Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 147
The Hundred and Forty Seventh Pſalm.
‖Hallelujah.Praiſe ye the Lord.
The hundred forty ſeventh Pſalm (which is divided into two by the Greek and Latin, &c.) is a ſolemn form of magnifying God in his works of power and mercy, and ſeems to have had for its title the cloſe of the former Pſalm, Hallelujah, and to have been compoſed after the return from the Captivity, v. 2.
1. PRaiſe ye the Lord: for it is good to ſing praiſes unto our God; for it is pleaſant, and praiſe is comely.
Paraphrase. 1. Many motives there are to excite and ſtir up all to the magnifying the name of God. 'Tis a piece of ſervice moſt acceptable in his ſight; 'tis to them that perform it moſt pleaſant and delightfull, and that which beſt becomes us to pay to him, and him to receive and expect from us, who have our whole being from him.
2. The Lord doth build up Jeruſalem: he gathereth together the out-caſts of Iſrael.
3. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
Paraphrase. 2, 3. To this we are farther ingaged by his preſent deliverances: for though Jeruſalem and the Temple of God there, the ſtate and Church, have been ſadly waſted; yet hath God been pleaſed to return our captivity, to recollect our diſperſions, and reſtore us to our homes and his Temple, the chearfull performance of his divine ſervice, and ſo to refreſh and revive us, to cure the diſeaſes and wounds, to remove the ſorrows of our ſouls.
4. He telleth the number of the ſtars, and calleth them all by their names.
Paraphrase. 4. So likewiſe his omniſcience and omnipotence exact our acknowledgments and adorations. The ſtars of heaven, which are ſo impoſſible to be numbred by us, Gen. 15.5. that they are compared and joyned with the ſand which is upon the ſea ſhore for multitude, Gen. 22.17. are not onelyonly numbred, but particularly known by God, what powers, qualities, influences there are in every one of them; and as they were all by a word or expreſſion of his will firſt created, ſo are they perfectly at his command, and at the leaſt b…ck or call of his, as ſouldiers at the directions of their General, the whole hoſt of them immediately obeys and doth whatſoever he pleaſes.
5. Great is our Lord, and of great power: ‖of his underſtanding there is no number or computation foreignhis underſtanding is infinite.
Paraphrase. 5. Thus infinite and boundleſs is the power, the knowledge, and the providence of God, which is to us abſolutely incomputable.
6. The Lord lifteth up the meek: he caſteth the wicked down to the ground.
Paraphrase. 6. And theſe doth he exerciſe conſtantly for the ſupport and relief of all humble-minded men, for their ſpiritual advancement in ſtrength and grace, which to them peculiarly he affords in greateſt abundance: but for all proud obdurate ſinners, which perverſely reſiſt him, he is reſolved to reſiſt them, and ſubdue them, and magnifie his power in their deſtruction.
7. †Beg…Sing unto the Lord with thankſgiving: ſing praiſes upon the harp unto our God,
8. Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh graſs to grow upon the mountains.
9. He giveth to the beaſt his food, and to the young ravens that cry.
Paraphrase. 7, 8, 9. O then let us all with tongues and inſtruments of muſick, with all the ſolemneſt expreſſions of our hearts, celebrate thoſe divine excellencies of his, his power, his wiſedom, his goodneſs, and his providence. And here it will be very conſiderable, how in a ſeries and ſucceſſion of wiſe and gracious diſpoſals, he provides for the wants of all creatures here below, eſpecially of thoſe that are otherwiſe moſt helpleſs: he gathereth a multitude of watery clouds into regions of the air, that thoſe may diſtill and drop down moderate ſhowers upon the higher and drier parts of the earth, which have no other ſupply but that of rain; and by ſo doing he provides graſs for thoſe wilder beaſts that feed on thoſe mountainous parts, and are not beholden to the care of man, as other beaſts of the field, ſheep and oxen, &c. are, and conſequently would, without this ſpecial proviſion of his, be utterly deſtitute. And by the …ike way of providence it is, that the young broods of Ravens, which as ſoon as they are hatcht are forſaken and left deſtitute by the old ones, yet by ſome ſecret undiſcernible contrivance of God's (whether by dew falling into their mouths when they gape, or by flies in the air, or worms bred in their neſts, or by ſome other conſtant, though ſecret, courſe of divine providence) are ſufficiently furniſhed with neceſſaries of life by God, out of his unexhauſtible treaſury, their wants are conſidered by him, and certainly ſupplied (ſee Job 38.41.) and are emblems of his ſpecial protection and ſolicitude for thoſe which humbly and faithfully depend on him, when they have no means to provide for themſelves. See Matth. 6.25, 26.
