Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 64
The Sixty Fourth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, A Pſalm of David.
Paraphrase. The Sixty fourth Pſalm is a prayer for deliverance, with a juſt complaint of his enemies, and a prediction of Gods ſignal deſtructions upon them.
1. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer; preſerve my life from fear of the enemy.
Paraphrase. 1. Bleſſed Lord, let my humble ſupplication, I beſeech thee, find audience with thee; deliver me from the dangers I am in through the malice of men.
2. Hide me from the ſecret counſel of the wicked, from the inſurrection of the workers of Iniquity.
Paraphrase. 2. They are ſecretly contriving my ruine, and openly break out in tumults againſt me, in a moſt unjuſt and wicked manner: O be thou my refuge and ſanctuary, to which I may with confidence reſort for ſafety.
3. Who whet their tongue like a ſword, and ‖ſhoot their arrows.bend their bowes to ſhoot their arrows, even bitter words.
4. That they may ſhoot in ſecret at the perfect: ſuddenly do they ſhoot at him, and fear not.
Paraphrase. 3, 4. The firſt inſtruments of their malice are their ſlanders and calumnies, and thoſe are prepared and ſharpened, and ſhot, like poyſoned darts or arrows againſt me; but being without all ground of truth, they are ſecretly and clancularly diſſeminated, falling upon me, when I leaſt foreſaw or expected them.
5. They incourage themſelves in an evil matter; they commune of laying ſhares privily: they ſay, who ſhall ſee them?
Paraphrase. 6. And when they meet, they ingage and fortify one another in their miſchievous deſigns, conſult how to contrive them ſo ſecretly, that they ſhall not poſſibly be foreſeen, or eſcaped.
6. They ſearch out iniquity, they accompliſh a diligent ſearch: both the inward thoughts of every one of them and the heart is deep.
Paraphrase. 6. And indeed their induſtry is great; there is nothing that can contribute to their ends, but they find it out, through the depth of their malice and policy.
7. But God ſhall ſhoot at them with an arrow, ſuddenly ſhall ‖be their ſtroaks. foreignthey be wounded.
Paraphrase. 7. But in the midſt of all this ſubtil contrivance, that no man can ſee, God ſhall diſcover, diſappoint, and unexpectedly deſtroy them.
8. ‖And their own tongue ſhall cauſe it to fall upon them, and all that look on —So they ſhall cforeignmake their own tongue to fall upon themſelves;foreign all that ſee them ſhall flee away.
Paraphrase. 8. Their tongues by which they thought to hurt others, ſhall in the event bring miſchief upon themſelves. By the death of Saul and his ſons, he ſhall ſtrike the whole Army with a ſudden conſternation; they ſhall fly, and then all that behold it ſhall forſake their dwellings and fly alſo.
9. And all men ſhall fear, and ſhall declare the work of God; for they ſhall *underſtand foreignwiſely conſider of his doing.
Paraphrase. 9. And dread the righteous judgments of God, acknowledging it to be his peculiar work of vengeance that befalls them.
10. The righteous ſhall be glad in the Lord, and ſhall truſt in him; and all the upright in heart ſhall glory.
Paraphrase. 10. And on the other ſide, all pious men ſhall have matter of rejoycing, and of affiance in God; and none that thus adhere to him ſhall be diſappointed, or fruſtrated by him.
Annotations on Pſalm LXIV.
foreignV. 3. Bend] From foreign to go, is the ſame word uſed for extending, ſending out, directing, making to go; and ſo is applied ſometimes to grapes or olives in a preſs, and then ſignifies to ſqueeze out the juice, by beating, or treading them, Iſa. 63.2. foreign, that treads or preſſes in the wine-preſs, and in many other places; ſometimes of corne in the floore, and then 'tis to thraſh, Jer. 51.33, ſometimes to a way (whence the known foreign a way) Pſal. 107.7. foreign and led or directed them. But moſt eſpecially 'tis uſed of a bow, or arrows: if of foreign a bow, then 'tis to bend it; if of foreign arrows, foreignthen 'tis not ſo properly to ſhoot, as to prepare or direct them. So Pſal. 58.7. foreign he directeth, or prepareth his arrows; ſo here, foreign they direct, or aime, or make ready their arrows, foreign a bitter word, foreigni. e. a calumniating ſpeech, to be ſent, as it were a dart, or arrow, out of the mouth. Parallel to which is that of Jer. 9.3. where being applied to the tongue, as to a bow, that ſhoots out lying words, as arrows, it muſt be rendred bend; but here applied to words, as arrows, direct, and not bend. To this accord Abu Walid, and R. Tanchum, who from the uſe of the word, render it, who ſet their arrows on the ſtring, not ſhooting as yet, but ſetting them ready to ſhoot. And thus it beſt agrees with what follows, v. 4. that they may ſhoot in ſecret, &c. The LXXII. for foreign arrows, read foreign, as if it were foreign a bow, and generally joyn it with foreign, bent, (and the Chaldee, according to the nature of a Paraphraſt, joyn bending the bow, and anointing the arrows. But the Syriack herein follow them not, but read, they whet their tongue as a ſword, and their ſpeech as foreign an arrow; for ſo ſure foreign ſignifies, where that which is proportionable to whetting the ſword, is preparing or ſetting upon the ſtring the arrows by way of preparation for ſhooting.
