thou hast spoken concerning the prosperity of me and my kingdom; that the purpose of God may not seem to be put by, through the crime of man. But the connection is clear as the passage stands. "Against thee only have I sinned," &c. so that thou mightest be justified in pronouncing sentence, and clear in giving judgement. Ver. 12. free spirit." Пnuaryμoving. LXX. Spiritu potenti. Jerom. Spiritu principali. Vulg. Spiritus alacer. Bishop Hare. Spiritus magnanimitatis. Houbigant. A plentiful effusion of spirit. Mudge. PSALM LII. A BELIEVER'S THANKSGIVING FOR THE FINAL EXTIRPATION OF PERSECUTING POWER. Ver. 2. O mighty man, the goodness of God endureth continually." The LXX had nothing in their copies about the goodness of God, or its continuance. Their version is in these words: Τί ἐγκαυχῷ ἐν κακίᾳ ὁ δυνατὸς; ̓Ανομίαν ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν, Αδικίαν ελογίσατο ἡ γλῶσσά σε, which Jerome seems to have pointed after this manner: Τί ἐγκαυχῷ ἐν κακίᾳ ὁ δυνατὸς ἀνομίαν; ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀδικίαν ἐλογίσατο ἡ γλῶσσα σε. It is evident, that for D, they had some word which they thought might be rendered by avouay. But of all the words, which are renderἀνομίαν. ed by the LXX by the word avouav, in places where neither the Hebrew nor the Greek text may be suspected of corruption, that which most resembles Ton is DD. What if we read the Hebrew thus: מה תתהלל ברעה חגבור אל חמס: כל היום הוות תחשב לשונך כתער מלטש עשה רמיה: Why exultest thou in wickedness, This is very good sense, if the construction, ), "mighty in," or for the purpose of," injustice," may be al lowed. Ver.4. ——all-devouring words. Tra từ pipat XD TỪ TO PSALM LIV. A PRAYER FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE ATHEISTICAL CONSPIRACY. Ver. 5. enemies." A full stop; for here is the end of the stanza, which is a triplet, like the preceding and the following. Ver. 7. For he hath delivered"— The LXX have the verb in the second person. Their co הצלתני pies probably had --and mine eye hath seen his desire;" literally, "and mine eye hath looked upon mine enemies;" i. e. I have been able to look my enemies in the face. The preterite tense is used in this distich, as expressive of confidence in future mercies. In the preceding triplet, the Psalmist prays for the excision of his enemies, as a thing for which the divine promise stood engaged; and vows grateful returns of sacrifice and praise. In this distich, he returns, as it were, an answer to his own petition, Truly thou hast delivered," &c. Thus, in the prophetic language, the preterite tense often expresses the certainty of things future. PSALM LV. [A] Ver. 2. I am brought low with my anxiety." —“I mourn in my complaint." E. T. v TN, I render, "I am brought low with my anxiety." Symmachus's rendering is to the same effect; κατηνέχθην προσλαλῶν ἐμαυτῷ. [B] Ver. 9. Or thus, The torrent (variance) of their tongues makes total de◄ struction, O Lord. Or thus, Sink, O Lord, the torrent of their tongues. i. e. Make it sink into the earth, and disappear. Bishop Hare observes, that a is a strange word here. I have offered four interpretations, of which it seems capable; but I prefer that in which it is taken as an imperative, in its proper sense, of causing to disappear suddenly and totally, like a thing swallowed or sunk in the earth. But see Parkhurst's Lexicon, under . [C] Ver. 15. Let death exalt his claim upon them. -seize upon them." E.T. The image is not sufficiently expressed by the English word seize; though it is not impossible that our translators might intend to allude to the seizure of a debtor. But this is rather a kindred image than the same. For the precise image in the original is the exaction of payment, not the seizure of the person. [D] Ver. 18. -for there were many with me." E.T. Bp. Hare, for 1, would read ; and he translates the line thus altered, "Quoniam contra multos fuit mecum." Bishop Lowth thinks this emendation probable. But if 2 may be equivalent to instar, it is unnecessary. "Instar multorum erant כי ברבים for כי ברבים היו עמדי .qui] mecum stabant] Nothing is more frequent than this .[הם] היו [אשר עמדי double ellipsis of the pronouns. "They who stood on my side;" i. e. the Divine assistance described under the image of numer ous auxiliaries. See 2 Kings, vi, 16; 1 John, iv, 4. [E] Ver. 19. -even he that abideth of old." For , all the versions seems to have had ; which receives much confirmation from the great number of MSS. and print ויושב ed editions, which give [F] Literally, "butyrina oris ejus." See Michaelis. |