of the actual state of things. To the eyes of the unbelieving Jews the promises to David seem unfulfilled: history appears to contradict prophecy. To the Christian all is clear. Christ is God's firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. His throne is as the sun-established for ever as the moon; so that the Jews must either accept Christ as the Messiah, or acknowledge that God's promises have failed.

PSALM XCIII.- -C.

In the epistle to the Hebrews i. 6, the author applies the 7th verse of the 97th Psalm to prove Christ's superiority to angels. Again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.' In the Psalm itself our translators have 'Worship him, all ye gods.' The former rendering is justified by the LXX here and elsewhere, as Ps. viii. 6, cxxxviii. 1, by the Syriac; the Chaldee Ps. viii. 6, lxxxii. 6; and by the Rabbies, as Aben Esra, Ps. xcv. 3, xcvi. 3, and this passage Ps. xcvii. 7.

The correctness of the application to the Messiah is proved by the context in the Psalm, and by the whole series. The subject of the prophecy, for Ps. xciii.-c. is only one prophecy, is the Kingdom of God. The Lord is King,' xciii. 1, xcv. 3, xcvi. 10, xcvii. 1, xcviii. 6, xcix. 1.

The 93rd is the opening of the subject, the promise of future good things, the reign of the Messiah. The 94th, a prayer reciting the distresses and infidelity of the latter times, v. 7-9. The 95th, a call to the still unbelieving Jews to come and worship Him, and a remonstrance with them because they harden their hearts. The 96th, a continuation of the call to the Jews to sing the New Song, and to make known to the Gentiles that the Lord is King. The 97th, a repetition of the subject, an account of the

Lord's advent and vengeance, and the delivery of his saints. The 98th, a call to the whole earth to join in the New Song. The 99th, the kingdom again announced, and the Lord recognised as the God of Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. The 100th, another call to the whole earth to worship Christ as the Creator, merciful and faithful. The Jews admit that the whole refers to the days of the Messiah. The universal King of Jews and Gentiles is here the Lord, The universal King of Isaiah, ix., xxxii., xlix.; Dan. vii.; Zech. ix.; of Psalms ii., xlv., lxxii., lxxxix., cx., is Messiah the Son of David.

PSALM CIX.

The New Testament applies this Psalm to the treachery of Judas; not in the way of accommodation, but of strict appropriation. Acts i. 16, the Apostle says, "dɛ п#λngwoñvai την γραφὴν ταύτην. This scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.' This interpretation exactly agrees with the contents of the Psalm. The subject of the Psalm, v. 21, 22, 30, 31, is a righteous man suffering persecution, and trusting in God, v. 2-5. His persecutors are not heathen idolaters, who are not mentioned in the Psalm, but deceitful and wicked Jews, who return 'evil for good, and hatred for love,' v. 6-8. There is one of these particularly guilty. The victim, guided by the Spirit of God, beseeches the righteous Judge to execute just judgment. This language is not inconsistent with the character of Him who is Judge as well as Saviour, as has been shown in the observations on the 40th Psalm.* The fulfilment shows the truth of the interpretation, as Theodorit says on the 9th verse, 'These things happened not to Judas only, but to all

* Compare Matt. xviii. 17; xxvi. 24.

7] out of their deso

the unbelieving Jews also. For a few years only having elapsed after the crucifixion, the whole race was uprooted from its place. They were slain, and their wives and children made slaves; as the prophetic word prayed, 'Let his children be continually unsettled wanderers, and let them beg; let them seek [unto God? the verb is late places.' And Jerome, 'Ex illo tempore ex quo Dominus crucifixus est, ex tunc semper moventur Judæi, non stant in suo loco;' and on account of the length of the captivity, even in his time he appeals to the Jews themselves Respondete mihi, O Judæi. Fuistis in Babylonia, habuistis ibi prophetas, Daniel, Ezechiel, et revera idololatræ eratis. Septuaginta annis fuistis in captivitate: et postea venistis in propria. Ecce nunc quadringenti anni, quare non est missus ad vos Propheta? In illo tempore idola colebatis, et miserebatur vestri Deus. Nunc autem non colitis idola, quare dereliquit vos Dominus? Ecce quadringenti anni sunt. Sed tunc dereliquistis Dominum et idola colebatis; nunc autem Dominum crucifixistis et interfecistis: et ideo non erit vobis adjutor.'

