The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 2 — Section 175

out for the livin 6 God; rRther, rejoicetli'; or God rests on those who net as above de- "sings out R nole of joy" unl-0 the living scribed, nnd causes them <Jver to increase God. So. Hengstenberg, who sRys, "The in righteousness and true holiness. 'l"erb if:, 1s of frequent occurrence in the Ver. 7.-They go from strength to P,alms, and al,nays signifies f-0 rejoice." strength, Their spiritu1tl oourse is one of Compare the comment of Professor Cheyne. oontinually greater vitality and vigour. Yer. 3.-Yee., the spe.rrow hath found an Every one of them in Zion appeareth before house, e.nd the swallow a nest for herself, God. E,ther "Ea.eh in his turn appears to where she me.y le.y her young. Both rendor thanks and praise before God's holy sparrows and swallows abound in Pales- seat on Mount Zion ; " or" Each in his turn tine. Ca.non Tristram found tile ne,t of shall appear before God's throne in the true a sparrow "so closely allied tn our own Zion, heaven." tlrnt it is difficult to distin,.uish it" in a Ver. 8.-0 Lord God of hosts, hee.r my chink of the Haram wall at Jerusale~, near prayer. The prayer of ver. 9. Give ear, the Golden Gate (' Land of Israel,' p. 182). 0 God of J'a.oob (comp. Pss. xx. 1; xlvi. 7, An anecdote related by Herodotus (i. 159) 11; lxxv. 9; lxxvi. 6; lxxxi. 1, 4, eto.). shows that sparrows built about the Greek Ver. 9.-Behold, 0 God our Shield; i.e. temples. The general meaning of the ''our Protectiou and Defence" (comp. Pas, figure in this place seems to be, "If even xxxiii. 20; lix. 11; lx:xxix. 18). And look ~irds love to build their nests, as they do, upon. the ~ace of thine anointed. Regard in the sacred precincts, how much more our kmg with favour; let the li<>ht0 of thy reason has the believing heart to find its couutenance shine upon biru. I home in the house of its God!" But the Ver. 10.-For a day in thy courts is psalmist thinks it enough to sugg, st the 0 better than a thousand; i.e. than any parallel, and does not stop to carry it out. number of days elsewhere. It is difficult Even thine altars. The "altar" is put, by to trace e.ny connection between these con- metonymy, for the temple itself. 0 Lord of cluding verses. They appear to consist of hosts, my King, and my God (comp. Ps. v. 2). distinct thoughts, which o.riae in the writer's Ver. 4.-Blessed are they that dwell in mind, and are jotted down a.~ they occur to thy hollSe. As the Korahite Levites did him. One is a. thought of loyalty, which being "keepers of the gates" of the Lord'~ finds vent in a. prayer for the king (ver. 9). house (1 Chron. iL 19; n:vi. 1). They will Another is a reflection of the me.in thought be still pra.i.smg thee. It is their privilege of the psalm, the incomparable blessedness to be al ways praising thee. "The speaker of dwelling in God's house. A third (vers. regards the temple as predominantly the 11, 12) is the joy and glory of perpetual house of praise" (Cheyne). communion with God and trust in God. Ver. 5.-Blessed is the man whose strength See the remarks of Professor Cheyne (' The is in thee. God is the" Strength" of all who Book of Psalms,' p. 237). I he.d rather be trust in him. The psalmist seems to mean a door-keeper in the house of my God; that mere dwel\i.ng in the house of God is literally, at the threshold; but the meaning not enough for blessedness. Trust in God is well expressed by the Authorized Ver- -having God for one's Strength-is also sion. "Door-keepers in the house of their requisite (comp. ver. 12). In whose heart God" we.a exactly what the Korahite Le- are the ways of them; literally, in whose vites were (1 Chron. ix. 19; xxvi. l, 12-19). heart are highways. The "high ways" in- Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. teuded are probably those of holiness ( comp. As their ancestor, Kora.h, ho.d done (Numb. Prov. xvi. 17 and Isa. xxxv. 8). xvi. 26). Yer. 6.- Who passing through the valley Ver. 11.-For the Lord God is a Sun and of Baca make it a well; rather, through the Shield; i.e. not only o. "Shield" or protec- ',n// y of weeping ( -rhv ,co,l\.aoa -roii ,cl\.av8µ.cZvos, tion, as he has been already called (ver. 9), LXX.). Sn Hupfeld, Hengstenherg, Kay, but olso a "Sun," the source of life and and the Revised Version ; compare H"sea's light, of joy and happiness (comp. Isa.. " valley of Achor,'' i.e. "of Grief." When Ix. 19, 20; Mal. iv. 2). The Lord will give the righteous pass through a. time of suffer- graca and glory. Inw1trd grace, outward iog or calamity, they turu it into a time of splendour and glory (Rev. xxi. 11-24). refreshment. The rain also filleth the pools; No good thing will he withhold from them rather, tile early rain (Joel ii. 23) 001:ereth that walk uprightly (see 1 Cor. ii. 9; l Tiw. it with blessings. The rain of God's grace iv. 8; and P •. xxxiv. 10). mantles all the valley with a luxuriant Ver. 12.-0 Lord of hosts, blessed is the vegetation; in other words, the blessing- of man that trusteth in t)lee (comp. Ps. ii, 12). Pll. LXX.XIV, 1-12,] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 193