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fire (y) whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue (*) a sharp sword.

6. Set up (a) thyself, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.

7. They have laid a net for my feet, and pressed down my soul: they have digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.

8. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

9. Awake up, my glory (b); awake, lute and harp I myself will awake right early.

10. I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing unto thee among the nations.

11. For the greatness of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds.

12. Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth.

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and do ye judge the thing that is right, O ye sons of men?

2. Yea, ye imagine mischief in your heart upon the earth and your hands deal with wickedness.

3. The ungodly are froward, even from their mother's womb: as soon as they are born, they go astray, and speak lies.

4. They are as venomous as the poison of a serpent: even like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her

ears;

5. Which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer: charm he never so wisely.

6. Break (e) their teeth, O God, in their mouths; smite the jaw-bones of the lions (g), 0 Lord let them fall away like water that runneth apace; and when they shoot their arrows, let them be rooted out.

7. Let them consume away like a snail, and be like the untimely fruit of a woman: and let them not see the sun.

8. Or ever (h) your pots be made hot with thorns: so let indignation vex him, even as a thing that is raw.

9. The righteous shall re

(d) v.1. "Congregation," i.e. " of Saul's "advisers, instigators, or judges."

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(e) v. 6. Break, &c." The verbs in this and the next two verses should probably be read as futures, not as optatives; as predictions, not as imprecations: "God "shall break," "the Lord shall smite," "they shall fall away, they shall be rooted "out," "they shall consume away," "and not see the sun," and "so shall indig"nation, &c." Hamm. In the Sept. and Hebr. many of them are futures.

(g)

"The lions," i. e. " those who are savage as lions." See Ps. lvii. 4, 5. (h) v. 8. "Or ever, &c." "So let thine "indignation act upon them as a fire of "thorns" (which was the quickest and hottest) "would act upon raw meat." They had two kinds of fuel in Palestine;

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Lessons for the Eleventh Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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DELIVER me from mine enemies, O God: defend me from them, that rise up against me.

(A prayer for deliverance from some unjust attack, expressing the utmost confidence that God would grant it. It is supposed by some to have been written by David when Saul sent messengers to his house to watch and kill him, and Michal

(4) ante, 221. 216. 235. (9) ante, 59. 61. 62.

Jam. iv.

(5) ante, 237. (10) ante, 108,

O deliver me

from the

wicked doers and save me from the blood-thirsty men.

3. For lo, they lie waiting for my soul the mighty men gathered against me, without

are

his wife let him down through a window. (See 1 Sam, xix.) Others suppose it was written in Hezekiah's time, when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent Rabshakeh to Jerusalem with a great army.

any offence or fault of me, O Lord.

4. They run and prepare themselves without my fault (m): arise thou therefore to help me, and behold.

5. Stand up, O Lord God of hosts, thou God of Israel, to visit all the heathen (n) and be not merciful unto them that offend of malicious wickedness.

6. They go to and fro in the evening they grin like a dog, and run about through the city.

7. Behold, they speak (0) with their mouth, and swords are in their lips for "who doth hear?" (p)

8. But thou, O Lord, shalt have them in derision: and thou shalt laugh all the heathen to

scorn.

9. My strength will I ascribe unto thee for thou art the God of my refuge.

10. God sheweth me his goodness plenteously and God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.

11. Slay them not (q), lest my

(m) v. 4. "Without my fault," i. e. "with"out any fault in me.'

(n) v. 5. "Heathen," i. e. perhaps, "wicked doers," those against whom the Psalm is written.

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(o) v. 7. "They speak, &c." i. e. "when

they speak, it is as if swords were in "their lips, what they say is so destruc"tive."

(p) "Who doth hear." These are probably the words of the wicked; as in Ps. x. 12. 14. "Tush, God hath forgotten; he "hideth away his face, and he will never "see it."

(q) v. 11. " Slay them not, &c." i. e. (perhaps) not at once, nor in an ordinary way: not in such a way as that my people may forget it; he prays in v. 13. that they may be consumed, and it would be

people forget it: but scatter them abroad among the people, and put them down, O Lord, our defence.

12. For the sin of their mouth, and for the words of their lips, they shall be taken in their pride: and why? their preaching is of cursing and lies.

13. Consume them in (r) thy wrath, consume them, that they may perish and know that it is God that ruleth in Jacob, and unto the ends of the world.

14. (s) And in the evening they will return grin like a dog, and will will go about the city.

15. They will run here and there for meat and grudge if they be not satisfied.

16. As for me, I will sing of thy power, and will praise thy mercy betimes in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

17. Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing for thou, O God, art my refuge, and my merciful God.

inconsistent to be praying here that they should not be slain at all.

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(r) v. 13. "In thy wrath." When thy vengeance is at the highest: in a manner the most severe. In Ps. xxxviii. 1. David's prayer is "put ine not to rebuke, “O Lord, in thine anger, neither chasten "me in thy heavy displeasure." Not that "wrath" or "anger" can truly be ascribed to God, but the expressions are used to suit man's understanding: to intimate the times when such judgments are upon the earth, as, if inflicted by man, would imply wrath and anger in him.

(s) v. 14, 15. The Bible translation is (tauntingly), "Let them return, &c. and go "about the city; let them run, &c." Let that be their punishment, which, according to v. 6. is now part of their offence.

Psalm lx. (t)

O GOD, thou hast cast us out, and scattered us abroad: thou hast also been displeased; O turn thee unto us again.

