countenance, will not seek after God: "God is not in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and 'deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and 10 vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages in the secret places doth he murder the innocent his eyes are privily set against the poor. 9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him. into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong

ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, God hath

5 Or, all his thoughts are, There is no God.

9 Heb. deceits. 10 Or, iniquity.

14 Or, into his strong parts.

PSALM X.-This Psalm is joined to and a continuation of the preceding in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions, and those by which they are followed. Hence in these versions the numeration of the Psalms differs from ours; for Psalms ix. and x. being united, their account is one number below ours on to cxiv. and cxv., which also are united. This would put their enumeration two figures below ours; but, immediately after, the Psalm cxvi. is divided into two, which restores the original difference of one only and at last all difference is removed and the number of Psalms equalized by the division of Psalm cxlvii. into two. Our version follows the original He

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt "prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

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brew. It is possible that the present Psalm was originally joined to the preceding on account of its having no title, and that the present division is correct. If so, it is not known when or by whom it was written. The Jews indeed have a rule, that when we come to a psalm that has no title, or any number of such psalms, we are to go on ascribing them to the author of the last preceding psalm that had a title. This rule will however by no means hold good, as we shall have occasion to shew when we come to the psalms ascribed to Moses. Many however conclude that the present Psalm was written by David, perhaps during the persecutions of Saul, although Calmet

and others incline to assign it to the captives at Babylon, or to the period between the Assyrian and Babylonian Captivities: even De Wette however admits that the air of originality, and the compressed and difficult style, prove it to belong to an early age; and this, with its place here among David's psalms, will justify us in ascribing it to

him.

Verse 5. He puffeth at them.'-Puffing is in the East an expression of supreme contempt. Indeed, such terms as 'poh,' 'pshaw,' 'pish,' and so on, are but modifications of the same meaning, softened by articulation. The Persians say Poof!' as an expression of contempt.

8. In the lurking places of the villages.'-That is, in concealed places, in the thicket, in the neighbourhood of towns, they lie in wait for the peaceable inhabitants, with the view of suddenly falling upon them, and killing or plundering them. Our own abode in the East gives us a lively idea of the condition of society which this describes. During the three years of our abode in Baghdad, it was invariably considered most dangerous for any one to venture alone beyond the walls of the city, which was felt as a great hardship, as entirely precluding us from

those solitary suburban walks to which we had been ac customed at home. We were constantly hearing of persons who on venturing out had been plundered and sent home naked by the Arabs infesting the neighbourhood. They were roughly handled, and sometimes slain if they offered the slightest resistance. At this place the evil was exhibited to us in the most distinct forms, and became familiar from being always present to the mind; but we remember few places we visited in South-Western Asia, in which it was not considered dangerous for a person who looked as if he had anything to lose, to venture out of the towns and villages.

9. He lieth in wait,' etc.-In this verse there is a remarkable transition of images. In the first member the Psalmist figures the robber as a lion in his den; then he suddenly carries the image by the circumstance of lying in wait, which is common to both, to the figure of a hunter who casts his noose around the neck of the unsuspecting wild beast. This is among many passages which shew that this mode of hunting was not unknown to the Hebrews. See the note on Ps. ix. 15.

2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh *proud things:

4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith

1 David describeth the corruption of a natural man. 4 He convinceth the wicked by the light of their conscience. 7 He glorieth in the salvation of God.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

THE 'fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3 They are all gone aside, they are all

together become "filthy: doeth good, no, not one.

there is none that

4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

5 There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6 Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

PSALM XIV. This Psalm is usually supposed to have been composed by David, on the revolt of Absalom. Theodoret supposes it refers to the invasion of Judea by Sennacherib, with the blasphemy and menaces of Rabshakeh. Calmet, Mudge, and others, think it belongs to the captivity in Babylon; and the latter infers, from verses 4 and 5, that it arose from a particular incident, when the heathen, in the midst of impious carousals, were thrown into some great terror. This might refer to the impious feast of Belshazzar, when the sacred utensils were profaned, probably in studied insult to the God of Israel;

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PSALM XV.

David describeth a citizen of Zion. A Psalm of David.

LORD, 'who shall abide in thy tabernacle ? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue,

PSALM XV.-Most commentators conceive that this Psalm was composed by David when the ark was brought to Mount Zion. The mention of the tabernacle in the first verse seems to shew that it was written before the temple existed. The conclusion, however, 'He that doeth these things shall never be moved '--that is, probably, never removed or expelled from his native land-has suggested to some that it was composed after the ten tribes had been carried away by Shalmaneser, if not during the Babylonian Captivity.

simple relations of the Mosaic times, in which lending, for the purpose of speculation and gain, had no existence. Such lending ought only to be a work of brotherly love; and it is a great violation of that, if any one, instead of helping his neighbour, takes advantage of his need to bring him into still greater straits. The Mosaic regulation in question has, accordingly, its import also for New Testament times. With the interest-lending of capitalists, who borrow for speculation, it has nothing to do. This belongs to a quite different matter, as is implied even by the name, a mordendo, according to which only such usury can be meant as plagues and impoverishes a neighbour. By unseasonable comparison with our modes of speech, many would expound: His money he puts not to interest.'-HENGSTENBERG.

PSALM XVI.

1 David, in distrust of merit, and hatred of idolatry, fleeth to God for preservation. 5 He sheweth the hope of his calling, of the resurrection, and life everlasting.

Michtam of David.

PRESERVE me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

20 my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: 'my goodness extendeth not to thee;

3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.

4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.

