Works Volume 4, Book 4 · Psalm 101
The Hundred and Firſt PSALM.
A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The hundred and firſt Pſalm, compoſed by David, is a meditation, and reſolution of all care of piety both in his own perſon and family, and in the adminiſtration of the regal office, to incourage and advance vertue, and rebuke and chaſtiſe impiety. It ſeems to have been compoſed on occaſion of bringing up the Ark to the city of David, to qualifie them for the preſence of that amongſt them: and it is an excellent directory to all perſons in the greateſt or loweſt place of authority on earth, whoſe ſole end and deſign it ought to be, if they deſire God's bleſſing upon them, to people the world with vertuous living, and to diſcountenance all wickedneſs.
1. I will ſing of mercy and judgment; unto thee, O Lord, will I ſing.
Paraphrase. 1. This Pſalm will I addreſs unto the Lord of heaven, the ſubject of it being a firm reſolution and vow that I have inwardly made to him, for the ſetting up all goodneſs in my own, my ſervants, and ſubjects hearts, and for the managing of that office to which he hath raiſed me, ſo as may moſt tend to the incouraging of piety, and repreſſing of impiety, by diſtributing rewards and puniſhments with that impartial juſtice as ſhall moſt contribute to thoſe ends.
2. I will ‖inſtruct in the perfect—behave my ſelf wiſely in a perfect way: †when he ſhall come unto me,O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my houſe with a perfect heart.
Paraphrase. 2. Now that God hath reſtored my peace, and eſtabliſht me in the Kingdom, and afforded me this ſignal teſtimony of his preſence, the Ark of his Covenant, I am obliged to endeavour my utmoſt to fit and qualifie my ſelf for ſo great mercies, and am therefore ſtedfaſtly purpoſed, that from the day of his Arks coming into Jeruſalem, I will with all the wiſedom and prudence with which he ſhall indow me, ſet my ſelf to the moſt exact performance of my duty, and in all things indeavour to approve my ſelf to him, ordering all my affairs and actions, thoſe eſpecially of my Court, and of publick adminiſtration, ſo as may beſt demonſtrate the ſincerity of my heart, and the uprightneſs of my deſires and purpoſes in his ſervice.
3. I will ſet no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aſide, it ſhall not cleave to me.
Paraphrase. 3. I will not entertain any one unlawfull deſign, though it ſhould pretend to reaſon of ſtate, or appear to contribute to worldly advantages never ſo much. The leaſt declination from the rules of juſtice, whatſoever the plauſible pretence be, I will for ever deteſt and avoid, and never permit my ſelf to be thus inſnared by the politick maximes of the world, as to admit that as prudential, which is not exactly conſonant to the ſtricteſt laws of juſtice and piety.
4. A *crooked or cunningfroward heart ſhall depart from me: I ‖know no evil foreignwill not know a wicked perſon.
Paraphrase. 4. He that ſhall think to obtain my favour, or gain admiſſion into my Court or Counſels, by being more ſhrewd or ſubtle or cunning than other men, by being able to direct me to ways of ſerpentine wiſedom, ſhall much fail in his project: There is none I ſhall more ſolicitouſly avoid, and baniſh from my ſecrets or ſervice, than ſuch, being abſolutely bent never to make uſe of any one ſuch art in all my deliberations.
5. Who ſo privily ſlandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a †wide or vaſt foreignproud heart, will not I ſuffer.
Paraphrase. 5. Thoſe ways of whiſpering and detraction, by which men are wont to gain confidence and favour and imployment from Princes, ſhall not onelyonly miſs of that ſucceſs with me, but be ſure to be ſeverely puniſhed, whenſoever I meet with them: As for thoſe whoſe pride, and ambition and inſatiable deſires of inriching or advancing themſelves, do put them forward to ſeek offices or imployments under me, I will have no patience for them, aſſuring my ſelf that thoſe that deſign ſuch advantages to themſelves, are never likely to intend the good of the publick.
6. Mine eyes ſhall be upon the faithfull in the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he ſhall ſerve me.
Paraphrase. 6. In the choice of Counſellors, or ſervants and officers, this ſhall be my conſtant rule, to ſeek out thoſe that are of moſt tried fidelity and exact honeſty, that for any advantage whatſoever, even the preſervation of the Kingdom, will not admit of any unlawfull practice: ſuch and none but ſuch I ſhall expect will do me ſervice; and I will not admit any elſe, but ſuch as ſhall thus approve themſelves, into any imployment about me.
