Works Volume 4, Book 2 · Psalm 46
The Forty Sixth PSALM.
TO the chief Muſitian for the ſons of Corah, a ſong upon Alamoth.
Paraphrase. The forty ſixth Pſalm is a profeſſion of all truſt and confidence in God, and ſeems to have been written in the time of that tranquillity which is mentioned 2 Sam. 8.5. 1 Chron. 18.14. And was committed to the Praefect of the Muſick, to be ſung by the poſterity of Corah, to the tune known by the title of Alamoth.
1. God is our refuge and ſtrength, a very ‖ready foreignpreſent help in trouble.
Paraphrase. 1. All our hope and truſt is in God, from whom all our aid and auxiliaries muſt be expected, and fetcht down by our daily and conſtant prayers; wherein if we continue faithful and diligent, he will never fail to anſwer, and be found by us, being always ready at hand, in time of diſtreſs, to ſuccour thoſe that thus ſeek him.
2. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the †heart foreignmidſt of the ſea:
Paraphrase. 2. This gives us courage in all that can befal us, be our ſtate never ſo much worſe than already 'tis; in time of the moſt formidable concuſſion of our armies, (proportionable to the terribleſt earthquake) in time of the moſt viſible unavoidable danger, (ſuch as it would be, if the ground we ſtand on were removed from its ſtable foundation, and caſt into the midſt of the ſea, and then ready to ſink the next minute, and to be ingulphed in that abyſs.
3. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains ſhake with the ſwelling thereof. Selah.
Paraphrase. 4. When our enemies both threaten, and act moſt proudly and arrogantly, and accordingly are ready to ſtrike a terrour into the valianteſt heart among us;
4. *The ſtreams of the river, or, The river by his ſtreams. foreignThere is a river, the ſtream whereof ſhall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the Tabernacles of the moſt High.
Paraphrase. 4. Yet ſhall the people of God injoy tranquillity and delight in him, fetch continual matter of pleaſure and refreſhment from him: the contemptible trenches of the brook Geon, which water Jeruſalem, (the waters of Siloah that go ſoftly, Iſai. 8.6.) ſhall not envie the proudeſt ſwelling ſtreams, as having the ſupreme Creator and Governour of the world in a peculiar manner reſident among them.
5. God is in the midſt of her, ſhe ſhall not be moved: God ſhall help her, ‖at the appearing of the morning.and that right early.
Paraphrase. 5. This ſpecial favourable providential preſence of God is a ground of the greateſt ſecurity: when ever calamity or danger approaches, he comes inſtantly and ſeaſonably to their relief, as to the Iſraelites he did, Exod. 14.23.
6. The heathen raged, the Kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
Paraphrase. 6. When the Philiſtims and other heathen nations about us began to threaten, and prepare war againſt us, God interpoſed his hand, declared his good pleaſure and favour toward us, (as diſcernibly as if it had been by voice from heaven, or by a thunderbolt ſhot out from the clouds;) and preſenly they were all diſcomfited, and diſperſed, (as when a flaſh of lightening or thunderbolt melts or diſſolves any thing.
7. The Lord of hoſts is with us, the God of Jacob is our ‖fortreſs, or, high place foreignrefuge. Selah.
Paraphrase. 7. Thus is Gods preſence among us our ſecurity. he being the Lord to whom all armeis are ſubject, the ſtrong tower or fortreſs, to whom we may ſafely retire in whatſoever difficulty or danger.
8. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what deſolation he hath made in the earth.
Paraphrase. 8. 'Tis worthy of conſideration to all, what remarkable judgments God hath ſhewn upon the heathen nations about us, that have ſet themſelves hoſtilely againſt us, what ſtrange deſtructions and deſolations he hath wrought among them.
9. He maketh wars to ceaſe unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the ſpear in ſunder; he burneth the †ſhields.chariot in the fire.
Paraphrase. 9. 'Tis he that loveth charity and peace among men, and therefore diſcomfiteth thoſe that are hoſtilely diſpoſed, and 'tis not all their military proviſions will ſecure them: when he pleaſeth to interpoſe himſelf, he preſently brings all to nought, as if a conſuming fire were come amongſt them.
10. Be ſtill, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Paraphrase. 10. This therefore may teach the wicked and heathen people, what is moſt prudent for them, even to give over their hoſtilities, to lay down their arms taken up againſt the people of God. For 'tis certain, they ſhall not finally proſper; God will ſubdue all their proweſs, and magnifie himſelf upon them, and demonſtrate that there is nothing gained by reſiſting of him:
11. The Lord of hoſts is with us, the God of Jacob is our *high place, or fortreſs.refuge. Selah.
Paraphrase. 11. Nor conſequently by oppoſing of thoſe with whom God is preſent, to ſupport and relieve them in all their dangers.
