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18 Oh, how suddenly do they consume : perish, and come to a fearful end!

19 Yea, even like as a dream when one awaketh : so shalt Thou make their image to vanish out of the city.

19. So shalt Thou, &c.; rather, so shalt Thou, when Thou awakest, despise their Out of the

20 Thus my heart was grieved and it image. went even through my reins.

21 So foolish was I, and ignorant : even as it were a beast before Thee.

22 Nevertheless, I am alway by Thee for Thou hast holden me by my right hand. 23 Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel and after that receive me with glory. 24 Whom have I in heaven but Thee : and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee.

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25 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

26 For lo, they that forsake Thee shall perish Thou hast destroyed all them that commit fornication against Thee.

27 But it is good for me to hold me fast by God, to put my trust in the LORD God: and to speak of all Thy works in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

PSALM 74. Ut quid, Deus?

[This Psalm is ascribed in the title to Asaph, but its contents point to a much later date than the time of David. It may be viewed as an elegy upon the Chaldæan invasion, written by a descendant of Asaph.]

O GOD, wherefore art Thou absent from us so long: why is Thy wrath so hot against the sheep of Thy pasture?

2 O think upon Thy congregation: whom Thou hast purchased, and redeemed of old. 3 Think upon the tribe of Thine inheri

city is a mistranslation, from the similarity of the word in the Hebrew with that

for when Thou awak

est.

21. A beast; Heb. Behemoth [one of the] animals ; so called from being dumb. 23. With [to] glory. "The glory is not of necessity glory everlasting, but it is hardly necessary to observe that such a sense of the word suits the context better than any lower interpretation of it."-Bishop BROWNE on the Art., p. 202.

27. In the gates, &c. These words are

version, but are added from the Septuagint.

not in our Hebrew

1. The sheep of Thy

pasture. This is to be

noticed as a favourite image in this group of Psalms.

3. Tribe; lit. rod,

tance and mount Sion, wherein Thou hast | sceptre : hence the dwelt. nation ruled over by God.

4 Lift up Thy feet, that Thou mayest utterly destroy every enemy: which hath done evil in Thy sanctuary.

4. Translate, Lift up Thy steps untoi.e., hasten to behold -the perpetual deso

5 Thine adversaries roar in the midst of lations, all that the Thy congregations and set up : for tokens.

their banners

6 He that hewed timber afore out of the thick trees was known to bring it to an excellent work.

7 But now they break down all the carved work thereof: with axes and ham

mers.

8 They have set fire upon Thy holy places and have defiled the dwelling-place of Thy Name, even unto the ground.

9 Yea, they said in their hearts, Let us make havock of them altogether: thus have they burnt up all the houses of God in the land.

10 We see not our tokens, there is not one prophet more no, not one is there among us, that understandeth any more.

11 O God, how long shall the adversary do this dishonour : how long shall the blaspheme Thy Name, for ever?

enemy

12 Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand: why pluckest Thou not Thy right hand out of Thy bosom to consume the enemy?

13 For God is my King of old: the help that is done upon earth He doeth it Himself.

14 Thou didst divide the sea through Thy power: Thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.

enemy hath done wickedly in the sanc

tuary.

5. Their banners, &c.; lit. THEIR signs for signs-i.e., they brought their banners into the Temple.

6. Rather, each man was seen [in the

Temple] as if flourish-
ing aloft axes in a
thicket-
i. e., pur-
suing the work of de-
struction.

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7. But; rather, and.

9. They have burnt up all the houses of God. What these houses were is uncertain; the word means Wordsassemblies. worth understands the phrase to mean, "they abolished the

solemnities."

10. Tokens · i. e., the signs of our national religion. Any more; rather, how long the destruction will last.

12, 13. An appeal to the noble works

which God did in the days of their fathers; they, however, in their day had been despondent-e.g., Gideon, If the LORD be

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with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all His miracles?" -Judges vi. 13.

14. Dragons; lit. sea-monsters. The expression is applied to Pharaoh, "Art Thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?" Isa. li. 9.

15 Thou smotest the heads of Leviathan in pieces and gavest him to be meat for the people in the wilderness.

16 Thou broughtest out fountains and waters out of the hard rocks: Thou driedst up mighty waters.

17 The day is Thine, and the night is Thine: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.

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17. The light; rather, the luminary, the heavenly bodies, of which the sun is mentioned as chief.

18 Thou hast set all the borders of the earth Thou hast made summer and winter. 19 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy hath rebuked and how the foolish people hath blasphemed Thy Name. 20 O deliver not the soul of Thy turtle-ple-i.e., the Chal

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dove unto the multitude of the enemies : and forget not the congregation of the poor for ever.

