PSALM OXLIV, Ver. 7.-Sand thine hand from above; lite- rally, reacl1 out thy hands f1·om on high. A PSALM in which praise and prtLyer are Rid me ; rather, rescue me. And deliver me commingled. Almost certainly Davidic: ont of gree.t waters. "Great waters," or l. Frum the title. 2. From the style. "deep waters," is e. common mete.phur in the Psalms for serious peril. David's peril 3. From the way in which David is men- at this time was from the hand of strange tioned in ver. 10 (comp. Pas. lxi. 6; lxiii. ohildren; literally, som of stranger,; i.e. 11 ; ilnd especially xviii. 50). foreign foes. Ver. 8.-Whose mouth speaketh vanity; Ver. 1.-Blessed be the Lord my strength; rather, fraud (comp. Pe. xviii. 45). A or, "my rook" (comp. Pas. xviii. 2, 46; feigned submission of some foreia-n enemy :u:xi. 3; !xii. 7, etc.). Which teacheth my is probably glanced at. And their right hands ~-~ war, and my fingers to :fight ( comp. hand is a right he.nd of falsehood. 'fhe Pa. xvin. 34). right hand we.s lifted up in the taking of Ver. 2.-My goodness, and my fortress; e. solemn oath (see Ezek. xx. 15). my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, Ver. 9.-Iwill sing a new song unto thee, and he in whom I trust. The general re- 0 God. Another change of strain. The semblance to P,. xviii. 2 is striking, but pse.lmiat returns to his original theme of tbe there are peculiar and original touches praise of God (see vers. 1, 2), and promises whic~ indicate the author, not the copyist. e. "new song," as in Ps. xl. 3. tl'pon a For rnstnnce, the expression, "wy good- psaltery and an inetrnment of ten strings ness," occurs nowhere else. Who subdueth will I sing praises unto thee; rather, U)H»! my people under me. Another reading a psaltery of ten strings ( see the Revised gives, "Who subdueth peoples under me." Version, and comp. Pa. xxxiii. 2). Assyrian Eitlicr reading suits the circumstances of harps had commonly, in the earlier ages, David, who had to snbdue e. great portion either eight, nine, or ten strings (' Ancient of hU3 own people nnder him (2 Sam. ii. 8- Mouarcliies,' vol. i. p. 530, 2nd edit.). 31; iii. 6-21), and also conquered many Ver. 10.-It is be that giveth salvation foreign nations (2 Sam. viii. 1-14). Ullto kings. There he.a always been o. be- Ver. 3.-Lord, what is man, that thou lief, especially in the East, that "a divinity te.kest knowledge of him! (comp. Job vii. doth heclge a king." Saul himself WllS 17, 18; Pa. viii. 4). Or the son of man, regarded by Do. vid as sacrosanct, and to kill the.t thon me.kest account of him ! It en- him, even at his own request, wo.e e. sacl"ilege hances our e;timate of God's goodness to (2 Sam. i. 14-16). Who delivareth David consider the insignificance and unworthiness his servant from the hurtful sword. David of the creatures on whom he bestows it. speaks of himself by name, not only here, Yer. 4.-Man is like to vanity; or, "to e. but in Pe. xviii. 50; 2 Sam. vii. 26. breatb" (comp. Pss. xxxix. 5; !xii. 9). Hie Ver. 11.-Rid me, e.nd deliver me from days are as a she.dow that passeth away (see the hand of strange ohildren, whose mouth Pos. cii. 11 ; cix. 23). And yet God has epee.keth vanity, and their right hand is a regard to this wee.k creature of an hour. right hand of falsehood (see above, vere. 7, Ver. 5.-Bow thy heavens, 0 Lord, and 8). The p,tese.ge is me.de o. refrain, to ter- come down. 'l'he strain changes. From minate sto.nze.~ 2 and 3. praise of God's loving-kindness o.nd might, V e1·. 12.-That our sons may be as plants. tLe pso.Imi.st proceeds to invoke bis aid. The stanza which these words introduce is Taking Lis metaphors from Pe. xviii. 9, a very remarko.ble ono, having nothing at "Bow thy heavens, 0 Lorcl,'' be says, "o.nd all corresponding to it in the rest of the come down" to earth-appear in thy might, Psalter. It has been thought by some to be to the discomfiture of tby enemies and the an antique document, quoted by the writer relief of thy faithful ones. Touch the moun- of the pee.Im, as suited for a festal occasion. tains, and they shall smoke. Do as thou Our transfotion ruo.kee it a picture of the wcrt plee.sed to do at Sinai, when thou condition to which th9 writer hopes that showedst thyself-" Touch the mountains, Israel may one day come; but the beet and Jct a smoke go up from them" (see recent critics see in it o. description of Exod. xix. 16, 18; Dent. iv. 11; Pa. xviii. Israel's actual condition in the writer's day. 7-14)-a consuming fire, that shall burn Professor Cheyne translates, "Deco.use our up lhe ungodly. sons c,re o.e plants;" nnd Dr. Ke.y, "What Ver. 6.-Ce.st forth lightning, and scatter time our sons are as plants." Grown up ill them : shoot out thine arrows, and destroy their youth i literally, grown large. The them (comp. Ps. :s.viii. 14). sons are compared lo ornarucnto.l trees or PS, OXLIV. 1-16.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 363
shrubs, growing outside e. building. That to labour; rather, and our oun are hea1;i'ly our da.ughters may be a.a oomer-stones, laden. A sign that an abundant harvest is polished ( or, "ce.rved ") after the similitude being gathered in. That there be no bree.k• of e. pe.le.oe, The daughters are like carved ing in, nor goiug out; literally, and there i, pillars, lighting up the angular recesses of 110 breach and no renwrol; i.e. no breach the structure. made in our walls, aud no removal of our Ver. 13.-That our ge.rners may be full, population into captivity. That there be affording all manner of store; or, "while no compla.ining in our streets; rather, aoo our garners a.re full," etc. That our sheep no wailing in our rtreet.a. Here the descri p- me.y bring forth; rather, and our aheep bring t ion of a happy time ends, and a burst of forth. Thousa.nds e.nd ten thousands in our congratulation follou (see the next verse), streets ; rather, in our fielda. Khuteoth Ver. 15.-Rap:;,y is that people, that is in (ni:inn) is rendered " fields" by our trans- such 11, case ! yea, happy is that people, lators in Job v. 10 e.ud Prov. viii. 26, whose God is the Lord ! The cause of Israel's Ver. 14.-That our oxen may be strong prosperity is their faithfulness to Jehovub.