God is praised for PSALM CXXXV. PSALM CXXXIV. his mighty works. This Psalm is thought by some to have been designed to be sung at the shutting of the gates of the temple. Its form seems to be dramatical. In the first two verses the high-priest is supposed to speak, by way of exhortation, to the priests and Levites to perform the duties of their place and calling. And in the last verse they pray for God's blessing upon him who had thus admonished them. A Song of Degrees. a 2 © Lift B. C. 1040. up your hands in the sanc- A. M. 2964. A. M. 2964. BEHOLD, bless ye the LORD, all tuary, and bless the LORD. b ye servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. B. C. 1040. a Psa. cxxxv. 1, 2.b 1 Chron. ix. 33.- e 1 Tim. ii. 8.NOTES ON PSALM CXXXIV. Or, 3 d The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. in holiness. Psa. cxxiv. 8. Psa. cxxviii. 5; cxxxv. 21. lifting up your hands, but see that this be done Verses 1, 2. Behold, bless ye the Lord, &c.-At- with pure and holy hearts. And bless the Lord tend to your duty, O ye ministers of the Lord; who-Be fervent and unwearied in your devotions and not only by day, but by night also, reverently wait praises. upon him in his house, 1 Chron. ix. 33. Employ Verse 3. The Lord that made heaven and earth your hearts and tongues in his praises, and cease not-And therefore has all the blessings of both at his to declare how great and good he is. disposal, those of the upper and those of the nether springs; bless thee-O priest, who dost engage and encourage us in this blessed work; out of ZionWhere he dwells, and from whence he hears the prayers of his people, and gives them the blessings which they need. Lift up your hands, &c.—Unto God, in prayer and praise; in the sanctuary-In that holy house of God where you stand; or, in holiness, as the margin reads it, and as is prescribed 1 Timothy ii. 8. Do not therefore content yourselves with PSALM CXXXV. This Psalm contains an exhortation addressed to all the Israelites, and especially to the priests and Levites, to praise God for his great and wonderful works; some particulars whereof are here recorded. Some have conjectured that this was the morning hymn which the precentor called upon the Levites to sing at the opening of the gates of the temple, as the former was sung at the shutting up the gates in the evening. We have here an exhortation to praise God for his greatness and mighty works, 1-7. For destroying his enemies, 8-11. For his mercy toward Israel, 12-14. The vanity of idols, 15-18. Another exhortation to praise God, 19–21. A. M. 2964. PRAISE ye the LORD. B. C. 1040. C. 1040. Praise ye || sing praises unto his name; for it is A. M. 2964. the name of the LORD: praise || pleasant. him, O ye servants of the LORD. a 4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto 2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure. in the courts of the house of our God, 5 For I know that the LORD is great, and 3 Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good; that our Lord is above all gods. Psa. cxiii. 1; cxxxiv. 1.- b Luke ii. 37.- Psa. xcii. 13; xcvi. 8; cxvi. 19.- d Psa. cxix. 68. NOTES ON PSALM CXXXV. e Psalm cxlvii. 1. Exod. xix. 5; Deut. vii. 6, 7; x. 15. Psa. xcv. 3; xcvii. 9. pendance on the former. A sense of the divine mercy will tune our hearts and voices to praise." Verses 4, 5. For the Lord hath chosen Jacob, &c. Verses 1-3. O ye servants of the Lord-Ye priests and Levites, as in the former Psalm, or the people; that stand in the courts, &c.-Either in the sanctu--Here we have a third reason why the Israelites ary or the inner court, both which were appropria- should praise the Lord, namely, "the circumstance ted to the priests and Levites; or in the outward of their having been selected from among the nacourt, which was for the people. Praise, &c., for tions to be his church, to receive the law and the the Lord is good-Bountiful and gracious, especially promises, to have his presence residing in the midst to you, and therefore he justly expects and deserves of them, and to be the guardians of the true faith your praises. Sing praises, &c., for it is pleasant and worship." For I know that the Lord is great, -Thus two reasons are assigned why they should &c.-Here he assigns a fourth reason for their praispraise the Lord, first, his goodness, and, secondly, ing God, "his superiority over the gods of the heathe pleasantness of the employment. "The latter then, and, consequently, over those who worshipped of these reasons hath a natural and necessary de-them; from whence followed this comfortable in God is praised for PSALM CXXXV. his mercy toward Israel. A. M. 2964. 