Works Volume 4, Book · Psalm 7
The Seventh PSALM.
‖A Pſalm or Song.SHiggaion of David which he ſang unto the Lord concerning the words of Cuſh the Benjamite.
Paraphrase. The Seventh is ſtiled by a peculiar title, not elſewhere uſed in this Book, which yet ſignifies no more than a Song or Pſalm of David, a pleaſant delightful ditty, being indeed a cheerful commemoration of Gods continued kindneſs to, and care of him, and a magnifying his Name for it, together with a confident affirmation or prediction, that his enemies ſhall but bring ruine on themſelves, by deſigning to miſchief him: and this he ſang unto the Lord on occaſion of ſome malitious words, delivered by ſome ſervant of Saul, ſtirring him up againſt David, 1 Sam. 26.19. (The Chaldee Paraphraſt miſunderſtands it as an interpretation of his Song made on the death of Saul, to vindicate his no ill meaning in it, v. 3.)
1. O Lord my God, in thee do I put my truſt, ſave me from all them that perſecute me, and deliver me.
Paraphrase. 1. Thy many continued deliverances and wonderful protections, which aſſure me of thy ſpecial kindneſs toward me, make me to come to thee with affiance and confidence, and to appeal only to thy peculiar favour, and thy almighty power, ſo frequently intereſſed for me, and upon this account to importune and depend on thee for my preſent reſcue from all my perſecuters and oppoſers.
2. Leſt he tear my ſoul like a Lion, renting it in pieces, while there is none to deliver me.
Paraphrase. 2. Shouldſt thou withdraw thy aid one hour, I were utterly deſtitute; and then as the Lion in the wilderneſs prevails over the beaſt he next meets, ſeiſes on him for his prey, kills and devours him infallibly, there being none in that place to reſcue him out of his paws, the ſame fate muſt I expect from Saul, my rageful implacable enemy.
3. O Lord my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my hand,
Paraphrase. 3. I am accuſed to Saul as one that ſeeks his ruine, 1 Sam. 24.9. reproached by Nabal that I have revolted from him, 1 Sam. 25.10. and that ſhews me that by many I am lookt on as an injurious perſon. But O Lord, thou knoweſt my integrity, that I am in no wiſe guilty of theſe things, I have not done the leaſt injury to him; I may juſtly repeat what I ſaid to him, 1 Sam. 26.18. What have I done, or what evil is in my hand?
4. If I have rewarded evil to him ‖that did it to me, or have deſpoiled—that was at peace with me: yea, I have delivered him that without cauſe is my enemy.
Paraphrase. 4. I have never provoked him by beginning to do him injury, nor when I have been very ill uſed, returned any evil to the injurious: he is my enemy without any the leaſt cauſe or provocation of mine; and being ſo, I yet never acted any revenge upon him, but on the contrary in a ſignal manner ſpared him twice, when he fell into my hands, 1 Sam 24.4, 7. and c. 26.9, 23. If this be not in both parts exactly true,
5. Let the enemy perſecute my ſoul and take it, yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and ‖cauſe my honour to dwell foreignlay mine honour in the duſt.
Paraphrase. 5. I ſhall be content to undergo any puniſhment, even that he that now purſues me ſo malitiouſly, obtein his deſire upon me, overtake, and uſe me in the moſt reproachful manner, and pour out my heart-blood upon the earth.
6. Ariſe, O Lord, in thine anger, lift up thy ſelf ‖in, or over, See Note c.becauſe of the rage of my enemies, and †raiſe up for me the judgment foreign the Chaldee read foreign ſpeed or haſten for me.awake for me to the judgment that thou haſt commanded.
Paraphrase. 6. But thou knoweſt my guiltineſs, O Lord, to thee therefore I appeal for my relief: be thou gratiouſly pleaſed to vindicate my cauſe, to expreſs thy juſt diſpleaſure againſt my malitious adverſaries and calumniators, and ſpeedily exerciſe the ſame juſtice, in taking my part againſt thoſe that injure me, which thou ſeverely commandeſt the Judges on the earth to diſpenſe to the oppreſſed.
