9. We see not &c.] We see not any token of thy Divine presence with us, nor is there so much as a Proplet to give us advice or comfort, or to tell us when these calamities will have an end. Travell. 11. — pluck it out of thy bosom.] That is, Exert thy power again for the destruction of thy enemies. Travell. The hand, when unemployed, was usually inserted in the folds of the garment on the bosom. See note at Ps. lxxix. 12. 13. — thou brakest &c.] Thou didst confound the great and mighty enemies of Israel, in the Red sea. Bp. Hall. — dragons] See the note on Ps. xliv. 19. 14. Thou brakest the heads &c.] "Leviathan" stands for Pharaoh, or the Egyptian power, represented by the Egyptian animal, the crocodile. The "heads" of leviathan are the princes of Egypt, the leaders of the Egyptian armies. And the "people inhabiting the wikderness," to whom they were given for a prey, are the wild beasts haunting the deserts. Bp. Horne. 17. — borders of the earth:] The boundaries of the earth, so that the sea cannot overwhelm them. See Jer. v. 22; Job xxxviii. s. 11. Rosenmuller. 19. — thy turtledove] Thy church, which like a turtledove, simple, defenceless, solitary, meek, timid, 20. Have respect unto &c.] Have regard unto the promises into which Thou didst enter with thy people: for now the land is full of rapine and cruelty, and every dark corner of it is a den of thieves and murderers. Bp. Patrick. This Psalm engages us to make these four principal reflections: 1. That the Church has been in all ages exposed to persecution; and therefore we ought not to wonder, if the Christian Church has been, and still is, sometimes persecuted. 2. That as God, to punish the Jews for their abuse of his service, suffered them to be led into captivity; for the same reasons He has often delivered his church into the hands of persecutors, with a design to try it, and to purify it. 3. When God appears the most provoked with his people, He does not quite forsake them, but always remembers his covenant, and delivers them at last. 4. As the Prophet was grieved for the calamities of the Jews, and prayed for their restoration, so Christians ought to be sensibly affected with the misfortunes of the church, and to pray continually for its deliverance and prosperity. Ostervald. Psalm LXXV. It is not improbable that this Psalm was composed by Asaph on the destruction of the Assyrian army under Sennacherib. Travell. Ver. 2. When I shall receive &c.] The first verse is spoken by many persons; here the speaker is one, and that one is plainly a ruler, who promises that when he shall have "received the congregation," or, as some render it, "when he shall have gotten an appointed, or fit time, or season," that is, when he shall be established in power and authority, at a fit time and place, he will "judge uprightly, and introduce a thorough reformation into the kingdom." Bp. Horne. 3. The earth and all &c.] In this verse seem to be the words of God in answer, that "Now the time was come for Him to do justice, and therefore the earth melted before Him:" this it might well do, as "He had first set up the pillars of it:" it stood firm only by his order, and therefore must be dissolved when He pleased. Mudge, Dr. Kennicott. 4. — Lift not up the horn: ] Behave not yourselves so insolently. Bp. Wilson. 5. Lift not up &c.] For illustrations of this expression, see the note at 1 Sam. ii. 1. To which may be added, with a view to the particular phrase here employed, that "the crooked manner in which the Abyssinians hold the neck, when this ornament is on their forehead, for fear it should fall forward, seems to agree with what the Psalmist calls 'speaking with a stiff neck,' for it perfectly shews the meaning of speaking with a stiff neck, when you hold the horn on high, or erect, like the horn of an unicorn." Bruce. 