6 h Whatsoever the LORD pleased, || 11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and A. M. 2964 B. C. 1040. that did he in heaven, and in earth, Og king of Bashan, and all the kingin the seas, and all deep places. doms of Canaan : 7 1 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his 1 treasuries: 8 m Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast: n 9 Who sent tokens and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants: r B. C. 1040. 12 And gave their land for a heritage, a heritage unto Israel his people. S 2 13 Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. 14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his servants. 15 The idols of the heathen are silver and 10 P Who smote great nations, and slew gold, the work of men's hands. mighty kings; h Psa. cxv. 3.iJer. x. 13; li. 16.- k Job xxviii. 25, 26; xxxviii. 24, &c. ; Zech. x. 1.- Job xxxviii. 22. m Exod. xii. 12, 29; Psa. lxxviii. 51; cxxxvi. 10.- Heb. from man Exod. vii.; viii.; ix. ; x.; xiv. unto beast. ference, that he was able to protect and to defend his people against every enemy."-Horne. Verse 6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased-Either in the creation or government of the world; that did he in heaven and in earth-His power and jurisdiction are universal, and not like those of the heathen gods, confined, as their worshippers allowed, to their several countries; in the seas, and all deep places -In the visible seas, and in the invisible depths, both of the earth and of the waters. Here, then, the psalmist evinces the pre-eminence of Jehovah above the gods of the nations, by this consideration, that he at the beginning "created and formed those pow- || ers of nature whose operations in the heavens, the earth, and the waters, led the heathen world, after it had lost the knowledge of the Creator, to adore the creature as independent." Verse 7. He causeth the vapours to ascend, &c."They who in old time paid their devotions to the elements, imagined those elements to be capable of giving or withholding rain at pleasure. Therefore we find the Prophet Jeremiah reclaiming that power to Jehovah, as the God who made and governed the world, Jer. xiv. 22. Among the Greeks and Romans we meet with a Jupiter, possessed of the thunder and the lightning, and an Æolus ruling over the winds. The psalmist teacheth us to restore the celestial artillery to its rightful owner. Jehovah, the God of Israel, and Creator of the universe, contrived the wonderful machinery of light and air, by which vapours are raised from the earth, compacted into clouds, and distilled into rain. At his command the winds are suddenly in motion, and as suddenly at rest again; we hear the sound, but cannot tell whence they come, or whither they go; as if they were taken from the secret store-houses of the Almighty, and then laid up till their service was required again." He maketh lightnings for the rain He makes thick clouds, which, being broken, produce lightnings, and so are dissolved into showers of rain. Or, he maketh lightnings with rain. "It is a great instance of the divine wisdom and goodness that lightning should be accompanied by rain, 16 They have mouths, but they speak not; • Psa. cxxxvi. 15.—P Num. xxi. 24, 25, 26, 34, 35; Psalm cxxxvi. 17, &c.- -9 Josh. xii. 7.- Psa. lxxviii. 55; cxxxvi. 21, 22. Exod. iii. 15; Psa. cii. 12.- Heb. to generation and generation.-t Deut. xxxii. 36.- - Psa. cxv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 2 to soften its rage and prevent its mischievous effects." -Horne. He bringeth the wind out of his trea sures-Out of those secret places where he preserves them, and whence he brings them as he sees fit. Thus we read of treasures of snow and hail, Job xxxviii. 22, not that they are formally laid up in any certain places, but to signify that God hath them as much at his disposal as any man hath that which he hath laid up in his stores. Verse 8. Who smote the firstborn of EgyptFrom the general works of nature he comes to God's special works of providence toward his peo ple. Egypt was the theatre of the grand contest between the God of Israel and the gods of the heathen. The superiority of the former over the latter was shown in every possible way, by the miracles of Moses, which demonstrated all the powers of nature to be under the dominion of Jehovah, and to act at his command, so that, instead of being able to protect, they were made to torment and destroy their deluded votaries." Verses 10-12. Who smote great nations, &c.