Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 56
The Fifty Sixth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, upon ‖the ſilent Dove afar off.Jo…ath Elem Rechokim, Michtam of David when the Philiſtims †had him in their power.took him in Gath.
Paraphrase. The fifty ſixth Pſalm was compoſed by David (as Pſalm 34. was) at Adullam, or ſome place of his flights, in remembrance of his great deliverances out of the hands of Saul, and in reflexion on the time when he was with the Philiſtims, 1 Sam. 21. in which he reſembleth himſelf to a Dove a great way from home, ſitting ſadly and ſolita…ily by it ſelf. It is called his jewel (ſee note on Pſal. 16. a.) in reſpect of the memorableneſs of the eſcapes, which were the matter of it, and he committed it to the Praefect of his Muſick, to be ſolemnly and publickly ſung.
1. Be mercifull unto me, O God, for man *gapes after me.would ſwallow me up, he fighting daily oppreſſeth me.
Paraphrase. 1. Bleſſed Lord, my enemy Saul is very earneſt and diligent to devour me, he is continually deſigning ſome miſchief againſt me, O be thou gratiouſly pleaſed to interpoſe thy hand of deliverance for me.
2. ‖my obſervers gape daily.Mine enemies would daily ſwallow me up, for they be many that fight againſt me, O thou moſt high.
Paraphrase. 2. I am watched on every ſide by a multitude of envious perſons, who fain would get me into their ſnares; but thou, O Lord, art able to diſappoint them all.
3. What time I am afraid, I will truſt in thee.
Paraphrase. 3. When any the greateſt cauſe of fear approacheth me, I have my ſure refuge on which I may repoſe my ſelf, thy over-ruling Providence, O Lord.
4. †In the Lord his word will I boaſt.In God I will praiſe his word, in God I have put my truſt, I will not fear what man can do unto me.
Paraphrase. 4. Thou haſt promiſed me thy conſtant aid; and the fidelity of that and all other thy promiſes is matter of glorifying, and firm confidence to me, and I cannot be brought to apprehend any danger from the malice of men, be it never ſo great, as long as I have this ſo impregnable a bulwark to ſecure me.
5. Every day they *depravewreſt my words, all their thoughts are againſt me for evil.
Paraphrase. 5. My enemies I know are very diligent and induſtrious, they do their utmoſt to deprave my words and actions, to put the moſt odious interpretations upon them; their plots and conſultations are wholly ſpent to work me ſome miſchief.
6. They gather themſelves together, they hide themſelves, they mark my ſteps, when they wait for my ſoul.
Paraphrase. 6. Very buſie they are in meeting, and laying their heads together, they manage it with all ſecreſie, as ſo many treacherous ſpies, they have an evil eye upon every thing I do, and fain would find occaſion to inſnare and ruine me.
7. ‖According to their iniquity abjection ſhall be to them or they ſhall be caſt away—Shall they eſcape by their iniquity? In thine anger caſt down the people, O God.
Paraphrase. 7. Their whole confidence is in their falſeneſs and wickedneſs, certainly thou wilt not permit ſuch acts to proſper finally; thy patience will at length be provoked, and then thou wilt ſuddenly ſubdue them, and deſtroy them.
8. Thou telleſt my wandrings, put my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?
Paraphrase. 8. I have been long baniſhed from my home, wandring up and down in great diſtreſs, my condition hath been very ſad and lamentable. And all this I am ſure is particularly conſidered by thee, thou knoweſt the †foreign the days of the vagrancy Chald.days of my exile, and vagrant condition, thou reckoneſt and layeſt up all the tears that drop from me, for thou haſt a ſure record, a book of remembrance for all that befals me, and wilt, I doubt not, in thy good time, vindicate my cauſe, and deliver me.
9. When I cry unto thee, then ſhall mine enemies turn back: this I know, ‖that foreignfor God is for me.
Paraphrase. 9. I need no other weapons to diſcomfit my enemies but my prayers, for of this I have all aſſurance, that God doth eſpouſe my cauſe, and in his good time upon my humble and conſtant addreſſes to him, he will certainly take my part, and come in ſeaſonably to my reſcue.
