Psalms · Chapter 69

V. 1. Waters-Tribulations.

Verse 1. The waters are come in unto my soul.] I am in the deepest distress. The waters have broken their dikes, and are just ready to sweep me away! Save me, Lord! In such circumstances I can have no other help. In the first, second, third, fourteenth, and fifteenth verses, the psalmist, speaking in the person of the captives in Babylon, compares their captivity to an abyss of waters, breaking all bounds, and ready to swallow them up; to a deep mire, in which there was no solid bottom, and no standing; and to a pit, in which they were about to be inclosed for ever. This is strongly figurative, and very expressive.

Verses 1, 2. Save me, O God — O most mighty God, in whom alone I trust for safety, deliver me from these distresses; for the waters — Of tribulation; are come unto my soul — Have reached my vital parts, so that I am ready to expire, and my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. I sink in deep mire — Hebrew, hlwxm ˆwyb, in the mud of the deep. I am not in the shallows, or nigh the bank, but in the middle and deepest parts, and sinking in the very mire which is at the bottom of the waters. Where there is no standing — No firm and sure footing, but I sink deeper and deeper, and without thy speedy and almighty help I shall be overwhelmed and perish.

1. Waters—Great “waters” are a common emblem of extreme distress and danger. Psalm 18:4, and 32:6. Unto my soul—I am as one upon the point of strangulation by drowning. The waters are rushing into me, even to my heart. See Lamentations 3:54; Jonah 2:4.

Verses 1, 2. Save me, O God — O most mighty God, in whom alone I trust for safety, deliver me from these distresses; for the waters — Of tribulation; are come unto my soul — Have reached my vital parts, so that I am ready to expire, and my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death. I sink in deep mire — Hebrew, hlwxm ˆwyb, in the mud of the deep. I am not in the shallows, or nigh the bank, but in the middle and deepest parts, and sinking in the very mire which is at the bottom of the waters. Where there is no standing — No firm and sure footing, but I sink deeper and deeper, and without thy speedy and almighty help I shall be overwhelmed and perish.

2. Deep mire—The figure changes to mud, quicksand without bottom. Yet God can save even here. Comp. verse 15 and Psalm 68:22, and 40:2.

Verse 3. I am weary of my crying] A pathetic description of the state of the poor captives for about seventy years.

Verses 3, 4. I am weary of my crying — I have prayed and cried to God long and fervently, and yet God seems to neglect and forsake me. My throat is dried — With loud and frequent cries. Mine eyes fail — With looking to God for that aid and deliverance which he hath promised, and which I confidently expected, but hitherto in vain. They that hate me without a cause — Without any injury or occasion given them by me; are more than the hairs of my head — Are grown more formidable, both for their number, which is exceeding great, and for their power, for they are mighty — So that, if thou do not interpose for my deliverance, they are well able to destroy me, to which they do not want the will, having conceived an implacable and undeserved hatred against me. Though “I have been so far from provoking their malice, that I restored that which I took not away — For I was content, rather than quarrel with them, to part with my own right, and make them satisfaction for a wrong which I never did them.” — Bishop Patrick. Under this one kind of ill usage he comprehends all those injuries and violences which they had practised against him.

3. My throat is dried—Literally, burnt, parched, by grief and weeping. Eyes fail—Pine away, consume, as Leviticus 26:16, and 1 Samuel 2:33, from excessive weeping.

V. 4. I restored-For peace sake.

Verse 4. Then I restored that which I took not away.] I think, with Calmet, that this is a sort of proverbial expression, like such as these, “Those who suffered the wrong, pay the costs.” Delirant reges, plectuntur Achivi. “Kings sin, and the people are punished.” “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Our fathers have grievously sinned against the Lord, and we their posterity suffer for it. See on Psalm 69:12. Some have applied it to our Lord. I restored, by my suffering and death, that image of God and the Divine favour, which I took not away. That is, In my human nature I expiated the crime that human beings had committed against God. But such applications are very gratuitous.

Verses 3, 4. I am weary of my crying — I have prayed and cried to God long and fervently, and yet God seems to neglect and forsake me. My throat is dried — With loud and frequent cries. Mine eyes fail — With looking to God for that aid and deliverance which he hath promised, and which I confidently expected, but hitherto in vain. They that hate me without a cause — Without any injury or occasion given them by me; are more than the hairs of my head — Are grown more formidable, both for their number, which is exceeding great, and for their power, for they are mighty — So that, if thou do not interpose for my deliverance, they are well able to destroy me, to which they do not want the will, having conceived an implacable and undeserved hatred against me. Though “I have been so far from provoking their malice, that I restored that which I took not away — For I was content, rather than quarrel with them, to part with my own right, and make them satisfaction for a wrong which I never did them.” — Bishop Patrick. Under this one kind of ill usage he comprehends all those injuries and violences which they had practised against him.

4. They that hate me—These bear a threefold distinction. 1. They are more than the hairs of mine head. Psalm 39:12. 2. They are mighty;

3. They hate without cause—wrongfully. The whole psalm is highly Messianic, and our Lord directly refers to this latter description of his enemies, John 15:25. Then I restored that, etc.—I surrendered that which I had never taken, and which they had no right to demand. I was made legally answerable for acts which I never committed. See Jeremiah 10:15. The language seems to be used proverbially. Bishop Mant versifies it:—

“For rapine, which my hands ne’er knew,

Content I paid the atonement due.”

How true of David! How much more true of Christ!

V. 5. My sins-But O Lord, although I have been innocent to mine enemies, I am guilty of many sins and follies against thee.

Verse 5. Thou knowest my foolishness] Though we have been brought into captivity in consequence of the crimes of our fathers, yet we have guilt enough of our own to merit a continuation of our miseries. How can such words as are in this verse be attributed to our blessed Lord, however they may be twisted or turned?

Verse 5. O God, thou knowest my foolishness — Hebrew, ytlwa, ivalti, rendered in the Liturgy version, my simpleness. As if he had said, Thou knowest the simplicity and uprightness of my heart, that I have never intentionally injured those that thus cruelly hate and persecute me, but have always designed and endeavoured to act right toward them. And my sins are not hid from thee — But, O Lord, although I have been innocent toward mine enemies, yet I must confess I am guilty of many sins and follies against thee, and have given thee just cause to punish me by giving me up into their hands, and by denying or delaying to help me.

Verse 5. Oh God, thou knowest my foolishness. Our version errs here by copying the Latin. All the first critics read the text subjunctively. Thou knowest whether the accusation of folly which is brought against me be true. So Beza in his Psalms. Claude likewise: “Tu connois si l’ accusation de folie donc ils me chargent est veritable.”

5. Thou knowest my foolishness—Suddenly complaint turns to confession. Suffering connects with remembered sin, which, though now forgiven, still develops its consequences. David never fully recovered from the deadly effects of the great sin of his life. “He does not attempt to assert his innocence before God, but that his enemies are unjust and malicious in their attacks.”—Perowne.

V. 6. For my sake-Because of my sad disappointments. For if they see me forsaken, they will be discouraged by this example.

Verse 6. Be ashamed for my sake] The sins of the Jews were a great stumbling-block in the way of the conversion of the Gentiles. They had been the peculiar people of the Lord. “How,” say the Gentiles, “can a pure and holy Being love such people?” They were now punished for their crimes. “How,” say the Gentiles, “can God deal so hardly with those whom he professes to love?” The pious among the captives felt keenly, because this reproach seemed to fall upon their gracious and merciful God.

Verse 6. Let not them that wait on thee — The truly pious, who believe thy promises, and look to thee for the fulfilment of them; who are conscious of their own weakness, and of the insufficiency of all human aid, and therefore apply to thee, and trust in thee for the help they want; be ashamed — That is, frustrated of their just and reasonable expectations, which would make them ashamed of their past confidence in thee, and either to look up to thee in future, or to look upon their enemies with assurance, when they shall reproach them for their trust in thee; for my sake — Because of my sad disappointments. For, if they see me forsaken, they will be discouraged by this example; or, let them not hang down their heads for shame to see me, who am thy worshipper, deserted of thee. He was afraid, if God did not appear for him, it would be a discouragement to other pious people, and give their enemies cause to triumph over them; and it was his earnest desire, whatever became of himself, that all the true people of God might retain their confidence and hope in God, and their boldness in his cause, and neither be discouraged in themselves, nor exposed to contempt from others.

6. Ashamed for my sake—Literally, ashamed in me. The form of speech is exactly similar to “offended in me.” Matthew 11:6. The meaning is, Let not them that wait on thee be turned out of the way on account of my sufferings and apparent abandonment. The humility, poverty, and persecutions of Jesus were the occasion of turning many aside. See Matthew 13:21, 57; 26:31, 33.

V. 7. For thy sake-For my obedience to thy commands, and zeal for thy glory.

Verse 7. For thy sake I have borne reproach] The Gentiles have said, “Why such an obstinate attachment to the worship of a Being who treats you so rigorously, and who interests not himself in your comfort and deliverance?” And in these cuttting reproaches some of the ungodly Jews took a part: “I am an alien to my mother’s children.”

Verses 7-9. Because for thy sake — For my trust in thy promises, obedience to thy commands, and zeal for thy glory; “because I adhere to thee, and will use no unlawful means to right myself;” I have borne reproach — For they turn all these things into matter of contempt and derision. I am become a stranger to my brethren, &c. — They behave themselves toward me as if I were a perfect stranger, or a man of another country and religion. For the zeal of thy house — That fervent love which I have for thy house and service, and glory, and people; hath eaten me up — Exhausted my spirits. And this is the reason of that alienation of my brethren and others from me, because there is a great difference and contrariety in our dispositions, desires, and designs. For they regard not thy service and glory, nor the concerns of religion; but are wholly taken up with the world, and the cares and pursuits of it. And the reproaches of them that reproached thee — That spoke contemptuously or wickedly of thy name, or providence, or truth, or worship, and service; are fallen upon me — I have been as deeply affected with thy reproaches as with my own. This whole verse, though truly belonging to David, yet was also directed by the Spirit of God in him to a higher use, to represent the disposition and condition of Christ, in whom this was more truly and fully accomplished than in David; and to whom, therefore, it is applied in the New Testament, the first part of it, John 2:17, and the latter, Romans 15:3.

7. Because for thy sake—The true point of the temptation to weak faith, deprecated verse 6, is here fully brought out. My sufferings are not for my faults, as between me and my enemies, but for thy sake. Romans 15:3. I suffer because I am innocent, because I love God and hate sin. As applied to Christ how true! Fidelity to all the will of God provoked the hatred and hostility of the world. See on verse 4; John 7:7; 15:24.

Verses 7-9. Because for thy sake — For my trust in thy promises, obedience to thy commands, and zeal for thy glory; “because I adhere to thee, and will use no unlawful means to right myself;” I have borne reproach — For they turn all these things into matter of contempt and derision. I am become a stranger to my brethren, &c. — They behave themselves toward me as if I were a perfect stranger, or a man of another country and religion. For the zeal of thy house — That fervent love which I have for thy house and service, and glory, and people; hath eaten me up — Exhausted my spirits. And this is the reason of that alienation of my brethren and others from me, because there is a great difference and contrariety in our dispositions, desires, and designs. For they regard not thy service and glory, nor the concerns of religion; but are wholly taken up with the world, and the cares and pursuits of it. And the reproaches of them that reproached thee — That spoke contemptuously or wickedly of thy name, or providence, or truth, or worship, and service; are fallen upon me — I have been as deeply affected with thy reproaches as with my own. This whole verse, though truly belonging to David, yet was also directed by the Spirit of God in him to a higher use, to represent the disposition and condition of Christ, in whom this was more truly and fully accomplished than in David; and to whom, therefore, it is applied in the New Testament, the first part of it, John 2:17, and the latter, Romans 15:3.

Ver. 8. I am become a stranger unto my brethren. When David fell under odium, his friends stood aloof; yea, his mother’s children were afraid, and slow to own him. It was the fear of Saul that first drove them to his camp. All this was true of Christ, in a much higher sense.

8. A stranger unto my brethren—Historically, no doubt, the statement might measurably be applied to David, but prophetically and more emphatically to Christ. Mark 3:21; John 7:5.

V. 9. Zeal-That fervent love which I have for thy house and service, and glory, and people. Eaten-Exhausted my spirits. Upon me-I have been as deeply affected with thy reproaches, as with mine own. This tho’ truly belonging to David, yet was also directed by the spirit of God in him, to represent the disposition and condition of Christ, in whom it was more fully accomplished, to whom therefore it is applied in the New Testament, the first part of it, John 2:17, and the latter, Romans 15:3.

Verse 9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up] The strong desire to promote thy glory has absorbed all others. All the desires of my body and soul are wrapped up in this. This verse is very properly applied to our Lord, John 2:17, who went about doing good; and gave up his life, not only for the redemption of man, but to “magnify the law, and make it honourable.”

Verses 7-9. Because for thy sake — For my trust in thy promises, obedience to thy commands, and zeal for thy glory; “because I adhere to thee, and will use no unlawful means to right myself;” I have borne reproach — For they turn all these things into matter of contempt and derision. I am become a stranger to my brethren, &c. — They behave themselves toward me as if I were a perfect stranger, or a man of another country and religion. For the zeal of thy house — That fervent love which I have for thy house and service, and glory, and people; hath eaten me up — Exhausted my spirits. And this is the reason of that alienation of my brethren and others from me, because there is a great difference and contrariety in our dispositions, desires, and designs. For they regard not thy service and glory, nor the concerns of religion; but are wholly taken up with the world, and the cares and pursuits of it. And the reproaches of them that reproached thee — That spoke contemptuously or wickedly of thy name, or providence, or truth, or worship, and service; are fallen upon me — I have been as deeply affected with thy reproaches as with my own. This whole verse, though truly belonging to David, yet was also directed by the Spirit of God in him to a higher use, to represent the disposition and condition of Christ, in whom this was more truly and fully accomplished than in David; and to whom, therefore, it is applied in the New Testament, the first part of it, John 2:17, and the latter, Romans 15:3.

9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up—Hath consumed or devoured me; absorbed my faculties and my being. This is directly applied to Christ, John 2:17. It may be supposed improbable that David, the king, so popular at home and so renowned abroad, should suffer persecution for his religious zeal; but all history declares that the restraints of pure religion provoke enmity, and have been the chief source of persecution of the Church in all ages, not less in kingly courts than among the baser sort, nor less from one’s own family and kin than from strangers. See Matthew 10:21, 36; John 7:5. David’s family (verse 8) looked for selfish aggrandizement, he for the glory of God. Joab and Abishai, his nephews, and in power next to himself, had no sympathy with his piety. The Hebrew particle for, should here take its causal signification, “Because the zeal,” etc. “The house of God must be understood of his worship,” (Hupfeld,) which was chiefly at the tent on Mount Zion, or the tabernacle at Gibeon.

