Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 135
The Hundred and Thirty Fifth PSALM.
‖Hallelujah.Praiſe ye the Lord.
The hundred thirty fifth is a Pſalm of thankſgiving to God, for all his mercies and deliverances afforded to his people; and was intituled Hallelujah, (ſee note a. on Pſal. 106.)
1. PRaiſe ye the name of the Lord, praiſe him O ye ſervants of the Lord;
2. Ye that ſtand in the houſe of the Lord, in the courts of the houſe of our God.
3. Praiſe ye the Lord, for the Lord is good: ſing praiſes unto his name, for it is pleaſant.
Paraphrase. 1, 2, 3. It is now a ſeaſon of ſinging moſt ſolemn praiſes, and making the moſt humble acknowledgments unto God, for all his goodneſs, and mercy, and grace afforded us. O let all his faithfull ſervants, thoſe eſpecially whoſe office it is to wait at his altar, joyn ardently and uniformly in the performance of ſo joyous and pleaſant a duty.
4. For the Lord hath choſen Jacob to himſelf, and Iſrael for his peculiar treaſure.
Paraphrase. 4. And two things eſpecially are to be the ingredients in our lands: Firſt, that God hath vouchſafed to us the dignity and prerogative beyond all other nations in the world, that of being his own ſpecial care and charge, whom he hath peculiarly choſen and eſpouſed, to pour out his liberalities among us.
5. For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all Gods.
Paraphrase. 5. Secondly, that the power and greatneſs of this our God doth infinitely exceed all that is ſo much as pretended to by all the falſe Idol-deities, which are worſhipped by other nations.
6. Whatſoever the Lord pleaſed, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the ſeas and in all deep places.
Paraphrase. 6. The latter of theſe is evident in the works of his creation and preſervation; all that is or ever was in the ſeveral parts of the univerſe, the heavens, and earth, and ocean, being at firſt produced, and ever ſince continued, by this power of his.
7. He cauſeth the vapours to aſcend from the ends of the earth, he maketh lightnings for the rain, he bringeth the wind out of his treaſuries.
Paraphrase. 7. All the vapours that aſcend from any part of this lower world, are drawn up by means which he in his wiſedom hath appointed for that work, and out of them he frameth in the air meteors of diverſe kinds, clouds that diſſolve in rain, and flaſhes of lightning which often accompany that rain, and yet neither dry up that, nor are quencht by it, (a work of his wonderfull managery) and then the moſt boiſterous winds, which no man can imagin whence they come or whither they go, but onelyonly that they are laid up by God in ſome unknown receptacle, and from thence brought forth when or for what uſes he pleaſeth.
8. Who ſmote the firſt born of Aegypt ‖from man to. foreignboth of man and beaſt.
9. Who ſent tokens and wonders into the midſt of thee, O Aegypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his ſervants.
Paraphrase. 8, 9. And this omnipotent power of his was he pleaſed to interpoſe for us in bringing our anceſtours out of Aegypt, after he had ſhewed forth many prodigies of judgments upon the King and all the people of Aegypt, at length cauſing a ſad lamentation through the whole land, by killing every firſt-born both of Pharaoh the King, and of all other the greateſt and meaneſt inhabitants, and extending the ſtroke even to the firſt-born of cattel, (by which act of ſeverity upon them they were perſwaded to diſmiſs the people out of their land.)
10. Who ſmote great Nations, and ſlew mighty Kings,
11. Sihon King of the Amorites, and Og King of Baſan, and all the Kingdoms of Canaan;
12. And gave their land for an heritage, an heritage unto Iſrael his people.
Paraphrase. 10, 11, 12. So again did he magnifie his tranſcendent controlling power, in ſubduing thoſe gyantly Kings and people, Sinon and the Amorites, Numb. 21.24. and Og the King of Baſan and his army, v. 34, 35. and the whole Kingdom of Canaan, the Kings and all their cities, Numb. 21.3. whom by no power of their own, but by God's delivering them into their hands, v. 2. they utterly deſtroyed. And having thus evidenced his power (which was the latter thing mentioned, v. 5.) he alſo magnified his mercy to us (which was the former thing, v. 4. to which the Pſalmiſt goes back, after the Scripture ſtyle, ſee note on Matt. 7. b.) in giving us this whole land of Canaan, a fruitfull and pleaſant land, for us and our poſterity to injoy by his divine gift▪ as if it had deſcended to us from our fathers.
