Psalms 74

O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever So as to leave us no visible Hopes of Restitution.? why does thine anger Or thy Nose. A Metaphor from a man who in a great Rage sends forth Fumes out of his Nostrils. smoke against the sheep of thy pasture Against the chosen and peculiar People..

Remember Show by thine Actions, that thou hast not utterly forgotten and forsaken them. thy congregation Thy Church or People., which thou hast purchased Or, Redeemed, as it follows; Or bought, as it is Deut. 32. 6. or procured, though without Price, as this Word is used, Ruth 4. 9, 10. of old When thou broughtest them out of Egypt, and formedst them into a Common-wealth, and gavest them Laws, and didst enter into Covenant with them at Sinai...: the rod of thine inheritance That people which thou hast measured out, as it were by Rod, to be thy Portion or Inheritance, as they are called also, Deut. 32. 9. See also, Psal. 16. 5, 6. Ier. 10. 16. Or, the Tribe (as this Word commonly signifies) of thine Inheritance, (i. e.) The Tribe of Iudah, which thou hast in a special manner chosen for thine Inheritance, and for the seat of the Kingdom, and for the Birth of the Messiah. And thus here is an Elegant Gradation from the general to particulars; First, the Congregation consisting of all the Tribes; then the Tribe of Iudah; and Lastly, Mount Zion. No... is it strange, that he mentions this Tribe particularly, because the Calamity and Captivity here remembred, did principally be... al this Tribe, and Benjamin, which was united with it, and subject to it, and the most that returned were of this Tribe: For the generality of the other Tribes, were long before dispersed into other Lands, and continue in their Captivity, to this day. which thou hast redeemed, this mount Zion Which is oft put for the Temple, or the Hill of Moriah, on which it was built: wherein thou hast dwelt.

Lift up thy feet (i. e.) Come speedily for our rescue, and do not sit or stand still, as hitherto thou seemest to do. unto the perpetual desolations Or rather, Because of (as this Prefix oft signifies) the perpetual Desolations. So it is a powerful Motive to God, to come to their Help, because otherwise our Destruction is everlasting and irrecoverable.: even all that the enemy has done wickedly in the sanctuary Or, against thy Sanctuary: Of which see v. 7..

Thine enemies roar (i. e.) Make loud Out-cries; Either, from their Rage and Fu... y, against the Conquered and captivated Israelites now in their Power: Or rather, in way of Triumph for their Success and Victory. in the midst of thy congregations In the places where thy People used to assemble together for thy Worship; whereby they designed to insult not only over us, but over thee also, as if their God's had been too strong for thee., they set up their insigns for signs Or, Trophees, or Monuments of their Victories obtained over God, and over his People, as Conquerors used to do in like Cases..

A man was famous according as he had lifted up axes upon the thick trees So the meaning is this, The Temple was so noble a structure, that it was a great Honour to any man to be imployed in the meanest part of the work, though it were but in cutting down the Trees of Lebanon. And this Translation may seem to be favoured by the opposition in the next Verse; But now, &c. But others understand the Words thus translated in another Sense: That every one of the Enemies got Renown, accordingly as they showed most barbarous Rage in destroying the thick Wood-work (which in the next Verse is called the Carved work) of the Temple. But this seems not to suit well with the opposition between this work and that of the next Verse, which is ushered in by, But now. The words therefore may be (and in part are by some) rendred thus; It is known (or manifest, Heb. It will be known: It will be published to all Posterity, as matter of astonishment and admiration.) That, as one lifteth up his Axe (Heb. Axes, the plural Number for the singular, as it is elsewhere) upon thick Trees, to cut them down. This is the first part of the similitude, called the Pro... asis; Then follows the latter part of it, called the Apodosis, in the next Verse; So (Heb. And. Which is sometimes put for a Note of similitude, as in that passage of the Lords Prayer, Mat. 6. 10. as it is in Heaven; and oft in the Book of the Proverbs) now (For though this Psalm was Composed after the thing was done, yet he speaks of it, as if it were now in doing, as the manner of the sacred Writers frequently is, that it may be more Lively represented to mens Minds) They break down the Carved work &c. The meaning is, they neither regard the Sacredness of the place, no... the exquisite Curiosity and Art of the work, but cut it down as indifferently, and rashly, as men cut down the thick and intangled boughs of the Trees of the Forest..

