1 Jehovah, not haughty is my heart,And not lofty are mine eyes;And I go not into great things,Nor things too wonderful for me.2 I have calmed and quieted my soul,Like a weaned child with its mother,Like the weaned child is my soul with me.3 Let Israel hope in Jehovah,From now, even for evermore.
1 Jehovah, not haughty is my heart,And not lofty are mine eyes;And I go not into great things,Nor things too wonderful for me.2 I have calmed and quieted my soul,Like a weaned child with its mother,Like the weaned child is my soul with me.
3 Let Israel hope in Jehovah,From now, even for evermore.
A quiet, because self-quieted, heart speaks here in quiet accents, not unlike the "crooning" of the peaceful child on its mother's bosom, to which the sweet singer likens his soul. The psalm is the most perfect expression of the child-like spirit, which, as Christ has taught, is characteristic of the subjects of the kingdom of heaven. It follows a psalm of penitence, in which a contrite soul waited on Jehovah for pardon, and, finding it, exhorted Israel to hope in His redemption from all iniquity. Consciousness of sin and conscious reception of redemption therefrom precede true lowliness, and such lowliness should follow such consciousness.
The psalmist does not pray; still less does he contradict his lowliness in the very act of declaring it, by pluming himself on it. He speaks in that serene and happy mood, sometimes granted to lowly souls, when fruition is more present than desire, and the child,folded to the Divine heart, feels its blessedness so satisfyingly that fears and hopes, wishes and dreams, are still. Simple words best speak tranquil joys. One note only is sounded in this psalm, which might almost be called a lullaby. How many hearts it has helped to hush!
The haughtiness which the psalmist disclaims has its seat in the heart and its manifestation in supercilious glances. The lowly heart looks higher than the proud one does, for it lifts its eyes to the hills, and fixes them on Jehovah, as a slave on his lord. Lofty thoughts of self naturally breed ambitions which seek great spheres and would intermeddle with things above reach. The singer does not refer to questions beyond solution by human faculty, but to worldly ambitions aiming at prominence and position. He aims low, as far as earth is concerned; but he aims high, for his mark is in the heavens.
Shaking off such ambitions and loftiness of spirit, he has found repose, as all do who clear their hearts of that perilous stuff. But it is to be noted that the calm which he enjoys is the fruit of his own self-control, by which his dominant self has smoothed and stilled the sensitive nature with its desires and passions. It is not the tranquillity of a calm nature which speaks here, but that into which the speaker has entered, by vigorous mastery of disturbing elements. How hard the struggle had been, how much bitter crying and petulant resistance there had been before the calm was won, is told by the lovely image of the weaned child. While being weaned it sobs and struggles, and all its little life is perturbed. So no man comes to have a quiet heart without much resolute self-suppression. But the figure tells of ultimate repose, even moreplainly than of preceding struggle. For, once the process is accomplished, the child nestles satisfied on the mother's warm bosom, and wishes nothing more than to lie there. So the man who has manfully taken in hand his own weaker and more yearning nature, and directed its desires away from earth by fixing them on God, is freed from the misery of hot desire, and passes into calm. He that ceases from his own works enters into rest. If a man thus compels his "soul" to cease its cravings for what earth can give, he will have to disregard its struggles and cries, but these will give place to quietness; and the fruition of the blessedness of setting all desires on God will be the best defence against the recurrence of longings once silenced.
The psalmist would fain have all Israel share in his quietness of heart, and closes his tender snatch of song with a call to them to hope in Jehovah, whereby they, too, may enter into peace. The preceding psalm ended with the same call; but there God's mercy in dealing with sin was principally in question, while here His sufficiency for all a soul's wants is implied. The one secret of forgiveness and deliverance from iniquity is also the secret of rest from tyrannous longings and disturbing desires. Hope in Jehovah brings pardon, purity, and peace.
1 Remember, Jehovah, to DavidAll the pains he took2 Who swore to Jehovah,[And] vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,3 "I will not go into the tent of my house,I will not go up to the bed of my couch,4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes,To mine eyelids slumber,5 Till I find a place for Jehovah,A habitation for the Mighty One of Jacob."6 Behold, we heard [of] it at Ephrathah,We found it in the Fields of the Wood.7 Let us come to His habitation,Let us bow ourselves at His footstool.8 Arise, Jehovah, to Thy rest,Thou and the Ark of Thy strength.9 Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness,And Thy favoured ones utter shrill cries of joy.10 For the sake of David Thy servant,Turn not away the face of Thine anointed.11 Jehovah has sworn to David,It is truth—He will not go back from it—"Of the fruit of thy body will I set on thy throne.12 If thy sons keep My covenantAnd My testimonies which I will teach them,Their sons also for ever and ayeShall sit on thy throne."13 For Jehovah has chosen Zion,He has desired it for His dwelling.14 "This is My rest for ever and aye,Here will I abide, for I have desired it.15 Her provision blessing I will bless,Her poor will I satisfy with bread.16 Her priests also will I clothe with salvation,And her favoured ones uttering will utter shrill cries of joy.17 There will I cause a horn to sprout for David,I have trimmed a lamp for Mine anointed.18 His enemies will I clothe with shame,But upon himself shall his crown glitter."
