before them, U is not very clenr how their grave (comp. Exo I. xxxii. 32; Pd. lxnvi. tuble wns lo eneno.ro them : perhaps by 6; Ezek. xiii. !I; Dan. xii. I). From this enoouro.ging them to gluttony and sensuous- list, na from any rr,gister of earthly citizen- ness, o.nd bringing upon them the diseRses ship, the names of the unwortby mi<y be which those sins breed; perhaps by lead- erased. Da.vicl prays for the era.sure of the ing them to an ostentatious clisplo.y of names of those unworthy ones against whom wealth o.nd luxury (comp. Ezek. xxiii. 40, bis imprecations are uttered. And not be 41). And tho.t which shoulcl have been for written with the righteous; i.e. not remain their welfare, lot it become a trap. Let written in the book side bv aide with the them be trapped by the good things of their names of the righteous. T·he New Testa- table, like o. wild beast by o. ho.it. ment, no less tha.n the Old, tells of this Ver. 23.-Let their eyes be darkened, that book (ace Lake x. 20; Phil. iv. 3; Rev. iii. they see not. Thu me.y bo taken either 5; x:iii. tl; xx. 12; xxi. 27). literally, "let blindness come upon those Ver. 29.-Bat I am plor and sorrowful; who have so misused their eyes;" or meta- lot thy salvation, 0 Go:l, set me up on high. phorically," let their underste.ndinge, which The psalmist adds to bis list of imprecations, they ho.ve partielly blinded, be wholly by way of contract, an invocation of blessing derkened." And make their loins continue.Uy on himself. As his present conditiun i3 in to sha.ke. Deprive them of the strength strong contrast with tho.t of his ungodly whereof they he.ve boasted, e.nd which they eucmies, o.s he i3 "poor ancl sorrowful," have misapplied, while they are prosperous and self-satisfied, Ver. 24.-Pour out thine indignation upon so let their future conditioDB be. While they them, and let thy wra.thful a.nger ta.ke hold are depressed and disgraced, let him be "set of them. At e.ny re.te, be angry with them, up on high." and show thine anger in some way or other. Let them not escape ecathelcss. A general Vers. 30-36.-In conclu3ion, the psalmbt malediction, after which the writer returns bursts oat into praise. Confident of receiv- to particulars. ing the deliverance for which he has prayeil, Ver. 25.-Let their ha.bita.tion be desola.te; he anticipo.tes it by o.t once offering thanks- literally, their encampment. Tirah (n:;i•i;i) giving (ver. 30). He then calla on others is the circular enclosure of o. nomadic tribe, within which it kept its cattle or to rejoice with him, first on the poor and took refuge itself (Gen. xxvi. 16; Numb. humble (vers. 32, 33), then on heo.vcn and xxxi. 10). Nomo.clic expressions remained earth and their inho.bitants generally (ver. in use nfter nomo.<lic hnbita had ceased (see 34). Fiue.lly, ho delivers n confident l Kings xii. 16). And let none dwell in prophecy of the continued prosperity of their tents. A duplicalion of the preceding Judah e.nd Jerwnlem (vers. 35, 36). clause. Ver. 26.-P'or they persecute him whom Ver. 30.-I will pra.isa the Nama of Goi thou ha.et smitten. This would apply with a song. (For praise of the Nu.me of equo.lly to David, and his great Antitype. God, see Pss. vii. 17 ; ix. 2 ; xxix. 2 ; ::s:xxi v. It is nn aggro.vntion of cruelty when men 3 ; !xvi. 1 ; Ixv iii. 4, etc.) And will magnify persecute one who is already euff1:ring him with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving ho.d affliction 11t God's Land. And they talk to already, in Ps. I. 13, 1·1, beeu set abo\'e the grief of those whom thou ha.st WOUI1ded; sacrifice. rnther, they tall, of the grief of those, etc. Ver. 31.-This also shall plea.se the Lord They speo.k of it mockingly, or, at any rate, botter than e.n o:x or bullock that he.th horns unsympo.tbetically. e.nd hoofs j i.e. that is fit for leg_o.1 so.erifice Ver. 27 .-Add iniquity unto their iniquity. -of full age, o.n<l clean. Either " let them fo.11 from one wickedness Ver. 32.-The humble shall sea this, nnd to another," ns the clo.uso is rendered in the be gla.d. The meek-God's people-seo Prayer-book Version; or " add to the Do.vid's dclivcn1ncc, and o.re glad-rejoice record of their sin in thy book, o. further iu their heo.rt, and unit:J \vith hitu in thanks- record of other sins, o.s they commit them." giving. And your heart sha.ll live that seek And let them not come into thy righteous- God (oJmp. Ps. uii. 2G). ness; i.e. let them not receive the gift of Ver. 33.-For the Lord hea.reth the poor. thy justifying gro.ce, nnd so be counted Tho "poor in spil'it" are probably meant nrnong thy rigllteous onrs. (cornp. ver. 29). And despisath not his Ver. 28.-Let them be blotted out of the prisoners. Those who suffer for his Bltko. book of the living. God is supposed to ho.ve Ver. 3,1.-L~t the heaven and earth praise a "book of the living " in bis poeeession, him, the saas, a.nd everything that m~veth which contains the nnmcs of e.11 those on therein (comp. Pa. xovi. 11). As Job co.lb whom he looks with favour, o.nd whom be on heo.vrn and enrth to sywpo.thizo with will bless both in this worlJ and beyond the him iu his distJ:oss (Job xvi. 18, HJ), so 56 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PB, LXIX, 1-36,
David would have them to pArt11ke in his brought about hor own ,leetruollon. And joy at hie delivemnce. will build the cities of J'udah; i.e. maintain Ver. 35.-For Ood will nve Zion. It is them, keep them from decny 11nd ruin. not necessary t.o suppose that Jerusalem wae That they may dwell there ; i.e. continue to in any immediate d11nger. The pl!ftlmist inhabit the cities. And have it (i.e. Zion, merelY means that the same God from or Jerusalem) in po■aeasion. whom· he now confidently expects deliver- Ver. 36.-The seed also of hia ■ervanta Rnl'e will always watoh over bis city, over ■hall inherit it. Nor shall the city nlone- hie people, over his inhrrit..'lnce, and tohenetier tbe mere wnlls nnd buil,lings-continue to danger threatens, will exert his protecting exist. "The seed of God's servants "-his power end save. Prophecies of this kind people lsrael-sh.111 continue to inhabit it~ are always conditional, nnd time Zion, whon And they that love his Name shall dwell she rejected God for idols (2 Chron. xxxvi. therein. When the earthly Zion fell away 14). an,I again when she rejected him for and forfeited the promises, they possed to Baral.ha.!! (Matt. xxvii. 21), forfeited the the heavenly Zion (Heh. xii. 22)-the Churoh promised ble&ing of continuance, and of God, the true Israel.