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of trusting in God.

9 m O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for A. M. 2962. there is no want to them that fear him.

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B. C. 1042.

10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

i Gen. xxxii. 1, 2; 2 Kings vi. 17; 1 Pet. ii. 13.Zech. ix. 8.

upon David's return to safety, which diffused itself through their whole hearts; so that their faces were not ashamed, or, as 1797', jechparu, signifies, "were not put to the blush for shame," by being disappointed as to their hope on his account. But we may, with the ancient interpreters, read these and the foregoing words imperatively, as an exhortation to others; thus, Look unto him--That is, with an eye of faith and prayer, and be ye enlightened-Take comfort in the expectation of mercy from him. If it be said, Perhaps these also were persons of great eminence, like David himself, and upon that account were highly favoured, or their numbers made them considerable;" the psalmist replies, This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him--A single person, mean and inconsiderable, whom no man looked upon with any respect, or looked after with any concern; yet he was as welcome to the throne of grace as David, or any of his worthies: the Lord heard him, took cognizance of his case, and of his prayers, and saved him out of all his troubles, for God will regard the prayer of the destitute, Psa. cii. 17; Isa. lvii. 15.

Psa. ii. 12. Psa. xxxi. 23. Job iv. 10, 11.- 0 Psa. lxxxiv. 11.

his people. The goodness of God, here spoken of, includes both the amiableness and benevolence of his nature, and the bounty and beneficence of his providence and grace; and, in calling us to taste and see this, the psalmist means that we should seriously, thoroughly, and affectionately consider it, and make trial of it by our own experience; which is opposed to those slight and vanishing thoughts that men usually have of the divine goodness. It is not sufficient that we find him to be a bountiful benefactor to us, but we must relish and take delight in his goodness manifested in and by his gifts, and in the contemplation of his infinite perfections and boundless love; and must be so convinced and persuaded of his goodness, as thereby to be encouraged, in the worst of times, to trust in him, and cast our care upon him.

Verses 9, 10. O fear the Lord, ye his saintsReverence, serve, and trust in him for fear is commonly put for all the parts of God's worship and service. For there is no want to them that fear him--They shall so far have all good things, as to have no reason to complain of the want of any. As to the things of the other world, they shall have grace sufficient for the support of the spiritual life, and as to this life they shall have what is necessary for the support of it. For godliness hath the promise of the

Verse 7. The angel of the Lord, &c.--This is another reason why men should praise and glorify God. The singular number is here put for the plural; for the psalmist does not speak of one single angel, but of a guard of angels, as unanimous, how-life that now is, and they that seek the kingdom of ever, in their service as if they were but one; Encampeth round about them that fear him-As a lifeguard about a prince; and delivereth them--|| Guardeth them from dangers on every side, or rescueth them from them, and from trials and troubles when they are suffered to fall into them: to which work they are appointed by God, Heb. i. 14. God makes use of the attendance of good spirits, for the protection of his people from the malice and power of evil spirits, and more good offices the holy angels do us daily than we are aware of. Though in dignity and endowments of nature they are very superior to us; though they retain their primitive rectitude, which we have lost; though they have constant employment in the upper world to praise God, and are entitled to constant rest and bliss there; yet, in obedience to their Maker, and in love to those that bear his image, they condescend to minister to the saints, and stand up for them against the powers of darkness. They not only visit them, but encamp round about them, acting for their good as really, though not as sensibly, as for Jacob's, Gen. xxxii. 1, and Elisha's, 2 Kings vi. 17. All the glory be to the God of the angels!

God and his righteousness, shall have other things, that are needful, added to them, Matt. vi. 33; 1 Tim. iv. 8. The young lions do lack, &c.—“ All the ancient versions," says Dr. Dodd, "except the Chaldee, read, great, powerful men, instead of young lions: and Houbigant renders the place, rich men are become poor and hungry; but they who seek the Lord, &c. This sense is undoubtedly good: but I see nothing to object against our own reading: for the meaning is, that if God takes care of the beasts of the field, much more will he take care of them who fear him, and much sooner suffer those to die for want of their prey, than these to perish through want of necessaries, or the failure of his protection." Shall not want any good thing-Any thing necessary and truly good for them, all circumstances considered; of which God alone is a competent judge. And, therefore, although he doth usually take special care to supply the wants of good men, and hath often done it by extraordinary ways, ordinary have failed; yet he knows that wants and crosses are sometimes more necessary for, and will be more useful to them, than those things which they may think needful, and in such cases he maniVerse 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good-fests greater mercy to them in denying them supThat is, kind, merciful, and gracious, namely, to all plies than in granting them.