10. He delighteth not in the ſtrength of the horſe: he taketh no pleaſure in the legs of a man.
11. The Lord taketh pleaſure in them that fear him, in them that hope in his mercy.
Paraphrase. 10, 11. In like manner, 'tis not the ſtrength or agility of horſe or man, the military proweſs or other humane excellencies, which recommend a man to God, or have any pretenſe of right to challenge any victories or proſperous ſucceſſes from him; but the fear of God, a conſtant obedience to his commands, and an affiance and truſt and dependance on him, not by any tenure of merit in our ſelves, but onelyonly of free undeſerved mercy in him, is that which hath the aſſurance of acceptance from him, and is bleſt with more eminent proſperities from him, than all other intellectual, or corporal, or even moral excellencies without this.
12. Praiſe the Lord, O Jeruſalem: praiſe thy God, O Sion.
13. For he hath ſtrengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath bleſſed thy children within thee.
14. He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the †fat▪ foreignfineſt wheat.
Paraphrase. 12, 13, 14. At the preſent the whole Kingdom and Church of the Jews are moſt eminently obliged to acknowledge and magnifie the great power and mercy of God, who hath now reſtored peace and plenty and all kind of proſperity unto both, and not onelyonly ſo, but confirmed their ſecurity unto them, fortified them againſt all fears of hoſtile invaſions.
15. He ſendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very ſwiftly.
16. He giveth ſnow like wool: he ſcattereth the hoar froſts like aſhes.
17. He caſteth forth his ice like morſels: who can ſtand before his cold?
18. He ſendeth out his word, and melteth them: he cauſeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
Paraphrase. 15, 16, 17, 18. And this as a work of the ſame omnipotent power which continually ſhews it ſelf to all the men in the world in ſome inſtance or other. They that have not ſuch ſignal miraculous deliverances or reſcues, have yet other moſt convincing evidences of his divine power and providence, which by the leaſt word ſpoken, or appointment given, immediately performs the moſt wonderfull things. Of this ſort there is one vulgar, but yet wonderfull, inſtance, in the coming of great froſts and ſnows, and the vaniſhing of them again: whenſoever he pleaſes, without any viſible mediate cauſe of it, we have great ſnows, that deſcend ſilently, and within a while lie in a great thickneſs as a fleece of white wool upon the ground, and no ſheep is more warmly clad than the earth is by this means. At another time the froſt comes, and ſcatters but a few aſhes as it were upon the ſurface of the earth, and yet by that means the whole ſurface of the earth and waters is congealed into a firmneſs as ſtrong as Cryſtal, able to bear any the greateſt weight, and upon the face of the ground a multitude of ſmall pieces of ice are ſcattered, like morſels of bread, without any appearance of moiſture in them; and the ſeverity of this cold ſo great, that no man can either reſiſt the force of it, or long ſupport it. And when both the earth and waters are thus cruſted, and no humane means can diſſolve it, God doth but ſend out a warm ſoutherly wind, and, as at a word ſpeaking, the ſnow and the froſt immediately melt, and come down in full ſtreams of water upon the valleys. A thing very obſervable, and ſufficient to make known a divine power and providence to all men in the world.
19. He ſheweth his word unto Jacob, his ſtatutes and his judgments unto Iſrael.
20. He hath not dealt ſo with ‖every foreignany nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them. Praiſe ye the Lord.
Paraphrase. 19, 20. But his mercies and diſpenſations unto his Church and people of the Jews are infinitely above the proportion and weight of theſe. He hath made known his will to them, given them very many admirable laws and ordinances, moral, and judicial, and ritual. And herein have they the privilege and advantage above all other nations in the world, who were not vouchſafed ſuch illuſtrious revelations of the will of God as they, till the Meſſias, promiſed to all nations, and not onelyonly to the Jews, ſhould come, and take down the partition, and bring all in common into one pale, and make known to every creature what was before given to the Jews peculiarly, and add more divine precepts of inward purity, and more clear revelations of moſt tranſcendent celeſtial promiſes, than the Jews themſelves had formerly received. For this and all other his infinite goodneſs and mercy, bleſſed be the name of the Lord for evermore.
Annotations on Pſal. CXLVII.
foreignV. 7. Sing] The Hebrew foreign, which the Interlinear renders Reſpondete, may here deſerve to be conſidered. The theme foreign ſignifies either to begin, or anſwer in ſpeaking or ſinging, and ſo may here in lauds, be appliable either to the Praecentor that begins the hymn, or to them that follow, and take up the counterpart. In the firſt ſenſe it is that foreign to anſwer (by which it is ordinarily rendred) is ſometimes uſed where there is no precedent ſpeech to which any reply ſhould be made, and ſo ſimply ſignifies to ſpeak, and not to anſwer, ſee Mar. 2.14. So Exod. 15.21. of Miriam 'tis ſaid, foreign, we reade, ſhe anſwered them, Sing ye to the Lord; but it ſhould be, She began to them in the ſong. The LXXII. duly render it, foreign, ſhe began to them. So Num. 21.17. Iſrael ſang this ſong, Spring up, O well foreign. The LXXII. again reade, foreign, begin. And ſo here, foreign, not Anſwer, but Begin to the Lord in confeſſion or acknowledgement of his power and mercy. And ſo here follows, ſing praiſes upon the harp. The Praecentor beginning with the voice, it was ordinary for the inſtruments to follow to the ſame tune, and key.
