Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 5
The Fifth PSALM.
TO the ‖Praefect for ſucceſſive voices.chief Muſitian upon Nehiloth, a Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. This Fifth Pſalm was indited by David on conſideration of his many enemies, eſpecially his undermining Son Abſalom, who by flattering the people, and ſlandering him, ſought to get the Crown from him. And by him it was committed to the Maſter of his Muſick to be ſung by the whole Quire in parts, one voice following another.
1. Give eare to my words, O Lord, ‖underſtand my ſighing, or cry.conſider my meditation.
Paraphrase. 1. O merciful Lord, vouchſafe to hearken to my prayer, to weigh the groanings of my ſoul, and relieve my wants.
2. Hearken to the voice of my ‖Supplication foreign Heb. foreign Chald. foreign LXXII. Orationis. Lat.cry, my King and my God, for unto thee will I pray.
Paraphrase. 2. Thou art my King to defend, my God to vindicate the power, which thou haſt communicated to me. To thee therefore it belongs to grant my requeſts, and all that remains for me, is to addreſs them conſtantly and importunately to thee.
3. My voice ſhalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord, in the morning will I ‖diſpoſe or prepare, wait or ſtand ready for, or before thee, foreign Heb. foreign Chal. foreign. LXXII aſtabo tibi Lat.direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
Paraphrase. 3. The Firſt-fruits and prime care of the day ſhall be to addreſs and preſent my heart, and prayer before thee, with my eyes fixt on heaven, after the mode of an earneſt petitioner, that waits, and never means to move, till his requeſts are granted. And thou O Lord anſwerably wilt be pleaſed, I doubt not to make the ſame ſpeed to receive that addreſs of mine, to hearken to, and grant my prayer.
4. For thou art not a God that hath pleaſure in wickedneſs, neither ſhall ‖foreign. Chr. Tom. 1. p. 542. l. 11.evil dwell with thee.
Paraphrase. 4. Of this I have full confidence, when I conſider how impoſſible 'tis for thee to favour Rebellion or any ſort of wickedneſs, ſuch as mine enemies now practice againſt me, (‖the wicked ſojourn. that is the part of falſe and Idol Gods, i. e. of Devils) or to abett, or indeed endure, or not oppoſe them that deſign ſo great a wickedneſs. A ſtranger if he undertake not ſome degree of Proſelytiſme, if he renounce not his Idolatry, is not permitted to abide, or ſojourn, or even to be a ſlave among thy people. How much leſs then ſhall any wicked man be endured in thy preſence?
5. The ‖the mad, or proud foreignfooliſh ſhall not ſtand †before thy eyes foreignin thy ſight, thou hateſt all workers of iniquity.
Paraphrase. 5. The mad folly and preſumption of theſe vainglorious vaunters of their own worth and excellencies, thou doſt abhor even to behold, art ſo far from allowing or favouring the boaſts, or enterpriſes of ſuch, that thou doſt hate them perfectly, and ſo doſt thou all others (whatſoever their language is) whoſe actions of uniforme obedience do not approve them to thee.
6. Thou ſhalt deſtroy them that ſpeak leaſing, the Lord ſhall abhor the ‖man of bloods and deceit foreignbloody and deceitful man.
Paraphrase. 6. Thy Juſtice and patronage of the innocent, ingage thee to deſtroy the falſe and treacherous, which under fair pretenſes maketh the fouleſt evils; He whole double property it is to be made up of †foreign. Pythag.mercy and fidelity, utterly deteſts that falſeneſs and treachery, which is deſigned to the oppreſſing and ſhedding the blood of the guiltleſs.
7. But as for me, I will come into thy houſe in the multitude of thy mercy, in thy fear will I worſhip ‖in the Palace of thy holineſs. foreigntoward thy holy Temple.
Paraphrase. 7. This therefore muſt ingage me by way of juſt return to thy free and undeſerved mercies, and the great and continual ſucceſſion of them, in all my times of need, to make my frequent viſits to that place where thou art pleaſed to praeſent into thy ſelf, I mean the Tabernacle with the Ark of the Teſtimony in it. And therein as in the Court and Palace of thy Sacred Majeſty, to proſtrate my ſoul before thee, with all poſſible humility▪ care and reverence.
8. Lead me O Lord in thy righteouſneſs becauſe of my enemies, make thy way ſtrait before my face.
Paraphrase. 8. And it ſhall be a ſpecial part of my requeſt, unto thee, O Lord, that by the conduct of thy grace I may be directed and aſſiſted in keeping ſtrictly and cloſe to all thy commands; that thoſe that hate me moſt, and obſerve me moſt diligently, on purpoſe to get ſome advantage againſt me, may find nothing to quarrel or accuſe in me. To which end, Lord, do thou give me a clear ſight of my duty, and incline my heart to walk exactly, and ſo acceptably before thee.
