PSALM LVI.

[A] TITLE,

למנצח על יונת אלם רחקים לדוד מכתם באחז אותו פלשתים בגת

Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῆς λαν τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μεμακρυμμένες, τῷ Δαυὶδ εἰς σηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ. LXX. Τῷ νικοποιῷ ὑπὲρ περιφερᾶς ἀλάλε, μακρυσμῶν, τῷ Δαυίδ ταπειν τελείς, ἐν τῷ κρατῆσαι αὐτὸν φυλισαίες ἐν Γέθ. Aquila.

Επινίκιον ὑπὲρ τῆς περιτερᾶς, ὑπὲρ τῇ φύλε ἀπωσμένα, το Δαυίδ, το τα πεινόφρονος καὶ ἀμώμε, ὅτε κατέσχον αὐτὸν οἱ φυλισαῖοι ἐν Γέθ. Symm. · Εἰς τὸ νῖκος ἐπὶ τῆς περιτερᾶς. Theodot.

Τῷ νικοποιῷ ὑπὲρ τῆς περιφερᾶς τῆς μογιλάλο, κεκρυμμένων τῷ Δαυίδ, εἰς σηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ. Ε.

The true translation of the Hebrew title I take to be this: «To the giver of Victory. Concerning the Doves. The Band of those who are in a far country. A mystical [or figurative] Psalm of David," &c.

--Doves"-" those who are in a far country." The faithful in a state of persecution among the heathen. The expressions allude to the preceding Psalm, verses 6th and 7th.

I cannot find that is ever used as a noun in the sense

of "oppression." If it might be taken in that sense, the title might certainly be rendered, "Concerning the oppression of the confederacy of the distant ones," i. e. distant from God; the apostate faction. To this faction the word is applied,-lviii, 1,

[B] Ver. 1. for man would swallow me up." E. T. Man, N, genus humanum, This is the complaint of a person who was exposed to the general persecution of mankind. This was not the case of David, who was at all times high in the public esteem. The language is remarkably adapted to the condition of our Lord on earth, and of his Church after his ascension.

[C] [D] Ver. 1 and 2. swallow me up;" for this expression the LXX have xarάτ in the first place, and x«Tάτŋά in the second. Jerome, as well as the Vulgate, hath "conculcavit" and "conculcaverunt." Symmachus, in the second place, had inergicov. See also Syriac. Hence, I should

שופני the old copies had שאפו and שאפני conjecture, that for

and D, or rather . This is the more probable, because the LXX have rendered this word by the Greek ××тαлατ, in another place, where it really bears another meaning.-See Psalm cxxxix, 11. If ' and ' be the true reading here, the allusion to the words of the curse upon the serpent is so striking, as to leave no doubt of the relation of this Psalm to the great object of the serpent's hate,

[E] Ver. 2. from on high. -O thou most High.” E. T. Houbigant observes, that the word D is in no other place used as equivalent to py, in which sense Aquila understood it here. He would read, therefore, D; that the sense may be, "Many they be that fight against me from on high." This might be literally true in David's case, and was figuratively true in our Lord's, whose enemies were those who were in the heights of worldly rank and power. Bishop Lowth seems to approve this emendation. In the application of the Psalm to the Messiah, there may be an allusion here "to the spiritual wickednesses in high places." The LXX have ò

. But a defect of the prefix D, especially before a noun beginning with D, is not unexampled.

[F] Ver. 3. What time."- For D, read with Syriac Symmachus, Houbigant, and Bishop Lowth, ".

[G] Ver. 4. In God I will praise his word." E. T. For

I will rejoice in God for * .לדברו Houbigant would read,דברו

his promise." Bishop Lowth thinks the passage may bear this sense, without Houbigant's emendation. But, in the parallel place, verse 10th, 17 twice occurs without any suffix, and in this place the LXX have the suffix of the first person. Houbigant would correct the 10th verse by adding the suffix 1, as in this place. But since the suffix occurs but once, for twice that it is omitted; since we have the authority of the LXX for the two omissions, and have not their authority for the

suffix of the third person in this place, I am for taking 17, without the suffix, in all the three places, and would understand 7, without the suffix, as a verb. In this place, however, I expunge not the ", but detach it from 77, and prefix it as the copulative, in the sense of therefore, to the next word. See my Translation.

[H] Ver. 5. they wrest," 13. The LXX have dexúcorro. It should seem that they read yn. But there is no reason to disturb the printed text. "To do a thing with great labour, to take pains about it," is perhaps the primary meaning of the word. If, indeed, its primary meaning be not 66 to distort," whence the sense of the noun, as an idol, may For idols were grotesque monstrous figures, and literally distortions of the patriarchal emblems. Hence, it may signify to affect the mind with any unpleasing passion or sensation, grief, vexation, anger; for every perturbation is a sort of distortion of the mind. by a 17" torquent con

come.

דברי יעצבו עלי

tra me verba mea."" torquent, i. e. laboriosè fingunt in

mentem alienam, et sensum alienum." Pagninus after Aben Ezra, and R. D.

[I] Ver. 6. Or, "they stir up disturbances," or, "they are stirred up," concitati sunt.

[K]

The

--they hide themselves." E. T. 193. Masora remarks the irregularity of the verb. What, if by a

single transposition, we make it ", "they keep constant

watch," from the root E not .

As " (Is. xxxiii, 7)

xxxii) יבכיון

from. The irregularity vanishes, and the sentiment is improved. Compare Ps. x, 8.

[L] Ver. 7. Shall they escape by iniquity?" E. T. This is improperly made a question. The literal rendering is this: "In vanity, or in iniquity, is the escape for them," i. e. they place their security in a false religion; which was the case of the hypocritical pharisees of our Saviour's days, although they were not idolaters. It should seem, that Jerome for read N 7. For his translation is in these words, quia nullus est salus in eis. But the received reading is preferable.

[M] Ver. 8.

in thy bottle." For 7782, LXX, Syr.

לנגדך and Symm. all had

[N] Ver. 9.

-cry,-for me." E. T. It should seem

.See Bishop Hare .לי אתה and אקראך that the LXX read

[O] Ver. 13. thou hast delivered.

deliver?" E. T.

wilt not thou

Archbishop Secker judged the negation

here to be a corruption. We have no trace of it either in

the LXX or Syriac. But perhaps renders here, "et ultra," "and beyond that.”