TITLE. A Psalm for Solomon. The
best linguists affirm that this should be rendered, of or
by Solomon. There is not sufficient ground for the
rendering for. It is pretty certain that the title
declares Solomon to be the author of the Psalm, and yet from Ps
72:20 it would seem that David uttered it in prayer before he
died. With some diffidence we suggest that the spirit and matter
of the Psalm are David's, but that he was too near his end to
pen the words, or cast them into form: Solomon, therefore,
caught his dying father's song, fashioned it in goodly verse,
and, without robbing his father, made the Psalm his own. It is,
we conjecture, the Prayer of David, but the Psalm of Solomon.
Jesus is here, beyond all doubt, in the glory of his reign, both
as he now is, and as he shall be revealed in the latter day
glory.
DIVISION. We shall follow the division
suggested by Alexander. "A glowing description of the reign
of Messiah as righteous, Ps 72:1-7; universal, Ps 72:8-11;
beneficent, Ps 72:12-14; and perpetual, Ps 72:15-17; to which
are added a doxology, Ps 72:18-19; and a postscript, Ps 72:20."
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God.
The right to reign was transmitted by descent from David to
Solomon, but not by that means alone: Israel was a theocracy,
and the kings were but the viceroys of the greater King; hence
the prayer that the new king might be enthroned by divine right,
and then endowed with divine wisdom. Our glorious King in Zion
hath all judgment committed unto him. He rules in the name of
God over all lands. He is king "Dei Gratia" as well as
by right of inheritance. And thy righteousness unto the king's
son. Solomon was both king and king's son; so also is our Lord.
He has power and authority in himself, and also royal dignity
given of his Father. He is the righteous king; in a word, he is
"the Lord our righteousness." We are waiting till he
shall be manifested among men as the ever righteous Judge. May
the Lord hasten on his own time the long looked for day. Now
wars and fightings are even in Israel itself, but soon the
dispensation will change, and David, the type of Jesus warring
with our enemies, shall be displaced by Solomon the prince of
peace.
Verse 2. He shall judge thy people with
righteousness. Clothed with divine authority, he shall use
it on the behalf of the favoured nation, for whom he shall show
himself strong, that they be not misjudged, slandered, or in any
way treated maliciously. His sentence shall put their accusers
to silence, and award the saints their true position as the
accepted of the Lord. What a consolation to feel that none can
suffer wrong in Christ's kingdom: he sits upon the great white
throne, unspotted by a single deed of injustice, or even mistake
of judgment: reputations are safe enough with him. And thy
poor with judgment. True wisdom is manifest in all the
decisions of Zion's King. We do not always understand his
doings, but they are always right. Partiality has been too often
shown to rich and great men, but the King of the last and best
of monarchies deals out even handed justice, to the delight of
the poor and despised. Here we have the poor mentioned side by
side with the king. The sovereignty of God is a delightful theme
to the poor in spirit; they love to see the Lord exalted, and
have no quarrel with him for exercising the prerogatives of his
crown. It is the fictitious wealth which labours to conceal real
poverty, which makes men cavil at the reigning Lord, but a deep
sense of spiritual need prepares the heart loyally to worship
the Redeemer King. On the other hand, the King has a special
delight in the humbled hearts of his contrite ones, and
exercises all his power and wisdom on their behalf, even as
Joseph in Egypt ruled for the welfare of his brethren.
Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the
people. Thence, aforetime, rushed the robber bands which
infested the country; but now the forts there erected are the
guardians of the land, and the watchmen publish far and near the
tidings that no foe is to be seen. Where Jesus is there is
peace, lasting, deep, eternal. Even those things which were once
our dread, lose all terror when Jesus is owned as monarch of the
heart: death itself, that dark mountain, loses all its gloom.
Trials and afflictions, when the Lord is with us, bring us an
increase rather than a diminution of peace. And the little
hills, by righteousness. Seeing that the rule of the monarch was
just, every little hill seemed clothed with peace. Injustice has
made Palestine a desert; if the Turk and Bedouin were gone, the
land would smile again; for even in the most literal sense,
justice is the fertilizer of lands, and men are diligent to
plough and raise harvests when they have the prospect of eating
the fruit of their labours. In a spiritual sense, peace is given
to the heart by the righteousness of Christ; and all the powers
and passions of the soul are filled with a holy calm, when the
way of salvation, by a divine righteousness, is revealed. Then
do we go forth with joy, and are led forth with peace; the
mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing.
Verse 4. He shall judge the poor of the people.
He will do them justice, yea, and blessed be his name, more than
justice, for he will delight to do them good. He shall save the
children of the needy. Poor, helpless things, they were
packhorses for others, and paupers themselves, but their King
would be their protector. Happy are God's poor and needy ones;
they are safe under the wing of the Prince of Peace, for he will
save them from all their enemies. And shall break in pieces the
oppressor. He is strong to smite the foes of his people.
Oppressors have been great breakers, but their time of
retribution shall come, and they shall be broken themselves.
Sin, Satan, and all our enemies must be crushed by the iron rod
of King Jesus. We have, therefore, no cause to fear; but
abundant reason to sing—
"All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall,
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him lord of all."
It is much better to be poor than to be an oppressor; for
both the needy and their children find an advocate in the
heavenly Solomon, who aims all his blows at haughty ones, and
rests not till they are utterly destroyed.
Verse 5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun
and moon endure. And well they may. Such righteousness wins
the cheerful homage of the poor and the godly, and strikes
dismay into the souls of unrighteous oppressors; so that all
through the lands, both good and bad are filled with awe. Where
Jesus reigns in power men must render obeisance of some sort.
His kingdom, moreover, is no house of cards, or dynasty of days;
it is as lasting as the lights of heaven; days and nights will
cease before he abdicates his throne. Neither sun nor moon as
yet manifest any failure in their radiance, nor are there any
signs of decrepitude in the kingdom of Jesus; on the contrary,
it is but in its youth, and is evidently the coming power, the
rising sun. Would to God that fresh vigour were imparted to all
its citizens to push at once the conquests of Immanuel to the
uttermost ends of the earth. Throughout all generations shall
the throne of the Redeemer stand. Humanity shall not wear out
the religion of the Incarnate God. No infidelity shall wither it
away, nor superstition smother it; it shall rise immortal from
what seemed its grave; as the true phoenix, it shall revive from
its ashes! As long as there are men on earth Christ shall have a
throne among them. Instead of the fathers shall be the children.
Each generation shall have a regeneration in its midst, let Pope
and Devil do what they may. Even at this hour we have before us
the tokens of his eternal power; since he ascended to his
throne, eighteen hundred years ago, his dominion has not been
overturned, though the mightiest of empires have gone like
visions of the night. We see on the shore of time the wrecks of
the Caesars, the relics of the Moguls, and the last remnants of
the Ottomans. Charlemagne, Maximilian, Napoleon, how they flit
like shadows before us! They were and are not; but Jesus for
ever is. As for the houses of Hohenzollern, Guelph, or Hapsburg,
they have their hour; but the Son of David has all hours and
ages as his own.
Verse 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown
grass. Blessings upon his gentle sway! Those great
conquerors who have been the scourges of mankind have fallen
like the fiery hail of Sodom, transforming fruitful lands into
deserts; but he with mild, benignant influence softly refreshes
the weary and wounded among men, and makes them spring up into
newness of life. Pastures mown with the scythe, or shorn by the
teeth of cattle, present, as it were, so many bleeding stems of
grass, but when the rain falls it is balm to all these wounds,
and it renews the verdure and beauty of the field; fit image of
the visits and benedictions of "the consolation of
Israel." My soul, how well it is for thee to be brought
low, and to be even as the meadows eaten bare and trodden down
by cattle, for then to thee shall the Lord have respect; he
shall remember thy misery, and with his own most precious love
restore thee to more than thy former glory. Welcome Jesus, thou
true Bien-aime, the Well beloved, thou art far more than
Titus ever was—the Delight of Mankind. As showers that water
the earth. Each crystal drop of rain tells of heavenly mercy,
which forgets not the parched plains: Jesus is all grace, all
that he does is love, and his presence among men is joy. We need
to preach him more, for no shower can so refresh the nations.
