literally and fully to be realized at the Second Advent of the Redeemer, ch. ix. 2-4 : "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined: Thou hast multiplied the nation and increased their joy' : They joy before Thee according to the joy in harvest, And as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian, &c." -in the confidence of which interposition of the Lord and ultimate deliverance from all the power of the enemy, the disciples of Christ may, even in the most troublous times, not only "lay them down in peace (nightly) to sleep," but, like their Lord Himself, resign themselves with perfect composure even unto death, knowing that still they are "in safety," "resting from their labours," and awaiting that day "when Christ, who is their life, shall appear, and they also shall appear with Him in glory." 1 So Lowth, with eleven MSS. (two ancient) according to the Masoretical correction. PSALM V. To the Chief-Musician, upon Nehiloth.* A Psalm of David. 1 GIVE ear to my words, O LORD; consider my meditation'. 3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning will I direct my prayers unto thee, and will look up'. This word occurs only here, and is generally understood to mean flutes, or wind instruments, from, to bore through, whence, a pipe, or flute, corresponding to Neginoth, stringed-instruments, Ps. iv., Title: so Calmet, Horsley, Gesenius, &c. The Sept., Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion, render vπèρ τñs kλŋpovoμovons (as though identical with ni, plur. of), and the Vulg., pro eâ quæ hæreditatem consequitur, concerning her who obtaineth the inheritance, deriving as from, To inherit: by her, meaning the people of Israel, and by the inheritance, the land of Canaan, with the Midrash of the Jews; or, with Christian writers, the Church and her inheritance. Hengstenberg also adopts this derivation, reasoning that the flute is never mentioned among the instruments which accompanied the Psalms (e. g. in Ps. cl.), and that in a superscription denotes the object or contents of a Psalm. He renders possessions, or lots, and considers the respective destinies of the righteous and wicked to be intended, referring to Job, vii. 3. VER. 1 (2).—1 Meditation, r, only here and Ps. xxxix. 3 (4), where rendered musing (from, To meditate, and also utter, Ps. i. ver. 2). It seems to denote the intense meditation which breaks forth in moaning; and so is characteristic of the most fervent prayer, as in Rom. viii. 26. It is thus more forcible than my words, in the former comma; as also consider is a stronger term than give ear. Moaning will, perhaps, best express it. Sighing, proposed by Horsley, Fry, French and Skinner, &c., is not so good, besides usually rendering another word, N Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 14, and lix. 11, where the verb denotes "mourning like doves." VER. 2 (3). Hearken, or Attend to, see Ps. iii., ver. 4, note. To attend is preferable, because exclusively rendering this verb in the English Version (with one exception, Job, xxxii. 12, where ? is so translated), while hearken renders several verbs. For, or when,, as Gen. iv. 12, and vi. 1; Ps. xxiii. 4; xxxii. 3, &c. VER. 3 (4).-3 Direct (my prayer)— rather, will I order myself towards thee, (the words "my prayer" are not in the original), denoting the preparation for prayer of the reverential mind: Sept. παραστήσομαι σοι. It is the word used in the Law for setting in order the things preparatory to the sacrifice, Exod. xl. 4, 23; Lev. i. 6, 7, 8, 12, &c.; but is of general application: e. g. Ps. xxiii. 5; xl. 5 (6); Job, xxxiii. 5; Jude, xx. 22, &c. 4 Look up,, rather look out, as one 4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; Neither shall evil dwell with thee. 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: The LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man3. 7 But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy1o; And in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple". on the watch for the answer of his prayer, or some signal of the Divine favour. Compare the same word, Micah, vii. 7; Hab. ii. 1. From this root is the usual word for watchman and watch-tower. A God,, here first. The meaning is power, might, applied to men, e. g. "the power of the hand," Gen. xxxi. 29; &c. ; 66 a mighty one of the nations," Ezek. xxxi. 11, &c.: to false gods, sing., Ps. lxxxi. 10; Exod. xxxiv. 14, &c.; and plur. , Exod. xv. 11; xviii. 11, &c. It takes the suffix of the first person,, my God, but none of the others. VER. 4 (5).—6 Dwell, a, rather sojourn, as this word is generally rendered. VER. 5 (6). The foolish, rather, the rain-glorious, in, Syr. the proud; and so Ps. lxxiii. 3, and lxxv. 4 (5), where alone so rendered. Compare, Ps. x. 3; lii. 1 (3); where to boast: usually in a good sense, to glory, or boast in God, as Ps. xxxiv. 2 (3), &c.; and so to praise Him. Hence,, Hallelu-jah, Praise ye the Lord. In one place in the Psalms, cii. 8 (9), this verb is, To be mad, or rage with fury, a sense growing out of vain-glory; as again, Jer. xxv. 16; li. 7, &c. The primary sense is, To shine, or be brilliant, as Job, xxix. 3; xxxi. 26, &c. Elsewhere, foolish renders (in Psalms only, Ps. cvii. 17); or, Ps. xlix. 10 (11), &c.; or 2, Ps. xiv. 1, &c. 8 Iniquity, or vanity, as Ps. x. 7; xxvi. 4, Marg.: (related to 8, nullus, none), lit. that which comes to nought, usually rendered iniquity in the Psalms. man. VER. 6 (7).—9 Bloody and deceitful Heb. The man of bloods and deceit, Marg. The plural form of blood is emphatic, for much blood shed. So in Ps. li. 14, it denotes aggravated guilt in shedding blood. VER. 7 (8).