5. The stouthearted &c.] The mighty warriours that came up against Jerusalem are spoiled, and have slept the sleep of death; neither were any of those great champions able to resist the destroying angel. Bp. Holl. 6. For promotion cometh neither &c.] That is, success and advancement come not from any earthly quarter, but from God. ¶ To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song || of Asaph. † Or, for Asaph. IN Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel. 8. For in the hand &c.] As the choicest of heavenly blessings are frequently in Scripture represented by the salutary effects of wine, so from the noxious and intoxicating qualities of that liquor, when drunk strong, and in too large a quantity, is borrowed a most tremendous image of the wrath and indignation of Almighty God. Bp. Horne. — it is full of mixture: ] See the note from Bp. Lowth on Isa. i. 22. This Psalm especially instructs us that it is God who establishes and strengthens kings, and gives peace to their dominions; and that it is the duty of kings and princes, and in general of all magistrates, to exercise justice, to restrain the wicked and the proud, and to protect the innocent. Ostervald. Psalm LXXVI. This is a song of triumph on God's deliverance of Jerusalem from a powerful army which threatened the destruction of it, probably the army of Sennacherib. Green. Ver. 4. — than the mountains of prey.] Mountains often stand for great princes; and this may be a figurative expression for mighty conquerors who ravage the earth. 10. Surely the wrath &c.] From the spite and malice of thine enemies, Thou shalt take occasion to win Ver. 2. — my sore ran &c.] This is rendered more literally by an ancient Greek version, "my hand was stretched out in the night without intermission." Bps. Horne and Lowth. 6. I call to remembrance &c.] I called to mind the songs I had composed, in memory of thy signal mercies; I spent whole nights in silent meditation, and in revolving in my mind what could be the cause, that Thou shouldest forsake thy people. Travell, Bp. Patrick. 10. — This is my infirmity: &c.] "My weakness of faith" to entertain such thoughts. Dr. Wells, Bp. Horne. But I will remember that the power of God endureth for ever. 12. — the spirit] The pride. Merrick. Why are the miraculous exertions of Omnipotence recorded in the Book of Life, but to suggest to us this reflection, that God, and God only, is the proper object of our fear; since neither the wisdom of the wise, nor the power of the mighty, no, not the world itself, can stand a single moment before Him, "when once He is angry?" Yet we continue to dread any frowns but those of Heaven. Bp. Horne. Psalm LXXVII. This Psalm is of that diversified and unequal kind which ascends from a cool and deliberate opening to a high degree of sublimity. The Prophet, oppressed with a heavy weight of affliction, displays the extreme dejection and perturbation of his soul, and most elegantly and pathetically describes the conflicts and internal contests to which he is subjected, before he is enabled to rise from the depths of woe to any degree of hope or confidence. In the character of a suppliant he first pours forth his earnest prayers to the God of his hope. He next endeavours to mitigate his sorrows by the remembrance of former times; but this, on the contrary, only seems to aggravate his sufferings, by the comparison of his present adversity with his former happiness. Again, recollecting the different methods by which the Almighty seeks the salvation of his people, appearing frequently to frown upon those "in whom he delighteth:" reconsidering also the vast series of mercies which He had bestowed upon his chosen people; the miracles which He had wrought in their favour; in a word, the goodness, the holiness, 13. Thy way, &c.] The meaning is, The methods of thy providence are just and holy. Bp. Patrick, Old Translation. 16. The waters saw thee, &c.] The waters of the Red sea are here beautifully represented as endued with sensibility, as seeing, feeling, and being confounded, even to the lowest depths, at the presence and power of their great Creator, when He commanded them to open a way, and to form a wall on each side of it, until his people were passed over. Bp. Horne. 17. — thine arrows] That is, thy lightnings, or thunderbolts. Poole. Ver. 2. — parable:] See notes at Numb. xxiii. 7; Job xxvii. 1. — dark sayings: The original word means, a pointed or obscure saying; such as requires, either for the conception or understanding of it, considerable ingenuity. Bp. Lowth. But there is nothing obscure in this Psalm, which contains instructive historical truths. Therefore the expression should be rendered "pointed truths." Street. 5. — a testimony] Or solemn charge. Mudge. 9. The children of Ephraim, &c.] The history here referred to is that of the Israelites going up, contrary to God's command, to take possession of the land of Canaan, when they were smitten before their enemies. See Deut. i. 42. The Ephraimites are here specified, probably, as being the most warlike tribe, and as having led on, perhaps, the rest of the tribes to the battle. Green. 