V. 10. Wept-For their impiety. Reproach-They derided me for it.

Verses 10-12. When I wept — For their impiety, and the reproaches they cast upon God and godliness; and chastened my soul with fasting — That is, either my body or myself; that was my reproach — They derided me for my piety and devotion, and for my faith in God’s promises and hopes of assistance from him. I made sackcloth also my garment — In token of my humiliation and hearty sorrow, as the manner then was in days of fasting. I became a proverb to them — They used my name proverbially of any person whom they thought to be vainly and foolishly religious. They that sit in the gate — That is, as it is generally interpreted, the judges and magistrates, the gates of cities being the places of judicature. But it seems better to agree with the design of the psalmist, and to suit with the next clause, to suppose that he rather meant vain and idle persons, that spent their time in the gates and markets; or such as begged at the gates of the city, as St. Hilary interprets it. And I was the song of the drunkards — Of the scum of the people; of all lewd and debauched persons.

10, 11. When I wept… with fasting… sackcloth—Possibly because of the public depravation of morals, and the alienation from spiritual worship; perhaps for his own sin. Psalm 38, 41, 51. That was to my reproach— They made it the theme of jibes and merriment, as if it were unfitting my station, or insincere and for effect. I became a proverb—That is, a by-word, a theme of satirical discourse, as Deuteronomy 28:37; 2 Chronicles 7:20; Psalm 44:14; Jeremiah 24:9.

V. 11. Proverb-A proverb of reproach.

Verses 10-12. When I wept — For their impiety, and the reproaches they cast upon God and godliness; and chastened my soul with fasting — That is, either my body or myself; that was my reproach — They derided me for my piety and devotion, and for my faith in God’s promises and hopes of assistance from him. I made sackcloth also my garment — In token of my humiliation and hearty sorrow, as the manner then was in days of fasting. I became a proverb to them — They used my name proverbially of any person whom they thought to be vainly and foolishly religious. They that sit in the gate — That is, as it is generally interpreted, the judges and magistrates, the gates of cities being the places of judicature. But it seems better to agree with the design of the psalmist, and to suit with the next clause, to suppose that he rather meant vain and idle persons, that spent their time in the gates and markets; or such as begged at the gates of the city, as St. Hilary interprets it. And I was the song of the drunkards — Of the scum of the people; of all lewd and debauched persons.

10, 11. When I wept… with fasting… sackcloth—Possibly because of the public depravation of morals, and the alienation from spiritual worship; perhaps for his own sin. Psalm 38, 41, 51. That was to my reproach— They made it the theme of jibes and merriment, as if it were unfitting my station, or insincere and for effect. I became a proverb—That is, a by-word, a theme of satirical discourse, as Deuteronomy 28:37; 2 Chronicles 7:20; Psalm 44:14; Jeremiah 24:9.

V. 12. That sit-Vain and idle persons, that spend their time in the gates and markets.

Verse 12. They that sit in the gate] At the gates were the courts for public justice; there were complaints lodged, and causes heard. No doubt many vexatious complaints were made against the poor captives; and false accusations, through which they grievously suffered; so that, literally, they were often “obliged to restore that which they had not taken away.” See Psalm 69:4.

The song of the drunkards.] These poor miserable people were exposed to all sorts of indignities. Though the conduct is base, the exultation over a fallen enemy is frequent. How miserable was this lot! Forsaken by friends, scorned by enemies, insulted by inferiors; the scoff of libertines, and the song of drunkards; besides hard travail of body, miserably lodged and fed; with the burning crown of all, a deep load of guilt upon the conscience. To such a life any death was preferable.

Verses 10-12. When I wept — For their impiety, and the reproaches they cast upon God and godliness; and chastened my soul with fasting — That is, either my body or myself; that was my reproach — They derided me for my piety and devotion, and for my faith in God’s promises and hopes of assistance from him. I made sackcloth also my garment — In token of my humiliation and hearty sorrow, as the manner then was in days of fasting. I became a proverb to them — They used my name proverbially of any person whom they thought to be vainly and foolishly religious. They that sit in the gate — That is, as it is generally interpreted, the judges and magistrates, the gates of cities being the places of judicature. But it seems better to agree with the design of the psalmist, and to suit with the next clause, to suppose that he rather meant vain and idle persons, that spent their time in the gates and markets; or such as begged at the gates of the city, as St. Hilary interprets it. And I was the song of the drunkards — Of the scum of the people; of all lewd and debauched persons.

Ver. 12. They that sit in the gate, the chamber, but oftener the open area of justice, where the elders of the city sat to hear complaints. Among the cannaille, the dregs of the wicked, he was the drunkards’ song. A spirit of wicked joy seized them, when they heard that David was undone.

12. In the gate—The usual place of courts, trade, and business, and hence of large gatherings of the people. Speak against me—I am the common theme of talk and criticism, and men freely give utterance to their unfriendly opinions. Song of the drunkards—Drinkers of rkv, (shekar,) strong drink. This is the last and lowest lodgment of a dishonoured name. The drunkard’s song knows nothing below it in the description of the vile.

V. 13. In the truth-Or, According to thy saving truth, or faithfulness; grant me that salvation, which thou hast graciously promised.

Verse 13. My prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time] This seems to refer to the end of the captivity, which Jeremiah had said should last seventy years, Jeremiah 25:11, 12: “The whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon,” &c. The conclusion of this period was the accepted time of which the psalmist speaks. Now, they incessantly pray for the fulfilment of the promise made by Jeremiah: and to hear them, would be the truth of God’s salvation; it would show the promise to be true, because the salvation-the deliverance, was granted.

Verse 13. But my prayer is unto thee — While they scoff, I will pray, and not be driven from thee, nor from prayer and other duties, by all their reproaches, or any other discouragements. In an acceptable time — Hebrew, ˆwxr t[, gneet ratzon, in a time of grace, of good will, or good pleasure. These words may be joined, either, 1st, With the following, by way of limitation, thus: Hear me in thy accepted time, that is, I do not limit thee to any time; but when thou seest it will be best, hear and help me. Or rather, with the foregoing, as an argument to enforce his prayer: as if he had said, I pray in a time of grace, or acceptance; I seek thee when thou mayest be found, (see Psalm 32:6; Isaiah 55:6,) in a good day, as they said, 1 Samuel 25:8, in the day of grace and mercy: or, in a time of great trouble, which is the proper season for prayer, Psalm 50:15; and while I have thee engaged to me by promises, which thy honour and truth oblige thee to perform. I come not too late, and therefore do thou hear me. In the truth of thy salvation — That is, for, or according to, thy saving truth, or faithfulness; whereby thou hast promised to deliver those who trust in thee.

13. But as for me—The emphatic contrast between his conduct and theirs now appears. In all these particulars how fitly are the character and circumstances of the suffering Saviour set forth!

Verses 14-18. Let me be delivered from them that hate me — By thus speaking, he explains his meaning in the metaphors here used of mire, waters, deep, and pit. For thy loving-kindness is good — Is eminently and unspeakably good; is gracious, or bountiful; the positive degree being put for the superlative: it is most ready to communicate itself to miserable and indigent creatures: the Hebrew word dsj, chesed, here used, signifying abundance of goodness, or mercifulness. Draw nigh unto my soul — To support and relieve it, O thou who seemest to be departed far away from me. Deliver me because of mine enemies — Because they are enemies to thee as well as to me, and if they succeed, will triumph, not only over me, but in some sort over thee and over religion.

Verses 14, 15 are similar to verses 1, 2, which see.

15. The pit shut her mouth upon me—David had used the figures of deep “waters” and of “mire” without bottom, and now he adds the horror of having the “mouth” of the “pit” into which he had sunk close upon him, thereby shutting out the last ray of hope. The allusion does not appear to be to Numbers 16:32. rab, (beer,) well, pit, may allude to the dangerous asphaltum pits, (Genesis 14:10;) but as in David’s time such pits were rare, and not objects of common dread, we may take the word in its most common signification of well. Stanley says of the numerous vestiges of ancient wells in Palestine, that “they have a broad margin of masonry round the month, and often a stone filling up the orifice.” This covering the well’s mouth when a human person was within was a figure of burying alive, which the psalmist deprecated. See 2 Samuel 17:18, 19.

