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(m) A thankful acknowledgment to God for past deliverance, and an imprecation against future adversaries.

(n) v. 3. " Plowers, &c." A figurative expression, to mark the sufferings they had undergone.

(o) v. 7. "Whereof, &c." "which is so "worthless, that no one gives himself the "trouble to gather it."

(p) An earnest prayer for deliverance; concluding confidently that it would be granted. It is one of the seven Penitential

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feared. (r)

5. I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him in his word is my trust.

6. My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch, I say, before the morning watch.

7. O Israel, trust in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy: and with him is plenteous redemption.

8. And he shall redeem Israel:

from all his sins. (s)

Psalm cxxxi. (t) LORD, I am not high-minded: I have no proud looks.

Psalms, and appointed for Ash-Wednesday.

(q) v. 1. "The deep," i. e. " the ex"treme of distress."

(r) v. 4. "Feared," i. e. " reverenced, "worshipped."

(s) v. 8. "Sins," i. e. (probably) “af"flictions," sent as punishments for sin.

(t) A profession of humility. This Psalm was (probably) used after the return from the captivity, to remind the Jews of their own weakness without God's assistance.

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3. "I will not come within the "tabernacle of mine house : nor "climb up into my bed;

4. "I will not suffer mine eyes "to sleep, nor mine eye-lids to "slumber neither the temples "of my head to take any rest;

5. "Until I find out a place "for the temple (a) of the Lord: "an habitation for the mighty "God of Jacob."

6. Lo, we heard of the same at Ephrata (b) and found it in the wood.

7. We will go into his taberand fall low on our knees

LORD, remember David: and all nacle his trouble (*);

before his footstool.

2. How he sware unto the 8. (c) Arise, O Lord, into thy Lord and vowed a vow unto the resting-place: thou, and the ark Almighty God of Jacob;

(u) v. 3. "Weaned," and therefore low or depressed; because deprived of food it likes and is accustomed to, and driven to what it does not like, and to which it is not accustomed.

(x) "Even as, &c." i. e. " as low, as "much cast down."

(y) A hymn and prayer, upon some removal of the ark; perhaps, upon its being carried to Solomon's temple.

See

2 Chron. v. It notices David's anxiety either to discover the ark, or to fix upon a place for receiving it; prays for God's favour for David's sake, mentions God's oath unto David, and his blessing upon Sion. It is one of the proper Psalms for Christmas Day.

(z) v. 1. "His trouble," i. e. (probably) "the pains he took to find where the ark "was, to bring it up to Jerusalem, and to "prepare a place for it there." It was taken by the Philistines in Eli's time. (See 1 Sam. iv. 11. 22.) The Philistines sent it about from place to place, till the men of Kirjathjearim (which belonged to Judah, 1 Chron. xiii. 5, 6.) fetched it up from Bethshemesh, (1 Sam. vii. 1.) It remained at Kirjathjearim 20 years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord, (1 Sam. vii. 2.) No inquiry was made at it during the days of Saul, (1 Chron. xiii. 3.) When David was king over all Israel, he consulted with the captains of thousands

of thy strength.

and of hundreds, and with every leader, and proposed to all the congregation of Israel, to send abroad to their brethren everywhere in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities and suburbs, to gather themselves together, to bring again the ark of God unto them. (See 1 Chron. xiii. 1, 2, 3.) This was near 100 years after the Philistines had taken the ark, and David might therefore at first have some difficulty in finding out where the ark was. This therefore is (probably) what is here meant by his "trouble."

(a) v. 5. For "a place for the temple," and an habitation for," the reading should perhaps be, "the place of the "tabernacle," and "the habitation of." What they heard of at Ephrata, and found in the wood, (as in verse 6.) was probably the place where the ark then was, not the place where it was to be.

(b) v. 6." Ephrata," a district in Judea, within which, probably, Kirjathjearim and Jerusalem both lay.

(c) v. 8, 9, 10. The conclusion of Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the temple is nearly in the words of these verses, (2 Chron. vi. 40, 41.) "Now there"fore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting "place, thou and the ark of thy strength: "Let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed "with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice

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" in goodness. O Lord God, turn not "away the face of thine anointed: re"member the mercies of David thy ser"vant."

(d) v. 10. "Turn not away, &c." i. e. (perhaps)" deprive us not of the favour "and countenance, or coming, of thy "Messiah."

(e)" Anointed," Hebr. "Messiah." And it is the same Hebrew word, 2 Chron. vi. 41. in note (c).

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(g) v 12, 13. When David proposed building God a house, and God forbad it, he gave David this promise, "I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; he shall build me a house, " and I will stablish the throne of his king"dom for ever: I will settle him in my "house, and in my kingdom for ever; " and his throne shall be established for "evermore. (See 2 Sam. vii. 12 to 16. “1 Chron. xvii. 11 to 14.") See also 1 Kings viii. 25. and 2 Chron. vi. 16. The promise in this Psalm, as well as that above cited from 2 Sam. and 1 Chron., is generally supposed to have meant that the Messiah should be of the seed of David, and so St. Peter clearly considers it,

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Acts ii. 30. "David being a prophet, and

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knowing that God had sworn with an "oath unto him, that of the fruit of his "loins, according to the flesh, he would "raise up Christ to sit on his throne: he seeing this before, spake of the resur "rection of Christ, that his soul was not " left in hell, &c." It is for this reason, probably, that this Psalm is selected for Christmas Day. See also Ps. lxxxix. 20 to 36.

