Reference: Psalms
Easton
The psalms are the production of various authors. "Only a portion of the Book of Psalms claims David as its author. Other inspired poets in successive generations added now one now another contribution to the sacred collection, and thus in the wisdom of Providence it more completely reflects every phase of human emotion and circumstances than it otherwise could." But it is specially to David and his contemporaries that we owe this precious book. In the "titles" of the psalms, the genuineness of which there is no sufficient reason to doubt, 73 are ascribed to David. Peter and John (Ac 4:25) ascribe to him also the second psalm, which is one of the 48 that are anonymous. About two-thirds of the whole collection have been ascribed to David.
Psalms 39, 62, and 77 are addressed to Jeduthun, to be sung after his manner or in his choir. Psalms 50 and 73-83 are addressed to Asaph, as the master of his choir, to be sung in the worship of God. The "sons of Korah," who formed a leading part of the Kohathite singers (2Ch 20:19), were intrusted with the arranging and singing of PS 42, 44-49, 84, 85, 87, and 88.
In Lu 24:44 the word "psalms" means the Hagiographa, i.e., the holy writings, one of the sections into which the Jews divided the Old Testament. (See Bible.)
None of the psalms can be proved to have been of a later date than the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, hence the whole collection extends over a period of about 1,000 years. There are in the New Testament 116 direct quotations from the Psalter.
The Psalter is divided, after the analogy of the Pentateuch, into five books, each closing with a doxology or benediction:
(1.) The first book comprises the first 41 psalms, all of which are ascribed to David except 1, 2, 10, and 33, which, though anonymous, may also be ascribed to him.
(2.) Book second consists of the next 31 psalms (42-72), 18 of which are ascribed to David and 1 to Solomon (the 72nd). The rest are anonymous.
(3.) The third book contains 17 psalms (73-89), of which the 86th is ascribed to David, the 88th to Heman the Ezrahite, and the 89th to Ethan the Ezrahite.
(4.) The fourth book also contains 17 psalms (90-106), of which the 90th is ascribed to Moses, and the 101st and 103rd to David.
(5.) The fifth book contains the remaining psalms, 44 in number. Of these, 15 are ascribed to David, and the 127th to Solomon.
PS 136 is generally called "the great hallel." But the Talmud includes also PS 120-135. PS 113-118, inclusive, constitute the "hallel" recited at the three great feasts, at the new moon, and on the eight days of the feast of dedication.
It is presumed that these several collections were made at times of high religious life: the first, probably, near the close of David's life; the second in the days of Solomon; the third by the singers of Jehoshaphat (2Ch 20:19); the fourth by the men of Hezekiah (29, 30, 31); and the fifth in the days of Ezra.
The Mosaic ritual makes no provision for the service of song in the worship of God. David first taught the Church to sing the praises of the Lord. He first introduced into the ritual of the tabernacle music and song.
Divers names are given to the psalms. (1.) Some bear the Hebrew designation shir (Gr. ode, a song). Thirteen have this title. It means the flow of speech, as it were, in a straight line or in a regular strain. This title includes secular as well as sacred song.
(2.) Fifty-eight psalms bear the designation (Heb) mitsmor (Gr. psalmos, a psalm), a lyric ode, or a song set to music; a sacred song accompanied with a musical instrument.
(3.) PS 145, and many others, have the designation (Heb) tehillah (Gr. hymnos, a hymn), meaning a song of praise; a song the prominent thought of which is the praise of God.
(4.) Six psalms (16, 56-60) have the title (Heb) michtam (q.v.).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.
And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.
And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all that is written concerning me in the law of Moses and prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.
who hast said by the mouth of thy servant David, Why have the nations raged haughtily and the peoples meditated vain things?
Fausets
(See DAVID; POETRY.) The Hebrew designation tehillim, "praises" or hymns," occurring only in the title of Psalm 145 and about 30 times in the body of the Psalms, applies only to some not to all the psalms. The glorification of God is the design of them all, even the penitentiary and precatory psalms; but tehilliym applies strictly to praise songs alone, tephillowt to the prayer songs; Psalm 17; Psalm 72 end, closing the second book of Psalms, Psalm 86; 90; 102 title. No one Hebrew title comprehends all.