Philosophic preaching mocks men as with a dust shower, but the
gospel meets the case of fallen humanity, and happiness
flourishes beneath its genial power. Come down, O Lord, upon my
soul, and my heart shall blossom with thy praise:—
"He shall come down as still and light
As scattered drops on genial field;
And in his time who loves the right,
Freely shall bloom, sweet peace her harvest yield."
Verse 7. In his days shall the righteous flourish.
Beneath the deadly Upas of unrighteous rule no honest principles
can be developed, and good men can scarcely live; but where
truth and uprightness are on the throne, the best of men prosper
most. A righteous king is the patron and producer of righteous
subjects. None flourish under Nero but those who are monsters
like himself: like will to like; and under the gentle Jesus the
godly find a happy shelter. And abundance of peace so long as
the moon endureth. Where Jesus reigns he is known as the true
Melchizedek, king both of righteousness and peace. Peace based
upon right is sure to be lasting, but no other will be. Many a
so called Holy Alliance has come to the ground ere many moons
have filled their horns, because craft formed the league,
perjury established it, and oppression was the design of it; but
when Jesus shall proclaim the great Truce of God, he will ordain
perpetual peace, and men shall learn war no more. The peace
which Jesus brings is not superficial or short lived; it is
abundant in its depth and duration. Let all hearts and voices
welcome the King of nations; Jesus the Good, the Great, the
Just, the Ever blessed.
Verse 8. He shall have dominion also from sea to
sea. Wide spread shall be the rule of Messiah; only the
Land's End shall end his territory: to the Ultima Thule shall
his sceptre be extended. From Pacific to Atlantic, and from
Atlantic to Pacific, he shall be Lord, and the oceans which
surround each pole shall be beneath his sway. All other power
shall be subordinate to his; no rival nor antagonist shall he
know. Men speak of the Emperor of all the Russias, but Jesus
shall be Ruler of all mankind. And from the river unto the ends
of the earth. Start where you will, by any river you choose, and
Messiah's kingdom shall reach on to the utmost bounds of the
round world. As Solomon's realm embraced all the land of
promise, and left no unconquered margin; so shall the Son of
David rule all lands given him in the better covenant, and leave
no nation to pine beneath the tyranny of the prince of darkness.
We are encouraged by such a passage as this to look for the
Saviour's universal reign; whether before or after his personal
advent we leave for the discussion of others. In this Psalm, at
least, we see a personal monarch, and he is the central figure,
the focus of all the glory; not his servant, but himself do we
see possessing the dominion and dispensing the government.
Personal pronouns referring to our great King are constantly
occurring in this Psalm; he has dominion kings fall down
before him, and serve him; for he delivers,
he spares, he saves, he lives, and daily is
he praised.
Verse 9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him. Unconquered by arms, they shall be subdued
by love. Wild and lawless as they have been, they shall gladly
wear his easy yoke; then shall their deserts be made glad, yea,
they shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. And his enemies
shall lick the dust. If they will not be his friends, they shall
be utterly broken and humbled. Dust shall be the serpent's meat;
the seed of the serpent shall be filled therewith. Homage among
Orientals is often rendered in the most abject manner, and truly
no sign is too humiliating to denote the utter discomfiture and
subjugation of Messiah's foes. Tongues which rail at the
Redeemer deserve to lick the dust. Those who will not joyfully
bow to such a prince richly merit to be hurled down and laid
prostrate; the dust is too good for them, since they trampled on
the blood of Christ.
Verse 10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents. Trade shall be made subservient to the
purposes of mediatorial rule; merchant princes, both far and
near, shall joyfully contribute of their wealth to his throne.
Seafaring places are good centres from which to spread the
gospel; and seafaring men often make earnest heralds of the
cross. Tarshish of old was so far away, that to the eastern mind
it was lost in its remoteness, and seemed to be upon the verge
of the universe; even so far as imagination itself can travel,
shall the Son of David rule; across the blue sea shall his
sceptre be stretched; the white cliffs of Britain already own
him, the gems of the Southern Sea glitter for him, even
Iceland's heart is warm with his love. Madagascar leaps to
receive him; and if there be isles of the equatorial seas whose
spices have as yet not been presented to him, even there shall
he receive a revenue of glory. He has made many an islet to
become a Holy Isle, and hence, a true Formosa. The kings of
Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Agriculture and pasturage
shall contribute their share. Foreign princes from inland
regions, as yet unexplored, shall own the all embracing monarchy
of the King of kings; they shall be prompt to pay their
reverential tribute. Religious offerings shall they bring, for
their King is their God. Then shall Arabia Felix be happy
indeed, and the Fortunate Isles be more than fortunate. Observe,
that true religion leads to generous giving; we are not taxed in
Christ's dominions, but we are delighted to offer freely to him.
It will be a great day when kings will do this: the poor widow
has long ago been before them, it is time that they followed;
their subjects would be sure to imitate the royal example. This
free will offering is all Christ and his church desire; they
want no forced levies and distraints, let all men give of their
own free will, kings as well as commoners; alas! the rule has
been for kings to give their subjects' property to the church,
and a wretched church has received this robbery for a burnt
offering; it shall not be thus when Jesus more openly assumes
the throne.
Verse 11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before
him. Personally shall they pay their reverence, however
mighty they may be. No matter how high their state, how ancient
their dynasty, or far off their realms, they shall willingly
accept him as their Imperial Lord. All nations shall serve him.
The people shall be as obedient as the governors. The extent of
the mediatorial rule is set forth by the two far reaching alls,
all kings, and all nations: we see not as yet all things put
under him, but since we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour
in heaven, we are altogether without doubt as to his universal
monarchy on earth. It is not to be imagined that an Alexander or
a Caesar shall have wider sway than the Son of God. "Every
knee shall bow to him, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Hasten it,
O Lord, in thine own time.
Verse 12. For he shall deliver the needy. Here
is an excellent reason for man's submission to the Lord Christ;
it is not because they dread his overwhelming power, but because
they are won over by his just and condescending rule. Who would
not fear so good a Prince, who makes the needy his peculiar
care, and pledges himself to be their deliverer in times of
need? When he crieth. He permits them to be so needy as to be
driven to cry bitterly for help, but then he hears them, and
comes to their aid. A child's cry touches a father's heart, and
our King is the Father of his people. If we can do no more than
cry it will bring omnipotence to our aid. A cry is the native
language of a spiritually needy soul; it has done with fine
phrases and long orations, and it takes to sobs and moans; and
so, indeed, it grasps the most potent of all weapons, for heaven
always yields to such artillery. The poor also, and him that
hath no helper. The proverb says, "God helps those that
help themselves; "but it is yet more true that Jesus helps
those who cannot help themselves, nor find help in others. All
helpless ones are under the especial care of Zion's
compassionate King; let them hasten to put themselves in
fellowship with him. Let them look to him, for he is looking for
them.
Verse 13. He shall spare the poor and needy.
His pity shall be manifested to them; he will not allow their
trials to overwhelm them; his rod of correction shall fall
lightly; he will be sparing of his rebukes, and not sparing in
his consolations. And shall save the souls of the needy. His is
the dominion of souls, a spiritual and not a worldly empire; and
the needy, that is to say, the consciously unworthy and weak,
shall find that he will give them his salvation. Jesus calls not
the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He does not attempt
the superfluous work of aiding proud Pharisees to air their
vanity; but he is careful of poor Publicans whose eyes dare not
look up to heaven by reason of their sense of sin. We ought to
be anxious to be among these needy ones whom the Great King so
highly favours.
Verse 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit
and violence. These two things are the weapons with which
the poor are assailed: both law and no law are employed to
fleece them. The fox and the lion are combined against Christ's
lambs, but the Shepherd will defeat them, and rescue the
defenceless from their teeth. A soul hunted by the temptations
of Satanic craft, and the insinuations of diabolical malice,
will do well to fly to the throne of Jesus for shelter. And
precious shall their blood be in his sight. He will not throw
away his subjects in needless wars as tyrants have done, but
will take every means for preserving the humblest of them.
Conquerors have reckoned thousands of lives as small items; they
have reddened fields with gore, as if blood were water, and
flesh but manure for harvests; but Jesus, though he gave his own
blood, is very chary of the blood of his servants, and if they
must die for him as martyrs, he loves their memory, and counts
their lives as his precious things.
Verse 15. And he shall live. Vive le Roi! O
King! live for ever! He was slain, but is risen and ever liveth.
