FRO $ 22. PSALM XXI. 'ROM the reign of Solomon onward the people dazzled by the halo of glory which had been thrown over the Monarchy, were ever more and more tempted to forget the Theocracy which underlay it: but the Prophets still remained as witnesses of the original covenant of the kingship, and their constant endeavour was to save the people from sinking into a mere abject submission to an earthly ruler by leading them to remember that in honouring the king they were honouring the Vicegerent of Jehovah, and that it was as such only that they paid him reverence. Thus in this Psalm the Prophet feels it a part of his duty to hallow the natural feelings of loyalty, and to sanctify their joy at the long-continued1 preservation of the king, the pride and blessing of their nation. The occasion of the Psalm is apparently the celebration of some solemn anniversary, such as the birthday or accession of the king. In many points it resembles the last Psalm, and may not improbably have been modelled upon it. It has the same antiphonal form, and is adapted in the same way for Liturgical use. Both are hymns of battle, and there are also many special resemblances in the parts assigned to the Priest and to the People". But the tone is different. This is less devotional; it speaks less of God than of the king. It is also more exultant: the one is like a litany; the other a pæan. The one tells of the eve of an army's actual departure for the scene of war; it reflects the anxious earnest thoughts of those who feel what they have at stake in the contest: the other breathes the joyous confidence of the nation and their scorn for the threats of the foes, when in the peaceful quiet of their homes they still hope that the terror of their first appearance1o will drive the foe from the field", and that they will march forth rather as ministers of offended justice" than as combatants to a hard fought field. The People. The king rejoiceth in Thy strength, O Jehovah, exceeding glad is he of Thy salvation: Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not denied him the request of his lips; yea, Thou forestallest him with choicest blessings, Thou settest a crown of gold upon his head; he asked life of Thee, and Thou gavest it him, length of days-even for ever and ever. Great is his power, through Thy saving help, glory and majesty dost Thou lay upon him: yea, Thou shalt make him a blessing for ever, and glad before Thee with delight: because the king putteth his trust in Jehovah I 2 3 4 5 6 7 through the mercy of the most Highest he shall not miscarry. The Priest addresseth the king. All thine enemies shall feel thy hand! 8 thy right hand shall find out them that hate thee; thou shalt make them like a fiery oven when thou appearest ;- 9 Jehovah shall destroy them in His wrath and the fire shall consume them ; their fruit shalt thou root out of the earth, and their seed from among the children of men. Though they intend mischief against thee, and imagine evil-yct shall they not prevail : Ver. 1. salvation, i. e. saving help. Cp. v. 5. ΙΟ II Ver. 6. Yea, Thou shalt make him a blessing for ever. Cp. Gen. xii. 2, 'and thou shalt be a blessing.' Ver. 8. As in Psalm xx., so here it is probable that the first part is a hymn sung during the sacrifice, and that the second part represents the priest's blessing at its favourable acceptance. Ver. 9. fiery oven; cp, the doom of Sodom. Gen. xix. 28. for thou shalt put them to flight when thou makest thy bow ready against the face of them. The People. Arise, Jehovah, in Thy strength! O let us sing and praise Thy power! 12 13 THE A ROYAL MARRIAGE PSALM*. HE special occasion which this psalm seems to celebrate is the entrance of the bridal procession into the palace of the royal bridegroom1. With the spiritual insight of the Hebrew poets who saw the divine element underlying all human joy and woe, the psalmist cannot look on the king's justice in the judgment-seat2, his prowess in the battle3, or even on his personal beauty and the happiness of the present hour but as blessings sent from God and as proofs of the king's union with the Divine Ruler of the world. I. The Psalmist celebrateth the king's beauty and gracious presence as proofs of God's favour: My heart is overflowing with a glorious word; I speak, and my song is touching the king: thou art fairer than the children of men : grace is shed over thy lips; therefore doth God bless thee for ever! II. and promiseth him success as a warrior because of his justice. Gird thee upon thy thigh thy sword of might, thy glory and thy majesty! I 2 3 Ver. 3. therefore, i. e. it is from the outward graces I conclude that the blessing of God is on thee. The recurrence of this word marks the burden or chorus of the Psalm. Ver. 4. gird thee. There may have been a special ceremony like the binding the sword and spur on a knight at his creation. glory and majesty, i. e. deck thyself in thy royal arms for war. *Or 'A song of loves,' as the Bible-superscription has it, cp. Appendix B. 2 vv. 7, 8. V. 3. 