Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 55
The Fifty Fifth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian on Neginoth, Maſchil, A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The fifty fifth is a mournful Pſalm of Davids, recounting his own diſtreſſes in the time of Abſaloms rebellion, and the perfidiouſneſs of thoſe his own principal ſervants and Counſellers, (ſuch was Achitophel, 2 Sam. 16.23.) which were the chief authors of it, yet confidently reſorting to God for his aid, and chearfully depending on it. He ſet it to the tune of Maſchil, and committed it to the Praefect of his Muſick, to be ſung to the harp, &c.
1. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thy ſelf from my ſupplication.
Paraphrase. 1. O thou which art my only refuge in all diſtreſſes, be thou now pleaſed to hearken favourably to my requeſts.
2. Attend unto me, and hear me: I ‖foreignmourn in my prayer, and make a noiſe.
Paraphrase. 2. My condition makes me very †foreign I am unquiet and clamorous, Chald.querulous and importunate▪ O be thou pleaſed to conſider my diſtreſs▪
3. Becauſe of the voice of the enemy, becauſe of the oppreſſion of the wicked; for they caſt iniquity upon me, and in wrath they †ſet themſelves againſt me foreignhate me.
Paraphrase. 3. My ſon Abſalom hath depraved my Government, and thoſe that are aſſociated with him have driven me from my throne: the one accuſeth me as guilty of great miſgovernments, the other purſue me with all the malice … rancour imaginable.
4. My heart *tremblethis ſore pained within me; and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
Paraphrase. 4. And the danger is ſo great and preſſing, that I may be allowed to tremble and quake at the appearance of it.
5. Fearfulneſs and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
6. And I ſaid, ‖who will give me the wing as a dove? I will fly and dwell or reſt.O that I had wings like a dove, for then would I flee away and be at reſt.
7. †Lo I willLo then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderneſs. Selah.
8. *I willI would haſten my eſcape from the ‖ſtormy wind, or wind that is raiſed from the whirlwind.windy ſtorm and tempeſt.
Paraphrase. 5, 6, 7, 8. And accordingly I am now forced, as in a ſtate of horrour and confuſion, to forſake my place, to flee from Jeruſalem with all poſſible ſpeed, to eſcape out of his hands, and to this end to wander upon the mountains, to go whither I may, 2 Sam. 17.20. to avoid this calamity, ſo ſuddenly raiſed by mine own rebellious ſon and ſubjects.
9. †Overwhelm them foreignDeſtroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues; for I have ſeen violence and ſtrife in the city.
Paraphrase. 9. Lord, be thou pleaſed to confound and diſſipate their ‖ſo the Chald.counſels, (ſee 2 Sam. 15.31.) by cauſing ſome diſagreement and diviſion among them; for all that they deſign and conſult about is rebellion and rapine.
10. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: miſchief alſo and ‖injury foreignſorrow are in the midſt of it.
Paraphrase. 10. Theſe two are the continual guard of their city, the arts to which they are content to owe their ſafety: And that which is within▪ and is to be preſerved by theſe means, is it ſelf of the ſame making, violation of my …uſt rights eſtabliſhed on me by God. All that they have to do is, to defend one wickedneſs and violence with the addition of many more.
11. Wickedneſs is in the midſt thereof; deceit and ga…e depart not from their ſtreets.
Paraphrase. 11. And ſo their whole conſpiracy what is it but a continued complication and conjunction of all kind of iniquity and injuſtice?
12. For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have born it: neither was it he that hated me, that did magnifie himſelf againſt me; then I would have hid my ſelf from him.
Paraphrase. 12. One thing that extreamly heightens my trouble, is, that the moſt pernicious counſel that hath been given in all this buſineſs was not the counſel of any known enemy, whom I might have foreſeen, and prevented;
13. But it was thou, †one whom I eſteemed as my ſelf.a man, mine equal, my guide, and my acquaintance.
14. We *joyned our ſelves to the aſſembly.took ſweet counſel together, and walked to the houſe of God in company.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. But of ‖ſee the Chald.Achitophel, one whom I loved as my own ſoul or life, one whoſe advice I took above all other mens, 2 Sam. 1….23. one that I had a particular friendſhip with, and communicated my ſecrets to him, and above all, one whom I had reaſon to look on as a pious man, he was ſo ready always to accompany me to the ſervice of God.
