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

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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.

,I render אריד בשיחי

"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 destruction, 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 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 may be equivalent to instar, it is unnecessary. "Instar multorum erant

[qui] mecum stabant.

כי ברבים for כי ברבים היו עמדי Nothing is more frequent than this .[הם] היו [אשר] עמדי

double ellipsis of the pronouns. "They who stood on my side;" ¿. e. the Divine assistance described under the image of numerous auxiliaries. See 2 Kings, vi, 16; 1 John, iv, 4.

[E] Ver. 19.

even he that abideth of old." For

, all the versions seem to have had ; which receives much confirmation from the great number of MSS. and printed editions, which give 20.

[F] Literally," butyrina oris ejus." See MICHAELIS.

PSALM LVI.

[A] TITLE,

למנצח על יונת אלם רחקים לדוד מכתם באחז אותו פלשתים בנת

Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τὸ λας τῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁγίων μεμακρυμμένες, τῷ Δαυίδ εἰς σηλογραφίαν, ὁπότε ἐκράτησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐν Γέθ. LXX. Τῷ νικοποιῷ ὑπὲρ περιτερᾶς ἀλάλε, μακρυσμῶν, το Δαυίδ ταπεινό τελεία, ἐν τῷ κρατῆσαι αὐτὸν φυλισαίος ἐν Γέθ.AQUILA.

Επινίκιον ὑπὲρ τῆς περιτερᾶς, ὑπὲρ τῶ φύλε ἀπωσμένα, το Δαυίδ, τῇ τα πεινόφρονος καὶ ἀμώμε, ὅτε κατέσχον αὐτὸν οἱ φυλισαῖοι ἐν ΓέθSYMM. Εἰς τὸ νίκος ἐπὶ τῆς περιτερᾶς.—THEODOT.

Τῷ νικοποιῷ ὑπὲρ τῆς περιφερᾶς της μεγιλάλο, κεκρυμμένων τῷ Δαυίδ, εἰς σηλογραφίαν, οπότε εκράτησαν 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. Man,

for man would swallow me up." E. T. 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 zararσ in the first place, and --

τεπάτησαν

Taτay in the second. Jerome, as well as the Vulgate, hath "conculcavit" and "conculcaverunt," Symmachus, in the second place, had irgo. See also Syriac. Hence, I should

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

and, or rather ". This is the more probable, because the LXX have rendered this word by the Greek narawaτuy, 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.