7. So ſhall the congregation of the people compaſs thee about, ‖for that foreignfor their ſakes therefore return thou on high.
Paraphrase. 7. This ſhall be a means to make all men admire thy works, to addreſs, and repair, and flock unto thee, acknowledge thee in thy attributes, and enter into, and undertake thy ſervice; and let this be thy motive at this time to ſhew forth thy power and majeſty, to execute juſtice for me, and to that end to aſcend ‖foreign the hooſe of thy Majeſty, Chald.thy Tribunal, where thou fitteſt to overſee, and to judge the actions of men.
8. The Lord ſhall judge the people: Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteouſneſs, and according to mine innocency that is in me.
Paraphrase. 8 Thou art the righteous Judge of all, do thou maintain the juſtice of my cauſe, and vindicate my perfect innocence in this matter.
9. †Wickedneſs ſhall now conſume or deſtroy the wicked, and thou ſhalt eſtabliſhO let the wickedneſs of the wicked come to an end, but eſtabliſh the juſt, for the righteous Lord trieth the heart and reins.
Paraphrase. 9. God will now ſoon bring to nought the malitious deſignments of wicked men, their ſins will ſuddenly provoke and call down his judgments on them. In like manner he will ſhew forth his juſtice in upholding and ſupporting the innocent, ſuch as he ſees upon trial to be ſincerely ſuch: for as all righteouſneſs belongs to him, the doing of all eminently righteous things, bringing his fierce judgments on the obdurate, and upholding and vindicating all patient perſevering righteous perſons, when they are cauſeleſly accuſed or perſecuted; ſo 'tis his property alſo to diſcern the ſecreteſt thoughts and inclinations, and accordingly to paſs the moſt unerring judgments upon both ſorts of them.
10. ‖my ſheild is on foreignMy defence is of God, which ſaveth the upright in heart.
Paraphrase. 10. To thee it peculiarly belongs to deliver and vindicate thoſe whom thou diſcerneſt to be ſincere or inwardly upright, and accordingly my truſt is fixt wholly on thee, and my reſort is only unto thee, beſeeching thee to ſhew forth thy power and fidelity for the preſerving and ſecuring me.
11. God †is a righteous judge, ſo foreign is rendred by all the antient Interpreters.judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
Paraphrase. 11. God is a moſt righteous Judge, 'tis impoſſible he ſhould favour the practices of unjuſt men by whom his purity is continually affronted and provoked, ‖See note c.though through his long ſuffering, deſigned for their reduction he do for a while ſpare, and not preſently conſume them.
12. If he turn not, he will whet his ſword, he hath bent his bow and made it ready.
Paraphrase. 12. Till the wicked return and repent, God ſeldom ceaſeth to warn, and threaten, to prepare and ſharpen (as it were) his ſword for ſlaughter, to bend his bow, and make ready the arrow upon the ſtring, ſhewing him from time to time, what ſeverity he is to expect, if he do not at length reform, and that 'tis meerly the compaſſion of this lover of ſouls to his creature, that he thus gives him time and warnings, and adds terrors alſo, if by any means he may be brought home timely to repentance. (Another ſenſe of this verſe ſee in note c. at the end.)
13. He hath alſo prepared for him the inſtruments of death, he †will make or hath made foreignordaineth his arrows ‖or purſuing, or burning arrows.againſt the perſecutors.
Paraphrase. 13. On his farther continuance in this wicked courſe, God ſtill continues his decree to bring final vengeance on him, in caſe he will not amend by all theſe warnings; and yet is he a while longer pleaſed to ſpare, if yet he may gain and reduce them.
14. Behold he travaileth with iniquity, he hath conceived miſchief, and brought forth falſhood.
Paraphrase. 14. And if ſtill all Gods longanimity and mercy prove ſucceſsleſs, if it be perverted only into a mean… of incouraging him in miſchievous, ungodly, treacherous deſigns, attempts and actions.
15. He hath made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
Paraphrase. 15. The infallible conſequent is, that the miſchief and ruine which he deſigns to others, ſhall not ſeize on them, but on himſelf, and bring perpetual deſtruction upon him.
