- before it was built, would have been agreatdiſcouragement to the building of it, and would probably have been taken notice of by
_ Solomon in his Prayer for it, when it was newly built. Or, 2; By fome of his Poſterity, who is called by their Fathers name, <aph, as the Children of 1/rael are frequently called, Jacob or Iſrael, and Davids Succeſſours, David; as hath been noted. Or, 3.3y ſome other-perſon of that name,zhough of another Family : whothen was aman of Zenown,though now his Memory be loſt Or this may be rendred for Aſaph, -e. For his Pofterity ; and ir might be ſaid by ſome other Holy man of God. ' But the former ſeems more probable, This is Evident, that this Pſalm ſpeaks of the Deſtruction of the Temple and of Jeryſzlem and of Gods people by the Chaldeans; though ſome thinks it looks further ; even to the pollution of the Temple by Antiochus. Alrhough the things ſaid to bedone, wv. 6, 7. 8. agree much better to the former, and were not done by Anciochus.
The Church complajneth of the deſolation, which the Enemies had made, in the Temple and Synagogue, 1 9. prayeth God to help, by his great Power, 10 17. againſt the Reproach and Blaſphemy 4 the Enemies, 18. He prayeth for God's beloved and covenanted
nes, 19 2J3-
Se God, why hait thou caſt us off for ever b? why
LY Coth thine anger c ſmoke againſt * che ſheep of
eny paſture d.
6 So as to leave us no viſible Hopes of Reſlitution- c Or thy Noſe. A Metaphor from a man who in a great Rage ſends forth Fumes out of his Noltrils. &d Againſt thy choſen and peculiar people.
2 Remember e thy congregation f, which thou haſt purchaſed g of old 5: the || rod of thine Inheritance z which thou haſt redeemed, this mount Zion & wherein thou haſt dwelt: |
e Shew by thine ACtions, that thou haſt not utterly forgotten and forſaken them. f Thy Church or people. g. Or, Redeemed as it tollows ; Or bought, as it is Deut, 32. 6. or proczred, though without price, as this Word is uſed, Ruth 4. 9, 10. þ When thou broughteſt them out of Egypr, and formedſt them into a Common= wealth, and gaveſt them Laws, and didſt enter into Covenant with them at Sai, # That people which thou haſt meaſured our, as it were by Red, to be thy Portion or Inheritance, as they are called alſo, Deut. 32.9. See alſo, Pſal.16, 5, 6. Jer. 10.16. Or, the Tribe( as this word commonly ſignifies ) of thine inheritance, 7, e. The Tribe of Judah, which thou haſt in a ſpecial manner choſen for thine In* hexitance, and for the ſeat of the Kingdom, and for the Birth of the Mefſiah. And thus here is an Elegant Gradation from the general to particulars , Firſt the Congregation conſiſting of all the Tribes ;then the Tribe of Fudah ; and Laſtly, Mount Zion. Nor isit ſtrange, that he mentions this particularly, becauſe the Calamity and Captivity here.remembred, did principally befal this Tribe,and Benjamm, which was united with it, and ſubjeC& ro it, and the moſt that returned were of this Tribe+ For the generality of -the other Tribes, were long befor: 4iſperſed into other Lands, and cone rinue in their Captivity to this day. & Which 1s oft pur for the Temple, or the Hill of Mor/2þ, on which it was built.
3 Lifc up thy feet / unto the perpetual deſolations ever all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the ſan &uary 7s
{ i,e. Come ſpeedily for our reſcue, and do not fit or ſtand fill as hitherto thou ſeemeſt to do. 'm Or rather, Becauſe of (as this prefix off ſignifies ) the perpetual Deſolations. So it is a powerfull Motive to God, tocome to their Help, becauſe otherwiſe our De« ſtruQtion i5 everlaſting and irrecoverable. n» Or, again thy Sanitu« ary ; Of which ſee v. 7.
4 Thine enemies roar 9 in the midſt of thy congre- gations p ; they ſer up their enſigns for ſigns 9.
0 7.e. Make loud Out-cries ; Either, from their R:ge and Fury, againſt the Conquered and captivated 1/raelites now-in their power Or rather, in way of Triumph for their Succeſs and ViRtoryv. p In the places where thy people uſed to aſſemble together for thyWors ſhip, whereby they deſigned to inſult not only over us, but over thee alſo, as if their Gods had beentoo ſtrong for thee. 9 Or, Trophees, or Monuments oftheir ViQories obtained over God, an@ over his People, as Conquerors uſed to do in like Caſes,
5 Amay was famous according as he had lifted up
axes upon the thick trees r.
#7 So the meaning is this, The Temple was ſo noble a ftrufture that it was a great Honour to any man to be imployed in the mean« eſt partof the work,though it were bur in cutting down theTrees of Lebanon And this Tranſlation may ſeem to be favoured by the, Oppoſition in the next Verſe - But now, &c. But others uaderſtand the Words thus tranſlated in another Sence : That every one 0
D GOD o, that
the Enemies got Renown, accordingly as they ſhewed moſt bar- barous Rage in deſtroying the thick Word-work ( which in the next Verſe 1s called the Carved Work ) of the Temple, But this ſeems
that
LXXIy
| Or. A Pſalm for Aſaph to 8:Ve mnſtry, (ti0n,
*Pſ 49547"
||Or, Tribe;
Pl
*Pl4,
'o
ribe;
Pal. LXXIV.
that of the next Verſe, . which is uſhered in by, But vow. The words therefore may be ( and in part ace by ſome } rendred thus ; it s known ( or manifeſt, Heb. It will be known ; Tt will be publiſhed co all Poſterity, as matter of aſtoniſhment and admiration- ) Thar, as one lifteth up his Axe ( Heb. Axes, the plural Number for the fin- gular, as it is elſewhere ) por thick Trees, to cut them down. This 3s the firſt part of the ſimilitude, called the Protaſis; Then follows the latter part of it, called the Apodoſis, in the next verſe ; So ( Heb. 41d. Which is ſometimes put for a Note of ſfimilitude, as in that paſſage of the Lords Prayer, Mar. 6. 10. as it is in Heaven ; and oft in the Book of the Proverbs ) now' ( For though this Pſalm was Compoſed after the thing was done, yet he ſpeaks of it, as if it were now indoing, as the manner of the ſacred Writers frequent- Iy is, that it may be more Lively repreſented to mens Minds) They break drwn the Carved Works, &c, The meaning is, they neither re- gard the Sacredneſs of the place, nor the exquiſite Curioſity and Art of the work, bur cutit down as indifferently, and rathly, as men cut down the thick and intangled boughs of the Trees of the Forreſt. 6 But now they break down the carved work there-
of at once s, with axes and hammers rt.