Verses 14-18. Let me be delivered from them that hate me — By thus speaking, he explains his meaning in the metaphors here used of mire, waters, deep, and pit. For thy loving-kindness is good — Is eminently and unspeakably good; is gracious, or bountiful; the positive degree being put for the superlative: it is most ready to communicate itself to miserable and indigent creatures: the Hebrew word dsj, chesed, here used, signifying abundance of goodness, or mercifulness. Draw nigh unto my soul — To support and relieve it, O thou who seemest to be departed far away from me. Deliver me because of mine enemies — Because they are enemies to thee as well as to me, and if they succeed, will triumph, not only over me, but in some sort over thee and over religion.

Verses 14, 15 are similar to verses 1, 2, which see.

15. The pit shut her mouth upon me—David had used the figures of deep “waters” and of “mire” without bottom, and now he adds the horror of having the “mouth” of the “pit” into which he had sunk close upon him, thereby shutting out the last ray of hope. The allusion does not appear to be to Numbers 16:32. rab, (beer,) well, pit, may allude to the dangerous asphaltum pits, (Genesis 14:10;) but as in David’s time such pits were rare, and not objects of common dread, we may take the word in its most common signification of well. Stanley says of the numerous vestiges of ancient wells in Palestine, that “they have a broad margin of masonry round the month, and often a stone filling up the orifice.” This covering the well’s mouth when a human person was within was a figure of burying alive, which the psalmist deprecated. See 2 Samuel 17:18, 19.

Verse 16. Thy loving-kindness is good] The word dsj chesed signifies exuberance of kindness; and the word רחמים rachamim, which we translate tender mercies, signifies such affection as mothers bear to their young: and in God, there is br rob, a multitude, of such tender mercies towards the children of men!

Verses 14-18. Let me be delivered from them that hate me — By thus speaking, he explains his meaning in the metaphors here used of mire, waters, deep, and pit. For thy loving-kindness is good — Is eminently and unspeakably good; is gracious, or bountiful; the positive degree being put for the superlative: it is most ready to communicate itself to miserable and indigent creatures: the Hebrew word dsj, chesed, here used, signifying abundance of goodness, or mercifulness. Draw nigh unto my soul — To support and relieve it, O thou who seemest to be departed far away from me. Deliver me because of mine enemies — Because they are enemies to thee as well as to me, and if they succeed, will triumph, not only over me, but in some sort over thee and over religion.

16. Good—To be understood in the sense of perfect adaptation to satisfy the soul’s want, and all wants of the creature. Psalm 63:3.

Verses 14-18. Let me be delivered from them that hate me — By thus speaking, he explains his meaning in the metaphors here used of mire, waters, deep, and pit. For thy loving-kindness is good — Is eminently and unspeakably good; is gracious, or bountiful; the positive degree being put for the superlative: it is most ready to communicate itself to miserable and indigent creatures: the Hebrew word dsj, chesed, here used, signifying abundance of goodness, or mercifulness. Draw nigh unto my soul — To support and relieve it, O thou who seemest to be departed far away from me. Deliver me because of mine enemies — Because they are enemies to thee as well as to me, and if they succeed, will triumph, not only over me, but in some sort over thee and over religion.

Verse 18. Deliver me because of mine enemies.] Probably they now began to think that the redemption of these captives was not an impossible thing; that it was not far off; and therefore they had great rage, because they found their time was but short.

Verses 14-18. Let me be delivered from them that hate me — By thus speaking, he explains his meaning in the metaphors here used of mire, waters, deep, and pit. For thy loving-kindness is good — Is eminently and unspeakably good; is gracious, or bountiful; the positive degree being put for the superlative: it is most ready to communicate itself to miserable and indigent creatures: the Hebrew word dsj, chesed, here used, signifying abundance of goodness, or mercifulness. Draw nigh unto my soul — To support and relieve it, O thou who seemest to be departed far away from me. Deliver me because of mine enemies — Because they are enemies to thee as well as to me, and if they succeed, will triumph, not only over me, but in some sort over thee and over religion.

Verse 19. Thou hast known my reproach] This is one of the most forcible appeals to mercy and compassion that was ever made. The language of these two verses is inimitable; and the sentiment cannot be mended. I can devise no comment that would not lessen their effect.

Verses 19, 20. Thou hast known my reproach, &c. — Thou seest how much of it I suffer, and that for thy sake. Mine adversaries are all before thee — Thou knowest them thoroughly, and all their injurious and wicked devices, and implacable malice against me. None of them, nor of their secret plots and subtle lies, whereby they seek to defame and undo me: are hidden from thy all-seeing view: nor art thou unacquainted with their impiety and contempt of thee and thy truth. Reproach hath broken my heart — Reproach is the most grievous to those whose spirits are the most generous and noble; and this was the highest degree and the worst kind of reproach, being cast upon him for God’s sake, and upon God also for his sake. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none — That is, few or none; for whether it be understood of David or of Christ, there were some who pitied both of them. Dr. Delaney, who considers the distress which David was now in as being occasioned by his fall, observes, “There were two circumstances of it which, though they are beyond all question the greatest and severest which human nature, can suffer, are not sufficiently considered. The first is, the distress he endured on account of the obloquy and reproach brought upon the true religion and the truly religious by his guilt; and the second, the reproach and endless insults brought upon himself, even by his repentance and humiliation before God and the world. Let any ingenuous man, who feels for virtue and is not seared to shame, put the question to himself: I appeal to his own heart, whether he would not infinitely rather die than endure the state now described one day; forsaken by his friends, scorned by his enemies, insulted by his inferiors, the scoff of libertines, and the song of sots? What then must we think of the fortitude and magnanimity of that man who could endure all this for a series of years? Or rather, how shall we adore that unfailing mercy and all-sufficient goodness which could support him thus, under the quickest sense of shame and infamy, and deepest compunctions of conscience; which could enable him to bear up steadily against guilt, infamy, and the evil world united; from a principle of true religion! and, in the end, even rejoice in his sad estate; as he plainly perceived it must finally tend to promote the true interest of virtue, and the glory of God; that is, must finally tend to promote that interest, which was the great governing principle and main purpose of his life.” — Life of David, b. 3. vol. 3. pp. 30-33.

19. Thou hast known—He returns to a review of his miserable state, and of the conduct of his enemies, and comforts himself in the thought that all is “known” to God, and this appeal to the omniscience of God implies that he will, in his own time, arise to judgment. Only to the righteous is the perfect knowledge of God a consolation.

Verses 19, 20. Thou hast known my reproach, &c. — Thou seest how much of it I suffer, and that for thy sake. Mine adversaries are all before thee — Thou knowest them thoroughly, and all their injurious and wicked devices, and implacable malice against me. None of them, nor of their secret plots and subtle lies, whereby they seek to defame and undo me: are hidden from thy all-seeing view: nor art thou unacquainted with their impiety and contempt of thee and thy truth. Reproach hath broken my heart — Reproach is the most grievous to those whose spirits are the most generous and noble; and this was the highest degree and the worst kind of reproach, being cast upon him for God’s sake, and upon God also for his sake. I looked for some to take pity, but there was none — That is, few or none; for whether it be understood of David or of Christ, there were some who pitied both of them. Dr. Delaney, who considers the distress which David was now in as being occasioned by his fall, observes, “There were two circumstances of it which, though they are beyond all question the greatest and severest which human nature, can suffer, are not sufficiently considered. The first is, the distress he endured on account of the obloquy and reproach brought upon the true religion and the truly religious by his guilt; and the second, the reproach and endless insults brought upon himself, even by his repentance and humiliation before God and the world. Let any ingenuous man, who feels for virtue and is not seared to shame, put the question to himself: I appeal to his own heart, whether he would not infinitely rather die than endure the state now described one day; forsaken by his friends, scorned by his enemies, insulted by his inferiors, the scoff of libertines, and the song of sots? What then must we think of the fortitude and magnanimity of that man who could endure all this for a series of years? Or rather, how shall we adore that unfailing mercy and all-sufficient goodness which could support him thus, under the quickest sense of shame and infamy, and deepest compunctions of conscience; which could enable him to bear up steadily against guilt, infamy, and the evil world united; from a principle of true religion! and, in the end, even rejoice in his sad estate; as he plainly perceived it must finally tend to promote the true interest of virtue, and the glory of God; that is, must finally tend to promote that interest, which was the great governing principle and main purpose of his life.” — Life of David, b. 3. vol. 3. pp. 30-33.