7. He that worketh deceit ſhall not dwell *in the midſt of foreignwithin my houſe; he that telleth lies ſhall not tarry in my ſight.
Paraphrase. 7. A ſubtile, cunning, falſe perſon ſhall be ſo far from getting advancement in my Court or Counſels, or being preferred to the ſupreme offices of ſtate, that he that hath been found guilty of ſuch arts as theſe, that makes no conſcience of injuſtice or deceit, ſhall not be indured in my preſence.
8. I will ‖in the morning foreignearly deſtroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord.
Paraphrase. 8. When wicked men are brought before my tribunals, I ſhall judicially proceed againſt them, and extirpate them out of the nation, and reform and reduce all this people, called by God's name, to the practice of all godlineſs, leaving, if it be poſſible, never an obſtinate notorious ſinner among them.
Annotations on Pſal. CI.
foreignV. 2. Behave my ſelf wiſely] From foreign to underſtand, is foreign here in Hiphil, I will make wiſe, or inſtruct; ſo Pſal. 32.8. foreign I will inſtruct thee. The Chaldee interpret it as a ſpeech of God to David, foreign I will inſtruct thee; but the reſt of the Pſalm favours not this interpretation, being all in ſequence to the firſt verſe, in the firſt perſon, applicable to none but David himſelf. Of him therefore the word here in Hiphil being uſed, it muſt be applied in relation to his Kingdom, or Family, that he will inſtruct them, or perhaps as 'tis ſometimes uſed intranſitively, I will underſtand, or (as elſewhere 'tis frequent) in the notion of Hithpael, reciprocally, I will inſtruct my ſelf: which the LXXII. have ſufficiently expreſt by foreign, I will underſtand, and the Syriack by foreign and I will walk, which is the paraphraſe, though not the literal rendring of it; the onelyonly end and uſe of his knowing, learning, or inſtructing himſelf in the way, being the walking in it. And indeed knowing in the ſcripture-ſtyle ſo frequently ſignifying doing (viz. the practical knowledge) and wiſedom being uſed for piety, as folly for ſin, 'tis but regular, and agreeing to rules of analogy here, that underſtanding, or inſtructing ones ſelf in the right way, ſhould ſignifie the walking in it. The Jewiſh Arab here reads, I will ſhew underſtanding or deal with underſtanding in an upright way, or I will conſider the perfect way, till thy enlargement or refreſhment come unto me, and I will walk in perfectneſs or uprightneſs of my heart, in the midſt of my family. But if we conſider the latter part of the verſe, which may moſt probably direct us to the occaſion of compoſing this Pſalm, we ſhall find reaſon to apply it to others as well as himſelf, and indeed particularly to his houſhold, or family. When David reſolved to bring up the Ark of the Lord to Jeruſalem, 2 Sam. 6. they brought it on a cart out of the houſe of Abinadab, and Ʋzza driving the cart and taking hold of the Ark, God ſmote Ʋzza and he died v. 7. On this David was diſpleaſed v. 8. and afraid v. 9. and ſaid, How ſhall the Ark of the Lord come to me? And David would not remove the Ark unto him into the City of David, but carried it aſide unto the houſe of Obed-Edom, and there it continued three months. But then being incouraged by the bleſſing of the Lord on Obed-Edom and his houſhold, v. 12. he reſumed the enterprize again, and brought up the Ark of God into the City of David with gladneſs, and offered ſacrifice v. 13. and danced v. 14. and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings v. 17. and bleſſed the people v. 18. and dealt to all the people to every one a portion of bread, and fleſh, and wine, v. 19. and then David returned to bleſs his houſhold v. 20. Where beſide the ſolemnities of carrying up the Ark, two things are obſervable in order to this preſent verſe of this Pſalm: 1. his being afraid of the Lord, which cauſed him to ſay, How ſhall the Ark of the Lord come to me? v. 9. and 2ly, his returning to bleſs his houſhold v. 20. Theſe two paſſages had in all probability relation the one to the other. He was afraid, the ſins and unworthineſs of his family might ſo far unqualifie them for receiving benefit by the preſence of the Ark, that it might bring a curſe inſtead of a bleſſing upon him; and although by the experience of it on Obed-Edom, he was encouraged to hope well, yet as ſoon as he had brought up the Ark, he omits no time, neglects no care, to fit and prepare his family for ſuch a bleſſing; and that ſure was by inſtructing them in the rules of God's worſhip and obedience, purging out all unreformed evil livers, not permitting one wicked perſon, ſlanderer, lyar, to