EXPOSITION. Ver. 1.-Lord, who shall a.bide in thy PSALM XV. tabernacle, rather, Who sliall ,ojourn f So much ho.ving been so.id in so me.ny Whom wilt tl,ou accept ns a sojourner in thy tent, to be neu to thee, a.nil consnrt ps11lms of the privileges nml blessings o.c- with thee? Who shall dwell (i.e. whom wilt cor,loJ to the righteous me.n (Pss. i. 3; iii. 8; thou permit to dwell) in thy holy hill 1 'l'ho v. 11, 12: iv. 9, 12, 18; x. 17, 18; xi. 7, "tabernacle" e.ncl the "holy hill" of Zion etc.), the nrre.ngers of this book thought it nre, of course, not to be understood litomlly. fitting to insert in this pillce n definition, They e.re figurative expressions, pointing to the Divine presence e.nd favour, au<l the or description, of who tho righ tcous mo.n is. blcs9edncss of o.biding in them. They found a" psnlm of Do.vid" (see title) Ver. 2.-He the.t we.lketh uprightly, and in which such o. description wns set forth worketh righteousness, An upright wo.lk with singnle.r force and brevity. The psnlm is the first rcq ubite ( romp. Gen. xvii. 1 ; Ps. is 0110 of five verses. In the first verso tho xxvi. 3, II; Isn. xxxiii. 15). Such o. wnlk involves the doing ot" righteousnesR, not, oC question is ro.ised ; the remaining four coursl', in nbsoluto perfection, but with n give the answer, which is arranged in two sincere intention, e.nd so e.s to hnve "the strophes of two verses each, the firHt verse of answer of a good conscience towards Goel" ench strophe declaring the chRre.cter of tho (I Pet. iii. 21). Aud speaketh the truth in righteous mo.n positively, o.n<l the second bis hee.rt. Not "from hi~ henrt," ns in the Pmycr-book Version, which wouhl mnko verso negatively. The result is that fi vo the reference one to nrnro truth of speech, positive nnd five negative fce.tnrcs e.re but" in bis bee.rt,'' which points to internnl pointed out, by which the righteous me.n truihlulness-that truthfulness "in the mny be known. There is nothing to indicate hidden council-cbnmber of the soul,'' which o.t what period in David's life this psalm "holds no pnrley with what is fe.lse" (Kay). Ver. 3.-He that b:ickbiteth not with his we.s composed, except tbe.t it woe nflcr ihe tongue. Awong the negative virtues the establishment of the te.beme.ole on Mount first pince is giveu to the observ11nco of the Zion (vcr. 1), ninth commnndment, prob11bly becnu~e to 92 'l1HE BOOK OF PSALMS. Ces. xv. 1-(j,
err in this respect is so very oommon a world they are ortcn o.s the oil'scouring of fault (see Jcr. vi. 28; ix. 4; Jas. iii. 5-8). all things (1 Cor. iv. 13)." He that sweareth Nor doath evil to his neighbour; rather, t-0 to his own hurt, and ohangeth not. The his friend, or his companion--a different righteous man, ifhe happens to h11.ve sworn word from tbe.t used e.t the end of the verse, to do something whioh it turns out will be ,nd implying greater intimacy. There is to his own hmt, nevertheless keeps his special wickedness in injuring one with engagement (comp Lev. v, 4, where 11,:,~~ whom we are intimate. Nor taketh up a is used in the same sense). • reproaoh against his neighbour, The good Ver. 5.-He that putteth not out his money man does not, even when it is true, spread to usury. Usury,whcn one Israelite borrowed an ill report concerning his neighbour. He of another, was strictly forbidden by the prefers to keep silence, and let the report Le.w (Exod. xxii. 25; Lev. xxv. 36; Deut. die out (see Exod. xxxiii. I). xxiii. 19). When the borrower was e. fo. Ver. 4.-In whose eyes a vile person is 1·eigner, it was lawful (Deut. xv. 3; xxxiii. contemned. So the LXX.., the Vulgate, 20); and no discredit can attach to the Ewald, Hupfeld, Hengstenberg, and the practice, so long as the r11.te of interest Revised Version, Others prefer to translate, charged is moderate (comp. Matt. xxv. 27). "He is despised in his own eyes, [and] Here the writer contemplates only snch worthless" (Aben Ezra, Hitzig, Delitzsch, usury as was forbidden by the Law. Hor Kay, 'Speaker's Commentary'). Either taketh reward against the innocent ; re- rendering furnishes a good sense: but the fuses, i.e., to take a bribe, either as judge Jaw of panllelism is very decidedly in or witness, when a ch11.rge is made age.inst favour of the former. As the righteous an innocent person. The contrary conduct man honours those who fear God, so he con- was widely practised by the Israelites in temns those who are vile or worthless. He later times (see Isa. i. 23; v. 23; Jer. xxii. is no respecter of persons, Men's outward 17; Ezek. xxii. 12; Hos. iv. 18; Mic11.b iii. circamstances are nothing to him. He 11, etc.), and prevails j?enerally in the East a,vards honour or contempt according to to the present de.y. He that doath these men's moral qualities. But he honoureth things sha.!l never be moved (comp. Ps. xvi. them that fear the Lord. " It is no common 8), He shall continue "steadfast, unmov- virtue," says Calvin, "to honour pious able," having God "at his right hand," as and godly men, since in the opinion of the his Protector and Sustainer.