21 Look upon the covenant: for all the earth is full of darkness, and cruel habitations.

22 O let not the simple go away ashamed: but let the poor and needy give praise unto Thy Name.

23 Arise, O God, maintain Thine own cause remember how the foolish man blasphemeth Thee daily.

18. Borders-i.e., boundaries.

19. The foolish peo

dæan or other invaders.

20. Thy turtle-dove -i.e., Israel. "During the early period of Jewish history, there is no evidence of any other bird, except the pigeon, having been domesticated."-SMITH'S Dict. 21. For all the earth, &c.; Heb. the dark places of the earth are full of habitations of violence.

22. Simple; Heb. crushed, dejected, af

24 Forget not the voice of Thine enemies: the presumption of them that hate Thee in-flicted. creaseth ever more and more.

who said in his heart, there is no God.

23. The foolish man; Heb. Nabal, the fool,

24. The presumption; rather, the tumult of those that rise up against Thee ascendeth continually-e.g., "Their wickedness is come up before me," Jonah i. 2.

Morning Prayer.

PSALM 75. Confitebimur tibi.

[A song of deliverance by Asaph.] UNTO Thee, O God, do we give thanks : yea, unto Thee do we give thanks.

2 Thy Name also is so nigh: and that do Thy wondrous works declare.

3 When I receive the congregation: I shall judge according unto right.

4 The earth is weak, and all the inhabiters thereof I bear up the pillars of it.

5 I said unto the fools, Deal not so madly and to the ungodly, Set not up your horn.

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6 Set not up your horn on high and speak not with a stiff neck.

7 For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west: nor yet from the south.

8 And why? God is the Judge He putteth down one, and setteth up another. 9 For in the hand of the LORD there is

a cup, and the wine is red : it is full mixed, and He poureth out of the same.

10 As for the dregs thereof all the ungodly of the earth shall drink them, and

suck them out.

11 But I will talk of the God of Jacob: and praise Him for ever.

12 All the horns of the ungodly also will I break and the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

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for in vain from east, west, or south.

DAY 15.

2. The name of God signifies the presence of God.

3. Congregation. The Hebrew word which is translated 66 houses of God" in the last Psalm means strictly a set time, then the time, then the place, of assembly; hence it is better rendered here, “When I shall take a set-the right-time."

4. This verse contrasts the instability and fear of the world, and the eternal power of God.

[ SELAH. ] 5. The horn is the and power, symbol of strength taken from bulls and other animals. horned "Mine horn is ex

alted in the Lord," Hannah's Song, 1 Sam. ii. 1.

7. Promotion; Heb. lifting up, deliverance. The invading army of Sennacherib coming from the north, help is sought

9. Cf. "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me: Take the wine-cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad," Jer. xxv. 15, 16. 12. Horns-i.e. power, as in verse 5.

PSALM 76. Notus in Judæa.

[A Psalm, wrongly ascribed to Asaph, celebrating the destruction of the army of Sennacherib.]

IN Jewry is God known : His Name is great in Israel.

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1-3. The scene of the great deliverance is Judah, Salem [Jer

2 At Salem is His tabernacle and His usalem], Zion. dwelling in Sion.

3 There brake He the arrows of the bow: the shield, the sword, and the battle.

4 Thou art of more honour and might than the hills of the robbers.

5 The proud are robbed, they have slept their sleep and all the men whose hands were mighty have found nothing.

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2. The word translated "tabernacle also means thicket, and "dwelling the lair of wild beasts. Hence it is suggested that indirect reference

may be intended to

the Lion of the tribe of Judah, in whose dominions the victory

6 At Thy rebuke, O God of Jacob: both took place.

the chariot and horse are fallen.

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7 Thou, even Thou art to be feared and who may stand in Thy sight when Thou art angry ?

8 Thou didst cause Thy judgment to be heard from heaven: the earth trembled, and was still,

9 When God arose to judgment: and to help all the meek upon earth.

10 The fierceness of man shall turn to Thy praise and the fierceness of them shalt Thou refrain.

11 Promise unto the LORD your God, and keep it, all ye that are round about Him: bring presents unto Him that ought to be feared.

12 He shall refrain the spirit of princes: and is wonderful among the kings of the earth.

3. The battle-i.e., the instruments of war, as in Hosea ii. 18, "I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth."

[ SELAH. ] 4. Either, Thou coming from the mountains of prey art glorious; or, THOU little Zion art

on

mightier than lofty mountains frequented by beasts of prey.

5. Their sleep All the men, &c.; i.e., their last sleep. Heb. "None of the men of might have found their hands."

6. Fallen - i. e., into a dead slumber; lit. are stupefied; as in Jeremiah li. 39,

"I will make them the Babylonians-sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD."

9. [SELAH.]

10. The fierceness of them, &c.; Heb. "With the remainder of wrath Thou shalt gird Thyself." The verse points to the wrath of man being made the minister of God's will.

12. Refrain; Heb. cut off, like one pruning vines.

rather, terrible, awful.

Wonderful;

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