But now they break down the carved work thereof at once See the Note on the former Verse., with axes and hammers It has been ingeniously observed, that these two Words are no... Hebrew, but Chaldee or Syriack, Words, to point out the time when this was done, even when the Chaldaeans brought in their Language together with their Arms among the Israelites..

They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground First, they polluted it, and then they burnt it, and broke it in pieces..

They said in their heart, Let us destroy them together x, they have burnt up all the synagogues of God in the land (i. e.) All the publick places wherein the Iews used to meet together to Worship God, every Sabbath day, as is noted, A... t. 13. 27. and upon other occasions. That the Iews had such Synagogues, is manifest both from these and other places of Scripture; and from the Testimony of the Hebrew Doctors, and other Antient and learned Writers, who affirm it, and particularly of Ierusalem, in which they say there were above four hundred Synagogues; and from the Nature and necessity of the thing: For seeing it is undeniable that they did Worship God publickly, in every Sabbath, and other Holy times, even then when they neither did, nor could go up to Ierusalem, both Conscience and Prudence must needs direct them to appoint Convenient places for that purpose.. ae Root and Branch, one as well as another, or all at once. So they desired, and many of them intended, although afterwards, it seems, they changed their Counsel, and carried some away Captives, and left others to manage the Land.

We see not our signs (i. e.) Those Tokens of God's gracious Presence, which we and our Ancestors formerly used to enjoy; Either, 1. Miracles wrought for us, which are called Signs, Psal. 78. 43. and 135. 9. Or, 2. The Ordinances of God, the Temple and Ark, and Sacrifices, and solemn Feasts, all which were signs between God and his People., there is no more any prophet Either, 1. Any Teacher. We have few or no Teachers left to us: Or, 2. Any extraordinary Prophet, who can foretel things to come, as the next Words explain it. For as for Ezekiel and Ieremiah, they might be dead when this Psalm was Composed; and Daniel was involved in Civil affairs, and did not teach the People as a Prophet, and the prophetical Spirit, which sometimes came upon him, and made those great discoveries to him, which we read in his Book, might possibly at this time suspend his influences. Besides it is not unusual in Scripture, to say that there is none of a sort of Persons or Things, when there is a very great scarcity of them. But others make this their great Argument, that this Psalm speaks of that Persecution in the time of Antiochus, when indeed there was no Prophet at all., neither is there among us any that knoweth how long Either, 1. How long their Captivity should continue: For though seventy years were determined, yet there might arise doubts among them, as there now are among us, whence they were to be Computed, which might make their... nd uncertain. Or, 2. How long they should lye under Reproach, as it follows v. 10. Which they really did, and might foresee that they should, even after the Expiration of their Captivity, Nehem. 1. 3..

O God, how long shall the adversary reproach Understand here thy Name, which is expressed in the next Clause of the Verse, by saying that thou art either unkind to thy People, or unfaithful in thy Covenant, or unable to deliver thine out of their Miseries.? shall the enemy blaspheme thy Name for ever?

Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand Why dost thou suspend or forbear the exercise of that Power, which thou hast so o... t put forth on the behalf of thy People?? pluck it out of thy bosom In which t... ou now seemest to hide it, as idle Persons use to do, Prov. 19. 24. and 26. 15.—Bestir thy self on the behalf of thy People..

For God is my king In a singular manner: It belongs therefore to thine Office to protect and save me. of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth In the view of the World: So saving thy People, so Eminently and Gloriously, that all people round about them observed and admired it..

Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons Or, the Crocodiles. He means Pharaoh and all his mighty Men, who were like these Beasts in strength and Cruelty. in the waters To wit, of the Sea, where they were drowned..

Thou brakest the heads (i. e.) The hard, called Heads Partly, for the greatness of this Beast, as that great Monster is called Beas... s, Iob 40. 20. for the same Reason; and Partly, for the several Heads or Princes, who were and Acted under his influence. of leviathan Pharaoh. in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness Heb. To the People in, or of the Desert; Either, 1. To the Israelites, then in the Wilderness, to whom the Destruction of Pharaoh and his Host, was Meat, (i. e.) Matter of great support and Refreshment. Or, 2. To those Savage people, to whom they were Meat; because they lived upon Fishes, and might eat those very Fishes which had devoured Ph... raoh's Host in the bottom of the Sea. Or rather, 3. To those Ravenous Birds and Beasts of the Desert, which after their manner,... ed and feasted themselves upon the Carcasses of the Egyptians, who were cast upon the Sea-shore, Exod. 14. 30. which were Properly and immediately Meat unto them. And when words can be taken Properly, we ought to prefer that before the Metaphorical Sense, as is agreed by Interpreters. And this was a very suitable Punishment for this Proud and insolent People, that they who were so haughty, that they would not own nor submit to the Lord himself Exod. 5. 2. should be de... oured by these Contemptible Creatures, which was a great Reproach, 1 Sam. 17. 44. 46. and... ft threatned by God, as a grievous Curse, as. 28. 26.. 7. 33. and 16. 4. &c. Neither let any think it strange, that the Name of People is given to these Creatures, for it is given to Connies, Grashoppers, Pismires, &c both in Scripture, as Prov. 30. 25, 26. Ioel 1. 6. and in H... r, and other Antient profane Writers. Nay, here is an Elegancy in the Expression; for these Creatures are significantly called the People of the wilderness, because they are the only People that inhabited it, this being a Wilderness wherein was no Man, as is said, Iob. 38. 26..

Thou didst cleave the... ountain and the flood (i. e.) Thou didst by cleaving the Rock, make a Fountain in it, and a flood or stream to flow from it, for the Refreshment of thy People, in those dry Deserts. The Phrase is like that Isa. 47. 2. Grind meal, (i. e.) By grinding the Corn, make Meal., thou driedst up mighty rivers Either, 1. Iordan, which was then more mighty than ordinarily, as having overflowed all his Banks, and therefore may be called Rivers, because... t was now Equivalent to two or three such Rivers; or it is only an Enallage of the plural Number for the singular, whereof I have given many instances formerly. Or rather, 2. Both Iordan and the Red Sea; for the Sea it self; yea, a greater Sea than that, is called a River, Ionah 2. 3. for the Hebrew word is the same which is here used, though there it be rendred Floods. An... the same Title is expresly given to the Sea, by and other antient Writers. To these the Antient Chaldee Interpreter, addeth the Rivers of Arnon and Iabbok, in or about which some extraordinary work was wrought, yea something which was like God's work at the Red Sea, as may seem by the Conjunction of these together, Numb. 21. 14..

The day is thine, the night also is thine It is not strange, no... incredible that thou hast done these great and wonderful Works, for thou... ast made the Heavenly bodies, and the Vicissitudes of day and night, depending upon them, which is a fa... greater work.: thou hast prepared Or rather, Established, as this word o... t signifies; not only Created, but settled in a constant and orderly Course. the light Either, 1. That Primitive light, Gen. 1. 3. which afterwards was condensed and gathered into the Sun. Or rather, 2. The Moon, as divers, both Antient and Modern Interpreters understand it, called here the Light, to wit, the lesser Luminary or Light; wherein there is either, a Synecdoche of the general for the particular, or an Ellipsis of the Adjective, both which Figures are very usual. And that the lesser Light is here meant, may seem probable both, because it is opposed to the greater Light, the Sun here following; and because this is to rule the Night, as the Sun is to rule the Day, Gen. 1. 16. and so this Clause answereth to, and explaineth the former wherein both Day and Night are mentioned. and the sun.

