The psalmist complains A. M. 3294. be saved. PSALM LXXX. of heavy distress. f 3 Turn us again, O God, and || 7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, A. M. 3294. cause thy face to shine; and we shall and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. 4 4 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt m B. C. 710. 8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou be angry against the prayer of thy peo-thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it. ple? 9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. 5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure. h 6 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours and our enemies laugh among themselves. 11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches " unto the river. 3, 19.—k Isa. v. 1, 7; Jer. ii. 21; Ezek. xv. 6; xvii. 6; xix. 10.- Psa. xliv. 2; lxxviii. 55. m Exod. xxiii. 28; Joshua xxiv. 12.5 Heb. the cedars of God. - Psa. lxxii. 8. or they eat their meat from day to day in tears. Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours— Who used, and ought, to live peaceably and kindly their strife and contention. He means, either, 1st, They strive one with another who shall do us the most mischief, or who shall take our spoils to themselves: or, 2d, They are perpetually quarrelling with us, and seeking occasions against us. Our enemies laugh among themselves-Insult over us, and take pleasure in our calamities. hending the country beyond Jordan; and Ephraim, which was the head of the ten tribes, including all the rest. Some think, however, that these three are named in allusion to their ancient situation in the||with us. Thou makest us the object or matter of wilderness, where these tribes were placed on the west side of the tabernacle, in which the ark was, which, consequently, was before them: and they followed it immediately in their marches. So that, as before them the ark of God's strength arose to scatter their enemies, with a reference thereto, the sense here is, O thou who didst of old go forth be- || fore those tribes, do so again at this time. Perhaps, also, these tribes had a greater share of the calamities here referred to than the others, though this be not mentioned in the sacred history: and therefore the psalmist prays that God would appear particularly on their behalf. Verses, 8, 9. Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt-Israel, or the church of God, is often compared to a vine: see Isa. v. 2; Jer. ii. 21; Ezek. xvii. 6; Matt. xxi. 33. He alludes to the custom of transplanting trees for their more advantageous growth. Thou hast cast out the heathen-The nations of Verse 3. Turn us again-He means, either to our Canaan, to make room for it; seven nations to former quiet and flourishing state; or, to thyself, make room for that one; and planted it-In their from whom Ephraim and Manasseh, with the rest of place. Thou preparedst room before it-Hebrew, the ten tribes, have apostatized. See a similar prayer, pinnita lepaneiah, thou didst prepare, of Elijah for them, 1 Kings xviii. 37. Instead of, or, prepare the way, before it; that is, thou didst Turn us, Mudge reads, Restore us, which is equally purge or cleanse the soil, removing the stones, agreeable to the original word, 111wn, hashibenu. or roots, or plants, which might have hindered its "There are evidently four parts in this Psalm; all growth or fruitfulness. Thou didst root out those of which conclude with this verse, or with one idolatrous and wicked nations which would either varying very little from it. In the first, the psalmist have corrupted or destroyed thy church. And didst entreats God to assist them, as he formerly did their cause it to take deep root-By so firm a settlement forefathers. In the second, he beseeches him to in that land, and such a happy establishment of their have compassion upon their miserable condition. government, both in church and state, that though In the third, not to forsake those now for whom he their neighbours about them often attempted it, yet had already done so much; and in the fourth, con- they could not prevail to pluck it up. And it filled cludes with prayer for their king, and a promise the land-It flourished and spread itself over all the of future obedience, as a grateful return for God's country. The whole land of Canaan was fully peofavours."-Dodd. pled by them. At first indeed they were not so numeVerses 4-6. How long wilt thou be angry, &c.-rous as perfectly to replenish it, Exod. xxiii. 29. But Thou art so far from answering our prayers, whereby we seek thy favour, that, by thy continuing and increasing our miseries, thou seemest to be more incensed against us by them. But the words may be rendered, How long dost thou preserve thy wrath during the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears-With tears instead of bread, which they either want, or cannot eat because their grief hath taken away their appetites: in Solomon's time Judah and Israel were as many as the sand of the sea; the land was filled with them, and yet was so fruitful that it was not overstocked. Verses 10, 11. The hills were covered with the shadow of it-Its branches extended themselves over all the hills and mountains of Canaan; that is, the people multiplied so much, and became so numerous, that they filled not only the fruitful valleys, but even the barren mountains. And the boughs An earnest prayer for A. M. 3294. PSALM LXXX. q Israel's restoration. B. C. 710. 