1. Our first inquiry must be whence this testimonyis taken. Many of the ancients, as Epiphanius, Theodoret, Euthymius, Procopius, and Anselm, conceived the words to be cited from Deut. xxxii. 43, where they expressly occur in the translation of the LXX., Edppdvdgre ovpavel dua abrod nai rpocnuvncdrwoay ara ravTEes Ayyenor Oso ;— “ Rejoice ye heavens with him, and let all the angels of God wor- ship him.” But there are two considerations that put it beyond all pretensions that the words are not taken from this place of the LXX. :—
VER. 6.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS, 161
(1.) Because indeed there are no such words in the original text, nor any thing spoken that might give occasion to the sense expressed in them; but the whole verse is inserted in the Greek version quite beside the scope of the place. Now, though it may per- haps be safely granted that the apostles, in citing the Scripture of the Old Testament, did sometimes use the words of the Greek translation then in use, yea, though not exact according to the original, whilst the sense and meaning of the Holy Ghost was re- tained in them; yet to cite that trom the Scripture as the word and testimony of God which indeed is not therein, nor was ever spoken by God, but by human failure and corruption crept into the Greek version, is not to be imputed unto them. And indeed I no way question but that this addition unto the Greck text in that place was made after the apostle had used this testimony. For it is not unlikely but that some considering of it, and not considering from whence it was taken, because the words occur not absolutely and exactly in the Greek anywhere, inserted it into that place of Moses, amidst other words of an alike sound, and somewhat an alike importance, such as immediately precede and follow the clause inserted.
(2.) The Holy Ghost is not treating in that place about the intro- duction of the first-born into the world, but quite of another matter, as is evident upon the first view of the text: so that this testimony is evidently not taken from this place; nor would nor could the apostle make use of a testimony liable unto such just exceptions.
Later expositors generally agree that the words are taken out of Ps. xevii. 7, where the original is rendered by the LXX., Upocxuy7- Care aire wdvres HyyeAor wdrod: which, with a very small variation in the words, and none at all in the sense, is here expressed by the apostle, “ And let all the angels of God worship him.”
The psalm hath no title at all in the original; which the Greek
version noteth, affirming that it is dveriypapos rap ‘ECpaiors:: but it
adds one of its own, namely, Yuruss rH AdC:0 bre 4 7H aired xadbioruro, —“ A Psalm of David when his land was restored.” Hence it is referred by some to the time of his return unto J erusalem, after he had been expelled the kingdom by Absalom; by others, with more probability, to the time of his bringing the ark into the tabernacle from the house of Obed-edom, when the land was quieted before him. And unquestionably in it the kingdom of God was shadowed out under the type of the kingdom of David; which kingdom of God was none other but that of the Messiah.
It is evident that this psalm is of the same nature with that which goes before, yea, a part of it, or an appendix unto it. The first words of this take up and carry on what is affirmed in the 10th verse, to close of that; so that both of them are but one continued
VOL. XX. ll
162 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. I.
psalm of praise. Now the title of that psalm, and consequently of this, is win w, “A new song,” verse 1; which psalms, as Rashi confesseth, are to be referred unto the world to come,—that is, the time and kingdom of the Messiah. So Kimchi affirms that this psalm and that following respect the time when the people shall be delivered from the captivity out-of all nations; that is, the time of the Messiah. And Rakenati affirms that the last verse of it, “ He cometh to judge the earth,” can respect nothing but the coming and reign of the Messiah. Thus they, out of their traditions.
Some of the ancients, I confess, charge them with corrupting this psalm in the version of the 10th verse, affirming that the words at one time were, ‘O Kupss éCactrcucey ard rod EbAov,—“* The Lord reigned from the tree,” denoting; as they say, the cross. So Justin Martyr, in his Dialogue with Trypho. And after him the same words are remembered by Tertullian, ad. Jude. cap. x., ad. Marci. lib. ii; and Augustin. Enarr. in Ps. xcv. And though the fraud and corruption pretended be improbable, indeed impossible, nor are the words mentioned by Justin acknowledged by the Targum, or any Greek translator, or Jerome, yet it is evident that all parties granted the Messiah and his kingdom to be intended in the psalm, or there had been no need or colour for the one to suspect the other of cor- ruption about it. It is evident, then, that the ancient church of the Jews, whose tradition is herein followed by the modern, acknow- ledged this psalm to contain a description of the kingdom of God in the Messiah; and on their consent doth the apostle proceed. And the next psalm, which is of the same importance with this, is en- titled by the Targumist, Ayia nnawn, “A prophetical psalm,” namely, of the kingdom and reign of the Messiah: