Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 23
The Twenty Third PSALM.
A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Twenty Third Pſalm was compoſed by David, and is a moſt paſſionate expreſſion of Gods abundant care and providence toward all thoſe that faithfully depend on him: (And hath its moſt eminent completion in Chriſt, the great ſhepheard and Biſhop of our ſouls, of whom that this Pſalm is a Prophecy, ſee Maximus foreign. l. 3. c. β. and l. 2.55. &c.)
1. The Lord is my ſhepherd; I ſhall not want.
Paraphrase. 1. The Lord my God is to me (and all that diligently wait on him) as a Paſtor is to his flock of ſheep, ‖foreign the Lord hath fed his people in the wilderneſs, Chald.though it be in a wilderneſs; he is able to provide for me, I ſhall not be left deſtitute.
2. He maketh me to ly down in green paſtures; he leadeth me beſide the ſtill waters.
Paraphrase. 2. He provideth abundantly both for my food and refreſhment.
3. He ‖or refreſheth, ſee note on Pſal. 19. c.reſtoreth my ſoul; he leadeth …he in the paths of righteouſneſs for his names ſake.
Paraphrase. 3. He revives and refreſhes and comforts me by his ſpirit, affords me a full and plenteous baite, and thereby enables me for the hardſhip of a journey; (as he did Elias, 1 King 19.8.) and then leads me forth in the even paths of pious duties, gently and carefully, as I am able to goe; by this means directing me to that true felicity even of this life, the exerciſing my ſelf, and guiding my ſteps by his excellent laws, and rules of living: and this out of his free mercy to me, the greateſt and moſt valuable that any mortal is capable of.
4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the ſhaddow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me: thy rod and thy ſtaffe they comfort me.
Paraphrase. 4. And though this courſe ſhould engage me in the greateſt diſtreſſes, the loweſt depreſſion of ſadneſs, the moſt palpable darkneſs of deſpair, yet am I chearfully reſolved not to be diſcouraged therewith, or to apprehend 'twill make me miſerable, being confident of the continuance of this ſpecial guard about me, and that, as a ſhepherd ſtill, thou wilt keep me from ſtraying from thee, and protect me from all dangers.
5. Thou prepareſt a table before me in the preſence of mine enemies: thou anointeſt my head with oyle; my cup runneth over.
Paraphrase. 5. Nay more, thou giveſt me that treatment of the moſt indulgent poſſeſſor, 2 Sam. 12.3. that admitted his beloved lamb unto his table, to eate of his bread, and drink of his cup with him; thou ommitteſt no expreſſion of reſpect and tender love to me. By this means thou provideſt all plenty for me, maugre the malice of my enemies, who grieve to ſee the riches of thy bounty to me, and care over me. Thou entertaineſt me with wine and oyle in the moſt feſtival manner, affordeſt me, not only in a ſufficient, but in a moſt plentiful degree, all things that are for the advantage, as well as ſupport, both of my body and ſoul.
6. Surely, ‖benignity foreign or ſhallgoodneſs and mercy ſhall follow me all the dayes of my life; and I † will dwell in the houſe of the Lord *for length of dayes. foreignfor ever.
Paraphrase. 6. And I cannot doubt but this bounty and ſuper-abundant mercy of thine ſhall continue to me all my dayes; and, for my return to thee, I ſhall moſt diligently frequent the publick Aſſembly of thy ſaints and ſervants, whereſoever the Ark is placed, and there bleſs and praiſe thy name, and addreſs my prayers to thee, as long as I live. (And this is a farther addition to the felicities of my life, that thou wilt afford me this honourable and glorious way of inhabiting in thy ſanctuary, and moſt amicably converſing with thee.) Or to crown all this, thou ſhalt enfold me at laſt in that beſt of ſheep-coats, that place of equal purity and ſafety, where no unclean or ravenous beaſt can come; there ſhall I reſt, and there abide for ever.
Annotations on Pſal. XXIII.
foreignV. 5. Runneth over] The LXXII. for foreign exuberant, read foreign, inebriating: but this is their ordinary uſe of the word foreign, for drinking liberally, not being intoxicated or drunk. The word foreign ſignifies moiſt, watered, and (watering being a means of making ground fertile) plentiful, exuberant, and ſo is fitly applied to the feſtival cup here. But to this the LXXII. add foreign; the Latine, quam praeclarus eſt? how excellent is it? This they do, by taking the beginning of the next verſe, and adding it to the end of this, foreign,foreign which they therefore render, how good? But that belongs to the conſequent words, and ſo is rendred by the Chaldee foreign but goodneſs or benignity, and ſo the Syriack and the Arabick; who yet finding foreign, in the verſion of the LXXII. render that there, inebriating as pure wine, accounting that the meaning of foreign, beſt, the wine which hath no daſh of water being ſuch. In this place the LXXII. read foreign, thy cup, and from them the Arabick and Aethiopick; but the Hebrew hath foreign my cup, foreignand ſo the Chaldee and Syriack and Latine; and St. Hierome in his Epiſtle to Sunia and Fretella, ſaith, that in the edition of the LXXII. it was my cup, and that thy cup was an error of the Scribes.
V. 6. foreignDwell] foreign which the interlinear regularly renders, I ſhall return, from foreign which is commonly taken in that ſenſe, is by all the antient Interpreters rendred I ſhall dwell, foreign in the Chaldee, foreign, in the LXXII. and ſo in the reſt, from a ſecond notion of foreign to inhabit, in which we have it, Jer. 42.10. foreign. We render it, if ye ſhall ſtill abide, and the Chaldee foreign if by dwelling ye ſhall dwell, and ſo the LXXII. foreign, if ye ſhall ſurely abide, and the Arabick, if ye ſhall remain firm, and the Latine, ſi quieſcentes permanſeritis, if ye ſhall abide quiet, and ſo the Syriack alſo. Thus 2 Sam. 19.32. foreign in his abiding, the Chaldee again foreign in his dwelling at Mahanaim. And that thus it was taken here, is much more probable from their general conſent, than that they read (as ſome imagine) foreign from foreign and not foreign from foreign, it being ordinary for words of ſo near alliance, as are foreign to dwell, foreign to return (and I may add foreign to reſt) to change ſignifications, the one with the other, and ſo to ſignifie the ſame thing; eſpecially when 'tis remembred, that he that is returned to a place, is ſuppoſed to abide for ſome time, and ſo to inhabit there.