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Verse 11. Come, ye children, &c.—Come hither, then, all ye, who, by considering the advantages described above, which attend true religion, are become desirous of obtaining it, and, therefore, are willing to be instructed; hearken unto me-In simplicity and humility of mind, seriously resolved to comply with the divine will as far as it is made known to you; and I will teach you the fear of the Lord-The true and acceptable way of worshipping and serving him, so that you may please and glorify him here, and be admitted into his kingdom hereafter.

Verse 12. What man is he that desireth life-A long and happy life, begun in this world and continued for ever in the next: namely, who is he that seriously and in good earnest desires it, so as to be willing to use any endeavours which shall be prescribed to him? for otherwise the question would be needless, there being no man but desires it, at least, coldly and faintly. And loveth many days— Hebrew, loveth days to see, that is, in which he may see, or enjoy, good, namely, prosperity and happiness.

Verses 13, 14. Keep thy tongue from evil-From all manner of evil speaking, from all injurious, false, and deceitful speeches; and thy lips from speaking guile-Or, guileful words, contrary to truth and sincerity, and the real thoughts and intentions of thy heart, and used with a purpose of deceiving others by them. Depart from eril--From all sin, and especially from all wicked, and injurious acts and practices against thy neighbour. And do good-Be ready to perform all good and friendly offices to all men, as thou hast opportunity. Seek peaceStudy, by all possible means, to live peaceably and quietly with all men, avoiding grudges, debates, dissensions, strifes, and enmities; and pursue it Do not only embrace it gladly, when it is offered, but follow hard after it, when it seems to flee away from thee, and use all possible endeavours by fair and kind words, by condescensions, and by the mediation or assistance of others to recover it, and to compose all differences, which may arise between

thee and others.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: fnot one of them is broken.

a Verses 6, 15, 19; Psalm cxlv. 19, 20.- b Psalm cxlv. 18. e Psa. li. 17; Isa. lvii. 15; lxi. 1 ; lxvi. 2.- 3 Heb. to the broken of heart. Heb. contrite of spirit. Prov. xxiv. 16; 2 Tim. iii. 11, 12.- - Verses 6, 17.- f John xix. 36.

Verses 15, 16. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous-This is added to show that the practice of these duties (verses 13, 14) is the true and best, and, indeed, the only way to see that good proposed and promised; both because such righteous persons, howsoever they may meet with affronts and injuries from men, are under the special care of God, signified in this verse, and those who do the evils there forbidden shall find, to their cost, that God is their enemy, verse 16. The face of the Lord-That is, his anger, often called his face, because anger discovers itself in a person's face; is against them that do evil-That commit known sin in any instances, especially in those above mentioned. To cut off the remembrance of them, &c.-Utterly to root them out and destroy them, and so to deprive both them and their children of that worldly happiness, which is the only thing that they desire, and seek by their wicked courses.

Verse 18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart-Ready to hear and succour them; though, by the course of his providence toward them, he may sometimes seem to themselves and others to stand afar off. "God is near to all men; for in him they live: but he is near to the broken in heart, in a peculiar sense, as he is ever ready and able to help them; as men are much more capable of assisting those they value, when present with them than when absent from them; from which this form of speech, as applied to God, is taken."-Chandler. And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit―Those whose spirits are truly humbled under the hand of God, and the sense of their sins, whose hearts are subdued, and made obedient to God's will, and submissive to his providence.

Verses 19, 20. Many are the afflictions of the righteous-In the world they may have tribulation, and their afflictions and troubles may be many, (for they must not promise themselves such prosperity as will exempt them from the trial of their faith and patience;) but the Lord delivereth him out of them all-That is, in due time, when it will be best for them to be so delivered. And in this they ought to think themselves happy, that God will both support

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h 2 Samuel iv. 9; 1 Kings i. 29; Psa. lxxi. 23; ciii. 4; Lam. iii. 58.

the Just One, Jehovah shall make desolate; a prediction awfully fulfilled in the punishment of the persecutors of the Messiah, one of whose proper titles this was, Acts iii. 14.

