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Yet God is mine helper

JEHOVAH my life's fupport.

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On mine enemies may their malice revert!
For thy truth's fake, O God! cut them off.
To thee I will liberally facrifice:

thy gracious name, JEHOVAH! I will praise :
when thou haft refcued me out of every diftrefs,
and I have feen mine enemies punished.

NOTES.

Ver. 5. For the arrogant. The prefent Heb. as now pointed, has frangers. But the Ziphites were not strangers; and the true reading is arrogant, infolent, proud: which is ftill that of feveral Mss. and was followed by the Chaldee paraphraft. So alfo a parallel place in pfalm 86. 14.-Ver. 6. Jehovah my life's fupport. Lit. “Jehovah is among the fupports of my life:" a mere Hebraifm, or rather Arabicifm: frequent in the Koran.

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PSALM LV.-al. LIV.

The tenor of this psalm seems to indicate, that it was composed during the rebellion of Abshalom.

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hide not thy face from my petition :
be attentive to me, and hear me.
Agitated with mufings, I roar out,
becaufe of the clamors of the enemy,
because of the violence of the wicked.
For to me they falfely impute iniquity;
and in fury fet themselves against me.
Mine heart palpitateth, within me ;
on me are fallen the terrors of death:
fear and trembling have feized me,
and horror hath me overwhelmed.

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O! think I, that I had wings!

like a dove I would fly to fome retreat :
I would wander away to a diftance,
would take up my abode in a wilderness:
would haften away to a fhelter

from the sweeping tempeftuous whirlwind.

Confound, JEHOVAH! confound their counfels: for I know that, in the city, are violence and ftrife. Thefe, day and night, perambulate its walls : in the midft of it are iniquity and mischief: in the midst of it are all forts of depravity;

fraud and guile depart not from its streets.

It was not an open foe, who reviled methat I could have borne:

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nor one owing me hatred, who rofe up against mefrom him I could have hid myself:

It was thou! the man of my esteem!

my conductor, and my familiar friend!

Sweet fecret converfe we enjoyed together;

In company, we walked to the house of GOD!
May fudden death feize on them-

alive may they go down to Hades!

for all forts of wickednefs dwell among them.

But God I invoke-JEHOVAH will fave me! At even, at morn, at mid-day, I mufe; I roar out, and make my voice be heard. "Redeem my life, in peace, from my nearest of kin "for they are among thofe who contend with me. "May God hear me, and humble them,

"and bring them back to their duty!”

As they have yet met with no misfortune,
therefore they have no fear of God.
They lift up their hands against the peaceable,
and break with him their covenant.

Their mouth was fofter than butter,

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but immediate warfare was in their heart!

their words were smoother than oil;

but, in reality, were drawn fwords.

Rely thou on JEHOVAH! he will support thee:

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he will never fuffer the righteous to totter.

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But thofe, O GOD, thou wilt precipitate into the pit of perdition!

Bloody and deceitful men

fhall not live half their days:

but in thee will I put my trust.

NOTES.

See

Ver. 16. Alive may they go down to Hades! The meaning is not that they should be fwallowed up by the earth alive, but that they should die a hafty and violent death which was actually the cafe with both Ahithophel and Abfhalom; although David's imprecation muft have been limited to the former. See the Note on ver. 19.Ver. 18. and make my voice be heard. I follow the reading of Syr. and one Heb. Ms. The reft have, and he will bear my voice,Ver. 19. I think this and the following verses have been generally misunderstood. They appear to me to refer to Abshalom only, whom his tender father wifhed rather to be reclaimed than ruined. 2 Sam. 18. 4. and 33. Perhaps fome others of his near kindred were alfo among the confpirators: hence he fometimes uses the plural number, and sometimes the fingular; but the plural is often used for one, and both fingulars and plurals may here refer only to Abshalom. I use the plural throughout.-Ver. 21. One may perceive here, I think, an indirect accufation of Abshalom's ingratitude. He had been recalled from banishment, pardoned for the murder of his brother, and readmitted into royal favour; and had, doubtless, on that occafion promised to be a dutiful son and obedient fubject for the future. But the first thing he does is to fteal the hearts of the people, and at last break out in open rebellion against the best of fathers. 14. 33. and 15. I—12.

See 2 Sam

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PSALM LVI.-al. LV.

It is the remark of Secker (in bis мs. notes) that this psalm seemeth not peculiarly to suit the title; which imports that it was composed by David, when he was surprised by the Philistines at Gath. Interpreters indeed refer us to 1 Sam. 21. 11—15. but what connection that passage can have with the subject of this psalm, I cannot perceive. But I have more than once already noticed, that the titles are of small authority: and the reader may refer the psalm to any other more probable occurrence. If Gath and the Philistines be at all concerned in it, it must be referred to that period when David and bis 600 men were under the protec· tion of the king of Gath, during Saul's persecution. See 1 Sam. 27.1-7. The word in the title, which is commonly rendered took, or surprised, is susceptible of a very different meaning; which I bave expressed in my translation. But I must refer to my Critical Remarks, for this and several other difficult passages that occur in this psalm.

I FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN; ON THE IONATH ELEMREHOKIM; A GOLDEN PSALM OF DAVID; WHILE HE WAS AMONG THE PHILISTINES OF GATH.

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HAVE pity on me, O God!

for man panteth for my life:

is daily at war to opprefs me.

Mine enemies daily pant for my life,

and many are they who war against me.
From day to day I am in dread :

yet in thee I put my truft.

In GOD I will glory, whatever me befall.
In God I will trust, and nothing fear

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of all that men can do to me.

They are daily devising my destruction,

all their designs on me tend to mischief.

Secretly they meet, and mark my steps, watching an opportunity for my life;

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⚫ as if it could not escape them :

in thine ire, ftrike down fuch people.

O GOD! thou haft numbered my wanderings; my tears thou haft collected in thy bottle: are they not in thy record?

When I invoke thee, let mine enemies retreat : by this I fhall know that GOD is with me.

In GOD I will glory, whatever me befall!

In GOD I will glory, whatever me befall!

In GOD I will truft, and nothing fear

of all that men can do to me.

The vows, O GOD! which to thee I make,

with praises to thee I will pay :

when thou shalt have rescued my life from death;

nay, prevented my feet from flipping;

that I may walk before GOD,

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in the light of the living.

NOTES.

There are difficulties in this pfalm, that to many have appeared infurmountable: and whether I have been able to furmount them all, I much doubt my felf. My verfion, I prefume, is intelligible: but whether always juft, I will not take upon me to fay. I will add a few notes for further illuftration. In the title I have fuppofed that the long compound name ionath-elem-rebokim is fome musical instrument; rather than give it a ridiculous appellative meaning, as the antients have generally done. If the word were at all to be rendered, I should be apt to adopt Houbigant's version, ON THE AFFLICTION OF AN EXILED PEOPLE, meaning David and his followers, who were then in exile among the Philiftines. Some think that it was the beginning of fome well known air or tune; to which this pfalm was to be fet.Ver. 4. From day to day, &c. This is entirely a conjectural emendation; but it confifts in the change of a fingle letter; and feparating a word from the end of a verse to join it to the next. That word is,

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