foreignV. 9. The beaſt] How foreign in this and other places is to be rendred, and how it critically differs from foreign living creature, is not reſolved among the Hebrews. That which is moſt generally received from Genebrard and Mercer and others, is, that foreign ſignifies a tame beaſt, ſuch as are uſefull among men either for work or food, as Oxen, Sheep, &c. and that foreign ſignifies a wild beaſt: foreignand to this the LXXII. here incline, which render foreign, and the Latin jumentum, by which the tame beaſts are ſignified, thoſe that are uſefull among men: and ſo Pſal. 148.10. foreign wild beaſts are ſet to render foreign the living creatures, and foreign or juments for foreign. But this of the LXXII. their rendring is of no force, becauſe though they do moſt frequently render foreign by foreign, yet ofttimes alſo they render it by foreign wild beaſt. And generally where they do ſo, the context ſhews that wild beaſts are peculiarly meant by it. So Deut. 28.26. thy carcaſs ſhall be food for the fouls of the air, foreign and to the beaſts of the earth, foreign ſay the LXXII. that muſt be to the wild beaſts of the earth, for ſuch onelyonly feed on the fleſh of men or other creatures. So Deut. 32.24. I will ſend the teeth of beaſts upon them; foreign is the Hebrew word, and foreign the Greek, and muſt neceſſarily be interpreted not of the tame, but wild beaſts. See 1 Sam. 17.44. Iſa. 18.6. Jer. 7.33.16.4.19.7. and 34.20. but eſpecially Job 40.10. Behold now foreign, we retain it in our Engliſh Behemoth, but it is reſolved to ſignifie the greateſt of wild beaſts, the Elephant; and then by way of interrogation, will he eat graſs as an oxe? directly to diſtinguiſh him (and ſo the word foreign here) from the tamer beaſts, the one, &c. ſuch as eat graſs and hay, whereas the Elephant is ſaid to feed on the Palm-trees, the trunk and fruits of them, and when thoſe are wanting, their roots, which he digs up. From theſe evidences it is manifeſt, that though foreign ſignifie not in all places peculiarly the wild beaſts, yet that ſignifying all indifferently, it is by the context to be reſolved to which ſort it belongs, either wild or tame, in any particular place. And then it may here be worth obſerving, that the circumſtances confine it (contrary to the LXXII. their rendring) to the wild beaſts, ſuch are thoſe which dwell upon the mountains here (as elſewhere in the woods, or foreſt, or wilderneſs) the tamer being more properly beaſts of the field. And of theſe peculiarly is this paſſage of the Pſalmiſt to be underſtood, how God by his ſpecial providence prepares food for thoſe which have no other care taken for them. Beaſts that live among men, are by men taken care of, they inrich the ground with manure, and with water from ſprings and rivers, and till the ground, and that brings forth corn for the uſe of theſe cattel as well as men: But the wild beaſts that live upon the mountains, and in woods and deſert places, are fed onelyonly from the heavens: the rain that from thence diſtills inricheth thoſe dry hills, and maketh graſs to grow there, which elſe would not, and ſo God giveth to theſe wild beaſts their food after the ſame manner of divine providence, as in the end of the verſe, he is ſaid to provide for the young ravens. Of which ſaith Ariſtotle, Hiſt. Animal. l. 6. foreign the Crow or Raven expoſeth and forſakes her young ones when they are not able to help themſelves, and muſt certainly periſh, if God by his ſpecial care did not provide for them. See Valeſius de ſacra Philoſoph. p. 317. This therefore being the clear deſign of theſe two verſes, 8, and 9. ſpent onelyonly on theſe two inſtances, the wild beaſts and young ravens, which agree in this, that they are left deſtitute of all proviſion but what God ſends them (as a ſhower of Manna) as it were immediately from heaven; it is yet quite deformed by the vulgar reading of it, taken out of ſome copies of the LXXII. which at the end of v. 8. after the mention of the graſs upon the mountains, add foreign, and herb for the ſervice of men, of which there is no leaſt footſtep in the original (nor place in the due rendring of the words as there they lie) nor yet either in the Chaldee or Syriack, and of which therefore we may certainly reſolve, that is was taken in by ſome ignorant Sciolus from Pſal. 104.14. where we find thoſe words, and from the copies of the LXXII. once corrupted, derived to the Latin and Arabick, &c. Of foreign Abu Walid ſaith, that it is ſpoken of four-footed living creatures, yet ſo as that it ſometimes comprehends birds alſo, which muſt be diſcerned by the place. Not unlike is the explication of the Arab. Lexicon, Al Kamus, of foreign, viz. that it is any four-footed living thing, although of ſuch as are in the water, or perhaps any living creature indifferently without diſtinction, i. e. any irrational living creature; but Bahmah from the ſame root is reſtrained to lambs and kids.