5 Psa. xciv. 23.- 5 Or, shall be guilty.them under their trials, and will also put an end to them when he hath sufficiently proved them thereby. He keepeth all his bones-Not only his soul, but his body, and all the parts and members thereof; not one of them is broken-God will not suffer any real mischief to befall him; though he may be often afflicted, yet he shall not be destroyed. But these words, though they may be understood of righteous men in general, of whom they are true in a metaphorical sense; yet have a further meaning in them, being designed by the Spirit of God to signify a great mystery, namely, that none of Christ's bones should be broken when he was put to death, contrary to the usual custom of treating those who were crucified,|| whose legs were wont to be broken, in order to put them sooner out of their pain. See John xix. 32, 36. Dr. Kennicott's translation of this and the preceding verse renders the application of them to Christ perfectly natural and easy, and is well worth the read-guilty; as the word yw, jeshemu, here used, is er's attention. It is thus, Many are the afflictions of the Just One; but from them all Jehovah delivereth him: Jehovah keepeth all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. This translation the Hebrew will well bear.

Verse 21. Evil shall slay the wicked-Either, 1st, The evil of sin his own wickedness, though designed against others, shall destroy himself. Or, 2d, The evil of misery. While the afflictions of good men shall have a happy issue, theirs shall end in their total and final destruction. They that hate the right-|| eous shall be desolate-That persecute them and plot their ruin, which is an evidence they hate them, whatsoever they may pretend to the contrary. Dr. Kennicott translates this latter clause, The haters of

Verse 22. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants-That is, their lives, or their persons, from the malicious designs of all their enemies, from the power of the grave, and from the sting of every affliction. He keeps them from sinning in their troubles, which is the only thing that could do them a real injury, and keeps them from despair, and from being put out of possession of their own souls. None that trust in him shall be desolateOr, comfortless; for they shall not be cut off from communion with God. And no man is desolate, but he whom God has forsaken, nor is any man undone till he is in hell. Instead of, shall be desolate, in this and the preceding verse, the margin reads, shall be

frequently and properly rendered. Indeed, it includes in it both the idea of guilt and the punishment incurred thereby. Now, they that in the way of true repentance, living faith, and new obedience, trust in the Lord, are both rescued from guilt and the punishment to which it had exposed them. It may not be improper to observe here that, as this is another of the alphabetical Psalms, every verse beginning with a distinct letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except the fifth, which includes two letters; so this verse is a kind of detached sentence, added, as in Psa. XXV., beyond the alphabet, perhaps in order that the Psalm might end with a promise rather than a threatening. For a similar reason the Jews repeat a verse at the end of some books of the Old Testament,

PSALM XXXV.

The matter of this Psalm, Bishop Patrick thinks, “sufficiently informs us, that it was penned by David when he was fiercely persecuted by Saul; whose forces, which were unjustly raised against him, he beseeches the Lord to dis. sipate; and especially to stop the mouths of his false accusers, (such as Doeg and the Ziphites,) of whom he most heavily complains." Dr. Horne, and many other commentators, think that David, in this Psalm, personates the Messiah in his state of humiliation and sufferings; and, of consequence, that the enemies here referred to, are those of Christ and his church, and especially the rulers of the darkness of this world, whose destruction is pro phetically foretold. (1,) David prays that Jehovah would interpose in his behalf, and deliver him from his persecu. tors, 1-3. (2) Foretels their confusion and his own triumph, 4-10. (3,) Describes their malice against him, and his love toward them, 11-16. (4,) Repeats his supplications for deliverance, and enlarges on the cruel insults he met with, 17-25. (5,) Again predicts their confusion, and the joy and exultation of the righteous, with his own thanksgiving, 26-28.

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David prays

PSALM XXXV.

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A Psalm of David.

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fight

A. M. 2962. PLEAD & my cause, O LORD, with b them that strive with me: against them that fight against me.

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7 For without cause have they hhid A. M. 2962. for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. 8 Let destruction come upon him 2 at un

2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and awares; and let his net that he hath hid

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6 Let their way be 1 dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.

