Psalms 99

This Psalm is supposed to be Davids, and the matter of it seems to suit to his time and the state of affairs which then was: although as David was a type of Christ, so this Psalm may look beyond David unto the Messias. But it does not speak so fully nor clearly of the Messias as the foregoing Psalms do.

THE LORD reigneth, let the people To wit, such as are Enemies to God and to his people. tremble: he sitteth between the cheruhims Upon the Ark. See 1 Sam. 4. 4. He is present with his people to protect them and to punish their Enemies., let the earth The people of the Earth, by comparing this clause with the former. be moved To wit, with fear and trembling, as in the former clause..

The LORD is great in Zion In the Hebrew Text the words lie in this order, The Lord in Zion (i. e. which dwelleth in Zion, as is said Psal. 9. 11. Isa. 8. 18. Ioel 3. 21.) is great., and he is high above all people Above all the people of the Earth, of whom he spake v. 1. who shall exalt themselves against him..

Let them To wit, all people last mentioned praise thy great and terrible name: for it is holy For it is not only great but holy, and therefore most praise-worthy..

The kings strength also loveth judgment Though his Dominion be absolute and uncontroulable and his power irresistible, yet he does not abuse it to tyranny and oppression, as the Princes of the World commonly do, but tempers and manageth it with righteousness, and not only does judge justly, but, which is more, loves to do so. The Kings strength is by a known Hebraism put for the strong, or powerful King.: thou dost establish equity To wit, in all thy proceedings. Equity is thy constant and stable course., thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob Amongst thine own people; whom, when they do amiss, he punisheth no less than other people, as he notes below v. 8. whereby he shows that he is no respecter of persons, but a righteous and impartial Judge to all sorts of men..

Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at his foot-stool Before the Ark; which is so called 1 Chron. 28. 2. Psal. 132. 7.: for he is holy Or rather, for it (to wit, the Ark) is holy: it is consecrated to be a pledge of Gods presence and the only place of Gods publick worship..

Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel He presseth them to perform the duty of praising and worshipping God by the examples of three eminent persons who practised this duty, and that with happy success. He reckoneth Moses among the Priests not without cause, partly because before the institution of the Priesthood he executed that office, Exod. 24. 6. Numb. 7. and partly because he oft interceded to God for the people; which was a very considerable part of the Priests work. See Numb. 6. 23, &c. Ioel 2. 17. among them that call upon his name Who used frequently and solemnly to intercede with God on the behalf of the people. So the general expression is here used synecdochically for this particular kind of prayer: such Synecdoche's being very frequent in Scripture.: they called upon the LORD, and he answered them Moses, Exod. 32. and elsewhere; Aaron, Numb. 16. Samuel, 1 Sam. 7. 19. and 12. 19. Compare Ier. 15. 1..

He spake unto them i. e. To some of them; for the expression is only indefinite and therefore does not necessarily reach to all of them: to Moses frequently; to Aaron, Exod. 19. 24. and 33. 9, 10, 11. Numb. 12. 5. And for Samuel, he answered him if not by words yet really and by his actions, thundering against the Philistins, 1 Sam. 7. 9, &c. which supposeth a Cloud, if not a Cloudy Pillar. in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them This is added not only for their commendation but for the instruction of the Israelites to teach them that God will not hear the Prayers of them who do not keep his Commandments..

Thou answerdest them The intercessours beforementioned. Either 1. Moses and Aaron, who did sin, and whose sins God did pardon, yet so as that he did punish them with exclusion from the land of Canaan; of which see Numb. 20. 12. Deut. 32. 50, 51. Or rather 2. the people for whom they prayed; which though not expressed may be easily understood from the following words and from the Histories to which these words relate. For this forgiving was evidently the effect of Gods answering the Prayers of the persons above mentioned. And therefore as their Prayers recorded in Scripture were not for the pardon of their own sins, but for the pardon of the peoples sins, so this forgiveness granted was for the sins of the people. And whereas the people are not here mentioned; it must be remembred that in Scripture the relative is frequently put without the antecedent, as it is Numb. 7. 89. and 114. 2. Prov. 14. 26., O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them a, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions This clause limits and explains the former. Thou didst forgive the sins of the people not absolutely and universally, for thou didst punish them severely, but so far as not to inflict that total and final destruction upon them which they deserved, and thou hadst threatned. See Exod. 32. 10, 14, 34..

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill Either in Zion: or in his Church typified by it, and oft called Zion.: for the LORD our God is holy.