Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 44
The Forty Fourth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian for the ſons of Corah, Maſchil.
Paraphrase. The forty fourth Pſalm is a deſcription of the ſeveral conditions and ſtates of the Jewiſh Church, and therein a commemoration of Gods former mercies, as a ground of confidence in, and prayer to him, for deliverance out of preſent dangers; and was compoſed in ſome time of general oppreſſion by foreign enemies, v. 11, 12. and committed to the Prefect of the Muſick, to be ſung by the poſterity of Corah, (ſee Pſal. 42.1.) to the tune called Maſchil, (ſee note on Pſal. 32. a.)
1. We have heard with our ears, O Lord, our fathers have told us, what work thou didſt in their days, in the times of old.
2. How thou didſt drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedſt them; how thou didſt afflict the people, and ‖ſ…n…caſt them out.
Paraphrase. 1, 2. Thy doings in former ages, O Lord, are famouſly ſpoken of, and delivered down to us from father to ſon. How thou by thy power didſt eject the Canaanites, &c. and in their ſtead didſt place thine own people of Iſrael, having firſt brought them out of Egypt, reſcued them from the hands of thoſe heathen tyrants, ſmiting with ten ſeveral plagues the Egyptians that kept them in bondage.
3. For they gat not their land in poſſeſſion by their own ſword, neither did their own arm ſave them, but thy right hand and thine arm, and the light of thy †preſencecountenance; becauſe thou hadſt a favour unto them.
Paraphrase. 3. A ſpecial work of thine this: for 'twas not any proweſs of arms, or oppoſition of greater ſtrength, that got the children of Iſrael the victories which they obtained over theſe nations, or poſſeſt them of their land, but the ſignal interpoſition of thy power, ſhining and ſhewing forth it ſelf viſibly in that whole action; an effect and a teſtimony of thy ſpecial favour to them, which thus performed what thou hadſt promiſed, of giving them this fruitful land to be injoyed by them.
4. Thou art my King, O God; command *the ſalvations of Jacob ▪ foreigndeliverance for Jacob.
Paraphrase. 4. Thou therefore that haſt thus magnified thy power and mercy, in delivering this people of thine, art in all reaſon to be adored by us, as our God, and ſupreme Conducter, to whom alone I am to make my addreſs at this time for the deliverances which thou haſt promiſed to give, and haſt conſtantly afforded to thy people.
5. Through thee will we ‖gore foreignpuſh down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that riſe up againſt us.
Paraphrase. 5. From thee muſt all our victories come, thou muſt furniſh us with our offenſive arms: ſuch thou haſt given to the beaſts of the field, horns to the bull, &c. And thy preſence and conduct muſt ſupply to us our natural want of theſe. And if thou be thus preſent with us, we ſhall certainly be as ſuccesful, as the moſt mighty of thoſe creatures over the weakeſt aſſailant. As they firſt gore and wound them with their ‖So foreign ſignifieshorns, and then trample them under their feet; ſo ſhall we deal with our ſtouteſt enemies.
6. For I will not truſt my in bow, neither ſhall my ſword ſave me.
Paraphrase. 6. As for artillery and proviſions of war, we uſe them, without any truſt or relyance on them, either to ſecure our ſelves, or hurt others.
7. But thou haſt ſaved us from our enemies, and haſt put them to ſhame that hated us.
Paraphrase. 7. 'Tis thy ſtrength only, and mercy to us, that hath wrought all our good ſucceſſes, delivered us, and diſcomfited our enemies; and accordingly in that alone all our confidence is repoſed.
8. ‖we have praiſed God.In God we boaſt all the day long, and *will confeſs.praiſe thy name for ever. Selah.
Paraphrase. 8. All our victories have been hitherto due to thee; from thee we have received them, and to thee we have given all the praiſe of them: and conſequently for the future, we have none elſe to rely on, none to acknowledge for our defender and reliever, but thee.
9. But thou haſt caſt us off, and put us to ſhame, and goeſt not forth with our armies.
Paraphrase. 9. But, alas, our ſins have provoked, and removed thee from us; thou haſt ſuffered us to be worſted by our enemies, and haſt not of late ſhewn forth thy majeſty for our aid and ſuccour.
10. Thou makeſt us to turn back from our enemies, and they which hate us ſpoil for themſelves.
Paraphrase. 10. Thou ſuffereſt us to be put to flight, and chaſed by our enemies, and conſequently to be deſpoiled and pillaged by them.
11. Thou haſt given us like ſheep †for eating foreignappointed for meat, and haſt ſcattered us among the heathen.
Paraphrase. 11. Thou haſt permitted many of us to be ſlaughtered like ſheep, (ſee v. 22.) ſuch as are killed by the butcher, not the prieſt; for the ſhambles, to be freely uſed as men pleaſe, not for the altar, to which thoſe that are ſet apart cannot be rudely handled without violation of religion. And as ſheep again being worried by the Wolf, are driven from the flock and ſcattered upon the mountains; ſo are our armies deſtroyed and routed.