16. His miſchief ſhall return on his own head, and his violent dealing ſhall come down on his own pate.
Paraphrase. 16. All his attempts againſt other men, his oppreſſions and violences ſhall, when he leaſt looks for it, like an arrow ſhot up againſt heaven, come down moſt ſadly and piercingly upon his own head: this is all the fruit he is likely to reap of his miſchievous machinations.
17. I will †confeſs foreignpraiſe the Lord according to his righteouſneſs, and will ſing praiſe to the Name of the Lord moſt high.
Paraphrase. 17. This is a ſignal illuſtrious demonſtration both of the omnipotence and juſt judgments of God, (mixt alſo with exceeding patience and longanimity toward ſinners) and challenges from every pious heart a grateful acknowledgement, all lauds and praiſes moſt juſtly due to his ſupreme Majeſty.
Annotations on Pſal. VII.
foreignTit. Shiggaion] Whence the word foreign comes, or what literally it imports, will hardly be defined. The uſe of it here, and Hab. 3.1. (the only places where 'tis read in Scripture) giving us no farther light, than that in all likelihood it ſignifies a Song or Canticle. Here 'tis rendred foreign, a Pſalm, by the LXXII; there foreign, an Ode or Song; and ſo the vulgar Latine here, Pſalmus David. And that ſo (moſt probably) it ſignifies, we may conclude from the conſequent foreign which he ſang, the verb in the Hebrew, from whence is the ordinary noun foreign a Song or Canticle. And ſo the Chaldee Paraphraſe, foreign The Interpretation of the Ode which b… ſong, adding by way of explication, foreign when he ſpake a Song— But the origination of the word doth not readily give it this ſenſe; for the Radix foreign or foreign both in Hebrew and Chaldee, ſignifies ignoravit or erravit; and from thence in the place of Habakuk, Aquila and Symmachus render it foreign, ignorances, and Theodotion foreign, voluntary ſins; and the vulgar Latine have forſaken the LXXII. and render it ignorantiis, ignorances ▪ and the Chaldee making a long Paraphraſe of it, brings it about to that ſenſe of foreign error or ignorance. Only the Arabick reteins Song or Canticle, and the Syriack leaves out all mention of it both here and there. The Hebrews conjecture is not improbable, that this word was the beginning of an old Hebrew Song, to the tune of which this was to be ſung, and ſo was intituled by it. But becauſe there is no ſuch word in uſe among the Hebrews for any thing elſe but a Song, and becauſe from thence regularly comes the plural foreign in Habakuk, 'tis moſt probable that as foreign ſignifies dele…atur, is pleaſed or delighted: (Thus Prov. 5.19. foreign we render, be raviſht, the vulgar, delectare, be thou delighted, and the Syriack, be thou fed; and ſo Prov. 20.1. foreign qui delectatur, whoſoever is delighted, ſaith the vulgar, uſeth it luxuriouſly or voluptuouſly, ſaith the Syriack) ſo from thence foreign may be an old word for a Song, in reſpect of the delight and pleaſure of the Muſick of it. And thus Abu Walid underſtands it here, from the notion of delight, or rejoycing.
