Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 138
The Hundred and Thirty Eighth PSALM.
A Pſalm of David.
The hundred Thirty eighth is a Pſalm of Thankſgiving to God for his mercies, his gracious audiences afforded to the prayers of his lowly ſervants, his powerfull deliverances of them, moſt admirable in the ſight of their heathen enemies: And being firſt compoſed by David, is ſaid by the LXXII. to have been made uſe of by ‖foreign.Haggee and Zachary at the re building of the Temple.
1. I Will praiſe thee with my whole heart: before the Gods will I ſing praiſe unto thee.
2. I will worſhip toward thy holy Temple, and praiſe thy name †abovefor thy loving kindneſs and *abovefor thy truth; for thou haſt magnified thy word above all thy name.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. Bleſſed Lord, thou haſt been exceeding gracious to thy ſervants, and never failed to anſwer them that rely on thee, thy mercies and fidelity are much ſpoken of, thou art known by this title of mercifull and gracious, and one that never fails to perform his part of the Covenant with any. But thou haſt infinitely exceeded all that is or can be either ſaid or believed of thee, thou haſt made us admirable divine promiſes (that eſpecially of giving us thy Son, and in him all things) and wilt certain…y perform them all to the utmoſt importance of them. And now what return ſhall we make unto thee for all this? having nothing elſe, we muſt in all equity pay thee the humbleſt acknowledgments of our very ſouls, and in thy publick aſſembly, in the preſence of the holy Angels, the witneſſes of our performances, and aſſiſtants and partners of our praiſes, bleſs, and laud, and magnifie thy glorious name for all thine abundant mercy toward us.
3. In the day when I cried, thou anſweredſt me, ‖thou ſhalt ſtrengthen foreignand ſtrengthenedſt me with ſtrength in my ſoul.
Paraphrase. 3. Whenſoever I have addreſt by prayer to thee, thou haſt never failed to anſwer me and relieve me; which, together with thine own free promiſe, gives me full confidence to beg and crave thy grace, to ſtrengthen and ſupport my ſoul againſt whatſoever danger, and to reſt ſecure in thee, that thou wilt grant it me.
4. All the Kings of the earth ſhall praiſe thee, O Lord, †or, for they ſhall foreignwhen they hear the words of thy mouth.
5. Yea they ſhall ſing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. Theſe magnificent promiſes of thine, v. 2. ſhall be proclaimed and made known (thy Goſpel preached) to all the world, and thereby the greateſt potentates on earth, they and their kingdoms with them, ſhall at length be brought in to worſhip, and ſerve, and glorifie thee, and in ſo doing, never give over ſinging, and praiſing, and magnifying thy great, and gracious, and glorious works of mercy, thoſe wonderfull diſpenſations of thine in the gift of thy Son, and that gracious divine Law given us by him.
6. *For the Lord is high, and hath— foreignThough the Lord be high, yet hath he reſpect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Paraphrase. 6. The ſum whereof is this, that as the ſupreme God of heaven hath humbled himſelf to this earth and fleſh of ours, ſo he will favourably behold and deal with all lowly, humbled, penitent ſinners, but proceed moſt ſeverely with all proud, obdurate impenitents.
7. Though I walk in the midſt of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou ſhalt ſtretch forth thine hand againſt the ‖noſewrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand ſhall ſave me.
8. The Lord will †perform for me,perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever: *do not thou let goforſake not the works of thine own hands.
Paraphrase. 7, 8. And as for ſpiritual, ſo for temporal mercies, God will not fail to perform them alſo to his faithfull ſervants, whatever their diſtreſſes be, he will relieve or ſupport them, repel and ſubdue and repreſs their enemies, and ſecure them by his immediate divine interpoſition, if humane means do fail: what they are not able, and what indeed belongs not to them to doe for themſelves, he will moſt certainly perform in their ſtead, having begun a work of mercy, he will not leave it imperfect, he will certainly go through with it. Thus doth God abound in mercies of all ſorts to all his humble faithfull ſervants. Lord, be thou thus graciouſly pleaſed to deal with me, and with all thy poor helpleſs creatures, which being made by thee, have none other to fly to but they ſelf.