PSALM CX.

In the consideration of this Psalm it is necessary, first of all, to notice the translation. The title is 7 ms. In our English version, A Psalm of David.' LXX, Taλuòs T Axvid. Chaldee by, By the hand of David.' In the time of our Lord, therefore, and before it, the Hebrew title was, by the Jews, understood in its ordinary sense, as signifying that the Psalm was composed by David. For dogmatic purposes, Aben Esra and Kimchi, followed by many moderns, have proposed to render the words, 'concerning David.' But this is opposed to the general usage

in the titles, where signifies the author, not the subject. See Psalms lxxiv., lxxix., lxxx., lxxxiii., lxxxviii., lxxxix., xc.

Verse 3 presents great difficulties, as may be seen from the great variety of versions proposed. The LXX have Μετὰ σοῦ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου, ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων σου· ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ Ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε. They

,(סְכְלות like) נִדְבוּת appear to have read ,עמְךְ נְדִיבוּת or ,and מִשְׁחָר instead of מִשַׁחַר עַמְךְ and נְדָבוֹת instead of

of

like the Syriac, Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum; ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Rashi and Aben Esra both give the sense expressed by the English version.

instead of. So the Vulgate:

a plentiful גשם נדבות) נדבות The latter also proposes for

rain,' as Psalm lxviii. 9, which would make the sense, 'Thy people shall be numerous as the drops of a plentiful rain in the day of thy power.' Calvin has-' Populus tuus cum voluntariis oblationibus in die exercitus tui, in pulchritudine sanctitatis, ex utero ab aurora: tibi ros adolescentiæ tuæ.' Hengstenberg interprets, 'Thy people are free-will offerings (i.e. offer themselves as a living sacrifice) in the day of thy power; in holy apparel, from the bosom of the morningheaven thou hast the dew of thy young men (i.e. thy young men like the morning dew). Ewald has, 'Thy people are all courage in the day of thy host: in holy apparel, out of the bosom of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth.' Like the former, he takes youth' as collective for young

men.

The Rev. G. Phillips, in his most useful commentary, seems to adopt partly the interpretation of Aben Esra, and partly that of Mendelsohn: Thy people shall be as copious showers in the day of thy battle, in beautiful garments : Thy young men shall go forth as dew from the womb of the morning.'

T

With the present punctuation, I prefer to adhere as closely as possible to the sense given in the English version -Thy people shall be all willingness in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness [or, in holy apparel :] before the conception of the morning light, thou hadst the dew of thy birth or youth. The usual meaning of is 'strength, power,' not 'host, or army, or military expedition.' 'before' or 'earlier' than the conception, taking the usage of of comparison, as Gesenius says in his Thesaurus: 'Tertium, quod vocant, comparationis omitti potest, ita ut simpliciter dicatur, aliquam rem super aliam eminere, non addita ratione, qua id fiat. Ies. x. 10; Job xi. 17; Mich. vii. 4; Ps. lxii. 10.'

occurs twice besides in the Bible, Eccles. xi. 9. 10, and there it signifies state or time of youth, and so the other nouns of this form (see Ewald, Grammatik § 344, and Gesenius, Lehrgebaüde, p. 514.) To interpret it, therefore, of 'young men' is perfectly arbitrary, warranted neither by usage nor by form.*

With regard to the interpretation there are almost as many opinions as with regard to the translation.

1. Rashi interprets the Psalm of Abraham. But Aben Esra objects that the words 'out of Zion' show that it cannot refer to the Father of the faithful.

2. Aben Esra, Kimchi, Mendelsohn, Ewald, refer it to David. The former say, that the words 'Sit on my right

* In a passage so variously interpreted, it may not be deemed rash to suggest another rendering, simply placing other vowels under some words, without changing a single consonant.

With thee was the Principality in the day of thy being brought forth.

Before the conception of the morning light thou hadst the dew of thy birth.'

from or, to bear, in Isaiah xlv. 10. Ps. li. 10. Prov. viii. 24, 25.