Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 6
The Sixth PSALM.
TO the ‖Prefect of the ſtringed inſtruments, See Pſalm 4.1.chief Muſitian on Neginoth †On the eighth.upon Shemineth, A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The ſixth Pſalm was pen'd by David on ſome occaſion of ſpecial humiliation, for the *To ſupplicate for his ſin, Arab.confeſſion of his ſins, and averting Gods wrath: This he directed the Maſter of his Muſick to be ſung †foreign Chald.upon the Harp of eight ſtrings (ſuch as i… mentioned 1 Chron. 15.21.) and fitted it for it.
1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chaſten me in thy hot diſpleaſure.
Paraphrase. 1. O God of mercy, which art flow to wrath, and long-ſuffering to ſinners, and delighteſt far more in their reformation than their miſery, I beſeech thee not to deal with me, as moſt juſtly thou mighteſt, in wrath and fury, but in mercy to withdraw thy heavy hand of puniſhment, which I have ſo juſtly provoked, and now lie under.
2. Have mercy upon me O Lord, for I am weak, O Lord help me for my bones are ‖Set a trembling, foreign or troubled, ſo the Syr. foreign, LXXII. and ſo Lat. Aeth.vexed.
Paraphrase. 2. O Lord I have by my foul ſins wounded my ſoul, brought it down into a moſt languiſhing terrible condition, provoked thee to withdraw thy grace, and give me up to the effects of thy diſpleaſure, This is a ſad diſeaſe, and of the worſt condition, even of the ſoul, wherewith thou art pleaſed alſo that my body, or outward condition ſhould bear conſent. And in all this 'tis I that have thus diſeaſed my ſelf, diſturbed and miſerably waſted the health of my ſoul, which conſiſts in an exact conformity of my deſires and actions to thy will. And now there is no remedy left but one, that of thy pardon and gratious forgiveneſs, pouring thy wine and oile and healing balſom into my gaping wounds, and this moſt ſeaſonable mercy I beſeech thee to beſtow upon me.
3. My ſoul is alſo ſore vexed, but thou, O Lord, how long?
Paraphrase. 3. The diſquiet and torment hereof doth pierce my ſoul, there are the ſharpeſt arrow… of thy diſpleaſure … and afflict me exceedingly, Lord that it might be at length thy ſeaſon to aſſwage thy wrath, to ſpeak peace to …, to afford me ſome †foreign Chald. how long wilt thou defer to give me ſome refreſhing?†Confeſs or praiſe thee, foreignrefreſhing which I cannot hope from any other hand.
4. Return O Lord, deliver my ſoul, O ſave me for thy mercies ſake.
Paraphrase. 4. Lord be thou pacified and reconciled to me, and by that means reſcue me out of this ſad condition, wherein I am involved, under the weight of my ſin and thy diſpleaſure. And though there be in me no means to propitiate, but only to avert and provoke thee, yet let thine own mercy, and free bounty of grace have the glory of it; reflect on that, and from thence work this deliverance for me.
5. For in death there is no remembrance of thee, in the grave who will ‖ give thee thanks?
Paraphrase. 5. For ſhouldeſt thou now proceed to take away my life, as it were a moſt direful condition for me to die before I have propitiated thee, ſo I may well demand, what increaſe of glory or honor will it bring unto thee? will it not be infinitely more glorious for thee to ſpare me, till by true contrition I may regain thy favour; and then I may live to praiſe, and magnifie thy mercy, and thy grace, thy mercy in pardoning ſo great a ſinner, and then confeſs thee by vital actions of all holy obedience for the future, and ſo demonſtrate the power of thy grace, which hath wrought this change in me; Neither of which will be done by deſtroying me, but only thy juſt judgments manifeſted in thy vengeance on ſinners.
6. I am weary with my groaning. All the night make I my bed to ſwim; I water my couch with my tears.
Paraphrase. 6. The ſadneſs of my preſent condition, under the weight of thy diſpleaſure, and the grievous effects thereof, is ſuch, as extorts thoſe groans from me, which (inſtead of eaſing) do only increaſe my torment. The night which is the appointed ſeaſon of reſt, is to me the time of greateſt diſquiet, my agonies extort whole rivers of tears from me, and the conſideration of my horrible ſins, the cauſes of them, gives me not one minute of intermiſſion.
7. Mine eye is ‖fretted, motheaten foreign from foreign corroſus eſt a tinea.conſumed becauſe of †indignation. foreign Heb. foreign Chal. of which ſee Note on Pſal. 4. d. foreign, anger, Lxxii. and ſo Syr. Lat. Arab. Aeth.grief, it waxeth old becauſe of all mine ‖diſtreſſers oppreſſers foreignenemies.
