15 And he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. And the foundations of the world were discovered At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16 He sent from above, he took me, He drew me out of many waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: and he shot out lightnings] Better, yea, lightnings in abundance; or, as R. V., lightnings manifold. discomfited] A word denoting the confusion of a sudden panic, and used especially of supernatural defeat. Cp. Ex. xiv. 24 (R.V.); Josh. x. 10; Jud. iv. 15; 1 Sam. vii. 10. Ps. cxliv. 6, 7 is based on vv. 14, 16. 15. The waters of the sea retreat, its bed is seen, and the hidden bases of the world are laid bare, owning their Lord and Master, as of old at the Exodus when "He rebuked the Red Sea, and it was dried up." See Ex. xv. 8; Ps. cvi. 9; Nah. i. 4. Cp. too Matt. viii. 26. Channels of the sea (2 Sam.) is the preferable reading. were discovered] i.e. as R. V., were laid bare, the original meaning of the word discover, which it generally retains in the A. V. Cp. xxix. 9. at the blast &c.] Cp. v. 8. 16-19. The deliverance which was the object of Jehovah's manifestation of His power. 16. He sent from above] R. V., He sent from on high: but it seems better to render, He reached forth from on high, as the writer of Ps. cxliv. 7 understood the words. He stretched out His hand and caught hold of the sinking man, and drew him out of the floods of calamity which were overwhelming him (v. 4). drew me] The word is found elsewhere only in Ex. ii. 10, to which there may be an allusion. He drew me out of the great waters of distress, as He drew Moses out of the waters of the Nile, to be the deliverer of His people.' For many or great waters as an emblem of danger, cp. xxxii. 6, lxvi. 12, lxix. 2, 3. 17. Figures are dropped, and David refers explicitly to his deliverance from his 'strong' or 'fierce' enemy Saul, and Saul's partisans who hated him, from whom but for this Divine intervention he could not have escaped, for they were too mighty for him. me. 18. They prevented me] They came upon me (R.V.), or, encountered Prevent is used in a sense which illustrates the transition from its original meaning to go before to its modern meaning to hinder. Cp. Milton's Paradise Lost, VI. 129: But the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, And I did not put away his statutes from me. Half way he met His daring foe, at this prevention more See Mr Aldis Wright's Bible Word-Book. my stay] My staff (xxiii. 4) and support. Cp. Is. x. 20. 19. From the straits of peril he is brought forth into the freedom of safety. Cp. iv. I, xxxi. 8. because he delighted in me] This was the ground of God's deliverance, and it now becomes the leading thought of the Psalm. Cp. xxii. 8, xli. 11; 2 Sam. xv. 26; and also Matt. iii. 17. The latter reference gains fresh significance if it is remembered that the theocratic king was called Jehovah's son (ii. 7; 2 Sam. vii. 14). 20-23. The language is inspired by the courage of a childlike simplicity. It is no vainglorious boasting of his own merits, but a testimony to the faithfulness of Jehovah to guard and reward His faithful servants. David does not lay claim to a sinless righteousness, but to single-hearted sincerity in his devotion to God. Compare his own testimony (1 Sam. xxvi. 23), God's testimony (1 Kings xiv. 8), and the testimony of history (1 Kings xi. 4, xv. 5), to his essential integrity. Cp. vii. 8, xvii. 3, 4; and see Introd. p. lxxxvii f. Is not this conscious rectitude, this "princely heart of innocence," a clear indication that the Psalm was written before his great fall ? 20. rewarded me] Or, dealt with me, for the primary idea of the word is not that of recompence, although this lies in the context. Cp. xiii. 6. the cleanness of my hands]=the innocence of my conduct. Cp. xxiv. 4, xxvi. 6. 21. He goes on to substantiate the assertion of the preceding verse. Cp. the prayer of v. 8. Sin is in its nature a separation from God. Cp. Heb. iii. 12. 22. God's commandments were continually present to his mind as the rule of his life. Cp. Deut. vi. 6-9; Ps. cxix. 30, 102; and contrast the spirit of the ungodly man in Ps. x. 5. and I did not put away &c.] In order to sin without compunction. This reading suits the parallelism best, and is preferable to that in 2 Sam., "and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them." 19 20 21 22 3 I was also upright before him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. as With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; With an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; 20 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; And with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. 23. upright before him] R.V., perfect with him, living in the fellowship of a sincere devotion. See note on xv. 2. I kept myself from mine iniquity] I have watched over myself that I might not transgress, lest I should cherish any sin till it became a part There is no reference to indwelling corruption or a besetting of me. sin.. 24-27. The law of God's dealings with men. The assertion of v. 20 is repeated as the conclusion to be drawn from the review of David's conduct in vv. 21-23, and is confirmed in vv. 25-27 by a statement of the general laws of God's moral government. His attitude towards men is and must be conditioned by their attitude towards Him. Cp. 1 Sam. ii. 30; xv. 23. There must be some moral correspondence in a man's character to enable God to reveal Himself to Him as 'merciful,' 'perfect,' 'pure.' 25. With the merciful &c.] The man whose conduct in life is governed by the spirit of lovingkindness will himself experience the lovingkindness of Jehovah. Cp. Matt. v. 7; vi. 12, 14, 15; and for the meaning of merciful see notes on iv. 3, xii. 1, and Appendix, Note I. with an upright man &c.] Rather as R.V., with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect. Singlehearted devotion will find a response of unswerving faithfulness. The text in 2 Sam. has "the perfect hero," the man who is valiant in maintaining his own integrity. But the reading is questionable. 