PSALM XXIII. A BELIEVER'S THANKSGIVING IN THE CHARACTER OF A PRIEST, (SEE THE LAST verse.) AN ODE OF DAVID. Ver. 5, 6. my cup runneth over. Surely goodness," &c. In the copies of the LXX it should seem that the passage stood thus: כוסך רויה אך טוב וחסדך ירדפנר "How good is thy overflowing cup! But the received reading seems the better of the two. לארך ימים Ver. 6. for ever;". See Psalm XXI, 4. PSALM XXIV. [A] Ver. 4, 5. - nor sworn deceitfully. He shall re ceive It should seem, from the version of the LXX, that, in their copies, the passage stood thus: למרמה רעהו הוא ישא .c& PSALM XXV. לדוד [A] That this Psalm was originally alphabetical, is evident in its present state. It consists of just as many stanzas as the Hebrew alphabet hath letters, namely, twenty-two. The stanzas are, for the most part, distichs; and the first line of each begins with that letter, whose numerical place in the Hebrew alphabet, corresponds with the numerical place of the stanza in the Psalm. But the regularity of the composition is disturbed in the present state of the text in these instances: 1st, The first stanza consists of only a single line. 2d, The second stanza begins with &, not with, as it ought to do. 3d, The fifth stanza, beginning with the letter, is a distich, and yet the sentiment is complete without the third line. 4th, The Vau stanza is wanting; for the fifth begins, as it ought to do, with, but the sixth irregulary with 7. 5th, Again, the stanza is a tristich, and the sense is complete 2 without the third line. 6th, The second line of the Lamed stanza begins with a Vau, which seems purely redundant. 7th, Two successive stanzas begin with the letter, and the stanza seems wanting. 8th, The stanza is not the conclusion of the Psalm. The whole is closed with a long line beginning with a 5. With these exceptions, the law of the composition seems to be, that the stanzas should be distichs, beginning with the letters of the alphabet in regular succession. There is little room to doubt, that the violations of this law, which appear in the eight instances alleged, have arisen from corruptions of the text; and the poem may be restored to its original regularity by these easy emendations. 1st, Remove the third line of the fifth stanza to the first stanza, of which it is certainly the second line misplaced, for it connects well with the first, and the two make an elegant distich. Thus, אליך יהוה נפשי אשא אותך קויתי כל היום: 2dly, Transpose the two first words of the second stanza; Thus, the second stanza בך אלהי read אלהי בך that is, for will begin with 3, as it ought to do. 3dly, Between the stanza, and the now stands as the second line of the dently the Vau stanza misplaced. stanza, insert what stanza, which is eviAnd to complete the dis tich, blend, with the words of this line, what now stands as a third line of the П stanza, thus: וסלחת לעוני למען טובך יהוה כי רב הוא 4th, The second line of the Lamed stanza is to be found in the line irregularly annexed to the Thau stanza. For, that line, as it now stands, I take to be the second line of the Lamed stanza misplaced, and mixed with some words which belong to the last line of the Thau stanza. The Lamed stanza, therefore, will stand thus: למען שמך יהוה פדה ישראל מכל צרותיו 5th, For at the beginning of the former of the two stanzas, beginning with the word 7, read, with Houbigant and Kennicott, P, "cut short." Thus the P stanza will be restored. 6th, To the Thau stanza, add the two words of which the words л in the line, which in the present state of the text follows the Thau stanza, seem to be a corruption. The Thau stanza, with this emendation, will stand thus: תם וישר יצרוני כי קויתיך אלהי אתה [B] Ver. 14. His soul shall rest in bliss.", pernoctabit. The words seem to allude to the happy state of the good man's departed soul, while his posterity prosper in the present world; unless, indeed, the earth or the land be put mystically for the true land of promise,—the Canaan of the future life; in which case the sense will be, that both the good man himself shall rest in bliss, and his seed also,-his mystical seed, those whom he shall instruct in the way of the Lord, and bring to be his children in goodness, shall inherit the promised land of everlasting happiness. Upon mature consideration, however, I am persuaded that this verse is spoken of Messiah. I take the whole plan of the Psalm to be thus: In the first twelve verses, the man Christ Jesus, (or, in the Hutchinsonian phrase, the humanity of Christ), prays to the Trinity. In the first three, to the Word to which the Humanity was united for support. In the 4th and 5th to the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide him. In the 6th, 7th, and 8th, to God the Father, to spare him.* The imputed guilt of man, in verse 7th, he speaks of as his own, because it was imputed to him. But what, it may be asked, were the trespasses and disobediences of Mesiah's youth, which he requests may not be remembered? I agree with Mr Hutchinson, that the sins of "y, may be VOL. I. * "If it be possible let this cup pass from me." Q |