13. Thy name, O God, endureth for ever, and thy memorial, O Lord, throughout all generations.
14. For the Lord will †plead forjudge his people, and he will repent himſelf concerning his ſervants.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. Thus are the power and bo…ty of our God magnified toward us, and we obliged never to forget either of them, but commemorate them to all ages. For though God for our ſins doth ſometimes juſtly permit us to be oppreſt and diſturbed by our enemies; yet ſuch is his goodneſs and mercy to us ſtill, that upon our returning and repenting, he is pleaſed to return and repent alſo, to pardon our ſins, to take our parts, and avenge us on our enemies. See Deut. 32.36.
15. The Idols of the heathen are ſilver and gold, the work of mens hands.
16. They have mouths, but they ſpeak not; eyes have they, but they ſee not:
17. They have ears, but they hear not; *a noſe, b… there is no breath in their noſtrils.neither is there any breath in their mouths.
18. They that make them are like unto them, and ſo is every man that truſteth in them.
Paraphrase. 15, 16, 17, 18. On the other ſide, the gods of the heathen world, v. 5. are all but lifeleſs in…nimate images, (ſee Pſal. 115, 4, 5, &c.) not able to afford the leaſt aid to any of their …otaries. A ſad reproach that to all thoſe that firſt make, and then pray to, and expect aſſiſtance from them, and an argument that they are but a ſort of ſtocks and ſtones and images themſelves, that can believe in, or hope for good from, ſuch ſenſeleſs pictures of men, whom they worſhip for Gods.
19. Bleſs the Lord, O houſe of Iſrael; bleſs the Lord, O houſe of Aaron.
20. Bleſs the Lord, O houſe of Levi: ye that fear the Lord, bleſs the Lord.
21. Bleſſed be the Lord out of Zion, which dwelleth in Jeruſalem. Praiſe ye the Lord.
Paraphrase. 19, 20, 21. And the ſadder the condition is of ſuch worſhippers, of all the gentile world which is thus infatuated, the more are we of Iſrael obliged to bleſs and magnifie the Lord of heaven, if it be but for that bleſſing beſtowed ſo graciouſly and happily upon us, of reſcuing us out of the blindneſs, and ſottiſhneſs, and utter darkneſs, which poſſeſſeth the hearts of the far greater part of the world. And on this account, as alſo for all other his mercies, it is the ſpecial duty of this whole nation, thus aſſumed by him to be his people, but eſpecially the Prieſts and Levites, and all his faithfull ſervants, whom he hath yet more obliged, ſeparated them from the reſt of this people, and aſſumed them yet nearer to himſelf, to bleſs and praiſe and magnifie his holy and glorious name, to aſſemble together at the place of his ſolemn worſhip, the place where he is pleaſed in a moſt ſpecial manner to reſide, and preſentiate, and exhibit himſelf unto them that addreſs themſelves to him there, and there to ſing continual Hoſannahs and Hallelujahs to him.