Tit. Cuſh] What is meant by Cuſh the Benjamite, is made matter of queſtion: many, from S. Hierome, applying it to Saul a Benjamite, and (as ſome add) the ſon of Kiſh, and the words delivered by him, 1 Sam. 22.8. (but there is great difference between foreign Chuſh and foreign Kiſh, foreignand yet more between the ſon of Kiſh, and Chuſh himſelf;) and others to Chuſhi the Archite, (but his name is written with ח and ſo very diſtant, and was Davids friend, not enemy;) others to Shimei a Benjamite, that is known to have curſed David, 2 Sam. 16. (but that was in the buſineſs of Abſalom, and the time of his rebellion, to which this Pſalm hath no propriety, but to the matter of Saul.) But that which is moſt probable is this, that Cuſh was ſome ſervant of Saul, which had raiſed ſome malitious ſlander on David, as if he ſought to take away the Kings life; and either his name Cuſh, or elſe ſo ſtiled here from the name of the Nation, Aethiopia, ordinarily ſtiled foreign, becauſe the Aethiopians being ſervants of all Nations, the word foreign Aethiopia taken for one of that Country, as Canaan for a Canaanite, might proverbially be taken for a ſervant. Thus Amos 9.7. where the Hebrew reads, Are ye not to me as the ſons of foreign Aethiopians? the context inclines to interpret it, ſervants; for to that ſenſe it follows, Have not I brought up Iſrael out of the land of Aegypt, redeemed them thence, and ſo bought them to be my ſervants? Now that the ſervants of Saul are fitly called Benjamites, may appear both by Sauls being ſo, and their reteining to him, and by the expreſs words 1 Sam. 22.7. Then Saul ſaid to his ſervants, Hear now ye Benjamites— That ſome one or more of Sauls ſervants, to incenſe their Maſter, ſhould calumniate David, is eaſily believed: And to this David refers 1▪ Sam. 26.19. in his words to Saul, If they be the children of men that have ſtirred thee up againſt me, curſed be they before the Lord — And ſome eminent paſſage to this purpoſe no doubt there was, though it be not ſet down in Scripture.
V. 4. Rewarded] This verſe, by the ambiguouſneſs of ſome words in it, is variouſly interpretable. The moſt literal, which I ſuppoſe is the ſafeſt rendring of it, will thus be collected. Firſt the word foreign which we render return, foreignſignifies not only to recompenſe, but ſimply to do either good or evil to any: and accordingly it is oft rendred by the Septuagint in the good ſenſe, foreign, to do, not only to repay good; Sometimes 'tis ſimply foreign, to work, foreign, to attempt, foreign, to do; And whether it be of good or evil, the Context muſt direct and reſtrain it.foreign So likewiſe foreign which we render [was at peace] beſides that vulgar ſignification for peace, which generally belongs to the Noun, ſignifies very frequently to give, and to retribute, and is then rendred in the good ſenſe, foreign, and foreign, to give, and recompenſe, very oft; and in the ill ſenſe foreign and foreign, to puniſh and repay, and the like; and ſometimes ſimply to do, to perform, and is then foreign, to fulfil, to perform, to do. This is obſerved by the great Grammarian Abu Walid, out of ſeveral examples, that both foreign and foreign have a double ſignification, of doing a thing firſt, as alſo by way of retribution or return, whether in good or evil; and accordingly he gives a twofold ſenſe of theſe words, [If I have returned like to him that did evil to me firſt] and [If I have done evil to him that was at peace with me.] Thus then the ſenſe of the former part of the verſe ariſeth foreign If I have done evil to him that did it to me, or, If I have repaid, or returned to him that did or returned me evil, i. e. If, when to my good, or at leaſt blameleſs, innocent behaviour, Saul repayed nothing but evil, I have upon that provocation done or repayed injury to him. This is thus far plain, whether either or both the words be taken ſimply for doing, or reſpectively for returning, repaying of evil; for 'tis certain, when evil is returned to good, this is called repaying of evil, as much as when it is returned to evil. And thus the LXXII. underſtood and render it, foreign, If I have repayed evil to them that have repayed evil to me; and ſo the vulgar, and the Aethiopick, Si reddidi retribuentibus mihi mala, If I have returned evil to them that retributed evil to me; both of them to the ſenſe of repaying in each place; whereas the Syriack hath it, If I have repayed evil to him that did evil to me, and ſo the Arabick, If I have retributed to them that have done me evil. With this coheres (and is not with any reaſon to be disjoyned) the latter part of the verſe,foreign foreign and have, or, and if I have— foreign here is an ambiguous word, oft ſignifying, and rendred foreign, to take out, or lead out, or ſnatch