Thou hast set all the borders of the earth Thou hast fixed the bounds, both of the habitable World in general, so as the Seas, though they do encompass and assault them, yet they shall never be able to remove them, and of all the Countries and People upon Earth, whom thou hast confined to such bounds as thou see... fit. And as this Clause of the Verse, shows God's Power and Government over all places, so the next Clause displays his Dominion over all times and seasons. And both together are fitly alledged as a Motive to God, that he would at this time take Care of his poor People, and restore them to their antient Land and Borders, in which he had been pleased to set them.: thou hast made summer and winter.

Remember this, that the enemy has reproached thee, O LORD Though we deserve to be forgotten and destroyed, yet Remember thy self, and do not suffer thine and our Enemies to Reproach, and Blaspheme the Name of that great and glorious God, the Creator and Soveraign Lord of the whole World, whom they ought always to Reverence and adore., and that foolish people Who, though they think themselves, and are thought by others to be wise, yet in truth are Fools, and herein show their stupendious folly, that they vilisie and provoke that God, whose powerful Anger they can neither resist, nor escape, nor endure. have blasphemed thy name.

O deliver not the soul (i. e.) The Life; Thou hast delivered thy People into Captivity: do not deliver them to Death, nor suffer their Enemies utterly to destroy them. of thy turtledove (i. e.) Of thy Church, which is fitly Compared to a Turtle Dove, because of the great resemblance of their Dispositions and Conditions, being s... ple and harmless, and meek, and faithful, and mournful, and exposed to manifold Injuries, and unable to defend its self from them. unto the multitude of the wicked Or, to the wild Beast, as this Word oft signifies. Or, to the Troop, to wit, of her Enemies., forget not the congregation of thy poor for ever.

Have respect unto the covenant Made with Abraham, whereby thou didst give the Land of Canaan to him, and to his seed for ever, and thou didst further promise, that if thy People were carried Captive into strange Lands, and did there humble themselves, and Pray and turn unto thee, thou wouldst mercifully restore them, 1 Kings 8. 46, 47, 48, 49. 50. Do thou therefore now restore us to that pleasant and lightsome Land, which thou hast given to us., for the dark places of the earth (i. e.) This dark and dismal Land in which we Live, wherein there is nothing but Ignorance and Confusion, and all the Works of darkness. Of which the Psalmist speaks in general Terms, out of a Principle of Prudence; because the particular designation of the place was unnecessary, and might have been of ill Consequence. are full of the habitations of cruelty Here is nothing but Injustice and Oppression, and Tyranny, under which we groan in all the parts of this great Empire, where we have our abode..

O let not the oppressed return From thee, and from the Throne of thy Grace, to which they make their Resort, in this their distressed Condition. ashamed, let the poor and needy praise thy name.

Arise, O God, plead thine own cause Maintain thy Honour and Worship, and Service against those that reproach thee, as it here follows, and was noted before, v. 10. 18. As we are reviled and Persecuted for thy... ake; so thou art injured in all our wrongs., remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

Forget not the voyce Their insulting and reproachful Expressions against thee, as well as against us. of thine enemies, the tumult (i. e.) The tumultuous noise, or the loud Clamours. of those that rise up against thee encreaseth Heb. ascendeth, to wit, into Heaven, being either directed thither by them; their Mouths being set against Heaven, as theirs was, Psal. 73. 9. or at least being perceived there by God, whose Ears were pierced with the loud Cry of their sins. See Gen. 4. 10. and 18. 20. Or ascending, may be here put for increasing, as it is, Isa. 55. 13. Ier. 46. 7. So the Sense is; They grow worse and worse, encouraging and hardning themselves in their wicked Courses, by their continual Success and Prosperity, and by thy Patience extended to them. continually.