Annotations on Pſalm XLVI.
foreignTit. Alamoth] This Alamoth we find mentioned 1 Chron. 15.20. where in bringing up the Ark from Obed-Edom, the ſingers Heman, Aſaph and Ethan, i. e. theſe ſons of Corah here mentioned, were appointed to ſound with Cymbals of braſs, and Zechariah, &c. with Pſalteries on Alamoth, and Mattathias, &c. with harps on the Sheminith, or the eighth to excel, or overſee (ſee note on Pſal. 4. a.) what it is, Chimchi informs us upon Pſal. 3. the name of a tune, or melody, or muſical key, to which this Pſalm was ſet, and to be ſung by the ſons of Corah. And conſidering that Pſal. 9. intitled foreign, it is not improbable that this ſhould refer to that, and being ſet to the ſame key or tune, be ſaid to be a ſong foreign upon this tune, ſo called, and vulgarly then known by that title. The LXXII. referring to the notion of the theme foreign occultavit, render it foreign, for the hidden; and the Latine, pro arcanis: and the reſt of the antient Interpreters take the ſame courſe; the Chaldee referring it to Coreh, and thoſe that were hidden, i. e. ſwallowed up, by the earth with him, whilſt theſe ſons of Coreh eſcaped; as if the mention of the ſons of Coreh in the title, by whom this ſong was to be ſung, referred the whole Pſalm to that ſtory. Accordingly verſe 2. when the Hebrew reads, Though the earth be removed, they paraphraſe it [When our Fathers were changed from the earth.]
foreignV. 5. Right early] What foreign is referred to, and how 'tis to be rendred, is not agreed on by Interpreters. 'Tis ordinarily joyned in conſtruction with foreign, and is then to be rendred with it, in, or at the mornings appearing. And this will certainly be the ſenſe of it, if we compare it with other places, where the ſame phraſe is uſed; as Ex. 14.27. the ſea returned to his ſtrength, foreign at the appearing of the morning, we render, when the morning appeared, LXXII. foreign, toward day. So Judg. 19.26. we read in the dawning of the day, the LXXII. foreign, early in the morning. Thus alſo foreign Gen. 24.63. at the appearing of the evening, or at eventide, and Deut. 23.12. When evening cometh on, or looketh toward. And being here ſpoken of Gods aids afforded to his people, it may either allude to that deliverance, Exod. 14.27. where at the appearing of the morning the ſea returned for the drowning of the Aegyptians; or elſe be a proverbial ſpeech, for an opportune and ſeaſonable deliverance, becauſe that then afforded to the Iſraelites was ſuch, as [in the mount it ſhall be ſeen] is proverbially uſed in this ſenſe. Aben Ezra ſeems to like the rendring it foreign every day, i. e. as oft as the morn appears; and ſo the Jewiſh Arab Interpreter, according to the return or courſe of the day daily. But the Syriack, according to the notion of it in thoſe other places, Exod. 14. &c. expreſs it clearly to be foreign in the time or ſeaſon of the morning; and ſo the Chaldee, by their paraphraſe, [the Lord will aid her with the juſtice of Abraham who prayed foreign in the morning ſeaſon] appear to have underſtood it; and ſo Kimchi, at the approach of the morning of deliverance, after the night of affliction. Which well accordeth with the ſtyle of S. Paul, Rom. 13.12. foreign, the night is gone over or paſt, and the day approacheth, meaning the night of perſecution, and the day of relief or reſcue, foreign, their deliverance, v. 11. The copies of the LXXII. vary in this place; ſome read foreign, which the Latine ſeem to have read, and render, mane dilu…ulo, in the morning at the dawning of light, and perhaps our Engliſh from thence have their [right early,] but the Romane, foreign, with his countenance. But indeed neither of theſe ſeem to be their original reading, but a third compoſed between both theſe, foreign, by his countenance in the morning, as rendring foreign by foreign, and foreign adverbially, in the morning; by this means probably applying it to God, that he would help her by his countenance, or by looking upon her: but that would better anſwer foreign then foreign, which here we have, and therefore the rendring will ſtill be moſt proper [at the mornings appearing, or] when the morning appeareth.
V. 9. foreignChariot] From foreign is foreign round or circular; and from thence foreign a wheel, and by Synecdoche a Chariot, Num. 7. and Gen 46. But it ſignifies alſo a ſhield or buckler, as being round alſo; and ſo 'tis rendred by the Chaldee here, foreign round ſhields, and by the LXXII. foreign, ſhields. And ſo it is moſt probable, being joyned here with how and ſpear, weapons of war, the military Chariots, which alone can be thought to be reſpected here, being conſtantly expreſt by another word, foreign, not foreign.