1 Remember, Jehovah, to DavidAll the pains he took2 Who swore to Jehovah,[And] vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,3 "I will not go into the tent of my house,I will not go up to the bed of my couch,4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes,To mine eyelids slumber,5 Till I find a place for Jehovah,A habitation for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 Behold, we heard [of] it at Ephrathah,We found it in the Fields of the Wood.7 Let us come to His habitation,Let us bow ourselves at His footstool.
8 Arise, Jehovah, to Thy rest,Thou and the Ark of Thy strength.9 Let Thy priests be clothed with righteousness,And Thy favoured ones utter shrill cries of joy.10 For the sake of David Thy servant,Turn not away the face of Thine anointed.
11 Jehovah has sworn to David,It is truth—He will not go back from it—"Of the fruit of thy body will I set on thy throne.12 If thy sons keep My covenantAnd My testimonies which I will teach them,Their sons also for ever and ayeShall sit on thy throne."
13 For Jehovah has chosen Zion,He has desired it for His dwelling.14 "This is My rest for ever and aye,Here will I abide, for I have desired it.15 Her provision blessing I will bless,Her poor will I satisfy with bread.16 Her priests also will I clothe with salvation,And her favoured ones uttering will utter shrill cries of joy.17 There will I cause a horn to sprout for David,I have trimmed a lamp for Mine anointed.18 His enemies will I clothe with shame,But upon himself shall his crown glitter."
The continuance of "the sure mercies of David" to his descendants for his sake is first besought from God, and is then promised, for his sake, by God Himself, speaking in the singer's spirit. The special blessing sought for is Jehovah's dwelling in His house, which is here contemplated as reared after long toil. Expositors differ, as usual, in regard to the date and occasion of this psalm. Its place among the pilgrim psalms raises a presumption in favour of a post-exilic date, and one class of commentators refers it confidently to the period of the rebuilding of the Temple. But the mention of the Ark (which disappeared after the destruction of Solomon's Temple) can be reconciled with that supposed date only by a somewhat violent expedient. Nor is it easy to suppose that the repeated references to David's descendants as reigning in accordance with God's promise could have been written at a time when there was no king in Israel. Zerubbabel has, indeed, been suggested as "the anointed" of this psalm; but he was not king, and neither in fact nor in idea was he anointed. And could a singer in Israel, in the post-exilic period, have recalled the ancient promises without some passing sigh for their apparent falsification in the present? Psalm lxxxix. is often referred to as the "twin" of this psalm. Its wailings over the vanished glories of the Davidic monarchy have nothing corresponding to them here. These considerationsare against a post-exilic date, for which the chief argument is the inclusion of the psalm in the collection of pilgrim songs.
If, on the other hand, we disregard its place in the Psalter and look at its contents, it must be admitted that they perfectly harmonise with the supposition that its occasion was the completion of Solomon's Temple. The remembrance of David's long-cherished purpose to build the House, of the many wanderings of the Ark, the glad summons to enter the courts to worship, the Divine promises to David, which were connected with his design of building a Temple, all fit in with this view of the occasion of the psalm. Singularly enough, some advocates of later dates than even the building of the second Temple catch in the psalm tones of depression, and see indications of its having been written when the glowing promises which it quotes appeared to have failed. It is not in reference to "Nature" only that "we receive but what we give." To other ears, with perhaps equal though opposite bias, glad confidence in a promise, of which the incipient fulfilment was being experienced, sounds in the psalm. To some it is plain that it was written when Ark and king had been swept away; to others it is equally clear that it presupposes the existence of both. The latter view is to the present writer the more probable.
The psalm is not divided into regular strophes. There is, however, a broad division into two parts, of which vv. 1-10 form the first, the pleading of Israel with Jehovah; and vv. 11-18 the second, the answer of Jehovah to Israel. The first part is further divided into two: vv. 1-5 setting forth David's vow; vv. 6-10 the congregation's glad summons to enter the completed sanctuary, and its prayer for blessings on the worshippingnation with its priests and king. The second part is Jehovah's renewed promises, which take up and surpass the people's prayer. It is broken by a single verse (13), which is an interjected utterance of Israel's.
"One remembers anything to another, when one requites him for what he has done, or when one performs for him what one has promised him" (Delitzsch). David's earnest longing to find a fixed place for the Ark, his long-continued and generous amassing of treasure for the purpose of building the Temple, are regarded as a plea with God. The solidarity of the family, which was so vividly realised in old times, reaches its highest expression in the thought that blessings to David's descendants are as if given to him, sleeping in the royal tomb. Beautifully and humbly the singer, as representing the nation, has nothing to say of the toil of the actual builders. Not the hand which executes, but the heart and mind which conceived and cherished the plan, are its true author. The psalmist gives a poetic version of David's words in 2 Sam. vii. 2. "See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwelleth in curtains," contains in germ all which the psalmist here draws out of it. He, the aged king, was almost ashamed of his own ease. "God gave him rest from his enemies," but he will not "give sleep to his eyes" till he finds out a place for Jehovah. Wearied with a stormy life, he might well have left it to others to care for the work which the prophet had told him that he was not to be permitted to begin. But not so does a true man reason. Rather, he will consecrate to God his leisure and his old age, and will rejoice to originate work which he cannot hope to see completed, and even to gather materials which happier natures and times mayturn to account. He will put his own comfort second, God's service first.
