matter (a): I speak of the things which I have made unto the King. 2 My tongue is the pen; of a ready writer.

3 Thou art fairer than the children of men: full of grace are thy lips, because God hath blessed thee for ever.

4

Gird thee with thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most

mighty according to thy wor ship and renown.

5 Good luck have thou with thine honour ride on, because (b) of the word of truth, of meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

6 Thy arrows (c) are very sharp, and the people shall be

"other hand, some expressions seem so "plainly to belong to him, that it is by 66 way of allegory only that they can be "applied to our Saviour. The mind "of the Prophet was evidently carried "beyond Solomon, to the great King "the Lord Christ, at least he was "guided to use words so high, that they "proved too great for Solomon, and we "must say, as our Saviour does in an"other case, Behold, a greater than So"lomon is here. And so the best of the "Jewish interpreters acknowledge." The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews clearly considers the 7th and 8th verses as written with a view to the Messiah, for, among other passages in which the Messiah is spoken of in higher terms than are ever applied to Angels he refers to this: "But unto the Son he "saith, thy throne, O God, is for ever "and ever, a scepter of righteousness is "the scepter of thy kingdom: thou "hast loved righteousness, and hated "iniquity, therefore God, even thy "God, hath anointed thee with the oil "of gladness above thy fellows." The Chaldee Paraphrase says expressly, that it was written prophetically of the Messiah. The Targum, Aben Ezra, and Solo. mon Jarchi say, that it was a prophecy of the Messiah. Kimchi is clear it was written for the Messiah, and says it was antiently so understood. Jarchi says, their antient Doctors interpreted it of the Messiah, but he thinks it more expedient to explain it only of David to put the Christians to silence. See Nicholls and Hammond in loco, and Chandler's Defence of Christianity, 255. 257, 258. Bishop Horne applies it to the Messiah only; and Bishop Horsley is positive it was intended to have that application only. He considers it as describing the

character of the Messiah, and under the image of a marriage solemnity, foretelling a period not yet arrived, when the Jews should be converted to the religion of Christ, and should stand foremost in their attachment to Christianity: when the Messiah should have grounds for selecting the Jewish nation above all others as a man selects one woman for his wife, and when the Jewish nation should look up to him above all others as a woman looketh up to the man she is about to marry. It might mean first under the type of the bridegroom to express the great affection the Messiah should have for those who should look up to him, and the protection and blessings he should confer upon them; and secondly, under the type of the bride to intimate the zeal, attachment, &c. with which true Christians should look up to the Messiah, and the perfect dependence they should place on him; and the description of the King, the bride, and her companions might be intended to intimate the power of the Messiah and the success of his re ligion. It is one of the Psalms for Christ mas Day.

(a) Bishop Horsley thus renders this verse, My heart labours with a goodly "theme, I address my performance to the

66

King;" and he observes, that it is a remark of the Jewish expositors, that "the King" in the Psalms always ap plies to the Messiah, unless there is something in the context to direct it to some other person.

(b) For "because" Bishop Horsley reads" in the cause of."

(c) Thy arrows," &c. The time of the Messiah is repeatedly noticed as a time of signal vengeance. See note on Ps. ii. 9,

.6.

v. 6.

2.7.

.11.

(c) The King's," i. e. thine, he is addressing the King. It raises the idea of his power, that in the very center of his enemies, where they were therefore least assailable, they should be completely subdued. The same idea occurs in the prophetic Psalm, cx. 2. “Be "thou ruler, even in the midst among thine "enemies."

(f) Read "a sceptre of righteous"ness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." (g) "O daughter," &c. This and the chief part of what follows seems addressed to the bride, that is, the bride

to whose marriage it related, (if it really was written upon an actual marriage, and had no farther view ;) or (if it was written prophetically) either to the body of true Christians of all nations and times, or to the Jewish nation when they shall be converted to Christianity.

(b) Thy Lord God," i.e. (if ad- v. 12. dressed to an earthly bride) not literally, but as thy Lord God: thou art to shew respect, &c. to him, almost amounting to the worship you pay to God

(i) A song of triumph, written with great spirit upon some signal victory or deliverance, describing in very animated language the advantage of God's assistance and his irresistible power, and introducing God himself to increase the effect. It is supposed to have been written either, 1st, upon David's 's successes against the Phi

ado (1), and the kingdoms are moved but God hath shewed his voice, and the earth (m) shall melt away.

2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved and though the hills be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof rage and swell and though the : mountains shake at the tempest

of the same.

4 The rivers (k) of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God : the holy place of the tabernacle of the most Highest.

