(m) A thankful acknowledgment to God for past deliverance, and an imprecation against future adversaries.

(n) v. 3. "Plowers, &c." A figurative expression, to mark the sufferings they had undergone.

(0) v. 7. "Whereof, &c." "which is so "worthless, that no one gives himself the "trouble to gather it."

(p) An earnest prayer for deliverance; concluding confidently that it would be granted. It is one of the seven Penitential

Psalms, and appointed for Ash-Wednesday.

(q) v. 1. "The deep," i. e. " the ex"treme of distress."

(r) v. 4. "Feared," i. e. " reverenced, "worshipped."

(s) v. 8. "Sins," i. e. (probably) "af"flictions," sent as punishments for sin.

(t) A profession of humility. This Psalm was (probably) used after the return from the captivity, to remind the Jews of their own weakness without God's assistance.

2. I do not exercise myself in great matters: which are too high for me;

3. But I refrain my soul, and keep it low, like as a child that is weaned (u) from his mother : yea, my soul is even as (a) a weaned child.

4. O Irael, trust in the Lord: from this time forth for evermore.

(u) v. 3. "Weaned," and therefore low or depressed; because deprived of food it likes and is accustomed to, and driven to what it does not like, and to which it is not accustomed.

(x)" Even as, &c." i. e. "as low, as "much cast down."

(y) A hymn and prayer, upon some removal of the ark; perhaps, upon its being carried to Solomon's temple. See 2 Chron. v. It notices David's anxiety either to discover the ark, or to fix upon a place for receiving it; prays for God's favour for David's sake, mentions God's oath unto David, and his blessing upon Sion. It is one of the proper Psalms for Christmas Day.

(z) v. 1. "His trouble," i. e. (probably) "the pains he took to find where the ark was, to bring it up to Jerusalem, and to prepare a place for it there." It was taken by the Philistines in Eli's time. (See 1 Sam. iv. 11. 22.) The Philistines sent it about from place to place, till the men of Kirjathjearim (which belonged to Judah, 1 Chron. xiii. 5, 6.) fetched it up from Bethshemesh, (1 Sam. vii. 1.) It remained at Kirjathjearim 20 years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord, (1 Sam. vii. 2.) No inquiry was made at it during the days of Saul, (1 Chron. xiii. 3.) When David was king over all Israel, he consulted with the captains of thousands

3. "I will not come within the "tabernacle of mine house : nor "climb up into my bed;

4. "I will not suffer mine eyes "to sleep, nor mine eye-lids to "slumber neither the temples

"of my head to take any rest;

5. "Until I find out a place "for the temple (a) of the Lord: "an habitation for the mighty "God of Jacob."

6. Lo, we heard of the same at Ephrata (b) and found it in the wood.

7. We will go into his tabernacle and fall low on our knees before his footstool.

8. (c) Arise, O Lord, into thy resting-place: thou, and the ark of thy strength.

and of hundreds, and with every leader, and proposed to all the congregation of Israel, to send abroad to their brethren everywhere in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities and suburbs, to gather themselves together, to bring again the ark of God unto them. (See 1 Chron. xiii. 1, 2, 3.) This was near 100 years after the Philistines had taken the ark, and David might therefore at first have some difficulty in finding out where the ark was. This therefore is (probably) what is here meant by his "trouble."

and "

(a) v. 5. For "a place for the temple," an habitation for," the reading should perhaps be, "the place of the "tabernacle," and "the habitation of." What they heard of at Ephrata, and found in the wood, (as in verse 6.) was probably the place where the ark then was, not the place where it was to be.

(b) v. 6." Ephrata," a district in Judea, within which, probably, Kirjathjearim and Jerusalem both lay.

(c) v. 8, 9, 10. The conclusion of Solomon's prayer at the consecration of the temple is nearly in the words of these verses, (2 Chron. vi. 40, 41.) "Now there"fore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting "place, thou and the ark of thy strength: "Let thy priests, O Lord God, be clothed "with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice

re

"in goodness. O Lord God, turn not "away the face of thine anointed: "member the mercies of David thy ser"vant."

(d) v. 10. "Turn not away, &c." i. e. (perhaps) "deprive us not of the favour "and countenance, or coming, of thy "Messiah."