The Greek Septuagint has given the title "Psalms" (from psalloo "to play an instrument") applied to the whole collection. The Hebrew mizmor designates 65 psalms; in the Syriac version it comprises the whole (from zaamar "to decorate"), psalms of artificial, adorned structure (Hengstenberg). "A rhythmical composition" (Lowth). "Psalms," the designation most applicable to the whole book, means songs accompanied by an instrument, especially the harp (1Ch 16:4-9; 2Ch 5:12-13). Shir, "a joyful thanksgiving song," is prefixed only to some. The various kinds are specified in Eph 5:19; "psalms (accompanied by an instrument), hymns (indirect praise of God), ... spiritual songs (joyous lyric pieces; contrast Am 8:10)."
TITLES. Their genuineness is confirmed by their antiquity (which is proved by their being unintelligible to the Septuagint translators of the Hebrew into Greek), and by their presence in the greatest number of manuscripts, and in fragments of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion. Their obscurity and occasional want of connection with the psalm's contents (as title Psalm 34) are incompatible with their origination from forgers. The orientals, moreover, usually prefix titles to poems (Hab 3:1; Isa 38:9); so David (2Sa 23:1). The enigmatical titles, found only in the psalms of David and of David's singers, accord with Eastern taste. They are too "poetical, spirited, and profound for any later collector" (Hengstenberg). So David's "bow song" (2Sa 1:18), his enigmatical designation for "the song on him expert with the bow" (2Sa 1:22).
The historical hints in some titles give a clue to the dates. If the titles were added by later hands, how is it that they are wanting in those psalms where conjecture could most easily have had place, namely, the non-Davidic psalms of the fourth and fifth books, whereas they appear in the most regular and complete form in David's psalms, next in those of his singers? Now these are just the ones where conjecture is given no room for exercise; for the titles do not apparently illustrate these psalms, but are a memorial of the events which most deeply impressed David's own mind. In the last two books the historical occasions do not occur in the titles, because cycles of psalms mainly compose these books, and among such cycles psalms of an individual reference hardly have place.
DIVISIONS. Davidic basis of the whole. The Psalms form one "book"; so the Lord refers to them (Lu 20:42), so His apostles (Ac 1:20). The fathers, Ambrose (on Psalm 40) and Jerome to Cyprian (2:695), describe the Psalms as five books in one volume. Based on and corresponding to the historical Pentateuch, they form a poetical "Pentateuch" (Epiphanius, de Mens., c. 5), extending from Moses to the times of Malachi "the Hebrew history set to music an oratorio in five parts, with Messiah for its subject" (Wordsworth). The Psalms, like the Pentateuch, being used in divine worship, are the people's answer to God's address to them in the law, i.e. the expression of their pious feelings called forth by the word of God. The close of each of the five books is marked by a doxology. The "blessed be the Lord God of Israel" is taken up by Zacharias, as fulfilled in Christ (Le 1:17; Ps 106:48). Book I includes Psalm 1-41; Book II, Psalm 42-72; Book III, Psalm 73-89; Book IV, Psalm 90-106; Book V, Psalm 107-150.
Book I is according to the titles Davidic; accordingly there is no trace of any author hut David. The objection from the "temple" (Ps 5:7) being mentioned is groundless, for in 1Sa 1:9; 3:3, it is similarly used for the tabernacle long before Solomon's temple was built. The argument for a post-Babylonian date from the phrase "bring back the captivity" (Ps 14:7) is invalid; it is a Hebraism for reversing one's misfortunes (Job 42:10). Nor does the acrosticism in Psalm 25 prove a late date, for acrosticism appears in psalms acknowledged to be David's (Psalm 9). In Books II and III David's singers have borrowed from David (excepting "a song of the beloved" Psalm 45, and Psalm 46, "upon Alamoth") everything peculiar in his superscriptions; see Psalm 42; 43; 44; 84; 86. "Selah" is restricted to David and his singers; but "hallelujah" is never found in his or their psalms.