5 God is in the midst of her; therefore shall she not be removed : God shall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen make much

listines, the Moabites, Haddadezer, and the Syrians, about 1040 years before the birth of Christ, as mentioned 2 Sam. viii.; or, 2dly, upon the destruction of the Moabites and Ammonites, &c. who, about 896 years before our Saviour's birth, came up against Jehoshaphat, but turned upon and destroyed each other, as mentioned 2 Chron. xx.; or 3dly, upon the destruction of Sennacherib's army, about 713 years before the birth of Christ, when the angel of the Lord smote in their camp one hundred and eightyfive thousand men. See 2 Kings xix. 35. and Isaiah xxxvii. 36. The recurring frequently to those hymns which were written on signal instances of God's assistance, was calculated to keep the events constantly in their minds, and to inspire in them the highest opinion of God's power and a thankful remembrance of his protection.

() “ The rivers, &c. The meaning may be, that so far from alarming and intimidating them, any extraordinary waters from the rising of the sea shall be a benefit to them, shall make them glad.

(1) "Make much ado" and "moved," i.e. hostilely, raise their forces, &c. (m) "The earth," i. e. all human

7 The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.

8 O come hither, and behold the works of the Lord: what destruction (n) he hath brought upon the earth.

9 He maketh (0) wars to cease in all the world: he breaketh the bow, and knappeth the spear in sunder, and burneth the chariots in the fire.

10 Be still (p) then, and know

The following expressions of breaking "the bow, knapping the spear," &c. may be used to imply, that where God assists the issue must be triumphant. It was usual among some nations to burn and otherwise destroy much of the armour of their enemies after gaining a victory. This custom is probably referred to Isaiah ix. 4, 5. which, (though not very intelligible in our Bible translation,) is thus rendered by Bp. Lowth, " For the yoke of his burthen, the staff laid on "his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, « hast thou broken, as in the day of Mir "dian: for the greaves of the armed "warrior in the conflict, and the ga ment rolled in much blood, shall be

for a burning, even fuel for the fir "For unto us a child is born, unto us a "Son is given," &c. The same customis probably also referred to Ez. xxxix. 9, 10. where, after denouncing defeat, &c. upon the heathen on the mountains of Israel, God says, "They that dwell in “ the cities of Israel shall go forth, and "shall set on fire and burn the weapons, "both the shields and the bucklers, the ،، bows and the arrows, and the hand"staves and the spears," &c. So Vir• gil, 8 Æn. 561.

"Scutorum incendi victor acervos." See 2 Lowth's Isaiah 100.

(p) “ Be still then," &c. Here is evidently a change of person, and God is himself introduced. This direction agrees

mean, that the governors of distant districts are come up to join with the rest of the people, for their territories are safe, because God defends them. In Exod. xxxiv. 23, 24. when God directs all the males to appear before him thrice every year, he assures them that at those times no man shall desire their land; that is, that they shall be free from invasions.

(u) A song of triumph upon some signal deliverance, perhaps that in the time of Jehosaphat, when the Moabites and Ammonites and the inhabitants of Mount Seir came up against him. See 2 Chron. xx. and the note on the 46th Psalm. The alarm was great, a fast was proclaimed throughout all Judah; all Judah was gathered together out of all the cities of Judah, to ask help of the Lord, and they stood before the Lord with their wives and their children. God promised them deliverance, and stirred up their enemies to fall upon each other, which they did so effectually, that none of them escaped. The spoil was so great, that the Jews were three days in gathering it; on the fourth, they assembled in the valley of Berachak, and there they blessed the Lord: and then they went up to Jerusalem, with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the

and sorrow as upon a woma in her travail.

6 Thou shalt break the ships ( of the sea through the eas wind.

7 Like as we have heard, s have we seen in the city of th Lord of hosts; in the city of ou God God upholdeth the sam for ever.

8 We wait (a) for thy loving kindness, O God in the mids of thy temple.

9 O God, according to th Name, so is thy praise unto th world's end thy right hand i full of righteousness.

10 Let the mount Sion re joice, and the daughter of Judah be glad because of thy judge

ments.

11 Walk about Sion, and go

Lord. This was about 896 years be fore the birth of Christ. The Psalm no tices the protection Jerusalem received from God, the discomfiture of her ene mies, the advantages of its situation, and her perfect exemption from damage, not withstanding the power of the enemies which had come up against her. It is one of the Psalms for Whitsunday. (x) Gone by," i.e. (probably) in military array.

(y)" To see such things," i.e. "a" " what they saw."

(≈)" The ships," &c. The Moabites, &c. came from beyond the sea, 2 Chron. xx. 2. and the meaning here may be, that in addition to the destruction they had already sustained, the ships that brought them and they who remained with them should also be destroyed.

(a) "Wait," &c. The meaning may be, we have no occasion to ad: if we only wait in thy temple thou effectest our deliverance. In this instance God had told them that they need not fight in that battle, and they appointed singers to go before the army, and to sing praises unto the Lord; and it was when they began to sing and to praise, that their enemies set upon each other. 2 Chron. xx. 17,

21, 22.