foreignV. 4. Fear not] It is not eaſie to reſolve what is the Importance of foreign and they ſhall not fear. For though the joyning it with foreign precedent, ſeems regular, they ſhall ſhoot, and not fear; yet the context ſeems not to agree to that. The deſign of the place is to expreſs calumniators and whiſperers, who ſhoot poyſonous words, like darts, v. 3. and ſhoot them in ſecret, and ſuddenly, in the beginning of the verſe: and to that beſt agrees the interpreting it of thoſe that are thus ſecretly and ſuddenly ſhot at by them, that they do not fear. But then this agrees not with the Syntaxis, for thoſe were in the former part of the verſe mentioned in the ſingular number foreign the perfect man, foreignwhereas foreign is the plural. This makes it neceſſary to recurre either to the Hebrew practice, which often paſſes from one number to another, or elſe to their idiome, frequently taken notice of, of putting the third perſon active, to denote the paſſive, without conſideration of the perſons that are the agents; as when foreign, they ſhall receive you, imports no more than you ſhall be received. So here, ſuddenly do they ſhoot, and they fear not,] will ſignify, ſuddenly do they ſhoot, and no man fears, or as ו oft ſignifies, when, or while none fear. And if we conſider the Genius of the antient Poetry, conſiſting much in Paronomaſia's and verbal alluſions, which is here ſo viſible betwixt: foreign and foreign ſhooting and fearing, it will appear to be an elegance, and not any harſh expreſſion. Thus the LXXII. render it in ſenſe, foreign, they ſhoot, and ſhall not be feared; and the Syriack not far diſtant, foreign and they ſhall not be ſeen, i. e. ſhall come upon them unawares, when being not ſeen they are not feared or expected. To this rendring the learned Caſtellio adheres, reading, ut eos improviſo figant nihil tale metuentes, that they may unexpectedly wound them not fearing any ſuch thing; to that purpoſe, changing the ſingular foreign precedent, into the plural, homines integros—
V. 8. Make their own tongue to fall] From foreign impegit, to ſtumble, is the word foreign, which being applied to the tongue, foreign, and that their own tongue (as appears by foreign themſelves) may ſignifie (in proportion with the ſtumbling of the feet) ſtammering, or ſticking in ſpeech: lingui… b…fitent, ſaith Caſtellio, ſtick, or ſtammer with their tongues. The Syriack render it foreign their tongues ſhall be weak, from foreign decurtatus eſt, infirmatus eſt. This is ordinary for men that are in a ſudden affrightment, upon any unexpected accident, and ſo here very appliable to Sauls Army at their defeat. But in this rendring there is no account given of the ſuffix in foreign, nor of foreign that follows. The Jewiſh Arab therefore renders foreign as in the nominative caſe, (which being joyned with the verb plural muſt relate to more tongues, of more ſpeakers) and reads thus, It is their own tongue that hath made them ſtumble. To which the Chaldee beſt accords, foreign, they ſhall make themſelves ſtumble with their tongue; for that is all one with [their tongue ſhall make them ſtumble.] But perhaps the rendring will yet be more literal, foreign their tongue ſhall cauſe it to fall upon them, by it] meaning the miſchief or puniſhment, which certainly is ſpoken of, and may beſt anſwer the ſuffix. 'Tis alſo poſsible that it may be thus divided, foreign they ſhall make him ſtumble or fall, i. e. foreign, the ſtroaks, or wounds, immediately foregoing, v. 7. and then, foreign their tongue is upon, or againſt themſelves. In either rendring the ſenſe is the ſame, that their tongues, by which they deſigned to hurt others, ſhall bring miſchief upon themſelves. The LXXII. which read foreign, their tongues have brought them to nought,] are punctual in obſerving the ſuffix, and read foreign in the plural, their tongues, not tongue, to agree with the verb plural; but then they take no notice of the [foreign upon themſelves.] This the Latine expreſs by [co…ra eos,] but in their [infirmatae ſunt linguae eorum] obſerve not the ſuffix. To this is added foreign from foreign to fly from, foreignall that ſee them ſhall fly from them; and ſo 'tis expreſt in the hiſtory, 1 Sam. 31.7. and 1 Chron. 10.7, And when the men of Iſrael, &c. ſaw that the men of Iſrael fled, and that Saul and his ſons were dead, they forſook the Cities and fled. The Syriack expreſs it by foreign and they ſhall fear (from foreign) the LXXII. by foreign, were troubled. To the ſame ſenſe the Chaldee foreign from foreign motus eſt were moved, though the tranſlator render it, movebunt capita ſua, they ſhall ſhake their heads, an expreſſion of diſlike and averſion to them.