And to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. These are
coronation gifts of the richest kind, cheerfully presented at
his throne. How gladly would we give him all that we have and
are, and count the tribute far too small. We may rejoice that
Christ's cause will not stand still for want of funds; the
silver and the gold are his, and if they are not to be found at
home, far off lands shall hasten to make up the deficit. Would
to God we had more faith and more generosity. Prayer also shall
be made for him continually. May all blessings be upon his head;
all his people desire that his cause may prosper, therefore do
they hourly cry, "Thy kingdom come." Prayer for
Jesus is a very sweet idea, and one which should be for evermore
lovingly carried out; for the church is Christ's body, and the
truth is his sceptre; therefore we pray for him when we plead
for these. The verse may, however, be read as "through him,
"for it is by Christ as our Mediator that prayer enters
heaven and prevails. "Continue in prayer" is the
standing precept of Messiah's reign, and it implies that the
Lord will continue to bless. And daily shall he be praised. As
he will perpetually show himself to be worthy of honour, so
shall he be incessantly praised:—
"For him shall constant prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown his head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
With every morning's sacrifice."
Verse 16. There shall be an handful of corn in the
earth upon the top of the mountains. From small beginnings
great results shall spring. A mere handful in a place naturally
ungenial shall produce a matchless harvest. What a blessing that
there is a handful; "except the Lord of hosts had left unto
us a very small remnant we should have been as Sodom, and we
should have been like unto Gomorrah:" but now the faithful
are a living seed, and shall multiply in the land. The fruit
thereof shall shake like Lebanon. The harvest shall be so great
that the wind shall rustle through it, and sound like the cedars
upon Lebanon:—
"Like Lebanon, by soft winds fanned,
Rustles the golden harvest far and wide."
God's church is no mean thing; its beginnings are small, but
its increase is of the most astonishing kind. As Lebanon is
conspicuous and celebrated, so shall the church be. And they of
the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. Another figure.
Christ's subjects shall be as plentiful as blades of grass, and
shall as suddenly appear as eastern verdure after a heavy
shower. We need not fear for the cause of truth in the land; it
is in good hands, where the pleasure of the Lord is sure to
prosper. "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom." When shall these words,
which open up such a vista of delight, be fulfilled in the midst
of the earth?
Verse 17. His name shall endure for ever. In
its saving power, as the rallying point of believers, and as
renowned and glorified, his name shall remain for ever the same.
His name shall be continued as long as the sun. While time is
measured out by days, Jesus shall be glorious among men. And men
shall be blessed in him. There shall be cause for all this
honour, for he shall really and truly be a benefactor to the
race. He himself shall be earth's greatest blessing; when men
wish to bless others they shall bless in his name. All nations
shall call him blessed. The grateful nations shall echo his
benedictions, and wish him happy who has made them happy. Not
only shall some glorify the Lord, but all; no land shall remain
in heathenism; all nations shall delight to do him honour.
Verses 18-19. As Quesnel well observes, these verses
explain themselves. They call rather for profound gratitude, and
emotion of heart, than for an exercise of the understanding;
they are rather to be used for adoration than for exposition. It
is, and ever will be, the acme of our desires, and the climax of
our prayers, to behold Jesus exalted King of kings and Lord of
lords. He has done great wonders such as none else can match,
leaving all others so far behind, that he remains the sole and
only wonder worker; but equal marvels yet remain, for which we
look with joyful expectation. He is the Blessed God, and his
name shall be blessed; his name is glorious, and that glory
shall fill the whole earth. For so bright a consummation our
heart yearns daily, and we cry Amen, and Amen.
Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended. What more could he ask? He has climbed the summit of
the mount of God; he desires nothing more. With this upon his
lip, he is content to die. He strips himself of his own royalty
and becomes only the "son of Jesse, "thrice happy to
subside into nothing before the crowned Messiah. Before his
believing eye the reign of Jesus, like the sun, filled all
around with light, and the holy soul of the man after God's own
heart exulted in it, and sung his "Nunc dimittis:"
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for
mine eyes have seen thy salvation!" We, too, will cease
from all petitioning if it be granted to us to see the day of
the Lord. Our blissful spirits will then have nothing further to
do but for ever to praise the Lord our God.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
TITLE. For Solomon. I shall but mention a
threefold analogy between Christ and Solomon.
1. In his personal wisdom (1Ki 4:29-30); so Christ
(Col 2:3); "In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge."
2. In the glorious peace and prosperity of his kingdom:
the kingdom was peaceably settled in his hand. 1Ch 22:9 4:24-25.
And so he fell to the work of building the temple, as Christ
doth the church; so Christ (Isa 9:6); he is the Prince of Peace,
the great Peacemaker. Eph 2:14.
3. In his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter. Some
observe that the daughter of Pharaoh never seduced him: neither
is there any mention made of the Egyptian idols. 1Ki 11:5,7. In
his other outlandish marriages he did sin; but this is
mentioned as by way of special exception (1Ki 11:1); for she was
a proselyte, and so it was no sin to marry her: and the
love between her and Solomon is made a type of the love between
Christ and the church. So Christ hath taken us Gentiles to be
spouse unto him. Psalm 45. Samuel Mather (1626-1671), in
"The Figures or Types of the Old Testament."
Whole Psalm. The Seventy-second Psalm contains a
description of an exalted king, and of the blessings of his
reign. These blessings are of such a nature as to prove that the
subject of the Psalm must be a divine person.
1. His kingdom is to be everlasting.
2. Universal.
3. It secures perfect peace with God and goodwill among men.
4. All men are to be brought to submit to him through love.
5. In him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed; i.e.,
as we are distinctly taught in Ga 3:16, it is in him that all
the blessings of redemption are to come upon the world. Charles
Hodge, in "Systematic Theology." 1871.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm was penned by a king, it is
dedicated to a king, and is chiefly intended concerning him who
is "King of kings." Joseph Caryl, in a Sermon
entitled "David's Prayer for Solomon."
Whole Psalm. Two Psalms bear Solomon's name in
their titles. One of these is the Hundred and Twenty-seventh,
the other is the Seventy-second; and here the traces of his pen
are unequivocal. A mistaken interpretation of the note appended
to it, "The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended,
"led most of the old commentators to attribute the Psalm to
David, and to suppose that it is a prayer offered in his old age
"for Solomon, "as the peaceful prince who was to
succeed him on the throne. However, it has long been known that
the note in question refers to the whole of the preceding
portion of the Psalter, much of which was written by Asaph and
the sons of Korah; and there can be no doubt that the title can
only be translated, "of Solomon." So clear are the
traces of Solomon's pen that Calvin, whose sagacity in this kind
of criticism has never been excelled, although he thought
himself obliged, by the note at the end of the Psalm, to
attribute the substance of it to David, felt Solomon's touch so
sensibly, that he threw out the conjecture that the prayer was
the father's, but that it was afterward thrown into the lyrical
form by the son. This is not the place for detailed exposition;
I will, therefore, content myself with remarking that, properly
speaking, the Psalm is not "for Solomon" at all. If it
refers to him and his peaceful reign, it does so only in as far
as they were types of the Person and Kingdom of the Prince of
Peace. The Psalm, from beginning to end, is not only capable of
being applied to Christ, but great part is incapable of being
fairly applied to any other. William Binnie.
Whole Psalm. This is the forth of those Psalms which
predict the two natures of Christ. This Psalm admonishes us that
we believe in Christ as perfect God, and perfect Man and King. Psalter
of Peter Lombard(—1164).
Whole Psalm. That under the type of Solomon (to whom
it is inscribed) the Messiah is "The King" of whom
this Psalm treats, we have the consent, not only of the most
eminent divines of modern times, and of the Fathers of the early
Christian church, but the ancient and most distinguished Jewish
expositors; of which reference, indeed, it contains the most
conclusive internal evidence. And, as under a new type, so is
the kingdom here presented to us in a new aspect, in marked
contradistinction to its character as foreshadowed by its other
great type, the Davidic: for the character of David's reign was
conquest. He was "a man of war" (1Ch 28:1-3); the
appointed instrument for subjecting the enemies of God's people
Israel, by whom they were put in undisturbed possession of the
promised land. But the character of Solomon's reign was peace,
the import of his name, succeeding to the throne after all
enemies had been subdued, and governing the kingdom which
David's wars had established (1Ki 2:12), the two types,
respectively, of Christ as he is yet to be manifested at his
next appearing; first revealed as David, as seen in the vision
of that event (Re 19:11): "I saw heaven opened, and behold
a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war, "etc.,
subduing the Antichristian confederacy (Re 19:19-21), as before
predicted in the Second Psalm, of this same confederacy:
"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash
them in pieces like a potter's vessel." And then, as
Solomon, taking his throne, and extending the blessings of his
kingdom of peace to the ends of the earth. David in the Second
Psalm; Solomon in this. William De Burgh.
