LESSONS TAUGHT BY ISRAEL'S MISTAKES A band of messengers of calamity. 50 He made a way for his anger; He spared not their life from death, 52 But he led forth his people like sheep, And guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 53 And he led them safely, without dread; But the sea overwhelmed their enemies. 54 And he brought them to his sacred border,k To that mountain,' which his right hand had gained; 55 He drove out the nations before them, And allotted them an inheritance by line, And made the Israelites dwell in their tents.m 56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against" the Most High And kept not his testimonies; Jehovah's deliver ance of his people Their estab lishment in Canaan Their apos tasy 57 But turned back, and dealt treacherously like the fathers, They turned aside like a deceitful bow, 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places, And moved him to jealousy with their graven images. 59 When God heard this, he was wroth, And greatly abhorred Israel; 60So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent where he dwelt among men, 61 And delivered his strength into captivity, And his glory into the adversary's hand. 62 He gave over his people to the sword, And was exceedingly wroth with his inheritance. 63 Fire devoured their young men; And their virgins sango no marriage song. 64Their priests fell by the sword; And their widows made no lamentation. 65 Then the Lord awaked us out of sleep, Like a mighty man overcome by wine." 66 And he smote his adversaries backward; He made them a perpetual reproach. 1789 Lit., a mission, i. e., angelic messengers that wrought destruction. 37851 Following the VSS. in correcting the Heb. Lit., the chief of their strength. k7854 I. e., to the borders of the holy land. 17854 As in Nu. 1317, 29, Josh. 112. Mountain here probably refers to the uplands of Palestine. m7855 Possibly this vs. is a later expansion of the original text. n7856 Heb. adds God. Their Judg ment at the hands of their foes Jehovah's deliver ance His temple at Jerusalem Choice of David Jeho vah's good ness Prayer for his favor Jehovah's care of ungrateful Israel at the exodus 67And he refused the tent of Joseph, The mount of Zion which he loveth. 69And he built his sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which he hath established forever. 70 And he chose David his servant, And took him from the sheepfolds; 71 From following the ewes with young he brought him, And of Israel his inheritance. 72So he shepherded them in the integrity of his heart, § 172. Israel's Rebelliousness and Jehovah's Goodness in the Past, Ps. 106 Ps. 106 1Oh give thanks to Jehovah, for he is good, 2Who can proclaim the mighty acts of Jehovah, 3Blessed are they who guard justice, And the man who doeth right at all times. Remember us, O Jehovah, with favor; "That we may see the prosperity of thy chosen, That we may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, "We have sinned together with our fathers, We have committed iniquity and transgressed. "Our fathers" understood not thy wonders, They remembered not the multitude of thy lovingkindnesses, But he saved them for the sake of his name, That he might make his power known. "He rebuked the Sea of Reeds, and it dried up; 47872 Following the superior text of many Heb. MSS. Lit., with the skill of his hand. § 172 This ps. deals with the same theme as 78 and 105. Its purpose is didactic although it was intended for liturgical use. The author aims to bring out Jehovah's goodness by contrasting it with Israel's rebellions and ingratitude. Hence he begins with the people's lack of faith at the exodus. In general he follows the composite tradition of Ex. and Nu., indicating that he wrote late in the Persian or more probably in the Gk. period. Vs. 47 indicates that the restoration was not yet complete. The ps. is really a midrash set to music. The general theory of Israel's history is that of the author of the book of Judges: it was a repeated cycle of rebellion, affliction at the hands of heathen foes, and divine deliverance. tion. 1064 So Gk., Aquila, Theod., and certain Heb. MSS. Heb., me, and so throughout the vs. 1067 Heb. adds in Egypt, but this destroys the metre and is probably only a scribal addi1067 Slightly revising the Heb. The Gk. variant indicates that the vs. was corrupt. JEHOVAH'S GOODNESS IN THE PAST So he led them in the depths, as in a wilderness," 12Then they believed his words, 13They soon forgot his works, They waited not for his counsel, 14But felt a great longing in the wilderness, 15 And he granted to them their request, 16In the camp they were envious of Moses, And of Aaron, the holy one of Jehovah; 17The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan, 19They made a calf at Horeb, And worshipped a molten image; 20Thus they exchanged their glory For the image of an ox that eats grass. 