The Pulpit Commentary — Psalms — Volume 2 — Section 217

phmse, The psCL)mist will commemorate wooden, 0 Lord. "The heavens' here are God'e meroies, not only when they are not the material heavens, as in Ps. xix. 1, oontinuing, but e.lwe.ys. With my mouth but the company or the dwellers in heaven. will I make known thy faithfulne11 to all God's praise fittingly be..,.iu with them. generations; literCLlly, to geneTation and Thy faithfulneBB also in th; congragation of generation. the saints. The "con,,.re.,alion 0 0 of the Ver. 2.-For I have eaid, Mercy shall be saints" is the company c,f o.ngels (comp. built up for ever. A time ehall come when, Job v. 1; xv. 15). Not on earth nnly out of whatever ruins, mercy shall be" built (vers. 1, 2), but in heaven als,,, God's" foith- up "-raised from the ground liko a snlid fulneBB " is the theme of song. edifice, and, whon once raised up, ehnll Ver. 6.-For who in the heaven can he stand firm for ever. Thy faithfulness shalt compared unto the Lord 1 God's an.,els thou establish in the very bee. vens. At the praise him, and only him ; einee ther~ is same time, God's faithfulnees to his_promieee n?ne in heaven or earth to be compared to will be eete.blisl.ied " in the very bee.vane,"him. Wl,o among the sons or the mighty i.e. conspicuously (see ver. 37). oan be likened unto the Lord 1 "The sons Ver. 3.-I have made e. covenant with my of the mighty" are the angels (comp. Pa. cha.en. There is an ellipse of "for than xxix. 1). hast so.id," which Professor Cheyne supplies. Ver. 7.-0od is greatly to ba feared in Go<l's promise to De.vid is the entire founda- the assembly of the saints; rather, in the tion of the psalmist's bopo and confidence. tJOUncil of the holy one3 (see the Revised He therefore places it briefly in the very Version). And to be had in reverence of forefront-e.fterwe.rds expanding it into the all them that are about him; or, abooe all beautiful passage, which forms more than them, etc. one-third of the entire composition (vere. Ver. 8.-0 Lord God of hosts; i.e. God of 19-37). I have sworn unto David my the angelic hosts just spoken of. Who is a servant (comp. 2 Sam. vii. 11-16; Ps. strong Lord like unto thee 1 rather, Who i8 oxuii.11), strong like unto thee, 0 Jah 1 (comp. Exod, Ver. 4.-Thy seed will I establish for xv. 11). Or to thy faithfulness round about ever (see 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13; Ps. cxxx. 12). thee 1 rather, as in the Revised Version And build up thy throne to all generations. and thy faithfulne8s is round about thee. It The promises to David were not fulfilled in has been said that " the two words 'mer- the letter. After Zerubbabel, no prince of cies' ond 'faithfulness' are the refrain the Davidio house sat on the throne of of the psalm." The latter occurs six times David, or had temporal swoy over Israel. (vers. I, 2, 5, 8, 2!, 33), and "faithful" in The descendants of David sank into ob- ver. 37. scurity, and so remllined for five centuries. Ver. 9.-Thou rulest the raging of the Still, however, God's faithfulness was sure. sea. There is no reason why this should In Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, the not be understood literally. God's power true King of the everlasting kingdom was over the sea is constantly put for1Vard by raised up-every pledge m11de to David was the sacred writers as very specially indi- fulfilled. "Messiah lhe Prince,'' eternal cative of his might and greatness ( comp. King of an eternnl kingdom, appeared as Job xxxviii. 8-11: Pd. cvi.i. 29; Prov. viii. the trne "Seed" intended, and began his 29; Jer. v. 22, etc.). When the waves spiritual reign over the spiritual Israel, thereof arise, thou stillest them (camp. Pss. which still continues, and will continue for lxv. 7; evil. 23-30; Matt. viii 26, 27). ever. Ver. 10.-Thou haat brokeu B&hab in pieoes j or, " tilou didst break" once upon a Vere. 5-37.-The psolmist carries out the time, i.e. at the Exodus. (For the designa- intention proolaimed in ver. 1, and proceeds tion of Egypt under the term "Rahab,'' i.e. "arrogant," see Job ix. 13: xxvi. 12: t.o "sing of the mercies of the Lord" at Ps. lxxxvii. 4: Isa. li. 9.) As one that is great length. His Rong of praise divides slain j i.e. completely, utterly. Thou hast into two portions. From ver. 5 to ver. 18 scattered thine enemies with thy strong it is a general loudation of the Almighty arm (see Exod. xiv. 27-31: xv. 6), for his greatness in heaven (vers. 5-7), in Ver. 11.-The heavens are thine (comp. Pss. viii. 3; miii. 6; cxv, 16). The earth nature (ve1s. 9, 11, 12), and in the course of also is thine (see Ps. xx.iv. 1). As for tha bis rule on earth (vers. 10, 13-18), after world and the fulness thereof, thou hast which it pa.sees into a lnudation of him in founded them (see Ps. l. 12). respect of what he had done, and what he Ver. 12.-The north and the south thou had promised, to Dovid (vers. 19-37), hast oreated them : Tabor and Hermou shall rejoioe in thy No.me. As in ver. 11 "he11ven Ver. 5.-And the heavellB shall praise thy and elll'th" stMcl for all creation, the whole 240 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [PB. LXXXIX. 1-52.