Such devotedness does make a plea with God. The psalmist's prayer goes on that supposition, and God's answer endorses it as valid. He does not require perfect faithfulness in His servants ere He prospers their work with His smile. Stained offerings, in which much of the leaven of earthly motives may be fermenting, are not therefore rejected.
Vv. 6-10 are the petitions grounded on the preceding plea, and asking that Jehovah would dwell in the sanctuary and bless the worshippers. Ver. 6 offers great difficulties. It seems clear, however, that it and the next verse are to be taken as very closely connected (note the "we" and "us" occurring in them for the only time in the psalm). They seem to describe continuous actions, of which the climax is entrance into the sanctuary. The first question as to ver. 6 is what the "it" is, which is spoken of in both clauses; and the most natural answer is—the Ark, alluded to here by anticipation, though not mentioned till ver. 8. The irregularity is slight and not unexampled. The interpretation of the verse mainly depends on the meaning of the two designations of locality, "Ephrathah" and "the fields of the Wood." Usually the former is part of the name of Bethlehem, but the Ark in all its wanderings is never said to have been there. Most probably Shiloh, in which the Ark did remain for a time, is intended. But why should Shiloh be called Ephrathah? The answer usually given, but not altogether satisfactory, is that Shiloh lay in the territory of Ephraim, and that we have instances in which an Ephraimite is called an "Ephrathite" (Judg. xii. 5; 1 Sam. i. 1; 1 Kings xi. 26), and therefore it may bepresumed that the territory of Ephraim was called Ephrathah. "The fields of the Wood," on the other hand, is taken to be a free poetic variation of the name of Kirjath-jearim (the city of the woods), where the Ark long lay, and whence it was brought up to Jerusalem by David. In this understanding of the verse, the two places where it remained longest are brought together, and the meaning of the whole verse is, "We heard that it lay long at Shiloh, but we found it in Kirjath-jearim." Delitzsch, followed by Cheyne, takes a different view, regarding "Ephrathah" as a name for the district in which Kirjath-jearim lay. He founds this explanation on the genealogies in 1 Chron. ii. 19, 50, according to which Caleb's wife, Ephrath, was the mother of Hur, the ancestor of the Bethlehemites, and whose son Shobal was the ancestor of the people of Kirjath-jearim; Ephrathah was thus a fitting name for the whole district, which included both Bethlehem and Kirjath-jearim. In this understanding of the names, the verse means, "We heard that the Ark was at Kirjath-jearim, and there we found it."
Ver. 7 must be taken as immediately connected with the preceding. If the same persons who found the Ark still speak, the "tabernacle" into which they encourage each other to enter must be the tent within which, as David said, it dwelt "in curtains"; and the joyful utterance of an earlier age will then be quoted by the still happier generation who, at the moment while they sing, see the sacred symbol of the Divine Presence enshrined within the Holy Place of the Temple. At all events, the petitions which follow are most naturally regarded as chanted forth at that supreme moment, though it is possible that the same feeling of the solidity of the nation in all generations, which, asapplied to the reigning family, is seen in ver. 1, may account for the worshippers in the new Temple identifying themselves with the earlier ones who brought up the Ark to Zion. The Church remains the same, while its individual members change.
The first of the petitions is partly taken from the invocation in Numb. x. 35, when "the Ark set forward"; but there it was a prayer for guidance on the march; here, for Jehovah's continuance in His fixed abode. It had wandered far and long. It had been planted in Shiloh, but had deserted that sanctuary which He had once loved. It had tarried for a while at Mizpeh and at Bethel. It had been lost on the field of Aphek, been borne in triumph through Philistine cities, and sent back thence in terror. It had lain for three months in the house of Obed-edom, and for twenty years been hidden at Kirjath-jearim. It had been set with glad acclaim in the tabernacle provided by David, and now it stands in the Temple. There may it abide and go no more out! Solomon and Hiram and all their workmen may have done their best, and the result of their toils may stand gleaming in the sunlight in its fresh beauty; but something more is needed. Not till the Ark is in the Shrine does the Glory fill the house. The lesson is for all ages. Our organisations and works are incomplete without that quickening Presence. It will surely be given if we desire it. When His Church prays, "Arise, O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou and the Ark of Thy strength," His answer is swift and sure, "Lo, I am with you always."