12. — in the field of Zoan.] In the territories that belong to Zoan, a chief city of Egypt, and the court of Pharaoh, where those miraculous works would be so much more noted. Bp. Hall. d Heb. throwing forth. c Exod. 14. 21. d Exod. 13. 21. &14. 24. e Exod. 17. 6. Numb. 20. 11. Ps. 105. 41. 1 Cor. 10. 4. The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient. 18. — they tempted God &c.] They were not content with the bountiful provision which God had made for them, but murmured against Him, and demanded meat to satisfy their craving appetite. Bp. Patrick, Travell. 19. Thy way is &c.] God walked before his people through the sea, though He left no footsteps of Himself behind Him. Mudge. A weak man cannot rightly judge of the actions of a man wiser than himself, of whose views and designs he is not master: much less can man judge of the ways of God, to whose counsels he is not admitted, and to whose secrets he is a stranger. In complaining, the Psalmist followed the natural impressions of passion and impatience: in acknowledging the folly of his complaint, he spoke not only the language of grace, but of sense and reason. But this good man, being well grounded in religion, was able so far to get the better of his doubts and fears, as to pass a right judgment in his own case, and to call to his assistance the proper reflections which the great works of Providence administered for the support and confirmation of his hope and confidence towards God. Here then was his comfort; here the cure of all his grief. Bp. Sherlock. Psalm LXXVIII. This Psalm pursues the history of the Israelites from the time of their departure from Egypt to the reign of David, particularizing and illustrating all the leading events. The style is simple and uniform, but the structure is poetical, and the sentiments occasionally splendid. The historical, or rather chronological, order cannot be said to be exactly pre- 21. — a fire was kindled against Jacob.] See note at Numb. xi. 1. 25. Man did eat angels' food.] That is, manna, which may be called angels' food, as coming from the clouds of heaven, the habitation of angels. Dr. Wells. Or rather, the rendering should be, as in the margin, 30. They were not estranged from their lust.] They obtained the object of their wishes. 33. Therefore their days &c.] Therefore He never suffered them to come into that land, but made them wander up and down in the wilderness to no purpose, and consumed them by various plagues. Travell. 41. — and limited the Holy One of Israel.] This The story of God's wrath against the incredulous and disobedient. 49. He cast upon them &c.] Some of the Egyptian plagues having been specified in the foregoing verses, others of them are here thrown together, and the whole scene is affirmed to have been a full display of wrath and vengeance, executed upon the oppressors of the church by "evil angels, agents, or messengers;" whether by this expression we understand the material instruments of Divine displeasure; or angels employed as ministers of vengeance; or the actual appearance and ministration of evil spirits, suffered to torment the wicked in this world, as they certainly will do in the next. Tradition seems to have favoured this last opinion, since the author of the Book of Wisdom describes the Egyptian darkness as a kind of temporary hell, Wisd. xvii. Bp. Horne. 51. — Ham:] The father of the Egyptians. Bp. Wilson. 54. — this mountain,] Zion, which He took from the Jebusites by the hand of David. Bp. Wilson. 56. Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, St. Paul says, with reference to the same transactions, "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted," 1 Cor. x. 9. These texts do both relate to the same rebellious acts of the Israelites in the wilderness. In the former of them, the Person they tempted is called the Most High God; in the latter, He is called anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 61. — delivered his strength &c.] That is, the ark of the covenant, which was the token of God's power and glory, was delivered up to the Philistines, 1 Sam. iv. 11. 22; and v. 1. Green. 67. — he refused &c.] When the ark was brought back, God did not permit it to be placed again in Shiloh, which was in the tribe of Ephraim, the son of Joseph. Bp. Patrick. 