Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 39
The Thirty Ninth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian even to Jeduthun, a Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Thirty ninth Pſalm, compoſed on the ſame occaſion as the 37th. and 73d. viz. on the ſcandal David took at the proſperity of wicked men, whilſt he was himſelf in miſery, hath alſo a mixture of contemplation of the vanity of all worldly things, as a motive to repreſs all impatience in whatſoever adverſity. It was compoſed by David, and committed to Jeduthun a skilful Muſitian, 1 Chr. 16.41, 42. and the Prefect of his Muſick.
1. I ſaid, I will take heed to my wayes, that I ſin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
Paraphrase. 1. I have ſtedfaſtly reſolved to keep a very ſtrict guard over my ſelf; eſpecially over my tongue, that part of me which meets with moſt frequent provocations at this time, when mine adverſaries, ungodly and wicked men, are ſo ſucceſsful and proſperous in their wickedneſs, that I have need of all care and reſolution to keep me from breaking out into ſome intemperate paſſionate ſpeeches, as oft as I ſee or conſider them.
2. I was dumb with ſilence, I held my peace even from good, and my ſorrow was ‖troubled foreignſtirred.
Paraphrase. 2. My purpoſe therefore was, in the preſence of theſe, or when my thoughts or other diſcourſe were on them, to keep perfect ſilence; neither to uſe words to vindicate mine own innocence, nor to blame or reprove mine adverſaries. But whilſt I thus reſtreined my tongue, I could not repreſs my ſorrow; that was rather increaſed by this method.
3. While I was muſing, the fire burned; then ſpake I with my tongue.
Paraphrase. 3. And being ſo, it grew by degrees to ſuch an heat and flame, that it required ſome vent toward heaven: though I reſtrained my tongue from all anger and impatience toward men, yet there was no reaſon I ſhould repreſs it from making my mone to God. To him therefore in all humility I thus addreſs my ſelf.
4. Lord, make me to know mine end, and the meaſure of my days, what it is; that I may know *What a frail, or ceaſing man I am. foreignhow frail I am.
Paraphrase. 4. Lord, if it be thy ſacred will that I ſhould be cut off by mine enemies, that I ſhould not long live to diſcharge that office to which thou haſt called me; if my ſins, which juſtly might provoke thee to this, have called forth this decree againſt me, as one unfit to be farther imployed, or honoured, or own'd by thee; then be thou pleaſed ſome way to reveal this part of thy will unto me, that I may know what to expect, and accordingly which way to turn and prepare my ſelf.
5. Behold, thou haſt made my days as an hand-breadth, and mine age is nothing before thee; verily every man †ſtanding, or living, foreignat his beſt eſtate is *All foreignaltogether vanity·
Paraphrase. 5. I know right well that my life is very ſhort, a meer nothing being compared with thine eternity: and this is common to me with all other men; for there is not a man living in the world, who is not as frail and mortal, and almoſt as ſhort-liv'd, as any the meaneſt creature: Man is the compendium of this lower world, and ſo there is no degree of frailty, and brittleneſs, and fadingneſs in any creature, which is not to be found in man alſo.
6. ‖only in an image man walketh. foreignSurely every man walketh in a vain ſhew, †ſee note on Pſalm. 73.1.†yet foreignſurely they are diſquieted in vain: he heapeth up *and knoweth not who ſhall carry them in.riches, and knoweth not who ſhall gather them.
Paraphrase. 6. Our life is but a picture, or image, ſhadow, or dream of life, it vaniſheth in a trice; and when we are gone, we have no power of what we leave behind us: all the fruits, riches, honours, or whatſoever elſe is moſt deſirable on earth, muſt ſuddenly be parted with, and we know not who ſhall poſſeſs them after us (and ſo this is an evidence of the perfect vanity of them all, a proof that they are not worth the leaſt value, if we have them, or the leaſt pains to acquire them;) and yet we ſilly and vain creatures carke, and labour, and turmoile to get together theſe tranſitory fraile nothings, as if they would continue to us to all eternity, and had ſome ſolid durable enjoyment and ſatisfaction in them.
7. And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
Paraphrase. 7. There is nothing therefore upon the earth, even a Kingdom, that is worth the patience of expecting, or the ſollicitude of averting the dangers of loſing it. One thinng onelyonly there is in the world, fit to be matter of a ſober mans ambition or hope; the favour of God, and the glorifying him in that condition, whatſoever it is, that he in mercy ſhall chooſe for us.
8. Deliver me from all my tranſgreſſions: make me not the reproach of the fooliſh.
Paraphrase. 8. For theſe therefore I make my humbleſt requeſts to thee, that thou wilt pardon my many horrible breaches of thy law, and free me from thoſe puniſhments which are due to me for them: and not ſuffer wicked men, that are my deadly enemies, to proſper, leſt they at once triumph over me and piety, and reproach the relying and depending on thee, as the greateſt folly: for this will turn to the diſhonour of thee and thy ſervice.
9. I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, becauſe thou didſt it.
Paraphrase. 9. What is befallen me, I am far from repining or murmuring at: It comes, I know, from thee, whoſe diſpoſals are moſt wiſe: and be it never ſo ſharp, I am ſure I have well deſerved it.