12. Thou ſelleſt thy people *for no (or, without any) poſſeſſion, and doſt not gain by—for nought, and doeſt not increaſe thy wealth by their price.
Paraphrase. 12. We are, alas, caſt away by God, as the worſt kind of ſlaves, which are not thought worthy to have any price demanded for them by their maſters; ſadly handled, without the comfort of bringing in any honour to God by our calamities. Thy Church among us is defaced, and no other people taken in, in ſtead of us, by whom thy Name may be glorified.
13. Thou makeſt us a reproach to our neighbours, a ſcorn and a deriſion to them that are round about us.
14. Thou makeſt us a by-word among the heathen, a ſhaking of the hand among the people.
Paraphrase. 13, 14. Hereby we are rendred ridiculous, ſcoft and mockt at by thoſe that are near us, and by our enemies made a proverb of reproach, to ſignifie and expreſs the moſt abject deſpicable men in the world.
15. My confuſion is continually before me, and the ſhame of my face hath covered me,
Paraphrase. 15. This is matter of ſo great ſhame to me, that I dare not ſhew my face: I cover it, like mourners, under a veil, deſirous to hide my ſhame, (Mic. 3.7.) but, alas, this covering will very ill conceal that, which indeed it doth betray, as being on purpoſe deſigned to hide it.
16. For the voice of him that reproacheth and blaſphemeth, by reaſon of the enemy and avenger.
Paraphrase. 16. Betwixt their ſcorns and contumelies on the one ſide, and their deſigns of miſchieving and deſtroying me on the other, I know not how to behave, which way to turn my ſelf.
17. All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falſly in thy covenant.
Paraphrase. 17. Yet doth not all this diſcourage us, or tempt us to fall off to any other religion, from that which we hitherto have profeſt, to forget our duty to God, or to fall from that fidelity of obedience which we have vowed to him.
18. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our ſteps declined from thy way;
Paraphrase. 18. We will ſtill abide conſtant in our loyalty, whatever our portion be in this world.
19. Though thou haſt ſore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the ſhadow of death.
Paraphrase. 19. Yea, though thou deal never ſo ſharply with us, beat our armies to duſt, and diſperſe us into the moſt deſolate condition of horrour and darkneſs, the very next degree to death it ſelf.
20. If we have forgotten the name of our God, or ſtretched out our hands to a ſtrange God,
21. Shall not God ſearch this out? for he knoweth the ſecrets of the heart.
Paraphrase. 20, 21. For the ſincerity of this conſtant reſolution, we appeal to no other judge, but to the great ſearcher of hearts: From him we know we cannot be concealed, if either we ſlacken the diligence of our ſervice to him, or fall off to any degree of Apoſtaſie.
22. Yea for thy ſake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as ſheep to the ſlaughter.
Paraphrase. 22. And of this our very ſufferings are our witneſſes: the malice and cruelty of our enemies, which is ſo great and bloody, as to ſlaughter us daily, having no other ground of provocation from us, but our adhering conſtantly to thy ſervice.
23. Awake, why ſleepeſt thou, O Lord? Ariſe, caſt us not off for ever.
24. Wherefore hideſt thou thy face, and forgetteſt our affliction and our oppreſſion?
Paraphrase. 23, 24. Lord, be thou gratiouſly pleaſed at length to conſider our diſtreſſes, to interpoſe thy hand for our reſcue, and no longer to forſake us in our extremities, and leave us without thy aid and ſuccour, (ſee note a.) to be thus ſorely afflicted and oppreſt by our enemies.
25. For our ſoul is bowed down to the duſt; our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
26. Ariſe for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies ſake.
Paraphrase. 25, 26. For we are now brought to the loweſt and ſaddeſt ſtate of depreſſion. Now therefore be thou pleaſed to undertake our reſcue, thereby in a fitteſt ſeaſon to ſhew forth thy pitty to us; which we have no ground of ſolliciting, but what we fetch from thine own goodneſs, ſo frequently experimented by us.