Psa. xliii. 1; cxix. 154; Lam. iii. 58. Exod. xiv. 25. Isa. xlii. 13.d Verse 26; Psa. xl. 14, 15; lxx. 2, 3.- Psa. exxix. 5. Job xxi. 18; Psa. i. 4; lxxxiii. 13; Isa. xxix. 5; Hos. xiii. 3. Heb, darkness and slipperiness.- Psa. lxxiii. 18; Jer. xxiii. 12. -h Psa. ix. 15.- -1 Thess. v. 3.

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NOTES ON PSALM XXXV.

Verses 1-3. Plead my cause, O Lord, &c.-Take my part, and maintain my cause against those that contend with me, and have raised war against me; for I am not able to defend myself, and have none else to appear for me. Take hold of shield and buckler-Wherewith to cover and defend me; that is, Be thou my protector, and preserve me under the shield of thy almighty providence. And stand up for my help-Oppose thyself to them, and keep off all their assaults. Draw out also the spear-Thy offensive as well as defensive weapons. Strike them through, as well as defend me. He alludes to the practice of soldiers in battle. Stop the way, &c. -In which they are advancing directly and furiously against me. Let them run upon the spear and the sword, if they continue to pursue me. Say unto my soul-That is, unto me, either, 1st, By thy Spirit assuring me of it; or, 2d, By thy providence effecting it. Confirm my soul in this belief, that thou wilt at last deliver me from this persecution.

Verse 4. Let them be confounded-That is, frustrated and disappointed in their wicked designs and hopes against me. Or, they shall be disappointed: for this and the following verses, to verse 9, may be considered as a prediction of the ruin and destruction which were about to come on the enemies of David, and on those of the Messiah and his church. Accordingly, Dr. Waterland renders them all in the future, whereas our translation by putting them in the optative mood, has given them too much the appearance of imprecations, dictated by an implacable and revengeful spirit: Let them be turned back, or, they shall be turned back, that is, stopped, or hindered in their wicked designs, or discomfited and put to flight.

Verse 5. Let them be-Or, They shall be; as chaff

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2 Heb. which he knoweth not of. Psa. vii. 15, 16; lvii. 6; cxli. 9, 10; Proverbs v. 22. Psa. xiii. 5. -m Psa. li. 8. n Exod. xv. 11; Psa. lxxi. 19.-3 Heb. Witnesses of wrong. • Psa. xxvii. 12.- Heb. they asked me. Psa. xxxviii. 20; cix. 3, 4, 5; Jer. xviii. 20; John x. 32. -5 Hebrew, depriving.

before the wind-That is, dispersed and chased from place to place, finding rest and safety nowhere. And let the angel of the Lord-Whom God employs to defend his people, and to destroy his enemies; chase them-Drive them forward to their destruction, as chaff is driven by a fierce wind.

Verses 6, 7. Let their way-By which they flee, being chased, as was now said; be dark and slippery-So as that they can neither discern the right path, nor be able to stand in it, and much less to escape, especially from so swift a pursuer as an angel. For without cause-Out of mere malice, without any injury or provocation on my part; have they hid, &c.-The sundry expressions used in this clause, aggravate their sin, and signify that their persecution of him was not the effect of a sudden passion, but of a deep and habitual hatred and malice, carried on in a constant and continued course, with deliberation, craft, and deceit, and that against David's soul, or life; for nothing less would satisfy

them.

Verses 8-10. Let destruction come upon himUpon each of thine and mine implacable enemies, of whom he had hitherto spoken. Or, rather, by this change of the plural number into the singular, he points at Saul, his chief and most implacable enemy. And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord-In and for his glory and service, which, by these means, will be advanced, and for his favour to me. All my bones shall say--My whole body, with all its members, as well as all the faculties of my soul, shall be affected with a deep sense of thy goodness toward me, and thereby shall set forth thy praise. The expressions are figurative, as where the bones are said to be vexed, and to rejoice, Psa. vi. 2, and li. 8, and the loins to bless, Job xxxi. 20.

Verses 11, 12. They laid to my charge things I

David complains

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PSALM XXXV.

A. M. 2962. 13 But as for me, 4 when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

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of his enemies.

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jects gathered themselves together A. M. 2962.
against me, and I knew it not; they
did tear me, and ceased not:

16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, "they

14 I' behaved myself as though he had been gnashed upon me with their teeth.
my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily,||
as one that mourneth for his mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and
gathered themselves together: yea, the ab-

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Matt.