12 Why hast thou then broken || 15 And the vineyard which thy A. M. 3294. down her hedges, so that all they right hand hath planted, and the which pass by the way do pluck her? branch that thou madest strong for thyself. 13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, 16 It is burnt with fire, it is cut down: they and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. 14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: P look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; • Psa. lxxxix. 40, 41; Isa. v. 5; Nah. ii. 2.- -P Isa. Ixiii. 15. whereof were like the goodly cedars-Very different from those of ordinary vines, whose boughs are weak and small, and creep upon the walls, on other trees, or on the ground. Israel not only had abundance of men, but those mighty men of valour. She sent out her boughs unto the sea-That is, to the Mediterranean sea; and her branches unto the riverThe river Euphrates, alluding to the extent of the Israelitish dominions in the time of David and Solo mon. 8 17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. 9 Isa. xlix. 5.- - Psa. xxxix. 11; lxxvi. 7.- Psa. lxxxix. 21. nah, which Buxtorf translates, surculus, planta, a branch, or plant, but which Dr. Hammond says "may be most fitly rendered a root, or stock, such as is wont to be planted. For this we know," proceeds he, "that a branch of a vine, being laid in the ground, will take a root to it, and so be fit to be planted." And after many critical remarks on the sense of the word, as used in other places, he adds, "by all this it appears that here, having in its original meaning somewhat of strength and stability, (being used for a foot, or basis,) and being by the context confined to vines, must signify such a slip, or young stock, or plant, as is fit to be set, or grow by itself. And being by the Masorites (Jewish rabbins) written with a large 2, (caph,) signifies this eminent plant, the whole people of the Jews whom God had chosen; and so his right hand is truly said to have planted it." And the branch that thou madest strong for thyself-Hebrew, ¡, ben, the son, namely, the son of the root or stock, according to the Hebrew by another, its son or daughter. Thus branches are called n, benoth, daughters, Gen. xlix. 22. The royal family of David is evidently intended here, which God had raised and established for himself, to accomplish his eternal purpose of saving mankind by the Messiah, who was one day to spring from the root of Jesse. The Chaldee paraphrast expounds the branch of Messiah himself; "On King Messiah, whom thou hast established," &c. So do the rabbins, Aben Ezra and Obadiah, cited by Dr. Hammond. And the LXX. have rendered the clause, ε Verses 12, 13. Why hast thou broken down her hedges-That is, taken away thy protection, which was to thy people for walls and bulwarks: so that all they which pass by do pluck her-Pluck off her grapes, or tear off her boughs, as the word, aruah, implies. Thus "the psalmist, having described the exaltation of Israel, under the figure of a vine, proceeds, under the same figure, to lament her depression. She is now represented as deprived of the protection of God, the counsels of the wise, and the arms of the valiant; of all her bulwarks and for-phraseology, which terms any thing, that is produced tifications, and whatever else could contribute to her defence and security; so that, like a vineyard without a fence, she lay open, on every side, to the incursion and ravages of her neighbouring adversaries, who soon stripped her of all that was valuable, and trod her under foot."-Horne. The boar of the wood doth waste it-By which he means some one of their most fierce and furious enemies; and the wild beasts of the field doth devour it-Some other potent enemy that made war upon and wasted them. Theodoret says, that Nebuchadnezzar was intended, and that he is very properly termed, The wild beast of the field, because he was more fierce than any other monarch. But the psalmist seems rather to refer to times antecedent to the period in which the Jews suffered so much from Nebuchadnezzar, and to intend some of their other cruel and unrelenting heathen enemies, who, like wild beasts, issuing out of a forest, invaded their country, resolved not only to spoil and plunder, but, if possible, to eradicate and extirpate this vine for ever. The metaphor of the vine is thus continued to a considerable length, and carried on very happily through the several particulars. Among the many elegances with which this allegory abounds, that nicety, observable both in the beginning and close of it, is not the least; the author sliding, as it were, from the comparison into the subject itself, and from thence into the comparison, by an almost insensible gradation." See Bishop Lowth's Tenth Prelection. 66 Verse 15. And the vineyard-Hebrew, ♫♪♫, chan viоv avôрwлs, on the Son of man, an expression actually used by the psalmist, verse 17. "To the advent of this Son of man," says Dr. Horne, "Israel was ever accustomed to look forward, in time of affliction; on his second and glorious advent the Christian Church must fix her eye, in the day of her calamities.” Verse 16. It is burned with fire, &c.