' provinoial or foreign Israolites on their yearly" ascents" to keep the great festivals of Jerusalem 1 (see especially Ps. cxxii. 1, 2). They comprise the De Projundia (Ps. cxxx.) and the blessing on unity (Ps. cxxxiii.). Other "groups" are the Hallelujah P~alms, the Alphabetic Psalms, and the Penitential Psalms. The title "Hallelujah Psalms" has been given to those which commence with the two Hebrew words, i'I: ~,~ri, "Praise ye the Lord." They comprise the following ten : Pss. cvi., c~i., cxii., cxiii., cxxxv., cxlvi., cxlvii., cxlviii., cxlix., and cl. Thus all but one (Ps. cvi.) belong to the last book. Seven of them-all but Pss. cvi., cxi., and cxii.- end with the same phrase. Some critics add P11. cxvii. to the number of "Hallelujah Psalms," but this commences with the elongated form, nintn~ ~'?D· 'fhe "Alphabetic Psalms" are either eight or nine in number, viz. Pss. ix., xxv., xxxiv., xxxvii., cxi., cxii., cxix., cxlv., and, to a small extent, Ps. x. The most elaborate is Ps. cxix., wh,,re the number of stanzas i,, determined by the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each of the eight lines of every stanza begins with its own proper letter-all the lines of the first shnza with aleph, all those of the secorJd with beth, anrl so on. Other psalms equally regular, but less elaborate, are Pss. cxi. ancl oxii., where the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet furnish, in regular sequence, the initial letters of the twenty-two lines. The other "Alphabetic Psalms" are all of them more or less irregular. Ps. cxl v. consists of twenty-one verses only, instead of twenty-two, omitting the verse which should have commenced with the letter nun. No reason can be assigned for this. Ps. xxxvii. contains two irregularities-one in ver. 28, where the stanza that should have begun with ain begins actually with lamed; and the other in ver. 39, where vau. takes the place of tau as the initial letter. Ps. xxxiv. omits vau. altogether, and adds pe as an initial letter at the end. Ps. xxv. omits beth, vau., and kaph, adding peat the end, like Ps. xxxiv. Ps. ix. omits daleth and yod, and jumps from kaph to lwph, and from li:oph to Bhin, also omitting tau. Ps. x., sometimes callecl alphabetic, is so only in its latter portion, where stanzas of four lines each commence respectively with koph, resh, shin, and tau. The object of the alphabetic arrangement was, no doubt, in every case, to assist the memory; but only Pas. cxi., cxii., and cxix. can have been of very much service in this respect. The "Penitential Psalms" are generally said to be seven; but a far larger number of the Psalms have a predominantly penitential character. 2 There is no authoritative limitation of the number to seven; but Ori gen first, and after him other Fathers, have given a certain sanction to tho view, which has on the whole prevailed in the Churoh. The psalms espeoially singled out are the following: Pss. vi., xxxii., xxxviii., li., cii., 1 Scveml other expla.n:i.tions have been given; but this, which is preferred by Ilishop
Perowne, a.ppeo.rs to be tlio best (see Ezra. vii. 9; ls'.l. xxx. 20). ~ Ae Pss. xxv., xxxi., lxv., lxix., eio. X tNTRODUCTION TO
cxxx., and cxliii. It will be observed that fivo out of the seven arc, by their titles, assigned to David. One other group of psalms seems to require special notico, viz. "the lmprecatory or Comminatory Psalms." 'l'hese psalms have been called "vindictive," and said to breathe a most unchristian spirit of revenge and hatred. To some truly pious persons they seem shocking; o.nd to a much larger number they are more or less a matter of difficulty. P~s. xxxv., Jxix., and cix. are especially objected to; hut the spirit which animates these compositions is one which constantly recurs; e.g. in Pss. v. 10; xxviii. 4; xl. 14, 15; lv. 16; lviii. 6, 9; lxxix. 6-12; lxxxiii. 9-18, etc. Now, it is not, perhaps, a sufficient answer, but it is some answer, to note that these imprecatory psalms are, for the most part, national songs; and that the utterers of t.hem are calling for vengeance, not so much on their own personal enemies, as on the enemies of their nation, whom they look upon also as Goo's enemies, since Israel is his people. The expressions objected to are thus iu some sort parallel to those which find a place in our National Anthem- " 0 Lord our God, arise, Scatter her enemies ..• Confound their politics; Frustrate their knavish tricks." Further, the II imprecations," if we must so term them, are avid.en tly II the outpourings of hearts animated by the highest love of truth and righteous- ness aud goodness," 1 jealous of God's honour, and haters of iniquity. Thoy are the outcome of a righteous indignation, provoked by the wickedness and cruelty of the oppressors, and by pity for the sufferings of their victims. Agai~, they spring, in part, oat of the narrowness of view which characterized the time-a time when men's thoughts were almost wholly confined to this present life, and a future life was only dimly and darkly apprehended. We are content to see the ungodly man in prosperity, and ":flourishing like a green bay tree," because we know that it is but for a while, and that retributive justice will in the end overtake him. But they had no sue:h ass11Ied conviction. Finally, it is to be borne in mind that one of the ohjects of the psalmists, in praying for the punishment of the wicked, is the benefit of the wicked themselves. Bishop Alexander has noticed that "each of the psalms in which the strongest imprecatory pass3gcs are found contains also gentle undertones, breathings of beneficent lo,e." • The writers' desire is that the wicked may be recovereil, while their conviction i1:1 that God's chastisementii alune can recover them. ThC1y would have the arm of the wicked and evil man broken, that when Got! makes search into his wickcdoess, he may" find none" (Ps. x. 15). 9 1 Kay, • The Psalms,' appendix iv. p. 463.
• • Be.mpton Lectures' for 1876: • The Witness of the Psalms to Chrfat ana Christianity,' p. 53. • Compo.re the commentary of Professor Cheyne on the passage (' Dook oC Psalms,' p. 27, note on vcr. 15), "Punish ii (his ungodliness) till thou find none, i.e. till the last atom of wickedness be remond.." TUE BOOK OF PSALMS. :ti