EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS.

Whole Psalm.—Strange it is that two Psalms so near together, as this and the forty-fifth should, and should alone imitate, or be the forerunners of, two works of David’s son; this Ecclesiastes, the former—the Canticles.—J. M. Neale.

Verse 2.—In this Psalm David, as it were, summons and divides mankind. In the first verse he summons: “Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.” In the second verse he divides: “Both low and high, rich and poor, together.” The word in the Hebrew for “high” is בְּנֵי אִישׁ, bene ish, sons of Ish, and the word for “low” is בְּנֵי אָדָם bene Adam, sons of Adam. If we should translate the text directly, according to the letter, the words must run, sons of men and sons of men; for, sons of Adam and sons of Ish are both translated sons of men. Yet when they are set together in a way of opposition, the one signifieth “low” and the other “high;” and so our translators render it according to the sense, not sons of men and sons of men, but “low” and “high.” Junius translates to this sense, though in more words, as well they who are born of mean men, as they who are born of honourable.—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 4.—“I will incline mine ear to a parable,” i.e., I will diligently attend, that I may not sing anything ungracefully; a metaphor taken from musicians who bring their ear close to the harp, that they may ascertain the harmony of the sound.—Victorinus Bythner.

Verse 5.—“Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” Those that are full of years are approaching the nearer to their happiness. They have finished their voyage, and now are in sight of the haven. Nature’s provision is spent, her stock is exhausted, and now the good man doth not so much descend as fall into the grave, and from thence he rises to heaven and eternal bliss. And shall he be disturbed at this? shall he be afraid to be made happy? If I mistake not, this is the meaning of the Psalmist’s words. They are generally interpreted concerning his ways in general, but they seem to me to refer particularly to the calamity which his old age was incident to: for “the days of evil” are old age, and are so called by the wise man (Eccl. xii. 1); and as the “heel” is the extreme part of the body, so it is here applied to the last part of man’s life, his declining age; and “iniquity” (as the word is sometimes used among the Hebrews) signifies here penal evil, and denotes the infirmities and decays of the concluding part of a man’s life. So that the true meaning of the Psalmist’s words, is this, I will not now in my last days be dejected with fear and trouble of mind, for I am coming towards my happiness, my declining years shall deliver me up to earth, and that shall consign me to everlasting life. This certainly is matter of joy rather than of fear. For this reason I account my last days to be the most eligible part of my whole life.—John Edwards, D.D. (1637—1716), in “Theologia Reformata.”

Verse 5.—“Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” That is, when my sins or failings in what I have done, come to my remembrance, or are chastened upon me. Every man’s heel hath some iniquity: as we shall have some dirt cleaving to our heels while we walk in a dirty world, so there is some dirt, some defilement, upon all our actions, which we may call, the iniquity of our heel.—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 5.—“When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” With Bishop Lowth, the celebrated Michaelis, Bishop Hare, and a host of other critics, I decidedly incline to the idea, that עֲקֵבַי, rendered “my heels” is to be regarded as the present participle of the verb עָקַב, to supplant, to act deceitfully, to deceive, to hold one by the heel, etc., etc. If this be correct then the proper translation will be:—

The Syriac and Arabic read, as does also Dr. Kennicott:—

Verses 5-9.

From “The Psalter, or Psalms of David, in English verse. By a Member of the University of Cambridge.” [Benjamin Hall Kennedy, D.D.] 1860.

Verse 6.—“They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.” Here we have the rich man trusting and boasting; surely that is very confident trusting which issues itself into boasting! That man is ascended to the highest step of faith in God, who makes his boast of God; such faith have they in fine gold who boast in it.—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 6.—“They that trust in their wealth.” “The Covetous Man’s Soliloquy.” Believe me, the times are hard and dangerous; charity is grown cold, and friends uncomfortable; an empty purse is full of sorrow, and hollow bags make a heavy heart. Poverty is a civil pestilence, which frights away both friends and kindred and leaves us to a “Lord have mercy upon us.” It is a sickness very catching and infectious, and more commonly abhorred than cured. The best antidote against it is Angelica and providence, and the best cordial is aurum potabile. Gold-taking fasting is an approved sovereign. Debts are ill humours, and turn at last to dangerous obstructions. Lending is a mere consumption of the radical humour, which, if consumed, brings a patient to nothing. Let others trust to courtiers’ promises, to friends’ performances, to princes’ favours; give me a toy called gold, give me a thing called money. O blessed Mammon, how extremely sweet is thy all-commanding presence to my thriving soul! In banishment thou art my dear companion; in captivity thou art my precious ransom; in trouble and vexation thou art my dainty rest; in sickness thou art my health; in grief my only joy; in all extremity my only trust. Virtue must veil to thee; nay, grace itself, not relished with thy sweetness, would even displease the righteous palates of the sons of men. Come, then, my soul, advise, contrive, project; go, compass sea and land; leave no exploit untried, no path untrod, no time unspent; afford thine eyes no sleep, thy head no rest; neglect thy ravenous belly, unclothe thy back; deceive, betray, swear, and forswear, to compass such a friend. If thou be base in birth, it will make thee honourable; if weak in power, it will make thee formidable. Are thy friends few? It will make them numerous. Is thy cause bad? It will gain thee advocates. True, wisdom is an excellent help, in case it bend this way; and learning is a genteel ornament, if not too chargeable: yet, by your leave, they are but estates for the term of life: but everlasting gold, if well advantaged, will not only bless thy days, but thy surviving children from generation to generation. Come, come, let others fill their brains with dear-bought wit, turn their pence into expenseful charity, and store their bosoms with unprofitable piety; let them lose all to save their imaginary consciences, and beggar themselves at home to be thought honest abroad: fill thou thy bags and barns, and lay up for many years, and take thy rest.—Francis Quarles, in “The Covetous Man’s Care.”

