Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 24
The Twenty Fourth PSALM.
A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Twenty fourth Pſalm, compoſed by David on occaſion of bringing the Ark into Sion, is a declaration of Gods dominion over this world, his providential preſence in every part of it, but his ſpecial preſence in the place aſſigned for his worſhip, the Ark of the Covenant; which is therefore joyfully to be received into Sion, and entertain'd by all Iſrael, being moreover a ſignal emblem of Chriſt's aſcenſion into heaven.
1. The earth is the Lords and the fulneſs thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.
2. For he hath founded it upon the ſeas, and eſtabliſhed it upon the floods.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. This whole lower orbe of ours (and not only the heaven, where he is ſaid to dwell) is the Lords, by all right of creation, and providence, and preſervation; and ſo are all the ſorts of creatures, and every particular, with which he hath repleniſht it; the Univerſe, and all the inhabitants thereof, produced at firſt, continued ſince, and every minute preſerved by him: for were it not ſo, this globe whereon we dwell would ſuddenly be overwhelmed and covered with waters. For thus the order of nature would direct; and thus we find in the beginning of the creation, that next under the aire were the waters, encompaſſing, the whole ſurface of the earth, Gen. 1.7. till God reformed this courſe, made ſuch cavities in the earth, as ſhould receive the water into them, and ſuch banks, as ſhould bound and keep it in, and ſuch a law, as ſhould bridle this vaſt Ocean, that it ſhould not break forth, Gen. 1.9. and ſo now by his providence the water is beneath the earth and yet the earth ſtands firm on that fluid body, as upon the moſt ſolid foundation: which is a mighty work of wiſe diſpoſal and contrivance, for the preſervation of mankind; and though once, for the ſins of the old World, theſe waters were appointed to break out, and ſo overwhelmed the whole earth, yet God hath firmly promiſed that they ſhall never do ſo again.
3. Who ſhall aſcend into the hill of the Lord? and who ſhall ſtand in his holy place?
Paraphrase. 3. But though all the whole Univerſe be his, and he effectually preſent in every t… ſmalleſt corner thereof, yet in a more peculiar manner will he exhibit himſelf in Mount Sion, at the placing the Ark of the Covenant in it, (that image of heaven it ſelf, the ſpecial place of his reſidence) built on purpoſe for the adoring and worſhipping, and performing ſervice to him. And (as to heaven, ſo) to this, every one promiſcuouſly is not meet to be admitted, nor can expect to partake of his bleſſing auſpicious preſence there;
4. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not †taken his life to a falſity.lift up his ſoul unto vanity, nor ſworn deceitfully.
Paraphrase. 4. But only ſuch as keep cloſe to the commands of God, that preſerve their minds, as well as their bodies, their inward thoughts and conſents, as well as their external actions, from all forbidden unlawful objects; that never make uſe of perjurious deceitful means for the inriching themſelves, or depriving others, but ſerve and worſhip God uprightly.
5. He ſhall receive the bleſſing from the Lord, and ‖or, mercy.righteouſneſs from the God of his ſalvation.
Paraphrase. 5. Such, and none but ſuch, ſhall be accepted, and rewarded by God, at their approach to his Sanctuary, when they pray unto him, and when they moſt want and depend upon his mercy. Though God (in Chriſt) be a Saviour to all ſincere worſhippers, and ſervants of his, none, 'tis ſure, but ſuch, ſhall have part in this ſalvation.
6. This is the generation of them that ſeek him, *of Jacob, or, the ſon of Jacob that ſeek thy face.ſeek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Paraphrase. 6. Theſe indeed are the men that may properly be ſaid to pray to, and worſhip God; theſe are the true Iſraelites, that are meet to appear before the God of Iſrael, whoſe peculiar preſence is exhibited in the Ark of his Covenant, or that aſſociate themſelves and joyn with thee, O Jacob, in the worſhip of the one true God.
7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlaſting dores, and the King of glory ſhall come in.