— "The victories gained by Israel over Sihon and Og, in their passage to Canaan, and afterward over the idolatrous kings of that country, are further proofs of the same point. For Israel therefore conquered because Jehovah fought for them, and put them in possession of that good land when the iniquity of its old inhabitants was full, and cried to heaven for vengeance." Verses 13, 14. Thy name, O Lord, endureth for ever-These wonderful works of thine shall never be forgotten. They, together with the land which thou gavest us through them, and which we yet el joy, are an everlasting monument of thy power and goodness, and an obligation upon, and an encourage ment to us, to trust in thee, in all our present or future difficulties. For the Lord will judge his peopleWill, in due time, plead the cause of his people, or give judgment for them. And he will repent him self, &c. He will recall that severe sentence which for their sins he had passed upon them. Verses 15-18. The idols of the heathen are sil 2 ver and gold-Here he sets forth the difference between the God of Israel and the idols of the nations, as also between the worshippers of each, all tending to confirm the truth of what was asserted, verse 5, I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Of these verses, see the notes on Psalm cxv. 4, 5. give God thanks. B. C. 1040. 19 Bless the LORD, O house of Is- A. M. 2964. rael: bless the LORD, O house of Aaron: 20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi: ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD. 21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion, whic dwelleth at Jerusalem. Praise ye the LORD. y Psa. cxxxiv. 3. to the objects of heathen idolatry, is no less superior to every object on which deluded men can place their affections. Let the house of Israel, therefore, the house of Levi, and the house of Aaron, the church, the ministers thereof; and let all who fear the Lord, though not of the house of Israel, bless and praise his holy name, in his temple here below, unVerses 19-21. Bless the Lord, O house of Israel til they shall be admitted to do it for evermore in -He who proved himself to be infinitely superior || that which is above: see Horne. PSALM CXXXVI. This Psalm, which, like the former, is a commemoration of the wonderful things God had done for the Jews, was called by them, The great thanksgiving. Bishop Patrick supposes it was intended to be used in their solemn festivals, and that the continual repetition of the half verse was intended to make them more sensible that they owed all they had to the divine bounty; to excite them to depend entirely on that bounty, and to rest assured that it would never fail them if they piously and sincerely acknowledged it. This form of acknowledgment, For his mercy endureth, &c., was prescribed by David to be used continually in the divine service, 1 Chron. xv. 41; was followed by Solomon, 2 Chron. vii. 3, 6; and observed by Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 21. God is to be praised as great and good in himself, 1–3. As the Creator of the world, 4-9. As Israel's God, 10-22. As our Redeemer, 23, 24. As God over all, 25, 26. B. 1017. A. M. 2997. GIVE thanks unto the LORD; for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever. b B. C. 1017. 3 O give thanks to the LORD of lords: A. M. 2987. for his mercy endureth for ever. 4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: 2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for for his mercy endureth for ever. his mercy endureth for ever. Psa. cvi. 1; cvii. 1; cxviii. 1.— 1 Chron. xvi. 34, 41; 2 Chron. xx. 21. NOTES ON PSALM CXXXVI. 5 To him that by wisdom made the hea © Deut. x. 17. Psa. lxxii. 18. Gen. i. 1; Prov. iii. 19; Jer. li. 15. the stay, basis, or foundation of all creatures. and shall be conquered; unto the Lord of lords— Verse 1. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is The Sovereign of all sovereigns; or, as the word good-"We are called upon to praise Jehovah, first, adoni, imports, the supporter of all supports, for his own essential attributes; then for the exertion of those attributes in his works. The attributes here mentioned are those of goodness and power; the one renders him willing, and the other able, to save: and what can we desire more, but that he should continue to be so! Of this likewise we are assured, by contemplating the unchangeableness of his nature. His disposition altereth not, and his kingdom none can take from him; his mercy endureth for ever."-Horne. Verses 2, 3. O give thanks unto the God of gods -Who is infinitely superior to all that are called gods, whether angels, or princes, or idols: the God whom angels adore, from whom magistrates derive their power, and by whom all pretended deities are Verse 4. Who alone doeth great wonders-He, and none else; or he, without the help of any other person, or thing: whereas no other being can do any thing alone, or without his help. "All the works of God are wonderful, and speak him alone to have been their author. The established course of the world is, in reality, no less admirable than are those extraordinary interpositions of omnipotence whereby it hath been sometimes interrupted and suspended; though the latter, on account of their novelty, are apt to affect us more than the former does, which is ever before our eyes, and therefore less regarded by us." Verses 5, 6. To him that by wisdom-Namely, by h as Israel's Redeemer B. C. 1017. 