5 "The LORD is the portion of mine in1 Or, A golden Psalm of David. 5 Heb. of my part.

heritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

8 'I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

6 Acts 2. 23.

4 Deut. 32. 9. Lam. 3. 24. 8 Acts 2. 31, and 13. 35.

cate that it deserved to be inscribed in characters more than usually durable. The Targum also renders, ‘a right engraving. The word michtam seems to be equivalent to mithchab, by the commutation of and at the end; and hence to mean 'a writing,' or, by way of emi

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nence, 'a song.' Many, however, derive the word from on chetem, 'gold;' and hence understand the Psalms distinguished by this title, to be called 'golden psalms,' by way of eminence. So Aben Ezra, who says that the Psalm is thus named because its excellence is like the best gold. Similar designations occur elsewhere. Among the Arabians the seven pre-Mahommedan poems, known under the name of Moallakat, are also called, on account of their excellence, Modhahahat, the golden.' Further, among them the proverbs of Ali are for the same reason called the gold of morals.' Among the Greeks we find the 'golden verses of Pythagoras.' Still, although this is better than some other conjectures that have been proposed, it seems rather forced; for, as Gesenius observes, one is barely a poetical name for gold, and there appears no special reason in these Psalms for this designation.' It is however hazardous to determine the meaning of the titles from the internal evidence of the Psalms; for, as Dodd properly states, 'it is very certain that many of the titles were either wrongly placed at first, or have suffered a confusion since: which observation will apply to the authors and subjects, as they stand at present prefixed to each Psalm.' Hengstenberg however, on the ground that the verb on chătăm means to conceal, cover, secrete, considers that the noun here derived from it signifies' a secret,' and translates the title a secret of David,' and considers that the word denotes a song of deep import, which he observes is very suitable to the Psalms which bear it. We are inclined to demur to this-chiefly on philological grounds, with which we must not trouble the reader.

Aben Ezra applies here also his general observation, which we have already mentioned, that this and other strange words are the names of old melodies. There is no Jewish commentator whose opinions in such matters are entitled to greater respect than those of Aben Ezra ; and the more we investigate the subject, the more we incline to his opinion, although we have not attained such entire conviction as to make this exclude all other explanations. Rosenmüller, in a passage which we find translated in Burder's Oriental Customs, states the opinions of two German writers, Forkel and I. C. Faber, from which it appears that they both took the same view with the Jewish Rabbi. Forkel considers it more than probable that the Hebrews had not a particular tune for each poem. We find this want of sufficient melodies in all ancient nations, among whom music had attained only a moderate degree of cultivation. The case was the same through the middle ages; when not only spiritual but worldly songs were sung after a few generally known melodies. This custom is still found in countries where there is no other music than that of the national songs; for example, in New Zealand (see Forster's Voyage), Siberia, Tartary, and in all the East. Everywhere the national melodies were fixed once for all, and unchangeable, and all national new songs must be contrived to suit them. And indeed, in our own collections of psalms and hymns, for how large a proportion of them are not a few well-known tunes made to serve? In general,' says Forkel, popular manners

PSALM XVII.

1 David, in confidence of his integrity, craveth defence of God against his enemies. 10 He sheweth their pride, craft, and eagerness. them in confidence of his hope.

13 He prayeth against

A Prayer of David.

and customs are of so durable and unchangeable a nature, are propagated from nation to nation with so little of change for thousands of years, or arise with as inconsiderable differences among every nation, on similar occasions and in a similar manner, that I am very much inclined to believe that not only the Hebrew custom of the superscriptions to the hymns and songs, but also many other peculiarities belonging to them, existed through the greater part of the middle ages, and even subsist in modern times.' He refers to the instance of the master-singers of the middle ages who used similar superscriptions referring to some particular melodies to which poems were to be sung -as In the quick plough tune,' In the high cheerful praise tune,' etc. The melodies thus referred to as examples are unknown, while the superscriptions themselves remain intelligible. The analogy would explain why the Hebrew superscriptions, if we suppose them correctly explained, have often no assignable connection with the sense of the psalm which follows, as well or better than the conjecture that the superscriptions have in some instances been removed from the psalms to which they were originally prefixed. The view which we have thus stated, chiefly after Forkel, had also been taken in part by Faber, particularly as to the illustration to be derived from the practice of the master-singers, and that some of the titles were in like manner indicative of melodies at that time well known. One of the master-singer superscriptions, "The golden tune,' answers remarkably to one of the interpretations which, as we have seen, has been assigned to that of the present Psalm.

Verse 3. In the earth.'-More properly, in the land;' as in many other cases where the earth' is used in the Authorized Version. The force which here results from the limitation must be obvious on reflection.

4. Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer:This seems to contain an allusion to a custom among many of the heathen nations, of drinking the wine of the sacrifice mixed with the blood of the victims-particularly when they bound themselves by dreadful oaths, and to the performance of fearful deeds. This drink was called by the Romans vinum assiratum, because assir, according to Festus, signified blood in the ancient Latin language. In this manner, as Sallust relates, Catiline took the oaths with his accomplices. It was said at the time that Catiline, after making a speech, calling on the accomplices of his crime to take an oath, presented them with human blood mixed with wine, in cups; and when every one had drunk of it, after pronouncing an imprecation, as is customary in solemn sacrifices, explained his plan.' In a similar manner, Silius Italicus makes the Carthaginian Hannibal swear; an instance which is particularly suitable to illustrate the above passage, because the Carthaginians were of Phoenician or Canaanite origin. When the prophet Zechariah describes the conversion of the Philistines, he makes Jehovah say (ix. 7), And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth; but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our God.' The drinking of blood at sacrifices was prohibited to the Israelites upon pain of death.