Whole Psalm. The reader is reminded of James
Montgomery's hymn, beginning, "Hail to the Lord's Anointed;
"it is a very beautiful versification of this Psalm, and
will be found in "Our Own Hymn Book, " No. 353.
Verse 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God.
Right and authority to execute judgment and justice. The Father
hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John Fry.
Verse 1. The king... The king's son. I do not
apprehend, with the generality of interpreters, that by The
king, and The king's son, David means himself and his
son, but Solomon only, to whom both the titles agree, as
he was David's son, and anointed by him king during his
lifetime. Samuel Chandler.
Verse 1. The king... The king's son. We see
that our Lord is here termed both Klm, and Klm Nb, being king
himself, and also the son of a king; both as respects his human
origin, having come forth from the stock of David, and also as
to his divine origin; for the Father of the universe may, of
course, be properly denominated King. Agreeably to this
designation, we find on the Turkish coins the inscription: Sultan,
son of Sultan. George Phillips.
Verse 2. Thy judgments. From whom does he seek
these? O God, he says, give them. Therefore is it the gift of
God that kings should judge righteously and observe justice.
Moreover, he does not simply say, O God, give judgment to the
king, and righteousness to the king's son; but thy
judgments and thy righteousness. Grant them this grace,
that what is just in thy sight they may judge. The world has its
own judgments and its own righteousness, but deals in such a way
that true righteousness is more oppressed than approved. Not
such are the judgments and righteousness of God. Musculus.
Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the
people, etc. Those who apply this Psalm to Solomon expound
the distich thus; "That the steep mountains on the
frontier, strongly garrisoned, shall secure the land from
hostile invasion; and the hills, cleared of the banditti, which
in the rude ages were accustomed to inhabit them, under the
government of the king, intended in this Psalm, should be the
peaceful seats of a useful, civilised peasantry." This
sense is not ill expressed in Mr. Merrick's translation:
"Peace, from the fort clad mountain's brow,
Descending, bless the plain below;
And justice from each rocky cell,
Shall violence and fraud expel."
But so little of the Psalm is at all applicable to Solomon,
and the greater part of it so exclusively belongs to the
Messiah, that I think these mountains and hills allude to the
nature of the land of Judaea; and the general sense is, that, in
the times of the great king, the inhabitants of that mountainous
region shall live in a state of peace and tranquillity. The
thing intended is the happy condition of the natural Israel, in
the latter day restored to God's favour, and to the peaceful
possession of their own land. It is a great confirmation of this
sense, that righteousness is mentioned as the means of
the peace which shall be enjoyed. Samuel Horsley.
Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the
people. It was, and still is, common in the East to announce
good or bad news from the tops of mountains and other eminences.
By this means acts of justice were speedily communicated to the
remotest parts of the country. Thus, when Solomon decided the
controversy between the two harlots, the decision was quickly
known over all the land. See 1Ki 3:28. Alexander Geddes.
Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace. The
reference is to the fertility of the soil, which now is shown in
an extraordinary way, when mountain summits, which are either
oppressed with hopeless sterility or yield at a far inferior
rate to the valleys, produce all things plentifully. And by this
figure he signifies that this happiness of his kingdom shall not
be the portion of a few only, but shall abound in all places and
to all people, of every condition and of every age. No corner of
the land, he affirms, shall be destitute of this fertility. Mollerus.
Verse 3. The mountains shall bring peace. You
may be sure to have peace when your mountains shall bring forth
peace; when those mountains, which heretofore were mountains of
prey and hills of the robbers, shall be a quiet habitation; when
peace shall not be walled up in cities, or fenced in by
bulwarks, but the open fields and highways, the mountains and
the hills shall yield it abundantly; under every hedge, and
under every green tree, there shall you find it; when the
cottagers and the mountaineers shall have their fill of it; when
they shall eat and be satisfied, lie down and none shall make
them afraid, then the blessing is universal: and this is the
work of righteousness. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 3. The mountains and hills are not
at all named as the most unfruitful places of the land, which
they really were not, in Palestine, compare De 33:15 Ps 147:8,
"Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains; " Ps
65:12,—nor even because what is on them can be seen
everywhere, and from all sides. (Tholuck), compare
against this, Joe 3:18, "The mountains shall drop down new
wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, "Isa
55:12,—but, as being the most prominent points and ornaments
of the country, and, therefore, as representing it, well fitted
to express the thought that the country shall be everywhere
filled with peace. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 4. The children of the needy. The phrase,
the children of the afflicted, is put for the
afflicted, an idiom quite common in Hebrew; and a similar
from of expression is sometimes used by the Greeks, as when they
say uiouv iatrwn, the sons of physicians for physicians.
John Calvin.
Verse 5.—
The lofty glory of the Flavian family shall remain,
Enduring like the sun and stars. Martial.—Bk. 9. Epig.
7.
Verse 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown
grass, etc. This is spoken and promised of Christ, and
serves to teach us that Christ coming to his church and people,
by the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit, is most useful
and refreshing to their souls, like showers of rain to the dry
ground, or a meadow newly cut to make it spring again.
Christless souls are like the dry ground; without the moisture
of saving grace their hearts are hard; neither rods, mercies,
nor sermons, make impression upon them. Why? They are without
Christ, the fountain of grace and spiritual influences. Before
the fall man's soul was like a well watered garden, beautiful,
green, and fragrant; but by his apostasy from God, in Adam our
first head, the springs of grace and holiness are quite dried up
in his soul; and there is no curing of this drought but by the
soul's union with a new head; to wit, Christ our second Adam,
who has the Spirit given him without measure for the use of all
his members. Now, when we are united by faith to Christ, our
Head of influences, the dry land is turned into water springs;
Christ "comes down as the rain" by his Spirit of
regeneration, and brings the springs of grace into the soul. He
is the first and immediate receptacle of the Holy Spirit, and
all regenerating and sanctifying influences, and out of his
fulness we must by faith receive them. And when at any time the
springs of grace are interrupted in the soul by sin or unbelief,
so as the ground turns dry, the plants wither, and the things
which remain are ready to die, the soul hath need to look up to
Jesus Christ to come down with new showers upon the thirsty
ground and decayed plants.
1. As the rain is the free gift of God to the dry ground, it
comes free and cheap to poor and rich, small and great, and cost
them nothing: so Christ with his blessings is God's free gift to
a dry and perishing world; for which we should be continually
thankful.
2. As nothing can stop the falling of the rain; so nothing
can hinder Christ's gracious influences, when he designs to
awake, convince, or soften a hard heart. When those showers do
fall on sinners, the most obstinate will must yield, and cry,
Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
3. As the rain is most necessary and suitable to the dry
ground, and to the various plants it produces, and also to the
different parts of every plant or tree—such as the root,
trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruit; so Christ is
absolutely necessary, and his influence most suitable to all his
people's souls, and to every faculty of them—the
understanding, will, memory, and affections; and to all their
different graces, faith, love, repentance, etc.; to root and
establish them, strengthen and confirm them, quicken and
increase them, cherish and preserve them.
4. As the rain comes in diverse ways and manners to the
earth, sometimes with cold winds and tempests, thunders and
lightnings, and at other times with calmness and warmth; so
Christ comes to sinners, sometimes with sharp convictions and
legal terrors, and sometimes with alluring invitations and
promises.
5. O how pleasant are the effects of rain to languishing
plants, to make them green and beautiful, lively and strong,
fragrant and beautiful! So the effects of Christ's influences
are most desirable to drooping souls, for enlightening and
enlivening them, for confirming and strengthening them, for
comforting and enlarging them, for appetizing and satisfying
them, transforming and beautifying them. A shower from Christ
would soon make the church, though withered, turn green and
beautiful, and to send forth a smell as of a field that the Lord
hath blessed; and likewise some drops of this shower, falling
down upon the languishing graces of communicants, would soon
make them vigorous and lively in showing forth their Saviour's
death at his table. John Willison.