9. For there is no ‖truth, rectitude foreign Heb. foreign, LXXII. veritas vulg. Lat.faithfulneſs in their mouth, their inward part is very wickedneſs; their throat is an open ſepulchre, they †lye.flatter with their tongue.
Paraphrase. 9. This I am moſt neerly concerned in, having ſo malitious treacherous eyes upon me, enemies that will not ſpare to forge falſities againſt me, that in their hearts meditate nothing but miſchief, and when they open their mouths, 'tis as when a Grave is digged, or a pit laid open, or as when ‖foreign as ſcheol, Chald. Paraph.the ſtate of the dead is ſaid to gape, only to ſwallow up and devour the moſt innocent, their tongues when they are ſofteſt, and moſt flattering, are full of all kind of deceit.
10. ‖Hold the guilty foreign condemn, Chaldee and Syr. judge them, LXXII. vulg. Arab. Aeth.Deſtroy thou them, O God, let them fall by their own counſels, caſt them out in the multitude of their tranſgreſſions, for they have rebelled againſt thee.
Paraphrase. 10. This I am confident, thou wilt not ſuffer to go unpuniſhed, even in this life; Their own malitious projects ſhall betray and ruine themſelves, inſtead of proſpering againſt me, the more their deſigns of miſchief are, the more multiplyed are their rebellions againſt God, and thereby will he be certainly provoked to eject and cradicate them.
11. But let all thoſe that put their truſt in thee rejoyce, let them ever ſhout for joy ‖and thou ſhalt protect, overſhadow, or dwel among them foreign Heb. foreign overſhadow Chald. foreign, dwell, LXXII. habitabis Lat. and ſo Syr. Arab. Aeth.becauſe thou defendeſt them▪ let them alſo that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Paraphrase. 11. On the other ſide, all ſuch as rely on God, that do their duty with faithfulneſs, and reſort to his ſafeguard for their protection, ſhall never want cauſe of joy and exultation, his providence ſhall ſignally watch over them, and his preſence ſecure them; And as love is a delightful affection, and never ſuffers them, that are poſſeſt with it, to be ſad, in the preſence, and mutual Returns of the beloved, ſo in a moſt eminent manner, the lovers of God, whoſe hearts are fixt on him, and their greateſt pleaſures placed in injoying the conſtant pledges of his love, ſhall never want matter of the moſt exuberant joy; ſo good a God will never fail to give them whatſoever they deſire.
12. For thou Lord wilt bleſs the righteous, with favour wilt thou ‖crown him foreign from foreign coronavit, foreign Chald. from foreign corona foreign, LXXII. and ſo Lat. Arab. Aeth.compaſs him as with a ſhield.
Paraphrase. 12. For thy promiſes, O God, have obliged thee to proſper the righteous, to reward, and crown his fidelity to thee with thy ſpecial kindneſs toward him, and then how can he want any other ſhield or protection, that hath the guard of thy favour, under which to ſecure himſelf?
Annotations on Pſal. V.
foreignTit. Nehiloth] The word foreign being an foreign, but this one time found in the whole Bible, we can but divine at the ſignification of it, having no certain guide to rely on for it. Lexicographers ſay, 'tis an eminent Muſical Inſtrument, and the word being of affinity both with foreign a torrent, or running river, and with foreign a bee, it is by ſome deemed to have the name from the one or the other, as imitating the murmurs of either of them: Some have derived it from foreign perforavit, and then it muſt ſignifie a hollow wind-inſtrument, Thus indeed foreign ſignifies a pipe, or flute, or timbrel, and the verb foreign to play on a pipe, &c. but foreign is no where uſed in this ſenſe. The regular way of deriving it, and that which is allowed by Lexicographers, is from foreign haeres fuit, baereditate aut ſucceſſione accepit, and is oft rendered by the LXXII. foreign ▪ dividing or diſtributing into parts, but moſt frequently foreign, ſucceeding to by inheritance. And in this notion it may poſſibly ſignifie a ſong or hymn, divided to be ſung in parts, as in Quires it is ordinary, one ſort of voices ſucceeding where the other ends, and ſo dividing it betwixt them, taking it up one from the other, the Tenor from the Trebble and the like. That in this notion the LXXII. underſtood it, is probable by their rendring it foreign, for the inheritor, i. e. for that kind of Muſick that inherits, or takes up ſucceſſively, one part of the quire from the other, and ſo the Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick, all which muſt be conceived to have rendred the phraſe intelligibly, and yet 'twill be hard to aſſign any other ſenſe of their rendring, [pro eâ quae haereditatem conſequitur, and de haereditate] ſave this. And then the Chaldee's foreign to be ſung on, or by the Quires, agrees very well with it alſo, one part of the Quire ſinging one verſe, the other another, and ſo ſucceeding and taking up one from the other, and dividing it betwixt them, which is the obvious notation of foreign. And ſo this notion ſeems to agree to the ſenſe of all the Antient Tranſlators, But 'tis yet moſt probable, which Kimchi hath reſolved on Pſal. 3. that Nechiloth was the name of a tune; and then 'tis as probable, that this tune took its name from Heritage, or ſomewhat of that kind, in the ſong that was firſt ſet to that tune, and ſo all the Antient rendrings will be ſalved by that means.
