v. 8. where the ſubject being the commands given in Sinai, and thoſe connecting in ſenſe to Gods anſwering them in Sinai, in that hiding-place of, or covert from thunder, i. e. whether his ſpeaking in the clouds, or his ſpeaking to them in thunder, but protecting them from receiving any hurt by it, that which comes in the midſt betwixt them is in all reaſon to be read, as in a parentheſis, to this ſenſe, that Gods having proved and found them ſo faulty at Rephidim, ſo extremely prone to infidelity and returning to Aegypt, was the occaſion of his giving them that Law on Sinai againſt other Gods, &c. v. 8, 9. Hear O my people—I am the Lord— the beginning or firſt words of Gods anſwering or ſpeaking to them in Sinai out of the thunder. All this hath been ſaid on ſuppoſition that foreign thunder is to be joyned with foreign ſecret place. But the Jewiſh Arab gives us another rendring of it, out of the ſecret place, with, or by thunder. And then the ſecret place muſt refer to God, who is ſaid to make darkneſs his ſecret place, Pſal. 18.11. that is, to dwell in his infinite Majeſty in heaven inviſibly, and ſo here to give anſwer from Heaven by thunder. To this the Chaldee appertains, which paraphraſeth it, the hidden place of the Houſe of Gods Majeſty.
V. 9. Strange God] From foreign known, familiar, foreignis the word alſo uſed per antiphraſin for any forrainer or ſtranger, peculiarly for one that is not of the houſe of Iſrael, an alien or Gentile. So Gen. 17.12. foreign a ſtranger which is not of thy ſeed; foreign the ſon of the people, ſay the Chaldee, i. e. a Gentile. So Gen. 35.2. Put away foreign the Gods of the alien, the Gentile God; foreign the Idols of the people, ſay the Chaldee. And ſo here foreign any Gentile God, for which the Chaldee ſets foreign profane Idols.
V. 16. Fineſt] The word foreign ſignifies originally milk, and thence fat, foreignand ſo its poetically applied here to wheat, as Deut. 32.14. the fat of the kidneys of the wheat, and ſo Gen. 45.18. foreign the fat of the earth, and Num. 18.29. for which the Chaldee ſignificantly reads foreign the goodneſs, as here foreign Good bread of wheat, the LXXII. and Syriack reteining the literal foreign the fat.
V. 18. foreignStony rock] That foreign ſignifies a rock there is no queſtion, but whether it be literally or poetically to be underſtood here, being joyned with hony, is the only difficulty. And firſt it is not to be thought, that the diſcourſe is of miraculous feeding, (then indeed there is no doubt but God could bring hony, as well as water, out of the hardeſt rock.) It plainly belongs in this place to the deſcription of the plenty of Canaan. Secondly then, if the ſtyle be in this poetical, as it was in the words immediately precedent, the fat of the wheat, it will then be neither impoſſible nor improbable that the rock, to which the hony here relates, ſhould be the hony-comb, becauſe hony out of the comb is the beſt (ſweeter than hony and the hony-comb, by way of aſcent) as the fat of the wheat ſignified the beſt. But then thirdly, becauſe Deut. 32.13. where hony out of the rock is again mentioned, there is added to it, Oyle out of the flinty rock, it is moſt probable, that the word rock ſhould be equally literal in both places, and ſignifie that to be uſual in thoſe Countreys, which is ſtill ordinary, for Bees to breed and ſwarm in holes of rocks, and thence to ſupply them with hony in great plenty. And then why may not oyl out of the flinty rock ſignify, that there was no rock ſo hard, or barren, but God would make the Olive-trees to grow there, and yield them abundance of Oyle?