2. Thou hast moved the land, and divided it heal the sores thereof, for it shaketh.

3. Thou hast shewed thy people heavy things thou hast given us a drink (u) of deadly wine.

4. Thou (v) hast given a token for such as fear thee that they may triumph, because of the truth.

5. Therefore were thy beloved

(4) This Psalm is supposed to have been written by David. It refers to some great distresses the people had had, notices an assurance God had given David that he should reduce the neighbouring nations to subjection, and expresses a conviction that God's assistance would secure him success. It was probably written soon after David was anointed king over Israel. Upon the battle in which Saul was slain, many of the Israelites deserted their cities, and left them to the Philistines, who dwelt in them. David was at first king over the house of Judah only, and one of Saul's sons, Ishbosheth, was made king over the rest of Israel; there was war for some time between the houses of Saul and David, and it was not until after he had reigned seven years and six months over Judah that David was made king over all Israel. It is probably therefore to these events that David alludes in the early part of the Psalm. The last eight verses are nearly the same as the last eight in Ps. cviii.

(u) v. 3. "A drink, &c." A figurative expression for great affliction. So Is. li. 17. "Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusa"lem, which hast drank at the hand of "the Lord the cup of his fury, thou hast "drunken the dregs of the cup of tremb"ling, and wrung them out.' See also Is. li. 22. Jer. xxv. 15. So our Saviour repeatedly speaks of his afflictions under the figure of "a cup." Thus, Matt. xx. 22. he puts the question to Zebedee's children," Are ye able to drink of the cup "that I shall drink of?" In his agony in

delivered: help me with thy right hand, and hear me.

6. God hath spoken in his (w) holiness, "I will rejoice and di"vide Sichem : and mete out the valley of Succoth.

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7. "Gilead is mine, and Manasses is mine: Ephraim also "is the strength of my head; "Judah is my lawgiver;

8. "Moab is my washpot; over "Edom will I cast out my shoe : Philistia (r), be thou glad of me." 9. Who will lead me into the strong city (y): who will bring me into Edom?

10. (2) Hast not thou cast us

the garden, just before he was betrayed, his prayer was, "Father, if it be possible, "let this cup pass from me," Matt. xxvi. 39. Luke xxii. 42. and John xviii. 11. "The " cup which my Father hath given me, shall "I not drink it ?" See also Ps. lxxv. 9, 10. (v) v. 4. "Thou, &c." The meaning perhaps is, "Though thou hast brought a "heavy visitation upon thy people, thou "hast nevertheless given a token to such of "them as fear thee, that they shall be "delivered and triumph."

(wo) v.6. "Hath spoken in his holiness," or "given me this assurance in his sanc"tuary, 'I shall rejoice and divide Sichem,' " &c." and then the meaning is, "I shall "divide," (i. e. have under my dominion), "Sichem and Succoth; Gilead, Manasses, "Ephraim, and Judah are already mine, and "co-operating with me; I shall have the same power over Moab as over my washpot; I shall be able to tread Edom under my feet, and Philistia shall be com"pletely subdued unto me, shall be glad to "have me to rule over her, shall receive me as her conqueror with tokens of joy."

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(x) v. 8. "Philistia, &c." In P's. cviii. 9. the expression is, "Upon Philistia will "I triumph." The meaning here probably is, be thou glad of me as thy master, to be under my control and government. So Ps. lxxxix. 12. "Tabor and Hermon "shall rejoice in thy name."

(y) v. 9. "The strong city," i. e. "Boz"rah," the capital of Edom, which was situate on a rock, and fortified, so as to be deemed impregnable.

(z) v. 10. " Hast not thou, &c." or

out, O God wilt not thou, O God, go out with our hosts ?

11. O be thou our help in trouble for vain is the help of

man.

12. Through God will we do great acts for it is he that shall tread down our enemies.

Psalm lxi. (a)

HEAR my crying, O God: give

ear unto my prayer.

2. From the ends of the earth (b) will I call upon thee: when my heart is in heaviness.

3. O set me up upon the rock (c) that is higher than I: for thou hast been my hope, and a strong tower for me against the enemy.

4. I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever and my trust shall be under the covering (d) of thy wings.

5. For thou, O Lord, hast heard my desires and hast given an (e) heritage unto those that fear thy name.

6. Thou shalt grant the King a long life that his years may endure throughout all generations.

7. He shall dwell before God for ever: O prepare thy lovingmercy and faithfulness, that they may preserve him.

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"hast thou then, &c." The Greek translation is, “οὐχὶ σὺ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἀπωσάμνεις ἡμᾶς, καὶ σε ἐκ ἐξελεύση ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἡμῶν ;" and then the reading will be as in B. T. "Wilt not thou, O God, though thou hast "cast us off?"

(a) This is understood to be a Psalm of David's, and is supposed to have been written on account of his flight upon Absalom's rebellion. It begins with an anxious appeal to God for protection, and concludes as if he either had received it, or was fully assured he should,

(b) v. 2. The ends of the earth," i. e. "the distant parts to which he had been constrained to flee."

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(c) v. 3. "The rock, &c." i. e. under thy protection.

(d) v. 4. "Covering, &c." See note on Ps. xvii, 8. ante, 255. and note on Ps. lxiii. 8. post, 329.

(e) v. 5. "Given an heritage unto,” i. e. (perhaps)" amply provided for."

(g) This Psalm is supposed to have been written by David. It expresses in a strong and confident manner his reliance upon God's protection, and exhorts the people to put their trust in him.

(h) v.3. "A tottering wall," i. e. "hardly "capable of standing, even when no attack "is made upon it." The same idea occurs, Isaiah xxx. 13.

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