Paraphrase. 7. For the admiſſion of this Ark of the Lord to a place where it may long continue, the gates of the Fort of Sion are now to be ſet wide open, thoſe ſtrong invincible gates, as for the cheerful hoſpitable reception and entertainment of that great King, whoſe Palace it is.
8. Who is the King of glory? the Lord ſtrong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battel.
Paraphrase. 8. And if any aske, what King this is; the anſwer is ready, That powerful omnipotent Lord, that hath wrought all Davids victories for him.
9. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, even lift them up, ye everlaſting dores, and the King of glory ſhall come in.
Paraphrase. 9.10. And let this be a ſolemnity to all Iſrael, as for the moſt glorious and welcome news, the placing the Ark of Gods Covenant in the Royal City, and ſo ſecuring to us the preſence of God himſelf, the God of all victory in war, to whom we may daily aſſemble and make our addreſſes, with confidence to be accepted and heard, and ſo be for ever happy, and joyful in his preſence. (This primarily belonging to the bringing the Ark into Sion, doth alſo literally belong to the aſcenſion of Chriſt our Saviour into the higheſt heavens: and ſo the antient Fathers frequently apply it.)
10. Who is †this the King foreignthe King of glory? the Lord of hoſts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
Annotations on Pſal. XXIV.
foreignV. 4. Lift up his ſoul] That foreign to take, to lift up, (which is uſed in very many ſenſes, according to the matter to which it belongs) doth ſometimes ſignifie to ſwear by, there is no queſtion. Thus 'tis in the third Commandment, and generally, when it is the taking Gods name: for Gods name being God himſelf, the taking of that is the ſwearing by God; ſee note on Pſal. 16. e. And though applied to foreign the ſoul, foreignit frequently in the Pſalmiſt ſignifies ſomewhat elſe, lifting it up in devotion, as it were a ſacrifice to God; yet the conſequents here belonging evidently to perjury, and among the forms of ſwearing, that by the ſoul or life being one, (foreign Am. 6.8. God hath ſworn by his life, or ſoul) therefore it is here moſt probable to be taken in that ſenſe, eſpecially having foreign in vain] joyned with it:foreign which again makes it more parallel to that in the third Commandment, where by foreign, (ſaith our Saviour, Mat. 5.) perjury is denoted. The only remaining difficulty is, how the foreign is to be rendred,foreign my ſoul, or, his own ſoul. The points direct to render it, my ſoul; and ſo the Interlinear reads, animam meam, my ſoul, or life, as if it were foreign, making God the ſpeaker of this verſe, and then it is, God's life, or ſoul. But the the text writing ו not י, and the context according with it, the punctation muſt in reaſon give place; and accordingly all the antient interpreters appear to have read it foreign his ſoul, by that meaning his own ſoul, or the ſoul of the ſwearer. And thus it may probably be. And yet it is as probable alſo, that the Lord being formerly more than once mentioned in this Pſalm, the foreign his ſoul, or life] may be the life of God, by whom oaths are wont to be conceived, and are then an acknowledgment of Gods vindicative power, which if it be invoked foreign to a vain, i. e. a falſe thing, is a huge degree of profaneneſs; and ſo may here fitly be ſet to ſignifie thoſe, that are not meet to be admitted into Gods holy place, where he is to be honoured and worſhipt.
foreignV. 5. Righteouſneſs] That foreign righteouſneſs is oft taken for mercy, is frequently obſerved, (ſee note on Mat. 1. g. and Mat. 6. a.) and ſo 'tis moſt probably to be taken here, being explicative of foreign bleſſing] going before,foreign as foreign, and foreign, (the two words for bleſſing) benefaction and benediction, are frequently uſed for works of mercy: and thus the LXXII. read it here, foreign, (and the Latine, Arabick, and Aethiopick in like manner) mercy from God his Saviour.