-10 Thy mercy, TO, here first in this Book. It denotes kindness in general, by which and mercy it is about equally rendered in the Eng. Ver., but is the only word for loving-kindness which well expresses its meaning in relation to God. In a few instances it is well rendered favour and goodness. See the related term T, Ps. iv., ver. 3, note 8. Thy holy temple. Heb. the temple of Thine holiness, Marg. The mention of the "Temple" (here first), instead of being evidence (as some have argued) that the Psalm was not written by David, is rather evidence of its prophetical character, as it is in Psalm xviii. 6 (7), undoubtedly written by him, as we learn from 2 Sam. xxii. 1. Besides, it might denote "The Tabernacle" here, as in 1 Sam. i. 9, and iii. 3. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness, because of mine enemies12; Make thy way straight before my face. 9 For there is no faithfulness13 in their mouth"; their inward part is very wickedness13; Their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter' with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them", O God; let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee. 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice; Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them": VER. 8 (9).12 Mine enemies. Heb. those which observe me, Marg. This, or those who lie in wait for me, is decidedly the preferable reading, as there are several terms rendered enemies (see Ps. vi., ver. 7, note); and this occurs only in four other places in the whole Bible, viz., Ps. xxvii. 11; liv. 5; lvi. 2; lix. 10; in all which the margin makes the correction. ni, part. of, otherwise not found, but equivalent to , in this sense of watching, or lying in wait, Jer. v. 26; Hos. xiii. 7. VER. 9 (10).—13 Faithfulness, or steadfastness, Marg. Or, more literally still, stability,, from, most frequently rendered, To establish. Horsley suggests constancy, but the word is not used in the Eng. Ver.; and truth, adopted by Fry and Fr. and Sk., though it gives the sense, is objectionable, as there are no less than six other terms so rendered. Everywhere אֱמוּנָה else faithfulness renders 14 In their mouth. Heb. in his mouth, that is, in the mouth of any of them, Marg. But all the ancient versions have the plural pronoun, in conformity with the rest of this verse and the next. 15 Very wickedness. Heb. n, wickednesses, Marg,; the plural here again The (as above, ver. 6) denoting excess. original meaning is mischievous device, as Ps. xxxviii. 12 (13), &c.; and thence calamity, as Ps. lvii. 1, 2, &c. 16 Flatter. The literal reading is, they are smooth-tongued: "by plausible arguments and an ensnaring eloquence contriving to set a fair appearance upon mischievous maxims and pernicious practices."Horsley. VER. 10 (11).17 Destroy Thou them, or, Make them guilty, Marg. So Kimchi, Michaelis, &c. Better (with French and Skinner), Deal with them as guilty,-the usual signification of the Heb., nowhere else rendered destroy. Syr. condemn them. Sept., Vulg., Arab., and Ethiop., judge them. VER. 11 (12).—18 Thou defendest them. Heb. Thou coverest them over, Marg., as usually rendered elsewhere. Fut. Hiph. of or, according to Kimchi and others, the fut. Kal. Sept. κατασκηνώσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς, taking the signification from, the Tabernacle. 19 Thy Name. The Name of God denotes God in any of His revealed relations, and is often used, with the article, in the Talmudical and Rabbinical writings as a title of the Supreme Being. So in Scrip 12 For thou, LORD, will bless the righteous; With favour wilt thou compass him" as with a shield". ture here, and Ps. xii. 17 (18); viii. 1; xx. 1 (with Prov. xviii. 10); lxxv. 1, &c. &c. Comp. Exod. xxiii. 21; Lev. xxiv. 11. VER. 12 (13).-20 Compass him. Heb. crown him, Marg. Though this is the literal reading, the text is better, as agreeing with the word shield, and has the sanction of 1 Sam. xxiii. 26, where the Heb. is the same. The idea here is to encompass so as to guard. 21 A shield., the larger shield, covering the whole body, in addition to which was a smaller, as appears from 2 Chron. ix. 15, 16, where the former (rendered target) took 600 shekels of beaten gold, and the latter 300. It was this large shield that was borne before Goliath, 1 Sam. xvii. 7. Both words occur Ps. XXXV. 2, clypeum et scutum; besides which, occurs only in the Psalter in Ps. xci. 4, shield. EXPOSITION. I. "The general subject of this Psalm (says Bishop Horsley) is the same as of the two preceding. It is a prayer for grace and mercy, and for God's protection against the atheistical faction." Certain it is that no ordinary wickedness is here described, and a time of no ordinary trial to the faithful. An enemy, or a confederation of enemies, is described: characterized not only by vain-glorious" arrogance and atheistical conceit, exalting itself against God and shaking off His yoke; for such is the full import in Scripture-language of the term " foolish” in ver. 5 (see note); and by the practice of "iniquity" which is its fruit; but especially by "leasing" (that is "lying"), " deceit," and blood-thirstiness," ver. 6: while the ninth verse completes the description by a picture of depravity fearful to contemplate: "no faithfulness in their mouth"-no "steady" or "fixed" principle to give consistency to their professions or make their word to be relied on; "their inward part very-wickedness,' - their first thoughts, imaginations (and desires), defiled, and the stream poisoned at the fountain. . . their throat an opened sepulchre,' continually emitting in obscene and impious language the noisome and infec |