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JEHOVAH, GOD of hofts, reftore us; let thy countenance fhine upon us— and we fhall be faved!

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NOTES.

Title. Some render the words, ON SHOSHANIM-EDUTH, &c. by ON THE HEXACHORD; A TESTIMONY OF ASAPH.-It is of little importance, how they be rendered as the titles themfelves are often falfe indices, and of fmall authority: as has been more than once already obferved.-Ver. 9. A vine, i. e. the people of Ifrael. The metaphor is continued throughout.-Ver. 18. Protect the man of thine own right band, &c. i. e. the people whom thy right hand raised from a state of flavery, the Ifraelites.-Ib. whom thou broughteft up for thyfelf. Not badly our firft tranflators: "whom thou madeft fo much of for thine own felf."

PSALM LXXXI.-al. LXXX.

I conjecture, that this psalm was written also by a bard of Israel, during the reign of Joasb; "who retook all the cities. which had been taken in war out of the hands of his father Joahaz." See 2 Kings, 13. 25.

FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN, ON THE GI

THITH A PSALM OF ASAPH.

SING joyfully to GOD, our ftrength: fing melodiously to the God of Jacob. Raife the pfalm-fong-strike the tabor, the sweet-founding harp, and the lute. Blow the trumpet at the new-moon, at the full-moon, and other folemnities. For this was made a statute for Ifrael, an ordinance of the GOD of Jacob;

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6 which he gave for a teftimony to the Jofephites,

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ΙΙ

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when they came out of the land of Egypt:

where we heard a language, we knew not.

"Your fhoulders (faid he) I relieved from their "load:

66 your hands were delivered from the mortar tub: "When in diftrefs ye invoked me, I refcued you: "I heard your fecret murmuring

"I proved you at the waters of Meriba

"Hear (faid I), my people! that I may obteft you:
"Ifraelites! if to me ye will listen :

"let there be no ftrange gods among you:
"Nor worship ye any foreign god:

"I, JEHOVAH, am your GOD,

"who brought you out of the land of Egypt :
66 open wide your mouths, and I will fill them.
"But my people would not listen to my voice;
"and Ifrael correfponded not with my wish!
"So I gave them up to their own obftinacy;
" and they walked according to their own conceits!
"Oh! that my people had liftened to me!
"that Ifrael had walked in my ways:

"foon would I have humbled their enemies,
"and against their adverfaries turned mine hand!
"The haters of JEHOVAH should have crouched to
"them :

"but their felicity fhould have been perpetual.
"With the best of wheat I would have fed them,
"and fatiated them with honey from the rock!"

NOTES.

Ver. 6, 7. There are in the text, perhaps not altogether uncorrupted, fuch tranfitions from the third perfon to the firft, and from the third to the fecond, that the whole is not easily understood. I have tried to make it intelligible, with very few alterations, and these fupported by the antient verfions. For particulars I must refer, as ufual, to my Critical Remarks.-Ver. 8. I beard your fecret murmurings. The common rendering is: "I anfwered thee (i. e. you) in the secret place of thunder." Which appeared fo ftrange to Houbigant, that he ventured a conjectural emendation, which no one, I believe, has adopted. I change nothing in the text, but give another meaning to one word, which it readily admits, and which is perfectly agreeable to the context.

PSALM LXXXII.-al. LXXXI.

In this psalm, of uncertain date, God is poetically introduced, as chief judge among the judges of the earth, and giving them a ebarge to administer justice uprightly.

A PSALM OF ASAPH.

GOD, feated in his facred divan, giveth this charge to the judges : "How long will ye judge unjustly, "and favour the cause of the wicked? "Defend the poor and the fatherless : "do justice to the oppreffed and destitute : "relieve the poor and the indigent:

"deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

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They are ignorant, and unintelligent!

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in darkness they walk!

Hence totter all the foundations of the land!

I thought, ye were inferior gods:

and all of you children of the Moft High!

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But

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fhall die like common men ;

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and fall like one of the perverfe!

Arife, O GOD! and judge the earth : for all nations are thy domain.

NOTES.

Ver. 1. God feated in his facred divan. This is quite in the oriental ftyle. The divan is the great council-room, where all important matters are agitated, and decided.-Ver. 7. and fall like one of the perverfe. The common rendering is "like one of the princes," but I cannot think that this is the true meaning. Some think the line should be rendered thus: Ye ball all of you, ye princes, fall together: in my opinion, a forced translation.

PSALM LXXXIII.-al. LXXXII.

This psalm seems to have been composed in the days of Joshaphat, when a combination of the neighbouring kings was formed against Judah. See 2 Chron. 20. 1-12.

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A PSALM-SONG OF ASAPH.

O GOD! be thou not dumb:

be not filent, nor ftill, O GOD!

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For, lo! thine enemies are tumultuous-
and they who hate thee lift up their heads.

Against thy people they hatch secret plots;
and confult together against thy dependants.

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"Come," say they, "let us fo totally extirpate them, "that the name of Ifrael be no more remembered." With one confent they confult together:

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Against thee they are confederated.

The Edomites, Ifhmaelites, Moabites and Haga

renians;

the Gebalites, Ammonites and Amalekites,
the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
the Affyrians too are conjoined with them,
and become an arm to the children of Lot!
Do to them as thou didst to the Midianites;
as to Siferah and Jabin, at the brook Kishon :
who, perifhing at Endor, were dung to the earth!
Make their chiefs like Oreb and Zeeb :

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like Zebah and Zalmunah make all their princes: who have faid: "Let us feize on God's habitations." 13 Make them, my GOD! like whirling chaff,

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like ftubble before the wind!

As fire confumeth the foreft,

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and as flame fetteth the mountains in a blaze ;

fo pursue them with thy tempeft,

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and terrify them with thy whirlwind!

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Cover their faces with ignominy,

that they may acknowledge thy name, JEHOVAH!
May they be confounded, and perpetually terrified;
and learn that thou, whofe name is JEHOVAH,
art alone the fupreme GOD, over all the earth.

NOTES.

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Ver. 1. Thy dependants, lit. thy hidden ones, i. e. those who shelter themselves under thy protection.-Ver. 9. an arm. We might say auxiliaries: but the Hebrew metaphor is readily understood: fo I thought it proper to retain it.

PSALM LXXXIV.-al. LXXXIII.

This psalm, which describes the happiness of those who can. attend God's worship at his sanctuary, may have been composed by David, or for David, during his exile. The title is,

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