they were confounded, and hastily retreated: There, a trembling seized on them; a forrow like that of child-birth. 7 Thou shiveredft them, O God, as with an eastern wind 8 thou shiverest the ships of Tarshish. We now fee, what we have often heard, concerning the city of JEHOVAH, the God of hosts, concerning the city of our God that God hath established it for ever. 9 O GOD! we meditate on thy bounty, 10 in the midft of thine own temple : as thy name, O GOD, fo fhall thy praise refound to the limits of the land: II thy right hand is fo full of justice! Let Mount Zion be joyful 12 let the cities of Judah exult, for thy juft judgments, JEHOVAH! Go round about Zion, and number its towers, 13 mark well its bulwarks, count its palaces : 14 that ye may tell to the next generation : how GOD, our God, hath for ever established it: although ourselves he driveth on to death. 15 NOTES. Ver. 8. Although this may be only a metaphorical image; yet it may be that a storm on this occafion had really shattered some ships of the Edomites at Azion-Geber, their principal feaport.-Ver. 15. In rendering this verse I differ from all interpreters: yet I am perfuaded I have given the true fenfe. I change only a fingle letter in the text. The meaning of the whole is: that although the present generation muft die, yet the city itself shall be perpetual.-At least, if this be not the meaning, I must confess my ignorance of it. PSALM XLIX.-al. XLVIII. When, or by whom, this beautiful and philosophical psalm was composed, it is totally uncertain. I should be apt to give it to Solomon, or at least to the author of Ecclesiastes. I FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN OF THE SONS OF KORAH: A PSALM. 3 HEAR this, all ye peoples! give ear, all ye inhabitants of the globe! I will bend mine ear to a parable; 5 I will open my propofition on the harp. 6 Why should I fear in the days of adverfity, 7 when circumvented by the iniquity of the fraudulent, who confide in their own riches, II and live to eternity, and never fee the pit! as well as the fool and the idiot: They all perish alike, and to others leave their riches! For it is evident, that the wife themfelves die, 12 Their grave is their house for ever, 13 their refidence through all generations! On earth they are called by their titles: resembleth the beasts—they are both alike! Such is their conduct, and foolish confidence: and their pofterity follow their example. Like a flock they shall be placed in Hades! their fhepherd fhall be Death! 14 15 early they shall go down to the gloomy vale; where Hades fhall coop them up, until they rot, to make for himself a dung-hill! But my life God will redeem, and fnatch me from the hand of Hades. Be not uneafy, then, because a man is rich, and because great is the glory of his house: for, at his death, he shall carry nought away; nor fhall his glory go down after him. Although in his life he deemed himself happy, and was praised while he was in prosperity: yet he must go to the generation of his fathers, who fhall never again fee the light. A man in honour, without understanding, resembleth the beafts-they are both alike! NOTE. 16 17 18 19 20 21 Perhaps there is not in the whole collection a pfalm harder to be understood, or that has been more misunderstood than this one. Yet I flatter myself, that I have furmounted most of the difficulties; and difplayed its great beauties in an intelligible manner: without altering a fingle letter of the original but one; and by the bare transpofition of another. The learned will judge of my fuccefs. PSALM L.-al. XLIX. The inutility of ceremonious observances, without the true worship of the beart: applicable to too many Christians, as well as Jews. Compare Ifa. 1. 11. Jerem. 7. 22. Hof, 6. 6. A PSALM OF ASAPH. THE mighty God, JEHOVAH, fpeaketh; and calleth to the inhabitants of the land I 2 3 4 5 6 7 from the rifing to the fetting fun. From Zion, the paragon of beauty, Our God cometh, and will not be silent : furrounded by a mighty tempeft. He calleth to the heavens and to the earth, who make a covenant with him by facrifice : for GOD himself is to be the judge. "Hear (faith he), my people, while I speak: "For GOD, thine own God, I am. 8 "I reprove thee not on account of thy facrifices, "for thine holocaufts are daily before me. 9 "Out of thy booth I seek not a bull, 10 12 "nor he-goats out of thy folds: "for mine is every beast of the foreft; "If I were hungry, I would not apply to thee: "Shall I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood "of goats? "Offer up to GOD the facrifice of praise, 13 14 "and perform thy vows to the most High : 15 "then invoke me, in the day of distress : "and, when I rescue thee, glorify me." 16 But to the wicked GOD faith: "How becometh it thee to talk of my ftatutes? "My covenant thou haft in thy mouth; "and my words thou cafteft behind thee. "left I cut you off-and none fhall rescue you. Ver. 1. NOTES. 17 18 19 20 21 2.2 23 The mighty God-al. The God of Gods.-Ver. 5. Let bis worshippers affemble. I follow the reading of all the antients, fave Chald. who follows the present Heb. and puts the words in the mouth of God: "Affemble ye, my worshippers-or pious ones:" But this evidently breaks the tenour of the poem: which made Green and Street transpose ver. 6. and place it between ver. 4. and ver. 5.Ver. 20. thou Speakeft falsehood. The prefent Heb. is commonly rendered "thou fitteft and speakeft," or, with Houbigant: "thou "art repeatedly speaking."-Ver. 23. There is in this verfe a various reading arifing from a different vowel point. I have followed that of Sep. Syr. Vulg. Arab. and of 9 Heb. Mss. and several printed editions. |