(e)" Anointed," Hebr. "Messiah." And it is the same Hebrew word, 2 Chron. vi. 41. in note (c).

(g) v 12, 13. When David proposed building God a house, and God forbad it, he gave David this promise, "I will set

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up thy seed after thee, which shall be of "thy sons; he shall build me a house, " and I will stablish the throne of his king"dom for ever: I will settle him in my "house, and in my kingdom for ever; "and his throne shall be established for "evermore. (See 2 Sam. vii. 12 to 16. "1 Chron. xvii. 11 to 14.") See also 1 Kings viii. 25. and 2 Chron. vi. 16. The promise in this Psalm, as well as that above cited from 2 Sam. and 1 Chron., is generally supposed to have meant that the Messiah should be of the seed of David, and so St. Peter clearly considers it,

3. Like (1) as the dew (n) of

Acts ii. 30. "David being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an "oath unto him, that of the fruit of his "loins, according to the flesh, he would "raise up Christ to sit on his throne: he "seeing this before, spake of the resur "rection of Christ, that his soul was not " left in hell, &c." It is for this reason, probably, that this Psalm is selected for Christmas Day. See also Ps. lxxxix. 20 to 36.

(h) v. 18. "The horn of David," i. e. "the Messiah."

(i) "Mine anointed," Hebr. "my "Messiah."

(k) A panegyric upon brotherly union. (1) v. 2, 3. "Like," i. e. " as gratify"ing, as delightful."

(m)" Precious ointment." The oil poured on the head of Aaron and his sons, to consecrate them, that they might minister in the priest's office, was made of pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia, and olive oil, (Exod. xxx. 23, 24. 30. and Levit. viii. 12.) It must therefore have been a very rich perfume.

(n) v. 3. "Dew." Dew and rain are frequently referred to as symbols of blessing.

Thus, Deut. xxxii. 1, 2. " Give ear, O ye "heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O "earth, the words of my mouth: my doc"trine shall drop as the rain, my speech "shall distil as the dew: as the small rain ' upon the tender herb, and as the showers

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upon the grass." So Prov. xix. 12. "The king's favour is like dew upon the grass;" and Hos. xiv. 5. "I will be as "the dew unto Israel." See also Ps. i. 3. and Ps. lxxii. 6.

(0) v. 3. "Hermon," according to Deuter. iv. 48. another name for Sion. "Even unto mount Sion, which is Her"mon:" though Sion is spelt differently there in the original. Hermon and Sion might be names for different parts of the same hill; and the meaning probably is, as refreshing as the dew is which rises from Hermon, and falls upon the heights of Sion. In those hot countries, high hills (which do not long retain moisture) must have derived great benefit from heavy dews. Sion, as spelt here, signifies parched ground." In Ps. xlii. 8. mention is made of the little hill of Hermon."

2. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord : in the courts of the house of our God.

3. O praise the Lord; for the Lord is gracious: O sing praises unto his Name; for it is lovely.

4. For (s) why? the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself: and Israel for his own possession.

5. For I know, that the Lord is great and that our Lord is above all gods.

6. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven (t), and in earth in the sea, and in all deep places.

7. He bringeth (u) forth the clouds from the ends of the world: and sendeth forth lightnings (x) with the rain (x), bringing the winds (x) out of his treasures.

(r) An invocation to the praise of God, on account of the unlimited extent of his power, his peculiar favour to the Israelites, and the instances in which he had exerted it over the heathen, with a ridicule of idols, the gods of the heathen.

(s) v. 4. So Psalm cxiv. 2. "Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his "dominion."

(t) v. 6. "In heaven, &c." The object in this and the next verse may be to shew the universality of God's power, in opposition to a notion of the heathen, that there were different gods over different places, elements, &c. When Ahab had smitten the Syrians, the servants of the king of Syria encouraged him to go up again against the Israelites, by saying, "Their gods are gods of the hills, there"fore they were stronger than we; but "let us fight against them in the plain, "and surely we shall be stronger than "they. The Lord (i. e. Jehovah) is God "of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys." See 1 Kings xx. 21. 23. 28. (u) v. 7. "Bringeth forth." So Jer. x. 13. the same ideas and expressions.

(x) "Lightnings," "rain," and "winds." So that he has controul over the elements to which they belong, fire, water, and air, as well as over the earth.