Verse 6. There cannot be a more lively image of a
flourishing condition than what is conveyed to us in these
words. The grass which is forced by the heat of the sun, before
the ground is well prepared by rains, is weak and languid, and
of a faint complexion; but when clear shining succeeds the
gentle showers of spring, the field puts forth its best
strength, and is more beautifully arrayed than ever Solomon in
all his glory. Thomas Sherlock. 1678.
Verse 6. He shall come down, dry There is a
fourfold descending of Christ which the Scripture mentions.
1. His incarnation, the manifestation of himself in the
flesh.
2. The abasing himself in condition; he did not only assume
human flesh, but all the natural infirmities of our flesh.
3. The subjecting of himself to death.
4. The distillations of his grace and spiritual blessings
upon his church. Ralph Robinson.
Verse 6. (first clause). Some render this
"like dew on the fleece." The mysterious fleece of
Gideon, which on being exposed to the air, is first of all
filled with the dew of heaven, while all the ground around it is
quite dry, and which afterwards becomes dry while the earth is
watered, pictures to us, according to the old divines, that the
dew of Heaven's grace was poured out upon Judaea at the time
when all the rest of the world remained in barrenness and
ignorance of God; but that now, by a strange alteration, this
same Judaea lies in dryness and forgetfulness of God, while on
the contrary, all the other nations of the earth are inundated
with the dew of heavenly grace. Pasquier Quesnel.
Verse 6. Upon the mown grass. The Hebrew word
used here hath a double signification. It signifies a shorn
fleece of wool, and it signifies a meadow newly mown. This hath
occasioned divers readings. Some read it, He shall come down
like the rain into a fleece of wool: so the Septuagint. They
that follow this reading make it an allusion unto the dew that
fell upon Gideon's fleece (Jud 6:37-39), when all the land
beside was dry, and, again, upon the rest of the land when the
fleece was dry. Others read it according to our translation: He
shall come down like rain upon the mown grass. This seems to
me more agreeable to the meaning of the Holy Ghost; especially
because of the clause following, which is added by way of
explication: As showers that water the earth. As the showers,
Mybybr Rain and showers differ only as less and more; rain
signifies smaller showers, and showers signify greater rain. De
32:2. Rain falling in multitude of drops is called a shower. That
water the earth. The word Pyzrz zarziph, which is
here translated water, is only used in this place in all
the Bible. It signifies to water by dispersion, to water by
drops. The showers are dispersed in drops all over the face of
the earth, in a very regular and artificial way. "God hath
divided, "saith Job, "a watercourse for the
overflowings of water." Job 38:25. The rain is from the
cloud spouted out by drops after such a manner that every part
hath its share. Ralph Robinson.
Verse 6. The mown grass; literally, that
which is shorn, whether fleece or meadow. In
the former sense it occurs Jud 6:37, and so the older
translators all take it, (Aq epi kouran, LXX and others epi
plokon, Jerome and Vulgate, in vellus, )probably with the
idea that the reign of the monarch would be accompanied by
signal tokens of the divine favour and blessing, like the dew
upon Gideon's fleece; in the latter sense, the word is found Am
7:1; and this is indisputably its meaning here, as the parallel
shows. The mown meadow is particularly mentioned, because
the roots of the grass would be most exposed to the summer heat
after the crop has been gathered in, and the effect would be
most striking in the shooting of the young green blade after the
shower. J. J. Stewart Perowne.
Verse 7. Righteous. Peace. Do you ask what he
is individually? The answer is, "King of
Righteousness:" a being loving righteousness, working
righteousness, promoting righteousness, procuring righteousness,
imparting righteousness to those whom he saves, perfectly
sinless, and the enemy and abolisher of all sin. Do you ask what
he is practically, and in relation to the effect of his reign?
The answer is, "King of Peace:" a sovereign whose
kingdom is a shelter for all who are miserable, a covert for all
who are persecuted, a resting place for all who are weary, a
home for the destitute, and a refuge for the lost. Charles
Stanford.
Verse 7. Abundance of peace. Literally, multitude
of peace; that is, the things which produce peace, or which
indicate peace, will not be few, but numerous; they will abound
everywhere. They will be found in towns and villages, and
private dwellings; in the calm and just administration of the
affairs of the State; in abundant harvests; in intelligence, in
education, and in undisturbed industry; in the protection
extended to the rights of all. Albert Barnes.
Verse 7. So long as the moon endureth. It does
not necessarily follow from these words that the moon will ever
cease to exist. The idea, commonly held, of the annihilation of
the starry firmament is without foundation in Scripture. Such an
idea has a pernicious influence on the human mind, inasmuch as
it leads men to depreciate that which bears in such striking
character the stamp and impress of the divine glory. Frederic
Fysh.
Verse 8. From the river. There are many modern
interpreters who, from the mention of the
"river"—namely, the river Euphrates—in the other
clause of the verse, think that the boundaries of the land of
Palestine are here to be understood, that country being
described as extending from the Red Sea to the Sea of Syria,
otherwise called the Sea of the Philistines, and the Great Sea;
and from the Euphrates to the Great Desert lying behind
Palestine and Egypt. These are the limits of the Israelitish
territory: the former, from the south to the west; the latter,
from the north to the east. (Ge 15:18.) But, in this passage,
there can scarcely be a doubt that by the river—to wit,
the Euphrates—is indicated the extreme boundary of the earth
towards the east. In a highly poetical, magnificent description,
such as is given in this song, of a king exalted above all
others, nothing can be conceived more inappropriate than saying
that the dominions of such a king should be bounded by the
limits of Palestine. Ernest F. C. Rosenmueller (1768-1835),
in "The Biblical Cabinet, " vol. 32.
Verse 9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him, etc. This is equivalent to saying, the
wild Arabs, that the greatest conquerors could never tame,
shall bow before him, or become his vassals; nay, his enemies,
and, consequently, these Arabs among the rest, shall lick the
dust, or court him with the most abject submissions. T.
Harmer's Observations.
Verse 9. His enemies shall lick the dust. Bear
in mind that it was a custom with many nations that, when
individuals approached their kings, they kissed the earth, and
prostrated their whole body before them. This was the custom
especially throughout Asia. No one was allowed to address the
Persian kings, unless he prostrated himself on the ground and
kissed the footsteps of the king, as Xenophon records. Thomas
Le Blanc.
Verses 9-10. Wilderness, Tarshish, Sheba. The most uncivilized,
the most distant, and the most opulent nations
shall pay their homage to him. Augustus F. Tholuck.
Verses 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. They
shall humble themselves under the mighty hand of Christ; they
shall acknowledge and receive him as their Lord; they shall fear
and reverence him as their King; they shall veil and bow to his
sceptre: they shall put themselves, and all that is theirs,
under Christ; they shall give themselves to the exaltation and
setting up of Christ. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer
gifts. They shall consecrate their abilities to Christ's
service; they shall communicate of their substance to the
maintenance of Christ's church, and minister to the preservation
and increase of Christ's kingdom. All kings shall fall down
before him: all nations shall serve him. All shall adore and
serve him as their king; all shall exalt and honour him, as
loyal subjects, their heavenly sovereign; all persons, from the
highest to the lowest, must serve the Lord Jesus, and study to
make him glorious; grace works obedience in the hearts of
princes, as well as in the hearts of beggars. The sun as well as
the stars, did obeisance unto Christ, under his kingdom and
gospel. Alexander Grosse(-1654), in "Sweet and Soul
Persuading Inducements leading unto Christ." 1632.
Verses 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. See
Psalms on "Ps 72:9" for further information.