foreignV. 1. Meditation.] foreign from foreign gemuit, ſonuit, regularly ſignifies ſighing or cry, not a loud ſonorus voice, but ſuch as complaints are made in; ſo Iſa. 38.14. foreign I mourned, the Chaldee reads foreign I ſighed as a dove, and ſo the LXXII. here render it foreign, cry, and ſo the Latine and Aethiopick, and Arabick; And though it ſignifie alſo Metaphorically the ſpeech not of the mouth, but of the heart, (foreign, ſaith ‖Tom. 1. p. 541. l. 17.Chryſoſtome, not the lifting up of the voice, but the diſpoſition of the mind, as when God ſaid to Moſes, Why cryeſt thou unto me? when he ſaid nothing) and ſo is moſt frequently rendred foreign, to meditate; yet when it is ſo rendred, it is oft in the ſence of ſpeaking, as Pſal. 35.28. foreign, my tongue ſhall meditate, we rightly render it, ſpeak of righteouſneſs, and ſo Pſal. 37.30. the mouth of the righteous foreign, ſhall meditate, certainly that is, ſhall ſpeak wiſdom. So Pſal. 71.24. Prov. 8.7. Iſa. 38.14.59.3.13. and elſewhere 'tis foreign, to ſpeak, Pſal. 115.7. and even foreign, to cry, or roare as a Lyon doth, Iſa. 31.4. and elſewhere foreign and foreign ſong or melody, both of them ſounds uttered and not kept in the mind. And to this agrees the Chaldee alſo, rendring it foreign either in the notion of deſire, or of fremitus of making a noiſe, both which foreign ſignifies in the Chaldee.
foreignV. 4. Dwell.] foreign from foreign peregrinatus eſt, is beſt rendred ſojourn, or make a ſhort abode. From hence is foreign and foreign a gueſt, or ſtranger, which the Greek have transform'd into foreign & foreign, and it belongs to a Proſelyte, one of any Heathen Nation, that lived among the Jews. Of theſe ſome renounced Idolatry, and undertook the ſeven Precepts of the ſons of Adam and Noah, and theſe were foreign ſtrangers, or proſelytes of the gate, and ſuch might live amongſt them, others undertook their whole Law and were Proſelytes of righteouſneſs. And to theſe Rules of not admitting any ſtrangers, but on one of theſe conditions, the Pſalmiſt ſeems here to refer.foreign The wicked man foreign is all one in effect with an Heathen Idolater; and therefore as ſuch an one muſt not dwell, or ſojourn among the Jews, (the Captive Slave, if after a years abode he renounce not his Idolatry, was to be ſlain,) ſo foreign the wicked man ſhall not ſojourn with thee, ſhall be ſo far from being favoured by thee, that he ſhall not be allowed the leaſt abode in thy preſence.
V. 5. Thy way. foreign] The Hebrew foreign muſt literally be rendered [thy way before my face] yet the LXXII. have foreign, my way before thy face, and thence ſome learned Men are perſwaded that they read otherwiſe than we do foreign But 'tis more reaſonable to believe that they did thus (by way of periphraſis, not literal rendring) endeavour to expreſs the meaning of it, it being the prime aime of that Prayer which petitions Gods clear revelation of his will, or making his way ſtraight before us, that we might thereby be directed and aſſiſted to walk exactly, and ſo approve our wayes to God. This latter indeed comprehending the former, Gods directing and aſſiſting, preſuppoſing his illuminating grace, the revelation of his will: and therefore it is duly here uſed by the LXXII. the more fully to expreſs it, and the end of it. And herein the Arabick and Aethiopick and vulgar Latine, as they are wont, follow the Septuagint, and therefore our Paraphraſe hath taken notice of both. In the former part of this verſe the Chaldee ſeems to have much miſtaken, reading foreign my enemies, foreign(which comes from foreign obſervavit, becauſe enemies are ſpyes, and obſerve critically what they may find fault with) in a very diſtant ſenſe, foreign my praiſe, as if it came from foreign and denoted a canticle or hymn of praiſe, but herein as the context doth reſiſt, ſo doth not any one of the antient verſions favour them.