and repμa, in the Old and New Testament, should be universally translated. The common translation is totally improper, and now more so than formerly, when anatomy was less understood. For evermore.] by y ad olam, for ever; through all duration of created worlds. And more-the eternity that is beyond time. This shows that another David is meant, with another kind of posterity, and another sort of kingdom. From the family of David came the man Christ Jesus; his posterity are the genuine Christians; his kingdom, in which they are subjects, is spiritual. This government shall last through all time, for Christianity will continue to prevail till the end of the world: and it will be extended through eternity; for that is the kingdom of glory in which Jesus reigns on the throne of his Father, and in which his followers shall reign with him for ever and ever. It has already been remarked that this whole psalm has been understood as relating to the passion and victories of CHRIST, and the success of the gospel in the earth. In this way Bishop Horne has understood and paraphrased it; and in the same way it is considered by the ancient Psalter, so often mentioned. Many of the primitive Fathers and modern interpreters have taken the same view of it. Those passages which I judged to have this meaning I have pointed out, and have only to add that, as David was a type of Christ, many things spoken of him primarily, refer to our Lord ultimately; but much judgment and caution are required in their application. To apply the whole psalm in this way appears to me very injudicious, and often derogatory from the majesty of Christ. Let this be my excuse for not following the same track in which many of my predecessors have gone. ANALYSIS OF THE EIGHTEENTH PSALM. David's Eniviklov, or song of triumph after his conquest of all his enemies. This Psalm may be divided into four parts: I. David shows what God is to his servants, and the effect it wrought upon him, ver. 1, 2, 3. II. The great danger in which he was from the power and multitude of his enemies, ver. 4-28. III. His glorious victories, and their consequences, Ter. 29-45. IV. His thanksgiving for those victories, ver. 46-50. I. What God is to his servants, and to him espeally. 1. Strength. 2. Rock. 3. Fortress. 4. Dewerer. 5. Tower. 6. Buckler. 7. Horn of Salva. 8. High tower, ver. 1, 2. (See the notes.) The effect it wrought in him. It produced, 1. Love: "I will love the Lord." 2. Confidence: "In Aim will I trust. 3. The spirit of prayer: "I will eall on the Lord." The fruit of all which was his infety: "So shall I be saved from mine enemies," ver. 3. II. The great dangers in which he was, and of his escape. 1. His danger was great; for, 1. He was encompassed with the sorrows of death. 2. Was terrified with the floods of ungodly men. 3. Surrounded by the sorrows of hell. And, 4. Prevented by the snares of death, ver. 4, 5. eighteenth psalm. 2. He shows how he behaved in these dangers, and from whom he sought for help: 1. "He called upon the Lord." 2. "He cried unto his God." 3. He shows the goodness of God to him, and his readiness to help him: 1. "He heard me out of his holy temple." 2. "My cry came into his ears." 4. The cause of his escape was the immediate hand of God, who testified his presence by many supernatural signs. 1. EARTHQUAKES: "The earth shook and trembled." 2. HILLS and mountains were moved from their places: "The hills moved," &c., ver. 7. 3. SMOKE came out of his nostrils. 4. A consuming FIRE came out of his mouth; and became permanent, for coals were kindled by it, ver. 8. 5. A THICK DARKNESS announced his presence; and the atmosphere was greatly confused: "He bowed the heavens; darkness was under his feet," ver. 9. 6. There were mighty winds and tempests: "He flew on the wings of the wind," ver. 10. 7. There were violent inundations, with blackness of the atmosphere, dark waters, thick clouds of the sky, ver. 11. 8. Great THUNDERS: "The Lord thundered; the highest gave his voice." 9. There was great HAIL, and FIERY METEORS: "Hail stones and coals of fire," ver. 12, 13. 10. Tremendous LIGHTNINGS, and fearful CHASMS opened in the earth: "He sent out," &c., ver. 14, 15. 5. He reckons up his deliverances, with the manner and causes: 1. "He took, he drew me out of many waters,'' 7. But God was his STAY: and the causes which moved God to help him were, 1. His own good will: "Because he delighted in me." 2. David's innocence; which he declares from ver. 20 to ver. 25. 8. And then, ab hypothesi, from his own particular case, he takes occasion to discourse in thesi, that this is not only true in David's person, but shall be verified in all that are upright as he was; which he proves from the nature and usual manner of God's proceedings with good and bad men, from ver. 25 to 28. III. David's glorious VICTORIES, and their coNSEQUENCES, from ver. 28 to 46. 1. His victory he expresses and amplifies many ways: 1. From the opposition which he conquered. Nor troops nor walls hindered ver. 29. 