16 To him which led his people A. M. 2987. through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever. 17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever: 18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy 8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever: endureth for ever: 19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy 9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his endureth for ever: mercy endureth for ever. 20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his 10 To him that smote Egypt in their first- mercy endureth for ever: born: for his mercy endureth for ever: 11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever: 121 With a strong hand, and with a stretchedout arm: for his endureth for ever. mercy 13 m To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever: 14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it for his mercy endureth for ever: 2 15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for t 21 And gave their land for a heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever: 22 Even a heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever. 24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. 25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. 26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Heb. shaked off- Exod. xiii. 18; xv. 22; Deut. viii. 15, P Psalm cxxxv. 10, 11. - Deut. xxix. 7. Num. xxi 21. Num. xxi. 33.- Josh. xii. 1, &c.; Psa. cxxxv. 12.- Gen. viii. 1; Deut. xxxii. 36; Psa. cxiii. 7. Psa. civ. 27; calv. 15; cxlvii. 9. "From the works of creation the psalmist proceeds to those of providence and grace; and celebrates that mercy which rescued Israel from oppression; brought them out of the house of bondage; divided the sea to make a way for them; supported and conducted them through a waste, howling wilderness; crushed the might and power of those who opposed them; and, at length, settled them in the inheritance promised to their fathers." Two or three expressions in these verses we shall just notice. Which divided the Red sea into parts-Into two parts, between which he opened a path, giving his people courage to pass through, as without danger so with eminent and admirable wisdom, far exceeding the capacity of all creatures, whether human or angelical; made the heavens, that stretched out the earth "The heavens above, and the earth beneath, declare the wisdom of their great Maker, and proclaim aloud, to an intelligent ear, the divinity of the hand that formed them. The heavens display the love of God to man; the earth teaches the duty of man to God. Heaven is glorious and gracious, earth verdant and fruitful. The bright and ample circumference of heaven, the variegated surface of the earth, and the profusion of good things that distinguish the seasons, contaminated as they all have been by man's transgression, even now yield a pros-out fear: which latter was an instance of his power pect which annihilates all human grandeur. What idea, then, are we to frame of those new heavens and earth from which sin and corruption are excluded, and where righteousness hath fixed her eternal throne."--Horne. over men's hearts, as the former was of his power over the waters. But overthrew-Hebrew, ", excussit, and shook off, Pharaoh, &c.-"This translation gives an image of locusts. They fell into the sea like a swarm of locusts:" see Mudge. Which led Verses 7-9. To him that made great lights, &c. his people through the wilderness--Through that —Great luminaries, placed in the firmament of hea- vast howling wilderness where there was neither ven, to shed their light and influences upon the way nor provision; through which none but Almighty earth: see notes on Gen. i. 14-16. "Light is the God could have safely conducted them. life and soul of the universe, the noblest emblem of Verses 22-25. A heritage unto Israel his servant the power and glory of God, who, even in the night-He speaks of all that people as of one man, season, leaves not himself without witness, but gives us some portion of that light reflected, which by day we behold flowing from its great fountain in the heart of heaven." Verses 10-16. To him who smote Egypt, &c. - be cause they were united together in one body, in the worship of one and the same God. Thus God calleth them all his firstborn, Exod. iv. 22. Who giveth food to all flesh-To all living creatures. For which God deserves great praises, which the psalmist, by Lamentation of the PSALM CXXXVII. Babylonish captives. his example, teacheth us to render for them, because || the spirits of all flesh the bread of eternal life. In those who are most concerned either cannot or do either sense, Jehovah openeth his hand and filleth not perform this duty. Observe, reader, "the same all things living with plenteousness. Be