Verse 10. Tarshish was an old, celebrated,
opulent, cultivated, commercial city, which carried on trade in
the Mediterranean, and with the seaports of Syria, especially
Tyre and Joppa, and that it most probably lay on the extreme
west of that sea. Was there, then, in ancient times, any city in
these parts which corresponded with these clearly ascertained
facts? There was. Such was Tartessus in Spain, said to have been
a Phoenician colony; a fact which of itself would account for
its intimate connection with Palestine and the Biblical
narratives. As to the exact spot where Tartessis (so written
originally) lay, authorities are not agreed, as the city had
ceased to exist when geography began to receive attention; but
it was not far from the Straits of Gibraltar, and near the mouth
of the Guadalquivir, consequently at no great distance from the
famous Granada of later days. The reader, however, must enlarge
his notion beyond that of a mere city, which, how great soever,
would scarcely correspond with the ideas of magnitude,
affluence, and power, that the Scriptures suggest. The name,
which is of Phoenician origin, seems to denote the district of
south western Spain, comprising the several colonies which Tyre
planted in that country, and so being equivalent to what we
might designate Phoenician Spain. We are not, however, convinced
that the opposite coast of Africa was not included, so that the
word would denote to an inhabitant of Palestine the extreme
western parts of the world. J. R. Beard, in "A
Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature." 1866.
Verse 10. The isles. Myya, only in the Psalter
besides, Ps 97:1, where, and uniformly, so rendered. The word,
however, denotes all habitable land as opposed to water (see Ge
10:5, where first it occurs, with Isa 42:15), and so "maritime
land, whether the sea coast of continent or island" (Gesenius);
especially the countries washed by the Mediterranean, and the
remote coasts to the west of Palestine. So in the parallel
prophecy, Isa 60:9 11:11 41:1-2 Isa 42:10-12 49:1, etc.
Accordingly, "The isles shall wait for his law,
"(Isa 42:4) is expounded in Mt 12:22—"In Him shall the
Gentiles trust." William DeBurgh.
Verse 10. Sheba and Seba. There appear to have
been two nations living in the same region, viz., Southern
Arabia. One of these was descended from Cush, the son of Ham,
and the other from Joktan, a descendant of Shem. These two
people were often antagonistic in interests, despite the
similarity of their names, but their divisions would be healed,
and unitedly they would offer tribute to the Great King. It is
an Arab proverb, "divided as the Sabaeans, "but Christ
makes them one. "The Greek geographers usually couple
Abyssinia with Yemen, in Arabia, and invariably represent the
Abyssinian as an Arab or Sabaean race. Modern travellers, also,
unanimously agree in recognising the Arab type among those
Abyssinian populations which do not belong to the African
stock." That the Sabaean nations were wealthy is clear from
the Greek historian Agatharchides. "The Sabaeans,
"says he, "have in their houses an incredible number
of vases and utensils of all sorts, of gold and silver, beds and
tripods of silver, and all the furniture of astonishing
richness. Their buildings have porticoes with columns sheathed
with gold, or surmounted by capitals of silver. On the friezes,
ornaments, and the framework of the doors, they place plates of
gold encrusted with precious stones. They spend immense sums in
adorning these edifices, employing gold, silver, ivory, and
precious stones, and materials of the greatest value." They
appear, also, to have acquired great wealth by trading, both
with India and Africa, their peninsula lying between those two
regions. Rich would be their gifts if Lenormant and Chevallier's
description of their commerce be correct. "The principal
importations from India were gold, tin, precious stones, ivory,
sandalwood, spices, pepper, cinnamon, and cotton. Besides these
articles, the storehouses of southern Arabia received the
products of the opposite coast of Africa, procured by the
Sabaeans in the active coasting trade they carried on with this
not far distant land, where Mosyton (now Ras Abourgabeh) was the
principal port. These were, besides the spices that gave name to
that coast, ebony, ostrich feathers, and more gold and ivory.
With the addition of the products of the soil of southern Arabia
itself, incense, myrrh, laudanum, precious stones, such as onyx
and agates, lastly, aloes from the island of Socotra, and pearls
from the fisheries of the Gulf of Ormus, we shall have the list
of the articles comprised in the trade of this country with
Egypt, and with those Asiatic countries bordering on the
Mediterranean; and at the same time, by considering this
activity of such a traffic." "Poor as God's people
usually are, the era will surely arrive when the richest of the
rich will count it all joy to lay their treasures at Jesus'
feet." C. H. S.
Verses 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall
bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. See
Psalms on "Ps 72:9" for further information.
Verse 12. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth.
There needeth no mediator between him and his subjects; he
heareth the needy when they cry. The man that hath nothing
within him or without him to commend him to Christ, to assist,
help, relieve, or comfort him in heaven or earth, is not
despised by Christ, but delivered from that which he feareth. David
Dickson.
Verse 13. He shall spare; more correctly, compassionate
or comfort the poor and needy; and shall save their souls,
or preserve the lives of the needy. William Henry Alexander,
in "The Book of Praises: being the Book of Psalms... with
Notes Original and Selected." 1867.
Verse 13. And shall save the souls of the needy.
Scipio used to say, that he would rather save a single citizen
than slay a thousand enemies. Of this mind ought all princes to
be towards their subjects; but this affection and love rose to
the highest excellence and power in the breast of Christ. So
ardent is his love for his own, that he suffers not one of them
to perish, but leads them to full salvation, and, opposing
himself to both devils and tyrants who seek to destroy their
souls, he constrains their fury and confounds their rage. Mollerus.
Verse 14. And precious shall their blood be in his
sight. The Angolani so despised their slaves that they would
sometimes give as many as twenty-two for one hunting dog... But
Christ prefers the soul of one of his servants to the whole
world, since he died that it might be made more capable of
entering into eternal felicity. For breaking one goblet the
Roman cast his slave into the pond to be devoured by the
muraenae. But the Son of God came down from heaven to earth to
deliver mankind, his vile, ungrateful, faithless servants, from
the pangs of the serpent, like the golden fleece, and save them
as Jonah from the whale. Is not their blood precious in his
sight? Thomas Le Blanc.
Verse 15. And he shall live; Hebrew, "So
shall he live; "i.e., the poor man. Charles
Carter.
Verse 15. And he shall live. There is a clear
reference to the coronation of kings in the loud acclamations, Long
live the King! and the bestowal of the customary gifts and
presents, as is plain from 2Sa 16:16 1Ki 1:39 1Sa 10:27 2Ch
17:5. Hermann Venema.
Verse 15. He shall live. Alexander the Great
acknowledged at death that he was a frail and feeble man.
"Lo! I, "said he, "am dying, whom you falsely
called a god." But Christ proved that he was God when, by
his own death, he overcame, and, as I may say, slew death. Thomas
Le Blanc.
Verse 15. He shall live. It is a great
consolation to soldiers imperilled amid many forms of death,
that their king shall live. Whence one of the chief of
these warriors, consoling himself, said, "I know that my
Redeemer liveth, and at the last day I shall rise from the
earth." Great is the consolation of the dying, that he for
whom, or in whom, they die, shall live for evermore. With
whom, if we die, we shall also live again, and share his riches
equally with himself; for rich indeed is our Solomon, in whom
are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
Gerhohus.
Verse 15. Prayer also shall be made for him
continually; and daily shall he be praised. It might have
been rendered, "Prayer also shall be made through
him continually, and daily shall he be blessed." The word
is rendered "blessed, "when speaking if an act of
worship towards God; and the word translated "for" is
sometimes used for "through, "as Jos 2:15,
"Through the window." If we hold the translation
"for him, "then it must be understood of the saints
praying for the Father's accomplishment of his promises, made to
the Son in the covenant of redemption, that his kingdom may
come, his name be glorified, and that he may see his seed, and
that the full reward may be given him for his sufferings, and so
that he may receive the joy that was set before him. Jonathan
Edwards.
Verse 15. Prayer also shall be made for him
continually; and daily shall he be praised. In all conquered
countries, two things marked the subjection of the
people:
1. Their money was stamped with the name of the conqueror.
2. They were obliged to pray for him in their acts of public
worship. Adam Clarke.
Verse 16. An handful of corn in the earth upon the
top of the mountains. Not only would the soil be likely to
lack depth of earth, but the seed itself would be apt to be
blown away by the winds of heaven, or washed down by the teeming
rain to the base beneath. Peter Grant. 1867.
Verse 16. An handful of corn, etc. Upon mature
consideration, I am persuaded that the proper sense of the word
Mk, or hmk, is "a patch" or "piece; "and
that it is used here just as we use the same words in English,
in such expressions as these,—"a patch of wheat, a patch
of barley, a piece of corn." Samuel Horsley.