10. †In God his word will I glory, in the Lord his word will I glory. See note c.In God will I praiſe his word, in the Lord will I praiſe his word.
11. In God have I put my truſt, I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
Paraphrase. 10, 11. He is my God, and my Lord, a God of all mercy and goodneſs, and a Lord of all power and might. The former of theſe hath inclined him to eſpouſe my cauſe, to make me moſt gracious promiſes of preſervation and deliverance; and the latter ſecures me of his ſtrength and fidelity, his ability and readineſs to perform them. And this is matter of all joy and comfort to me in my diſtreſs; of confidence, that having relied on him, I ſhall not be forſaken by him, nor fall under the malice and power of any of mine enemies.
12. Thy vows are upon me, O God, I will render praiſes unto thee.
Paraphrase. 12. I am under the greateſt obligation to return my thankſgiving to thee, and all the oblations of a grateful heart: In this I ſhall be careful not to fail, but ſing praiſes to thee for ever, who art thus graciouſly pleaſed to own and vindicate thy unworthy ſervant.
13. For thou haſt delivered my ſoul from death, wilt not thou recover my feet from falling? that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
Paraphrase. 13. Thy preſervations I have ſignally experimented ſeveral times, when my very life hath eminently been in danger. And theſe pledges of thy mercy give me aſſurance, that thou wilt now reſcue me from all my dangers, and give me ſpace and opportunities to live and ſerve thee, and walk acceptably before thee.
Annotations on Pſalm LVI.
foreignTit. Took him] foreign ſignifies in a latitude not only to apprehend, or take or hold as a priſoner, but ſimply to have, to poſſeſs, to contain, to have in ones power. Accordingly, as it is here rendred by the LXXII. foreign, they had him in their power, ſo if we conſider the ſtory to which it refers, 1 Sam. 21. we ſhall find no cauſe to look upon David as a priſoner at the time which is here ſpoken of. David indeed at Gath was afraid when they told Achiſh, that this was the man of whom the triumphal ſongs were made, v. 11, 12. But it appears not, that that ſpeech was by the ſpeakers intended to his diſadvantage, but only to repreſent him a conſiderable revolter or transfuga fled from Saul. And that nothing but kindneſs was finally meant him, may be gathered from v. 15. where Achiſh his words are, Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my preſence? ſhall this fellow come into my houſe? It ſeems he might have been thought fit for the Kings houſe and preſence, had he not been taken for a mad man. Which is very far from a priſon being deſigned him. And 'tis yet farther manifeſt 1 Sam. 27.1. that David ſoon after this returned to this place to Achiſh King of Gath again; which is a ſufficient argument, that he apprehended not any real danger, when he was there at the firſt. From all which 'tis conſequent, that as the word foreign muſt not be rendred in the notion of captivity, or impriſoment, ſo the deliverances here recounted by the Pſalmiſt are not to be applyed to his eſcape out of the hands of Achiſh, but belong to the many reſcues by God afforded him from Sauls ſervants, and Court-Sycophants; and ſo though the title of the Pſalm looks only on the Philiſtim in Gath, yet it takes in the paſſages following; as Pſalm 34, though by the inſcription it appear to have been endited, when David changed his behaviour before Achiſh, takes in alſo the following ſtory of his diſmiſſion (ſo foreign ſignifies, and is by the LXXII. rendred foreign, diſmiſt him, by the Chaldee paraphraſed, foreign and he left him) and his departure, and the conſequents thereof, being penn'd, as is moſt probable, at Adullam, or ſome other place of his after-flight, while he was perſecuted by, and fled before Saul.
V. 1. Swallow] From foreign to draw breath, is the metaphorical uſe of the word for gaping after, deſiring earneſtly, and ſo foreign is here uſed,foreign for enemies that earneſtly deſire to get him into their hands. The antient Interpreters generally render it, as if it were from foreign or foreign conculcare, foreign ſay the Chaldee, he hath trod me under foot, and ſo the LXXII. foreign. The ſame word is again repeated in the ſame ſenſe v. 2. foreign my obſervers (or thoſe that watch as ſpies upon me) gape.
