13 The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up and the wild beasts of the field devour it. 14 Turn Thee again, Thou God of hosts, look down from heaven: behold, and visit this vine; 15 And the place of the vineyard that Thy right hand hath planted : and the branch that Thou madest so strong for Thyself. 16 It is burnt with fire, and cut down: and they shall perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance. : 17 Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand and upon the son of man, whom Thou madest so strong for Thine own self. 15. The place of the vineyard; Heb. the plant." Some make it the imperative mood of a verb-i.e., "protect that which, &c. 17. The man of Thy right hand-i.e., Israel; possibly also with reference to King Messiah. 18. Let us live; to Heb. restore us 18 And so will not we go back from Thee: O let us live, and we shall call upon life, quicken us. Thy Name. 19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts: shew the light of Thy countenance, and we Ishall be whole. PSALM 81. Exultate Deo. [This Psalm seems to have been composed for the Temple service at the Feast of Tabernacles, which commenced on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, Tisri. On the first day of Tisri was the Feast of Trumpets; hence the new moon and the full moon are mentioned together in verse 3.] SING we merrily unto God our strength: make a cheerful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2 Take the psalm, bring hither the tab ret the merry harp with the lute. : 2. The Psalm; Heb. a song, anthem. [Anthem is a contraction from antiphone, or alternate singing. The "Venite" is called an anthem in the Prayer Book.] 3 Blow up the trumpet in the new-moon: even in the time appointed, and upon our solemn feast-day. 3. Time appointed; Heb. full moon. The same word is found in Prov. vii. 20, "He 4 For this was made a statute for Israel: will come home at and a law of the God of Jacob. 5 This He ordained in Joseph for a testimony when He came out of the land of Egypt, and had heard a strange language. 6 I eased his shoulder from the burden : and his hands were delivered from making the pots. 7 Thou calledst upon Me in troubles, and I delivered thee and heard thee what time as the storm fell upon thee. : 8 I proved thee also: at the waters of strife. 9 Hear, O My people, and I will assure thee, O Israel: if thou wilt hearken unto Me, 10 There shall no strange god be in thee neither shalt thou worship any other god. 11 I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I shall fill it. 12 But My people would not hear My voice and Israel would not obey Me. 13 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lusts: and let them follow their own imaginations. 14 O that My people would have hearkened unto Me : for if Israel had walked in My ways, 15 I should soon have put down their enemies and turned My hand against their adversaries. : the day appointed," where in the margin it is rendered "The new moon." 4. This refers to the Divine institution of the festival. 5. He came out. "A This seems to refer to 13. Lusts; Heb. hardness, stubbornness. The same word is translated imagination in Deut. xxix. 19. Elsewhere it is found only in Jeremiah. 14. Would have; rather, would hearken now—"it was not yet too late." 16 The haters of the LORD should have been found liars: but their time should have endured for ever. 17 He should have fed them also with the finest wheat-flour and with honey out of the stony rock should I have satisfied thee. : Evening Prager. PSALM 82. Deus stetit. [A Psalm of Asaph on the duty of judges—a duty so GOD standeth in the congregation of princes: 2 How long will ye give wrong judgment and accept the persons of the ungodly? 3 Defend the poor and fatherless : see that such as are in need and necessity have right. 4 Deliver the out-cast and poor : save them from the hand of the ungodly. 5 They will not be learned nor understand, but walk on still in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. 6 I have said, Ye are gods and ye are all the children of the most Highest. : 7 But ye shall die like men and fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, and judge Thou the earth for Thou shalt take all heathen to Thine inheritance. : unto whom the word of God came," S. John x. 35. 8. This verse predicts the universal kingdom of Jesus Christ. "He PSALM 83. Deus, quis similis ? [In the time of Jehoshaphat there was a great confederacy formed by the Moabites, Ammonites, and others, with the Syrians against the Jews, in which peril the king proclaimed a fast, and summoned the people to the house of the Lord to pray for help.—2 Chron. xx. It is generally acknowledged that this Psalm refers to this event.] HOLD not Thy tongue, O God, keep not still silence refrain not Thyself, O God. : 2 For lo, Thine enemies make a murmuring and they that hate Thee have lift up their head. : 3 They have imagined craftily against Thy people and taken counsel against Thy secret ones. 4 They have said, Come, and let us root them out, that they be no more a people: and that the name of Israel may more in remembrance. be no 5 For they have cast their heads together with one consent: and are confederate against Thee; 6 The tabernacles of the Edomites, and the Ismaelites the Moabites, and Hagarens; : 7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek: the Philistines, with them that dwell at Tyre. 8 Assur also is joined with them and have holpen the children of Lot. : 9 But do Thou to them as unto the Mad ianites unto Sisera, and unto Jabin at the : brook of Kison; Deus, quis similis? [Lord, who shall be like unto Thee ?]-the Latin translation of the commencement of the Psalm in the Septuagint, in which the Hebrew word was mistaken. 2. Make a murmuring; rather, roar as the waves of the sea. "The waters roar," Ps. The verb is thereof the same as that used here. 3. Thy secret onesi.e., those who have taken refuge "under the shadow of Thy wings." 5. Cast their heads, &c. ; rather, "have conspired together with one heart. 6. These tribes dwelt on the east of the Jordan. The ites, possibly descendHagarens or Hagared from Hagar, were driven out by the Reubenites in the time of Saul. Chron. v. 10. - 1 7. Gebal is a tract of land south of the Dead Sea, a moun 10 Who perished at Endor: and became tainous region inas the dung of the earth. habited by the Edomites. 8. Assur, or Assyria, is here first mentioned, and in a subordinate degree, as counted among the formidable enemies of Israel. [SELAH.] 9. In this verse reference is made to the victory over the Midianites under Gideon; secondly, to that over the Canaanites under Deborah and Barak, at Taanach and Megiddo near En-dor. 11 Make them and their princes like Oreb and Zeb yea, make all their princes like as Zeba and Salmana; 12 Who say, Let us take to ourselves: the houses of God in possession. 13 O my God, make them like unto a wheel and as the stubble before the wind; 14 Like as the fire that burneth up the : wood and as the flame that consumeth the mountains. 15 Persecute them even so with Thy tempest: and make them afraid with Thy storm. 16 Make their faces ashamed, O LORD: that they may seek Thy Name. 11. Oreb and Zeeb were slain by the Ephraimites; Zeba and Zalmunna by Gideon in the great victory over the Midianites. - Jud. vii., viii. 12. Houses; ra ther, the pastures, the lands given by God to Israel-His flock. 13. A wheel [Galgal]; rather, anything like sand or chaff, whirled on before the wind. "Like a roll ing thing before the 13. 14. The mountains 17 Let them be confounded and vexed ever more and more : let them be put to i.e., the brushwood shame, and perish. 18 And they shall know that Thou, whose Name is JEHOVAH : art only the most Highest over all the earth. PSALM 84. Quam dilecta! [This introduces a set of Psalms by the sons of O How amiable are Thy dwellings: Thou 2 My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 3 Yea, the sparrow hath found her an house, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young even Thy altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God. on the mountain. sides. 16. The object of the victory is to bring the rebel nations to the fear of God. 17. Perish- i. e., be lost, undone in their own sight, so as to recognise the omnipotence of God. |