madeft with our fathers. A letter was eafily dropped from the text; and that letter in Hebrew expreffes the added words.-Ver. 21. The fecond line of this verfe has been deemed hard to render. I think I have given the true meaning. Comp. 1 Mac. I. 51—53. PSALM LXXV.-al. LXXIV. If I mistake not much, this psalm was composed after Judas Macchabaus had been victorious over all his enemies, and restored the worship of God at Jerusalem. See 1 Macc. 4. 36-39. The title is, 1 2 I FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN: AL-THASHHITH; A PSALM-SONG OF ASAPH. WE thank thee, O GOD!-we thank thee: we invoke thy name, and rehearse thy wonders! Since I found a fit occafion, I have exercised acts of rectitude. 3 4 The land, with its inhabitants, was shaken: but its pillars I have reestablished. 5 To the profane vaunters I faid: "Vaunt not "yourselves:" 6 and to the wicked: "Lift not up your horn: "Lift not up your horn on high; 66 nor speak with a stiffened neck: 7 " for neither from east, nor weft, nor fouth, 8 "but God is the proper judge; 9 "who humbleth one and exalteth another. "This he fheddeth here, † and there : "but its last dregs all the wicked of the earth shall "drink!" But I fhall for ever exult, ΙΟ and fing praises to the GOD of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked I will cut off: II but the horns of the just shall be exalted. NOTES. Ver. 3. I have exercised acts of re&itude. i. e. I have exerted myself in correcting abufes, and reforming the national corruptions. This language is perfectly fuitable to Judas Macchabæus: and indeed fo is the whole pfalm.-Ver. 5. Lift not up your born: i. e. boast not of your fuperior strength. The metaphor is readily understood.-Ver. 9. The addition and there, is not in the prefent text: but it is expreffed by Sep. Syr. Vulg. Arab. and I have no doubt of its having been in their Heb. copies. All more or lefs drink of it, but its dregs are referved for the wicked. PSALM LXXVI.-al. LXXV. This psalm is by some thought to have been composed on the same occasion with psalm 46. to which indeed it bath some resemblance. But I think it more probable that it was only imitated from that psalm; and would refer it to the same time and occasion with the preceding namely, to the victorious days of Judas Macchabæus. Yet it is applicable to the defeat of the Syrians, in the reign of Hezekiab. The title is, : FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN; ON NEGINOTH: A PSALM-SONG OF ASAPH. GOD is acknowledged in Judah ! great is his name in Ifrael! in Salem is his tabernacle, 3 and his dwelling-place in Zion! There he hath broken the wings of the bow, 4 the fhield, the fword, and the war! Zion! thou art more illuftrious and excellent 5 6 than thofe high mountains of plunderers. nor have any of those men of might 7 At thy rebuke, O GOD of Jacob! 8 ΙΟ II 12 13 benumbed were both chariot and horse. Thou, thou, O God! art terrible: and who, in thy wrath, can refift thee? when GOD arifeth, to do justice; and to fave the oppreffed in the land. the remnant of their rage thou reftraineft. Vow votive gifts, and pay them to JEHOVAH, your GOD: bring prefents to the Awful-one, all ye who are about 'Tis he who controlleth the spirit of princes!- NOTES. Ver. 3. In Salem, i. e. Jerusalem.—Ver. 4. The wings of the bow, i. e, arrows.-Ver. 11. This verfe is thus rendered in our common verfion: "Surely the wrath of man fhall praise thee: the remainder of "wrath thou shalt restrain." Others variously. I follow the emendation of Houbigant; which confists only of the transposition of a letter; and affords a moft fuitable and congruous meaning. PSALM LXXVII.-al. LXXVI. By whomsoever, or whensoever, this psalm was composed; it must have been composed in a time of calamity: probably during the Babylonish captivity; or at least after the dispersion of the ten tribes. Its title is, A DIDACTIC PSALM OF ASAPH. MY cry is to GOD-and loudly I cry: to GOD is my cry, that he would listen. In the day of my distress I seek JEHOVAH: by night mine hand is unremittedly ftretched out to bim. My foul refufeth every fort of comfort. I call GOD to mind, and am difquieted: When I reflect, my mind is overwhelmed : I am fo confounded, that I cannot speak. I confider the days of old, the years of yore: I recollect my former nocturnal fongs. With myself I reason, and my mind thus queftioneth: I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Will JEHOVAH reject us for ever? " and will he no more be favourable? "Is his benevolence utterly withdrawn? 9 "Shall his promise fail, from generation to generation? "Hath GOD forgotten to be gracious? IO "Hath he, in his ire, fhut up his compaffion?" At length, I faid: "I penetrate it: ""Tis a change of the right hand of the Moft-High! "But, let me call to mind the former works of "JEHOVAH: "let me call to mind thy wonderful works of old: II 12 13 "on all thy works let me meditate; "and talk of thy deeds." Thou art a GOD, working wonders! 14 Thy ways, O GOD! are holy! who so great a God, as our God? 15 16 17 among the nations thou manifestedst thy power. The waters faw thee, O GOD! the waters faw thee, and were afraid! the depths themselves were troubled. 18 The clouds poured out water! the skies emitted a found! thine arrows flew abroad! 19 20 21 the voice of thy thunder was heard in the heavens ! thy lightnings flashed on the globe! the earth was moved, and quaked! On the fea was thy way; and on the deep waters thy path : yet thy footsteps were not perceptible. Thy people thou leddeft, like a flock, under the conduct of Mofes and Aaron. NOTES. There is little in this pfalm that needs illuftration.-Ver. 11. has, I think, been generally misunderstood. Our common version is, " And “I faid: This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the ❝right hand of the Most High :" making up a fort of meaning by a long eke of Italics; which after all is hardly fenfe. Nor are most other verfions more fignificant. Profeffor Paulus alone feems to have well understood the text: which I have endeavoured to render as literally as poffible; and without straining a fingle word. I have used the word penetrate, both because it most properly expreffes the original, and because it has been already adopted into our language, in the same signification. To penetrate a thing is to comprehend it. The pfalmift, after |