But the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: but the LORD &c.] The appeal to the works of creation as a proof of Jehovah's power occurs frequently in Is. xl-lxvi. See xl. 22; xlii. 5; xliv. 24. 6. The attributes of honour and majesty (civ. 1) are perhaps personified, and regarded as attendants standing in God's Presence. Strength and beauty are terms applied in lxxviii. 61 to the Ark, the symbol of His Presence. The sanctuary is not heaven, but the restored Temple, where with the eye of faith the Psalmist sees the glory of Jehovah returning to dwell, although the Ark was no longer there to represent it. Cp. Is. lx. 13. I Chron. xvi. 27 reads "Strength and gladness are in his place," possibly to adapt the Psalm for the occasion when the Temple did not yet exist. 7-9. An appeal to the nations to acknowledge Jehovah. These verses are a free imitation of xxix. 1, 2. 7. O ye kindreds of the people] Ye families of the peoples. Cp. xxii. 27; Am. iii. 2. 8. The glory of his name is given to Jehovah when He is acknowledged as the One Living and True God. The offering is the 'present' which subjects bring to their lord in token of their submission (2 Sam. viii. 2). Cp. Is. lx. 5 ff. For into his courts 1 Chron. xvi. 29 reads before him, to suit the time when the Temple was not yet built. "As 9. in the beauty of holiness] In holy array. See on xxix. 2. the priests were to minister only in 'holy attire' (Ex. xxviii. 2) so must the nations be now clothed with holiness" (Kay). 10-13. Proclaim that Jehovah is King, and let universal Nature rejoice in the prospect of His righteous rule. 10. Say among the nations, Jehovah hath proclaimed himself King. The message to the nations resembles the message to Zion, Is. lii. 7. By His recent action He has proclaimed Himself King not of Israel only but of all the world. Cp. xciii. 1. The Old Latin Version as preserved in the Psalterium Romanum (Introd. p. lxxii.) contains the famous reading Dominus regnavit a ligno, The Lord hath reigned from the tree,' which is quoted by many of the Latin Fathers from Tertullian onwards as a prophecy of Christ's triumph PSALMS 37 6 7 8 9 ΤΟ The world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; 12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein : through death. Justin Martyr appears to be the only certain Greek authority for the addition1. He treats the Psalm as a prophecy of Christ's reign after His crucifixion (Apol. i. 41), and in the Dialogue with Trypho the few (c. 73) he charges the Jews with having falsified the text by erasing the words from the tree (and roû úλov). The charge is groundless. Doubtless the words were simply a Christian gloss on the text, which had no wide currency, except through the Old Latin Version. No MSS. of the LXX contain them except the transliterated GraecoLatin Psalterium Veronense, which has apo xylu, and cod. 156, which has the barbarism and т úλ. In both cases the reading was probably introduced from the Old Latin. The words have however been familiarised by Dr Neale's translation of the hymn Vexilla regis prodeunt, 'The royal banners forward go' (by Venantius Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers, † A. D. 609), "Impleta sunt quae concinit David fideli carmine, "Fulfilled is now what David told, How God the heathen's king should be, For God is reigning from the Tree." the world also &c.] Yea, the world shall be established that it be not shaken. So xciii. 1 c. On the reading he hath ordered the world, represented by the LXX, Symm. and Jer., see note there. he shall judge &c.] He shall minister judgement unto the peoples in equity. From ix. 8 b, cp. vii. 8. The first and third lines of this verse are omitted in Chron. 11. Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice (R.V.)] Such appeals to Nature to rejoice in the redemption of Israel are characteristic of the later Isaiah (xliv. 23; xlix. 13). In the establishment of God's righteous rule the Psalmist sees the prelude of the Messianic age which is to bring harmony and peace to all creation. Cp. Is. xi. 1 ff.; xxxv. 1 ff.; lv. 12, 13; Rom. viii. 19 ff. roar] Lit. thunder. Cp. xcviii. 7. the fulness thereof] I.e. all that is therein, as the same word is rendered in Is. xlii. 10. Cp. Ps. xxiv. 1. 12. be joyful...rejoice] Exult...sing for joy (R.V.). Then is significant in that age when the Divine kingdom is universally established. 1 Possibly there may be an allusion to this reading in the Ep. of Barnabas, c. viii, ὅτι ἡ βασιλεία ̓Ιησοῦ ἐπὶ ξύλου. Before the LORD, for he cometh, 13 For he cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the people with his truth. 13. Jehovah comes to establish His righteous rule on earth. The predominant aspect of judgement here is not punishment but government, although no doubt government must include punishment (Is. xi. 3, 4). The verse recurs in xcviii. 