15. ‖Death ſhall deceive or forget them, they ſhall go—Let death ſeiſe upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedneſs is in their dwellings and among them.
Paraphrase. 15. But God will not ſuffer this perfidiouſneſs of his to go unpuniſhed, he ſhall not live to perfect his deſign, a death as unnatural, unexpected, and remarkable as that which fell on Corah, Dathan and Abiram (thoſe rebels againſt Moſes and Aaron) ſhal certainly befall him: for it is a moſt horrible wickedneſs that he is guilty of. (This is alſo a viſible prediction of what ſhould befal Judas, who was parallel to Achitophel, both in ſin and puniſhments. Act. 1.)
16. As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord ſhall ſave me.
17. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and he ſhall hear my voice.
Paraphrase. 16, 17. But as for my ſelf, I have nothing to do but to pray conſtantly and importunely to God, thrice a day ſolemnly to reinforce my impreſſion on him; and no doubt he will be gratiouſly pleaſed to deliver me out of this diſtreſs, (as formerly he hath done out of all others) and
18. He †will deliver foreignhath delivered my ſoul in peace from the battel that *iswas againſt me; for there ‖are foreignwere many with me.
Paraphrase. 18. Reſtore me to peace and ſafety from the imminent danger of this rebellion, which be it never ſo ſtrongly and invincibly contrived and managed againſt me, cannot outvie the ſtrength of heaven, which is certainly on my ſide. God taking my part, as he doth, I can want no other ſupply of auxiliaries
19. God ſhall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old, Selah. †they are not changed, and theyBecauſe they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
Paraphrase. 19. Without ſuch aids, God will himſelf be ſure to maintain my cauſe; he is eternal, omnipotent, and unchangeable, and ſhall therefore, according to his promiſe made to me, protect and ſecure me, and withal ſharply puniſh theſe obdurate perſons, which for fear of men were corrupted from their obedience by Abſalom, and being now out in rebellion, and going on proſperouſly and undiſturbedly in it, cannot by a far juſter fear, the fear of God, be reduced.
20. He hath put forth his hand againſt ſuch as be at peace with them, he hath broken his Covenant.
Paraphrase. 20. They have broken all laws of fidelity and allegiance, being obliged by oaths, have had no regard thereto.
21. ‖They are divided, their mouth butter, their heart war—The words of his mouth were ſmoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were ſofter than oyl, yet were they drawn ſwords.
Paraphrase. 21. Their tongues and hearts were at a great diſtance; their ſmootheſt and faireſt and moſt flattering ſpeeches, were but deſigned to conceal and diſguiſe under them their bloody and rebellious contrivances, which under theſe pretences were moſt ſecurely carried on, till at laſt it was ſeaſonable for them to break out into open war.
22. †or caſt th… affairs on the Lord, who gave thee.Caſt thy burthen upon the Lord, and he ſhall ſuſtain thee: he ſhall *not ſuffer the right… ous to be for ever moved.never ſuffer the righteous to be moved.
Paraphrase. 22. But let their practiſes and deſigns be what they will, I am reſolved to make no other applications, but thoſe in my prayers to God. All my wants and deſires, I will make known to him, (who is the Author of all good things, even of my very being it ſelf) and in him repoſe my truſt for the ſupplying of them. He will, I doubt not, come ſeaſonably to my relief; and although he have now for a while permitted me to be driven from my place, he will in his good time return me to it, and not ſuffer this rebellion to proſper, or me his anointed Vicegerent to be caſt down for ever.
23. But thou, O God, ſhalt bring them down into the pit of deſtruction. Bloody and deceitful men ſhall not live out half their days: but I will truſt in thee.
