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burning arrows: i. e. lightning.

disappointment: or delusion, that which is false to one's

expectations.

Ps. VIII.

It is a very plausible supposition, that this psalm was composed by David while in the employment of a shepherd, before he came into the sphere of human passions and regal cares. The images which it contains are drawn from the starry heavens, which in his nightly watches he had so often contemplated, and from the herds and flocks which were his daily care.

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews appears to apply this psalm to the Messiah; but he could do it only in the mystical or allegorical sense. David is evidently speaking, not of any particular man, but of mankind in general, in distinction from the glorious works above them and the inferior animals below them.

1.

Thou hast set, &c.: otherwise, Set thou, &c.

2. - babes and sucklings. This phrase is supposed by most modern critics to refer to literal babes and sucklings, the glory of God being illustrated by the manner in which infants draw their nourishment from the breast; or by their childish prattle, and the curious questions which they sometimes propose. It appears to me that the words, being used in connection with enemy and avenger, are rather used in a figurative sense, as when our Saviour says, "Having hidden these things from the wise and prudent, thou hast revealed them to babes." Matt. xi. 25. They are terms of humility or disparagement in reference to man; perhaps such men as the author of the psalm, who were so highly blessed as to have reason to praise God, or who were gifted with poetic inspiration so as to be able to celebrate worthily his high praises.

5. than God. This is the usual meaning of the term, and is best suited to the connection. It is so rendered in some of the English versions, previous to the common version. The expression probably refers particularly to man's sovereignty over the animal creation.

6.

all things under his feet. The connection evidently limits this expression to the lower animals, enumerated in the following lines. Roberts observes that the expression is a common one in Hindostan. Thus they say, - “Ah! a mighty king was he; all things were under his feet."

Ps. IX.

This psalm appears to be an ode of triumph and thanksgiving on account of a victory, with prayers for continued aid. It evidently has reference to foreign enemies of the whole Jewish nation. It may have been composed after the wars mentioned in 2 Sam. ch. viii., or it may have had an occasion not recorded in the Jewish annals.

To the Benites: or To Ben; the name of an individual.

1.

marvellous works: namely, such as are mentioned in verses 3 and 4.

3. at thy presence: i. e. because thou wert present, aiding me and destroying them.

4.

· upon the throne: i. e. the seat of judgment. 6. Their memory, &c.

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This is a hyperbolical expression, denoting the completeness of the downfall of David's enemies.

12.

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avenger of blood: i. e. of the blood of his servants and worshippers, shed by their enemies.

13. - gates of death: i. e. of Sheol, conceived of as a strong palace under ground, with gates and bars; a conception founded on the idea, that no return from the habitation of the dead is possible. Comp. Job xxxviii. 17, Is. xxxviii, 10.

14. - in the gates of the daughter of Zion. In the gates of cities the great multitude used to assemble. By a peculiar idiom of the Hebrew and Syriac languages, the daughter of a city means its inhabitants. Thus, daughter of Tyre denotes the Tyrians, Ps. xlv, 12; daughter of Jerusalem, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Is. xxxvii. 22; daughter of my people, my countrymen, Is. xxii. 4, Jer. iv. 11, ix. 7. The city itself, in reference to the inhabitants personified as a virgin, is the mother city. See 2 Sam. xx. 19, Gal. iv. 26. See Gesen. Heb. Lex. on na.

15. The answer to his prayer is now described in the ruin of his enemies.

16. At the end of this verse occur the words Higgaion! Selah ! the meaning of which probably is, Instrumental music! Pause! i. e. Let the singers pause, and the instrumental music strike up.

17.

into the underworld: i. e. they shall turn back and flee from their enemies, till they are destroyed, or go down into Sheol, the receptacle of all the dead.

Ps. X.

In the Septuagint, and some other ancient versions, this psalm forms the concluding part of the last. But the subject of it seems

to be different. Ps. ix. is a song of triumph, Ps. x. one of complaint and distress. It seems to have been occasioned by the incursions of foreign enemies into the land of Israel. See ver. 16 and 18.

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1. - afar off: God is said to stand afar off, and to hide himself, when he does not give his aid. On the other hand, he is said to be with a person or a people, when he aids or delivers them.

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3. boasteth of his heart's desire. The meaning may be, that he succeeds in obtaining all that he desires, or that he boasts of the success of his evil plans.

4. He careth not: i. e. God careth not.

5.

· far from him: i. e. he thinks not of them.