Annotations on Pſal. CXXXV.
foreignV. 14. Judge] The Hebrew foreign, from foreign, ſignifies frequently not onelyonly to judge, or give ſentence of puniſhment, but to contend in judicature; and that again, not onelyonly as an accuſer or Plaintiff, in the notion of foreign (anſwerable to it) for ſuing, 1 Cor. 6.1. but alſo as Defendant or Advocate; and ſo 'tis to plead, or take ones part, and patronize his cauſe, and ſo to bring ſentence of mulct or puniſhment againſt the adverſary. In this notion of defending or pleading for, foreign is oft uſed: ſee Pſal. 7.8.10.18.26.1.35.24.43.1.72.4. And ſo is foreign alſo: ſo Gen. 30.6. foreign God hath judged me, ſaith Rachel, and heard my voice, i. e. taken my part, given me a ſon, whoſe name therefore ſhe called Dan, a word from this theme. So Deut. 32.36. whence this whole verſe is verbatim taken. In like manner the nouns, both foreign and foreign, being joyned with foreign doing, are not ſo fitly rendred doing judgment, as pleading a cauſe. So Pſal. 140.12. I know that the Lord foreign will plead the cauſe of the afflicted, foreignand again, foreign the right of the poor. And ſo Pſal. 9.4.foreign foreign thou haſt pleaded my right and my cauſe: to which is there added, thou ſatteſt in the throne judging right; not as the ſame again, but differing from it, as the part of a Judge doth from that of an Advocate, the Pſalmiſt there ſignifying that God had taken both parts, firſt contended for him, then judged the controverſie on his ſide, defended him, and ſo pleaded his cauſe, and overthrown his enemies, which was the paſſing of right judgment for him, for that ſeems to be the full importance of that Verſe. And ſo we know our Saviour is both our Advocate and our Judge; and herein our happineſs conſiſts, that he which is our Judge, is our Advocate alſo. Then for foreign that may be either from foreign to grieve, foreignand then 'tis duly rendred, will repent himſelf; or elſe from another, if not contrary, notion of the ſame word, for taking comfort, and ſo by the LXXII. 'tis rendred foreign ſhall be comforted, and ſo by the Syriack, takes comfort; but by the Latin, deprecabitur. This rendring of the Latin, as it may ſeem to be an imitation of the Greek foreign, but not in the notion of being comforted, but intreated, and ſo to be in a paſſive (though unuſual) ſenſe, deprecabitur, ſhall be deprecated; yet doth it well ſort with the former notion, that of repenting: for ſo God is ſaid to doe, when he is intreated for his people, and removes their puniſhments from them. So the Jewiſh Arab underſtood it, who renders it, will ſpare or pardon his ſervants. And to this notion of repenting the context both here, and Deut. 32.36. (where we have the ſame words) inclines it, viz. God's repenting himſelf of his anger, of which we often reade, i. e. returning to mercy and favour toward thoſe with whom he was formerly diſpleaſed; and ſo the whole verſe ſhall ſignifie God's returning from puniſhing, to aſſiſting and taking the part of his people: and that the Chaldee hath of all others beſt expreſt by foreign he ſhall return in mercies or compaſſions toward his juſt ſervants. And then pleading for, and ſuch returning, do perfectly accord.
V. 17. foreignNeither is there any breath] That foreign ſignifies a noſe is unqueſtionable; and that it ſo ſignifies here, is firſt the affirmation of the Chaldee, who render it foreign noſtrils, and ſo of the Arabick alſo, which thus interprets it, and tranſcribes the following verſe alſo from Pſal. 115. and herein recedes from the LXXII. contrary to their uſe. And ſecondly, when 'tis conſidered that here it comes in conjunction with mouths, and eyes, and ears, there will be leſs doubt of this rendring. And thirdly, when 'tis evident, the foregoing verſes do clearly anſwer the fourth and fifth and part of the ſixth verſe of Pſal. 115. and there follows foreign a noſe to them, or, they have a noſe, and they ſmell not, there will remain no queſtion but ſo it is to be rendred here alſo, foreign a noſe, i. e. a noſe they have, they have no breath in their noſtrils (foreign having no peculiarity to ſignifie the mouth in diſtinction from the noſe) their no breath being fairly equivalent to no ſmelling, no foreign, by which they ſhould foreign ſmell.