therebounty, which in the natural world provides proper fore his praise as universal and lasting as his nutriment for every creature, hath also provided for mercy." PSALM CXXXVII. It is uncertain who was the author of this Psalm, but probably it was written by one of the captives, either just upon their coming to Babylon, or, at least, during the time of their continuance there. Herein the captives complain of the scoffs of their enemies, yet remember Jerusalem, and foresee the downfall of Babylon, 1–9. The Psalm, says Dr. Horne, "admits of a beautiful and useful application to the state of Christians in this world, and their expected deliverance out of it." 3 For there they that carried us A. M. 3434. away captive required of us 1a song; we remembered Zion. and they that wasted us required of us 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of the midst thereof. A. M. 3434. BY the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when B. C. 570. 1 Heb. the words of a song. Zion. Psa. lxxix. 1. B. C. 570. 2 Heb. laid us on heaps.NOTES ON PSALM CXXXVII. ther to be observed, that although the harp was used Verse 1. By the rivers of Babylon-Of the city, by the Greeks in mourning, yet it was used by the or rather of the territory of Babylon, in which there Hebrews in rejoicing, as is manifest from Gen. xxxi. were many rivers, as Euphrates, which also was 27; 2 Chron. xx. 27, 28; Psa. xliii. 4. This passage divided into several streams or rivulets, and Tigris, is to be understood, either, 1st, Figuratively, signifyand others; there sat we down-The usual posture ing only, that they abandoned all signs and means of mourners, Ezra ix. 4; Job ii. 12; Isa. xlvii. 1, 5. of comfort; or rather, 2d, Properly, as the songs are It is supposed by some, that they were employed in which the Babylonians required them to sing to draining the marshy parts of the country; but it their harps, verse 3. Upon the willows-Which seems more probable, that their present distress did commonly grow upon the banks of rivers, as they not arise from that circumstance, but from their reflect- did on the banks of the Euphrates, in such an abunding on Zion, and their banishment from it: and that ance that from thence it is called the brook, or torthey seated themselves down by the rivers from rent, or river, (as ʼn may be properly rendered,) choice, retiring thither from the noise and observa- of willows, Isa. xv. 7. Thus "the sincere penitent, tion of their enemies, as they had opportunity, in like these captives, hath bidden adieu to mirth; his order that they might unburden their oppressed soul refuseth to be comforted with the comforts of minds before the Lord, and to one another. We Babylon; nor can he sing any more till pardon and wept when we remembered Zion-He means, either restoration shall have enabled him to sing in the their former enjoyments in Zion, which greatly temple a song of praise and thanksgiving." aggravated their present misery, Lam. i. 7, or Zion's present desolation. "What an inexpressible pathos is there in these few words! How do they, at once, transport us to Babylon, and place before our eyes the mournful situation of the Israelitish captives! Driven from their native country, stripped of every comfort and convenience, in a strange land among idolaters, wearied and broken-hearted, they sit in silence by those hostile waters. Then the pleasant banks of Jordan present themselves to their imaginations; the towers of Salem rise to view; and the sad remembrance of much loved Zion causes tears to run down their cheeks!" Verse 3. There they that carried us away-Our new masters, who had made us their slaves, and carried us captives out of our own land; required of us a song- 77, the words of a song: in the LXX., hoyes wdwv, words of songs. They required us to entertain them with our music and singing. And they that wasted us-Hebrew,, contumulatores nostri, they that laid us on heaps, namely, that laid Jerusalem and the temple in ruins, required of us mirth, пn, joy, or gladness; saying, Sing us of the songs (so it is in the Hebrew) of ZionSing us some of those songs which were wont to be sung in the temple on occasions of public joy. This Verse 2. We hanged our harps upon the wil- they required, probably partly out of curiosity, and lows, in the midst thereof.-These are, not with- partly by way of scoffing and insult over them and out great probability, supposed to be the words their temple and worship, not without "a tacit reof some holy Levites, who had been accustomed flection on their God, who could not protect his to music, both vocal and instrumental, in the ser- favoured people against their enemies. Thus the vice of the temple. Harps are here put, by a sy-faithful have been, and thus they will be insulted necdoche, for all instruments of music. It is fur-over in the day of their calamity." |