20. To take pity—To bemoan me, or lament with me. The passage is elliptical, but the idea is clearly that he expected sympathy—some one to sorrow with him—and found none. For this sense of the word see Job 2:11; 42:11; also Jeremiah 48:17, where it is rendered mourn and bemoan. David was cut off from the sympathy of kindness; but more emphatically so was Messiah in his sufferings, who is here typified. See John 16:32; Isaiah 53:3; 63:5.

V. 21. Gall-Instead of giving me that comfort which my condition required, they added to my afflictions. Vinegar-These things were metaphorically fulfilled in David, but properly in Christ, the description of whose sufferings was principally intended here by the Holy Ghost.

Verse 21. They gave me also gall for my meat] Even the food, necessary to preserve us in their slavery, was frequently mingled with what rendered it unpleasant and disgusting, though not absolutely unwholesome. And vinegar, sour small wines, was given us for our beverage. This is applied to our Lord, Matthew 27:34, where the reader is requested to consult the notes.

Verse 21. They gave me gall for my meat — Instead of affording me that pity and comfort which my condition required, they barbarously added to my affliction. These words were only metaphorically fulfilled in David, but were properly and literally accomplished in Christ; the description of whose sufferings, it seems, was principally intended here by the Holy Ghost, who therefore directed David’s pen to these words. And hence what follows may as truly, and perhaps more properly, be considered as predictions of the punishment which should be inflicted on the persecutors of our Lord, than as imprecations of David against his enemies.

Ver. 21. They gave me gall—vinegar to drink; the usual potion to benumb the pains and tortures of a violent execution. Therefore David in his troubles saw in the Spirit the sufferings of Christ. John 19:28, 29. Matthew 27:48.

21. They gave me… gall for… meat— “Gall,” here, properly denotes active poison of any kind, whether in food or drink. See Jeremiah 8:14; Amos 6:12. Sometimes the word signifies a poisonous herb, as Deuteronomy 29:18; Hosea 10:4. Comp. 2 Kings 4:38-41. They gave me vinegar to drink—A direct foreshadowing of the sufferings of Christ, quoted Matthew 27:34, 48; John 19:29. When they came to the place of crucifixion “they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall.” Mark says, “wine, (that is, soured wine, vinegar,) mingled with myrrh,” or bitter drug, answering to “gall,” Matthew 27:34. This was to stupify him, and so render him less sensible to pain; but he declined it. Later they offered him vinegar as a stimulant, of which it does not appear that he drank further than tasting, as it was put to his lips.

V. 22. Their table-And this punishment in their table, exactly answers their sin, in giving Christ gall for his meat, ver. 21. A snare-Their table or meat, which is set before them, shall become a snare: the occasion of their destruction.

Verse 22. Let their table become a snare] The execrations here and in the following verses should be read in the future tense, because they are predictive; and not in the imperative mood, as if they were the offspring of the psalmist’s resentment: “Their table SHALL become a snare;—their eyes SHALL be darkened; -thou WILT pour out thine indignation upon them;— thy wrathful anger SHALL take hold of them;—their habitation SHALL be desolate,—and none SHALL dwell in their tents.”

The psalmist prophesies that the evils which they had inflicted on the Israelites should be visited on themselves; that as they had made them eat, drink, labour, and suffer, so God should in his judgment treat them.

Verse 22. Let their table, &c. — Dr. Waterland renders the verse, Their table shall be for a snare before them, and their peace-offerings for a trap. “This and the following verses are to be read in the future tense, and considered as predictions rather than as imprecations. The meaning of the whole verse seems to be, The oblations and prayers of those who have dealt thus barbarously with me, shall be so far from pacifying God, or being accepted of him, that, like the offerings made to false gods, styled the preparing a table, Isaiah 65:11, they shall provoke God, and turn to their mischief: see Romans 11:9.” — Dodd. The sacrifices, peace-offerings, and other oblations of the Jews, were, in a remarkable manner, a snare to them, in that their dependence on them, and their conceit of the everlastingness of the Mosaic dispensation, was one chief cause of their rejection of Christ.

Ver. 22. Let their table become a snare; yea, a trap to them. The Jews after our Saviour’s time, having rebelled against the Lord, rebelled also against the Romans. Under pretence of a great passover they attracted the young men from Galilee to Jerusalem, and involved them in their rebellion. Literally then did their table become a snare to them.

22. From this to verse 28 the strain turns to solemn imprecation. On the grammatical and moral sense of these so-called imprecations see notes on Psalm 109. Let their table become a snare—Eating together is, in the East, proverbially both a token and a pledge of friendship. No Oriental betrays his own guest. That which should have been for their welfare… a trap—Literally, and the things of peace for a trap. The idea in both members of the verse is, that they would be brought to such a condition of alarm, danger, and distrust, that the occasions and things which seemingly proffered the greatest safety and friendship would turn out to be only snares and traps. To this condition they had already reduced David; but, more than this, the passage prophetically applies to Christ, and the perfidy of Pharisees and false friends.

V. 23. Eyes-Not the eyes of their bodies, but of their minds: as they that shut their eyes and will not see, so they shall be judicially blinded. To shake-To take away their strength.

Verse 23. Let their eyes, &c. — Their eyes shall be darkened — Not the eyes of their bodies, (for, in that sense, the prediction was neither accomplished in David’s nor in Christ’s enemies,) but of their minds, that they will not discern God’s truth, nor their own duty, nor the way of peace and salvation. As they shut their eyes and will not see, so they shall be judicially blinded. This was most solemnly threatened, or rather foretold, Isaiah 6:9-12, and most awfully fulfilled: see the margin. “They who loved darkness rather than light,” says Dr. Horne, “were permitted by the righteous judgment of God to go on in darkness, while the blind led the blind. And such still continues to be the state of the Jews, notwithstanding that intolerable weight of wo which made their loins to shake, and bowed down their backs to the earth. The veil remaineth yet upon their hearts, in the reading of the Old Testament, nor can they see therein the things which belong to their peace.”

23. Let their eyes be darkened—The Hebrew verb is simply in Kal, future, as in the preceding verse, and should be rendered, Their eyes shall be darkened; the darkness being that of the mind, and the fruit of perversity. Men become blinded by evil desire, passion, and prejudice, and in this state rush madly on to ruin, God, meanwhile, withdrawing his Spirit in judgment. See Romans 1:21-26; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12. Their loins… shake—That is, through fear and apprehension, as not knowing whom to trust. See ver. 22. “Loins” are here mentioned as the foundation of a man’s strength. Paul quotes it: “Bow down their back alway,” which would be only the effect of weakness and trembling of the “loins” and limbs. Romans 11:10.