2. From God's singular protection. He was his Buckler, his Rock. 3. From his armour. He was made fleet; and had military knowledge, strength, and defence from God, ver. 33. 4. From his safety. He was not wounded in the battle. 5. From his success. He routed his enemies; they fled, and he pursued, ver. 37. 6. From the greatness of the victory. It was a complete conquest; for his enemies were taken, or consumed, or wounded, so as to be unable to rally. They fell under his feet; their necks were brought down, ver. 38 to 42. 7. From the cause. All was of God; he takes nothing to himself. Thou hast girded me. Thou hast subdued. THOU hast given me, &c. 2. The consequences of these victories were the propagation and enlargement of David's kingdom: 1. Before these victories, there were murmurings | and insurrections among his people: but now, being conqueror, they are all quiet: "Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people," ver. 43. 2. He was exalted to be head of the heathen: Moabites, Ammonites, &c., served him, ver. 44. IV. David's THANKSGIVING. majesty of Jehovah. This is the main scope of the psalm; to celebrate and extol the name and 1. His present thanksgiving. 2. His profession for 1. He magnifies God: "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted;" ver. 46. And to this end, in the two next verses, he makes mention again of his victories, and attributes the whole success to God, ver. 47, 48. 2. He professes still to do it; he will not cease even among the heathen: "Therefore, will I give thanks," ver. 49. 3. And he shows how much reason he had to do so: because, 1. He had great deliverances. 2. He was the man of God's choice; his king—his anointed. 3. This goodness was to survive him, and go to his posterity: "To David, and to his seed." 4. It was to 3. People whom he had not known became tributary have no end: it was to be for evermore, ver. 50. to him: "Aliens shall serve me," ver. 44. Here the true David and the spiritual seed are 4. This, it is true, they did out of fear, not affec- referred to; and for this the reader is requested tion. They dissembled in their fidelity; and several to examine the notes, and the remark before this fell off : but still they were obliged to submit, ver. 45. | analysis. PSALM XIX. The heavens and their host proclaim the majesty of God, 2-6; the excellence and perfection of the divine law, 7-10; its usefulness, 11. The Psalmist prays for pardon and preservation from sin, 12, 13; and that his words and thoughts may be holy, 14. NOTES ON PSALM XIX. The title of this psalm has nothing particular in it; but it is not very clear that it was written by David, to whom it is attributed; though some think that he composed it in the wilderness, while persecuted by Saul. For this opinion, however, there is no solid ground. There is no note in the psalm itself to lead us to know when, where, or by whom it was written. It is a highly finished and beautiful ode. Verse 1. The heavens declare the glory of God] Literally, The heavens number out the glory of the strong God. A first view of the starry heavens strikes every beholder with astonishment at the power by which they were made, and by which they are supported. To find out the wisdom and skill displayed in their contrivance requires a measure of science: but when the vast magnitude of the celestial bodies is considered, we feel increasing astonishment at these works of the strong God. The firmament] The whole visible expanse; not only containing the celestial bodies above referred to, but also the air, light, rains, dews, &c., &c. And when the composition of these principles is examined, and their great utility to the earth and its inhabitants properly understood, they afford matter of astonishment to the wisest mind, and of adoration and gratitude even to the most unfeeling heart. Verse 2. Day unto day uttereth speech] Each day is represented as teaching another relative to some new excellence discovered in these manifold works of God. The nights also, by the same figure, are represented as giving information to each other of the increase of knowledge already gained. ، The labours of these our instructors know no intermission; but they continue incessantly to lecture us in the science of divine wisdom. There is one glory of the sun, which shines forth by day; and there are other glories of the moon and of the stars, which become visible by night. And because day and night interchangeably divide the world between them, they are therefore represented as transmitting, in succession, each to other, the task enjoined them, like the two parts of a choir, chanting forth alternately the praises of God."-Bishop Horne. Verse 3. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.] Leave out the expletives here, which pervert the sense; and what remains is a tolerable translation of the original : אין אמר ואין דברים בלי נשמע קולם: Ein omer veein debarim, beli nishma kolam. "No speech, and no words; their voice without hearing." בכל הארץ יצא קום ובקצה תבל מליהם Bechol haarets yatsa kavvam: Ubiktsey thebel milleyhem. 