Annotations on Pſalm XLIV.
foreignV. 2. Caſt them out] The word foreign from whence foreign comes doth generally ſignifie miſit and emiſit, ſending, and ſending out, or ſetting free and at liberty, which we call manumiſſion, and in that notion the word is elſewhere uſed: and though by the LXXII. in this place, and one more Exod. 12.33. it be rendred foreign, to caſt out, in the notion of foreign, which is of ſuch affinity to it, that, as Abu Walid obſerves, Jer. 38.6. and 11. they are uſed promiſcuouſly for the ſame; yet in many hundred places, they render it elſewhere by foreign, to ſend, as in ſome hundreds more by foreign, to ſend out; by which alſo Aquila renders it here. And to this the Syriack accords, whether we read with the ordinary Copies (for then the rendring is not literal, but by way of paraphraſe) thou haſt afflicted the kingdomes foreign and haſt eſtabliſhed them, or, which is much more probable, and the change very eaſie, but of a point, foreign from foreign to ſend, and thou didſt ſend them out. And to this agrees the form of Gods mandate for the bringing out of the Iſraelites, Ex. 5.1. foreign thus ſaith the Lord, Let go, or ſend out, or manumit my people, &c. and therefore in all reaſon this is to be reſolved the meaning of it in this place. And in that one other place where the LXXII. render it foreign, it evidently ſignifies (as by our Engliſh 'tis rendred) ſending out, Exod. 12.33. The Aegyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might ſend them out of the land in haſte. The undoubtedneſs of this interpretation will be aſſented to, if the latter part of the verſe be compared with the former. In the former 'tis expreſly ſaid, foreign thou haſt caſt out the nations, foreign and haſt planted them; ſure not the ſame whom he had caſt out, but, as the Chaldee paraphraſes, (the people of Canaan in the former, and) foreign the houſe of Iſrael in the latter: and then by proportion, in the ſecond part, as foreign thou haſt afflicted the nations] belongs to the Aegyptians; ſo muſt foreign and thou haſt ſent them out] belong to the Iſraelites: and if the foreign by thy hand] in the beginning of the verſe, be (as reaſonably it may) applyed to all that follows in the verſe, then 'tis literally, thou haſt manumitted them, i. e. ſet at liberty the Iſraelites. And ſo that is the full meaning of it.
foreignV. 3. Light of thy countenance] foreign the light of thy faces, ſeems here to be ſet to ſignifie the majeſtatick preſence of God, his viſible preſiding in their militia; for ſo the matter ſpoken of exacts, and the mention precedent of thy right hand, and thine arm. And accordingly the Chaldee render it foreign, the light of the ſplendor of thy glory, by Gods glory ordinarily ſignifying the ſpecial preſence of God (his Schechinah mentioned by them v. 10.) however evidenced or teſtified; and that is frequently the interpretation of foreign faces, even when it is rendred foreign by the LXXII. ſo Gen. 3.8. the faces, i. e. preſence of the Lord, as we render it; ſo Gen. 4.16. Cain went out from the faces, we duly read, from the preſence of the Lord; and often elſewhere. And ſo here v. 24. the hiding his faces, is by the Chaldee rendred, the taking away foreign the Schechinah or majeſtatick preſence of his glory. And ſo that will be the beſt rendring here, the light of thy preſence, (as God, we know, teſtified his preſence to the Iſraelites by a light ſhining cloud going before them, and conducting them) and not the light of thy countenance, as that is all one with his favour; the mention of that following in the next words, as the original, and reaſon of this his ſhining preſence, and not as the thing it ſelf.
V. 8. foreignBoaſt] foreign in Piel ſignifying to praiſe or celebrate, foreign is regularly to be rendred here, [We have praiſed.] And the prepoſition ב prefixt to foreign makes no difference, being many times a pleonaſm; and then foreign,foreign the future from foreign, will be beſt rendred in the future, we will confeſs thy name for ever, by the former ſignifying what is paſt, as the pledge and pawn of his future mercies, whereon he is reſolved to depend for the future. And thus in both parts the Syriack renders it, we have praiſed, and, we will confeſs.
V. 12. Nought] foreign ſignifies wealth, foreignor any kind of valuable poſſeſſion, and ſo fitly follows foreign i. e. literally [and haſt not multiplied] but it muſt beſt be rendred [and haſt not gained] or made advantage, or increaſe, as men are wont to do by the ſale of thoſe things that are any way valuable. The Romane Copies of the LXXII. read (as 'tis evident S. Auguſtine did) foreign, and there was no multitude in their jubilations, and Aſulanus's Copy reads yet worſe, foreign. But it is apparent, both by the Latine, which reads in commutationibus, and ſo by the Syriack alſo, that the true reading was foreign, according to their uſe of foreign for a price. The plain meaning is, that as things that are uſeleſs and burthenſome, are not ſold for any valuable price, but allowed to be taken away by any that will have them; ſo are they dealt with by God at this time, not regarded by him, and ſo permitted to be conquered, and carried away captive by every one that will aſſault them. The Arabick here hath, contrary to uſe, rendred it with ſome difference from the LXXII. thou haſt diminiſhed the multitude of their numbers; ſeeming thereby to refer to the firſt captivity in Aegypt, where ſervitude encreaſed their numbers, they multiplyed in Children, as their task-maſters encreaſed their tale of brick: But here their captivity is not thus recompenſed, but the contrary is the effect of it.