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clearer, viz. THE RULER OF THE PEOPLE DELIVERED HIM: or might

THE RULER OF THEIR PEOPLE משל עמימו יפתחהו, not we read

LET HIM GO FREE?

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V. 28. —and they rebelled not against his Word. :
If the Negative be retained, what is here faid must be understood of
Mofes and Aaron: but if this refer to the Egyptians, it must be omit-
ted as in the LXX and Syriac Verfions; except & could be conftrued
NEVERTHELESs, or interrogatively, thus, AND DID THEY NOT
REBEL AGAINST HIS COMMAND?

PSALM CVI.

V. 4. Remember me, O Lord, with the Favour that thou bearest unto
REMEMBER ME,

Rather [זכרני יהוה ברצון עמך .thy People

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O LORD, WITH THY FAVOUR: or thus with thy wonted Favour; literally, the Favour with thee; for by in this Place fignifies literally with thee, the Verb Subftantive being understood, as in this Inftance,

There is no Unrighteounes WITH the : אין עם יהוה אלהינו עולה

Lord our God. 2 Chron. XIX. 7.

V.7.

- but provoked him at the Sea, even at the Red Sea. "

the Participle prefent, with the LXX עלים I read [ על ים בים סוף :

181

and Arabic, and render
BY THE RED SEA: (Exod. XIII. 18. XIV. 11, 12.) for the present
Lection of the Text is not only pleonaftic, but also embarrassed by in-
confiftent Prepofitions as well as Perfons.

BUT REBELLED AS THEY MARCHED

V. 15. And he gave them their Request; but fent Leannefs into their

-All the ancient Ver [ויתן להם שאלתם- וישלח רזון בנפשם: .Soul

,רזון

fions, except the Chaldee, read 111, or, instead of 1, for they render the latter Hemiftic thus-AND SENT ABUNDANCE TO THEIR SOULS, OF APPETITES.

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By [אסירי עני וברזל : .being bound in affliction and Iron

this Hendyadis the Senfe is the fame as if it were written afflictive Iron.

bound in

V. 26.

V.26. They mount up to the Heaven, they go down again to the Depths;
their Soul is melted because of Trouble.] Thus Virgil, Æneid III. 564.
Tollimur in cælum curvato gurgite, et idem
Subducta ad manes imos defcendimus unda.

And Ovid, de Trift. Eleg. II.

Me miferum! quanti montes volvuntur aquarum?
Jamjam tacturos fidera fumma putes.
Quanta diducto fubfidunt æquore valles?
Jamjam tacturas Tartara nigra putes.

Rector in incerto eft, nec quid fugiatve, petatve,
Invenit; ambiguis ars flupet ipfa malis.

V. 39. Again they are minished

This Verfe ought to [ וימעטו

be connected with the next, and 1 ought to be rendered WHEN.

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V. 1. I will fing and give Praife, even with my Glory.] Thefe

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,עורה ought I think to be joined to the next Wordאף כבודי,Words

and rendered

--

AND THOU MY GLORY AWAKE: for it appears

by the Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, that they read

V.4.

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PSALM CIX.

twice.

but I give myself unto Prayer, bon] All the old

All [ואני תפלה : .BUT I PRAY ואתפללה or ואתפלל Verfions feem to have read

V. 10. Let his Children be continually Vagabonds, and beg: let them feek their Bread alfo out of their defolate Places.

ונוע ינועו בניו ושאלו The latter Hemiftic ought I think to be thus [ ודרשו מחרבותיהם:

rendered

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LET THEM BE SOUGHT FOR (or HURRIED) OUT OF THEIR DESOLATE PLACES: Or, if we give the Verb the Sense of Cuyo, thus LET THEM BE EXTERMINATED: D7 alfo in Chaldee fignifies to tread under Foot: most of the old Verfions render, let them be expelled &c. is here confidered as the Preter Pybal.

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V. 21. But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy Name's Sake:

,Rather - BUT THOU [ואתה יהוה אדני - עשה אתי למען שמך

O LORD MY GOD, DEAL WITH ME ACCORDING TO THY NAME:

i. e. according to thy moral Attributes of Mercy and Goodness: as Pf. VIII. 1. IX. 10. XXV. 11. &c. ey is thus used, 2 Kings XXI. 6. 2 Chron. XXXIII. 6.

יקללו המה ואתה תברך

V. 28. Let them curfe, but bless thou: Doctor Sykes (in his Comment on the Epistle to the Hebrews takes occafion from this Verfe to conclude, that all the bitter Imprecations of this Pfalm from V. 6. are spoken against David by his Adverfaries because one Person only is the Subject; and because it cannot be supposed that an infpired Prophet could be fo devoid of Charity, as to utter fuch Curfes. I wish I could acquiefce in this Interpretation but it is fraught with infuperable Difficulties. For V. 20. may be thought to give a fatal Blow to this Hypothesis: for that Verfe feems to make the Composer of the Pfalm the Speaker throughout. Befides, could that Objection be removed here, it would ftill remain triumphant in many other Pfalms, and Parts of the Old Teftament. The common Opinion is, that these Imprecations are prophetic Denunciations of God's Judgments upon impenitent Sinners. This in fome Cases may be true: but furely it cannot be fo in all those Parts, where they are announced by the Imperative; where the Author imprecates, not against God's Enemies, not against the Enemies of the State, but against his own Enemies. The molt probable Account of this Matter in my humble Opinion is this, that God Almighty (though in a particular Senfe the God of Abraham and his Offspring) did not interpofe by his Grace, or act upon the Mind of his peculiar People, not even of their Prophets, in an extraordinary Manner, except when He vouchfafed to fuggeft fome future Event, or any other Circumstance that might be for the public Benefit of Mankind. In all other refpects (I apprehend) they were left to the full Exercife of their Freewill, without Control of the Divine Impulse. Now God had abundantly provided, in that Code of moral and ceremonial Institutes which he had given his People for their Law, that the poor, the fatherless, the Widow, and Stranger fhould be particularly regarded; whence they ought to have learnt to be merciful as their Father in Heaven is merciful: and it must be confeffed that we fometimes find fuch Behaviour and Sentiments in the Jews with refpect to their Enemies as may be deemed truly Chriftian. See Pf. XXXV. 13, 14. &c. But, in that very Syftem of Laws, it was also for wife Reasons ordained that they fhould have no Intercourse with the Seven Nations of the Canaanites; but should abfolutely exterminate. them; whence they unwarrantably drew this Inference, that they ought to love their Neighbours; but HATE THEIR ENEMIES, as our