—Namely, thy vineyard or branch; since, upon our provoking sins, thou hast withdrawn thy mercy from us, the enemies have broken in upon us, and great numbers of us are destroyed already, and may be compared to the numerous branches of a remaining stock, which, being cut off, are burned with fire. They perish-Namely, thy people of Israel, signified by the vine. So now he passes from the metaphor to the thing signified by it. At the rebuke of thy countenance-Through the effects of thine anger, without which our enemies could do us no hurt. Verses 17, 18. Let thy hand-Thy power, to pro tect and strengthen him; be upon the man of thy right hand-That king (whoever he was) of the house of David, that was now to rule and go in and out before them. He calls him the man of God's right hand, because he was the representative of their state, which was dear to God, as a man's right hand is dear to himself, and as Benjamin, whose name signifies the son of the right hand, was dear to his father Jacob; and because he was president in their affairs, and an instrument in God's right hand of much good to them, defending them from themselves, and from their enemies, and directing them in the right way; and was under-shepherd to him who was the great Shepherd of Israel. Upon the son of man-That king of David's race, just mentioned, in whose safety and prosperity he considered the welfare and happiness of the whole king-|| dom as being involved; whom thou madest strong for thyself-That is, to serve the interest of thy kingdom among men. So will we not go back from thee-This glorious favour of thine will oblige us to love and serve thee, and trust in thee so long as we have a being, and will preserve us from relapsing into idolatry and wickedness, as we have too often t people to praise God. B. C. 710. 19 Turn us again, O LORD God A. M. 3294. of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved. 3, 7. done. Quicken us-Revive and restore us to our former tranquillity and happiness; revive our dying interests, and our drooping spirits, and we will call upon thy name-` -We shall be encouraged, and will continue to do so upon all occasions, having found, by experience, that it is not in vain. But many interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, apply this to the Messiah, the Son of David, the protector and Saviour of the church, and the keeper of the vineyard. He is the man of God's right hand; to whom he has sworn by his right hand, as the Chaldee interprets it; whom he has exalted to his right hand, and who is indeed the right hand and arm of the Lord, invested with all power in heaven and on earth. And he is that Son of man whom the Father made strong for himself, for the glorifying of his name, and the advancing of the interests of his kingdom among men. God's hand was upon him throughout his whole undertaking, to support and strengthen, to protect and animate him, that the good pleasure of the Lord might prosper in his hand. And the stability and constancy of believers, in his work and service, are owing to his grace upholding and strengthening them. PSALM LXXXI. · It is not certain when, or by whom, this Psalm was composed; but it seems evidently to have been intended for the use of the church in their solemn feasts, and especially in the feast of trumpets. In the Jewish Liturgy it is still made use of upon this occasion. To this the blowing of the trumpet, verse 3 evidently refers. The psalmist exhorts to praise God for what he is to his people, 1-3. And has done for them, 4-7. Introduces God as expostulating with them on account of their ingratitude for his mercies, 11, 12. And under the form of a most affectionate wish, setting before them the happiness they lost, and the misery they incurred by their disobedience, 13-16. NOTES ON PSALM LXXXI. Title. To the chief Musician upon Gittith-See the note on title of Psalm viii. pare this passage with Lev. xxiii. 24, and Num. xxix. 1, where this day is called a day of blowing of trumpets; it being the first day of the Jewish civil Verses 1-3. Sing aloud unto God our strength-year, and the time when the world was supposed to Our refuge and defence against all our enemies. have been created, the fruits being then ripe. "The Bring hither the timbrel, &c.-All which instru- fixing of the time of the new-moon among the Jews, ments were then prescribed and used in their solemn for want of astronomical tables, was done in this meetings. Blow up the trumpet in the new-moon- manner. The first persons who observed, or thought Which was a sacred and festival time. But this they observed, the new-moon, were to repair immay be understood, either, 1st, Generally of every mediately to the grand council to give notice of it. new-moon; or, rather, 2d, Specially of that new- Inquiry was then made into the credibility of the moon which began the seventh month, the month informers, and whether their information agreed Tisri, when a solemn feast was kept, which was with such computations as they were then able to always proclaimed by the sound of trumpets. Com-make. After which the president proclaimed the Israel is exhorted A. M. 2959. a PSALM LXXXI. g to hearken to God. 4 For this was a statute for Israel, || of thunder: I proved thee at the A. M. 2959. 