From this petition all the others flow. If "the Ark of Thy strength" dwells with us, we too shall be strong, and have that Might for our inspiration as well as our shield. "Let Thy priests be clothed withrighteousness." The pure vestments of the priests were symbols of stainless character, befitting the ministers of a holy God. The psalmist prays that the symbol may truly represent the inner reality. He distinguishes between priests and the mass of the people; but in the Church to-day, as indeed in the original constitution of Israel, all are priests, and must be clothed in a righteousness which they receive from above. They do not weave that robe, but they must "put on" the garment which Christ gives them. Righteousness is no hazy, theological virtue, having little to do with every-day life and small resemblance to secular morality. To be good, gentle, and just, self-forgetting and self-ruling, to practise the virtues which all men call "lovely and of good report," and to consecrate them all by reference to Him in whom they dwell united and complete, is to be righteous; and that righteousness is the garb required of, and given by God to, all those who seek it and minister in His Temple.
"Let Thy favoured ones utter shrill cries of joy." Surely, if they dwell in the Temple, gladness will not fail them. True religion is joyful. If a man has only to lift his eyes to see the Ark, what but averted eyes should make him sad? True, there are enemies, but we are close to the fountain of strength. True, there are sins, but we can receive the garment of righteousness. True, there are wants, but the sacrifice whereof "the meek shall eat and be satisfied" is at hand. There is much unreached as yet, but there is a present God. So we may "walk all the day in the light of His countenance," and realise the truth of the paradox of always rejoicing, though sometimes we sorrow.
The final petition is for the anointed king, that hisprayers may be heard. To "turn away the face" is a graphic expression, drawn from the attitude of one who refuses to listen to a suppliant. It is harsh in the extreme to suppose that the king referred to is David himself, though Hupfeld and others take that view. The reference to Solomon is natural.
Such are the psalmist's petitions. The answers follow in the remainder of the psalm, which, as already noticed, is parted in two by an interjected verse (ver. 13), breaking the continuity of the Divine Voice. The shape of the responses is determined by the form of the desires, and in every case the answer is larger than the prayer. The Divine utterance begins with a parallel between the oath of David and that of God. David "sware to Jehovah." Yes, but "Jehovah has sworn to David." That is grander and deeper. With this may be connected the similar parallel in vv. 13 and 14 with ver. 5. David had sought to "find a habitation" for Jehovah. But He Himself had chosen His habitation long ago. He is throned there now, not because of David's choice or Solomon's work, but because His will had settled the place of His feet. These correspondences of expression point to the great truth that God is His own all-sufficient reason. He is not won to dwell with men by their importunity, but in the depths of His unchangeable love lies the reason why He abides with us unthankful. The promise given in ver. 12, which has respect to the closing petition of the preceding part, is substantially that contained in 2 Sam. vii. Similar references to that fundamental promise to David are found in Psalm lxxxix., with which this psalm is sometimes taken to be parallel; but that psalm comes from a time when the faithful promise seemed to have failed for evermore, andbreathes a sadness which is alien to the spirit of this song.
Ver. 13 appears to be spoken by the people. It breaks the stream of promises. God has been speaking, but now, for a moment, He is spoken of. His choice of Zion for His dwelling is the glad fact, which the congregation feels so borne in on its consciousness that it breaks forth into speech. The "For" at the beginning of the verse gives a striking sequence, assigning, as it does, the Divine selection of Zion for His abode, as the reason for the establishment of the Davidic monarchy. If the throne was set up in Jerusalem, because there God would dwell, how solemn the obligation thereby laid on its occupant to rule as God's viceroy, and how secure each in turn might feel, if he discharged the obligations of his office, that God would grant to the kingdom an equal date with the duration of His own abode! Throne and Temple are indissolubly connected.
With ver. 14 the Divine Voice resumes, and echoes the petitions of the earlier part. The psalmist asked God to arise into His rest, and He answers by granting the request with the added promise of perpetuity: "Here will I dwellfor ever." He adds a promise which had not been asked—abundance for all, and bread to fill even the poor. The psalmist asked that the priests might be clothed in righteousness, and the answer promises robes ofsalvation, which is the perfecting and most glorious issue of righteousness. The psalmist asked that God's favoured ones might utter shrill cries of joy, and God replies with an emphatic reduplication of the word, which implies the exuberance and continuance of the gladness. The psalmist asked for favour to the anointed, and God replies by expanded and magnificent promises. The "horn" is an emblemof power. It shall continually "sprout"—i.e., the might of the royal house shall continually increase. The "lamp for Mine anointed" may be simply a metaphor for enduring prosperity and happiness, but many expositors take it to be a symbol of the continuance of the Davidic house, as in 1 Kings xv. 4, where, however, the word employed is not the same as that used here, though closely connected with it. The promise of perpetuity to the house of David does not fit into the context as well as that of splendour and joy, and it has already been given in ver. 12. Victory will attend the living representative of David, his foes being clothed by Jehovah with shame—i.e., being foiled in their hostile attempts—while their confusion is as a dark background, against which the radiance of his diadem sparkles the more brightly. These large promises are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, of the seed of David; and the psalm is Messianic, as presenting the ideal which it is sure shall be realised, and which is so in Him alone.
