(1) Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: Declare among the people his doings. II When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth 12 them : He forgetteth not the cry of the humble. on my spirit, that I was as if it talked with me." Grace Abounding, § 62 ff. them that seek thee] See note on xxiv. 6. 11. which dwelleth in Zion] Or, (cp. v. 7) sitteth enthroned. Zion became the special abode of Jehovah from the time when the Ark, the symbol of His Presence, was placed there (lxxvi. 2; cxxxii. 13 f.). The cherubim which overshadowed the ark were the throne of His glory (lxxx. 1; xcix. 1). It was the earthly counterpart of heaven (ii. 4): from thence He manifested Himself for the help of His people (iii. 4; xx. 2). the people] Rather, the peoples, as R.V. marg. Not Israel, but the nations around, are meant. Jehovah's doings (lxxvii. 12; lxxviii. 11; ciii. 7), i.e. His mighty works on behalf of His people, are to be proclaimed among them. The first step towards their conversion is that they should know the evidences of His power and love. Cp. xviii. 49; Ivii. 9; xcvi. 3; cv. 1; Is. xii. 4. 12. For he that maketh requisition for bloodshed hath remembered them: He hath not forgotten the cry of the humble. The call to praise is based on a definite experience (hath remembered, hath not forgotten), rather than on a general truth (remembereth, forgetteth not). Jehovah is the Goel, the Avenger of blood, who investigates all offences against His sacred gift of human life, and demands satisfaction for them (Gen. ix. 5 f.). Such offences 'cry' to God for vengeance (Gen. iv. 10). 'Bloodshed' may include crimes of violence which fall short of actual murder, but rob men of the rightful use and enjoyment of their lives. Cf. Job xxiv. 2 ff. them] The oppressed seekers of Jehovah mentioned in vv. 9, 10; the 'poor' of the next line. the cry] For illustration comp. Ex. iii. 7, 9; 1 Sam. ix. 16; Job xxxiv. 28. the humble] R.V. the poor, marg. meek. The traditional reading (Qri) is 'anavim, though the text (Kthibh) has 'aniyyim. Both words are derived from the same root, meaning to bend or bow down. The first is intransitive in form, and denotes the character of one who bows himself down: lowly, humble, meek (LXX paus). The second is passive in form, and denotes primarily the condition of one who is bowed down by external circumstances of poverty, trouble, or oppres sion: poor, afflicted (comp. the cognate substantive in v. 13, my trouble, R.V. affliction). But inasmuch as humility is learnt in the school of affliction and poverty (cp. Matt. v. 3 with Luke vi. 20), it often has 13 (1) Have mercy upon me, O Lord; 14 Consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: That I may shew forth all thy praise In the gates of the daughter of Zion: the secondary sense of meek, humble (LXX generally πτwɣós, névns, sometimes ταπεινός or πραΰς), and the distinction between the two words is lost. The second of the two words (but not the first) is often coupled or in parallelism with ebhyōn 'needy,' v. 18), or dal 'weak,' 'feeble' (lxxxii. 3, 4); and these words also, though primarily denoting condition, tend to acquire a moral significance. The afflicted,' 'poor,' 'meek,' 'humble,' are a class that meet us frequently in the Psalms and Prophets. They are those whose condition specially calls for the special protection of Jehovah, and of righteous rulers who are His true representatives (Ps. lxxii. 2, 4, 12); and whose character for the most part fits them to be objects of the divine favour. They are contrasted with the proud, the scorners, the oppressors, whose contemptuous independence and high-handed violence will meet with due punishment (Prov. iii. 34). 13, 14. Stanza of Cheth. The connexion is difficult. The preceding and succeeding verses speak of deliverance granted, of victory won. Why then this abruptly introduced prayer for relief? To regard it as the 'cry of the afflicted' in their past distress seems inconsistent with the vigorous directness of the Psalm; and it is best to suppose that the recollection of dangers which still threaten prompts a prayer even in the moment of triumph. But it is possible that by a simple change in the vocalisation (Introd. p. lxvii) the verbs should be read as perfects instead of imperatives:-'Jehovah hath been gracious unto me; he hath seen my affliction...lifting me up &c.' So the Greek version of Aquila; and so Jerome, according to the best reading (misertus est mei...vidit afflictionem meam). 