PSALM LIII.

למנצח על מחלת משכיל לדוד: אמר נבל בלבו אין אלהים

השחיתו והתעיבו עול אין עשה טוב :

2 אלהים משמים השקיף על בני אדם לראות היש משכיל דרש את אלהים:

3 כלו סג יחדו נאלחו

אין עשה טוב אין בם אחד :

4 הלא ידעו פעלי און

אכלי עמי אכלו לחם אלהים לא קראו :

5 שם פחדו פחד לא היה פחד כי אלהים פזר עצמות חנך

6 הבישתה

כי אלהים מאסם:

7 מי יתן מציון ישעות ישראל בשוב אלהים שבות עמו יגל יעקב ישמח ישראל:

[A] Ver. 1.

they are abominable in their frolics,"

Mudge. But, in the liii Psalm, the noun

would be

better rendered by "profligacy" than by "frolics."

[B] Ver. 8. They all.” Ps. liii. "Every one of them.” The true reading, in both places, I should guess to be

"no

not one." Here the LXX add all that we read, Rom. iii, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. But in the parallel place of Ps. liii we find no such addition.

[C] Nothing of this in the liii Psalm, either in LXX or Vulgate.

[D] Ver. 4. bread." Mudge.

-devourers of my people. They eat

[E] Ver. 5. There they are thrown into terror." The LXX add here in the xiv as in the liii Psalm, "where no fear was."

The Psalmist, passing from the delineation of the atheistical oppressor's character to the prediction of his future punishment, speaks of the consternation that shall seize him, when he shall perceive the deliverance of the righteous by the helpless one, the instrument of God, approaching, in the usual language of prophecy, as a thing that hath already taken place. The reason of this use of the perfect tense, in

P

speaking of future things, in prophetic poetry, seems to be this: That a scene, typical of futurity, is presented to the prophet's imagination, and what he sees in that scene he speaks of as done. Thus, in the present instance, while the Psalmist, in the latter part of the fourth verse, describes the oppressive character of the infidel or idolater, when in power; a scene suddenly breaks upon his fancy, signifying the reverse of fortune between the oppressor and the oppressed. He sees perhaps a numerous army, led on by a great conqueror, seized with a sudden panic, upon the point of an engagement with a far inferior force. The panic has taken place. perceives that God has sent it upon them. that the well-concerted schemes of the weaker force cannot but prove successful. He speaks of the panic which he sees, in the perfect time;-of the victory which he expects, in time future. "They are dismayed.-The stratagems of that weak

band will take effect, and put them to shame.”

The prophet

He concludes,

The particle is used demonstratively, in reference to the scene which lies before the inspired poet's fancy. "See there!"

[F] Ver. 6. "You have shamed the counsel of the poor,"

תבישם of which no sense can be made, read תבישו For

"the counsel of the helpless man shall put them to shame,”

The parallel passage in Psalm liii, in which the verb

in the second person, is evidently addressed to the righteous party, or their leader, in some measure justifies the altera

tion.

of him that encampeth against thee." 'As

LIII, 5. Ogañagsonar, LXX. Houbigant upon this authority would read. If I were to propose any alteration, it should be to read instead of, and to divide the lines thus:

כי אלהים פזר עצמות:

תניך הבישתה כי אלהים מאסם

Truly God hath dissipated strength.

Thou hast put to shame a-trained-army, *

Because God with-scorn-hath-rejected-them.

"Thou."-The leader of the righteous band is addressed. The obscurity, which arises from addressing the discourse to a person not described or mentioned in the preceding part of the song, is not unsuitable to the prophetic stile.

--a-trained-army." upon its first appearance, were, like disciplined troops, furnished with all the regular instruments for their own defence and the annoyance of the enemy. They had power, authority, friends, credit. They were accomplished in the Hebrew theology, and in Greek philosophy and eloquence. And in the latter ages, the irreligious will probably be well provided with all the worldly means of strength;-Numerous armies of the best troops, able generals, and ministers of consummate skill in the lists of wicked unprincipled policy.

The adversaries of Christianity,

* Compare Gen. xiv, 14.