V. 4. In God] That foreign in Piel ſignifies to praiſe, there is no doubt; and if it do ſo here, it will be neceſſary to ſoften the phraſe, which otherwiſe ſounds ſome-what rough,foreign and in ſtead of foreign which we render literally, In the Lord I will praiſe his word] to read, The Lord his word will I praiſe,] which is eaſily done, if only ב (as oft it is) be reckoned as a pleonaſm. But the word ſignifies alſo to glory, or boaſt, as Pſal. 10.3. the wicked foreign boaſts, the Targum reads, foreign rejoyceth, or glories in his own hearts deſire; and this notion ſeems better to belong to it here, where it is joyned with putting truſt in God, for ſo to glory and boaſt in God, is to profeſs dependance on him, and none elſe, and ſo the Syriack hath diſtinctly rendred it foreign in God will I glory. The LXXII. ſeems to have read foreign my words; for they render it foreign, In the Lord I will praiſe my words, and ſo the Latine, and Arabick, and Aethiopick follow them, In Deo laudabo ſermones meos, it will not be eaſie to divine with what ſenſe. What is here ſaid [in God, and again in God] is with ſome change repeated v. 10. foreign in God and foreign in the Lord. foreignOf theſe two words the Rabbins obſerve, that foreign God is foreign the attribute of juſtice, but foreign Lord, foreign the attribute of compaſſion. And accordingly the Chaldee here reads, foreign &c. in the attribute of the juſtice of God I will praiſe, or rejoyce in his word, foreign in the attribute of his pity, &c. i. e. whether he puniſh, or he pities, I will praiſe him, or boaſt or glory in him.
foreignV. 5. Wreſt] foreign ſignifying firſt to grieve, or be in pain, is uſed by metonymie for any laborious framing, or forming any thing. Here being applied to anothers words, or ſpeeches, it ſeems to note the depraving them, labouring, and uſing great art and diligence, to put them into ſuch a form as may be moſt for the diſadvantage of the ſpeaker, turning and winding them to his hurt, putting ſome odious gloſs upon them, and ſo according to ſenſe, may moſt fitly be rendred depraving. This perhaps the LXXII. meant when they rendred it foreign, not as that ſignifies deteſting abhorring, but making them deteſtable, putting an odious, abhorred ſenſe upon them. The Syriack here read foreign, they took counſel againſt me, reading foreign by taking counſel, labouring and induſtriouſly contriving and conſulting, foreign my words, by [me] and then ſuppoſing the prepoſition foreign againſt, to be wanting, they thought fit to ſupply it, and thus to paraphraſe this obſcure phraſe, and make it agree with that which follows, all their thoughts, or contrivances, are againſt me for evil.
V. 6. foreignGather] foreign that ſignifies to dwell or to ſojourn, ſignifies alſo (in the notion of foreign) to aſſemble, to meet together, and ſo the Chaldee interpret it here, foreign they ſhall aſſemble together; but the LXXII. reteining the former notion, render it foreign, they ſhall inhabit.
V. 7. foreignEſcape] Of foreign it is obſerved by Lexicographers, that as in Kal it ſignifies to eſcape or go out, ſo in Piel, it is uſed for caſting out or throwing away, ſo ſaith Kimchi in his rootes, (adding that the noun from thence ſignifies an abject vile perſon, Judg. 12.4, 5. and Iſa. 45.20.) lo Jon. 2.10. where the Hebrew hath foreign the fiſh vomited out Jonah, &c. the Chaldee render it foreign where it evidently ſignifies to caſt or vomit out; ſo Levit. 18.25. and 28. the Chaldee uſeth it of the lands vomiting out its inhabitants, and ſo the Rabbins uſe foreign for vomit. And then the place will be thus literally interpretable, foreign for, or according to their iniquity, foreign abjection, caſting, or vomiting out ſhall be to them, i. e. they ſhall, as vile perſons, be rejected and caſt out by God. And thus the Chaldee appear to have underſtood it, who render it foreign they ſhall be empty or vile; and to this beſt connects that which follows in the verſe, In thine anger caſt down the people.