Verse 24. Pour out — Thou wilt pour out thine indignation upon them, &c. — Thou wilt, on a sudden, bring so many evils upon them, that they shall not be able to escape; but will feel that they suffer the most dismal effects of thy severest and lasting displeasure. How terribly and awfully has God fulfilled this threatening also! “Never was indignation so poured out, never did wrath so take hold on any nation, as on that which once was, beyond every other, beloved and favoured. The wrath, says St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, is come upon them to the uttermost, eiv telov, to the end, to the very last dregs of the cup of fury. Let every church, which boasts of favours bestowed, and privileges conferred upon her, remember the consequences of their being abused by Jerusalem; let every individual do the same.”

Verse 25. Let their habitation — Hebrew, µtryc, tiratham, their palace, as the same word is rendered Song of Solomon 8:9, or castle, as Genesis 25:16, and Numbers 31:10. It is meant either of their temple, in which they placed their glory and their confidence for safety, or more generally of their strong and magnificent buildings and houses in which they dwelt, as it follows in the next clause. And let none dwell in their tents — None of their posterity, or none at all. Let the places be accounted execrable and dreadful. Bishop Patrick’s paraphrase is, “Let their most magnificent structures be laid waste; and root them out so entirely, that there may not be a man left to dwell in their poorest cottages.” This verse had a most eminent completion in the final destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Jewish state and nation, according to the predictions of the Lord Jesus, Matthew 23:36-38; Luke 21:6, &c. Jerusalem has indeed been again partly rebuilt, and inhabited by Gentiles, by Christians, and by Saracens, but no more by the Jewish people.

Ver. 25. Let their habitation be desolate. hryc tirah, Let their palaces, their castles, their mansions be desolate. This literally happened to David’s enemies, after the battle on Gilboa, and extensively so after the Romans burned Jerusalem.

25. Let their habitation be desolate—Again the verb should take the declarative, not the optative, sense: Their habitation shall be laid waste. The imagery is nomadic, after the true Arab life, and the word “habitation” may take the sense of encampment, or village life in the desert, with the radical idea of fortified, or strong, “habitation,” where the greater safety was enjoyed. To lay these waste by plunder and rapine, or by divine judgments, was a most terrible calamity to a Shemite. In verse 23 their “loins” are represented as shaking through fear and alarm; here their safest dwellingplaces are laid waste, and they hence rooted out. Let none dwell in their tents—The Apostle Peter says of this entire verse, that “the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake [it] before concerning Judas.” Acts 1:16-20. It is, therefore, in harmony with eternal justice, and with the spirit of the New Testament, no less than with that of the Old.

V. 26. For-Which is an act of barbarous cruelty. Talk-Reproaching them, and triumphing in their calamities.

Verse 26. For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten — Christ was he whom God had smitten, for it pleased the Lord to bruise him, and he was esteemed stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, Isaiah 53:4, 5; and him the Jews persecuted with a rage which reached up to heaven, crying, Away with him; crucify him, crucify him. And the psalmist is here assigning the cause of the forementioned calamities inflicted on them; namely, that, instead of mourning and sympathizing with him, when the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all, they, by reproaches and blasphemies, aggravated his sufferings to the uttermost; and afterward continued to persecute his disciples in the same manner.

26. They persecute… whom thou hast smitten—Such is their cruelty to man and their impiety to God. David acknowledges the hand of God in his affliction; but this does not justify the excessive cruelty of his enemies. They talk—Not their acts only, but their words, aggravate the sorrow of one already suffering under the strokes of divine chastisement.

V. 27. Wilt add-Give them up to their own lusts. Not let them-Partake of thy righteousness, or of thy mercy and goodness.

Verse 27. Add iniquity unto their iniquity] µnw[ l[ ˆw[ hnt tenah avon al avonam; give iniquity, that is, the reward of it, upon or for their iniquity. Or, as the original signifies perverseness, treat their perverseness with perverseness: act, in thy judgments, as crookedly towards them as they dealt crookedly towards thee. They shall get, in the way of punishment, what they have dealt out in the way of oppression.

Verse 27. Add iniquity to their iniquity — Or, give or permit, as hnt, tenah, may be properly rendered. The old version expresses the psalmist’s meaning accurately, Let, or permit, them to fall from one wickedness to another. It is not unusual with God, as a punishment of some great sin or sins, though not to infuse into men any evil, yet, by withdrawing his grace, and leaving them to themselves, to suffer them to commit more sins, and to be so far from being reformed, as daily to grow worse and worse, and at last to become quite obdurate and irreclaimable. The words, however, may be rendered, Add punishment to their punishment, (for the word ˆw[ is often put for the punishment of iniquity.) Send one judgment upon them after another, without ceasing. And let them not come into thy righteousness — Into that way of obedience which thou requirest, and which thou wilt accept, the obedience of faith in the Messiah and his gospel, producing love, and universal holiness and righteousness; or, to thy mercy, thy pardoning mercy, as the original word frequently signifies, so as to be made partakers of it. Let them not obtain an interest in the everlasting righteousness which the Messiah shall bring into the world, Daniel 9:24; the righteousness of God by faith, revealed in the gospel, and witnessed by the law and the prophets, Philippians 3:9; Romans 1:17; and 3:9, &c., according to which God justifies the ungodly, and accepts them as righteous in his sight. For this was the righteousness which the Jews rejected, Romans 10:3, according to this prediction. Thus, as the first branch of this verse foretels their being guilty of many sins, and adding iniquity to iniquity, so this predicts their rejection of, and therefore their exclusion from, an interest in the only remedy, the remission of sins through faith in the Mediator, and the holiness and happiness consequent thereon.

Ver. 27. Add iniquity to their iniquity; that is, add one affliction in close succession after another. Among the ancients afflictions and sins were words of similar import, as in Psalm 103:3.

27. Add iniquity unto… iniquity—That is, “Let it all stand against them in thy book; one sin after another, as committed, not being blotted out, but only swelling the fearful reckoning.”—Perowne. Hold them accountable for every act, omitting nothing. See Jeremiah 18:23; Ecclesiastes 12:14. The terribleness of such a condition can be realized only by comparing such passages as Job 9:3, Psalm 130:3, and 143:2. Let them not come into thy righteousness—That is, as wicked men let them not avail themselves of the benefits or immunities of righteousness, as if they were righteous persons. The case is now supposed to have gone to judgment, and the offenders stand by their works alone. This corresponds with the first member of the verse. As they have despised mercy and stand upon justice, so add up their sins without omitting one, and withhold the benefits of law which would accrue to a righteous man. However harsh this may seem, it is simply the course of justice. An irregular and inexact accountability, with an undiscriminating award of justice, belong only to the worst of human governments. But such expressions as these always assume the case to be one of obstinate and contemptuous impenitence, like Matthew 23:33-36. Only upon the contingency of their remaining in this state do the maledictions, or rather, the forewarning predictions, apply, for they are to be construed as warnings to arrest their course. See on Psalm 109:6. A righteous God could not treat them otherwise. With such as despise both justice and mercy, human obligation and divine authority, the law must take its course. Penalty, in such a case, is the last resource of government for the protection of the innocent, the support of law, and the vindication of the character of God. The whole current of the imprecatory psalms carries along with it this view, and is herein coincident with the whole scheme both of moral government and redemption, whether under the Old Testament or New. God has no law, either in respect to its precept or penalty, concerning which it is not proper for us to pray that it may be applied or enforced according to his mind and published purpose. See Matthew 6:15; 7:2, and 18:35; James 2:13; Revelation 6:10.

V. 28. Living-Of eternal life.

Verse 28. Let them be blotted out] They shall be blotted out from the land of the living. They shall be cut off from life, which they have forfeited by their cruelty and oppression. The psalmist is speaking of retributive justice; and in this sense all these passages are to be understood. And not be written with the righteous.] They shall have no title to that long life which God has promised to his followers.

