Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 66
The Sixty Sixth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian, A Song or Pſalm.
Paraphrase. The ſixty ſixth Pſalm is made up wholly of acknowledgments of Gods mercies and deliverances, that of old from Aegypt, v. 6. &c. as an image of ſome other remarkable one now received, at the writing of this Pſalm. (By the *foreign.Title given it in the Greek copies, it appears to have been uſed in the Greek Church on Eaſter day.)
1. Make a joyful noiſe unto God, all ye lands.
2. Sing forth the honour of his Name, ‖or, give him glory by his praiſe, or by praiſing him.make his praiſe glorious.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. It is the obliged duty of all the men in the world to celebrate with all joy, and thanksgiving, and praiſe, the great and gracious God of heaven and earth.
3. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works? through the greatneſs of thy power ſhall thine enemies †feign obedience to thee: See note on Pſa. 1…. n.ſubmit themſelves unto thee.
Paraphrase. 3. To proclaim the wonderful and dreadful works of his vengeance on his enemies, by which even thoſe which are moſt wicked are yet conſtreined to acknowledge, and hypocritically to ſubject themſelves to him.
4. All the earth ſhall worſhip thee, and ſhall ſing unto thee, they ſhall ſing to thy name. Selah.
5. Come and ſee the works of God, he is terrible in his doing toward the Children of men.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. Very marvelous things hath he done towards us, the acts of his providence among men are very remarkable: O let us all adore and magnifie his Name for them.
6. He turned the ſea into dry land, they went through the flood on foot; there did we rejoyce in him.
Paraphrase. 6. When the children of Iſrael were, according to his promiſe to the fathers, brought out of bondage in Egypt, 'twas done in a miraculous manner; the ſea on a ſuddain, at their approach, departing before them, and giving them a free paſſage through it, but returning with violence upon the Egyptians, who purſued them, and were drowned with that which did them no hurt. And afterward when they were to enter into the promiſed land, by paſſing †foreign by the River Jordan, Chald.over Jordan, at the Prieſts entring on the brink of the river with the Ark on their ſhoulders, the waters ſtood, and aroſe up on a heap, Joſh. 3.16. and by other the like reſtraints interpoſed by Gods ſpecial power, all the Iſraelites paſſed over on dry ground, v. 17. And this certainly in both parts of it was matter of great joy to our anceſtors, and juſt occaſion of magnifying his power (and vengeance) and mercy to us.
7. He ruleth by his power †over the world.for ever, his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themſelves. Selah.
Paraphrase. 7. And as over the Egyptians and ſeven nations, ſo hath he abſolute dominion over all other nations of the world: And that may be a good admonition to all obſtinate impious oppreſſors, timely to return and repent, that they fall not irreverſibly under his vengeance.
8. O bleſs our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praiſe to be heard,
9. Which holdeth our ſoul in life, and ſuffereth not our feet to ſlip.
Paraphrase. 8, 9. 'Tis he that ſurrounds our lives in time of danger, and preſerves them from all miſcarriage, and accordingly is to be bleſt and magnified by all that have received this mercy from him, to be preſerved ſo long, when if he had not ſupported, they had each minute been caſt down.
10. For thou, O God, haſt proved us; thou haſt tried us as ſilver is tried.
Paraphrase. 10. He hath ſometimes brought trouble and affliction upon us, upon the ſame deſigns that metalliſts are wont to throw gold or ſilver into the fire, to diſtern whether it be pure or no, and if it be not, to melt and ſeparate all the droſs and falſe metal from it. Thus he dealt with the Iſraelites of old in the iron furnace of Egypt; and proportionably thus he hath now dealt with us: And this hath been his one gratious purpoſe in all his inflictions, to approve our ſincerity of adherence to him, and to reform and purge out all that is vitious in us.
11. Thou broughteſt us into the net, thou laidſt *reſtraine foreignaffliction upon our loyns.
Paraphrase. 11. One while he hath permitted us to be inſnared and ſubdued by our enemies, as in Egypt our Fathers were.
12. Thou haſt cauſed men to ride over our heads: we went through fire and through water, but thou broughteſt us out into a ‖watered- foreignwealthy place.
