who made the division; for no other reason but because this Psalm happened to be the last of a book. It is tacked, for the same reason, to the last Psalm of every one of the three following books.

PSALM XLII.

למנצח משכיל לבני קורח

TO THE GIVER OF VICTORY. A LESSON FOR THE SONS OF

CORAH.

This 42d Psalm, and the following, certainly make one entire piece.

The suppliant, in this sacred song, is a person under persecution. (v. 3, 9, 10.-XLIII, 1, 2.) The persecution is carried on by an "ungodly nation," and an individual, described as "a man of deceit and fraud;"--expressions easily applicable to the atheistical confederacy in the latter ages, under Antichrist as the leader. By the strong attachment which the suppliant discovers to the Holy Land, it appears, that he is of the race of Israel. But he is at a distance from the Holy Land, which he laments, at the same time that he expresses the most confident hope of being conducted thither

in triumph by the special providence of God; (verse 4, and XLIII, 4). This expectation is derided by his persecutors, and his distress is greatly aggravated by their insults.

From all this it should seem, that the suppliant is of the natural Israel; a convert to the faith of Christ in the latter ages, suffering under the persecution of Antichrist; but under that distress looking forward to the restoration of the Jewish nation, as a thing at hand, and deriving comfort and joy from that expectation. The Psalm is the suppliant's earnest prayer, for the accomplishment of God's promises to the natural Israel. Whether the suppliant be an individual of the Hebrew race, or a Church of the circumcision, is doubtful. That God will gather to himself such a church in the times of Antichrist, previously to the restoration of the Jewish people, many passages in the ancient prophets and in the Apocalypse seem to intimate.

[A] Ver. 2.

and appear before God."-E. T.; rather, ❝and behold the face of God." "Contemplabor faciem Dei.” HOUBIGANT.

[B] Ver. 4. "When I remember these things."—E. T.; rather, "while I bear these things in mind," [i. e. these taunts of infidels] I pour out my soul upon myself," that is, I indulge my own thoughts in secret, and comfort myself with these reflections, y ", " that I am to pass over," &c.

Interpreters have been much perplexed with the remainder of the verse. The difficulty lies chiefly in the verb TIN, which occurs but in one other text, namely, Isaiah xxxvIII, 15, where, however, it occurs without the suffix, if the verb be really the same, as is generally supposed. The verb N, in Isaiah, may be referred to the root, if indeed such a root exists in the Hebrew language, which is very doubtful; and those who suppose it to exist are but ill agreed about the sense of it. Some say that it signifies, to walk with a slow gentle pace; sensim incedere, or pedetentim ambulare, • Molliorem 'gressum notat,' says Bythner. But St. Jerome, in his translation of the text of Isaiah, gives it the sense of recollecting, • meditating upon,'' reputare. And this sense is adopted by Bishop Lowth, though the other, I think, is more generally received. In the passage under consideration, been generally referred to the same root; and some of the most learned critics would resolve it into D, (see Geierus and Piscator in Poole's Synopsis, and Bythner's Lyra,) alleging that, formative of Hithpael, is often omitted when the first radical is 7, 2, 3, or л, being absorbed, as they express it, in the Dagesh of such first radical; and that the final of the verb, and the word Dy, consisting of the preposition Oy, and the pronominal suffix D, are somehow or other compressed into the single letter, annexed to the verb. For this syncopation, as they call it, I cannot find that they pretend to give any general rule. And of the supposed absorption of the ♫ of Hithpael, by Dagesh following, it is

TN has

perhaps difficult to find an unexceptionable instance in the whole Bible.* Strange to tell! this unnatural resolution of the word has the approbation of the learned Vitringa. The sense of the word, according to this resolution of it, is supposed to be, I did go,' or 'I have gone,' or 'I will go,' (for different interpreters take the tense differently), in procession with them.' • With them'-with whom? Vel cum miseriarum mearum comitibus; vel quibuscum olim proficiscebar,' says DE MUIS. Others expound the pronoun, of the rejoicing multitude, mentioned at the end of the verse, which is more tolerable.

Bishop Hare, Father Houbigant, Dr. Durell, and Bishop Lowth, justly dissatisfied with this exposition, somewhat too hastily, perhaps, suspect the text of corruption. Why may not be the first person future, Kal from the verb 77, (defective Phe ), with the pronominal suffix of the third person plural masculine? The verb 7 signifies, to flee, to flee away, to move in a hurry from place to place, to move very quickly.' And why should not N render effugiam eos,' or 'eos evasurus sum?' I shall flee away from them;' I shall escape them. The suffix (them) being understood of these scoffers, who were continually saying to the suppliant, where is thy God?' It may be observed, by the way, that N, in Isaiah XXXVIII, 15, may be referred to

* See Masclef Gram. Heb. cap. VIII, sect. 3.

the same root T. For, in the future tense, those persons that have no increment often assume a paragogic ; and the

true rendering of that verse will be this- What shall I say ? He hath given me a promise, and he hath performed it. After the bitterness of my soul, I shall go along briskly (i. e. chearfully) all my years.'

Be that as it may, if this sense of OTTN, in this passage of the Psalmist, be admitted, the entire verse may be thus rendered;

These things I remember, and to myself I pour out my soul, That I am to pass over to the tabernacle. I am to flee away from them to the house of God,

Amidst the sound of exultation and thanksgiving; the multitude rejoicing.

"These things I remember," i. e. these taunts of the profane sink deep, and are never absent from my mind.

and to myself I pour out my soul." This seems to me to be a proverbial expression, denoting the mind's silent brooding over its own thoughts, of whatever sort they may be, when a man states, as it were, to himself, in minute detail, what arises, upon any interesting occasion, in his thoughts, without any communication with others. It is perhaps most frequently applied to thoughts tinctured at

See Parkhurst under TT2. 1.