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NOTES.

There are many hard paffages in this otherwise beautiful psalm; which it is not easy to render; and which cannot and ought not to be literally rendered. I trust I have made the whole intelligible.-Ver. 3. Thou baft fmelted me. A metaphor taken from the smelting of metals, to purify them from extraneous matter. This and the next ver. are badly pointed and divided in the original; as in our common English verfion.-Ver. 10. Their hearts they have hardened: lit. they have closed their midriff: fhut out all compaffion from their hearts.-Ver. 15. This is a very difficult paffage, and has been variously interpreted. I am confident of having given the true meaning, as literally as our language will admit. The favour of God, and the revival of his wonted protection, are all that the pfalmift wishes for. Let others abound in earthly goods and swim in earthly pleasures.

PSALM XVIII.-al. XVII.

This psalm is the same with that in 2 Sam. 22., except some small variations and additions, which are of little importance. The title points to the time of its being composed.

FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN: A PSALM OF JEHO- I VAH'S SERVANT DAVID; WHO ADDRESSED THIS SONG TO JEHOVAH, WHEN JEHOVAH HAD DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HANDS OF SAUL,

AND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES.

I LOVE thee (faid he) JEHOVAH ! my strength! JEHOVAH! my rock, my fortrefs, and my refuge! my God! my rock, in whom I truft;

my fhield, my falvation-horn, my elevated tower!
Penetrated with terror I invoked JEHOVAH!

and from my foes I was preferved.
The billows of death had environed me,
impetuous torrents had on me rushed :
the cords of Hadés were enfolding me:
laid for me were the fnares of death!
In my diftrefs I invoked JEHOVAH:

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to my GOD I cried aloud:

from his palace he liftened to my voice;
my cry penetrated his ear.

The earth then shook and trembled !

the foundations of the mountains rocked and fhook! for, his anger being incensed,

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and from his mouth devouring flame:

He bent the heavens, and defcended:

under his feet was a thick dark cloud!
Upon a cherub he rode and flew;

he glided on the wings of the wind!

Darkness he placed round him, as a covert;

his pavilion was dark waters-condenfed clouds! From the splendour of his prefence

the clouds were dispelled

into hail and flakes of fire!

From the heavens JEHOVAH thundered;

the Moft High uttered his voice!

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his fhafts he fhot and fcattered;

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his lightnings he multiplied, and dispersed!
The channels of waters were then feen;

difcovered were the foundations of the globe;

at thy rebuking, JEHOVAH!

at thy blast-breathing anger.

From above he ftretched his hand,

and laid hold on me ;

out of many waters he drew me up;

he refcued me from my powerful foes;

from those who defpifed me

because stronger than I.

In the day of distress they had surprised me,
but JEHOVAH was my leaning-staff,

He brought me out into a wider space;

he rescued me because he was pleased with me:
JEHOVAH requited me according to mine innocence,
repaid me according to the cleannefs of mine hands.
Because the ways of JEHOVAH I had kept,
and had never revolted from my God-
because his decrees had ever been before me;
and his ftatutes I had never rejected

because with him I had ever been fincere, and had guarded myself from injuftice

JEHOVAH hath repaid me,

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according to mine integrity;

according to the cleanness of my hands in his fight.

To the benign thou also art benign;

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with the fincere thou dealeft fincerely;

with the pure thou also art pure;

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but, with the ftubborn, thou too art ftubborn :

Those who are depreffed, thou savest:

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but the haughty thou humbleft, with disdain.

'Tis thou, JEHOVAH! who lighteft my lamp:

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JEHOVAH, my GOD, enlighteneth my darkness.
Enabled by thee, I bound over fences ;
through my God, I leap over walls!
a GOD, whofe conduct is irreprehenfible;
for fire-tried is the word of JEHOVAH;

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he is a fhield to all who trust in him.

Who, indeed, is a GOD, befide JEHOVAH?

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who a firm rock, befide our God?'

the God who girdeth me with strength;

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maketh me march without impediment;

maketh my feet equal to thofe of the hinds;

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and on mine eminences maketh me ftand firm:

who traineth mine hands to war,

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and maketh mine arms like a bow of brafs.

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With thy faving fhield thou coverest me,
thy right hand is my support;
thine indulgence maketh me great.
Ample room thou makeft for my steps,
that mine ancles may never stagger.
I purfue my foes-I overtake them—
I turn not, until they be completely routed.
I maul them fo that they cannot rise;
they fall flat beneath my feet!

for thou girdeft me with ftrength for the battle.
under me thou fubdueft mine opponents;
on the necks of my foes thou makest me tread;
and mine adverfaries I utterly destroy.

They cry for help; but there is none to fave:
to JEHOVAH they cry, but he answereth not.
I beat them as small as duft before the wind;
like the dirt of the lanes I stamp them down.
From my opponents thou haft delivered me,
and haft placed me at the head of nations.

A people whom I knew not, are become my fub-
jects:

foon as they hear my mandates, they obey. Foreign nations, although feignedly, yet obey me; foreign nations fhrink with fear,

and tremble in their own ftrong holds.

Live, JEHOVAH! and bleffed be my rock!
exalted be the God who hath faved me!
the God who hath avenged my caufe;
and induced the nations to obey me;
refcuing me from all mine enemies!

Above mine adverfaries thou haft raised me;
from the violent man thou haft delivered me:
therefore, among the people, I will praise JEHOVAH!
pfalms I will fing to his name:

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who is the great fafeguard of his chofen king, and the favourer of his anointed

of David and of his feed, for ages to come.

NOTES.

Every reader muft obferve that this pfalm is highly metaphorical, and quite in the Oriental exaggerating style. Deep waters-the billows of death-the cords of Hades, &c. exprefs the greatest degree of calamity and diftrefs: but JEHOVAH, who is a rock, a tower, a fortress, a shield, a falvation-born, &c. can easily rescue from all fuch perils. His coming down in a thunder-ftorm, to fave David and terrify his enemies, is wonderfully well conceived; and the defcription of the ftorm itself uncommonly fublime.—Ver. 26, 27, 28. The attributes in these verses, applied to God, seem harsh in our refined ideas of the Divinity: but in Hebrew they mean nothing more than that God treats mankind according to their deeds and difpofitions.-Ver. 34. The comparison of his feet to those of hinds, or deer, is peculiarly fuitable. When perfecuted by Saul, he was often obliged to take refuge on the most inacceffible cliffs of mountains; where both fpeed and fure-footing were abfolutely neceffary.-Ver. 35. makest mine arms like a bow of brass. Some render: makest mine arms fit to draw a bow of brass. I cannot think that the original will bear this meaning.-Ver. 40. Thou girdeft me with frength. To be well-girt, was to be well-armed, in the Greek and Latin idioms, as well as in the Hebrew.-Ver. 43. He alludes to the conquered nations, who obeyed with reluctance, through mere compulfion and fear. The whole pfalm is a masterly compofition, which I have endeavoured to make as intelligible as poffible, without deviating into paraphrafe.

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PSALM XIX.—al. XVIII.

The subject of this psalm is general; and its tenor is readily perceived. A finer argument against atheism was never urged, nor better exprejsed.

FOR THE FIRST MUSICIAN: A PSALM OF

DAVID.

THE heavens proclaim the glory of GOD!

the works of his hands the expanse declareth!

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