'Into all the earth hath gone out their sound; and to the extremity of the habitable world, their eloquence." The word p kav, which we translate line, is rendered sonus, by the Vulgate, and p0oyyos, sound, by the Septuagint; and St. Paul, Rom. x. 18, uses the same term. Perhaps the idea here is taken from a stretched cord, that emits a sound on being struck; and hence both ideas may be included in the same word; and p kavvam may be either their line or cord, or their sound. But I rather think that the Hebrew word originally meant sound or noise; for in Arabic the verb s kavaha signifies he called out, cried, clamavit. The sense of the whole is this, as Bishop Horne has well expressed it : "Although the heavens are thus appointed to teach, yet it is not by articulate sounds that they do it. They are not endowed, like man, with the faculty of speech; but they address themselves to the mind of the intelligent beholder in another way, and that, when understood, a no less forcible way, the way of picture or representation. The instruction which the Leavens spread abroad is as universal as their substance, which extends itself in lines, or rays. By this means their words, or rather their significant actions or operations,, are every where present; and thereby they preach to all the nations the power and wisdom, the mercy and loving kindness, of the Lord." St. Paul applies this as a prophecy relative to the universal spread of the gospel of Christ, Rom. x. 18; for God designed that the light of the gospel should be diffused wheresoever the light of the celestial minaries shone; and be as useful and beneficent, a moral point of view, as that is in a natural. All the inhabitants of the earth shall benefit by the gospel of Christ as they all benefit by the solar, lunar, and stellar light. And, indeed, all have thus benefited, even where the words are not yet come. "Jesus is the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." His light, and the voice of his Spirit, have already gone through the earth; and his words, and the words of his apostles, are by means of the Bible and missionaries going out to all the extremities of the habitable globe. On these words I shall conclude with the translation in my old Psalter :— a Verse 1. Hebens telles the joy of God; and the werkes of his handes schewis the firmament. Verse 2. Day til day riftes word; and nyght til nyght schewes conyng, Verse 3. Na speches er, ne na wordes, of the qwilk the voyces of thaim be noght herd. Verse 4. En al the land yede the soune of tham; and in endes of the wereld thair wordes. Verse 5. En the Soun he sett his tabernacle; and he as a spouse comand forth of his chaumber: he joyed als geaunt at ryn the way. Verse 6. Fra heest heven the gangyng of hym: and his gayne rase til the heest of hym: nane es that hym may hyde fra his hete. 66 All the Versions, except the Chaldee, render the last clause of the fourth verse thus: "In the sun he hath placed his tabernacle;" as the old Psalter likewise does. They supposed that if the Supreme Being had a local dwelling, this must be it; as it was, to all human appearance, the fittest place. But the Hebrew is, Among them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun." He is the centre of the universe; all the other heavenly bodies appear to serve him. He is like a general in his pavilion, surrounded by his troops, to whom he gives his orders, and by whom he is obeyed. So, the solar influence gives motion, activity, light, and heat to all the planets. To none of the other heavenly bodies does the Psalmist assign a tabernacle, none is said to have a fixed dwelling, but the sun. Verse 5. Which is as a bridegroom, &c.] This is a reference to the rising of the sun, as the following verse is to the setting. He makes his appearance above the horizon with splendour and majesty; every creature seems to rejoice at his approach; and during the whole of his course, through his whole circuit, his apparent revolution from east to west, and from one tropic to the same again, no part of the earth is deprived of its proper proportion of light and heat. The sun is compared to a bridegroom in his ornaments, because of the glory and splendour of his rays; and to a giant or strong man running a race, because of the power of his light and heat. The apparent motion of the sun, in his diurnal and annual progress, are here both referred to. Yet both of these have been demonstrated to be mere appearances. The sun's diurnal motion arises from the earth's rotation on its axis from west to east in twenty-three hours, fifty-six minutes, and four seconds, the mean or equal time which elapses between the two consecutive meridiantransits of the same fixed star. But on account of the sun's apparent ecliptic motion in the same direction, the earth must make about the three hundred and sixty-fifth part of a second revolution on its axis before any given point of the earth's surface can be again brought into the same direction with the sun as before: so that the length of a natural day is twentyfour hours at a mean rate. The apparent revolution 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. of the divine law. verting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, con- LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. a a Ps. cxi. 7.