Paraphrase. 23. But on the contrary, God ſhall aſſuredly bring theſe down to an untimely ruine or exciſion. And the ſame is the portion which all other like them are to expect; Rebels and perjured and bloody men ſhall generally meet with diſappointments in this life, gain little but the ſhortning of their own days, ſeldom live half ſo long as other men that are more dutiful and peaceably diſpoſed. And in this contemplation of Gods juſt vengeance on them, and care and watchful providence over me. I chearfully reſt, wholly referring the event to him, and confidently aſſuring my ſelf, that it will be ſuch as I may comfortably depend on, and expect to find all joy in the iſſue of it.
Annotations on Pſalm LV.
V. 4. Sore pained] foreign to grieve or be pained, is frequently by the Targum rendred trembling. And thus it muſt ſignifie Pſal. 96.9.foreign foreign the Targum foreign co…tremiſcite, we render it fear before him; 'twere better, tremble before him, for ſo it would better connect with the earth, which is there ſpoken to. So Pſal. 144.7. foreign, we render it tremble thou earth— So 1. Chron. 10.3. ſpeaking of the archers which preſſed upon Saul, foreign and he was greatly afraid. So the Chaldee read it, 1 Sam. 31.3. foreign he feared: and ſo here, foreign my heart trembleth within me; foreign co…tremiſ…it, ſaith the Chaldee; and the Syriack more clearly foreign trembling, (from foreign to fear) fell upon me; and the Arabick in like manner, my heart within me was afraid; and the Jewiſh Arab Interpreter, foreign trembleth. And thus the learned Caſtellio, Cor meum in pectore trepidat, my heart in my breſt trembleth: and ſo it beſt accords to foreign the terrors of death (from foreign terror) that follows in this verſe, and the fearfulneſs, and trembling and horror in the next.
foreignV. 6. Flee away) The phraſe foreign, which literally ſounds I will fly and dwell, ſeems to be an foreign, two words to expreſs one thing, viz. fly to a place of repoſe and ſafety: where that place was, could not be ſpecified, for as he ſaith, 2 Sam. 15.20. I go whither I may; as if he had ſaid, I know not whither; and v. 17. The King went forth and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off, as here v. 7. I will wander afar off. And indeed this is the ſum of theſe three verſes, 6, 7, 8. I ſaid, foreign who will give me the wings foreign as a dove? i. e. I reſolved to fly immediately. So 'tis affirmed in the Hiſtory, 2 Sam. 15.14. And David ſaid unto all his ſervants that were with him at Jeruſalem, Ariſe, and let us flee, for we ſhall not elſe eſcape from Abſalom, make ſpeed to depart, leſt he overtake us ſuddenly: which is but the plain proſe of what is here put in the metrical ſtyle, as the deſcription of his ſudden and confuſed flight, he knew not whither; I will flee, and reſt, I will wander afar, I will haſten my eſcape foreign from the ſtormy wind, or wind which is raiſed, foreign from the whirlwind, (ſuch as carried Elias to heaven, 2 King. 2.2.) In ſtead of foreign I will haſten my eſcape foreign from the wind that is raiſed, or ſtormy wind, the LXXII. read in ſomewhat a diſtant manner, foreign, I expected him that would ſave me from puſillanimity; perhaps underſtanding foreign wind in the notion of ſpirit, and then the concitation of that might paſs for foreign, puſillanimity. The Latine follow them, and read puſillanimitate ſpiritus; but the Syriack forſake them, and read foreign a tempeſtuous wind, or a wind that is raiſed (ſo the foreign and foreign which the Chaldee uſeth in this place, is deduced from foreign aſcendit.) As for the former part, it cannot well be deemed a verſion of the words, but may poſſibly be a paraphraſe; for ſo he that flyes from an imminent danger, though (as David here) he knows not whither, doth expect ſome means of deliverance, for which he thus reſerves himſelf by flight.