The Divine promises teach the great truth that God over-answers our desires, and puts to shame the poverty of our petitions by the wealth of His gifts. He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think," for the measure of His doing is none other than "according to the Power that worketh in us," and the measure of that Power is none other than "the working of the strength of His might, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places."
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is]That brethren dwell in unity!2 Like the precious oil on the head,Flowing down on the beard,[Even] Aaron's beard,That flows down on the opening of his garments.3 Like the dew of Hermon, that flows down on the mountains of Zion.For there Jehovah has commanded the blessing,Life for evermore.
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is]That brethren dwell in unity!2 Like the precious oil on the head,Flowing down on the beard,[Even] Aaron's beard,That flows down on the opening of his garments.3 Like the dew of Hermon, that flows down on the mountains of Zion.For there Jehovah has commanded the blessing,Life for evermore.
It is natural to suppose that this psalm was occasioned by, or at least refers to, the gathering of the pilgrims or restored exiles in Jerusalem. The patriot-poet's heart glows at the sight of the assembled multitudes, and he points with exultation to the good and fair sight. Like the other short psalms in this group, this one is the expression of a single thought—the blessing of unity, and that not merely as shown in the family, but in the church-state of the restored Israel. The remembrance of years of scattering among the nations, and of the schism of the Northern tribes, makes the sight of an united Israel the more blessed, even though its numbers are small.
The psalm begins with a "Behold," as if the poet would summon others to look on the goodly spectacle which, in reality or in imagination, is spread before him. Israel is gathered together, and the sight is good,as securing substantial benefits, and "pleasant," as being lovely. The original in ver. 1bruns, "That brethren dwellalsotogether." The "also" suggests that, in addition to local union, there should be heart harmony, as befits brothers. To speak in modern dialect, the psalmist cares little for external unity, if the spirit of oneness does not animate the corporate whole.
His two lovely metaphors or parables set forth the same thought—namely, the all-diffusive, all-blessing nature of such inward concord. The repetition in both figures of the same word, "flows down," is not merely due to the "step-like" structure common to this with other of the pilgrim psalms, but is the key to its meaning.
In the first emblem, the consecrating oil, poured on Aaron's head, represents the gracious spirit of concord between brethren. The emblem is felicitous by reason of the preciousness, the fragrance, and the manifold uses of oil; but these are only to be taken into account in a subordinate degree, if at all. The one point of comparison is the flow of the oil from the priestly head on to the beard and thence to the garments. It is doubtful whether ver. 2drefers to the oil or to the beard of the high priest. The latter reference is preferred by many, but the former is more accordant with the parallelism, and with the use of the word "flows down," which can scarcely be twice used in regard to oil and dew, the main subjects in the figures, and be taken in an entirely different reference in the intervening clause. The "opening" (lit.mouth) of the robe is the upper edge or collar, the aperture through which the wearer's head was passed.
The second figure illustrates the same thought ofthe diffusive blessing of concord, but it presents some difficulty. How can the dew of Hermon in the far north fall on the mountains of Zion? Some commentators, as Delitzsch, try to make out that "an abundant dew in Jerusalem might rightly be accounted for by the influence of the cold current of air sweeping down from the north over Hermon." But that is a violent supposition; and there is no need to demand meteorological accuracy from a poet. It is the one dew which falls on both mountains; and since Hermon towers high above the lower height of Zion, and is visited with singular abundance of the nightly blessing, it is no inadmissible poetic licence to say that the loftier hill transmits it to the lesser. Such community of blessing is the result of fraternal concord, whereby the high serve the lowly, and no man grudgingly keeps anything to himself, but all share in the good of each. Dew, like oil, is fitted for this symbolic use, by reason of qualities which, though they do not come prominently into view, need not be wholly excluded. It refreshes the thirsty ground and quickens vegetation; so fraternal concord, falling gently on men's spirits, and linking distant ones together by a mysterious chain of transmitted good, will help to revive failing strength and refresh parched places.
That brotherly unity is blessed, not only because it diffuses itself, and so blesses all in whose hearts it dwells, but also because it is the condition on which still higher gifts are spread among brethren by their brethren's mediation. God Himself pours on men the sacred anointing of His Divine Spirit and the dew of His quickening influences. When His servants are knit together, as they should be, they impart to one another the spiritual gifts received from above. WhenChristians are truly one as brethren, God's grace will fructify through each to all.
Ver. 3b,c, seem to assign the reason why the dew of Hermon will descend on Zion—i.e., why the blessings of brotherly concord should there especially be realised. There God has appointed to be stored His blessing of life; therefore it becomes those who, dwelling there, receive that blessing, to be knit together in closest bonds, and to impart to their brethren what they receive from the Fountain of all good. That Zion should not be the home of concord, or that Jerusalem should not be the city of peace, contradicts both the name of the city and the priceless gift which Jehovah has placed there for all its citizens.
1 Behold, bless Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah,Who stand in the house of Jehovah in the night seasons.2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary,And bless Jehovah.3 Jehovah bless thee out of Zion,The Maker of heaven and earth!
1 Behold, bless Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah,Who stand in the house of Jehovah in the night seasons.2 Lift up your hands to the sanctuary,And bless Jehovah.