out, and ſo to deliver; but it primarily ſignifies detrahere, ſpoliare, adimere, exuere, to take off, to deſpoil, and ſo from thence is the Noun foreign a garment, which is wont to be put off or changed: (The Jewiſh Arab. expreſſeth it by foreign from foreign which ſignifies two contraries, to put on, and to take off, or away.) In this ſenſe the Syriack expreſly uſe it, Act. 19.37. where foreign, Church-robbers, are rendred by this word foreign that robb'd or ſpoil'd the Temple, and Col. 2.8. nequis foreign Let no man deſpoil you, (In this notion the Septuagint render it Job 36.15 foreign ▪ to oppreſs; and thus the Chaldee underſtand it here, foreign (from foreign preſſit, afflixit) and if I have afflicted them; and ſo the Syriack alſo, if I have oppreſſed:) and thus the ſenſe is perſpicuous and current, without any diſturbance or confuſion, If I have returned evil to them that dealt ill with me, or if I have deſpoiled him that without cauſe was my enemy, Then— And in this peculiar notion of deſpoiling an enemy, in which it is moſt frequent, it ſeems to have ſome reference to Davids dealing with Saul. In the Cave he took not from him his garment, but the skirt only; and that only as a teſtimony of a greater kindneſs, the ſparing his life. In the Camp finding him aſleep, he only took away his ſpear, and that upon the ſame ground; and having evidenced his integrity, returned it carefully again. The LXXII▪ have much changed this laſt part of the verſe, rendring it, foreign, Let me fall away from my enemies empty, (and from thence the vulgar and Arabick and Aethiopick have their rendrings:) and unleſs they thought the true ſenſe of the words ſufficiently expreſt in the former part of the verſe, and thereupon took liberty to give a various deſcant upon the latter, (as the LXXII. are oft obſervable to do) I profeſs not to give an account of it. Other conſiderable variations they have in this Pſalm: v. 6. for foreign in the rages or burnings, foreignfrom foreign in Hithpael irâ exarſit, (and ſo rendred by the Chaldee foreign though applyed to God, and not to the enemies) the LXXII. read foreign. in the ends or bounds, (taking it for foreign which ſignifies thus, from foreign tranſiit) the extream parts or borders, which being taken by an enemy, give him a great advantage over the inhabitants; as Ehuds taking the Foords of Jordan toward Moab, Judg. 3.…8. (foreign Foords from the ſame Radix) was the ſure means of ſubduing Moab, and deſtroying all the inhabitants at that time. Where yet one thing may be obſerved, and learnt from them, that foreign being in the beginning of the verſe uſed for in, may moſt probably ſignifie ſo here alſo, and be rendred in, or over; and ſo the Chaldee reads over my oppreſſors, and the Syriack, and Arabick, over the necks of my oppreſſors; and perhaps the LXXII. were willing to expreſs this by foreign, lift up thy ſelf in or over their bounds or borders, as a phraſe to expreſs his ſubduing of them; chooſing purpoſely not to repeat the word anger or fury, becauſe that had been ſufficiently expreſt in the former part, as far as referred to God, to whom the Chaldee apply it alſo in the latter place, and the other antient Tranſlators do not at all mention it.foreign So v. 9. in ſtead of foreign the righteous Lord, they read: foreign, God, and keep the other word divided to begin the next verſe, foreign, righteous is my help from God— So v. 11.foreign where the Hebrew hath foreign and God is angry every day, the LXXII. read foreign it ſeems in the original notion for fortis, ſtrong, (and ſo doth the Chaldee alſo foreign in fortitudine;) but not only ſo, but then again read it foreign nor, and then make up this large paraphraſe, in ſtead of [God is angry] foreign ▪ and be is ſtrong and patient, and doth not bring forth or looſe anger every day; which the Arabick follow exactly, the Syriack as far as the foreign nor, is not angry every day, and the vulgar to the ſame ſenſe, nunquid iraſcitur? is he angry every day? And conſidering the context, and the intire deſign of this and the following verſes, this may well paſs for a perſpicuous paraphraſe of it, and not any contradiction to the rational, though it agree not to the literal notion of it. So verſe 12. foreign if he turn not, foreignthey read in the ſecond perſon plural by way of paraphraſe, foreign, if ye turn not; and ſo the Latine and Arabick and Aethiopick. In this place Aben-Ezra's gloſs may deſerve to be remembred, who applies foreign if he return not to God, foreignreferring to foreign v. 7. return thou on high; that as that belonged to Gods aſcending the throne of judgment, ſtanding up to exert his vindicative juſtice, ſo his not returning here, ſhould ſignifie his foreign, his not appearing in this manner in vengeance.
