to the whole Psalter. The author of this and the following Psalm is not mentioned. The latter is ascribed to David by St. Peter, Acts iv. 25. The author of this Psalm, however, is nowhere spoken of, and this circumstance favours Delitzsch's view, that it is to be regarded as a prologue to the whole Psalter.

W

const. state plu. from happiness. This noun is found only in the plu., and either in the const. state, or with the affixes. The reason why the plu. numb. is employed here and elsewhere, is for the sake of emphasis, as if the Psalmist desired to have it implied that the man who separates himself from the wicked in the way described in this verse, would be blessed with happiness from every source from which it could be derived. This emphasis is preserved in the Chald. which has 7. By Cocceius and Schroeder it is considered to have the force of an interjection. "Vim interjectionum accipiunt quoque nomina quædam abrupte, ob adfectum animi commoti, enunciata. Tale est profanum, pro absit! beatitudines! cum læta exclamatione pronunciatum pro O quantæ sunt beatitates!" Schroderi Instit. ad Fundamenta Linguæ Hebraicæ, Syn. R 106 C. who has not walked, i. e. who has not been accustomed to walk. "Præteritum sæpe de eo, quod quis facere solet." Schroeder, Syn. R 46 C. See also the Gram. of N 1, § ohw. nyya after the counsel of. here has the force of after.

and in the he sat; and

hence denotes a sitting, or place of sitting; and so it comes to signify an assembly, which is a session of people. So the Chald. paraphrase has nypa in the congregation of. See Ps. cvii. 32.

2.

but. These two particles frequently come together, and have jointly the sense of but, truly, on the contrary, &c. See verse 4, where the same words are used in a similar manner. fut. Kal, from, which in its primary

signification, like the Syr. is to emit a sound. Hence it has the meaning of to speak; as in Job xxvii. 4, DN

TT

, my tongue shall not speak deceit. Hence also it denotes in some passages, as in this, to meditate; as if were equivalent to be, he hath said in his heart or to himself. From the sense of to meditate, it passes on to that of to imagine, as we shall see in the next Psalm. We have in a change of tense from the perfects of the preceding verse. This change intimates that what is stated in the 1st verse is a cause, and what is here mentioned is an effect of this cause. Continually meditating on the Law is the consequence of not walking &c.

፡፡

3. ?, indeed he shall be as a tree. So Dathe translates by vero. The object of the Psalmist in this verse, is to describe with more particularity, by means of a beautiful figure, that prosperous condition which shall be the lot of the righteous man. In the Chald. Targum we have translated by, the tree of life., rivers of, const. plu. of ♫ a river, Arab. ¿. It is used to express, says Gesenius, a small river as well as a great one; and he is of opinion that the root signifies, besides to divide, also to flow; and compares it with the Latin flu-o, fluc-si, fluc-tus; but he adduces no instance in Scripture where the verb is so employed. From it are perhaps derived the words Ténayos and pelagus.

mby

shall do or (הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה) and all chich he אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה יַצְלִיחַ

undertake, it (y the work) shall prosper. See 1 Chron. xxix. 23, 2 Chron. xxxi. 21, &c.

the Psalm. driveth away.

4. In this verse the Psalmist commences his description of the wicked man's destiny, which is carried on to the end of ETA TUN YD2, as the chaff, which the wind from 7; obj. affix. 1 which. bis translated chaff. In the Lexicon of Simon, it is explained to be "folliculus frumenti premendo defrictus et detritus." Kimchi, on Isaiah xli. 15, calls it a pan. This figure of

the chaff driven by the wind, is frequently employed in the Old Testament to express the speedy dispersion of the wicked. See Ps. xxxv. 5; Isai. xvii. 13, xxix. 5; Hos. xiii. 3; Zeph. ii. 2; Job xxi. 18.

5. 12-by. These particles have according to some the force of Ny because that, since. See Gen. xxxviii. 26; Jer. xlviii. 36. But we observe without difficulty the connection between this and the preceding verse; if 12 be translated therefore. The Psalmist states as a consequence of the wicked being as chaff dispersed by the wind, that they are not able to stand in the judgment, and abide that searching examination by God which their conduct and character will on that occasion have to undergo. DEUDA in the judgment. The patach under denotes the article; and therefore we understand that some particular judgment is referred to, some one emphatically; and this circumstance leads us to consider the final judgment of the world as the one intended. Accordingly we perceive that the Chald. has got NI NƏVƏ in the great day, for the rendering of ; and Ewald and Hengstenberg both speak of the conclusion of this Psalm as referring to the ultimate condition of the righteous and the wicked, as determined by the Judge of all the earth, when mankind will be summoned to their account. The force of

therefore is, that the wicked shall not stand before God, so as to be accepted by him as justified; and this again is well given by the Chald. in the words as they shall not be pure or innocent.

לָא

understood in the second member of the sentence. OPTY in the congregation of the righteous. The wicked, on the great judgment day, shall not stand in a justified state with the righteous; and this is agreeable to what we are taught by our Lord in Matth. xxv. 31, and the following verses.

6. y, knowing. Here something more than mere knowledge must be meant, because the way of the wicked, equally with

that of the righteous, is known to God; and therefore y doubtless denotes in this, as in other passages, knowing so as to approve of; thus, in Gen. xviii. 19, we have "T" for I know, i. e. approve of him. See Exod. i. 8, where we have y, he knew not with approval. Pharoah did not approve of Joseph. The two members of this verse seem by themselves to be elliptical, and each one of them is required to supply the ellipsis in the other; thus: God approveth of the way of the righteous, for it does not perish, or does not go to ruin; and he does not approve of the way of the wicked, for it does go to ruin. TNA perishes, or goes to ruin or perdition.

PSALM II.

Ir appears, on the authority of the New Testament (Acts iv. 25), that David was the author of this Psalm. As regards its interpretation, the majority of commentators have considered the Psalm to be Messianic, i. e., applicable to Christ and the Christian Church. In this view they are supported by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. i. 5, and v. 5; besides Acts xiii. 33, and the other passage in the same book above cited. If, however, they had not been backed by this authority, the many distinctive features which this Psalm possesses of its Messianic character could leave little doubt in the reader's mind that they are correct in their notions. When we are told by interpreters that any portion of the Old Testament predicts the person or office of the Saviour, or any peculiar circumstance of His dispensation, we must, unless it is elsewhere so interpreted by Scripture itself, feel

satisfied that the characteristics of the passage are sufficiently striking to justify fully this application, before we give our assent to their statements. Now in applying this test of prophetic language to the 2nd Psalm, we shall perceive that there is this striking evidence. The person of Christ, and the triumphs of His Church are set forth with great distinctness, and some verses are altogether inapplicable if the Psalm be supposed to treat of another kingdom and another king. These characteristics will be better seen in the notes on the different verses; but it may not be amiss now briefly to glance at them. First we are told that a number of nations are seen by the prophetic eye of the Psalmist to rise up in rebellion against God and His Anointed, determined to free themselves from the obligations of the government under which they are living. God, enthroned in heaven, sees this resistance to His authority on earth, and declares His intention to quell it; and this declaration is expressed in language indicating the feebleness of the rebellion. Next a new speaker, the Anointed, is introduced, who declares that as the Son, the begotten of God, the people of the whole earth are given to Him with the power to chastise them for their offences, unless they desist from their rebellion and become quiet and obedient to His government. The Psalmist then concludes with an exhortation to consider well the importance of submission to such all-powerful authority, and the consequence of not paying proper allegiance to the anointed Son, and afterwards declares that all those who trust in Him are blessed. These state