(h) v. 18. "The horn of David," i. e. "the Messiah."

(i) "Mine anointed," "Messiah."

Hebr.

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(k) A panegyric upon brotherly union. () v. 2, 3. "Like," i. e. " as gratify. "ing, as delightful."

(m) "Precious ointment." The oil poured on the head of Aaron and his sons, to consecrate them, that they might minister in the priest's office, was made of pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive oil, (Exod. xxx. 23, 24. 30. and Levit. viii. 12.) It must therefore have been a very rich perfume.

(n) v. 3. " Dew." Dew and rain are frequently referred to as symbols of blessing.

Hermon (o): which fell upon the hill of Sion.

4. For there (p) the Lord promised his blessing and life for

evermore.

Psalm cxxxiv. (q) BEHOLD now, praise the Lord : all ye servants of the Lord;

2. Ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord: even in the courts of the house of our God.

3. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord. 4. The Lord, that made heaven and earth give thee blessing out of Sion.

Psalm cxxxv. (r)

O PRAISE the Lord, laud ye the Name of the Lord: praise it, O ye servants of the Lord;

Thus, Deut. xxxii. 1, 2. " Give ear, O ye "heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O "earth, the words of my mouth: my doc"trine shall drop as the rain, my speech "shall distil as the dew: as the small rain kr upon the tender herb, and as the showers

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upon the grass." So Prov. xix. 12. "The king's favour is like dew upon the 66 grass;" and Hos. xiv. 5. "I will be as "the dew unto Israel." See also Ps. i. 3. and Ps. lxxii. 6.

(o) v. 3. "Hermon," according to Deuter. iv. 48. another name for Sion. "Even unto mount Sion, which is Her"mon:" though Sion is spelt differently there in the original. Hermon and Sion might be names for different parts of the same hill; and the meaning probably is, as refreshing as the dew is which rises from Hermon, and falls upon the heights of Sion. In those hot countries, high hills (which do not long retain moisture) must have derived great benefit from heavy dews. Sion, as spelt here, signifies "parched ground." In Ps. xlii. 8. mention is made of "the little hill of Hermon."

(p) v. 4. "There," or "to that," viz. "to brethren's dwelling together in unity." (q) An exhortation and benediction to the night watch in the temple, at the shutting up of the gates, to excite them to thanksgiving and devotion.

2. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord: in the courts of the

house of our God.

3. O praise the Lord; for the Lord is gracious: O sing praises unto his Name; for it is lovely.

4. For (s) why? the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself: and Israel for his own possession.

5. For I know, that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods.

6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven (t), and in earth in the sea, and in all deep places.

7. He bringeth (u) forth the clouds from the ends of the world:

and sendeth forth lightnings () with the rain (x), bringing the winds (x) out of his treasures.

(r) An invocation to the praise of God, on account of the unlimited extent of his power, his peculiar favour to the Israelites, and the instances in which he had exerted it over the heathen, with a ridicule of idols, the gods of the heathen.

(s) v. 4. So Psalm cxiv. 2. "Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his "dominion."

(t) v. 6. "In heaven, &c." The object in this and the next verse may be to shew the universality of God's power, in opposition to a notion of the heathen, that there were different gods over different places, elements, &c. When Ahab had smitten the Syrians, the servants of the king of Syria encouraged him to go up again against the Israelites, by saying, "Their gods are gods of the hills, there"fore they were stronger than we; but "let us fight against them in the plain, "and surely we shall be stronger than

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they. The Lord (i. e. Jehovah) is God "of the hills, but he is not God of the "valleys." See 1 Kings xx. 21. 23. 28.

(u) v. 7. "Bringeth forth." So Jer. x. 13. the same ideas and expressions.

(x) "Lightnings," "rain," and "winds." So that he has controul over the elements to which they belong, fire, water, and air, as well as over the earth.

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9. He hath sent tokens (a) and wonders into the midst of thee, O thou land of Egypt upon Pharaoh, and all his servants.

10. He smote divers nations: and slew mighty kings;

11.

Sehon (b) king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Basan: and all the kingdoms of Canaan (c);

12. And gave their land to be an heritage (d): even an heritage unto Israel his people.

13. Thy Name, O Lord, endureth for ever: so doth thy memorial (e), O Lord, from one generation to another.

14. For the Lord will avenge his people and be gracious unto his servants.

(y) v. 8. "He smote, &c." So that his is also over the nations of the power earth.

(z) "The first-born, &c." See Exod. xii. 29.

(a) v. 9. "Tokens, &c." They are enumerated, Psalm lxxviii. 44 to 52. and Psalm cv. 28 to 35.

(b) v. 11. "Sehon" and "Og." This was in the journey from Egypt towards Canaan, in the time of Moses. Numb. xxi. 23 to 35.

See

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19. Praise the Lord, ye house of Israel: praise the Lord, ye

house of Aaron.

20. Praise the Lord, ye house of Levi ye that fear the Lord, praise the Lord.

21. Praised be the Lord out of Sion: who dwelleth at Jerusalem.

(c)" Of Canaan." In Joshua's time. See Joshua throughout.

(d) v. 12. "An heritage." See Joshua xii. 1 to 24.

(e) v. 13. "Thy memorial," i. e. "the "proofs of thy power," "the works which "call thee to our remembrance."

(g) v. 15. "The images, &c." A similar derision of the heathen idols, in nearly the same words, occurs Ps. cxv. 4.; and see the note there. See also Deut. xxxii. 37, 38.- Judg. x. 14.

Lessons for the Twenty-eighth Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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