remain in his houſhold, which as it is the meaning of his returning to bleſs his houſhold (in the notion of bleſſing Act. 3.26. for turning every one from his iniquities) and withall, the interpretation of what we reade in the latter part of this Pſalm, A froward heart ſhall depart from me: I will not know a wicked perſon v. 4. Who ſo privily ſlandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and proud heart, I will not ſuffer v. 5. Mine eyes ſhall be on the faithfull, that they may dwell with me, and ſerve me v. 6. He that worketh deceit, ſhall not dwell in the midſt of my houſe; he that tells lies ſhall not tarry in my ſight v. 7. ſo it is exactly equivalent to his inſtructing in a perfect way here, (which therefore probably muſt be interpreted to belong, as the bleſſing did, to his houſhold or family, yet including himſelf as his firſt care, the chief member of it.) Thus again to thoſe words of his, cauſed by his fear, foreign how ſhall the Ark of the Lord come to me? the next words here are anſwerable,foreign foreign when it ſhall come to me, by it meaning the Ark or God, which had that his peculiar reſidence in the Ark. (Aben Ezra reads, I will underſtand the perfect way, when it, i. e. that way ſhall come unto me.) By this accordance we have little reaſon to doubt, but this of the ſecond preparation of bringing up the Ark to Jeruſalem, was the occaſion and ſeaſon of compoſing this Pſalm, and his reſolution of purging, and ſo bleſſing of his houſhold, the ſubject of it: and this will prove a fit key to let us in to the meaning and full importance both of this verſe, and the reſt of the Pſalm; and therefore I have thus far enlarged on it.
V. 4. A froward heart] From foreign pervertit, foreigncurvat, to bend the wrong way, or make crooked, is foreign crooked, or cunning; he, or that, which recede… from ſtreightneſs or directneſs; and ſo 'tis to be taken here, in ſequence to them that decline or turn aſide, v. 3. The LXXII. render it foreign a crooked heart (ſo ſaith Heſychius, foreign, the word ſignifies crooked) in oppoſition to directneſs and clearneſs of dealing; and ſo the Chaldee foreign, from foreign oblique or crooked. All to expreſs that ſerpentine ſubtilty, made up of crooked motions and Maeanders, which are moſt oppoſite to upright and honeſt and clear dealings.
V. 5. Proud heart] From foreign latus or dilatatus eſt, foreignis the noun foreign here, broad, or wide, or large, and being applied to the heart or ſoul, it notes largeneſs of deſires. So Prov. 28.25. foreign he here that is large in ſoul, The LXXII. fitly rendred foreign inſatiable, applying it either to wealth or honour, the inſatiate deſire of either of which (as there it follows) ſtirrs up ſtrife. And ſo here they have rendred it again▪ foreign, he that cannot be filled in the heart, i. e. the covetous or ambitious man: the Syriack reade foreign; wide or broad, ſo the Jewiſh Arab, Him that is high of eyes, and wide of heart, I can have no patience with thoſe two.
V. 8. foreignEarly] The Judicatures for the examination and ſentencing of wicked men were wont to be in the morning, ſaith the learned Hugo Grotius, who thinks this alſo to be the meaning of Job 38.13. where of the morning 'tis ſaid, that wicked men are driven away by it. And thus 'tis poſſible that phraſe of being diſpelled or driven away may be uſed for the cutting them off in Judicature, for ſo Pſal. 1.4. the ungodly being driven away by the wind, is attended with their not ſtanding in judgment. But it may perhaps in that paſſage in Job more probably referr to the diſperſing of thoſe, whom the darkneſs of the night incouraged to wickedneſs, thieves, treacherous perſons, &c. whom the light would diſcover. To thoſe the conſequents ſeem to refer it; ſee the learned Caſtellio on that place. However of the cuſtom it ſelf there can be no doubt, both as to ſitting in Courts of Judicature, and to executions, that among them, as among us, they were uſually in the morning, at leaſt began then, when they continued till the evening. And to this moſt probably foreign in the plural, in the mornings, here referrs, the ſeaſon wherein David, as a Judge, entring on the Tribunal, deſtroys and cuts off the wicked doers. The former part of the Pſalm contains his reſolution for choice of counſellers and officers of ſtate, preferring the plain, honeſt, and not the ſubtileſt contrivers; and this laſt for the execution of juſtice, diſcountenancing, and judicially cutting off all wicked men. The Jewiſh Arab reads according to the paſſing of the mornings, i. e. continually, day after day, every day or morning.