Verse 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living — “Let them be cut off before their time, and enjoy none of the blessings which thou hast promised to the righteous.” — Bishop Patrick. The psalmist is thought to allude to registers or catalogues, in which the names of living men used anciently to be recorded, and out of which the names of those who died were blotted. This was awfully fulfilled with respect to the unbelieving Jews, vast multitudes of whom fell by the sword and famine, while none of those who embraced the Christian faith perished among them. The nation, as a nation, was blotted out of the list of nations, and became not a people. The words may also be understood, as they are by many commentators, of their rejection from God’s covenant, and the privileges of it, which is the book of the truly living, or the book of life. “Let the commonwealth of Israel itself, Israel according to the flesh, now become alienated from that covenant of promise, of which it has hitherto had the monopoly.” — Henry. This has long been the case with the degenerate and apostate Jews, who are no longer the peculiar people of God, nor have they any part or portion in the inheritance of his children. Thus Ezekiel, speaking of the false prophets, They shall not be in the assembly of my people, nor shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, 13:9. This accords well with the next clause, Let them not be written with the righteous — Let them not have, or, they shall not have, a place in the congregation of the saints, when they shall all be gathered in the general assembly of those whose names are written in heaven.

Ver. 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living. The Jews were very exact in keeping genealogies of their families: to be blotted out, in the lowest sense, was to be cut off by temporal death. Among the Romans it was a species of outlawry, as in Exodus 32:32. But the Lord in his heavenly temple has a higher record. Let us not trouble our heads here about mysteries that belong to God alone, but pray that our name may be written in his book, and that we may have a copy of it in our own heart.

28. Blotted out of the book of the living—Or, the book of life. The allusion is to the public genealogies, where the names of all the living were recorded. These civil lists were the ultimate vouchers of pure Hebrew descent and citizenship, and of title, not only to lands, but also to Church privileges and covenant blessings. To erase the name was to extinguish these rights, but does not necessarily suppose natural death. See Exodus 32:32, 33; Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1. Only in the New Testament is the idea clearly developed of a “book of life” containing the names of such only as are entitled to the life of future and eternal blessedness. Philippians 4:3; Revelation 20:12, 15.

V. 29. On high-Out of the reach of mine enemies.

Verse 29. I am poor and sorrowful] Literally, I an laid low, and full of pain or grief. Hence the prayer, “Let thy salvation, O God set me on high!” My oppression has laid me low; thy salvation shall make me high!

Verses 29-31. But I am poor, &c. — Bishop Hare reads it, “But as for me, though I am low and full of pain,” (Hebrew, bawk, choeeb; rendered, in the plural, they were sore, Genesis 34:25,) “thy salvation, O God, shall protect me.” I will praise, &c. — I will not be unmindful of the benefit, but praise thy power and goodness in joyful hymns. This shall please the Lord better than an ox, &c. — This sincere and hearty sacrifice of praise is, and shall be, more acceptable to God than the most costly legal sacrifices. So such moral and spiritual services ever were, (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6,) and such were to be offered, and would be accepted, when those ritual ones should be abolished. That hath horns and hoofs — “These are mentioned as being conspicuous in an ox going to be sacrificed; being probably gilded and adorned with flowers, as among the Romans and other people.” — Dodd.

Verses 29-31. But I am poor, &c. — Bishop Hare reads it, “But as for me, though I am low and full of pain,” (Hebrew, bawk, choeeb; rendered, in the plural, they were sore, Genesis 34:25,) “thy salvation, O God, shall protect me.” I will praise, &c. — I will not be unmindful of the benefit, but praise thy power and goodness in joyful hymns. This shall please the Lord better than an ox, &c. — This sincere and hearty sacrifice of praise is, and shall be, more acceptable to God than the most costly legal sacrifices. So such moral and spiritual services ever were, (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6,) and such were to be offered, and would be accepted, when those ritual ones should be abolished. That hath horns and hoofs — “These are mentioned as being conspicuous in an ox going to be sacrificed; being probably gilded and adorned with flowers, as among the Romans and other people.” — Dodd.

30, 31. I will praise the name of God—The just distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and their treatment according to character, prayed for verses 22-28, shall vindicate the pure in heart, and call forth their praise and thanksgiving, which shall be more pleasing to God than the offering of an ox or bullock. That hath horns and hoofs—This description simply distinguishes the animal as full grown and possessing the “legal qualifications for being sacrificed.” Of the same class of clean animals they might also take for food, signifying that “man, offering the support of his own life, appeared to offer that life itself.”—Witsius. Leviticus 11, and Deuteronomy 14. The humble shall see… and be glad—It is this class who are interested in the regular process of justice in government. These, taking God’s side of law and holiness, pray that both may be upheld, which can only be, in the case of obstinate offenders, by the enforcement of penalty. Verses 30-34 magnify the praises of Jehovah for his righteous government and the redemption of his people.

V. 31. This-This hearty sacrifice of praise, is more grateful to God, than the most glorious legal sacrifices. Hath horns-That is both tender and mature, as it is when the horns bud forth, and the hoofs grow hard.

Verse 31. An ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.] Oxen offered in sacrifice had their horns and hoofs gilded; and the psalmist might mention these parts of the victim more particularly, because they were more conspicuous. Others think that full-grown animals are intended, those that had perfect horns, in opposition to calves or steers. I think the first the preferable sense; for the horns, &c., of consecrated animals are thus ornamented in the east to the present day.

Verses 29-31. But I am poor, &c. — Bishop Hare reads it, “But as for me, though I am low and full of pain,” (Hebrew, bawk, choeeb; rendered, in the plural, they were sore, Genesis 34:25,) “thy salvation, O God, shall protect me.” I will praise, &c. — I will not be unmindful of the benefit, but praise thy power and goodness in joyful hymns. This shall please the Lord better than an ox, &c. — This sincere and hearty sacrifice of praise is, and shall be, more acceptable to God than the most costly legal sacrifices. So such moral and spiritual services ever were, (1 Samuel 15:22; Hosea 6:6,) and such were to be offered, and would be accepted, when those ritual ones should be abolished. That hath horns and hoofs — “These are mentioned as being conspicuous in an ox going to be sacrificed; being probably gilded and adorned with flowers, as among the Romans and other people.” — Dodd.

30, 31. I will praise the name of God—The just distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and their treatment according to character, prayed for verses 22-28, shall vindicate the pure in heart, and call forth their praise and thanksgiving, which shall be more pleasing to God than the offering of an ox or bullock. That hath horns and hoofs—This description simply distinguishes the animal as full grown and possessing the “legal qualifications for being sacrificed.” Of the same class of clean animals they might also take for food, signifying that “man, offering the support of his own life, appeared to offer that life itself.”—Witsius. Leviticus 11, and Deuteronomy 14. The humble shall see… and be glad—It is this class who are interested in the regular process of justice in government. These, taking God’s side of law and holiness, pray that both may be upheld, which can only be, in the case of obstinate offenders, by the enforcement of penalty. Verses 30-34 magnify the praises of Jehovah for his righteous government and the redemption of his people.

V. 32. The humble-Those pious persons who are grieved for their calamities, will heartily rejoice in my deliverance. Live-Or, be revived, which were dejected, and in a manner dead with sorrow.

Verse 32. The humble shall see this, and be glad] Those who are low, pressed down by misfortune or cruelty, shall see this and take courage; expecting that thou wilt lift them up also; and thus the heart of those who seek the Lord shall be revived.

Verses 32, 33. The humble shall see this — Shall see, in my case, how ready God is to hear the poor and distressed when they cry to him, and to grant their petitions, and how far he is from despising his prisoners, namely, those who are in prison or affliction for his sake, though men despise them; and be glad — Not only because, when one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it, but because it would be an encouragement to them in their straits and difficulties to trust in God. It will revive the hearts of those who seek God to see more seals to this truth, that God never said to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.

