Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 140
The Hundred and Fortieth Pſalm.
To the chief Muſician, a Pſalm of David.
The hundred and fortieth is a prayer of David's for deliverance from his malicious treacherous enemies, ſuch as ‖ſee Chaldee paraph. v. 9.Doeg, &c, 1 Sam. 22. or rather the Ziphites, who had undertaken to overthrow his goings, v. 4. ſee 1 Sam. 23.20, and 22. and a prediction of the evils which ſhould fall upon them, the juſt reward of their dealings with him. It was by him appointed for the publick ſervice, and committed to the Prefect of his Muſick.
1. DEliver me, O Lord, from the evil man, preſerve me from the violent man.
2. Which imagine miſchief †or, with foreignin their heart: continually *do they gather or prepareare they gathered together for war.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. O Lord, I come now to thee for thy ſeaſonable relief and reſcue, for wicked and injurious men, whoſe thoughts and actions are wholly ſet on doing of miſchief, are now reſolved to ſet upon me with the greateſt violence, with all their heart as it were.
3. They have ſharpened their tongues like a ſerpent: adders poiſon is under their lips. Selah.
Paraphrase. 3. For this they prepare by ſlanders and malicious forgeries, their weapons are like thoſe of the ſerpent, or moſt venemous vipers, they carry them in their mouths: the tongue of the one is not more ſharp, nor the teeth of the other more poiſonous, than are their words and ſlanderous fictions againſt me. (See Rom. 3.14. Pſal. 58.4.
4. Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preſerve me from the violent man, which have purpoſed to overthrow my goings.
5. The proud have laid a ſnare for me and cords; they have ſpread a net by the way ſide, they have ſet gins for me. Selah.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. Many inſidious and treacherous ambuſhes have they laid for me; no fouler is provided with greater variety of gins, and nets, and ſpringes, than they are with artifices of deceit to ſupplant and ruine me, and theſe they contrive, whitherſoever I goe; ſo that I have no means or hope of ſafety, but by my reſort and appeal to thee, for thy ſafe conduct, to ſecure me through all theſe dangers.
6. I ſaid unto the Lord, thou art my God; hear the voice of my ſupplications, O Lord.
Paraphrase. 6. To thee therefore I humbly addreſs my ſelf, as to a God of mercy, and to me of moſt fatherly care and kindneſs, as well as to a Lord of all power and might, beſeeching thee in mercy to look upon me.
7. O God the Lord, the ſtrength of my ſalvation, thou haſt covered my head in the day of battel.
8. Grant not, O Lord, the deſires of the wicked, ‖or ſuffer not his—to go forth, proceedfurther not his wicked device, leſt they exalt themſelves.
Paraphrase. 7, 8. O thou eternal God, the governour of all, from whoſe power it is that all my preſervations and deliverances come, from thee I acknowledge to have received moſt particular and ſignal protections in all my former dangers: be thou now pleaſed to continue this thy good hand of ſafeguard over me, to blaſt, in ſtead of proſpering, the deſigns of my malicious enemies, and not to allow them that temptation to exalt and elevate themſelves, which good ſucceſſes are wont to give wicked men.
9. As for the head of thoſe that compaſs me about, †the— ſhall cover foreignlet the miſchief of their own lips cover them.
Paraphrase. 9. And ſo I am confident thou wilt doe, and make their wicked deſigns the inſtruments of evil to themſelves (ſee Pſal. 7.15, 16.) and not me.
10. *Burning —ſhallLet burning coals fall upon them: ‖they ſhall belet them be caſt into the fire, into deep pits that they riſe not up again.
Paraphrase. 10. Thy ſevereſt judgements from heaven, ſuch as fell on Sodom, ſhall undoubtedly be their portion, perdition and irreverſible deſtruction.
11. †A ſycophant ſhall not —Let not an evil-ſpeaker be eſtabliſhed on the earth: evil ſhall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
Paraphrase. 11. Such accurſed arts as thoſe, of detraction and rapine, falſeneſs and oppreſſion, ſhall never have a durable proſperity, but continually purſue the author, as the hound a prey, and at length bring certain deſtruction on him.
12. I know that the Lord will *act the—maintain the cauſe of the afflicted, and the ‖plea (ſee note on Pſ. 135.…)right of the poor.
13. Surely the righteous ſhall give thanks unto thy name, the upright ſhall dwell in thy preſence.
Paraphrase. 12, 13. For unqueſtionably God will undertake the patronage of innocent injured perſons, vindicate them from their oppreſſors, defend them ſo ſignally, that they ſhall be able to diſcern 'tis his work, and ſo give him the honour and glory of it, ſupport and ſuſtain ſuch, when their oppreſſors are brought to nothing.
Annotations on Pſal. CXL.
foreignV. 2. Are they gathered together for war] The Hebrew reads foreign from foreign to collect or draw together or congregate; ſo Hab. 1.15. foreign he gathers them into his net: and being here in the active ſenſe, and joyned with wars, it muſt be to prepare, put in order, inſtruere praelia, muſter and ſet their affairs in order for battel. The LXXII. duly render it foreign, they ſet their battels in order; the Chaldee foreign they excite, or inſtigate; and ſo the Syriack alſo.
V. 8. Further not] What was formerly noted of the conjugation Hiphil, that it ſometimes imports not cauſing, but any degree of occaſioning, or but permitting, foreignis here obſervable of foreign from foreign exivit to goe forth. From whence in Hiphil as it ſignifies to bring forth, to advance, ſo alſo to permit to go forth or advance; and ſo the prayer here is, not ſo much that God will not give them a good ſucceſs, as that he will interpoſe to their hinderance, blaſt and fruſtrate their deſigns, in ſtead of permitting them to proſper. To that the Chaldee applies foreign that follows,foreign not in the notion of foreign for at…olli exalting, but for tolli being taken away or deſtroyed, for ſo they reade, foreign they ſhall be taken away or deſtroyed for ever, rendring Selah, as they conſtantly doe, foreign for ever; or perhaps in the notion of foreign to corrupt, or putrifie ſo as to breed worms, Exod. 16.20. they will be corrupted for ever. The LXXII. have ſomewhat deformed this verſe: for foreign deſires, foreignthey reade, as with other points, foreign, from my deſire; for foreign his wicked thought or device, foreign, and ſo rendring it foreign, they thought or reaſoned againſt me; then for foreign ſuffer them not to advance or proſper, foreign, forſake me not, from ſome other ſuppoſed notion of foreign. Yet they ſeem beſt to have rendred foreign they will be exalted, by foreign leſt they be exalted. So v. 9. for foreign the head of thoſe that incompaſs me, they reade (as if it were foreign) foreign, the head of their circuit.
V. 11. Evil-ſpeaker] foreign a man of a tongue, foreignis proverbially a detractor, or Sycophant: So Eccl. 10.11. foreign a man of a tongue, is by the Chaldee rendred foreign one that eats accuſations, the phraſe by which they expreſs a ſycophant; and ſo the ſimilitude of the ſerpent biting doth inforce there. In this place they expreſs it by foreign a delator with …hree-fold or three forked tongue, which is another ſtyle of theirs for a ſycophant, becauſe ſuch a man wounds three at once, the receiver, the ſufferer, and himſelf. Of him it is here ſaid, foreign he ſhall not be eſtabliſhed, in the future, (as all the former verbs v. 9, and 10. may be read,) and not in the imperative; and ſo by way of pronouncing or prediction onelyonly, and not by way of wiſh.