Verse 16. An handful of corn. Doubtless it has
been familiar to you to see corn merchants carrying small bags
with them, containing just a handful of corn, which they exhibit
as specimens of the store which they have for sale. Now, let me
beg of every one of you to carry a small bag with this precious
corn of the gospel. When you write a letter, drop in a word for
Christ; it may be a seed that will take root... Speak a word for
Christ wherever you go; it may be a seed productive of a great
deal of fruit. Drop a tract on the counter, or in a house; it
may be a seed productive of a plenteous harvest. The most
difficult place, the steepest mountain, the spot where there is
the least hope of producing fruit, is to be the first place of
attack; and the more labour there is required, the more is to be
given, in the distribution of the seeds. James Sherman.
Verse 16. Shall shake like Lebanon. With a
plentiful ear, shall yield so large and strong a stalk that,
with the motion of the wind, it shall shake cedar like. Joseph
Hall.
Verse 16. Shall shake as Lebanon. That is to
say, shall wave backwards and forwards with the wind, like the
tall cedars of Lebanon. This implies that the corn will be lofty
and luxuriant. French and Skinner.
Verse 16. Neither wave nor shake conveys
the full force of the Hebrew verb, ver which suggests the
additional idea of a rushing noise, like that of the wind among
the cedars of Lebanon. This comparison is certainly more natural
and obvious than that which some interpreters assume with the
grain crops or harvest fields of Lebanon itself. This would be
merely likening one harvest to another, nor is any such allusion
ever made elsewhere to the mountain, though its circumjacent
plains and valleys were productive. Joseph Addison Alexander.
Verse 16. Like Lebanon. By dint of skill and
labour, they have compelled a rocky soil to become fertile.
Sometimes, to avail themselves of the waters, they have made a
channel for them, by means of a thousand windings on the
declivities, or have arrested them in the valleys by
embankments. At other times they have propped up the earth, that
was ready to roll down, by means of terraces and walls. Almost
all the mountains being thus husbanded, present the appearance
of a staircase, or of an amphitheatre, each tier of which is a
row of vines or mulberry trees. I have counted, upon one
declivity, as many as a hundred, or a hundred and twenty, tiers
from the bottom of the valley to the top of the hill. I forgot,
for the moment, that I was in Turkey. Volney.
Verse 16. Like Lebanon. To understand the
images taken from Mount Lebanon, it is necessary to remark that
four enclosures of mountains are described, rising one upon
another. The first and lowest of these is described as rich in
grain and fruits. The second is barren, being covered only with
thorns, rocks, and flints. The third, though higher still, is
blessed with a perpetual spring; the trees are always green.
There are innumerable orchards laden with fruit, and it forms,
altogether, a terrestrial paradise,
"Where fruits and blossoms blush,
In social sweetness, on the self same bough."
The fourth, or highest ridge of all, is the region of
perpetual snow. Now, the imagery in the 72nd Psalm is evidently
taken from the first of these ridges of Lebanon, where (most
probably following the ancient mode of cultivating) the monks of
Lebanon, for they were the chief cultivators of the terraced
soil, industriously husband every particle of productive earth.
In the expressive words of Burckhardt, "Every inch of
ground is cultivated, "so that no image could have been
more singularly expressive of the universal cultivation under
Messiah's reign, than to say that His fruit shall shake like
Lebanon; or, understanding the psalmist to speak
figuratively, what moral landscape could be painted more richly
than he does, when he intimates that those barren mountains of
our world, which at present yield no fruit unto God, shall be
cultivated in that day so industriously and so fully, that the
fruit shall wave like the terraced heights of Lebanon. Robert
Murray Macheyne. 1813-1843.
Verse 16. Shall flourish like grass. The
peculiar characters of the grass, which adapt it especially for
the service of man, are its apparent humility and cheerfulness.
Its humility, in that it seems created only for lowest
service,—appointed to be trodden on and fed upon. Its
cheerfulness, in that it seems to exult under all kinds of
violence and suffering. You roll it, and it is stronger next
day; you mow it, and it multiplies its shoots, as if it were
grateful; you tread upon it, and it only sends up richer
perfume. Spring comes, and it rejoices with all the
earth,—glowing with variegated flames of flowers,—waving in
soft depth of fruitful strength. Winter comes, and, though it
will not mock its fellow plants by growing then, it will not
pine and mourn, and turn colourless and leafless as they. It is
always green; and is only the brighter and gayer for the hoar
frost. John Ruskin.
Verse 17. His name shall be continued. Yinnon:
The Kethiv, yanin, would be; "shall produce fresh
progeny, "or "send forth new shoots." M. Renan
was far from intending to supply a commentary on this verse,
when he said of the Lord Jesus, "Son culte se rajeunira
sans cesse." Yet it would not be easy to find a more
forcible illustration of the meaning of yannin. William Kay.
Verse 17. (second clause). The version and
sense which Gussetius gives seems best of all: His name shall
generate, or beget children before the sun; that is,
his name preached, as the gospel, which is his name (Ac 9:15),
shall be the means of begetting many sons and daughters openly
and publicly, in the face of the sun, and wherever that is. John
Gill.
Verse 17. All nations shall call him blessed.
It is sometimes inadvertently said that the Old Testament is
narrow and exclusive, while the New Testament is broad and
catholic in its spirit. This is a mistake. The Old and New
Testaments are of one mind on this matter. Many are called, and
few chosen. This is the common doctrine of the New as well as of
the Old. They are both equally catholic in proclaiming the
gospel to all. The covenant with Adam and with Noah is still
valid, and sure to all who return to God; and the call of Abram
is expressly said to be a means of extending blessing to all the
families of man. The New Testament does not aim at anything more
than this: it merely hails the approaching accomplishment of the
same gracious end. James G. Murphy, in "A Critical and
Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Genesis." 1863.
Verse 19. Amen, and Amen. Rabbi Jehudah the
Holy, said, "He that said Amen in this world is
worthy to say it in the world to come. David, therefore, utters Amen
twice in this Psalm, to show that one `Amen' belongs to this
world, the other to that which is to come. He who saith `Amen'
devoutly, is greater than he who uttereth the prayers, for the
prayers are but the letter, and the Amen is the seal. The scribe
writeth the letters, the prince alone seals them." Neale
and Littledale.
Verse 19. Amen, and Amen. What is Amen
in Mt 16:28 is alhywv or "verily" in Lu 9:27. Our
Saviour hath this phrase peculiar to himself, "Amen, Amen,
"to give confirmation to the doctrine, and to raise our
attention and faith; or to show that not only truth is spoken,
but by him who is truth itself... There is no need for a rubric
by the men of the Great Synagogue, or a canon, to command a man
to blush, when it only the natural passion that will command it;
so, when the heart is warm in prayer with serious and earnest
affections, a double Amen doth as naturally flow from us as milk
from a mother's breast to her suckling. And Amen comes
from Nma, aman, which signifies "to nurse; "as
if it were, if not the mother, yet the faithful nurse, of lively
devotion. Assent to repetitions is essential unto prayer, and it
is not signified publicly but by one Amen. Thomas
Woodcock(—1695) in "Morning Exercises."
Verse 19. Amen is a short word, but
marvellously pregnant, full of sense, full of spirit. It is a
word that seals all the truths of God, that seals every
particular promise of God. And it is never likely to arise in
the soul, unless there be first an almighty power from heaven,
to seize on the powers of the soul, to subdue them, and make it
say, "Amen." There is such an inward rising of the
heart, and an innate rebellion against the blessed truth of God,
that unless God, by his strong arm, bring the heart down, it
never will nor can say, "Amen." Richard Sibbes.
Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended. This announcement carries with it an intimation that
other Psalms besides are to follow. It would have been
superfluous, if the Psalms had not been to follow which bear on
their front the name of David. To this, indeed, it must point,
bearing the character of an enigma, that these additional Psalms
stood in other relations than those given in the first two
books. We shall attain perfect clearness and certainty by
perceiving that all the Psalms of David in the last two books
are inserted as component parts into the later cycles. The
subscription at the end of the second book must have been
designed to separate the free from the bound, the scattered and
serial Psalms of David from each other. Analogous in some
measure is the subscription, at an end are the speeches of
Job, in Job 31:40, which is not contradicted by the fact
that Job appears again speaking in chapters 41 and 42; it should
rather be regarded as serving to give us a right understanding
of that formal conclusion. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Verse 20. At the conclusion of this Psalm, the Hebrew
copies have, Here end the orisons of David, the son of Jesse.