9; and it is an echo of ix. 8. and the people with his truth] Rather, and the peoples in his faithfulness. Cp. xcii. 2. The last two lines are omitted in Chron. PSALM XCVII. Once more the Psalmist celebrates Jehovah's recent manifestation of His sovereignty. In Ps. xcvi the universality of His kingdom, here the judgement by which it has been manifested, is the prominent thought. i. Earth is bidden to rejoice at the establishment of Jehovah's kingdom. The awfulness of His Advent, the moral foundation of His rule, and the irresistibleness of His might are described (1—3). ii. But lately the earth has trembled at His Presence; His righteousness and His majesty have been openly proclaimed (4—6). iii. The idol-worshippers and their pretended gods are put to shame, while Zion rejoices in His triumph (7—9). iv. Let Israel respond to His call by dutiful obedience and glad thanksgiving (10-12). Thus the Psalm consists, like Ps. xcvi, of four equal stanzas. The first two describe the coming of Jehovah to judgement, in symbolic language borrowed from descriptions of the great Theophanies of old; the last two describe its consequences for Israel and for the nations. The author of this Psalm was not an original poet, but he was a masterly hymn-writer. There is scarcely a phrase in the Psalm which is not borrowed; but he combines the language of earlier Psalmists and Prophets into a "costly mosaic" with a skill which is worthy of the occasion. He makes us feel that he has been deeply moved, and inspired to recognise the greatness of the crisis. In the LXX the Psalm is entitled (A Psalm) of David, when his land was restored. The latter part of this title rightly points to the Restoration from Babylon as the occasion of the Psalm. 1 For KabiσTatai, Vulg. restituta est, cf. Is. xlix. 8, TOû KataσTÑOαL THν YŴv 97 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. 2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: 3 Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, And burneth up his enemies round about. 4 His lightnings enlightened the world: The earth saw, and trembled. 5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 6 The heavens declare his righteousness, And all the people see his glory. 1-3. The proclamation of Jehovah's kingdom of power and righte ousness. 1. The LORD reigneth] Jehovah hath proclaimed himself King. See note on xciii. 1. For the whole verse cp. xcvi. 10, 11; Is. xlii. 10-12; li. 5. the multitude of isles] Lit. many isles, or, coastlands; a favourite word in Is. xl-lxvi; cp. Ps. lxxii. 10. All the many islands and coastlands of the Mediterranean are meant, which have good cause to share Zion's joy at the fall of the tyrant and the rise of the Divine kingdom of righteousness. 2, 3. Though Jehovah shrouds himself in mystery, and comes with irresistible might, it is the consolation of His people to know that His kingdom is founded upon righteousness. Here, as elsewhere (xviii. 9, 11, &c.), the Theophany of Sinai supplies the symbolism. Cp. Ex. xix. 16; xx. 21; Deut. v. 22. righteousness &c.] Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of his throne (R. V.). 26 is taken from Ps. lxxxix. 14a: with v. 3 cp. Ps. 1. 3; Deut. iv. 24; Is. xlii. 25. 4-6. The recent manifestation of Jehovah's power, described in terms of the great Theophanies of old. 4. His lightnings lightened the world, as of old when He brought Israel out of Egypt. From lxxvii. 18b. the earth &c.] Based upon lxxvii. 16, 18: cp. xcvi. 9 b. 5. From Mic. i. 4; iv. 13; cp. Zech. iv. 14; vi. 5. The dissolution of the most solid and ancient parts of the earth is the expression of its terror and the measure of His power. Cp. Hab. iii. 6. 6. The heavens have declared his righteousness, And all the peoples have seen his glory. His faithfulness to His people and His sovereign justice in the punishment of evil have been openly and visibly manifested in the sight of all the world (xcviii. 3). Cp. 1. 6; Is. xxxv. 2; xl. 5; lii. 10; lxvi. 18. Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols: Worship him, all ye gods. Zion heard, and was glad, And the daughters of Judah rejoiced, Because of thy judgments, O LORD. For thou, LORD, art High above all the earth: 7-9. The impression produced by the judgement. 7. Ashamed shall be all that serve graven images] Dismayed at the impotence of their gods. The Babylonians in particular are meant. Cp. Is. xlii. 17; xliv. 9; Jer. x. 14. idols] Things of nought, as xcvi. 5. worship him, all ye gods] The A.V. follows the LXX and Jer. in rendering the verb as an imperative, but more probably the words are not an ironical challenge but an assertion, all gods worship him. It need not be supposed that the Psalmist regarded the gods of the heathen as having any real existence. The LXX rendering worship him all his angels (cp. LXX of viii. 5) may however have been suggested by an unwillingness to seem to countenance such an idea; at the same time it may point to a wider meaning of the Psalmist's words. All supernatural beings, whether really existing or existing only in the minds of their worshippers, must do homage to Jehovah. The quotation in Heb. i. 6 may be taken from this passage or from the LXX expansion of Deut. xxxii. 43. 8. From xlviii. II, but with a significant change. Then (v. 8) the deliverance was wrought in sight of the city; now Zion and the cities of Judah only hear the glad tidings brought from distant Babylon to Zion in her humiliation (Is. lii. 7, 8). 9. For thou, Jehovah, art the Most High above all the earth, From lxxxiii. 18; xlvii. 2, 9: cp. xcv. 3. 10-12. The duty and the confidence of Israel. 10. There is no need to alter the text as some modern critics would do, and read, They that love Jehovah hate evil; or, Jehovah loveth those that hate evil. Án exhortation to those who love Jehovah to prove themselves what they profess to be by positive abhorrence of all that is antagonistic to Him was not superfluous, in an age when many an Israelite might still be tempted to half-hearted service. It corresponds to the warning of xcv. 7 ff. For the language of the whole verse cp. Amos v. 15; Ps. xxxvii. 28; xxxiv. 20. his saints] His beloved, or, his godly ones. See Appendix, Note I. 10 |