69. And he built &c.] On this hill Solomon built him a stately temple, which was not moveable, like his former habitation, but remained perpetually fixed, like the earth on which it stood. Travell. We cannot exercise our devotions more usefully upon any part of the Old Testament, than upon the history of God's wonderful loving-kindness to, and miraculous deliverances of, his own chosen people, the Jews. There we find all the most heightened acts of power, all the transcendent kindness, and bounty, and affection, which the most exalted imagination of man can suppose possible to result from Divinity itself; and there we find the most inexpressible ingratitude and baseness of spirit, the foulest enormities and transgressions, and the most barefaced contempt of that Power which had preserved and protected them, which the malice of the devil himself can infuse into the heart of man. Again, we find, on the one hand, the patience and mercy of God contending to be too hard for that malice, check- Ver. 8. — let thy tender mercies &c.] Extend thy compassion to us without delay. Travell. 10. — let him be known] Or, make thyself known. Green. 11. — those that are appointed to die.] Those whom their enemies have condemned to death. Bp. Patrick. 12. — our neighbours] "Our neighbours" probably — into their bosom] The Arabs join together the two upper corners of their hype, a garment like the plaid of the highlanders in Scotland, and after having placed them first over one of their shoulders, they then fold the rest of it about their bodies. The outer fold serves them frequently instead of an apron, wherein they carry herbs, loaves, corn, &c. There seem to be several allusions to this in Scripture; as "rendering sevenfold into their bosom, &c." Dr. Shaw. Affliction hath then wrought its intended effect, when it hath convinced us of sin, and led us to repentance; when, brought back by it, like the returning prodigal, to the house and presence of our heavenly Father, we acknowledge our guilt as the cause of our misery, and entreat forgiveness of the one, in order to obtain a release from the other; not pleading our own merits, but the mercies of God our Saviour, and the glory of his name. Bp. Horne. Psalm LXXX. The subject of this Psalm has some resemblance to the former: it contains an application to God for help under some grievous affliction; describes the former exaltation of God's people, and their present Ver. 1. — thou that dwellest &c.] Thou that sittest enthroned above the ark of the covenant, shew us some illustrious token of thy presence. Travell. 2. Before Ephraim &c.] God is entreated to go forth in his strength and his salvation, before the tribes of Israel, as formerly in the wilderness. Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, are particularly mentioned, perhaps, because, according to the established order, those three tribes immediately followed the ark and cherubim, the symbols of the Divine presence. See Numb. ii. 18. 24. Bp. Horne. 3. Turn us again.] Restore us to our former happiness. Bp. Patrick. 5. Thou feedest &c.] That is, we are in continual sorrow and distress, and have no degree of comfort or refreshment but our lamentations. Dr. Hammond. 6. Thou makest us &c.] The meaning is, Our neighbours contend among themselves, who shall make the greatest prey of us, and we are become the scorn and derision of our enemies. Travell, Bp. Patrick. 8. Thou hast brought a vine &c.] The Psalmist, describing the people of Israel as a vine, has continued the metaphor, and happily drawn it out through a variety of additional circumstances. Among the many beauties of this allegory, not the least graceful is that modesty, with which he enters upon and concludes his subject, making an easy and gradual transition from plain to figurative language, and no less delicately 11. She sent out &c.] Signifying, that Israel extended its dominion from the Mediterranean sea to the river Euphrates. Dr. Wells. 13. The boar! By this figure, the Psalmist means to represent the fierce and unrelenting persecutor of the people of Israel. Bp. Horne. 15. And the vineyard] "Even the plant." Abp. Secker. — the branch] The family of David. Bp. Horne. The people of Israel. Rosenmuller. 