3 Jehovah bless thee out of Zion,The Maker of heaven and earth!
This fragment of song closes the pilgrim psalms after the manner of a blessing. It is evidently antiphonal, vv. 1, 2, being a greeting, the givers of which are answered in ver. 3 by a corresponding salutation from the receivers. Who are the parties to the little dialogue is doubtful. Some have thought of two companies of priestly watchers meeting as they went their rounds in the Temple; others, more probably, take vv. 1, 2, to be addressed by the congregation to the priests, who had charge of the nightly service in the Temple, while ver. 3 is the response of the latter, addressed to the speakers of vv. 1, 2. 1 Chron. ix. 33 informs us that there was such a nightly service, of the nature of which, however, nothing is known. The designation "servants of Jehovah" here denotes not the people, but the priests, for whose official ministrations "stand" is a common term. They are exhorted to fill the night with prayer as well as watchfulness, and to let their hearts go up in blessing to Jehovah. The voice of praise should echothrough the silent night and float over the sleeping city. The congregation is about to leave the crowded courts at the close of a day of worship, and now gives this parting salutation and charge to those who remain.
The answer in ver. 3 is addressed to each individual of the congregation—"Jehovah blessthee!" and it invokes on each a share in the blessing which, according to the preceding psalm, "Jehovah has commanded" in Zion. The watchers who remain in the sanctuary do not monopolise its blessings. These stream out by night, as by day, to all true hearts; and they are guaranteed by the creative omnipotence of Jehovah, the thought of which recurs so often in these pilgrim psalms, and may be due to the revulsion from idolatry consequent on the Captivity and Restoration.
With this sweet interchange of greeting and exhortation to continual worship, this group of psalms joyously ends.
1 Hallelujah!Praise the name of Jehovah,Praise, ye servants of Jehovah,2 Who stand in the house of Jehovah,In the courts of the house of our God.3 Praise Jah, for Jehovah is good;Harp to His name, for it is pleasant.4 For Jah has chosen Jacob for Himself,Israel for His own possession.5 For I—I know that Jehovah is great,And [that] our Lord is above all gods.6 Whatsoever Jehovah wills He has done,In the heaven and in the earth,In the seas and all depths;7 Who makes the vapours go up from the end of the earth,He makes lightnings for the rain,Who brings forth wind from His storehouses.8 Who smote the first-born of Egypt,Both of man and of cattle;9 He sent signs and wonders into thy midst, O Egypt,On Pharaoh and all his servants.10 Who smote many nations,And slew mighty kings;11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,And Og, king of Bashan;12 And gave their land [as] an inheritance,An inheritance to Israel His people.13 Jehovah, Thy name [endures] for ever,Jehovah, Thy memorial [endures] to generation after generation.14 For Jehovah will right His people,And will relent concerning His servants.15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,The work of the hands of men.16 A mouth is theirs—and they cannot speak;Eyes are theirs—and they cannot see;17 Ears are theirs—and they cannot give ear;Yea, there is no breath at all in their mouths.18 Like them shall those who make them be,[Even] every one that trusts in them.19 House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah;House of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah;20 House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah;Ye who fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.21 Blessed be Jehovah from Zion,Who dwells in Jerusalem!Hallelujah!
1 Hallelujah!Praise the name of Jehovah,Praise, ye servants of Jehovah,2 Who stand in the house of Jehovah,In the courts of the house of our God.3 Praise Jah, for Jehovah is good;Harp to His name, for it is pleasant.4 For Jah has chosen Jacob for Himself,Israel for His own possession.
5 For I—I know that Jehovah is great,And [that] our Lord is above all gods.6 Whatsoever Jehovah wills He has done,In the heaven and in the earth,In the seas and all depths;7 Who makes the vapours go up from the end of the earth,He makes lightnings for the rain,Who brings forth wind from His storehouses.
8 Who smote the first-born of Egypt,Both of man and of cattle;9 He sent signs and wonders into thy midst, O Egypt,On Pharaoh and all his servants.
10 Who smote many nations,And slew mighty kings;11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,And Og, king of Bashan;12 And gave their land [as] an inheritance,An inheritance to Israel His people.
13 Jehovah, Thy name [endures] for ever,Jehovah, Thy memorial [endures] to generation after generation.14 For Jehovah will right His people,And will relent concerning His servants.15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,The work of the hands of men.16 A mouth is theirs—and they cannot speak;Eyes are theirs—and they cannot see;17 Ears are theirs—and they cannot give ear;Yea, there is no breath at all in their mouths.18 Like them shall those who make them be,[Even] every one that trusts in them.
19 House of Israel, bless ye Jehovah;House of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah;20 House of Levi, bless ye Jehovah;Ye who fear Jehovah, bless ye Jehovah.21 Blessed be Jehovah from Zion,Who dwells in Jerusalem!Hallelujah!
