EXPOSITION. Ver. 1.-God is our Refuge and Strength PSALM XLVI. (comp. Pss. xvi ii. 2; xciv. 22, eto.). A very Tms is a psnlm of consolation. Israel, in present Help in trouble; litemlly, a verrJ accessible Help--0ue easy to be found (oomp. great peril (vers. 1-3, 6, 8, 9), consoles 2 Chron. xv. 4). herself with the thought of God's might, Ver. 2.-Therefore will not we fear, his protecting care, and his ability to sh1Ltter though the earth be removed; or, though the all the combinations thnt her enemies mny earth change-a. soruewho.t vaguo oxpression, form e.gniust her. There ie nothing to changes probably to be understood of poli ticlll nnd revolutions (see ver. 6). And detormine C1bsolutely whnt pe.rticu!C1r peril thongh the mountains be oarried into the is spoken of; but, 011 the whole, the allu- midst of the sea; rather, and though the sions seem to point to the invasion by mountains be hurled into the heart of the seas. Sennacherib, rather than to C1ny other event A metaphor for still more strnnge aml in Hebrew history. Critics of such diverse violent disturbanoes and oommotions. The revolutions aud disturba.nces intended nro schools o.s Hengdtenberg o.nd Professor probably those ea.used by tho Assyria" Cl1eyno unite iu this conclusion. oaroer of conquest briefly described iu L111. The metrical construction ie very simple x. 5-14; xi-xvii. 18-27, nnrl fully ,et aud regular, if, with severnl eminent critics, forth in tho annnls of the Assyri1Ln kings we restore, after ver. 3, the refrain of vers. (see G. Sn:iith's 'Eponym Canon,' pp. 106-HD; aud the crnthor's 'Aucicnl 7 and 11, which seems to have e.ccidentally Mon1Lrchios,' vol. ii. pp. 83-210). fallen out. We then ho.vo three etnnzne of Ver. 3.-Though the waters thereof ro1Lr fonr verses e1Loh, e11ch etlLnza terminating and be troubled; or, roar cin,l foam (Heug- with the same refmin. stenberg, Kny, Cheyne). Though tho "Upon Alamoth" in the title is beet mountains shake with the swelling ther.io1 (comp. Ps. xciii. a, 4; Jor. xlvi. 8, ~; explained ILB Cl musical direction-to be xlvii. 2). sung upon ltigh notes, with voices ehl'ill Ver. -!.-Thero is a rivor, the stroams u.nd clear, liko tl:ose of" virgins." whereof shall make glail the cit7 of God, 358 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [I'S. XLVI. 1-11.
In contrast with the scene of tumult and the earth. The delivero.nce of Israel from disturbance in the world at large, which the its peril is effected by "desolations II or writer has presented to us in vers. 2, 3, he "devastations," which God accomplishes now shows us, resting in perfect peace and among the no.tions. The o.nnouncement tranquillity, "the city of God," threatened, is very vague o.nd ge:oeral, so that it would indeed, by the nations, but undismayed by apply to e.lmost nny occasion when the them, and calmly trusting in the protection people of God were delivered from n of the God who is "in the midst of her." pressing peril. To this city be assigns a "river, the Ver. 9.-He me.keth wars to oee.se unto streams whereof make her glad;" imagery the end of the earth (comp. Isa. ii. 4 ; xi. in which we may recognize the perennial 9; lxv. 25). Each great deliverance effected fonntain of God's grace-that "pure river by God is followed naturally by e. term of of water of life," which, welling forth from peace (comp. Judg. iil 11, 30; v. 31; viii. the throne of God and of the Lamb, con- 28: "nnd the land had rest twenty, forty, tinually refreshes and gladdens the Church eighty years"), each such term being of Christ (Rev. xxiL I), whether her dwell- typical of the final peace, when God shall ing-place be the earthly or the heavenly have put down all enemies under Messiah's Jerusalem. The holy place of the tabernacles feet. He bree.keth the bow, and outteth of the Most High (comp. Ps. xlili. 3). The the spear in sunder; i.e be destroys all direct npplication is, of course, to the offensive weapons, so that none may "hnrt earthly Jerusalem, which the armies of or destroy in all hie holy mountain 11 (lee.. Sennacherib were threatening, xi. 9). He burneth the chariot in the fire. Ver. 5.-God is in the mid&$ of her; she War-chariots were lnrgely employed by the shall not be moved. While the world is Assyrie.118, nnd formed the main strength of being turned upside down (vers, 2, 3, 6), the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings xix. 23). the Church is unmoved-since "God is in Ver. 10.-Be still, and know that I o.m the midst of her." God shall help her, and God (comp. Exod. xiv. 18, 14; 2 Chron. xx. that right early; literally, at the turning of 17; Ise.. xxx. 15). As a general rule, God the morning, or, in other words, "at the reqnires man to co-operate with him. "Wc break of day" (comp. Pas. xxx. 6; xlix. are fellow-workers with God." "Aide-toi, 14 ; Isa. xvii. 14). The deliverance of le ciel t'aidera." But there e.re occasions Isrnel from Sennacherib came, it is to be when man must stand aloof, and all must remembered, when it was discovered" early be left to the almighty Disposer of all in the morning" that in the camp of the things. The invasion of Sennacherib was ABsyrians were 185,000 "dead corpses" (2 such an occasion. Hnme.n effort could not Kings xix. 35). but be fntile; and unless God gave deliver- Ver. 6.-The heathen raged, the kingdoms ance in some strange and extraordinary way, were moved : he uttered his voice, the earth there was no hope of es~ape: Jndma must melted (comp. vere. 2 and 3). The past cease to exist as an independent country. tenses are probably the "preterite of pro- I will be exalted among the heathen. When phetic certainty." The writer foresees and e. deliverance was plainly miraculous, tho annonncee tbe deetrnctionof Israel's enemies. God of Israel got him special honour nmong Ver. 7.-The Lord of hosts is with us the neighbouring heathen nations, who (comp. 2 Chron. xv. 2; XL 17; Isa. viii. could not gainsey the fact that there had 8, 10). Thie is the ground of e.senrance. been a supernatural interposition (comp. Onr God, Jehovah, is "the Lord of hosts" Exod. xiv. 4, 17, 18). I will be exalted in -<>De who he.a conntlese angele at hie com- the earth. Exaltation among the neighbour- mand (2 Kings vi. 16, 17; Pa. Ixviii. 17; ing bee.then had an effect upon e. still wider Matt. xxvi. 53). And he is "with WI"~ circle (comp. 2 Ohron. xxxii. 23, "Ancl on onr side, ready to help. The God of many brought gifts to Hezekiah, King of Jaoob is onr Refnge; i.e. our covenant God, Judah, nnd he was mo.gnified in tho eyes of the God who entered into covenant with all l1ealken henceforth "). our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Ja.cob. Ver. 11.-The Lord of hosts is with us; Ver. 8.-Come, behold the works of the the God of Jaoob is our Refuge (see the Lord, what desolations he bath me.de in comment on vcr. 7),