17. — the man of thy right hand! That is, the people of Israel. Rosenmuller. Our prince. Mudge. The Messiah. Bp. Horne. Let not the Christian church imagine, that the sufferings complained of in this Psalm relate only to her elder sister. Greater mercies and more excellent gifts should excite in her greater thankfulness, and call forth more excellent virtues; otherwise they will serve only to enhance her account, and multiply her sorrows. If she sin, and fall after the same example of unbelief, she must not think to be distinguished in her punishment, unless by the severity of it. Bp. Horne. Psalm LXXXI. Throughout this Psalm appears an exquisite union of sublimity and sweetness. It is an ode composed for the feast of trumpets, (Levit. xxiii. 24,) in the first new moon of the civil year. The object and end of this poem appears to be an exhortation to obedience from the consideration of the paternal 5. They know not, &c.] They will not study the laws of God, but are blinded by bribes; so that the very foundations of the kingdom, which are truth and justice, are utterly shaken and confounded. Bp. Patrick. 6. I have said, Ye are gods;] I have given you my authority, and even put my name upon you, John x. 34, 35. Bp. Wilson. 6. The tabernacles &c.] The Edomites and Ishmaelites, who dwell in tents, are engaged in this enterprise, and so are the Moabites, and others descended from Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. Bp. Patrick. 7. — and fall like &c.] And ye shall fall, O ye princes, like any other man. Gataker, Rosenmuller, Dimock. 7. Gebal.] Some place Gebal in Phenicia near Tyre; and others in the mountainous country beyond Jordan. Rosenmuller. 8. — judge the earth: &c.] Vindicate mankind from these impious judges, for Thou hast the rightful dominion over all nations. Travell. All magistrates should derive from this Psalm the instruction, that it is their duty to do right to all, without respect of persons, and especially to protect the weak and innocent when oppressed. To this end, they should remember that, although they are now placed above others, yet they must die one day like the rest of mankind, and must then appear before the one Supreme Judge, to give an account of all that they have done. Ostervald. Psalm LXXXIII. Several of the neighbouring nations being gathered together to make war against the Israelites, the Prophet entreats the Lord in this Psalm, to destroy those nations, as He had formerly destroyed the kings that assaulted their forefathers. Green. Ver. 3. — against thy hidden ones.] Hebrew, "against thy treasured ones," that is, against those whom Thou hidest in the secret place of thy tabernacle; or, in more 8. Assur] The Assyrians. Dr. Wells. This determines the date of this Psalm to the latter times of the Jewish kingdom; for the other nations here mentioned had molested them before; but the Assyrians not till towards the end. Dr. Wall. 12. — the houses of God] That land wherein God was pleased to dwell among the Israelites. Bp. Patrick. 13. — like a wheel;] Rather, like the chaff whirled about. See Isa. xvii. 13. Bp. Louth, Abp. Secker. 14, 15. As the fire &c.] Let their destruction be as sudden and violent, as the effect of lightning on the trees of the forest; or as the devouring flame on the parched grass that grows on the mountains. Travell. The punishments inflicted by Heaven upon wicked men are primarily intended to humble and convert them. If they continue incorrigible under every dispensation of merciful severity, they are at last cut off, and finally destroyed; that others, admonished by their example, may repent, and return, and give glory to God. Salutary are the afflictions which bring men, and happy the men who are brought by them, to an acknowledgment of "Jehovah our righteousness," our exalted and glorified Redeemer, "The Most High over all the Ver. 3. Yea, the sparrow &c.] The Psalmist is generally supposed in this verse to lament his unhappiness in being deprived of all access to the tabernacle or temple, a privilege enjoyed even by the birds, who were allowed to build their nests in the neighbourhood of the sanctuary. It is evidently the design of this passage to intimate to us, that in the house, and at the altar of God, a faithful soul findeth freedom from care and sorrow, quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit; like a bird that has secured a little mansion, for the reception and education of her young. And there is no heart, endued with sensibility, which does not bear its testimony to the exquisite beauty and propriety of this affecting image. Bp. Horne. — the swallow] Rather, the dove. Bp. Lowth, Merrick. 