13. Have mercy upon me] Rather, Be gracious unto me. See note on iv. I. consider my trouble &c.] See the affliction which I suffer from them that hate me. Cp. x. 14; xxxi. 7; Exod. iii. 7, 9; iv. 31. thou that liftest me up from the gates of death] He had been brought down as it were to the very entrance of that mysterious place from which he knew of no possibility of return; to the gates which opened for entrance but not for exit. Cp. cvii. 18; Job xxxviii. 17; Is. xxxviii. 10; Matt. xvi. 18; and the Homeric 'Aïdao múλai (I. v. 646, &c.). How different the Christian view of "the grave and gate of death" as the passage to "a joyful resurrection!" 14. in the gates] i.e. with the utmost publicity (cxvi. 14); for the city gates were the common place of concourse and business, corresponding to the agora or forum of Greece and Rome. Cp. Job xxix. 7; Prov. viii. 3; Jer. xvii. 19, 20. The implied contrast between "the I will rejoice in thy salvation. (D) The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: 15 In the net which they hid is their own foot taken. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: 16 The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. () The wicked shall be turned into hell, cheerful ways of men" and the gloomy entrance to the nether world is obvious. Ports (P.B.V.) is an obsolete word for gates, from Lat. porta. the daughter of Zion] A poetical personification of the citizens or the city as an individual. Originally Zion was thought of as the mother, the citizens collectively as her daughter; but as terms for land and people are easily interchanged, the expression came to be applied to the city itself (Is. i. 8; Lam. ii. 15). Daughter of Zion' occurs nowhere else in the Psalter (see however 'daughter of Tyre,' xlv. 12; 'daughter of Babylon,' cxxxvii. 8), but together with the cognate phrases 'daughter of Jerusalem,' 'daughter of my people' &c. frequently in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and is specially characteristic of the Lamentations. salvation] R.V. marg., saving help. See note on iii. 8. 15, 16. Stanza of Teth, resuming the description of the judgment. Wickedness has been made to minister to its own discomfiture. Cp. vii. 15 f. 15. The heathen] The nations, as in v. 5. The figures are taken from the pitfalls and nets used in hunting. Cp. vii. 15, xxxv. 7, 8, lvii. 6. 16. Jehovah hath made himself known, he hath executed judgment, Snaring the wicked in the work of his own hands. For God's revelation of Himself in judgment comp. xlviii. 3 (R.V.): Ex. vii. 5; xiv. 4, 18; Ezek. xxxviii. 23. Higgaion] A musical term, rendered a solemn sound in xcii. 3, and here in conjunction with Selah directing the introduction of a jubilant interlude, to celebrate the triumph of the divine righteousness. 17, 18. Stanza of Yod. Confident anticipation for the future, arising naturally out of the contemplation of Jehovah's recent judgement. 17. R.V. rightly: The wicked shall return to Sheol, Even all the nations that forget God. Sheol is not hell as the place of torment. What is meant is that the career of the wicked in this world will be cut short by the judgement of God. Cp. lv. 15, lxiii. 9. But why return?' Man must return' unto the ground from which he was taken, to the dust of which he was made, to his elementary atoms (Gen. iii. 19; Ps. civ. 29, xc. 3). A still closer parallel is to be found in the words of Job (xxx. 23) 'unto PSALMS 17 And all the nations that forget God. 18 () For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: Let the heathen be judged in thy sight. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD: That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah. death wilt thou make me return.' Cp. too Job i. 21. The shadowy existence in Sheol to which man passes at death is comparable to the state of non-existence out of which he was called at birth. "From the great deep to the great deep he goes." There Job will have no more enjoyment of life, there 'the wicked' will have no more power for evil. that forget God] Cp. Ps. 1. 