Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 13
The Thirteenth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian a Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Thirteenth is a complaint, and prayer in time of great diſtreſs, and withall a confident chearful appeal to, and relyance on God's mercy, compiled by David, and committed to the Praefect of his Muſick.
1. How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
Paraphrase. 1. Bleſſed Lord, thou art pleaſed to withdraw the wonted declarations of thy favour and loving kindneſs from me, to exerciſe me for ſome ſpace, to defer the gracious acceptance of, and anſwer to my prayers: I cannot but think it very long that thou art thus pleaſed to withhold the *foreign ſplendor, Chald.bleſſing beames of thy countenance from me.
2. How long ſhall I take counſel in my ſoul, having ſorrow in my heart daily? How long ſhall mine enemy be exalted over me?
Paraphrase. 2. I am in continual thoughts of ſadneſs, by black melancholick reflections on my preſent deſtitutions; not knowing what to do, which way to turn, whileſt I diſcern thy wonted favours withdrawn from me, and a ſad effect thereof, the prevailing of mine and thine enemies againſt me. O Lord, be thou pleaſed in thy goodneſs to ſet a ſpeedy period to this.
3. Conſider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes, leſt I ſleep ‖death, or to, or, in death, foreignthe ſleep of death;
Paraphrase. 3. Thou, Lord, art my only preſerver and deliverer, my ſole almighty refuge, to whom I may ſucceſsfully reſort: be thou at length pleaſed to reſtore thy favourable countenance, to hear and anſwer my prayers, to grant me ſome refreſhing and reviving in this black ſtate of ſadneſs, which will without thy ſupport ſoon bring me to my laſt; Lord, let me not for ever lye under it.
4. Leſt mine enemy ſay, I have prevailed againſt him, and thoſe that trouble me rejoyce when I am moved.
Paraphrase. 4. If thou continue thus to withhold the merciful revelation of thy ſelf, this will be matter of triumph to them that oppoſe me, and ſo thy Ordinance in me. If they continue thus proſperous, and I thus improſperous, they will think themſelves conquerors over that cauſe which thou doſt own, and ſo that either thou art not able▪ or willing to ſupport thy ſervants: And this will be matter of great rejoycing and boaſting to them if thou … not to check it ſpeedily.
5. But I have truſted in thy mercy; my heart ſhall rejoyce in thy ſalvation.
Paraphrase. 5. This I know thou wilt … and am aſſuredly con…, that as I have conſtantly relyed on thee for ayde, ſo I ſhall have the pleaſure and comfort of being timely delivered by thee.
6. I will ſing unto the Lord, becauſe he hath †rendred good, or dealt well.dealt bountifully with me.
Paraphrase. 6. I have had ſo frequent and conſtant experiences of his goodneſs and mercy toward me, that I cannot doubt of the continuance of them; and therefore I have nothing to do, but thus to comfort and ſtay my ſelf in him, and praiſing him for what I have already received, place my chearful aſſiſtance in him for the future.
Annotations on Pſal. XIII.
foreignV. 3. Lighten mine eyes] what is the meaning of this phraſe, foreign lighten mine eyes] may perhaps be beſt judged by Jonathans ſpeech, 1 Sam. 14.27. who being very hungry and ready to faint, dipt his rod in an honey-comb, and eat of it, and the Text ſaith, his eyes were enlightened, i. e. he was refreſht by it. Dimneſs of ſight is a frequent effect of long faſting, and then eating is the proper means of repairing that decay; and ſo this effect is by metonymie ſet to ſignifie that refection, which cauſeth thi…. See, ſaith Jonathan, v. 29. how mine eyes foreign have been enlightened, becauſe I taſted a little of this honey, i. e. how I have received refreſhment by eating this. There indeed the LXXII. render foreign, mine eyes have ſeen, either reading foreign from foreign to ſee, or more probably, thus to expreſs the meaning more perſpicuouſly; for his eyes ſeeing] was an evidence of their being inlightened, and his being thus refreſht from his hunger: and ſo before, v. 27. foreign, ſay they, his eyes received ſight, or ſaw clearly. This was litterally applicable to David when he came to Nob, 1 Sam. 1. for then being threatned by Saul, aut…riſed by Jonathan to flie, he was ſo diſtreſt by …, that ne was fain to eat the Shewbread. And ſo again in the time of Abſalom's rebellion. David and his Forces were hungry, and weary, and thirſty in the wilderneſs, 2 Sam. 17.29. had not Shobi, and Machir, and Barzillai refreſht, and ſo enlightened their eyes, v. 27, 28. But it may alſo by an eaſie Metaphor be applyed to the political ſtate. When in any time of affliction, expreſt frequently by darkneſs, and gloomineſs, the perſon is relieved or refreſhed, his eyes are ſaid to be inlightened, in proporcion to that refreſhment, that hungry fainting perſons receive by meat. So Ezra 9.8. the reſtitution after captivity, giving them a little reviving in their bondage, is ſtyled, Gods lightening their eyes. And ſo it is in this place, in the midſt of that ſadneſs that now lay on David, parallel to a fainting fit of hunger in the body, or to captivity in a ſtate, which if it were not ſpeedily relieved, would end in death quickly: See more of this Pſalm 19. note e.
foreignV. 6. Dealt bountifully] foreign ſignifies to retribute, whether good or ill, or ſimply to do either; and which it is, the context muſt direct. Here all interpreters agree of the good ſenſe. The Chaldee add foreign good; the XXII. read foreign, and the Latine, bona tribuit, given me good things, and ſo the Arabick and Aethiopick; the Syriack, foreign hath delivered me, and ſo we find it, Pſal. 116.7.119.17. and in many other places, and 'tis indifferently uſed either with foreign on, or foreign to, after it; and ſo 'tis beſt rendred here, hath dealt well with me.