- Hebrew, walked.- 8 Hebrew, as a friend,
-9 Heb. halting, Psalm xxxviii. 17.

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17 LORD, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, 10 my darling from the lions.

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been in danger of losing a friend or brother. I bowed down heavily-Went hanging down my head as mourners used to do, Isa. lviii. 5; as one that mourneth for his mother-I could not have looked more dejected if I had bewailed the death of the dearest mother.

knew not-They accused me to Saul of treacherous designs against his crown and life, and of other crimes of which I was wholly innocent and ignorant. They rewarded me evil for good-For the good offices which I performed to divers of them when I had favour and power in Saul's court and camp. To the spoiling of my soul-That is, to the stripping of my person of all my comforts and hopes, and of my life itself. This interpretation of the passage, the reader will observe, is given according to the present translation. But the Hebrew verbs, 121, 17, jeshallemu, jishalu, jekumu, are all in the future tense, and the clauses are more properly rendered, False witnesses will rise up, &c.; They will lay to my charge, &c.; They will reward me, &c., which seems to intimate that the prophet was speaking of what was then future, and in the person of him against whom false witnesses did arise, to whose charge they laid things he knew not, and whom they rewarded evil for good; "who, because our souls were sick, clothed himself with the sackcloth of our flesh; mourning at the very thought that his pray-persons so mean that I did not so much as know ers, in any measure, should return into his own bosom." See Fenwick.

Verses 15, 16. But in mine adversity-Hebrew, y32, betzalgni, in my halting, that is, when I was in great danger of falling into mischief. When I had any sickness or ill success in my affairs, and was almost lost, for such are often said to halt, in the Scripture; they rejoiced and gathered themselves together -These very men (such was their inhumanity!) could not dissemble the joy they conceived when the news was brought of any evil that befell me, but ran to tell one another, and assembled themselves together that they might publicly testify how glad they were to hear it. Yea, the very abjects—Hebrew, 1, neechim, loripedes, the bow-legged, or, lame. It means, properly, percussi aut læsi pedibus, persons wounded or hurt in their feet. The sense is, vile persons, the very scum of the people,

there were such men in the world, met together to revile me; nay, the cripples, who could not walk without trouble and pain, were as forward as any others to go to these meetings on this occasion. They did tear me-That is, my good name, with scoffs, and calumnies, and reproaches, and curses; and ceased not-Hebrew, 1971, velo damu, were not silent, that is, they acted thus unweariedly and continually; with hypocritical, or profane, mockers

Verse 13. When they were sick-Or in any other great misery; my clothing was sackcloth-Which was the habit of mourners. I humbled-Hebrew, I afflicted, my soul with fasting-And with compassion and fervent prayers for them; and, or but, my prayer returned into mine own bosom-My fastings and prayers did them no good, neither abated their malice, nor prevailed with God for them, so far as I desired; but returned to me without success, like a gift sent to an uncivil person, who disdainfully rejects it, and returns it to the giver. But this clause may be rendered, And my prayer in my|| bosom returned; that is, I daily and frequently repeated my prayers for them, and that not only in public, when I joined with others, but also in secret, between God and my own soul; and that with a sin-tance to the tables of great men, where they might cere and hearty affection. For what is done secretly, and affectionately, is said to be done in the bosom. Others render it, My prayer rested, or, settled in my bosom―That is, "I never was without a prayer for them in my breast." So Mudge.

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Verse 14. I behaved myself—Hebrew, hithhalacti, I caused myself to walk, namely, to visit and comfort him; or, I conducted myself toward him, as though he had been my friend, &c.-As if I had

Whose common practice it was to scoff at, and deride, others; in feasts-Hebrew, r, sanniones placenta, vel cibi, buffoons, or jesters, for a cake, or morsel of bread; namely, parasites, qui gulæ causa aliis adulantur, says Buxtorf, who flatter others for the sake of their belly. They made themselves buffoons and jesters, and accustomed themselves to mock and deride David, that they might gain admit

fill their bellies, which was all that they sought, or got by such conduct. They gnashed upon me with their teeth-They used all expressions of rage and hatred against me, which they did to curry favour with my great and powerful adversaries. The indignities and outrage which the Lord Jesus endured from the Jews seem to be plainly foretold in these two verses. See Mark xiv. 65.

Verses 17, 18. Lord, how long wilt thou look on

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