He will not suffer the JUST ONE to be tossed about for ever. PSALMIST. 23 Thou, then, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction; The men of blood and deceit shall not finish half their days: But I will put-trust in thee. PSALM LVI. A PRAYER OF THE MESSIAH. [A] 1 Take pity upon me, O God, for men [B] trample me-under-foot ;* Every day the foe [C] harasseth me. *" Trample-me-under-foot." The original has an allusion to the curse upon the serpent, which cannot be preserved in a translation for want of a word, which, like the Hebrew verb used here, according to the reading of the old copies, and in Gen. III, 15. may signify either to trample, or to bruise. 2 My enemies trample-me-under-foot* [D] every day, For many they be who fight against me from on high. [E] 3 What time [F] I am afraid, I will put-trust in thee. 4 God shall be the theme of my praise :† He-hathpassed-his-word, [G] Therefore in God I have-placed-my-trust: I will not fear What flesh can do unto me. 5 Continually they wrest [H] my words against me; All their study is for mischief. 6 They make a stir; [I] -they-are-ever-uponthe-watch; [K] *See Note, preceding page. +"God shall be the theme of my praise," literally, "I will praise "God;" but the original word signifies, not devotional praise addressed to God himself, but the public praise of God addressed to men; the celebration of him as the Psalmist's deliverer, and the avenger of his wrongs. This force of the original word I cannot express but by periphrasis. They observe my steps, because they-are-impatient-for my life. 7 In vanity is the hope-of-deliverance for them; [L] In anger, O God, bring thou down the peoples. 8 Thou takest account of my persecutions; Put my tears in thy bottle, [M] Are not these things in thy book? 9 Then* shall mine enemies retreat,t 10 God shall be the theme of my praise; he-hathpassed-his-word, S * At that moment. + Matt. XXVI, 53. This is opposed to what was said (v. 7.) of the Psalmist's ene mies, that their whole hope of deliverance is in vanity,—a false re◄ ligion. The word spoken by God, in which the person uttering this Psalm takes so much comfort, is the promise, that the woman's seed should be victorious. Jehovah shall be the theme of my praise; he-hath passed-his-word. 11 In God I have-placed-my-trust; I will not fear What man can do unto me. 12 Unto me, O God, are thy vows,* I will repay thee praises. 13 For thou hast delivered [O] my soul from death, And what is more, my feet from falling; That I may walk before God, In the light of the living. PSALM LVII. A PRAYER OF THE MESSIAH. THE composition of this Psalm is remarkably elegant. It begins in a plaintive strain, imploring aid, * By a bold figure, the promise of the Messiah's victory is mentioned as a vow, by which the Father had bound himself to the Son. The Messiah is the speaker throughout this Psalm. and expressing deep distress, and extreme danger; when suddenly, in the 7th verse, in the sure prospect of the divine assistance, the strain is changed to notes of praise and triumph, as over an enemy already fallen. 1 Take-pity-upon me, O God, take-pity-upon-me, For with thee my soul hath-taken-shelter; Even under the shadow of thy wing I-seek-shelter, 2 I will call upon God most High, Upon God who will bring things to a conclusion [B] for me. 3 He shall send from Heaven and save me; He shall give to reproach them that trample on [C] my soul; * God shall send forth his kindness and truth. 4 I have-my-lodging amidst lions ; [D] The sons of men are fiery [with rage]; * Literally, "the bruisers of my soul." |