Z 2

Lord

Lord declares, Matt. V. 43. From these devoted Nations they extended the Precept to the rest of Mankind, that were not within the Pale of their Church; nay fometimes to their own domeftic Enemies, those of their own Blood and Communion, with whom they were at Variance. Hence therefore the horrid Picture which is drawn of that Nation by the Greek and Roman Authors: from whom I forbear to bring any Inftances, as they are well known; and fo numerous, that they might fill a Volume.

How far it may be proper to continue the Reading of these Pfalms in the daily Service of our Church, I leave to the Confideration of the Legislature to determine. A Chriftian of Erudition may confider those Imprecations only as the natural Sentiments of Jews, which the benign Religion he profeffes abhors and condemns: but what are the illiterate to do, who know not where to draw the Line between the Law and the Gofpel? They hear both read, one after the other, and I fear too often think them both of equal Obligation; and even take Shelter under Scripture to cover their Curfes. Though I am conscious I here tread upon flippery Ground, I will take Leave to hint, that, notwithstanding the high Antiquity that fanctifies as it were this Practice, it would in the Opinion of a Number of wife and good Men be more for the Credit of the Chriftian Church to omit a few of those Pfalms, and to fubftitute fome Parts of the Gofpel in their ftead. See Les Sentimens des Theologiens de Hollande; attributed to Le Clerc in his younger Days.

V. 1.

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PSALM CX.

Sit thou at my Right Hand.] So Callimachus fays of Apollo in his Hymn, V. 29.

δυνα) γαρ, επει Διο δεξιος της

And Pindar in his Address to Vesta, intreating her to receive Aristagoras and his Friends, and admit them into her Temple at the Right Hand of her Sceptre, fays,

Εν μεν Αριςταγοραν δέξαι τεον ες θαλαμον,
Ev s'

εταιρος αγλαῳ σκαπρῳ πελας. Nem. Od. XI.1.

V. 2. The Lord fhall fend the Rod of thy Strength out of Zion:

is a Word exactly of the fame מטה מטה עזך ישלח יהוה מציון

Import as a both fignify primarily a Shoot or Branch of a Tree; whence they came to be used for a Tribe, (illuing out from a Patriarch, as a Branch from it's Stock ;) for any Rod, or Staff; and hence they

have an appropriate Signification, viz. that particular Staff or SCE PTRE, ufed by a Sovereign Magiftrate in Token of his Supreme Authority. The Context in this Place clearly points out that this latter Senfe is that which ought to be received.

V.

3. Thy People shall be willing in the Day of thy Power, y
WITH THEE fhall be FREE-

Rather, I think [נדבת ביום חילך

WILL OFFERINGS &C.

in the Beauties of Holiness

-IN THE GLO [ בהדרי קדש

RIOUS SANCTUARY, the Words fignifying literally in the Glories of the Sanctuary.

from the Womb of the Morning:

thou haft the Dew of thy

I read here with moft of the מרחם משחר לך טל ילדתך: .Youth

old Verfions; and, fuppofing that before has dropped out, render - I HAVE BROUGHT THEE FORTH OUT OF THE WOMB BEFORE THE MORNING BROUGHT ON THE DEW. The Prepofition prefixed to fignifies BEFORE. See Noldius 4, 5. 7 is in Hiphil (though defective for ", or rather ) as 2 Kings VI. 19. XXV. 20. &c. The Meaning of the Words thus interpreted is obvious. God is the Speaker, the Meffiah is the Perfon addreffed; and the Sentence relates to the latter's Exiftence long before the Creation. of any Being. It is remarkable that none of the old Verfions, except the Chaldee, take any Notice of either or ..

..לך טל

V. 5. The Lord at thy right Hand fall frike

אדני על ימינך

-n] Rather, I think, in two Sentences, thus - THE LORD is:

AT THY RIGHT HAND ; HE WILL STRIKE --

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V. 6. be shall fill the Places with the dead Bodies: he shall wound

the Heads over many Countries.

and

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מחץ ראש על ארץ רבה: [מלא גויות

being both Participles, the Verfe I think ought to be thus rendered HE WILL JUDGE AMONG (.e. RULE OVER) THE NATIONS, after BEING SATISFIED WITH DEAD BODIES, and HAVING WOUNDED MANY A CHIEF UPON THE EARTH: because the Exercife of his Dominion is confequent upon his Conqueft. The Verb is thus ufed, Eccl. I. 8. VI. 7. Ifa. XXXIV. 6. and I here read, with all the ancient Verfions.

ས.

7. He shall drink of the Brook in the Way:

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As Torrents or the overflowing of Rivers frequently denote in the Scripture Language AFFLICTIONS (Pf. XVIII. 4. CXXIV. 4, 5. CXLIV. 7..

&c.)

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