V. 33. Prisoners-Those who are in prison or affliction for his sake.

Verse 33. For the Lord heareth the poor] אביונים ebyonim, of the beggars. He perhaps refers here to the case of the captives, many of whom were reduced to the most abject state, so as to be obliged to beg bread from their heathen oppressors.

His prisoners.] The captives, shut up by his judgments in Chaldea, without any civil liberty, like culprits in a prison.

Verses 32, 33. The humble shall see this — Shall see, in my case, how ready God is to hear the poor and distressed when they cry to him, and to grant their petitions, and how far he is from despising his prisoners, namely, those who are in prison or affliction for his sake, though men despise them; and be glad — Not only because, when one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it, but because it would be an encouragement to them in their straits and difficulties to trust in God. It will revive the hearts of those who seek God to see more seals to this truth, that God never said to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.

Verse 34. Let the heaven and earth praise him] The psalmist has the fullest confidence that God will turn their captivity, and therefore calls upon all creatures to magnify him for his mercy.

Verses 34-36. Let the heaven and earth praise him — Let angels and men, the visible and invisible world, and all creatures contained therein, join together to celebrate him with their highest praises; for “the mercies of God in Christ are such, that they cannot worthily be praised by any thing less than a universal chorus of the whole old and new creation; and what should such a chorus celebrate but those mercies by which all things have been made, preserved, and redeemed.” — Horne. For God will save Zion — The city of Zion, or Jerusalem; and his church and people, which are frequently expressed by that title, and the salvation and edification of which were the consequence of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ. He will save Zion, the holy mountain, where his ordinances are administered, and his service performed. He will save all that are sanctified and set apart for him, all that employ themselves in his worship, and all those over whom the once suffering, but now exalted, Saviour reigns, for he is the king set upon the holy hill of Zion. He will do great things for the gospel-church; in which let all, who wish well to it, rejoice. For, 1st, It shall be peopled and inhabited. There shall be added to it such as shall be saved. The cities of Judah shall be built — Which is to be understood figuratively, as well as literally; particular churches shall be formed, and incorporated according to the gospel model, that there may be a remnant to dwell there, and have it in possession — To enjoy the privileges conferred upon it, and to pay the tributes and services required from it. 2d, It shall be perpetuated and inherited. Christianity was not to be res unius ætatis, an affair of one age; no, the seed of his servants shall inherit it — God will secure and raise up for himself a seed to serve him, and they shall inherit the privileges of their fathers. The land of promise shall never be lost for want of heirs; for God can out of stones raise up children to Abraham, and will do it rather than the entail shall be cut off. David shall never want a man to stand before him. The Redeemer shall see his seed, and prolong his days in them, till the mystery of God shall be finished and Christ’s mystical body be completed.

V. 35. Sion-His church and people. They-His servants, as is explained in the following verse. There-In the literal Canaan for a long time, in the heavenly Canaan for ever.

Verse 35. God will save Zion] This fixes the Psalm to the time of the captivity. There was no Zion belonging to the Jews in the time of Saul, when those suppose the Psalm to be written who make David the author; for David after he came to the throne, won the stronghold of Zion from the Jebusites. 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Chronicles 11:5. Will build the cities of Judah] This refers to the return from the captivity, when all the destroyed cities should be rebuilt, and the Jews repossess their forfeited heritages. Some apply this to the redemption of the human race; and suppose that Zion is the type of the Christian Church into which the Gentiles were to be called. What evangelists and apostles apply to our Lord, we safely may. What others see so clearly in this Psalm relative to Gospel matters, I cannot discern.

Verses 34-36. Let the heaven and earth praise him — Let angels and men, the visible and invisible world, and all creatures contained therein, join together to celebrate him with their highest praises; for “the mercies of God in Christ are such, that they cannot worthily be praised by any thing less than a universal chorus of the whole old and new creation; and what should such a chorus celebrate but those mercies by which all things have been made, preserved, and redeemed.” — Horne. For God will save Zion — The city of Zion, or Jerusalem; and his church and people, which are frequently expressed by that title, and the salvation and edification of which were the consequence of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ. He will save Zion, the holy mountain, where his ordinances are administered, and his service performed. He will save all that are sanctified and set apart for him, all that employ themselves in his worship, and all those over whom the once suffering, but now exalted, Saviour reigns, for he is the king set upon the holy hill of Zion. He will do great things for the gospel-church; in which let all, who wish well to it, rejoice. For, 1st, It shall be peopled and inhabited. There shall be added to it such as shall be saved. The cities of Judah shall be built — Which is to be understood figuratively, as well as literally; particular churches shall be formed, and incorporated according to the gospel model, that there may be a remnant to dwell there, and have it in possession — To enjoy the privileges conferred upon it, and to pay the tributes and services required from it. 2d, It shall be perpetuated and inherited. Christianity was not to be res unius ætatis, an affair of one age; no, the seed of his servants shall inherit it — God will secure and raise up for himself a seed to serve him, and they shall inherit the privileges of their fathers. The land of promise shall never be lost for want of heirs; for God can out of stones raise up children to Abraham, and will do it rather than the entail shall be cut off. David shall never want a man to stand before him. The Redeemer shall see his seed, and prolong his days in them, till the mystery of God shall be finished and Christ’s mystical body be completed.

35. God will save Zion—Despite the roaring, threatening tumult of rebellion. This verse of itself suits well enough the perilous times of Jeremiah, and not less the time of David, who uses the same language at a time when his capital and chief cities stood in their strength, as in Psalm 51:18. It cannot, therefore, be urged, as some do, against the Davidic origin of the psalm.

Verses 34-36. Let the heaven and earth praise him — Let angels and men, the visible and invisible world, and all creatures contained therein, join together to celebrate him with their highest praises; for “the mercies of God in Christ are such, that they cannot worthily be praised by any thing less than a universal chorus of the whole old and new creation; and what should such a chorus celebrate but those mercies by which all things have been made, preserved, and redeemed.” — Horne. For God will save Zion — The city of Zion, or Jerusalem; and his church and people, which are frequently expressed by that title, and the salvation and edification of which were the consequence of the sufferings and resurrection of Christ. He will save Zion, the holy mountain, where his ordinances are administered, and his service performed. He will save all that are sanctified and set apart for him, all that employ themselves in his worship, and all those over whom the once suffering, but now exalted, Saviour reigns, for he is the king set upon the holy hill of Zion. He will do great things for the gospel-church; in which let all, who wish well to it, rejoice. For, 1st, It shall be peopled and inhabited. There shall be added to it such as shall be saved. The cities of Judah shall be built — Which is to be understood figuratively, as well as literally; particular churches shall be formed, and incorporated according to the gospel model, that there may be a remnant to dwell there, and have it in possession — To enjoy the privileges conferred upon it, and to pay the tributes and services required from it. 2d, It shall be perpetuated and inherited. Christianity was not to be res unius ætatis, an affair of one age; no, the seed of his servants shall inherit it — God will secure and raise up for himself a seed to serve him, and they shall inherit the privileges of their fathers. The land of promise shall never be lost for want of heirs; for God can out of stones raise up children to Abraham, and will do it rather than the entail shall be cut off. David shall never want a man to stand before him. The Redeemer shall see his seed, and prolong his days in them, till the mystery of God shall be finished and Christ’s mystical body be completed.

36. Seed also of his servants shall inherit it—This is the result to which faith has struggled up, and where it now calmly rests. Jerusalem and the cities of Judah shall be fortified, not destroyed; the kingdom of David shall be established, the misrule of the wicked shall end, and God’s servants and such as love his name shall dwell therein. This was God’s will and his answer to David’s prayer; and by the light of this, the ultimate object sought, must all the imprecatory petitions be construed; that is, they sought and contemplated only this end, and were conditioned on their necessity in order to effect it.