5. — in whose heart &c.] The meaning seems to be, "whose heart is bent on travelling the ways to thy temple." Green, Merrick. 6, 7. Who passing &c.] After many uncertain conjectures offered by commentators upon the construction of these two verses, it seems impossible for us to attain to any other than a general idea of their true import; Vol. II. 9. — of thine anointed.] He prays for the king as the person in whom the prosperity of his country was enwrapped: he was the "shield" and protection of it under God. See Ps. lxxxix. 18, and xlvii. 9. Mudge. 11. — a sun and shield:] A light, a glory, and defence. Bp. Wilson. There cannot be a greater resemblance to the joys of heaven in any pleasure or happiness that we can enjoy in this world, than in that tranquillity of mind and conscience which naturally attends and accompanies our fervent devotions to God Almighty; when we have deposited all our wishes with Him, and submitted and resigned all our desires to Him. Nor can there be a more lively representation upon earth, of the court and company of heaven, than in the assemblies and congregations of religious and pious men pouring out their prayers, and celebrating the praises of their Creator and Redeemer. Lord Clarendon. Psalm LXXXV. In celebrating the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, the Psalmist is carried by a prophetick impulse to foretel a much greater deliverance by the coming of Christ. Dimock. This Psalm is appointed by the Church to be used on Christmas-day, when we celebrate the deliverance of mankind from the captivity of sin, and the introduction into the world of mercy and truth, righteousness and G Ver. 4. Turn us, &c.] This word is frequently used in Scripture: the metaphor seems to be taken from a shepherd who drives back the wandering sheep; and it is applied both to relief from temporal affliction, and return to the paths of duty. 8. I will hear &c.] I will wait with patience for God's answer to my prayers. Bp. Wilson. — to folly.] To wickedness. 8. Among the gods] That is, among those who are worshipped in the world as gods. Bp. Patrick. 10. Mercy and truth &c.] How admirable is this celebrated personification of the Divine attributes! How just, elegant, and splendid does it appear, if applied only according to the literal sense, to the restoration of the Jewish nation from the Babylonish captivity; but if interpreted as relating to that more sacred mystical sense, which is not obscurely shadowed under the ostensible image, it is certainly uncommonly noble and elevated, mysterious and sublime. Bp. Lowth. science of his religion, &by the goodness and power of God. 11 He desireth the continuance of former grace. 14 Complaining of the proud he craveth some token of God's goodness. ¶ A Prayer of David. BOW down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. 11. Truth shall spring &c.] See note from Bp. Lowth on Isa. xlv. 5. 13. Righteousness shall go &c.] That is, reformation of morals shall precede the establishment of Christ's religion. We learn in this Psalm, that, as God makes men, and sometimes his own people and church, feel the effects of his wrath for the punishment of their sins; and that the end which He proposes by it is to recover them from their errors; so when He sees them humbled to becoming feelings of piety, He is ever ready to receive them again into his favour, and to bestow on them his choicest gifts, both temporal and spiritual. Ostervald. Psalm LXXXVI. ver. 2. — holy:] The word here translated "holy," properly signifies, "good, merciful, pious, devoted to the service of God, &c." Bp. Horne. 2. The Lord loveth &c.] The Lord takes more pleasure to dwell in his tabernacle, and his temple, on Zion, than in all the rest of the land of Judah or Israel. Bp. Hall. 4. I will make mention &c.] The accession of the nations to the Church is generally supposed to be here predicted. God declares by his Prophet, "I will make mention of," or cause to be remembered, "Egypt and Babylon," the old enemies of Israel, "to" or "among them that know me," that is, in the number of my worshippers; "behold, also, Philistia and Tyre, with Arabia;" these are become mine; "this," or each of these, "is born there," that is, in the city of God; they are become children of God, and citizens of Zion. Bp. Horne. — Rahab] Meaning Egypt. The Hebrew word HIS foundation is in the holy mountains.