foreignV. 6. O Jacob] What foreign Jacob is ſet to ſignifie here, is uncertain. The LXXII. leaving out the affix of the former word foreign thy face, and reading it only foreign, the face,] for foreign Jacob] read foreign, of the God of Jacob; and ſo the Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick: but the Syriack, thy face, O God of Jacob, as our Engliſh doth, making an unuſual Ellipſis, which they ſupply with [O God of.] But it may be more probable, that Jacob is here ſet (as oft it is) for the children or poſterity of Jacob; as Iſrael the other name of Jacob, is, we know, very frequently uſed for the men or children of Iſrael, the Iſraelites: ſo the Jewiſh Arab here, of the family or poſterity of Jacob: and then two rendrings the words will be capable of. For Jacob, i. e. the children of Jacob, will be a fit appellation for thoſe that are diligent ſeekers of God, truly pious men, and ſo may be joyned with them by appoſition, or as the ſubſtantive, to which that participle is to be annext in conſtruction, though it be placed before it: ſo the Jewiſh Arab, which ſeek the light of thy countenance, of the family, &c. And to this the Chaldee may ſeem to have lookt, who, without any paraphraſe, to illuſtrate it, or ſupply any Ellipſis, ſet it juſt as the Hebrew do; only in ſtead of [thy face] they read foreign the ſight of his face. To this ſenſe the learned Caſtellio reads it, thus expreſly; Jacobaeorum qui ſunt ejus praeſentiae cupidi, the Jacobaeans or Iſraelites which are deſirous of his preſence, which love, and earneſtly deſire and frequent the aſſemblies where God hath promiſed to exhibit himſelf to thoſe that worthily approach him. But there is alſo a ſecond poſſible and not improbable rendring, to be fetcht from the importance of the phraſe [ſeeking the face, foreign] which is no more than joyning themſelves to another. So Prov. 7.15. Therefore came I out to meet thee diligently, to feek thy face, &c. 'Tis the ſpeech of the whore to the lover, and ſignifies no more then to get into his ſociety, to joyn her ſelf to him. Now the ſons of Jacob being the only people that had the knowledge of God, and that were owned by him, and that ſhould have liberty to enter into the Temple, the holy hill, the repreſentation of heaven, and this priviledge being communicable to Proſelytes, that ſhould come and ſeek, and joyn themſelves to them, and the Prophets oft foretelling, that thus the Nations ſhould flow in to them (which was moſt eminently fulfilled in the Gentiles receiving the faith, and ſo becoming the ſpiritual ſeed of Abraham, and Jacob, the true Iſraelites;) therefore this may very fitly be the rendring of the words, [that ſeek thy face, O Jacob,] that come in, and are proſelytes to Iſrael, joyn themſelves to them, in the worſhip and landing of God, and undertaking of his obedience: the ſeeking of Jacobs face, in this ſenſe, being all one with being proſelytes to their Jewiſh Religion, as the foreign, coming to God, Heb. 11.6. (the periphraſis of a proſelyte to Chriſt) is all one with foreign, ſeeking him diligently, in the latter part of that verſe. This interpretation will be yet more commodious, if we ſuppoſe (ſee note d.) this Pſalm ſung by way of antiphona, one chorus anſwering to'ther. For then they to whom the anſwer is given, may fitly be meant by the other, in that phraſe [thy face, O Jacob;] as thoſe that repreſented the whole people, and praiſed God in their name.
