Works Volume 4, Book 4 · Psalm 97
The Ninety Seventh PSALM.
The ninety ſeventh Pſalm, agreeable to the ninety ſixth, is the praiſing the God of heaven for his works of juſtice and mercy. 'Tis ‖foreign. LXXII.thought to be compoſed by David on occaſion of his peaceable re-eſtabliſhment in his kingdom, after the rebellion and deſtruction of Abſalom; but it as literally contains a prediction of the Meſſias his inauguration to his regal Office, and the ſignal exerciſe thereof in the deſtruction of his crucifiers, and all other enemies of his kingdom. See note a.
1. THE Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoyce; let the †many Iſlands foreignmultitude of the Iſles be glad thereof.
Paraphrase. 1. God hath ſubdued all the enemies and oppoſers of that kingdom which he hath been pleaſed to erect, to ſeat his anointed quietly in his throne, an eminent type of the kingdom of the Meſſias, which is to commence at his reſurrection, and to be ſet up in the hearts of believers, and ſhall prove matter of all true joy to all the heathen world, and the ſeveral nations thereof, as well as to the Jews.
2. Clouds and darkneſs are round about him; righteouſneſs and judgment are the *foreignhabitation of his throne.
Paraphrase. 2. His judgments are ſecret and unſearchable, and ſo the infinitely wiſe ways and depths of his providence; but all founded in, and managed with moſt perfect juſtice and rectitude.
3. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
4. His lightning inlightned the world; the earth ſaw and trembled.
5. The hills melted like wax at the preſence of the Lord, at the preſence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Paraphrase. 3, 4, 5. Thoſe that will not receive him when after his miraculous reſurrection and aſcenſion the Goſpel is preached to them, ſhall be ſoon overwhelmed with ſignal judgments from heaven, as remarkable and formidable, and as fully evidenced to be the effects of God's wrath, as if fire from heaven, or flames of lightnings, or Angels the witneſſes of God's preſence, ſhould viſibly appear in their deſtruction. (And this firſt and in the moſt illuſtrious manner to be executed on the nation of the Jews the crucifiers, the City and Temple of Jeruſalem, and after upon heathen Rome, &c.)
6. The heavens declare his righteouſneſs, and all the people ſee his glory.
Paraphrase. 6. And all Angels and men ſhall diſcern and acknowledge and proclaim the great juſtice of it, and the glorious manifeſtation of the divine power of Chriſt in the ruine of his malicious oppoſets.
7. Confounded be all they that ſerve graven images, that boaſt themſelves of idols: worſhip him all ye ‖Angeli▪Gods.
Paraphrase. 7. This vengeance all are to expect among the nations, who do not preſently forſake the worſhip of their falſe Gods (ſee Pſal. 96. note a.) that ſtill adhere to idols, when the faith of Chriſt the eternal God, Creatour of the world, whom the very Angels adore and obey, Heb. 1.6. is preached among them. (There being no way to reſcue Idolaters from this ruine, but an hearty ſpeedy acceptation of the Chriſtian faith, as appeared in the Roman Empire.)
8. Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoyced, becauſe of thy judgments, O Lord.
Paraphrase. 8. This was good news both to Jeruſalem, and the villages and towns about, the daughters of that mother city: And all the true children of Abraham, all the believing Jews (and Gentiles, alſo) ſhall by this means be delivered from their perſecutions, and ſo obliged to glorifie the juſtice and mercy of God in it.
9. For thou, Lord, art ‖moſt …gh foreignhigh above all the earth; thou art exalted far above all Gods.
Paraphrase. 9. For this (Meſſias whom we have hoped for ſo long) is the ſupreme God of heaven and earth, whoſe creatures they are which all the idolatrous people of the world have worſhipt for Gods; and accordingly at the preaching of the Goſpel all their oracles and worſhips ſhall vaniſh.
10. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preſerveth the ſoul of his ſaints, he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
Paraphrase. 10. O let all that pretend to love or honour or ſerve him, fly from all pollution both of fleſh and ſpirit, all that he hath forbidden, all that may any way provoke his wrath, who is a God of pure eyes, and cannot behold iniquity. And if all their lives be laid out on this one care of approving themſelves to him, their time will be well ſpent in this ſervice; and beſide the endleſs reward in another world, they ſhall not fail of the evidences of his goodneſs and graciouſneſs here in giving them ſignal preſervations and deliverances from all the machinations of wicked men, and in his time reſt and ceſſation of perſecutions, peaceable aſſemblies and opportunities of ſerving him.
11. Light is ſown for the righteous, and gladneſs for the upright in heart.
Paraphrase. 11. For though the ſervice of God under the Goſpel have an annexation of tribulations, which muſt be expected, and chearfully ſupported in this life, being diſpenſed by the divine providence for many falubrious and beneficial ends, yet is there that ſeed and foundation of joy and abundant delight to all honeſt and truly pious hearts ſown there, that ſhall not fall to bring forth all comfortable and bleſſed effects to them even in this life, by the practice of Chriſtian vertues, by the comforts and peace of conſcience, and that lively hope that is afforded to all faithfull obedient diſciples, and over and above, after this life, the fruition of endleſs bliſs and glory.
12. Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holineſs.
Paraphrase. 12. This therefore is matter of the greateſt exultation, and thankſgiving, and commemoration of God's infinite goodneſs and mercy to all truly pious men.
Annotations on Pſal. XCVII.
foreignV. 2. Habitation of his throne] From foreign and foreign prepared, fitted, confirmed, is foreign here, uſed for a place, ſeat, but eſpecially a baſis whereon any thing is ſet: from whence the LXXII. had their foreign (the very Hebrew foreign) for baſis, 1 King. 7.27. The Chaldee here retains the Original foreign, but the LXXII. from the notion of the verb for fitting, reade foreign the ſetting right of his throne; the Syriack by way of paraphraſe, by equity and judgment foreign thy throne is confirmed: all which concurr to the notion of baſis and foundation, which is the thing which gives the rectitude firſt, and then the ſtability, to the chair or throne that is ſet on it. And ſo that is without queſtion the right, intelligible rendring of the phraſe, Righteouſneſs and judgment are the (not habitation, but) baſis of his throne, i. e. his ſentences, decrees, judicatures are all built upon righteouſneſs and judgment, as a throne is built and eſtabliſhed on a foundation. The Jewiſh Arab renders it foreign the condition, ſtate, or manner.
foreignV. 7. Gods.] That foreign ſometimes ſignifies Angels hath been formerly noted. And that in this place it doth ſo, and not as it doth afterward v. 9. and Pſal. 96.4, 5. the Gods of the Gentiles, the Idol falſe Gods, or as here the Chaldee underſtand it, foreign all the nations that ſerve Idols, is manifeſt not onelyonly by the LXXII. that render it foreign his Angels, and the Syriack foreign to the ſame ſenſe, and ſo the Latin, &c. but eſpecially by the Apoſtle, Heb. 1.6. where ſpeaking expreſly of Chriſt's preeminence above Angels, and bringing teſtimonies of it out of Scripture, he adds that foreign, when it, i. e. the Scripture, would introduce the firſt born, i. e. the Meſſias, into the world, i. e. that ſuperiour world call'd foreign the world to come, c. 11.5. foreign, it ſaith, foreign, and let all the Angels of God worſhip him. Which words being evidently taken from the LXXII. in this place, as they convince foreign here to ſignifie Angels, ſo they are a key to admit us into the full importance of this whole Pſalm, that it is the introducing the Meſſias into heaven, a deſcription of Chriſt's middle coming, ſo frequently ſtyled in the New Teſtament foreign the coming or preſence (as here v. 5.) of the Son of man, and the kingdom of God, and of heaven, viz. his aſcent thither, and ſo entring on his regal power, v. 1. which he was to exerciſe there. To which therefore are annext the effects thereof on thoſe that would not permit or allow him to reign over them, deſtroying the obſtinate rebels, both Jews and Gentiles, and giving all