foreignV. 9. Come to an end] How foreign is to be rendred both for the notion and ſenſe, will deſerve to be conſidered. The word foreign complevit, finivit, uſed ſometimes for good, ſometimes for ill, muſt here be in the latter ſenſe, and then muſt be rendred either filled up ſimply, or elſe deſtroyed or conſumed. In the former ſenſe the LXXII. read foreign, let it be accompliſht or filled up, and ſo the Syriack and Aethiopick; but the Chaldee foreign, from foreign agreeing in ſignification with foreign deſtruxit, let it be deſtroyed; and ſo the Latine, conſumetur, ſhall be conſumed: and both theſe may well have place, being one conſequent to the other; when iniquity is filled up, when 'tis come to the full meaſure, attained its end, ſaith the Arabick, then Gods judgments come, it ſhall be deſtroyed. But the Interlinear have another-underſtanding of it, Conſumet malum impios, Evil ſhall conſume the wicked; and in conſent therewith, Abu Walid obſerves the verb foreign to be uſed tranſitively ſometimes, and inſtanceth in this place, giving it the notion of excidere, and conſumere, as well as perficere. And this rendring may deſerve to be preferred before either of the former. Now for the tenſe it is certainly in the future, and not in the Imperative mood; yet thoſe two are ſo promiſcuouſly taken the one for the other, that the Interpreters for the moſt part render it in the Imperative, let it be—The thing from thence obſervable is, that in Sacred ſtyle, eſpecially in the Prophetick Dialect, the uſe of the Imperative mood muſt not be always thought to denote a wiſh, or, when it is of ill, to be a curſe, but only a prediction. And this may be of uſe frequently in Interpreting this Book of Pſalms, wherein thoſe many paſſages which in ſound paſs for wiſhes of ill, or curſes, are but predictions of the ills that ſhall befall wicked men. To foreign is here annexed the particle foreign now, either as an expletive,foreign or to denote the approach of the deſtruction ſpoken of.
V. 13. foreignArrows againſt the perſecutors] The Hebrew foreign ſignifying two things, to perſecute, and to be ſet on fire, (ſee note on Pſal. 10. a.) the LXXII. renders foreign here by foreign, and the Latine by ardentibus, and ſo the Syriack (and the reſt) ſeems to take it, foreign; I ſuppoſe it ſhould be, foreign from foreign ferbuit, ebullivit. But the Chaldee reſtrain it to the other notion, of perſecuting, by the addition of foreign the righteous, he will make his arrows againſt the perſecutors of the righteous. And this may probably enough be reſolved on as the ſenſe of the place. And yet the words are capable of a yet farther rendring, thus; foreign Sagittas ſuas fecit in ardentes, or in perſequentes, he hath made his arrows for burning or perſecuting ones, as that ſignifies, he hath made his arrows burning or purſuing arrows. Thus the prepoſition foreign may either be a pleonaſm, as it is not unuſual;foreign or rather may ſerve to help the conſtruction of the verb, with a double accuſative, as it doth Exod. 27.3. foreign All the Veſſels thereof thou ſhalt make braſs. So Abu Walid thinks, and renders it, he maketh his arrows bright; the Jewiſh-Arabick Tranſlator, ſwiftly purſuing, perſecuting arrows. And thus burning arrows, as burning darts, may well ſignifie ſharp, and terrible arrows, which yet being but made or ordained, or (in the preſent) in fieri, in making, or ordaining, and not yet ſhot or ſent out of the bow, as terrible as they are, they ſtill denote Gods ſparing a little longer, mean-while preparing for it, and giving fair treatable warnings, of what will come at laſt, if they reform not.