10. Remove thy ſtroak away from me: I am conſumed by the blow of thine hand.
Paraphrase. 10. Yet if it may be thy will, ſet now a period to my calamities, leſt I be utterly deſtroyed by them.
11. When thou with rebukes doſt correct man for iniquity, thou makeſt his ‖pretious things.beauty to conſume away like a moth: †every man is only vanity.ſurely every man is vanity. Selah.
Paraphrase. 11. If thou be diſpleaſed, as our ſins very oft provoke thee, the very withdrawing thy favour doth inſenſibly blaſt and conſume all our wealth, and greatneſs, health, and beauty, and whatſoever is moſt pretious to us. So ſure and viſible is it, that we men, and all we have, are meer nothing.
12. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry: hold not thy peace at my tears; for I am a ſtranger with thee, and a ſojourner, as all my fathers were.
Paraphrase. 12. Be pleaſed therefore, O Lord, to hearken to my ſad and mournful requeſt, which I now poure out before thee; that ſeeing my time, and all mens, is ſo ſhort and tranſitory in this world, (this being ſo contrary to a place of reſt or ſtability)
13. *Let me alone. foreign See Job. 7.19.O ſpare me a little, that I may recover ſtrength, before I go hence, and be no more.
Paraphrase. 13. Thou wilt give me a little ſpace of relaxation, that I may ſerve and glorifie thee here on earth, before I dy.
Annotations on Pſal. XXXIX.
foreignV. 5. Hand-breadth] foreign ſignifies palmas, and being here applyed to dayes of mans life, certainly denotes the ſhortneſs thereof, as it were commenſurate to the breadth of the palme or hand. The copies of the LXXII. which now we have, read variouſly; ſome foreign, followed by ſeveral of the antients, others foreign, without ſenſe. But methinks there ſhould be no doubt, but the Original rendring was foreign, or foreign, either of which differs very little (even but by one letter) from foreign, which the Antients moſt commonly retein, and is alſo exactly anſwerable to the Hebrew. For foreign, ſaith Heſychius, thoſe two words are Synonymous, foreign, called alſo foreign. And accordingly Symmachus renders foreign, as hand-breadths. The other interpreters render it paraphraſtically, the Arabick, ſhort, the Chaldee, light, the Syriack, with a meaſure, the Latine, menſurabiles; both theſe as from the Greek, taking foreign for menſurabiles.
foreignV. 5. Mine age] foreign ſignifies time, age, particularly this age of ours, which here we live; which belonging to the body, the Chaldee by way of paraphraſe, render it foreign body, both here and in Job, and the LXXII. foreign, ſubſtance, the Syriack life, the Arabick conſiſtence.
foreignV. 6. Heapeth up] The difference of foreign and foreign muſt here be taken notice of. The former here appears to contain all the toyle of the harveſt, in reaping, binding, cocking, all congeſtion and heaping things together, bringing them from the ſeveral places where they grow, into a cumulus: the Chaldee renders it by foreign to congregate. foreignThe latter notes the ſtowing, or houſing, laying it up, removing or carrying it out of the field, where 'tis heaped or cockt up, ready for carriage. For ſo foreign is ſometimes to lay up, ſometimetimes to take away. And accordingly foreign the feaſt of Ingathering, is the feaſt of Tabernacles, after this laſt part of harveſt was fully ended. This then is the deſcription of the vanity of our humane eſtate, that when a man hath run through all the labours of acquiſition, and hath nothing viſible to interpoſe betwixt him and his enjoyments, yet even then, he is uncertain, not only whether himſelf ſhall poſſeſs it at laſt, but whether his heir ſhall do it; nay, he knows not whether his enemy may not; he cannot tell who ſhall gather them into the barn, or enjoy them when they are there.
V. 11. Moth] For foreign as a moth, foreignthe LXXII. read foreign, as a ſpider, paraphraſtically expreſſing the ſame thing, viz. conſumption of that which is moſt pretious, the moth ſo conſuming the garment, and the ſpider his own vital faculties, when out of his own bowels he ſpins his web. The Chaldee reads it, like a moth broken aſunder. But the phraſe is in reaſon to be applyed to the moths conſuming other things, not being himſelf conſumed, Hoſ. 5.12. I will be to Ephraim foreign as a moth, i. e. I will conſume them; Iſa. 50.9. the moth ſhall eat them as a garment. The Syriack paraphraſe it another way, thou haſt made their deſires fly away as chaffe, by deſires] rendring foreign,foreign which ſignifies any thing deſirable, from foreign deſideravit; and ſo may here be taken for beauty, for health, for ſtrength, for any thing that is moſt deſirable. In the end of the verſe, where in the Hebrew we read foreign onelyonly vanity is every man, the LXXII. from v. 6. read foreign, is troubled in vain; which ſhews that they uſed this larger liberty, and kept not themſelves to ſtrict literal verſion. The Chaldee reads, is nothing, the Syriack, as a vapour, by way of paraphraſe alſo; and ſo we know St. James c. 4.14. reſolves our life to be a vapour. The Syriack foreign notes ſuch a vapour as comes out of the mouth in ſpeaking.