22; Job viii. 13, for the phrase, and Ps. x. 4 for the thought. Observe that it is God, not Jehovah; the nations could not know Him in His character of the God of revelation, but even to them "he left not himself without witness" (Acts xiv. 17), but manifested to them what they could know concerning Himself (Rom. i. 18-23). Deliberate wickedness, especially as shewn in antagonism to God's chosen people, implied a culpable forgetfulness of God. 18. For the needy shall not perpetually be forgotten; Nor the hope of the afflicted be disappointed for ever. expectation] The patient hope which waits upon God in faith (LXX VTOμov: Vulg. patientia). Comp. the frequent use of the cognate verb generally rendered wait: xxv. 3, 5, 21, xxvii. 14, xxxvii. 9, 34, xl. 1, cxxx. 5; Is. xxv. 9, xxvi. 8: and elsewhere. the poor] Here the traditional reading is ‘aniyyīm, ' afflicted,' though the text has 'anāvīm, 'meek.' See note on v. 12. 19, 20. This stanza should begin with Kaph, but (if the text is sound) the similar letter Qoph is substituted for it. [Kaph is prefixed to v. 18 in Dr Scrivener's text; but this verse belongs to the stanza of Yod.] It is a prayer for further and still more complete judgment upon the nations, that they may be taught to know their human weakness. Arise, O Jehovah; let not mortal man wax strong : Let the nations be judged in thy presence. Ordain terror for them, O Jehovah, Let the nations know they are but mortal. The word for 'man' (enōsh) denotes man in his weakness as contrasted with God (2 Chr. xiv. 11; Job iv. 17; Is. li. 7, 12). 'Strength' is the prerogative of God (lxii. 11); though men and nations are apt to think that it is inherent in themselves (lii. 7); and therefore the Psalmist prays that the proud antagonism of the nations may receive a salutary lesson. They are to be summoned to Jehovah's presence and there judged. 20. Put them in fear] Lit. set terror for them: some awe-inspiring exhibition of power, such as were the wonders of the Exodus. (Deut. Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. And blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. iv. 34, xxvi. 8, xxxiv. 12; Jer. xxxii. 21.) The rendering of LXX, Vulg., Syr., appoint a lawgiver over them, (reading moreh for mōrah) is certainly wrong, though it is adopted by Luther and by some modern critics. 10 3 PSALM X. 1, 2. Stanza of Lamed. Expostulation with Jehovah for neglect of His persecuted people, and statement of the wrongs which call for redress. 1. Why standest thou afar off] As an indifferent or indolent spectator. Cp. xxxviii. 11 (of fair-weather friends); xxii. 1 (of God); Is. lix. 14; and the corresponding prayer in xxii. 11, 19, XXXV. 22, xxxviii. 21, lxxi. 12. Conversely, God is said to be 'near' when His power is manifested (lxxv. 1, xxxiv. 18). why hidest thou thyself] Lit. why mufflest thou?-Thine eyes so that Thou dost not see (Is. i. 15); Thine ears so that Thou dost not hear (Lam. iii. 56). Cp. Ps. lv. 1. in times of trouble] Or, of extremity. See note on ix. 9. 2. The general sense of the first clause is that given by R.V.: In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; or possibly, is consumed, by fear, anxiety, and distress. In the second clause there is a double ambiguity. The verb taken may be rendered as a wish or as a statement of fact; and its subject may be the 'wicked' or the 'poor.' Hence either, as A.V., let them (the wicked) be taken in the devices that they have imagined: or, as LXX, Vulg., R. V. marg.: they (the poor) are taken in the devices that they (the wicked) have imagined. With the first rendering comp. vii. 15, 16, ix. 16: but the second is on the whole preferable. It gives a good parallelism to the first line of the verse; and a further description of the wrongs of the poor suits the context better than a parenthetical cry for retribution. 3-11. The Psalmist justifies his complaint by a description of the reckless character (3-6) and the ruthless conduct (7-11) of the wicked man, and he traces them to their source in his virtual atheism. The alphabetic structure disappears in this section. 3. A difficult verse. Boasteth of his heart's desire may mean either, makes shameless boast of his selfish greed without any pretence at concealment: or, boasts that he obtains all that he desires, and that, as the |