purity 9:nd ~ollness.. And not only has he his anger, and relent concemiog them (ver. done this with the BIDS which they know of 13): (3) that he will once more shower his 11nd whereof their ooneciencee are afraid! but he has set their secret sins also in th; mercies upr.n them, and canse their afflic- light of hie countenance. (On men's tion to be swallowed np in gladness (vers. "secret sine," comp. Pe. xix. 12, and the 14'. 15); (4) that he will sliow his glorious oomment ad loc.) domgs to them and to their children (ver. Vor. 9.-For a.JI our days are passed a.way 16); (5) that he will let his beauty re 5 t in thy wre.th; or, "under thy wrath"- upon them (ver. 17); and (6) that he will " whilst thou art still angry with us" (comp. Deut. xxxii. 15-25). We spend blee3 their doings, e.nd establish them our years-ruther, bring our years to an end (ver. 17). (Hengslen~erg, Kay, Revised Version) as a tale that 1s told ; rather, as a re1Jerie or Ver. 12.-Bo teaoh as to number our de.y3, "as a murmur.,, ' that we may apply our hee.rt3 unto wisdom. Ver. 10,-The days of our years are three "Teach us," that is, " so to reflect on the score years and ten. This seems a low brevity of life, that we may o-et to our- estimate for the time of Moses since he ee~ ves a heart of wisdom," or a h~art that is himself died at the age of e. hu~d.red and wise and understanding. twenty (Deut. xxxiv. 7), Aaron at the e.o-e Ver. 13.-Beturn, 0 Lord, how Iona' l of ": .. hundred e.n~ _twenty-three (Numb. rather, turn, 0 Lord; i.e. "turn from thy xxxm. 39), and Mmam e.t e.n nge which e.nger-how long will it be ere tb.ou was even more advanced (Numb. xx. l; !urnest?" And let it repent thee conoem- comp. Exod. ii. 4). But these may have IDg thy servants. God "is not a man, that been exceptional cases, and we have cer- he should repent" (Numb. xxiii. 19); and tainly no sufficient data for determinino- yet from time to time "it repents him con- '"!ha~ was tho average length of huma~ cerning his servants" (Deut. xxxii 36; hfe ID the later period of the wanderings. P~. cxxxv. 14). He relents, that is, from The suggestion has been made that it was his fierce anger, allows himself to be ap- probably even shorter tlian tliat here men- peased, e.ud has compassion upon those who tioned. And if by reason of strength they he.ve provoked him. be f~ur score years; i.e. " if, through ex- Ver. 1~--Oh satisfy 118 early with thy ceptional strength in this or that individual m~rcy; literally, ~i•f!I ""'in the morning they occasionally mount up to four scor~ taitli thy mercy; 1.e. "after a nio-ht of years." Yet is their strength labour and trouble, give us e. bright morning of peace sorrow; rather, yet ia their pride then but and rest." That we may rejoice e.nd be la~r and vanity. They may boast of glad all our days ; mther, and we will tlie1r age; but what real advantage is it to rejoice and be glad, etc. them? After seventy, the years draw nigh Ver. 15.-Make us glad according to the when each ~e.n i.s forced to say," I have days wherein thou hast e.:tll.icted us. Pro- !lo. pleasure 1n them" (Ecolee. xii. 1). l!'or portion our time of joy to o'1r time of it 1s soon out olf, e.nd we fly e.we.y. More- sorrow : e.s the one be.a lasted many long over, even if we live to eighty, our life years, . so let the other. AnJ the years seems to us no more than a spun so soon wherein we have seen evil; or "suflered does it pass away, e.nd we take' our de- udversity." ' parture. Ver. 16.-Let thy work e.ppee.r unto thy yer. 11.-Who lmoweth the power of servants, and thy glory unto their children. ~hme !1-nger l W,ho can duly estimate the The "W?rk" e.nd the "glory" are the 1ntens1~y of God ~ anger against such ns so.me th1Dg-some ve.st exertion of the have d1spleaeed him? Even e.coording to Divine_ power e.ud majesty, which will thy fear, so is thy wrath; rather or who result m greu.t good to his people. If we ~n estimate thy fury as the fea; of thee acCEipt the ..Mose.io authorship of the pse.lm, ~i.e. the }?roper fear) rtquires t The verse the esttibhshment of Isroel in the laud of 1e exegetloe.l of ver. 9, e.nd is intended to Canaan me.y reasonably be taken us the impress on me.n the terribleness of God's "work" spoken or. anger. Ver. 17.-And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us (comp. Ps. xiv. 24 Vcrs. 12-17.-From complaint the " Thou nrt fairer than the children of men • .~ psalmist, in conclusion, turns to pre.yor- Pa. xxvii. 4, "To behold the beauty of the prayer for his people mther than for him- Lord;" Ise.. xxxiii. 17, '' Thine eyes shall self. His petitions e.re, (1) that GoJ will see the King in his b~outy "). Tl,e •• beauty of God" is upon us whe11 we see and cn11ble his people to toke to he11rt the realize the loveli11ess of his ch11ro.cter. And lessons which the brevity of life should eate.blish thou the work of our hands upon. teach (ver, 12); (2) that he will cease from 118 i yea, the work of our he.11.ds establish THE BOOK OF PSALMS. fPB, OX. 1-17.
thou it. The repetition l\dde nothing, ~ie eervante a~e enaaged-to bless it; that except it be emphnsis. God ie asked., 1s, to advance it and prosper it. The nature fi11ally, to "establish the work" in whiol1 of the" work" ie not mentioned,