26. With the pure &c.] Lit. one who purifies himself, cp. 1 John iii. 3. Cp. xxiv. 4, lxxiii. 1. Matt. v. 8 is the N.T. commentary on the words. and with the froward &c.] Better, as R.V., and with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward. The 'perverse' man, whose character is morally distorted, is given over by God to follow his own crooked ways, till they bring him to destruction. God must needs be at cross purposes with the wicked, frustrating their plans, and punishing their wickedness. See Lev. xxvi. 23, 24; Job v. 12, 13; Is. xxix. 9 ff.; Prov. iii. 34; Rom. i. 28; Rev. xxii. 11; and for an illustration comp. the history of Balaam (Num. xxii. 20). For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But wilt bring down high looks. For thou wilt light my candle: The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. And by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 27. For thou wilt save &c.] 2 Sam. has the better reading, "and the afflicted people thou wilt save.' the afflicted people] Or, lowly: those who have learnt humility in the school of suffering. See note on ix. 12, and cp. Zeph. iii. 12. but wilt bring down &c.] But haughty eyes wilt thou bring low. "Haughty eyes" are one of the seven things which are an abomination to Jehovah (Prov. vi. 17). Cp. Is. ii. 11, 12, 17. The parallel text in 2 Sam. has, "Thine eyes are upon the haughty, whom thou wilt bring low." 28-30. These general principles of God's dealing with men are confirmed by David's own experience. 28. For thou dost light my lamp, Jehovah my God maketh my darkness bright. The burning lamp is a natural metaphor for the continuance of life and prosperity, derived, it is said, from the Oriental practice of keeping a light constantly burning in the tent or house, which symbolised the maintenance of the life and prosperity of the family. Cp. Job xviii. 6; Prov. xiii. 9. The second line of the verse indicates that the figure here refers to the preservation of David's own life, rather than to the permanence of his dynasty, as in cxxxii. 17; 1 Kings xi. 36, xv. 4. The text of 2 Sam. has "For thou art my lamp, O LORD." Cp. Ps. xxvii. I. 29. For by thee I run after a troop, And by my God I leap over a wall. The language is general, but it seems to contain a reminiscence of two memorable events in David's life: the successful pursuit of the predatory 'troop' of Amalekites which had sacked Ziklag (1 Sam. xxx; in vv. 8, 15, 23 the same word troop is used of the Amalekites): and the capture of Zion, effected with such unexpected ease that he seemed to have leapt over the walls which its defenders boasted were impregnable (2 Sam. v. 6-8). The rendering run after is preferable to break (A.V. marg.). The point is the speed of the pursuit, not the completeness of the defeat. 30. As for God (El), his way is perfect, flawless and without blemish, like His work (Deut. xxxii. 4), and His law (Ps. xix. 7): the word, or promise, of the LORD is tried, refined like pure gold, without dross of uncertainty or insincerity (Ps. xii. 6, cxix. 140): he is 2 31 For who is God save the LORD? 33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, 34 He teacheth my hands to war, shield to all them that take refuge in him (v. 2). The last two lines are quoted in Prov. xxx. 5. 31-34. The unique character of Jehovah, to whom alone David owes all that he is. Observe how he recognises that the advantages of physical strength and energy, important qualifications in times when the king was himself the leader of the people in battle, were gifts of God; yet that it was not these which saved him and made him victorious, but Jehovah's care and help (vv. 35 ff.). Cp. Sam. xvii. 34-36. 31. For who is a God save Jehovah ? And who is a Rock beside our God? Jehovah alone is Eloah, a God to be feared and reverenced. The singular Eloah is found instead of the usual plural Elohim elsewhere in the Psalter only in 1. 22; cxiv. 7; cxxxix. 19. It is used frequently in Job; in Deut. xxxii. 15, 17; Is. xliv. 8; Hab. i. 11, iii. 3; and in a few other passages. For Rock see note on v. 2; and for similar declarations of the unique character of Jehovah cp. Deut. xxxii. 31; 1 Sam. ii. 2; 2 Sam. vii. 22. 32. It is God] R.V., The God [E] that girdeth me with strength. Cp. v. 39; xciii. 1; 1 Sam. ii. 4. maketh my way perfect] Removing the obstacles which might have hindered me from the complete accomplishment of the career He has marked out for me. Observe the analogy between the perfection of God's way (v. 30) and His servant's. Cp. Matt. v. 48 for a higher development of the same thought. The traditional reading (Qrē) in 2 Sam. is, "God is my strong fortress, and guideth my way in perfectness"; while the written text (Kthibh) has, "he guideth the perfect in his way"; but the exact meaning is obscure. A simpler word has apparently been substituted in the text of the Psalm. 33. like hinds' feet] The hind, like the gazelle, was a type of the agility, swiftness, and sure-footedness which were indispensable quali fications in ancient warfare. Cp. 2 Sam. ii. 18; 1 Chron. xii. 8. setteth me upon my high places] The metaphor of the hind, bounding freely over the hills, is continued. David's high places are the mountain strongholds, the occupation of which secured him in the possession of the country. Cp. Deut. xxxii. 13; and Hab. iii. 19, which is a reminiscence of this passage and Deut. xxxiii. 29. 34. The first line is borrowed in cxliv. 1. |