V. 10. Go about] That which removes all difficulty in this verſe is, the obſerving who they are that are here ſaid to incompaſs, or go about the city, viz. violence and ſtrife, or rebellion, which are in the words immediately foregoing (v. 9.) ſaid to be eſpyed by him in the city. For theſe then to go about the city (foreign) and that foreign upon the walls of it,foreign is to do as Souldiers that guard a city do, and ſignifies theſe to be their only means of preſerving themſelves; and then for foreign and foreign miſchief and injury to be foreign in the inmoſt part of that city, what is it, but to denote theſe vices to be the poſſeſſions that that other guard is ſet to defend? and ſo, in ſhort, their ſecuring one wickedneſs with another, is the clear meaning of this verſe.
foreignV. 13. Aequal] From foreign collatus, aeſtimatus eſt, is the phraſe foreign according to the eſteeming of my ſelf, or according to my proportion, i. e. one whom I eſteemed in the ſame proportion and degree that I did my ſelf. The Targum read foreign who art like me, but the LXXII. moſt exactly, foreign, but thou a man whom I love and eſteem as I do my own ſoul; for ſo that word foreign ſignifies foreign, equal to my ſoul or life, as in Homer, foreign, equal to my head, i. e. my life; and ſo the word is uſed by Saint Paul Phil. 2.20. ſee note on that place.
V. 14. Took ſweet counſel] From foreign to be ſweet, and the ordinary notion of foreign for ſecret, the phraſe foreign will literally be read,foreign we made our ſecret ſweet. And ſo it may be an elegance, to ſignifie the pleaſure of his friendſhip, or of communicating ſecrets to him. But the Jewiſh Arab renders it foreign foreign we cleaved, or joyned our ſelves to the company or aſſembly, interpreting foreign to that ſenſe of cleaving or joyning to; Job 21.33. the clods of the valley ſhall cleave (not as we read, ſhall be ſweet) unto him, to expreſs the certainty of death (as v. 32. he ſhall be brought to the grave, and remain in the tombs) and not the pleaſantneſs of it:foreign and then taking foreign to ſignifie company, as Abu Walid alſo doth, and puts foreign company or coetus aſſembly, for a different ſignification of it from ſecret. And ſo it certainly ſignifies a congregation, and is by the LXXII. rendered foreign, aſſembly, Jer. 6.11. foreign, we render it, the aſſembly of young men; and ſo Jer. 15.17. the aſſembly of the mockers, where the LXXII. hath foreign, the councel, as that ſignifies the place where they meet to conſult. And then the plain meaning of the phraſe foreign will be this,foreign we joyned our ſelves together to the aſſembly; and that well agrees with what here follows, we walked to the houſe of God in company. The LXXII. for foreign ſeem to have read foreign which we find 1 Sam. 9.12. and which the Targum uſes frequently for a feaſt; for as they here read foreign, meats, ſo the Syriack have foreign the ſame word. And even thus the ſenſe is but little varied; for eating or ſweetning a ſacrifical meal together, is no more then going together to the feaſts, i. e. to the publick aſſemblies at the feſtival times. In the end of the verſe foreign may be rendred with a noiſe, foreign] and ſo the Chaldee ſeems to have taken it which reads foreign with haſte; and to that agree the Jewiſh Doctors, who tell us men are to go in haſte and with ſpeed to the Synagogue, but return thence very leiſurely. But the word ſignifies alſo in company, from foreign to aſſemble, and in Hiphil to conſent, and ſo it beſt accords with foreign together] in the former part of the verſe, and accordingly is rendred by the LXXII. foreign, in conſent, or one mind, and the Syriack foreign in concord.
V. 15. Seiſe] From foreign deceptus eſt, foreignis foreign here in the future of Hiphil, and being applyed to foreign death (Death ſhall deceive them) it may poſſibly ſignifie, that they ſhall not live to do what they deſign, but death ſhall come and fruſtrate and evacuate all their contrivances, and ſo deceive and cheat them. And thus it were but a Poetical phraſe to denote what David is ſaid to have whether wiſht, or foretold againſt Achitophel, 2 Sam. 15.31. O Lord, I pray thee turn the counſell of Achitophel into fooliſhneſs; for ſo to deceive him, is to turn his wiſe counſel into folly: and this God did by ſending that horrid melancholy and anguiſh of conſcience, which was the death of him. But the Jewiſh Aarb ſuggeſts another ſenſe of the phraſe, rendring it, Let death forget them, viz. natural death, that ſo it may ſignifie, let them not die a natural death, but, as he explains it, as Corah and his company did, and as it here follows, Let them go quick into Hades. And thus for death to deceive them] is to come to their end before they think, and by means which they can neither foreſee nor prevent. And that will be the moſt probable meaning of the phraſe.
