Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 41
The Forty Firſt PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, a Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Forty Firſt Pſalm ſets forth the preſent reward of merciful-minded men in this life, and from thence aſcendeth to the aſſured mercies of God to his faithful ſervants that ſtand in need of them. It was compoſed by David, and committed to the Praefect of his Muſick.
1. Bleſſed is he that conſidereth the ‖ſick, foreignpoor: the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble.
Paraphrase. 1. The bleſſings of God ſhall not fail to be poured out on the merciful-minded man, who is careful to conſider and ſuccour thoſe that are in ſickneſs, or any kind of miſery: God ſhall be ſure to ſuccour him, when afflictions come upon him.
2. The Lord will reſtore him and keep him alive, and he ſhall be bleſſed upon the earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
Paraphrase. 2. Whatſoever his diſeaſes or dangers are, God will interpoſe for his relief, and if he ſee it beſt for him, ſignally ſecure his life, and reſtore him to a proſperous flouriſhing condition in this world, and whatever the malice of his enemies be, deliver him out of their hands.
3. The Lord will ſtrengthen him upon the bed of languiſhing: thou wilt †turne, foreignmake all his bed in his ſickneſs.
Paraphrase. 3. When he falls into ſickneſs or diſtreſs, (for from thoſe the pious man is not ſecured in this life) the God of might and mercy will be his upholder; he will ſmooth and ſoften all that befalls him, and make it cheerfully ſupportable.
4. I ſaid, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my ſoul, for I have ſinned againſt thee.
Paraphrase. 4. Upon this account I have all confidence to addreſs my prayers to God in time of my diſtreſs: This duty of mercifulneſs being one that as he preſcribes, ſo he eminently exemplifies to us by his own practice, (Luk. 6.36.) To him therefore I make my addreſs, for mercy of the higheſt and moſt valuable ſort; his balſam to my wounded ſoul, his free pardon for my ſins, which have juſtly deſerved all the calamities that can fall upon me.
5. Mine enemies ſpeak evil of me; When ſhall he dye, and his name periſh?
Paraphrase. 5. My enemies are very malicious againſt me, very induſtriouſly diligent to ſeek my ruine.
6. And if he come to ſee me, he ſpeaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to it ſelf; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
Paraphrase. 6. When they are in my preſence, they ſpeak flatteringly and deceitfully: meanwhile they plot and project miſchief againſt me, and diſcourſe it abroad, wherever they have opportunity.
7. All that hate me, whiſper together againſt me; againſt me do they deviſe my hurt.
Paraphrase. 7. All mine enemies conſpire together ſecretly, and joyn their miſchievous indeavours, to do me what hurt they can.
8. ‖A word of Belial, or, A wicked word cleareth to him.An evil diſeaſe, ſay they, cleaveth faſt unto him; and now that he lieth, he ſhall riſe up no more.
Paraphrase. 8. They are confident their calumnies ſhall miſchief me, and that I ſhall never recover or deliver my ſelf out of this pertinacious ruine, which now they have by their ſlanders contriv'd againſt me.
9. Yea †the man of my peace.mine own familiar friend in whom I truſted, which did eat of my bread, hath lift up his heel againſt me.
Paraphrase. 9. And in this not only my known profeſt enemies have joyned againſt me; but one particularly that profeſt the greateſt kindneſs to me, a ſervant in whom I repoſed truſt, and that lived by my ſervice, (Achitophel probably, one of Davids Counſellors, 2 Sam. 16.23.) hath moſt inſidiouſly and perfidiouſly ſet himſelf againſt me. (And herein was David a Type of Chriſt, betrayed by his own Diſciple, that was in a ſpecial manner intruſted by him, Joh. 13.19.)
10. But thou, O Lord, be mercifull unto me; and raiſe me up, that I may requite them.
Paraphrase. 10. But do thou, O Lord, preſerve me from their miſchievous purpoſes: reſtore me to my throne in ſafety, and I ſhall chaſtiſe this their wickedneſs.
11. By this I know thou favoureſt me, becauſe my enemy doth not triumph over me.
Paraphrase. 11. As yet my adverſaries have not been able to prevail againſt me, as fain they would; and thereby I diſcern thy watchful providence over me, which alone hath diſappointed them.
12. And as for me, thou upholdeſt me in mine integrity, and ſetteſt me before thy face for ever.
Paraphrase. 12. Thou haſt undertaken the patronage of my cauſe and not ſuffered me to periſh in mine innocence, but reſcued me out of their hands, and reſerved me for thy ſervice.
13. Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael from everlaſting to everlaſting. Amen and Amen.
Paraphrase. 13. And for this and all other his mercies, his glorious majeſty be now and ever magnified by me, and all the congregation of thoſe that profeſs his ſervice.
Annotations on Pſal. XLI.
foreignV. 8. An evil diſeaſe] What is here meant by foreign, is matter of ſome difficulty. The Antient Interpreters generally render it a perverſe, or miſchievous, or wicked word; the Chaldee, a perverſe word; the Syriack, a word of iniquity; the LXXII. foreign; the Latine, iniquum verbum, a wicked word; the Arabick, words contrary to the law. And ſo in all probability it is ſet to ſignifie a great ſlander, or calumny; that as men of Belial] are ſlanderous perſons, ſo the ſpeech of Belial] ſhall ſignifie a ſlanderous ſpeech. And this is ſaid to cleave to him on whom it is faſtened; it being the nature of calumnies, when ſtrongly affixt on any, to cleave faſt, and leave ſome evil mark behind them: Calumniare fortiter, aliquid haerebit. 'Tis true indeed, foreign doth ſometimes ſignifie a plague or peſtilence: but there is no cauſe of rendering it ſo here. The conſequents of [now that he lyeth he ſhall riſe up no more,] are but a proverbial phraſe among the Hebrews, applicable to any ſort of ruine, as well as that which comes by diſeaſe: the Calumniator may deſtroy and ruine, as well as the peſtilence; and from him was Davids danger moſt frequently, and not from a peſtilential diſeaſe.
foreignV. 13. Bleſſed] This form of benediction here, and the like, at the end of every Book of the Pſalms, is by the Jews ſaid to be affixt by the Compiler of the Book, who having finiſht it, praiſes God. So ſaith Aben-Ezra, on Pſal. 89.52. and gives for inſtance the perpetual cuſtom of their writers, of cloſing with ſome comprecation. That which will make this more to be heeded is, that all the ſeveral books end in this manner, (ſee note on Title of Pſalms.) Nor will it be more ſtrange to ſay, that Ezra, or whoſoever compoſed the books of Pſalms in this form and diviſion, added their concluſions to them, then 'tis to ſay, that the end of the laſt chapter of Deuteronomy was affixt to the Pentateuch by the Sanhedrim, or the Four and Twentieth verſe of the One and Twentieth of St. John, by the Church of Epheſus, (ſee note c. on that Chapter.) 'Tis ſure that the Pſalter was antiently received in this diviſion. Jerome in his Epiſtle to Marcella, recounting the Hagiographa, ſays, Primus liber incip… à Job, Secundus à Davide, quem quinque inciſionibus, & uno Pſalmorum volumine comprehendunt; The firſt begins from Job, the ſecond from David, which they comprize in five diviſions, as one volume of Pſalms. So *de pond. & mens.Epiphanius; foreign. The Hebrews divided the Pſalter into five Books, ſo that it is another Pentateuch. And then they that thus diſtributed it, may reaſonably be thought to have afforded every book thoſe ſolemnities of concluſive benedictions, which we find they have, and which are ſo perfectly agreeable to the ſubjects of each book, la…ding, and praiſing God.
The end of the Firſt BOOK.