Like Psalms xcvii. and xcviii., this is a cento, or piece of mosaic work, apparently intended as a call to worship Jehovah in the Temple. His greatness, as manifested in Nature, and especially in His planting Israel in its inheritance, is set forth as the reason for praise; and the contemptuous contrast of the nothingness of idols is repeated from Psalm cxv., and followed, as there, by an exhortation to Israel to cleave to Him. We have not here to do with a song which gushed fresh from the singer's heart, but with echoes of many strains which a devout and meditative soul had made its own. The flowers are arranged in a new bouquet, because the poet had long delighted in their fragrance. The ease with which he blends into a harmonious whole fragments from such diverse sources tells how familiar he was with these, and how well he loved them.
Vv. 1-4 are an invocation to praise Jehovah, and largely consist of quotations or allusions. Thus Psalm cxxxiv. 1 underlies vv. 1, 2. But here the reference to nightly praises is omitted, and the summons isaddressed not only to those who stand in the house of Jehovah, but to those who stand in itscourts. That expansion may mean that the call to worship is here directed to the people as well as to the priests (so in ver. 19). Ver. 3 closely resembles Psalm cxlvii. 1, but the question of priority may be left undecided. Since the act of praise is said to be "pleasant" in Psalm cxlvii. 1, it is best to refer the same word here to the same thing, and not, as some would do, to the Name, or to take it as an epithet of Jehovah. To a loving soul praise is a delight. The songs which are not winged by the singer's joy in singing will not rise high. True worship pours out its notes as birds do theirs—in order to express gladness which, unuttered, loads the heart. Ver. 4 somewhat passes beyond the bounds of the invocation proper, and anticipates the subsequent part of the psalm. Israel's prerogative is so great to this singer that it forces utterance at once, though "out of season," as correct critics would say. But the throbs of a grateful heart are not always regular. It is impossible to keep the reasons for praise out of the summons to praise. Ver. 4 joyfully and humbly accepts the wonderful title given in Deut. vii. 6.
In vv. 5-7 God's majesty as set forth in Nature is hymned. The psalmist says emphatically in ver. 5 "I—I know," and implies the privilege which he shared, in common with his fellow-Israelites (who appear in the "our" of the next clause), of knowing what the heathen did not know—how highly Jehovah was exalted above all their gods. Ver. 6 is from Psalm cxv. 3, with the expansion of defining the all-inclusive sphere of God's sovereignty. Heaven, earth, seas, and depths cover all space. The enumeration of the provinces of Hisdominion prepares for that of the phases of His power in Nature, which is quoted with slight change from Jer. x. 13, li. 16. The mysterious might which gathers from some unknown region the filmy clouds which grow, no man knows how, in the clear blue; the power which weds in strange companionship the fire of the lightning flash and the torrents of rain; the controlling hand which urges forth the invisible wind,—these call for praise.
But while the psalmist looks on physical phenomena with a devout poet's eye, he turns from these to expatiate rather on what Jehovah has done for Israel. Psalmists are never weary of drawing confidence and courage for to-day from the deeds of the Exodus and the Conquest. Ver. 8 is copied from Exod. xiii. 15, and the whole section is saturated with phraseology drawn from Deuteronomy. Ver. 13 is from Exod. iii. 15, the narrative of the theophany at the Bush. That Name, proclaimed then as the basis of Moses' mission and Israel's hope, is now, after so many centuries and sorrows, the same, and it will endure for ever. Ver. 14 is from Deut. xxxii. 36. Jehovah will right His people—i.e., deliver them from oppressors—which is the same thing as "relent concerning His servants," since His wrath was the reason of their subjection to their foes. That judicial deliverance of Israel is at once the sign that His Name, His revealed character, continues the same, unexhausted and unchanged for ever, and the reason why the Name shall continue as the object of perpetual adoration and trust.
Vv. 15-20 are taken bodily from Psalm cxv., to which the reader is referred. Slight abbreviations and one notable difference occur. In ver. 17b, "Yea, there is no breath at all in their mouths," takes the placeof "A nose is theirs—and they cannot smell." The variation has arisen from the fact that the particle of strong affirmation (yea) is spelt like the noun "nose," and that the word for "breath" resembles the verb "smell." The psalmist plays upon his original, and by his variation makes the expression of the idols' lifelessness stronger.
The final summons to praise, with which the end of the psalm returns to its beginning, is also moulded on Psalm cxv. 9-11, with the addition of "the house of Levi" to the three groups mentioned there, and the substitution of a call to "bless" for the original invitation to "trust." Ver. 21 looks back to the last verse of the preceding psalm, and significantly modifies it. There, as in Psalm cxviii., Jehovah's blessing comes out of Zion to His people. Here the people's blessing in return goes from Zion and rises to Jehovah. They gathered there for worship, and dwelt with Him in His city and Temple. Swift interchange of the God-given blessing, which consists in mercies and gifts of gracious deliverance, and of the human blessing, which consists in thanksgiving and praise, fills the hours of those who dwell with Jehovah, as guests in His house, and walk the streets of the city which He guards and Himself inhabits.