V. 7. Lift up your heads] Where the Hebrew hath foreign lift up O gates your heads, the LXXII. read foreign, which may be conſtrued, Ye Princes lift up your gates: ſo the Latine render it, attollite portas principes veſtras, and ſo the Arabick and Aethiopick, and ſo Apollinarius,
foreign,
Ye Rulers lift up your gates. But that rendring can have no accord with the Hebrew, which joynes the affixe foreign yours to foreign heads, foreignnot with foreign gates. 'Tis therefore more probable, that the LXXII. ſet foreign, your Princes, to render foreign your heads, ſo inverting the Syntaxis, your heads, or Princes lift up the gates, for, ye gates lift up your heads. But this is a miſrendring of theirs, and the Chaldee and Syriack read, ye gates lift up your heads: what that is,foreign may next be conſidered. The gates are ſpecified by the Chaldee to be foreign the gates of the houſe of the Sanctuary, i. e. of Sion, whither the Arke was to enter, and to be placed there. The Arke, we know, is called foreign the glory, 1 Sam, 4.22. The glory is departed from Iſrael, for the Ark of God is taken. And God having promiſed to be preſent there, he is, as in other, ſo peculiarly in that reſpect,foreign here called foreign the King of glory, and he to come in, when the Ark enters. Now there be ſome hanging gates, the letting down of which is the ſhutting of them, and the lifting them up the opening of them. Such are thoſe which we call Portcullis, of uſe for fortified places, ſuch as Sion was, the ſtrong hold of Sion, 2 Sam. 5.7. and ſo the gates of Sion lifting up their heads, is their being opened, for the Ark to come into it. And this, we know, was done with ſolemnity, 2 Sam. 6.12. with gladneſs, ſaith the text: and this Pſalm was either made for that ſolemnity, or elſe for the commemorating of it. That theſe gates in the next words are called foreign eternal gates, foreignthe reaſon may be taken from the durableneſs of the matter whereof they were made, as ſtrong holds have iron-gates, or the like. In this place it is not amiſs to add of this Pſalm, that being deſigned for ſo ſolemn an occaſion, as that of the bringing the Arke into Sion, or the commemorating thereof, it was probably ſung by way of Antiphona, foreign.or reſponſe, or alternation. Thus it ſeems to be practiced at the Encania, or dedication of the wall, Nehem. 12. the ſolemnity whereof was performed by drawing up the whole train of Attendants into two companies, or Proceſſions. Then ſaith Nehemiah v. 31. I appointed foreign two great companies, or chori foreign and proceſſions, ſaith the interlinear; we render it, from the vulgar, laudanti…m, of them that gave thanks; whereof one went on the right hand, and v. 38. the other company of them that gave thanks, went over againſt them: So ſtood the two companies of them that gave thanks in the houſe of the Lord, v. 40. This ſame uſage, on ſolemn occaſions, to divide into two chores (though without reſpect to alternations) appeareth alſo more antiently (before this of bringing the Ark to Sion) from the performances on Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, Deut. 27.12. where the quires were after this manner divided: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Iſſachar, and Joſeph, and Benjamin, to bleſs the people on the one; and Reuben, Gad, Dan, Aſher, Zabulon, and Napthali, on the other, to curſe; ſix on one ſide, and ſix on to'ther. And being thus found ſo long before and ſo long after this time, 'tis the leſs to be doubted, but it was practiſed now, at the bringing of the Ark to Sion. To which purpoſe 'tis farther to be obſerved from Pſal. 48. (written for the removal of the Arke, and beginning with the ſolemn form, Let God ariſe, &c. preſcribed in the law for that occaſion, Num. 10.36.) that the manner of this Proceſſion is thus deſcribed; v. 24. They ſee thy goings, O God, the goings of my God and King in the Sanctuary. The ſingers went before, the players on Inſtruments followed after; amongſt them were the Damſels playing upon the timbrels. One foreign company, or chorus of vocall Muſick went before the Ark, the other of Inſtrumental of all kinds followed it. Whereon it follows, Bleſs ye the Lord in the Congregations (in the plural, theſe two companies.) And then it cannot be improbable that, as Neh. 12.40. [So ſtood the two companies in the houſe of the Lord,] ſo here, at the entry of the Ark into Sion, theſe two chori ſhould be drawn up at the gates on each ſide of it; and ſo ſtand, and the firſt be ſuppoſed to begin with the three firſt verſes of this Pſalm, The earth is the Lords, &c. Who ſhall aſcend, &c. to which the other anſwered in the three following, He that hath clean hands, &c. Then the firſt reſuming their turn, in the ſeventh verſe, Lift up your heads, &c. the other anſwered in part of the eighth, Who is the King of glory? then the former anſwering, The Lord ſtrong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battel; The other reſumes again, Lift up your heads, &c. And then the firſt asking the queſtion, Who is, &c. the ſecond concludes, The Lord of hoſts, he is the King of Glory.