ſ Either, x. To our former quiet and flouriſhing eſtate : Or, 2. To thy ſelf ; from whom Ephraim and Mazaſſeh with the reſt ot the ten tribes have apoſtatized. See the like prayer of Elijahfor them : Kings 8. 37. ; : = 4 O LORD God of hoſts, how long # wilt thou be 3 i the angry || againſt the prayer of thy people z ? prayer. 5 Thou art fo far from anſwering our prayers whereby we ſeek to appeaſe thee, that by thy continuance and increaſe of our mi- ſeries thou ſeemeſt to be the more incenſed againſt us by theme
5 Thou feedeſt them with the bread of tears », and
Pſto2.9. giveſt them * tears to drink in great meaſure.
« Either with tears inſtead of bread, which they either want, of cannor eat becauſe their grief hath taken away their appetites ; or with tears as frequent and conſtant as their cating it. See the like Phraſe, Pſal. 42. 3+
6 * Thou makeſt us a ſtrife x unto ourneighbours y, and our enemies laugh among themſelves z. ;
x 7. e. The obje& or matter of their ſtrife or contention : either 1. They ſtrive one wi-h another who ſhall do us moſt miſchief, or take our ſpoils to themſelves. Or, 2. They are perpetually quar- relling with us, and ſeeking occaſions againſt us. y Who uſzdand ought to live peaceably and kindly with us. & Inſultover us, and take pleaſure in our miſeries.
7 Turn usagain,O God of hoſts, and cauſe thy face to ſhine, and we ſhall be ſaved. 8 Thou haſt brought a vine « out of Egypt b+ *chou
#P\. 44-2: haſt caſt out the heathen c, and planted it.
a2 To which the Iſrael or Church of God is oft compared ; as Iſa. 5. 2. Jer. 2« 21, Eck. 17. 6. Mat. 21. 33- b He alludes to the cuſtom of tranſplanting trees for their more advantageous growth. c The Nations of Canaov. ;
9 Thou preparedelt roomd before it, and didſt cauſc
it to take deep root e, and it filled the land.
d Or, didft purge or cleanſe the Soil, taking out ſtones or ſticks, or other roots or plants which might hinder its growth or fruitful- fulneſs. Thou didſt roor out thoſe idolatrous and wicked Nations which might either corrupt oedeſtroy them. e Thou gaveſt them
_ a firm ſettlement in that Land. Io The hills were covered with the ſhadow of it f:
and the boughs thereof were Ike + the goodly cedars g. f They grew ſo numerous, that they filled not only the fruitful Valleys, buteven the barren mountains. g Far differing from or- dinary Vines whoſe Boughs are weak and ſmall, and creep upon
the walls or ground. | 11 She he out her boughs unto the ſea,and her bran-
ches unto the river h.
h They poſſeſſed or ſubdued the whole Land from the Mild-land Sea to the River Euphrates ; which were the bounds alloted to them : by God, Ger. x5. 18.
*Pſ.89.4% 12 Why haſt thou thez * broken down her hedges z, Ifa. 5.5- fo thatall they which paſs by the way do pluck her &k ? © Taken away thy prote&ion, which was to them for walls and
bulwarks. k Pluck up her grapes and boughs, and ſtrike at her
very root. | 13 The boar out of the wood / doth waſte it, and
the wild beaſt of the field doth devour it.
I Where Boars uſe to lodge, as it is noted by many Authors. By which he underſtands their fierce and furious enemies.
14 Return, we befeech thee, O God of holts : look down from heaven, and behold and viſit this vine ;
i5 And the vinzyard mz which thy right hand hath planted », and the F branch o that thou madeft ſtrong p for thy ſelf q.
m Or, the root, or ſtock or plant, as others render it. = Which thou haſt planted or fixed with thy might and power ; whereof the right hand is both a ſign or ſymbol and an inſtrument. « Heb. the ſon z. e. either 3. The ſon of man, as it is more fully expreſled, Perſ- 17. Or rather, >. The branch ; for as yet he continues the metaphor ; which is called zheſon, to wit, of the root or ſtock men- tioned in the former clauſe, as the Branches are called Daughters in the Hebrew Text, Gen. 49. 22. p Either, 1. By ſupporting it with ſtakes or walls upon which the vine groweth up : Or rather, 2. By cauſing it to grow in bulk and thickneſs, and conſequently in ſtrength. q For thy own ſpecial delight and ſervice and ho- Nour.
16 Tt 03s burnt with fire, 3t ss cut down : they r pe- riſh at the rebuke of thy countenance /.
o Towit, thy vineyard or branch? + Thy people of 1/-ael ſig. nified by the vine, So now he paſſeth from the Metaphor to the thing deſigned by it. # Throngh the effe&s of thine anger, with- out which _ _ ny do them no hurt. c
ph | 17 et thy hand be upon z; the man of thy right "PL89-21. 1nd « ; Upon the ſon of man x whom thou madeſt ſtrong for thy ſelf.
# To prote& and ſtrengthen him. » Whom thy right hand planted, Yerſ. 15- whom thou haſt loved and reſpe&ed even as thy right hand, which is very dear to us, Mat. 5. 30. and 18. 8. Com- pare Zech. 13. 7. thy Benjamin whom he mentioned, Yerſe 2. to
fal.4.6. caule thy face to
PCſ44.14-
"Pl104.16.
Heb. ſor.
IS 3£ M $
bliſhed, and ſo thine 7/722! ſhall be ſaved and Celivered ont of all its troubles. ſafety and welfare the happineſs of the whole nation was wrapt up.
ſfrong for thy ſelf, is uſed of the root or branch of the J_t
Or, 2. TheRoyal Family, the Houſe of David,in whole
Or rather, 3. The people of Jrael who are oft tpoken ofas one per« ſon, as God's ſon and frft-born, Exod. 4.22. and here as one vine. And ſeing all the foregoing complaints have been concerning the cala- mities of the people ot 1irael,it ſeems moit reaſonable to underſtand this prayer to be made for them ; the rather becauſe the following claute here applyed to the man and ſon of man, whom thou /4
Verſ. 15.
18 SO will not we go back from thee 5: quicken us z, and we will call upon thy name.
y This glorious fayour of thine ſhall oblige us to love and ſerve thee, and truſt in thee ſo long as we have a beeing, and no more to revoltfrom thee to Idolatry or wickedneſs, as we have too oft
pinels.
19. Turn us again, OLORD God of hoſts, cauſe thy face toſ{hine, and we ſhall be ſaved.
PSAL EXXXLE
The ARGUMENT. His P/alm ſeems to have been made for the uſe of the Church in ſolemn Feaſts ; particularly either upon every firſt day of the Month, or upon the firſt day of the ſeventh month which was celebrated with a more ſolemn blaſt of Trumpets, Lewvit. 23. 24. Numb. 29. r. Becauſe that Month was more lacred than others by reaſon ofthe concurrence of divers Religious Solemnitics in it. To the chief muſician upon Gittith 2, a Pſalm || of
Alaph. | a Of which Title ſee the Note on Pſal. 8. r.