Annotations on Pſal. CXXXVIII.
foreignV. 1. Gods] Of the notion of foreign firſt for Angels, then for Magiſtrates, Judges, Kings, ſomewhat hath been ſaid, Note on Pſal. 82. b. Now to which of theſe it ſhall be applied in this place, is not agreed among the ancient Interpreters. The Chaldee reads foreign Judges, the Syriack foreign Kings, the Jewiſh Arab, the Nobles, but the LXXII. (and the Arabick and Aethiopick and Latin follow them) foreign Angels. And conſidering that in the next words v. 2. he mentions worſhipping toward the foreign (not temple, if it were, as the title directs, compoſed by David, but) palace of holineſs, i. e. the Sanctuary, where the Cherubims of glory, repreſentations of Angels, ſhadowed the mercy-ſeat, Heb. 9.5. and that in that houſe of God, and houſe of prayer, the Angels were preſent, according to that of Saint Chryſoſtome, foreign, thou ſingeſt and chanteſt with the angels, and on this place, foreign, I will ſtrive to ſing with the Angels, contending with them in this holy ſtrife and emulation, who ſhall praiſe him loudeſt, joyning in quire with the ſupernal powers; 'tis not improbable that this ſhould be the notion of the word in this place, and ſo ſinging praiſes to God before the Angels, be the praiſing him in the Sanctuary appointed for his worſhip, and where by his Angels he is preſent to his worſhippers. So Eccleſ. 5.6. Say not before the Angel, viz. the Angel that is preſent in the houſe of God, v. 1. So Agrippa (in Joſephus de Bell. Jud. l.ii.c.xvi.) ſpeaking to the people near the Temple, ſaith foreign, I call your Sanctuary to witneſs, and the holy Angels of God, thoſe that are there preſent, (Angelus orationis, ſaith Tertullian de Orat. the Angel of prayer) which the Jews believe to be preſent with them, and meet them, and praiſe God with them in their Synagogues; and of which that ſpeech heard in the Temple, before the deſtruction of it by Titus, is moſt probably to be underſtood, Migremus illinc, Let us depart thence. The LXXII. render foreign before, by foreign over againſt, referring probably to the way of alternate ſinging, one part of the quire ſinging over againſt and anſwering the other, ſinging together by courſes, Ezra 3.11. and that S. Chryſoſtom's foreign contention, and foreign emulation, and foreign joyning in quire with the Angels ſeems to refer to. In the end of this firſt verſe the LXXII. add, above what is in the Hebrew, foreign, becauſe thou haſt heard all the words of my mouth, which the Latin affix to the firſt part of the verſe, Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo, quoniam audiſti verba oris mei, I will confeſs to thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, becauſe thou haſt heard the words of my mouth. But this is ſure ſome Scholion, which crept from the margin into the text, and is not owned either by the Chaldee or the Syriack.
V. 2. Magnified thy word] For word here the copies of the LXXII. which now we have and which S. Hierom, S. Auguſtin, S. Hilary, S. Chryſoſtom and Theodoret uſed, read foreign, thy holy; which therefore the Latin joyning with foreign name, reade, magnificaſti ſuper omne, nomen ſanctum tuum, thou haſt magnified thy holy name above all; and ſo the Arabick, thy holy name above all things. But in all probability foreign and foreign being ſo near, the true original reading of the LXXII. was foreign word or ſpeech, by which they render the Hebrew foreign no leſs than five and twenty times,foreign and never by foreign, ſave in this one place. However it be, the Syriack as well as Chaldee adhere to the Hebrew, and reade the one foreign thy word, the other foreign the words of thy praiſe. All the difficulty will be, what is meant by God's magnifying his word. His word, being here annext to loving kindneſs and truth, muſt needs be that part of his word to which theſe two are applicable, i. e. his promiſe, the matter whereof is mercy or loving-kindneſs, and in the performance of which is truth or fidelity. And then to magnifie this word of promiſe ſeems to ſignifie two things; 1. the making very great and excellent promiſes, and then 2. the performing them moſt punctually, (and ſo that double meaning of the phraſe will be perfectly anſwerable to the foreign and foreign benignity and fidelity foregoing:) and the doing it foreign above all his name, foreignis promiſing and performing moſt ſuperlative mercies, above all that is famed or ſpoken or believed of God. This will be yet more manifeſt,foreign if we render the foreign twice uſed in the former part of the verſe, not for (proportionably to the LXXII. their foreign with the Dative caſe) but above (proportionable to their uſe of it with an Accuſative) as in this place it is acknowledged to ſignifie. For then thus it will run, I will worſhip, &c. and praiſe thy name above thy loving-kindneſs, and above thy truth; i. e. 'twill be too low, too ſhort a compellation, to call thee mercifull or veracious, or ſtyle thee after any other of thy Attributes, thou art all theſe, and more than ſo, thou haſt magnified thy word, given and performed moſt glorious promiſes, above all thy name, above all that men have apprehended or ſpoken of thee. The Jewiſh Arab reads, I will give thanks unto thy name for thy bounty and beneficence, ſeeing thou haſt magnified above all thy Attributes, (or thy deſcription, or whereby thou art deſcribed) thy word. And in this ſenſe, though not from the importance of thy word for the eternal Word, or Son of God, this Verſe and Pſalm may reaſonably be interpreted of God's mercies in Chriſt, ſo far above what could be famed, or ſaid, or believed, or apprehended of him.
V. 5. foreignWays] What is here meant by in the ways of the Lord hath ſome difficulty. foreign hath many ſignifications. 1. Its local importance for a way by which we paſs, and then the ways of the Lord, will mean the coming to worſhip at Jeruſalem, foretold in ſeveral of the Prophets; and then ſinging there will be very proper, becauſe in the march to Jeruſalem at the ſolemn feaſts, the people were accuſtomed thus to entertain themſelves with ſinging the praiſes of God. 2. 'Tis taken for the Law, as was obſerved on Pſal. 119. Note a. and in that ſenſe it will well cohere with the end of the foregoing verſe, the Kings, &c. ſhall praiſe thee, when they hear the words of thy mouth; Yea they ſhall ſing in the ways of the Lord, rejoyce and praiſe his name, and ſolace themſelves in the Law of God. 3. 'Tis taken for the manner of God's diſpenſations, his nature, and attributes, and dealing with men, according to the requeſt of Moſes, that God would ſhew him his way, Exod. 33.13. And this alſo will be a convenient rendring in regard of the ſubſequent verſes, though the Lord be high, yet hath he reſpect to the lowly, &c. And the full ſenſe will be compounded of all theſe, that in the ſerving of God, in conſidering his dealings to us, and performing obedience to him, they ſhall rejoyce, and bleſs his name, and chearfully entertain themſelves.
V. 7. The wrath] Of the notion of foreign for a noſe, foreignſee Pſal. 135. Note b. and ſo the Interlinear renders it here, ſuper naſum, upon the noſe; ſo the Chaldee, foreign thou ſhalt put thy hand upon the noſe. Thus in our common ſpeech, to lead one by the noſe, imports a perfect rule over him that is ſo dealt with; and in a like proverbial ſpeech, to put a hook into the noſtrils ſignifies reſtreining of the inſolent, Iſa. 37.29. And ſo it will fitly ſignifie here, foreign thou ſhalt put thy hand upon the noſe of mine enemies, repreſs, and turn them which way thou pleaſeſt. The Jewiſh Arab reads foreign, which, according to the common uſe of the word, ſignifies in our Engliſh uſual expreſſion, in ſpite of the noſe of mine enemies.
V. 8. Perfect that which concerneth me] The Hebrew here reade foreign ſhall perform for me; foreignſo Pſal. 57.2. the Lord foreign which performeth for me. The Chaldee here expreſs it by way of paraphraſe, foreign &c. the Lord ſhall repay evil to them for me, and ſo the LXXII. foreign, Lord, thou ſhalt repay or retribute in my ſtead: and ſo the word foreign will poſſibly bear, being interpretable either to a good or ill ſenſe, but here by the context inclined to the ill ſenſe, puniſhing the enemies foregoing, as in that other place Pſal. 57.2. 'tis by the LXXII. rendred in a good ſenſe, foreign doing good to him. But the word foreign in the cloſe,foreign from foreign to ſlacken or let go, either what we hold in our hand, or are in purſuit of, makes it probable that foreign is here to have its primary notion of perfecting, performing or making good, according to that frequent form of prayer, that God will perfect the work of mercy begun, or taken in hand by him. Abu Walid explains it, by ſhall perfect or complete his goodneſs on or towards me, and ſaith that foreign here ſignifies foreign on me, or towards me.