5 v. 14 F and in thy majesty ride on 5 in the name of truth and meekness and of right, that thy right hand may teach thee wondrous things! thine arrows are very sharp so that nations fall before thee; 6 they pierce even to the heart of the king's enemies! thy throne is God's throne and endureth for ever, 7 a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom; thou lovest right, and hatest wrong: 8 therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee III. All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia; [The Queen approacheth.] Hearken, O daughter, consider, and incline thine ear, forget all thine own people, and thy father's house; and let the king have pleasure in thy beauty, for he is thy lord, and worship thou him: and the daughter of Tyre shall wait on thee with a gift, yea, and the rich ones of the earth! armour. 9 10 II 12 13 Ver. 5. and in thy majesty. The Psalmist is still dwelling on the splendour of the king's in the name of truth. Cp. the knight's oath-to keep faith, protect the distressed, and maintain right against might. The king is to have no thought of danger, he is to trust in God who will strengthen his right hand to do deeds of prowess, which will be a lesson of God's power even to the doer, so that nations will quail before him, while the leaders fall under his arrows. Ver. 7. God's throne, i.e. the throne of the kingdom of Jehovah, cp. 1 Chron. xxviii. 5. A repetition of the great promise of Nathan to the house of David. Cp. § 16. ii. 7, 2 Sam. vii. 14. Ver. 10. thy honourable women, or 'loved ones.' The poet pictures the new queen as already there at his right hand, i. e. exalted above all in the palace. Cp. Esther ii. 9, 17. Ver. 13. the daughter of Tyre, i. e. the Tyrians, 'the rich' of the next line: they are specially mentioned both on account of their wealth, and also their nearness to the Israelites. The Psalm is referred by many to the northern kingdom, in which case the allusion to Tyre would be specially applicable. [The Queen entereth.] All glorious cometh the daughter of the king, her clothing is of wrought gold: in raiment of needlework is she led unto the king, virgins that be her fellows, bear her company, and are brought to thee! with joy and gladness are they brought, and enter into the king's palace : instead of thy fathers thou shalt have children; whom thou mayest make princes in all the land. I will tell of thy name from one generation to another! therefore shall the people give praise unto thee world without end! 14 15 16 17 18 Ver. 14. cometh, i. e. within the palace. This is the meaning of the P. B. translation 'all glorious within.' Ver. 17. children. The future glories of his race shall be greater than the past. world without end, the repetition of for ever and ever is one of the characteristics of the Psalm, cp. vv. 3, 7, and for the meaning cp. § 10. cx. 4, note, TH § 24. PSALM XXVII. HIS is one of the Composite Psalms1. The first part records the triumph of a warrior's faith. What terrors have the perils of war3 for a man who has found his protection in the help of the Almighty? What assurance of a victorious return to his country so 1 See note on § 11. lx. So the conclusion of § 72. xl. 16-21 is used as an independent Psalm (Ps. lxx.). The whole of § 143. cviii. is formed by a selection of the most beautiful parts of Pss. lvii. and lx. In a similar way § 84. lii. is merely a repetition of Ps. xiv. In the Psalm which occurs in 1 Chron. xvi. 8-36, are combined the whole of § 109. xcvi. and parts of $144, 133. CV. 1-15, cvi. (vv. 1, 45, 46). It appears from this that portions of the Psalms were redistributed according to ideas which were formed of their natural fitness. In the same manner a compiler may have prefixed the first part of §§ 3, 4. xxiv. (ver. 1-6) to the second part (ver. 7—10) as forming a suitable introduction to it: and similarly the two parts of § 8. xix. may have been combined with a view of adding the praise of God for His law to the original Psalm of praise of Him for His works in nature. See also §§ 116, 30. lxvi. and Appendix A, 3 V. 3. 2 VV. 1-7. |