—-b Or, doctrine. e Or, restoring.-d Ps. xii, 6. -- Ps. xiii. 3. power and deity, by the visible creation. 2. The law given to Moses and the prophets, which teaches more perfectly the knowledge of God, his nature, his will, and our duty. 3. The law of grace given by Christ Jesus, which shows the doctrine of the atonement, of purification, and of the resurrection of the body. The first is written in hieroglyphics in the heavens and the earth. The second was written on tables of stone, and in many rites and ceremonies. The third is to be written on the heart by the power of the Holy Ghost. Is perfect] non temimah, it is perfection. It is perfect in itself as a law, and requires perfection in the hearts and lives of men. This is ITS character. Converting the soul] Turning it back to God. Restoring it to right reason, or to a sound mind; teaching it its own interest in reference to both worlds. This is its use. of the sun through the twelve constellations of the zodiac in a sidereal year, is caused by the earth's making one complete revolution in its orbit in the same time. And as the earth's axis makes an angle with the axis of the ecliptic of about twenty-three degrees and twenty-eight minutes, and always maintains its parallelism, i. e., is always directed to the same point of the starry firmament; from these circumstances are produced the regular change of the seasons, and continually differing lengths of the days and nights in all parts of the terraqueous globe, except at the poles and on the equator. When we say that the earth's axis is always directed to the same point of the heavens, we mean to be understood only in a general sense; for, owing to a very slow deviation of the terrestrial axis from its parallelism, named the precession of the equinoctial points, which becomes sensible in the lapse of some years, and which did not escape the observation of the ancient astronomers, who clearly perceived that it was occasioned by a slow revolution of the celestial poles around the poles of the ecliptic, the complete revolution of the earth in its orbit is longer than the natural year, or the earth's tropical revolution, by a little more than twenty minutes; so that in twenty-five thousand seven hundred and sixty-three entire terrestrial revolutions round the sun, the seasons will be renewed twenty-five thousand seven hundred and sixty-four times. And in half this period, of twelve thousand eight hundred and eightytwo natural years, the points which are now the north and south poles of the heavens, around which the whole starry firmament appears to revolve, will describe circles about the then north and south poles of the heavens, the semi-diameters of which will be upwards of forty-seven degrees. Verse 8. The statutes of the Lord] тpɔ pikkudim, Coming out of his chamber] mechuppatho, from 5 pakad, he visited, cared, took notice of, apfrom under his veil. It was a sort of canopy erected pointed to a charge. The appointments, or charge delion four poles, which four Jews held over the bride-vered by God to man for his regard and observance. groom's head. Verse 7. The law of the Lord] And here are two books of Divine Revelation: 1. The visible HEAVENS, and the works of creation in general. 2. The BIBLE, or divinely inspired writings contained in the Old and New Testaments. These may all be called the LAW of the Lord; torah, from yarah, to instruct, direct, put straight, guide. It is God's system of instruction, by which men are taught the knowledge of God and themselves, directed how to walk so as to please GOD, redeemed from crooked paths, and guided in the way everlasting. Some think that torah means the preceptive part of Revelation. Some of the primitive Fathers have mentioned three LAWS given by God to man: 1. The law of nature, which teaches the knowledge of God, as to his eternal The testimony of the Lord] my eduth, from yad, beyond, forward. The various types and appointments of the law, which refer to something beyond themselves, and point forward to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Some understand, the doctrinal parts of the law. Is sure] neemanah, are faithful; they point out the things beyond them fairly, truly, and fully, and make no vain or false report. They all bear testimony to the great atonement. This is THEIR character. Making wise the simple.] The simple is he who has but one end in view: who is concerned about his soul, and earnestly inquires, "What shall I do to be saved?" These testimonies point to the atonement, and thus the simple-hearted is made wise unto salvation. This is THEIR use. Are right]yesharim, from yashar, to make straight, smooth, right, upright, opposed to crookedness in mind or conduct; showing what the man should be, both within and without. This is THEIR character. Rejoicing the heart] As they show a man what he is to observe and keep in charge, and how he is to please God, and the divine help he is to receive from the visitations of God, they contribute greatly to the happiness of the upright-they rejoice the heart. This is THEIR use. The commandment] mitsvah, from my tsavah, to command, give orders, ordain. What God has ordered man to do, or not to do. What he has com manded, and what he has prohibited. Is pure] From barah, to clear, cleanse, purify. All God's commandments lead to purity, enjoin Heb. truth. Ps. cxix. 103. b Ps. cxix. 72, 127. Prov. viii. 10, 11, 19. of the divine law. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. i k 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins: let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 m Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, "my strength, and my redeemer. 1 Or, much.- - Ps. o Isai. xliii. 14. a Heb. the dropping of honeycombs.li. 15. Heb. my rock. Ps. xviii. 1. f Ps. xl. 12. 8 Lev. iv. 2, &c. Gen. xx. 6. 1 Sam. xxv. 32, 33, 34, 39. purity, and point out that sacrificial offering by which cleansing and purification are acquired. This is ITS character. * Ps. cxix. 133. Rom. vi. 12. 14. Sweeter also than honey] To those whose mental taste is rectified, who have a spiritual discernment. Honeycomb.] Honey is sweet; but honey just out Enlightening the eyes.] Showing men what they of the comb has a sweetness, richness, and flavour, should do, and what they should avoid. It is by God's far beyond what it has after it becomes exposed to commandments that we see the exceeding sinfulness the air. Only those who have eaten of honey from of sin, and the necessity of redemption, so that we the comb can feel the force of the Psalmist's commay love the Lord with all our heart, and our neigh-parison: it is better than gold, yea, than fine gold in bour as ourselves. For this is the end of the commandment, and thus to enlighten the eyes is ITS use. Verse 9. The fear of the Lord] Nyirah, from yara, to fear, to venerate; often put for the whole of divine worship. The reverence we owe to the Supreme Being. Is clean] tehorah, from tahar, to be pure, clean; not differing much from a barah (see above), to be clean and bright as the heavens; as purified SILVER. Its object is to purge away all defilement, to make a spotless character. Enduring for ever] omedeth laad, standing up to PERPETUITY. The fear that prevents us from offending God, that causes us to reverence him, and is the beginning as it is the safe-guard of wisdom, must be carried all through life. No soul is safe for a moment without it. It prevents departure from God, and keeps that clean which God has purified. This is ITS use. The judgments of the Lord] own mishpatim, from av shaphat, he judged, regulated, disposed. All God's regulations, all his decisions; what he has pronounced to be right and proper. Are true] emeth, truth, from am, to support, confirm, make stable, and certain. This is the character of God's judgments. They shall all stand. All dispensations in providence and grace confirm them; they are certain, and have a fixed character. And righteous altogether.] They are not only according to truth; but they are righteous, p tendeku, they give to all their due. They show what belongs to God, to man, and to ourselves. And hence the word altogether, yachdav, equally, is added; or truth and righteousness united. Verse 10. More to be desired are they than gold] This is strictly true; but who believes it? By most men gold is preferred both to God and his judgments; and they will barter every heavenly portion for gold and silver ! the greatest quantity; it is sweeter than honey, yea, than honey from the comb. Verse 11. By them is thy servant warned] nizhar, from zahar, to be clear, pellucid. By these laws, testimonies, &c., thy servant is fully instructed; he sees all clearly; and he discerns that in keeping of them there is great reward: every man is wise, holy, and happy, who observes them. Christian experience confirms this truth. Reader, what says thine? All Verse 12. Who can understand his errors?] It is not possible, without much of the divine light, to understand all our deviations from, not only the letter, but the spirituality, of the divine law. Frequent self-examination, and walking in the light, are essentially necessary to the requisite degrees of spiritual perfection. which I have committed, and have forgotten; from Cleanse thou me from secret faults.] From those those for which I have not repented; from those which have been committed in my heart, but have not been brought to act in my life; from those which I have committed without knowing that they were sins, sins of ignorance; and from those which I have committed in private, for which I should blush and be confounded were they to be made public. Verse 13. From presumptuous sins] Sins committed not through frailty or surprise, but those which are the offspring of thought, purpose, and deliberation. Sins against judgment, light, and conscience. The words might be translated, Preserve thy servant also from the proud; from tyrannical governors, i. e., from evil spirits.-Bishop Horsley. So most of the Versions understand the place. |