Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 113
The Hundred and Thirteenth PSALM.
‖HallelujahPraiſe ye the Lord.
The hundred and thirteenth is a thankfull commemoration of the glory and condeſcenſions of God, and the great and ſignal works of his providence to the moſt afflicted abject creatures (never more diſcernible than in the work of redemption) and from the matter of it was by the Hebrews ſtyled, as the two former, Hallelujah. (See note a. on Pſal. 106. and 111.
1. PRaiſe, O ye ſervants of the Lord, praiſe the name of the Lord.
Paraphrase. 1. All faithfull ſervants of God are moſt nearly concerned and obliged chearfully to celebrate and commemorate the great and glorious and gracious works of God.
2. Bleſſed be the name of the Lord from this time forth for evermore.
Paraphrase. 2. To him therefore be all poſſible praiſe and glory aſcribed both now and to all eternity.
3. From the riſing of the Sun to the going down of the ſame the Lord's name is to be praiſed.
Paraphrase. 3. From one end of the heathen world unto the other (ſee Mal. 1.11.) his mercies and goodneſs to mankind (eſpecially that great Evangelical mercy, the gift of Chriſt) ſhall be ſolemnly proclaimed and promulgated.
4. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
Paraphrase. 4. The power and dominion of God is paramount, the greateſt Empires in the world are all ſubordinate to him; He is the one ſupreme Lord over all the world, and not onelyonly of this one people which is called by his name: And though the higheſt heavens be the ſpecial place of his manſion, yet his glory is infinitely greater than to be incircled or comprehended by them.
5. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who †exalteth himſelf to dwell.dwelleth on high,
6. *Who humbleth himſelf to behold in heaven and in earth.Who humbleth himſelf to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth?
Paraphrase. 5, 6. And above all other ways of expreſſion, herein is he moſt incomparable, that ſitting in the higheſt heavens in the greateſt majeſty, he is pleaſed to deſcend to this low ſtate of ours, to viſit us here below in the greateſt humility (not onelyonly by overſeeing, overruling and governing the affairs of this lower world, but by aſſumption of our fleſh pitching his tent among us, and ſo corporally viſiting us, in the incarnation of the Son of God.)
7. He raiſeth up the poor out of the duſt, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill,
8. That he may ſet him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9. He ‖ſetteth the barren in a family a—maketh the barren woman to keep houſe, to be a joyfull mother of children. Praiſe ye the Lord.
Paraphrase. 7, 8, 9. And as this God of heaven hath been pleaſed thus to deſcend and humble himſelf to us, ſo is he graciouſly pleaſed to exalt thoſe that are humbled, and from the loweſt pitch of worldly vileneſs and deſolation to advance ſometimes to the higheſt dignities, even to that of the royal throne, 1 Sam. 2.8. at other times to diſpenſe other ſeaſonable mercies, children to the barren Sarah and Hannah, a…d many the like (but eſpecially the gift of grace, and of more grace to the humble, the glad tidings of the Goſpel to the poor.) For which we are all obliged to pay him our Hallelujahs.
Annotations on Pſal. CXIII.
V. 5. Dwelleth on high] The Syntaxis in this place is very poetical, and a very diſcernible foreign in it.foreign foreign and foreign are acknowledged to be in exact oppoſition one to the other, the firſt from foreign high, is exalting himſelf, the latter from foreign lowly, humbling himſelf. And proportionably foreign and foreign in heaven and earth muſt be oppoſed alſo, and the one joyned with his exaltation as the term of that, and the other with his humiliation as the term of that: and then the like decorum being obſerved betwixt dwelling, and ſeeing or beholding (the higher being proper for the habitation, but the lower being accommodated to the works of his providence, ſignified by ſeeing) the conſtruction will be regularly thus, who is like unto Jehovah our God, who exalteth himſelf foreign to heaven foreign to inhabite or dwell there, and yet humbleth himſelf (at the ſame time) foreign to the earth foreign to ſee, behold, or order all things therein by his providence and his grace? An obſervation which hath always had truth in it from the beginning of the world, but then moſt ſignally, when the Meſſias, the ſupreme God of heaven, came to viſit us here on earth in ſo great humility. Of this kind of compoſition there want not examples: ſee Cant. 1.5. I am black, but comely, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon; i. e. black as the tents of Kedar, but fair as the curtains of Solomon. So Deut. 32.42. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my ſword ſhall devour fleſh, with the blood of the ſlain and of the captives: where the ſenſe exacts this other placing, I will make my arrows drunk with blood, the blood of the ſlain, and my ſword ſhall devour the fleſh of the captives— So Rom. 1.12. the righteouſneſs of God is revealed foreign from faith to faith, i. e. the righteouſneſs of God by faith is revealed to faith, or that men might believe: ſee Note b. on that Chapter. To this ſenſe I conceive all the ancient tranſlators had reſpect, the Chaldee rendring it foreign who exalted his habitation that he may dwell, and lets down his eyes that he may ſee in heaven and in earth; but the LXXII. more expreſly, foreign, who dwelleth in the heights, and beholdeth the things that are below in the heaven and in the earth; and ſo the Syriack, who ſitteth on high, and beholdeth or looketh foreign on that which is deep or low (not as the Latin reads coelum & terram, the heaven and earth; but) foreign &c. on heaven and earth. In all which rendrings the letting down the eyes, the beholding the things that be low or deep, cannot be common to the heaven and earth, but is proper to the earth in oppoſition to heaven. For as for the notion of foreign for the regions of the air, foreignit cannot probably have place here, any more than v. 4. where his glory is ſaid to be above the heavens, to expreſs the infiniteneſs of it, by its ſuperiority to the higheſt of all creatures, which conſequently muſt be reſolved to be the higheſt heavens, and not the air, which is much inferiour to them. If this ſhould ſeem to be too unuſual and violent an hyperbaton, then the meaning muſt be, that although God be high in his throne of glory, yet he condeſcends to the managery of the whole fabrick, ſtoops down to behold the things on earth, and by as great a condeſcenſion, looks on thoſe in heaven; his glory therein approving it ſelf to be above the heavens, becauſe his beholding the tranſactions there is a deſcending or looking down.
V. 9. Keep houſe] The word foreign houſe, foreignis ſometimes beſt rendred family: ſo Gen. 7.1. Go thou and all foreign thy family into the Ark. So Exod. 1.21. God made for the midwives, foreign families, 2 Sam. 7.11. God ſhall make foreign a family, i. e. give thee children. And ſo here ſpeaking of God's mercy to the poor and lowly, and inſtancing in foreign the barren, childleſs woman, foreign ſettling her an houſe, muſt be giving children, and ſo will moſt intelligibly be rendred, ſettleth the barren in a family,; and then to it will beſt accord what follows, foreign a joyfull mother of children, there being no ſuch matter of joy to a barren woman, as that of having children. The Jewiſh Arab quite leaving out foreign in his tranſlation, renders it, and that maketh the barren woman a joyfull mother of children; as thinking it included in the ſenſe. A phraſe very nigh unto this we had Pſal. 68.7. foreign, where the ſpeech being of ſolitary perſons, widows, &c. and foreign ſignifying adverbially, at home, the rendring was ſomewhat to differ from this, as the ſenſe did.