The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 1 — Section 60

unchangeBble Eternal One continues con- of the ork to Jerusalem. Declare among- etantly eeatod, in serene majesty, in heaven. the people his doings. In tho origin!{ He hath prepared (or rather, established) his "among the peoples" (i:.•?~); i.e. not the throne for judgment (compare the second people or Israel only, but all the surround• clause of ver. 4). ing no.lions. David is possessed with the Ver. 8.-And he shall judge the world. conviction that the revelation of God mado The "he" is emphatic-he himself, and no to Israel is not to be confined to them, but other. From his throne of judgment he through them to be communicated to "all shall judge, not Isre.el's enemies only, whom the end! of the earth "-to the heathen e.t he ho.s just judged (vere. 3-6), but the whol,e large, to all nations (oomp. Pas. xviii. 4a; world. In righteousness; i.e. by a strict law !xvi. 4; lxxii. 11, 19, etc.). of justice, rewarding to all men "after their Ver. 12.-When he maketh inquisition deserving." He shall minister judgment to for blood, he remembereth them; rather, the people (rather, the peoples; i.e. e.ll the for he that maketh inquisition for blood (see people of all the earth) in uprightness; Gen. ix. 5) remembereth them. God, i.e., tho literally, in uprightnesees-a. plural of per- Requirer of blood (Kay), remembers, when fection. he me.kes his inquisition, those who are Ver. 9.-The Lord also will be a Refuge oppressed (ver. 9), and who seek him for the oppressed. Misgab, translated ( ver. 10). He forgetteth not the cry of the "refuge," is literally" a hill-fort" (comp. humble; or, the afflicted (Kay, Cheyne). He Ps. cxliv. 2, where it is rendered "high comes to the e.id of such persons, nncl tower"). David's nee of the metaphor is avenges them on their enemies. rensonnbly ascribed to his having "often Ver. 13.-Have mercy upon me, 0 Lord! experienced so.fety in such plnces, when The consideration of God's mercies in the :fleeing from Saul" (Hengstenberg; see past, and especially in the recent t.lcliver- 1 Sorn. xxiii. 14). A refuga in times of unce, leads the psalmist to implore a con- trouble; litere.lly, in times in trouble; tinuance or his mercies in the future. He i.e. " in times that a.re steeped in trouble " is not yet free from troubks. There nre (Ke.y). still enemies who e.fllict nnd threaten him- Ver. 10.-And they that know thy Name " bee.then" who seek to "prevail" against will put their trust in thee. "To know the him (vcrs. 19, 20), and perhaps already ' Name of God is to know him according to domrstic enemies, especially the " sons of his historical manifestation:; when one Zeruie.h," causing llim o.nxiety. Consider llears him named, to call to remembrance my trouble which I sulfer of them that e.ll the.t he he.a done. His name is the focus hate me; literally, my trouble ( or, my afflic- in which nil tile rays of Ilia actions meet" tion) from my haters. Vere.17, 19, 20 show (Jiengstenberg). All who "ilr.ow God's thut the heathen e.re especially intcnde,l Ne.me" in this sense will be sure to "put (see 2 Sam. x. 15-Ia). Thou thnt liftest their trust in him," since his historico.l me up from the gates of death; i.e. "Thon rnanifesto.tion shows thut he is thoroughly that continually (or, hubituully) art my to be depended on. For thou, Lord, hast Support in the extremity of peril," "lifting uot forsaken them that seek thee. Never mo up" even from the very "gntes of in the past, so fur ns D,wid knew, he.d God denth." (For other mentions of" the gntes forsaken those who faithfully clung to him. of death," sec Job xxxviii.17; P~. cvii.18.) Thoy might be tried, like J Jb; they might Classical writers spco.k of "the go.lo, of he "hunted upon the mounlo.ins," like darkness" (<Tn&ro" ,,-~,\as) in nlmost tho David himself; they rnigllt even have the same sense (Eurip., 'Hee.,' I. 1). sense of being forsaken (Ps. xxii. 1); but Ver. 14.-That I may show forLh all thy they were not Corsa.ken nevertheless. God praise in the gates of the daughter of ZioIL "fursuketll not his sRints; they are pre- The "daughter of Zion" is, of coursn, J eru- sened -for ever" (Ps. xxxvii. 28). BRlem. Compare "daughter of llubylon '' Vc·r. 11.-Sing prnises to the Lord. (Ps. cxxxvii. 8; Isa. xlvii. 1; Jcr. I. 42; Having praised God hirusclr (\'ere. 1, l!), Zcoh. ii. 7), "dnughtcr of lhe Chuldenns" e.ud declrtred tho grounds upon whicll his (Isa. xlvii. 1, 5), "do.ughtcr or Edam" pro.ises rest (vers. 3-10), Dilvid now cl\lls (Lnm. iv. 21, 22), "dnughtor of Clullim" upon all foithful Isruelitce to join hilll in (Isa. x. 30). Hengstonberg is probably his song of tho.nksgiving. "Sing praises right in understanding "ill tho gates" us unto tbo Lord," he snys, whioh dwelleth in "within the gates," since, us he observes, Zion. Who is enthroned, i.e.,on the mercy- "God's pmiso is not to be celebrated in tho sent botwcen the cherubim in the taber- go.tee, umid the throng of worldly busiucss, nacle, now set up upon Mount Zion (2 Sum. but in the temple." The reforences in the vi. 1-17). The date of the psalm is thus 'Spcnker's Commentary' do not bear out the to some extent limited, since it must ho.vo statement there me.de, that" public mourn- Leen composed subsequently to the transfer ings e.n.d publio thunksgi vings wero pro- CS THE DOOK OF PSALMS. [rs. rx. 1-20.