Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 62
The Sixty Second PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, ‖for foreignto Jeduthun, A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Sixty Second Pſalm is an Euchariſtical hymne compoſed by David, and committed to the Praefect of his Muſick, to be ſung and play'd to by inſtruments, after the manner that Herman and Jeduthun were appointed to do, 1 Chron. 16.42.
1. †even to God is my ſoul ſilent. foreignTruly my ſoul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my ſalvation.
Paraphrase. 1. All my defence and relief is from God alone; on him will I patiently and chearfully attend for a ſupply to all my wants.
2. *even he. foreignHe is my rock and my ſalvation, he is my defenſe, I ſhall not be greatly moved.
Paraphrase. 2. The ſtrength which I have from him gives me ſecurity that I ſhall not be in any great meaſure depreſt by my enemies.
3. How long will ye ‖uſe violence or raiſes t… mults, or calum…te, lye.imagine miſchief againſt a man? †will ye …, or be … therers all of you?ye ſhall be ſlain all the ſort of you, as a bowing wall, and as a tottering *partition.ſenſe.
Paraphrase. 3. How vain then are all the attempts of my ſlanderous violent rebellious ſubjects, which are always raiſing of ſtirs and tumults, as if all of them combined as one man to take away my life?
4. They only conſult to caſt him down from his excellency; they delight in lyes: they bleſs with their mouth, but they curſe inwardly. Selah.
Paraphrase. 4. All their contrivances and conſultations are to pull me from the Throne, to wreſt the regal power out of my hand; and this traiterous deſign they gloſs and varniſh over with fair flattering language.
5. My ſoul, ‖be thou even ſilent to— foreignwait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from him.
Paraphrase. 5. But I will remit my whole cauſe to God, and attend how he ſhall pleaſe to diſpoſe of me.
6. †even he. foreignHe only is my rock and my ſalvation, he is my defenſe, I ſhall not be moved.
Paraphrase. 6. Being confident of a certain relief and ſupport from him, which will not permit me to be caſt down by theſe men.
7. In God is my ſalvation and my glory; the rock of my ſtrength, and my refuge is from God.
Paraphrase. 7. On him only I rely for deliverance, for exaltation, for aid to defend me, and for ſanctuary when any diſtreſs ſurrounds me.
8. Truſt in him at all times, ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Paraphrase. 8. And this wil be matter of imitation to all that profeſs to be his ſervants, to repoſe all their truſt in him, to *foreign caſt away before him all the elations of your hearts Chald.empty themſelves of all ſecular confidences, and apply themſelves in prayer to him, devoutly to beg, and confidently to depend on his relief.
9. Surely ‖the ſons of Adam. foreignmen of low degree are vanity, and †the ſons of mortal man foreignmen of high degree are a lye; to be laid in the ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity.
Paraphrase. 9. For as for any humane aid, 'tis abſolutely vain, ſure to fail thoſe that rely on it. The ſtrength of all the men in the world, if not back'd and bleſs'd by God, is worſe and leſs than nothing, it ſtandeth in no ſtead, and ſo diſappoints thoſe that depend on it; and that is worſe than never to have expected good from it, the fruſtrated hope being an unhappier condition than that of perfect deſtitution.
10. Truſt not in oppreſſion, *and rapine, become not vain. foreignbecome not vain in robbery; if riches increaſe, ſet not your hearts upon them.
Paraphrase. 10. He that thinks to gain any advantage or ſupport to himſelf by riches unlawfully gain'd, will be ſure to be diſappointed, to find his folly, when he expects the fruit of his contrivances. Riches are ſo far from being valuable when they are ill gotten, that even when they are innocently gained, they muſt not be relied on (for any other advantages than thoſe which may be hoped for by our liberal diſpenſing of them.)
11. God hath ſpoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongeth unto God.
Paraphrase. 11. 'Twas the firſt great maxim delivered by God in Mount Sinai, that he only is the great God and ruler of all; and nothing is more vulgarly acknowledged than this, and what can be more contrary to that, than the repoſing of truſt in any creature? for that is, by interpretation, the d…fy…g it, the communicating to a vain helpleſs creature that Incommunicable attribute of God.
