Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 124
The Hundred Twenty Fourth PSALM.
A Song of ‖aſcents.Degrees of David.
The hundred twenty fourth is an acknowledgment of God's aſſiſtance, and a thankfull commemoration of the deliverances wrought ſignally by him. It ſeems firſt to have been compoſed by David upon his deliverances from the hands of Saul, and after of Abſalom, and being very applicable, was appointed to be ſung by the Levites after the return from the Captivity, and is very agreeable to any other eminent deliverance wrought by God for his ſervants.
1. IF it had not been the Lord who was on our ſide, now may Iſrael ſay,
2. If it had not been the Lord who was on our ſide, when men roſe up againſt us,
3. They had ſwallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled againſt us.
4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the †torrent foreignſtream had gone over our ſoul.
5. Then *it had pa… over our ſoul, even ſwelling or proud waters.the proud waters had gone over our ſoul.
Paraphrase. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. It is now full time to look back with humility and thankfulneſs on the dangers and miſeries we have paſt, and devoutly to acknowledge to whom our whole deliverance is to be imputed. 'Tis now moſt evident to us, that the miſchief deſigned us was no leſs than utter ruine and deſtruction, that the power of the deſigners was equal to their malice, and that no humane means were any way able to have reſiſted or diverted them; they were ſo mightily inraged and violently bent againſt us. One onelyonly means there was which could avail us in this condition, the ſupreme, omnipotent, irreſiſtible ſtrength of heaven; and that hath ſignally appeared for us, and reſcued us out of this ruine.
6. Bleſſed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Paraphrase. 6. His holy and glorious name be now and ever magnified, that he hath not permitted them to have their will, but timely delivered us from their rage.
7. Our ſoul is eſcaped, as a bird out of the ſnare of the foulers: the ſnare is broken, and we are eſcaped.
8. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Paraphrase. 7, 8. And now being ſafely returned from our captivity, we have leiſure to review our former ſtate, the very ſame that the ſilly bird is in, when it is caught in a gin or ſpringe; we were faſt in their hands, they had long purſued their game, and at length were poſſeſt of it, we were taken in their nets. And in this ſeaſonable point of time God came and diſappointed their malice, and reſcued us out of their hands, (David by the death of Abſalom, the Jews by the Perſians breaking the Chaldean Monarchy, to which the deliverance of the Jews was conſequent.) And ſo our deliverance is to be acknowledged as an immediate work of God's interpoſition, and as ſignal an evidence of his overruling power as the creation of the whole world was, when it was wrought by a word of his.
Annotations on Pſal. CXXIV.
V. 5. The proud waters] This verſe is from the Hebrew thus literally to be rendred, foreign Then had it paſt over our ſoul (foreign in the ſingular belonging to the foreign torrent in the former verſe:foreign) then follows by oppoſition foreign ſwelling, lifted up, or proud waters. The word is from foreign to ſwell or boil as water in a pot over the fire, and from thence 'tis applied metaphorically to other things. And by comparing the Arabick, it is probable that the ſignification of the Root is more general, for any encreaſe, or ſuperabundance. The LXXII. here render it foreign, by that phraſe I ſuppoſe meaning very deep waters, either unfordable, where there is no ſtanding, or elſe rapid, againſt which there is no holding out, no reſiſting. The Syriack reade foreign copious, plentifull waters. Thus the meaning is clear, the torrent (v. 4.) had paſt over our ſoul, and that torrent farther expreſt by ſwelling or proud, i. e. great plenty of waters breaking in, for ſuch is a torrent. The Jewiſh Arab tranſlates it, Then they had drowned us as water, and had been as a torrent over our ſouls. The LXXII. here, as in the former verſe, reade foreign, as there foreign, our ſoul paſt through the water, and our ſoul paſt through the torrent; but this, I ſuppoſe, as a paraphraſe, not ſo much to expreſs the condition in, or under, as the eſcape and deliverance out of the danger: but the Hebrew foreign over our ſoul, will not bear that. And the Chaldee and Syriack exactly follow the Hebrew.