13. Wherefore doth the wicked, &c.: i. e. Why dost thou, by suffering the wicked to go unpunished, give him occasion to contemn thee?

14. markest it upon thy hand: i. e. for the purpose of remembering it. Thus, Isaiah xlix. 16,‚—" Behold, I have graven thee on the palms of my hands; thy walls are ever before my eyes." See also Maundrell's Travels, p. 126, Amer. edit.

15.

Seek out, &c. The Hebrews expressed the destruction of a thing by the expression to seek and not find it, Job vii. 21, Is. xli. 12.

Ps. XI.

Of the occasions recorded in the Scriptures on which David might have composed this psalm, the most probable seems to be his persecution by Saul. But as the psalm is not very appropriate to that occasion, it may have been written by David or some other poet on some occasion which is not recorded.

In opposition to the timid counsels of dejected friends, who represented his affairs as desperate, the poet expresses a sublime confidence in the aid which God would afford to the righteous cause, as the omniscient governor of men, the defender of the righteous and the punisher of the wicked.

The abruptness with which the third verse commences has a fine effect, and places in a strong light the thought, that in the most

discouraging circumstances man should not despair, seeing there is a righteous government in the heavens.

2. bend their bow, &c. Observe the continuance of the figure drawn from the bird flying away before the archer, ver. 1.

3. If the pillars be broken down: i. e. the distinguished supporters of what is right in a state, firm and true patriots. Comp. Is. xix. 10:

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"The pillars of the land are cast down,

And all who labor for hire are grieved in heart."

can the righteous do: i. e. what else can he do, but to endeavour to escape?

6. burning wind: referring to the wind Samûm, on which see the note on Job iii. 5, or Robinson's Calmet, Art. Wind. - portion of their cup. It is a favorite mode of representing punishment among the Hebrews, that the wicked shall be made to drink it. See Job xx. 23, Ps. lxxv. 8.

7. see his face i. e. enjoy his favor. When God withholds his favor, he is said to hide his face. Comp. Ps. xvii. 15.

Ps. XII.

This psalm is one of complaint on account of the degeneracy of the times, especially of the efforts made to weaken just authority by calumny and treachery. If the psalm be a production of David, it may be referred to the time of the rebellion of Absalom. Others refer it to the persecution of David by Saul and his courtiers.

4.

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With our tongues, &c.: i. e. By uttering calumnies against the rulers, and deceiving the people.

6. The words of the Lord, &c. This refers to the promises of Jehovah, such as that in the preceding verse.

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– the vilest of men: otherwise, they who are a terror to men.

Ps. XIII.

The poet complains of being forgotten by Jehovah, looks to him for aid, and by the exercise of devotion attains to peace and confidence. The psalm may be referred to the time of David's persecution by Saul. Some of the Jewish commentators suppose the

subject of the psalm to be the whole exiled Jewish people personified.

3. - Enlighten my eyes. When a person is in a faint and dying condition, the sight seems to go from his eyes. Hence, the phrase Enlighten my eyes means, Restore me from my faint and languishing condition. So in 1 Sam. xiv. 27, “He put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in an honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his eyes were enlightened." Comp. Ezra ix. 8, Ps. xix. 8.

Ps. XIV.

In this psalm, a Hebrew poet, living in exile with his countrymen, who experienced harsh treatment from their enemies, brings his complaint to God respecting the wickedness of men. In his melancholy state of feeling, all appears to him to be disorder and corruption. He represents God himself as surveying from his heavenly throne the sons of men and their proceedings on the earth, like a watchman on the top of some lofty tower. He is said to search diligently to find a man of true wisdom and piety, but without success. The poet expresses the confident expectation that these evil-doers will meet with a righteous retribution, and sighs for the deliverance of his countrymen from captivity.

It is probable that verse seventh relates to the captivity at Babylon, rather than to the temporary expulsion of David and his followers by Absalom. Of course David could not have been the

author of it.

This psalm we find repeated, with some alterations, in Ps. liii. The book of Psalms being made up of at least five smaller collections, the compiler of the second collection inserted in it Ps. liii., either from inadvertence or on account of the variations in his copy of it.

1. The fool: i. e. unwise in a moral and religious point of view. The ideas of impiety and folly were closely associated in the mind of a Hebrew.

3. no, not one. This is a poetical, hyperbolical way of describing general depravity. It is the language of indignation, inspired by the oppression of the Jewish people by their enemies. See ver. 4.

7. out of Zion: i. e. from God, the supreme king of Israel, whose earthly dwelling-place was said to be on Mount Zion.

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