V. 19. foreignNo changes] The phraſe here foreign is thus literally rendred, to whom no changes to them, i. e. (according to the vulgar ſtyle among the Hebrews) they are not changed; foreign being no more than quibus, to whom, and to whom no changes no more than they are in no wiſe changed: and ſo with this coheres what follows foreign—and they fear not, or have not feared God. (In both parts viſibly the character of thoſe, whom in the beginning of the verſe he ſaith God will afflict) either they are uninterrupted in their, courſe, and ſo fear not; or they continue unchanged in their rebellion, and ſo fear not God: therefore God will certainly bring them down, and afflict them ſore. The Chaldee here read it in the latter ſenſe, foreign— wicked men, which change not their very evil courſe, and fear not the ſight of God, ſhall periſh. The rendring of the LXXII. will bear either, foreign, for there is no change to them, (taking foreign for no more than foreign, a change ſimply:) but the Hebrew foreign are ſuch alterations as tend to corruption; So Job 10.17. where changes are joyned with war, and both ſaid to be againſt him; and ſo moſt probably it is here taken.
V. 21. foreignWords] The Hebrew foreign diviſit] ſignifies alſo to ſmooth, and from thence to flatter, ſee Pſal. 5.9. Prov. 2.16. Pſal. 36.3. The LXXII. here read it in the primitive notion, foreign, they were divided, foreignand for foreign butter (reading foreign by anger, or perhaps in the plural foreign to the ſame ſenſe) they have foreign, from anger. To our vulgar reading of ſmoother than butter] the Chaldee exactly accords, foreign—ſofter than the fat of cheeſe are the words of his mouth, and his heart like weapons of war. (So they render foreign war, foreignwhich the LXXII. again from foreign to draw near, render foreign, his heart drew near, but therein (though the Latine and Arabick agree) the Syriack depart from them.) But the noun foreign his mouth is in the ſingular, and foreign in the plural, and there is no mention of words in the Hebrew, and foreign is a noun, for the prefix foreign requires another punctation. And to avoid all difficulties, the readieſt expedient is, to receive the LXXII. their rendring of foreign, they were, or are devided. viz. the members of the wicked man there ſpoken of, they are at great diſtance one from the other; foreign butter their mouth, or their mouth is butter, foreign and war their heart, or their heart is war— And this ſeems to be the faireſt rendring of it.
foreignV. 22. Thy burthen] foreign from foreign dedit, if it be a noun, literally ſignifies thy gift, by that meaning the thing which thou deſireſt to have given thee; and therefore the Chaldee render it foreign thy hope, or that which thou hopeſt to receive. The LXXII. have foreign, thy ſollicitude, and the Apoſtle St. Peter follows their reading, 1 Pet. 5.5. and this very agreeably to the original. For the Hebrews generally render it by foreign thy burthen; and David Kimchi in his roots gives this account of it, that the Jewiſh Doctors learnt the expoſition of this word from an Arabian, or, as other Copies of Kimchi read, foreign a Syrian Merchant, who bidding his Chapman weigh out his parcel, uſed this phraſe, foreign weigh out your burthen, or lading. Here 'tis evident by the whether Syriack, or Arabick uſe of it, that the Hebrew word antiently ſignified a burthen, and not only a gift: And then the burthen here ſpoken of, that which was to be caſt on God, being the burthen of the mind only, that is moſt fitly rendred foreign, care or ſollicitude. But ſome of the Jews incline to take foreign here for a verb; and then it muſt be foreign caſt or commit thy ſelf, or thy affairs, foreign upon the Lord, foreign who hath given to thee: and foreign in the Jewiſh Arab Interpreter is capable of this ſenſe, being the ſame with the Hebrew, only changed י into ו.
V. 23. foreignHalf their days] In the Jewiſh account threeſcore years was the age of a man, and death at any time before that was lookt upon as untimely, and deemed and ſtyled foreign exciſion, of which they made 36 degrees. So that not to live out half ones days, (foreign) is in their ſtyle to die before thirty years old.