21They forgot God their Saviour, Who had done great deeds in Egypt, 23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, Stood before him, stepping into the breach, 24Then they despised the pleasant land, 25But murmured in their tents, And heeded not the voice of Jehovah. 26So he swore unto them with uplifted hand, That he would let them perish in the wilderness, 27 And that he would sow their seed among the nations, And scatter them abroady in the lands. u 1069 An echo of Is. 6313. v10612 Possibly this two-beat couplet is secondary. w 10615 The parallel narrative in Nu. 1120 has a similar Heb. word meaning disgust. This may be original and the present Heb. the result of a scribal error. Briggs (Pss., II, 350) proposes to revise so as to read food; but this change is not supported by the parallel treatment of the theme in the rest of the ps. x10618 This vs., which duplicates 17, may be a later expansion. 10627 Slightly revising the Heb. verb, which is, through a scribal error, but a repetition of that in the preceding lines. Cf. Ezek. 2023. In the wilder ness At Horeb On the borders of Canaan At Baalpeor At Meribah In the land of Canaan Under the tit rule In exile 28They joined themselves to Baal-peor, 31 And that was counted to him for righteousness 32 They angered hima at the waters of Meribah, 34They did not utterly destroy the peoples, 36They also did obeisance to their idols, 37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, And the land was polluted with bloodshed. 39Thus they were defiled by their acts, 40 And Jehovah's wrath was kindled against his people, And they were brought into subjection under their hand. But they themselves were rebellious against hisd counsel, 44Nevertheless he regarded their distress, 45 And he remembered for them his covenant, And relented according to the abundance of his lovingkindnesses. 46 He made them also to be pitied By all those who had carried them captive. 10628 I. e., offered to dead idols or else sacrifices offered to the spirits of the dead. a 10632 So Gk. b 10633 I. e., Jehovah's spirit. 10637 Probably demons of animal form. The word is from Assyr., shîdu. Cf. Dt. 3217, Is. 1321, 3414. d10643 Correcting the Heb. as the context demands. 10643 Correcting with the aid of Lev. 2639. Possibly the line is secondary. JEHOVAH'S GOODNESS IN THE PAST 47Save us, O Jehovah our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks to thy holy name, And to voice our pride in thy praise.' § 173. Jehovah's Ability to Deliver as of Old, Ps. 77 Ps. 77 1I will cry to God with my voice, To God with my voice, and he will heed me. Prayer for restoration The "In the day of my distress I seek him," My hand is stretched outh and slacked not, My soul refuseth to be comforted. 3I remember God and am disquieted, I muse and my spirit fainteth. 4I lay hold of the night watches with mine eyes, I am so restless that I cannot speak. "I consider the days of old, I recall the years of yore, "I soliloquize by night in my mind, I muse and my spirit maketh diligent search: And will he be favorable no more? Is his lovingkindness clean gone forever? Hath he in anger shut up his compassion?' prob lem: Why does Jehovah not respond to the cry of his servants? 12I will meditate also upon all thy work, And muse on the deeds which thou hast done.' 13Thy way, O God, is holy. Who is a great God like to Jehovah? 14Thou art the God that doest wonders; #10647 An editor has appended to this ps., which concludes the fourth division of the Psalter, the doxology: Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. § 173 The unity of the ps. has been questioned. Duhm finds two poems, 1-15, 20 and 16-19; Briggs, 1-15 and 16-20 Vss. 16 f. are, however, but a highly poetic development of the theme of 15: Jehovah's acts of deliverance in Israel's early history. The thought of the ps. is closely related to that of 78 and 80. It probably comes from the latter part of the Persian or else of the Gk. period when the persecutions of the court at Antioch and of the apostate high priests were making the lot of the faithful increasingly trying. 772 Heb. adds the Lord. b772 Following the Lat. in interpreting the unusual Heb. word. Heb. adds night." 1774 So Lat. and Sym. 1776 Correcting with the aid of the Gk. and Lat. 7710 This refers to his doubt. He asserts that he will correct this by recalling what Jeho vah has done in the past. in Israel's past |