Verse 6.—The form of money agreeth well with the condition of it; for it is stamped round, because it is so apt to run from a man. Fire, thieves, waters, and infinite causes there are of consuming riches, and impoverishing their possessors, though they have even millions and mountains of gold; but suppose that contrary to their nature they stay by a man, yet cannot he stay by them, but must leave them in spite of his teeth, as the Psalmist saith (xlix. 17), “The rich man shall take away nothing when he dieth, neither shall his pomp follow after him.” Thus death makes a violent divorce between the rich man and his goods, when it is said unto him, “Thou fool, this night shall they take away thy soul.” The rich man sleeps (saith Job very elegantly), and when he openeth his eyes there is nothing. It fares with a rich man at his death, as it doth with a sleeping man when he wakes out of his dream. A man that dreams of the finding or fruition of some rich booty is wonderful glad, yet when he awaketh he findeth nothing, but seeth it was only a dream, and he is sorry; so the rich man seemed in the time of his life to have somewhat, but at the day of his death all vanisheth like the idea of a dream, and it vexeth him.—J. D., in “The Threefold Resolutions,” 1608.

Verse 6.—Who knocks more boldly at heaven-gate to be let in than they whom Christ will reject as workers of iniquity? Oh, what delusion is this! Caligula never made himself more ridiculous than when he would be honoured as a god, while he lived more like a devil. Before you would have others take you for Christians, for God’s sake prove yourselves men and not beasts, as you do by your brutish lives. Talk not of your hopes of salvation so long as the marks of damnation are seen upon your flagitious lives. If the way to heaven were thus easy, I promise you the saints in all ages have been much overseen, to take so great pains in mortifying their lusts, in denying to satisfy their sensual appetite. To what purpose did they make so much waste of their sweat in their zealous serving God? and of their tears that they could serve him no better, if they might have gone to heaven as these men hope to do? That friar was far more sound in his judgment in this point, who, preaching at Rome one Lent, when some cardinals and many other great ones were present, began his sermon thus abruptly and ironically. Saint Peter was a fool, Saint Paul was a fool, and all the primitive Christians were fools; for they thought the way to heaven was by prayers and tears, watchings and fastings, severities of mortification, and denying the pomp and glory of this world; whereas you here in Rome spend your time in balls and masks, live in pomp, and pride, lust and luxury, and yet count yourselves good Christians, and hope to be saved; but at last you will prove the fools, and they will be found to have been the wise men.—William Gurnall’s Funeral Sermon for Lady Mary Vere, 1671.

Verses 6-10.—David speaks of some “that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.” Rich men can do great things, but here is a thing that they cannot do: “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” From what cannot a rich man redeem his brother? It is true of spiritual redemption; yea, that is furthest out of the rich man’s reach money will not do it: “We are not redeemed with corrupt things, such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Son of God.” 1 Peter i. 18, 19. But the Psalmist speaks of a lower redemption, to which all the riches of man cannot reach: “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:” “for the redemption of their soul (that is, of their person from the grave), is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.” And that he speaks of their redemption from the grave is more clearly expressed at the ninth verse: “That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.” Jesus Christ did not so redeem us that we should live for ever, and not see corruption. It was the privilege of Jesus Christ the Redeemer not to see corruption; but Jesus Christ hath not redeemed us that we should not see corruption. He hath redeemed us that we should live for ever in heaven, but he hath not redeemed us from corruption, that we should live for ever on earth, or not see corruption in the grave; for, as it is said in the tenth verse of the Psalm, we see “that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish and leave their wealth to others;” as if he had said, Neither the one nor the other sort of men could make this use or improvement of their wealth, to deliver themselves from going to the grave, for if they could they would have laid all out on that purchase; but they could not do it, therefore, “they leave their wealth to others.”—Joseph Caryl.

Verse 7.—“None of them can by any means redeem his brother,” etc. Some animals devoted to God could be redeemed at a price, but no price could be assigned to the ransom of a soul. That such a ransom was to be provided, the faith of the church had always anticipated: “He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” Psalm cxxx. 8.—W. Wilson, D.D.