1 Give thanks to Jehovah, for He is good,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.2 Give thanks to the God of gods,For His loving-kindness endures for ever,3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.4 To Him who alone does great wonders,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.5 To Him who made the heavens by understanding,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.6 To Him who spread the earth above the waters,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.7 To Him who made great lights,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;8 The sun to rule by day,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;9 The moon and stars to rule by night,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their first-born,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;11 And brought forth Israel from their midst,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;12 With mighty strong hand and outstretched arm,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.13 To Him that cut the Red Sea into parts,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;15 And shook out Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.16 To Him who led His people in the wilderness,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.17 To Him who smote great kings,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;18 And slew mighty kings,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;20 And Og, king of Bashan,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;21 And gave their land for an inheritance,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;22 An inheritance to Israel His servant,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.23 Who in our low estate remembered us,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;24 And tore us from the grasp of our adversaries,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.25 Who gives bread to all flesh,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
1 Give thanks to Jehovah, for He is good,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.2 Give thanks to the God of gods,For His loving-kindness endures for ever,3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.5 To Him who made the heavens by understanding,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.6 To Him who spread the earth above the waters,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.7 To Him who made great lights,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;8 The sun to rule by day,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;9 The moon and stars to rule by night,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their first-born,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;11 And brought forth Israel from their midst,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;12 With mighty strong hand and outstretched arm,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.13 To Him that cut the Red Sea into parts,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;15 And shook out Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
16 To Him who led His people in the wilderness,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.17 To Him who smote great kings,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;18 And slew mighty kings,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;20 And Og, king of Bashan,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;21 And gave their land for an inheritance,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;22 An inheritance to Israel His servant,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
23 Who in our low estate remembered us,For His loving-kindness endures for ever;24 And tore us from the grasp of our adversaries,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.25 Who gives bread to all flesh,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,For His loving-kindness endures for ever.
This psalm is evidently intended for liturgic use. It contains reminiscences of many parts of Scripture, and is especially based on the previous psalm, which it follows closely in vv. 10-18, and quotes directly in vv. 19-22. Delitzsch points out that if these quoted verses are omitted, the psalm falls into triplets. It would then also contain twenty-two verses, corresponding to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. The general trend of thought is like that of Psalm cxxxv.; but the addition in each verse of the refrain gives a noble swing and force to this exulting song.
The first triplet is a general invocation to praise, coloured by the phraseology of Deuteronomy. Vv. 2aand 3aquote Deut. x. 17. The second and third triplets (vv. 4-9) celebrate Jehovah's creative power. "Doeth great wonders" (ver. 4) is from Psalm lxxii. 18.The thought of the Divine Wisdom as the creative agent occurs in Psalm civ. 24, and attains noble expression in Prov. iii. In ver. 6 the word renderedspreadis from the same root as that rendered "firmament" in Genesis. The office of the heavenly bodies to rule day and night is taken from Gen. i. But the psalm looks at the story of Creation from an original point of view, when it rolls out in chorus, after each stage of that work, that its motive lay in the eternal loving-kindness of Jehovah. Creation is an act of Divine love. That is the deepest truth concerning all things visible. They are the witnesses, as they are the result, of loving-kindness which endures for ever.
Vv. 10-22 pass from world-wide manifestations of that creative loving-kindness to those specially affecting Israel. If vv. 19-22 are left out of notice, there are three triplets in which the Exodus, desert life, and conquest of Canaan are the themes,—the first (vv. 10-12) recounting the departure; the second (vv. 13-15) the passage of the Red Sea; the third (vv. 16-18) the guidance during the forty years and the victories over enemies. The whole is largely taken from the preceding psalm, and has also numerous allusions to other parts of Scripture. Ver. 12ais found in Deut. iv. 34, etc. The word for dividing the Red Sea is peculiar. It means to hew in pieces or in two, and is used for cutting in halves the child in Solomon's judgment (1 Kings iii. 25); while the word "parts" is a noun from the same root, and is found in Gen. xv. 17, to describe the two portions into which Abraham clave the carcasses. Thus, as with a sword, Jehovah hewed the sea in two, and His people passed between the parts, as between the halves of the covenant sacrifice. In ver. 15 the word describing Pharaoh's destructionis taken from Exod. xiv. 27, and vividly describes it as a "shaking out," as one would vermin or filth from a robe.
In the last triplet (vv. 23-25) the singer comes to the Israel of the present. It, too, had experienced Jehovah's remembrance in its time of need, and felt the merciful grasp of His hand plucking it, with loving violence, from the claws of the lion. The word for "low estate" and that for "tore us from the grasp" are only found besides in late writings—the former in Eccles. x. 6, and the latter in Lam. v. 8.
But the song will not close with reference only to Israel's blessings. "He gives bread to all flesh." The loving-kindness which flashes forth even in destructive acts, and is manifested especially in bringing Israel back from exile, stretches as wide in its beneficence as it did in its first creative acts, and sustains all flesh which it has made. Therefore the final call to praise, which rounds off the psalm by echoing its beginning, does not name Him by the Name which implied Israel's special relation, but by that by which other peoples could and did address Him, "the God of heaven," from whom all good comes down on all the earth.