9 10 II 12 I will exult and rejoice in thy goodness- refcued me from the hand of mine enemy, Pity me, JEHOVAH! for in diftress I am: My life is confumed with forrow, My vigour is exhausted by affliction, and my bones are corroded with grief! to my neighbours a burthen, to mine acquaintance a dread! They, who see me abroad, fhun me; 14 15 16 17 18 like a veffel that has been loft. When I hear the reproaches of the many, Yet in thee, JEHOVAH! I confide: "My fate is in thine hands: "Rescue me from the "fecutors. power of my foes and per "Make thy countenance to fhine on thy fervant : "Save me, JEHOVAH! for thy goodnefs' fake; "let me not be confounded, fince thee I invoke. "Be the wicked confounded, "and drop filently down to Hadés! "dumb be the lips of falfehood "that speak harshly against the innocent, 19 ❝ with haughtiness and contempt." How many, † JEHOVAH! are the good things which thou referveft for those who revere thee 20 haft prepared for those who make thee their refuge, in despite of the fons of man! In the covert of thine own countenance thou hideft them, 21 Although this pfalm is not hard to be understood by the Hebrew scholar, many paffages are not easily rendered into any modern tongue. I have laboured to make them intelligible, without much deviation from the letter: yet a few explanatory notes may be not unneceffary. Ver. 9. Refcued me from the band of mine enemy. Lit. " haft not shut me up in the hand of mine enemy:" but as negative propositions in Hebrew are often equivalent in sense to opposite positives, I deemed it better to use an equivalent, as more agreeable to what precedes and follows.-Ver. 12. Nothing could better paint the distressful fituation of David, than the emphatic terms which he uses in this and the two fol lowing verses. Ver. 20. The word Jehovah is authorised by Sep. Arab. and one MS.-Ver. 21. Thou hideft me in thine inmost sanctuary. This is to be considered as a mere metaphor; allufive, however, to the inner part, or Holy of Holies, of the real tabernacle. - Ver. 22. In a fortified city. The original here has been fuppofed by Houbigant, and others, to be corrupted: but I fee no reason for such a fuppofition. The words refer, I think, to the city of Ziklag, which was by Achish affigned to David, and where he was no more molested by Saul. PSALM XXXII.-al. XXXI. This psalm seems to bave been composed after David's repentance for bis adultery with Uriab's wife, and the consequent murder of Uriab.-It is the second of the psalms called Penitential. The title is : I 2 3 5 6 AN INSTRUCTIVE PSALM OF DAVID. whofe tranfgreffion is pardoned, and fin forgiven. to whom JEHOVAH imputeth not iniquity; and whose foul is void of deceit. While I was deaf to remorse, my bones were wasted from my roaring all the day long! for day and night thine hand aggrieved me; my mine iniquity I ftrove not to conceal. I faid: "TO JEHOVAH I will own my trefpaffes:" and straight thou remittedft the guilt of my fin. Whofoever fhall piously thus to thee pray, (at a feafon when favour may yet be found) him the greatest flood of waters shall not reach. 7 Thou art my refuge-from trouble thou haft freed me and given me caufe for fongs of deliverance. E "I myself (faidft thou) will inftruct thee, "That thou be not like a horfe-like a mule- but mercy will attend him who trusteth in JEHOVAH. In JEHOVAH be glad and rejoice, ye just; and fhout for joy, all ye upright in heart. NOTES. 10 II. Ver. 6. The greatest flood of waters, i. e. the greatest calarnities; a very common Hebrew metaphor.-Ver. 9. The common rendering of this verse is to me unintelligible; yet the meaning is obvious; nor is there any need for correcting the text as it now stands. The bridles of that age were not like our bridles: they had neither bit nor chain. They were forts of halters, or head-stalls, which are still used as bridles in fome parts of this ifland. The metaphor is natural and ex. preffive. Ver. 11. This verfe is by fome thought to belong to the next pfalm, and is there placed by Green and Street. PSALM XXXIII.-al. XXXII. In the Hebrew copy this psalm has no title, but in Sep. Syr. and Vulg. it is called A PSALM OF DAVID. REJOICE, ye juft, in JEHOVAH: praise becometh the righteous. Praise JEHOVAH on the harp; I fing to him with the ten-ftringed pfaltery. Sing to him a new song : 3 ftrike up a tuneful melody. For upright is the word of JEHOVAH ; and faithful are all his works. 4 of the goodness of JEHOVAH the earth is full. 6 7 By the word of JEHOVAH the heavens were made; 8 Let the whole earth revere JEHOVAH ! 9 10 II 12 13 fear him, all the inhabitants of the globe! he commanded-and it arofe into exiftence. The purpose of JEHOVAH standeth for ever: From the heavens JEHOVAH looketh down; 14 from the place of his own refidence, 16 No king is faved by a numerous hoft, nor hero by greatness of might : 17 impotent is the fteed to fave his rider; and, with all his strength, unable to rescue. 18 19 20 Lo! the eye of JEHOVAH is on thofe who fear him; on those who truft to his benevolence; to fecure their lives from death, and preferve them even in a famine. Our foul's hope is in JEHOVAH: our help and our shield is HE. |