12. Alſo unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou rendreſt to every man according to his works.
Paraphrase. 12. And becauſe to found our truſt, there is more wanting than bare power and ability to relieve (for that, without an aſſurance of his readineſs to do what he is able, will not ſecure any) this alſo we are aſſured of by that other his great attribute, his infinite unexhauſted mercy, which is a ſpecial property of our God, by which he hath aſſured us that he will graciouſly accept and reward, ſupport and crown every ſincere faithful ſervant of his, and never fail to relieve and defend thoſe who do not firſt forſake and renounce him. See Rom. 11.6.
Annotations on Pſalm LXII.
foreignV. 3. Imagine miſchief] foreign is but this once uſed in the Scripture, and ſo will not eaſily be interpreted, but either by the notion which we find put upon it by the antient Interpreters, or elſe by the Arabick uſe of it. The Chaldee render it foreign from foreign to tumultuate. To this alſo the Syriack agrees, foreign from foreign to ſtir up, inſtigate, incite, or provoke. The LXXII. likewiſe read foreign, which the Latine well render irruitis, ruſh in upon; and ſo all conſent to render it, How long will ye raiſe tumults, uſe violence, &c. The Arabick word is by Golius rendred validè conculcavit, injuſtus fuit, violentum imperium exercuit, any kind of violence or injuſtice. Then for foreign againſt a man, foreignthat ſure is but a Poetical expreſſion for againſt me, i. e. David the ſpeaker, againſt whom the neighbouring nations raiſed war, and his own ſubjects Rebellions. Thus doth Chriſt oft ſpeak of himſelf, under the title of the Son of Man, in the third perſon, and St. Paul, 2 Cor. 12.2. foreign, I knew a man, i. e. undoubtedly himſelf. Then foreign from foreign to kill, foreignthough by the Interlineary it be rendred interficiemini, in the paſſive Pual, yet it may more regularly be read, as in Piel actively, only changing the point, for. And for that we have ſufficient ground, the Eaſtern Jews reading it with Pathach, as in Piel. And then it will agree with the foregoing foreign raiſing tumult or war againſt him, which ſure was deſigned to that end of killing him; and to that beſt agrees the following reſemblance, foreign,foreign as a bending wall, for that is ready to fall upon and kill any that comes under it, but cannot ſo well be a reſemblance of being kill'd: foreignand ſo again foreign a partition, or ſept of wood, or ſtone, foreign, from foreign driven out, or ready to fall, that may well be lookt on as very dangerous to all that come neer it, and therefore generally is avoided (men go far from the reach of it) and ſo is a fit reſemblance to ſignifie him that is ready to kill another. And thus the Chaldee underſtand it foreign will ye become homicides? ſo the LXXII. foreign, and the Latine interficietis? will ye kill, or murther? and ſo the Syriack, foreign that ye may kill, as a bending wall— making that the deſigned end of their tumultuating. This whole paſſage is thus rendred by Abu Walid. Firſt, foreign he compares with the Arabick foreign with t, not with th, which ſignifies to multiply words, and ſo he would have it, according to the uſe of it in that tongue, to ſignify ſpeaking much againſt, backbiting, diffaming, ſpreading evil reports of, laſhing out with your tongues againſt, for hurt: And the meaning of the whole paſſage he gives, either according to the reading of Ben Naphtali taking foreign actively, how long will ye prate, or ſpeak evil againſt men? ye would kill them, all of you, like a bending wall, or t…ttering fence, viz. inclining [or bending, putting your ſelves forward] with wrong and injuſtice toward them, and hard words, and falſe accuſations, as a wall ready to fall, incline, to do hurt; or, according to Ben Aſher, taking it paſſively, How long will ye ſpeak evil of men, to do miſchief? (be ye all of you ſlain, in a parentheſis, by way of imprecation) as a bending wall, and fence ready to fall, and do miſchief. What he thus obſerves of foreign with t, not th, may have place alſo with the word as we have it; for the root with ת th, alſo in Arabick ſignifies mentiri, to lye, and confuſion, injuſtice, violence, which as well agree to his ſenſe, as that of the root with t.