But, as several other Psalms of David follow, we must understand
the note to mean either, "Here ends this book of the
orisons of David, "or, "Here ends the collection of
hymns made by David himself; "additions being afterwards
made to it, containing other hymns of David, by Asaph and
others, and, lastly, by Esdras. Daniel Cresswell.
Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended. So long as the fivefold division of the Psalter was
neglected, this note gave nothing but perplexity to the
commentators. Augustine, and his master, Ambrose of Milan,
finding it standing in their Psalters, between the
seventy-second and seventy-third Psalms, took it for part of the
title of the latter, and tortured their ingenuity in divining
its import. Calvin saw that the note is retrospective, but, not
having observed its position at the end of a book, he thought it
pertained exclusively to the Psalm immediately preceding, and
took it to mean that the Psalm embalms the last prayers of the
aged king. But he was at a loss to reconcile this with the two
obvious facts, that the title of the Psalm ascribes it to
Solomon, and that quite a different Psalm is elsewhere preserved
as "the last words of David" (2Sa 23:1). And this
perplexity of the great Reformer is shared by the older
commentators generally. We get rid of it at once, by simply
remarking the position of the note in question. It is set down
after a doxology which marks the end of the Second Book. It has
no special reference, therefore, to the seventy-second Psalm. It
either refers to the Second Book, or, more probably, to both the
First and Second. William Binnie.
Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended. (Compared with) Psalm 86, title, A prayer of
David. How can the prayers of David be said to be ended,
when more begin? Answer: The end David had in making the Psalms,
prayers, and praises, is one thing; but to make a final end of
praying is another. Many several opinions have been given to
reconcile this. Some that here end the prayers he made for
Solomon. Some that here end the prayers he made in the days of
his affliction. Some that here end the praises that he made, not
the prayers, turning the word tepillahs into tehillahs.
Some that here end David's, the rest that follow are Asaph's.
Some that this Psalm was the last, the rest posthumes,
found after his death. Some think it is spoken as the phrase is
in Job 31:40: "The words of Job are ended; "and yet he
had some words after this, but not so many. But the soundest
resolution is this:—Here ends the prayers of David the son of
Jesse; that is, here they are perfected. If any ask hereafter
what or where lies the end that all these Psalms were made for?
tell them here it lies in this Psalm, and, therefore, placed in
the midst of all; as the centre in midst of a circle, all the
lines meet here, and all the Psalms determine here; for it is
only a prophetical treatise of the kingdom of Christ drawn out
to the life, and it is dedicated to Solomon, because here is
wisdom; other men had other ends, it may be, but the son of
Jesse had no other end in the world but to set out Christ's
kingdom in making of his Psalms. William Streat, in "The
Dividing of the Hoof." 1654.
Verse 20. The son of Jesse. It is the note of
true humility and sincere love to God to abase ourselves, and
acknowledge our low condition, wherein God did find us when he
did let forth his love to us, that thereby we may commend the
riches of God's goodness and grace unto us, appeareth here in
David. David Dickson.
Verse 20. Are ended. The sense is, that David,
the son of Jesse, had nothing to pray for, or to wish, beyond
the great things described in this Psalm. Nothing can be more
animated than this conclusion. Having described the blessings of
Messiah's reign, he closes the whole with this magnificent
doxology:
Blessed be Jehovah God,
God of Israel, alone performing wonders;
And blessed be his name of glory,
And let his glory fill the whole of the earth.
Amen, and Amen.
Finished are the prayers of David, the son of Jesse.
—Samuel Horsley.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole Psalm.
1. He shall.
2. They shall. Ring the changes on these, as the Psalm does.
Verse 1. The prayer of the ancient church now
fulfilled.
1. Our Lord's titles.
(a) King, by divine nature.
(b) King's Son, in both natures. Thus we see his power innate
and derived.
2. Our Lord's authority: "Judgments."
(a) To rule his people.
(b) To rule the world for his people's benefit.
(c) To judge mankind.
(d) To judge devils.
3. Our Lord's character. He is righteous in rewarding and
punishing, righteous towards God and man.
4. Our loyal prayer. This asks for his rule over ourselves
and the universe.
Verse 2. The rule of Christ in his church.
1. The subjects.
(a) Thy people, the elect, called, etc.
(b) Thy poor, through conviction and consciousness of sin.
2. The ruler. He, only, truly, constantly, etc.
3. The rule.—Righteous, impartial, gentle, prudent, etc.
Lesson. Desire this rule.
Verse 3. Mountains of divine decree, of immutable
truth, of almighty power, of eternal grace, etc. These mountains
of God are securities of peace.
Verse 4. The poor man's King, or the benefits derived
by the poor from the reign of Jesus.
Verse 5. The perpetuity of the gospel, reasons for it,
things which threaten it, and lessons derived from it.
Verse 6. The field, the shower, the result. This verse
is easily enough handled in a variety of ways.
Verse 7.
1. The righteous flourish more at one season than another.
2. They flourish most when Jesus is with them: in his
days, etc.
3. The fruit of their growth is proportionately abundant: and
abundance, etc. G. Rogers.
Verse 7. Abundance of peace. Abundant overtures
of peace, abundant redemption making peace, abundant pardon
conferring peace, abundant influences of the Spirit sealing
peace, abundant promises guaranteeing peace, abundant love
spreading peace, etc.
Verse 8. The universal spread of the gospel. Other
theories as to the future overturned, and their evil influence
exposed; while the benefit and certainty of this truth is
vindicated.
Verse 9 (last clause). The ignoble end of
Christ's enemies.
Verse 10. Christian finance; voluntary but abundant
are the gifts presented to Jesus.
Verse 12. Christ's peculiar care of the poor.
Verse 12.
1. Pitiable characters.
2. Abject conditions: "cry; ""no helper."
3. Natural resort: "crieth."
4. Glorious interposition. G. Rogers.
Verse 14. The martyr's hope in life and comfort in
death. G. Rogers.
Verse 14 (last clause). The martyr's blood.
1. Seen of God when shed.
2. Remembered by him.
3. Honoured by being a benefit to the church.
4. Rewarded especially in heaven.
Verse 15. Prayer shall be made for him. We are
to pray for Jesus Christ. Owing to the interest he has in
certain objects, what is done for them is done for himself and
so he esteems it. We, therefore, pray for him when we pray for
his ministers, his ordinances, his gospel, his church—in a
word, his cause. But what should we pray for on his
behalf?
1. The degree of its resources; that there be always a
sufficiency of suitable and able instruments to carry on the
work.
2. The freedom of its administration; that whatever opposes
or hinders its progress may be removed.
3. The diffusion of its principles; that they may become
general and universal.
4. The increase of its glory, as well as its extent. W.
Jay.
Verse 15. Prayer for Jesus, a suggestive topic. Daily
praise, a Christian duty.
Verse 15. A living Saviour, a giving people; the
connection between the two. Or, Christ in the church fills the
exchequer, fosters the prayer meeting, and sanctifies the
service of song.
Verse 16.
1. A happy description of the gospel: it is a handful of
corn.
2. The places where it is sown.
3. The blessed effects which this gospel, when thus sown,
will produce in the world. J. Sherman.
Verse 16.
1. Commencement.
2. Publicity.
3. Growth.
4. Result.
Verse 16.
1. What? Corn.
2. How much? A handful.
3. Where? In the earth upon the top of the mountains.
4. Will it grow? The fruits, etc.
5. What then? They of the city, etc.
Verse 17.
1. Christ glorified in the Church: men shall be
blessed, etc.
2. Glorified in the world: all nations, etc.
3. Glorified in worlds to come: endure, be continued, etc.
4. Glorified for ever. G. Rogers.
Verses 17-19. The Four Blesseds, their meaning and
order.
Verse 20.
1. Prayer should be frequent: The prayers.
2. Should be individual: Of David.
3. Should be early commenced: the son of Jesse.
4. Should be continued till they are no more needed.
HERE ENDETH THE SECOND BOOK OF THE PSALMS.
WORK UPON THE SEVENTY-SECOND PSALM
In CHANDLER'S Life of David, Vol. 2,
pp. 440-44, there is an Exposition of this Psalm.