Of the Jerahmeelites.

I Sing unto Yahwè a new song,

His praise in the assembly of the pious.

Let Israel rejoice in his maker,

Let the children of Zion exult in their king.
Let them praise his name with the pipe,

3

Let them chant to him with timbrel and lyre.

For Yahwe delights in his people,

4

The afflicted he adorns with victory.

ΙΟ

Let them triumph at the glory of the pious,
Let them shout for joy at the blow to the Cushites,
Chants of praise to God in their throats,

5

6

Two-edged swords in their hands,

To execute vengeance on the nations,

་

7

Punishments on the peoples;

To bind their kings with chains,

Their honoured ones with fetters of iron;

To execute upon them the doom that is written,
An honour is this for all his pious ones.

I. A new song. See vol. i., p. 138 (on xxxiii. 3). 3. His maker. Cp. xcv. 6, c. 3. 10. The Cushites. The crushing defeat (92) of the N. Arabian foe (so often prayed for, and now accomplished) was typical of the

8

overthrow of all opponents of Yahwè and his people. Cp. Isa. xxxiv. 2, 5; lxiii. 1-6.-17. That is written. See e.g. Dt. vii. 2 (relative to the Rehobothites, the Ashhurites, &c.; see Crit. Bib.).

Critical Notes. 5. is either miswritten for, or a synonym for that word. So cl. 4-8. Read Dy (as before).-9. M T 71. is very variously explained. If correct, the word plainly

בכבוד would be clear, but בכבוד י' or בכבודם ; needs a complement

is not clear. Jul. Böhmer is of opinion that used absolutely as here, can only be a term for God' (Das biblische ‘Im Namen, p. 48; cp. Exp. T., April 1903, pp. 334 ff.1). But what sound evidence is there for such a use of ? The text must therefore be questioned, especially when in the parallel line we find an equally obscure word, which even Böhmer questions. The simplest remedy is to transpose, reading on Tiada. This fits in with a very probable correction of 'why. The alternative is to read a (cp. on xxx. 13); but note “ in v. 3.

1 Cp. Exp. T., May, pp. 382 ff.; July, pp. 487 f.; Aug., pp. 526 f. (König).

10.

Cp. lxxvii. 7, Job xxxv. 10 (songs in the night), but the text is disputed. Böhmer's doubts are

? upon their bels עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם M

רוֹמֵמוֹת 1 .transposition. II ; עַל־מַכַּת כְּשִׁים well founded. Read

Plural form? or (Barth), singular? If plur., cp. the sing. from
Baer □ņi¬), Ixvi. 17, but the text is doubtful. Read probably

in (but

TRIMETERS.

Yahwè.'

I

PSALM CL.

The finale of the spiritual concert: angels and men praise Cp. Ps. cxlviii.

Of the Jerahmeelites.

Praise God in his sanctuary,

Praise him in his strong firmament;

Praise him for his mighty deeds,

Praise him according to his manifold greatness;

Praise him with the blast of the horn,

3

Praise him with harp and lyre;

Praise him with timbrel and pipe,

4

Praise him with the sweet notes of the flute;

Critical Notes.

instruments for the Levites. The mention of the cymbals seems to have exhausted the psalmist's list of instruments, for the 'cymbals of Ishmael' (see crit. n.) were presumably those which gave the loudest sound.

7. ; see on cxlix. 3.-8. M

, like in xlv. 9, is surely corrupt, the meaning 'harp-strings' being quite imaginary, and suitable in neither of the passages in which (in xlv. 9 being, it is said,='") can be supposed to occur. Read here. See Sirach xl. 9, Heb., and cp. on lxxxi. 3ỏ, xcii. 4, and Nestle, Marginalien, p. 10 (with remark in Crit. Bib. on 2 S. xxiii. 1). A late Hebrew usage need not surprise us.

My. Most explain with clear-sounding cymbals '; RV, however, with loud cymbals,' no doubt because of 1 Chr. xvi. 5. But is certainly right in that passage? Kautzsch produces an excellent sense by virtually reading TAN DYDW; but what right has he to do this? Experience of the many corrupt forms of yo suggests that both you and you may come from that ethnic name (Dv 3 and D). As the story of Hiram shows (see Crit. Bib, on 1 K. vii. 13 f., 46), the working of copper was a speciality of the Ishmaelite or Jerahmeelite neighbours of the Jews.

12. Possibly the 'Hallelujah' at the close of this psalm (M G) forms a part of the text, and should be repeated to complete the verse.

END OF VOL. II

INDEX.

The Roman numerals refer to pages of the Introduction.

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