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in our public verfion rendered "O thou most high!" a meaning which it has never elfewhere; and which, in my opinion, it cannot have here. Others make it an adverb, and render proudly. Others supply a letter, and render from on high.-Ver. 5. The first comma of this verse is, in our common verfion, rendered "In God I will praise his word."-Much more intelligibly Coverdale; "I will comfort myself in God's word "—and our Liturgical verfion; "I will praise God, because of his word," i. e. his promife. And this or a fimilar verfion has been adopted by fome of the best modern translators. I cannot however think that this is the true meaning. The Heb. term rendered word has a great variety of meanings: and here it appears to have a very general one, namely, whatever may happen. It occurs again twice, in this fame pfalm, and certainly in the fame meaning, whatever that meaning be. I will not here trouble the English reader with all the conjectures that have been risked on it, and the learned reader I must refer to my Critical Remarks.-Ver. 6. They are daily devising my destruction: commonly rendered "They are daily wresting my words." I think the other the true meaning.— Ver. 8. as if it could not escape them. I disjoin this comma from ver. 8. and add it to ver. 7. Then following the reading of Sep. and Syr. I find the moft natural interpretation to be that which I give in my verfion. They who prefer the prefent Heb. lection render varioufly. Our last tranflators : "fhall they efcape by iniquity?"Coverdale: "but in vain; for it shall escape them :" certainly a more confonant rendering; and followed by fome more modern interpreters.-Ver. 9. puttest my tears in a bottle. Most of the antients read "putteft my tears before thee:" but the other reading is more poetical and emphatic. The remainder, I think, is all pretty clear, and requires no further illuftration.

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PSALM LVII.al. LVI.

This psalm may bave been camposed at the period mentioned in
the title; which is,

FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN: [AL-THASHETH]
A GOLDEN PSALM OF DAVID; WHEN HE
ESCAPED FROM SAUL, IN THE CAVE.

HAVE pity on me, O GOD! have pity on me : for in thee my foul taketh fhelter.

H

In the shadow of thy wings I fhelter myself; until these calamities pafs over.

GOD I invoke, the most high God;

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Exalt thyself, O GOD! above the heavens:

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manifeft thy glory over all the earth.

A net they had prepared for my steps;

a trap they had prepared for my life;

a pit they had digged before me:

but into it they ftumbled themselves.

Mine heart is ready, O GOD! mine heart is ready: 8 to thee I will fing and pfalmodize.

Awake, my glory; awake, my lyre and harp!
I will wake the early morning!

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I will praise thee, JEHOVAH! among the people; will pfalmodize to thee among the nations:

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for magnified is thy bounty, unto the heavens : thy veracity, unto the ethereal skies.

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Exalt thyfelf, O GOD! above the heavens:

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manifeft thy glory over all the earth.

NOTES.

The word in the title, which I have put within brackets, is supposed here and elsewhere to be the name of fome air; to which this pfalm was to be fung. See the Notes on the foregoing psalm.-Ver. 7. a trap they had prepared for my life. This comma is commonly rendered: " my foul is bowed down:" as in our public version: or, "they have bowed down my foul :" as most of the antients, who read

the Heb. verb in the plural. But I cannot think that the word is here a verb at all. I believe it to be a noun, and to fignify a trap, or cavity made to entrap.-Ver. 9. I will wake the early morning: poeticallySo Milton: "Cheerly roufe the flumbering morn !"

PSALM LVIII.—al. LVII. .

A strong and bitter invective against iniquitous and precipitate judges. It may have allusion to Saul's basty condemnation and slaughter of the priests of Nob. See 1 Sam. 22. 11, &c.

2

FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN: [AL-THASHETH]

A GOLDEN PSALM OF DAVID.

ADMINISTER ye juftice, truly and faithfully?
Judge ye with equity, ye fons of man?

Nay; in your hearts ye contrive iniquities!
and your hands deal out violence through the land.

The wicked are strangers to compassion ;

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Their poifon is like the poifon of a serpent,

they ftray from fincerity, and speak falfehood!

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like that of the deaf afpic, which stoppeth its ear;

and which lifteneth not to the voice of the charm

ers,

howfoever well skilled in incantations.

Break, O GOD! their teeth in their mouths: demolish, JEHOVAH! the grinders of those young

lions.

May they melt away like a flux of water!

When they aim their fhafts, may they mifs the

mark!

May they be like a flux, flowing fastly off:
like an abortion, who feeth not the fun!

Before their thorns have gathered strength,

may they be difperfed, like teafils and thiftles! Then shall the righteous man rejoice,

when he beholdeth fuch vengeance taken :

II

when he may bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked! Then will men say:

Truly, there are rewards for the righteous:

"Truly, there is a GOD, who is judge on the earth.”

NOTES.

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Ver. 2. This abrupt apostrophe is quite poetical. There is a word in the original that has much puzzled interpreters, and various conjectures have been made concerning it. I have, with our common verfion, followed the Septuagint.-Ver. 4. The wicked are firangers to compaffion, &c. This is commonly rendered: "The wicked are eftranged from the womb, they go aftray as foon as they be born:" wrongly, I think, with Green.-Ver. 6. This has allufion to the charlatans, who, in the East, go about with tamed and harmless serpents, which they pretend to have rendered fo by spells and inchantments.-Ver. 9. The first comma of this verse is commonly rendered : as a fnail, which melteth." The antients vary. Sep. Vulg. Syr. Arab. have wax. I believe the word means a water-flufb.-Ver. 10. This has been deemed one of the most difficult paffages in the Pfalter; and is in our public verfion rendered thus: "Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath :" which he who understands may. To make fense of the Heb. I have been obliged to make fome flight corrections; but which are either authorised by fome мs. authority, or fome antient version; or naturally present themselves, and give a fit and fair meaning.

PSALM LIX.—al. LVIII.

This psalm, if we trust to the title, must be referred to what is related in 1 Sam. 19. 11, &c. but some parts of it seem hardly suitable to that occasion. I am apt to think, that it relates to the time of Hezekiah, when Jerusalem was besieged by the Assyrians. Comp. ver. 6, 7. with 2 Kings 19. 19.

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[AL THASHETH]

A GOLDEN PSALM OF DAVID; WHEN SAUL
SENT MESSENGERS TO WATCH AT HIS HOUSE,

FOR THE PURPOSE OF KILLING HIM.

FROM my
foes deliver me, my GOD!
protect me from mine adversaries :
deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
and preferve me from blood-thirsty men.
For, lo, they lie in wait for my life:
against me are the mighty combined!

Yet no crime, no fault in me, JEHOVAH!
void of iniquity I have fteered my course.

Awake, and fee to mine affiftance,

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thou the God of hofts, the God of Ifrael!
awake to punish all fuch people;

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II

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But who liftens to them?

at all fuch people thou laughest.

My ftrength to thee I will pfalmodize! for GOD is my strong hold,

to me a God moft gracious!

a God who anticipates my needs

;

a God who will make me to behold

mine enemies become a spectacle.

Slay them not; left my people forget it:

disperse them by thy mighty power;

precipitate them, JEHOVAH! my protector!
For the fins of their mouths, for the words of their

lips,

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