cauſe of rejoycing to all that received the faith, and ſubjected themſelves to his Government. That this ſo uſefull a key to this Pſalm may not be wreſted from us, it is not amiſs to take notice, that ſome ſhew of probability there is, that the words Heb. 1.6. may be taken from Deut. 32.43. (and not from this Pſalm) where the LXXII. reade theſe very words, foreign, Let all the Angels of God worſhip him. But firſt, the Hebrew in that place hath no ſuch words, but onelyonly theſe, foreign, which the Chaldee, and Syriack, and Samaritan, and Arabick, and Vulgar Latin, all with exact accord, render, Praiſe his people, ye Gentiles, (or proclaim, depredicate his people, promulgate God's ſpecial favour to them) for which the cauſe is rendred in the next words, for he will avenge the bloud of his ſervants, whereas the LXXII. as our Copies now have it, preſents us with this great variety, no leſs than four expreſs Scholions, for this one plain ſenſe, foreign, Rejoyce ye heavens together with him, and let all the Angels of God worſhip him; Rejoyce ye Gentiles with his people, and let all the ſons of God be ſtrong to him. Of theſe it may be obſerved, that as onelyonly the firſt and the third pretend to be rendrings of the Hebrew, and the ſecond and fourth paraphraſes or explications of their meaning in them; ſo the falſe reading of foreign with him for foreign his people, hath begotten them both. For having rendred that in the former, foreign, together with him, they have converted foreign nations into foreign heavens, then annext the ſecond to render an account of that, let all the Angels of God worſhip him, ſignifying the Angels worſhipping him to be that which they meant by the heavens rejoycing together with him, and ſo thoſe heavens, thoſe Angels in them, to be the foreign the nations there called to, to praiſe or rejoyce with him. In the third they have rendred foreign by foreign, rejoyce ye nations, (which differs but lightly from praiſe or proclaim ye Gentiles) but then again for foreign his people, they reade foreign with his people, which is the conjunction of foreign and foreign both. As for foreign let all the Angels of God worſhip him, it is ſo far from having any the leaſt affinity with the words in the Hebrew, that 'tis no way probable that it was in the original Copies of the Greek, (but onelyonly by ſome Scribe caſt into the margin, from this Pſalm) it being certain that none of thoſe ancient Tranſlatours, which uſe to follow the LXXII. do follow it in this. This conſideration therefore will render it very unreaſonable to fetch thoſe words, (which the Apoſtle citeth out of the Scripture) from this place of Deuteronomy, where the original Text hath nothing like it, and which the Hebrews, to whom the Epiſtle was written, did know was not to be found in the Hebrew, when this Text in the Pſalm in the Hebrew, as well as Greek, did ſo readily afford it. Secondly, this citation Heb. 1. coming in conſort with many other teſtimonies of the Old Teſtament, 'tis obſervable that all the reſt of the teſtimonies (ſave onelyonly that of I will be to him a father, and he ſhall be unto me a ſon, which ſeems to be taken from 2 Sam. 7.14. where they are ſpoken of Solomon the ſon of David, a ſpecial type of Chriſt) are taken out of this one book of Pſalms, Thou art my ſon, this day have I begotten thee, v. 5. from the expreſs words Pſal. 2.7. Who maketh his Angels ſpirits, &c. v. 7. from Pſal. 104.4. Thy throne, O God, is for ever, &c. v. 8, 9. from Pſal. 45.6, 7. Thou Lord, in the beginning, &c. v. 10, 11, 12. from Pſal. 102.25, 26. Sit thou on my right hand, &c. v. 13. from Pſal. 110.1. And therefore in all probability from the ſame book of Pſalms, and therein from the expreſs words in this Pſalm, this teſtimony was cited by the Apoſtle.
V. 11. Light] R. Solomon reads foreign here in the notion of a plant, foreignor herb, as we have it Iſai. 26.19. foreign the dew of herbs, and 2 King. 4.39. where the LXXII. reade foreign, a corruption of the Hebrew foreign. If this might be admitted, it would be appliable to the Germen David, which was to ſpring up as a tender plant. But the conjunction with gladneſs here, gives it the ordinary notion of light, which is ſo gladſome, and ſo fitly uſed for joy, (as darkneſs for ſorrow) the ſeed whereof is little, ſaith Aben Ezra, but the harveſt great; which R. Saadiah interprets, the ſeed is in this world, but the harveſt in that to come. The Jewiſh Arab reads, Light is poured forth to the righteous.