Paraphrase. 12. Another while he hath permitted them to oppreſs and tyrannize over us: But then as after the example of thoſe, he hath by his providence choſen to permit very ſharp afflictions to befal us, ſo hath he gratiouſly brought us through, and out of them again. As he brought our fathers to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, after the fire of the brick-kilns, and the water of the ſea, and the floods of the River Jordan; ſo hath he oft delivered us out of the moſt preſſing diſtreſſes, brought us out of drowing, to bleſſing waters to a well-watered irrigated Country, and returned us to all kind of proſperity.
13. I will go into thy houſe with burnt-offerings; I will pay thee my vows.
14. Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath ſpoken, when I was in trouble.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. When we were in any diſtreſs, we made our addreſſes to thee, beſought thee to avert them, and upon thy hearing our prayers, promiſed reformation of life, and voluntary oblations, for the acknowledgment of that deity from whence we expected and begged our relief. And now being heard and anſwered by thee, we are under the ſtricteſt obligation of juſtice and gratitude, and performance of promiſe, to return our moſt chearful acknowledgments to thee.
15. I will offer unto thee burnt-ſacrifices of fatlings, with the incenſe of …ams: I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
Paraphrase. 15. And this I will now do in the liberalleſt and moſt magnificent manner that can be.
16. Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my ſoul.
Paraphrase. 16. And proclaim to all pious men, for their incouragement, …ow gratiouſly God hath dealt with me all my life long.
17. I cryed unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
Paraphrase. 17. How, as ſoon as I made my prayers unto him, he granted them preſently, and gave me cauſe to convert them into praiſes.
18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
19. But verily God hath heard me, he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
Paraphrase. 18, 19. Which is, beſide the bleſſing granted, a farther matter of joy and comfort to me, that that God, which cannot patronize any ſin, hath been pleaſed to hearken to my requeſt, and ſo to ſign unto me his approbation of my ſincerity.
20. Bleſſed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
Paraphrase. 20. His Name be for ever magnifies, for this honour of hearing my prayers, and the deliverance conſequent thereto.
Annotations on Pſal. LXVI.
foreignV. 2. Make his praiſe glorious] foreign here the Jewiſh Arab renders in the notion of giving, give him glory, (and ſo regularly foreign poſuit, put] is uſed for dedit, gave, and is here v. 9. joyned with foreign to give, as a ſynonym…n, and ſo to put to him honour] is to give it him; but he, as well as others, avoids making foreign to be in regimine, ſo as to govern the noun that follows, the glory of his praiſe:] for then (as in the beginning of this verſe, foreign the honour of his Name) the vowel ſhould be changed from to It is then poſſible that the nouns ſhould be put by appoſition; and then foreign may be in the ordinary notion of put, or make,] make glory his praiſe, i. e. either your glory] as Aben Ezra would have it, make your glory his praiſe, let it be your glory to praiſe him) or his glory,] make his glory his praiſe. But 'tis yet more probable, that the difficulty may be beſt removed by underſtanding a prepoſition in foreign: the Jewiſh Arab ſupplies it by foreign from, or of his praiſe; it may be as fitly [by his praiſe] i. e. by your praiſing of him. To this ſenſe the Chaldee may be interpreted, foreign give him glory by his praiſe, and the LXXII. foreign, give glory by his praiſe, or by praiſing him: and that ſeems to be the moſt ready rendring of it. There are ſeveral ways of giving glory to God; one by confeſſing of ſins, Joſh. 7.19. my Son give glory to God, and make confeſſion to him, and tell me what thou haſt done; and ſo 1 Sam. 6.5▪ ye ſhall give glory to God, peradventure he will lighten his hand, and Jer. 13.16. and elſewhere. And another by praiſing him, Iſa. 42.12. Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare his praiſe; ſo Rev. 2.9. when thoſe beaſts give glory and honour and thanks; And ſo here, give him glory, by what means? foreign by his praiſe, or by praiſing him.
V. 7. Power for ever] That foreign, as the Engliſh age, ſignifies not only time and duration, but alſo the men that live in any time, there is no queſtion. And then foreign muſt here moſt properly be rendred,foreign ruling the world, or over the world; and ſo the Chaldee certainly underſtood, who read foreign which exerciſeth dominion over the world: and ſo I ſuppoſe the LXXII. their foreign, having dominion over the world,] doth import, though the Latine hath rendred it amiſs, (and againſt their meaning) in aeternum. The Syriack, by following the Hebrew, and rendring it foreign in ſeculum, is capable of the right ſenſe, he that hath dominion over the world; the very paraphraſe of foreign, by which God is known in the Creed, the ruler of all things.