5 This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out 3 through the land of Egypt where I heard a language that I understood not. C b 6 I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots. e d 7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place a Lev. xxiii. 24; Num. x. 10.- - Or, against. Psa. cxiv. 1. elsa. ix. 4; x. 27. Heb. passed away. d Exodus i. 14. • Exod. ii. 23; xiv. 10; Psa. 1. 15.- Exod. xix. 19. new-moon, by saying, p, mikdash, it is consecrated, or holy. This word was twice repeated aloud by the people, after which it was ordered to be proclaimed everywhere by the sound of the trumpet."-Univ. Hist., vol. iii. p. 33. B. C. 1045. Verses 6, 7. I removed his shoulder-That is, the shoulder of my people; from the burden-I delivered them from the burdensome slavery of Egypt. His hands were delivered from the potsHebrew, 177, his hands passed from the pots, or, as Chandler renders it, his hands from the pots, through which they had passed. Thus God reminds Israel of their redemption, by his mercy and them in Egypt. And from this verse to the end of the Psalm, it is evident God is the speaker. Thou calledst in trouble-At the Red sea, Exod. xiv. 10–12; and I delivered thee-In an unexpected and extraordinary way, and disappointed the designs of thy enemies. I answered thee in the secret place of thunder-From the dark and cloudy pillar, whence I thundered and fought against the Egyptians: see Exod. xiii. 21; and xiv. 19, 24. Some refer this to the thunder at Sinai ; but at that time they were not in trouble, but in a safe and glorious condition. Be assured, reader, that God is as ready, at all times, to hear the prayers and relieve the distresses of his people, as he was when the Israelites cried unto him in Egypt, and in the wilderness, and received answers from the cloudy pillar. Believe this, and apply to him in thy troubles. Verses 4,5. For this was a statute for Israel-This is no human device, but a divine institution; God hath appointed and commanded this solemn feast to be announced and observed in this manner. This-power, from the burdens and drudgery imposed on Namely, the blowing of trumpets; he ordained in Joseph-Among the posterity of Joseph, namely, the people of Israel, as is evident both from the foregoing verse, where they are called Israel, and from the following words of this verse, where they are described by their coming out of Egypt, which was common to all the tribes of Israel, who are sometimes called by the name of Joseph. For a testimonyFor a law, often called a testimony; or, rather, for a witness and memorial of the glorious deliverance here referred to. When he-That is, he who ordained, as was now said, namely, God; went out through the land of Egypt-As a captain at the head, or on the behalf of his people, to execute his judgments upon that land; or, against that land, namely, to destroy it. Or, as many ancient and modern interpreters read it, out of the land. And so understood, this text signifies the time when this and the other feasts were instituted, namely, soon after their coming out of Egypt, even at Sinai. Where I heard, &c.-That is, my progenitors heard, for all the successive generations of Israel make one body, and are sometimes spoken of as one person; a language which I understood not-Either the language of God himself, speaking from heaven at Sinai, which was strange and terrible to them; or, rather, the Egyptian language, which at first was both very disagreeable and unknown to the Israelites, Gen. xlii. 23, and probably continued so for some considerable time, because they were much separated, both in place and conversation, from the Egyptians, through Joseph's pious and prudent appointment. This exposition of the passage is confirmed by Psa. cxiv. 1, where this very thing is mentioned as an aggravation of their misery; and by other places of Scripture, where it is spoken of as a curse and calamity to be with a people of a strange language. See Deut. xxviii. 49; Jer. v. 15. Verses 8-10. Hear, O my people—And who should hear me if my people will not? I have heard and answered thee, now wilt thou hear me? Hear what is said, with the greatest solemnity, and the most unquestionable certainty, for it is what I, the God of truth and love, thy lawgiver and thy judge, declare for thy profit. And I will testify unto theeConcerning my will and thy duty. I will give thee statutes and judgments, in the execution of which thou mayest live and be happy for ever. This God did presently after he brought them from Meribah, even at Sinai. There shall no strange god be in thee-Thou shalt renounce all false gods, and false ways of worship, and shalt worship me only, and only in the manner which I shall prescribe. Thus, in effect, God addressed himself to Israel at Sinai, and thus he addressed himself to them when this Psalm was written, and thus he addresses his people in every age. He thus put them in remembrance of the first and great command, Thou shalt have no other gods before me; and of his claim to their obe ■ Exod. xxxii. 1; Deut. xxxii. 15, 18.- Acts vii. 42; xiv. Or, to the hardness of their hearts, or, imaginations.