Paraphrase. 7. The tears which the thought of thy continual diſpleaſure and puniſhments inceſſantly draws from me, have corroded, and even exhauſted the animal ſpirits, that maintain my ſight, make mine eyes very dim, above what is proportionable to my age, and ſtill there remains a ſucceſſion of new ſorrows, to mind me of my ſucceſſive ſins; one enemy after another ſtill riſeth up againſt me.
8. Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity, for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.
Paraphrase. 8. Whilſt I thus bemoan my ſelf before ſo gracious a God, I cannot but with confidence look up; and expect his ſpeedy return unto my Prayers, and conſequently aſſure my ſelf, that all the deſigns of my rebellious enemies ſhall be utterly fruſtrated by him.
9. The Lord hath heard the voice of my ſupplication, the Lord ‖hath received, ſo all the antient Tranſlations render the future foreignwill receive my prayer.
Paraphrase. 9. He that hath promiſed not to deſpiſe a broken heart, to comfort the mourner, he whoſe title it is to be the hearer of prayers, the vindicator of the innocent, will certainly make good theſe promiſes to me at this time, in pardoning my ſins, and averting theſe puniſhments from me.
10. ‖All my enemies ſhall be put to ſhame and terrified greatly, (See v. 2.) they ſhall be turned back and put to ſhame.Let foreignall mine enemies be aſhamed, and ‖ ſore vexed, let them return and be aſhamed ſuddenly.
Paraphrase. 10. And therefore I am moſt confident that all my oppoſers ſhall be diſcomfited, and ſent back ſucceſsleſs in their preſent deſign, and how confident ſoever now they appear, they ſhall very ſuddenly be routed and put to confuſion, and utterly diſappointed in their enterprize.
Annotations on Pſal. VI.
foreignV. 2. My bones.] The chief difficulty in this verſe will be removed by conſidering the meaning of foreign which we render my bones, and ſo indeed it often ſignifies from foreign robuſtus or fortis fuit, but not only ſo, but in a greater latitude, the members of the body, and then the body it ſelf, nay the ſubſtance or being, and not only the body, as Job. 11.5. foreign his bone, or body, is by the Chaldee rendred foreign, himſelf, in oppoſition to his goods and family, which had been toucht ſharply, Chap. 1. And ſo among the Rabbines foreign, is oft uſed for ipſimet, themſelves (ſee Note on Rom. 6. a.) It being an ordinary figure among the Hebrews, to expreſs a thing by the names of the parts of it. Thus Pſal. 35.10. All my bones ſhall ſay, Lord who is like unto thee, where certainly the bones which ſay, and praiſe God, are to ſignifie the Pſalmiſt himſelf his tongue, and heart, and every part of him. And ſo here being in conjunction with [I am weak] and my ſoul is ſore vexed, v. 3. it is but a Poetical expreſſion, my bones, i. e. every part of my body.foreign Now the word foreign which we render vexed, from foreign in Niphal, ſignifies any ſudden commotion, or diſturbance, or trembling,foreign and ſo being joyned with … foreign languiſhing from foreign to be ſick or faint (and ſo weak in the notion of foreign, in the New Teſtament, See Note on Rom. viii. m. and Gal. 4. a.) it muſt ſignifie a ſore affliction, perhaps literally a diſeaſe, a terrible ſhaking fit, as of a Paralytick, and this being founded in, and ſo including alſo his ſin, the malady of the ſoul, which is likewiſe called foreign, weakneſs (ſee 1 Cor. 8. Note 6.) the whole verſe is the doleful deſcription of him that hath committed any waſting ſin, and being caſt down under Gods puniſhments for it, is paſſionately ſuing out Gods pardon, the only means poſſible to recover or heal him again.
V. 10. Let all my enemies.] All the Antient Interpreters underſtand this laſt verſe of the diſcomfiture and confuſion of Davids enemies: foreign ſaith the Chaldee, they ſhall be confounded] both in the beginning and end of the verſe; and the Syriack inſtead of the latter hath foreign periſh] and the LXXII. their [foreign, let them be made aſhamed] is to the ſame purpoſe: and whereas ſome Copies have for foreign. which might incline to the rendring it of their converſion, or repentance (whereto the Latine convertantur may ſeem to ſound) yet Aſulanus's Impreſſion and others have foreign, let them be repulſed, and others more largely foreign, let them be turned backward, and ſo the Arabick reads it,foreign which muſt needs belong to their flight. That they put it in that mood of wiſhing, is ordinary with them, when yet the Hebrew is in the Indicative future ſenſe, foreign, they ſhall be put to ſhame, and ſo forward. And this ſurely beſt connects with the former verſe, the Lord hath heard; the Lord will receive my prayer; and then as an effect of that, All mine enemies ſhall be confounded, &c.