—P Deut. v. 16; Rom. i. 24, 26. 29; x. 12, 13; xxxii. 29; Isa. xlviii. 18. appeared in the affair of the golden calf, and many other things. Verse 13. O that my people had hearkened unto me-In this way does God testify his good-will to, and concern for, the welfare and happiness of these dience as their God and Saviour. Open thy mouth wide-That is, 1st, Pray for my mercies; ask freely, and abundantly, and boldly, whatsoever you need, or in reason can desire. 2d, Receive the mercies which I am ready to give you. And I will fill it— I will grant them all upon condition of your obe-most refractory, disobedient, and obstinate sinners. dience. Here then he testifies, that he is both able The expressions are very affecting, and much like and willing to satisfy the utmost desires and wishes those he uttered by Moses concerning them, Deut. of such as would apply to him for blessings, especially v. 29, "O that there were such a heart in them, that spiritual blessings and comforts. "Behold then the they would fear me, and keep all my commandrebellion, the ingratitude, and the folly of that man,ments always, that it might be well with them, and who says to any creature, 'Thou art my God;' who bestoweth on the world that fear, love, and adoration, which are due only to its Creator and Redeemer; who wasteth his days in seeking after happiness, where all, by their inquietude, acknowledge that it is not to be found.”—Horne. Verse 11. My people would not hearken to my|| voice-But turned a deaf ear to all I said. "Two things," says Henry, "the Lord complains of; 1st, Their disobedience to his commands. They did hear his voice, and that in such a manner as no || people ever did; but they would not hearken to it; they would not be governed by it, neither by the law, nor by the reason of it, namely, that he was Jehovah their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. 2d, Their dislike of his covenantrelation to them: They would none of me. They acquiesced not in my word: so the Chaldee. God was willing to be to them a God, but they were not willing to be to him a people. They did not like his terms. I would have gathered them, but they would not. They had none of him; and why had they not? || It was not because they might not; they were fairly invited into covenant with God: it was not because they could not; for the word was nigh them, even in their mouth, and in their heart: it was purely because they would not. Note, the reason why people are not religious is because they will not be so. Verse 12. So I gave them up, &c.-Upon their obstinate and oft-repeated acts of disobedience, and their rejection of my grace and mercy offered to them, I withdrew all the restraints of my providence, and my Holy Spirit and grace from them, and wholly left them to follow their own vain and foolish imaginations, and wicked lusts. And they walked in their own counsels-The consequence of my thus giving them up to their own depraved inclinations was, that they practised all those things, both in common conversation and in religious worship, which were most agreeable, not to my commands or counsels, but to their own fancies and lusts, as with their children for ever." Or like those which Christ breathed forth over the same people, when, beholding the city, he wept over it, and said, "If thou hadst known in this thy day the things which belong to thy peace," &c. Or those other words of similar import, "O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! how often would I have gathered thy children together," &c. All these, and such like passages, manifest the tender mercies of God, and show that he is not only careful to provide for mankind the means of salvation, but that he grieves, speaking after the manner of men, and mourns, with paternal affection, over them, when their frowardness and obstinacy disappoint the efforts of his love. They demonstrate two things; 1st, How unwilling he is that any should perish, and how desirous that all should come to repentance; and, 2d, What enemies sinners are to themselves; and what an aggravation it will be of their misery, that they might have been happy on such easy terms, but would not. Verses 14, 15. I would soon have subdued their enemies-Both those remaining Canaanites, whom now, for their unbelief and apostacy, I have left in the land, to be snares and plagues to them, and also all their encroaching and vexatious neighbours, who have so often invaded and laid waste their country. The haters of the Lord-The enemies of God's people, such as the neighbouring nations were; should have submitted themselves-Should have owned and professed their subjection to them, if not also have become proselytes to the true religion. He terms them haters of the Lord, partly because they hated the Israelites for God's sake, and on account of the singularity of their worship, as the heathen often declared; and partly to show the close union and solemn league and covenant which were between God and them, by virtue of which God had declared he would account their friends to be his friends, and their enemies to be his enemies. But their time-That is, Israel's time, meaning, either, 1st, Their happy time, life being often put for a happy life or state; or, rather, 2d, The duration of |