So also "to the chief musician," (committing the psalm to the music conductor to prepare for musical performance in the public service: 1Ch 15:21 Hebrew and margin, compare 1Ch 15:22,) is limited to David's and their psalms. The writer of 2 Samuel 22 evidently turned into prose David's poetical superscription (Psalm 18); so the writer of 1Sa 19:11; 21:13-14; 23:19, had before him the titles of Psalm 34; 54; 59. Hezekiah's "writing" (miktab) alludes probably to David's miktam (a "secret," or "song of deep import"), Psalm 56; 57 titles, for it was he who restored David's psalms to their liturgical use in the temple (2Ch 29:30). This imitation of David's title, and still more the correspondence of his prayer to David's psalms (Ps 102:24; 27:13; 49:1; 6:5; 30:9), is a presumption for the authenticity of David's and his singers' psalms and their titles.
Habakkuk similarly leans upon David's superscriptions, as also upon his psalms. Hab 3:1, "Shiggaion," compare title Ps 7:1, "Son of David"; Hab 3:19, "to the chief musician on my stringed instruments" is derived from the titles Psalm 4; 6. So the "Selah" (Ps 6:9-10) which occurs only in the psalms of David and his singers. The absence of the authors' names from most of the psalms in the fourth and fifth books implies that none of them have an individual and personal character, as the Davidic psalms have. In all such the psalmist represents the community. The later groups of psalms rest on the Davidic, and echo the poetry of David. Even in the psalms of David's singers, the authors, except Asaph (Psalm 1; 74) who was immediately associated with David, do not give their individual names.
PRINCIPLE OF SELECTION. Not all Israel's lyric poetry but only.
(1) such as is directly religious is included in the psalter, therefore not David's dirge over Saul and Jonathan (2Sa 1:17-27). Also
(2) only the psalms applicable to the whole church and therefore suited to the public services of the sanctuary. The individual psalmist represents the religious community whose mouthpiece he is. 2Sa 23:1; David sings in his typical and representative character; no other psalmist in the book has personal references. Hence Hezekiah's prayer (Isaiah 38) and Jonah's thanksgiving are excluded as too personal.
(3) Only such as were composed trader the Holy Spirit's inspiration. The very musicians who founded the sacred music were inspired (1Ch 25:1, "prophesy with harps"), much more the psalmists themselves. Asaph, the writer of some psalms, was a "seer" (2Ch 29:30).
David spoke "in the Spirit." Christ testifies (Mt 22:41-46), He classes" the Psalms," the chief book of the chetubim or hagiographa, with "the law and the prophets" (Lu 24:44). The Messianic prophetic element in David leans on Nathan's prophecy (2 Samuel 7). Subsequent prophets develop David's Messianic predictions. The Psalms draw out of the typical ceremonial of the law its tuner spirit, adapting it to the various requirements of the individual and the congregation. By their help the Israelite could enter into the living spirit of the law, and realizing his need of the promised Saviour look for Him of whom the Psalms testify. They are a treasury from which we can draw the inner experiences of Old Testament saints and express our corresponding feelings, under like circumstances, in their divinely sanctioned language of praise and prayer.
CLASSIFICATION.
(1) Psalms of joy and gratitude, shir, lethodah "for confession" or as
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and he shall split it open at its wings, but shall not divide it asunder; and the priest shall burn it on the altar on the wood that is on the fire: it is a burnt-offering, an offering by fire to Jehovah of a sweet odour.
And Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk; (now Eli the priest sat upon the seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah;)
and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel lay in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was,
And Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be put to death.
And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard. And Achish said to his servants, Behold, ye see the man is mad: why did ye bring him to me?
And the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the waste?
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was embittered, every man because of his sons and because of his daughters; but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God.
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son; and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher: --
and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher: -- The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! read more. Tell it not in Gath, carry not the tidings in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, no rain upon you, nor fields of heave-offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, as not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their lives, Even in their death were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. read more. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with splendour, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant wast thou unto me; Thy love to me was wonderful, passing women's love. How are the mighty fallen, and the instruments of war perished!
And David made him a name when he returned, after he had smitten the Syrians in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand men.
Now these are the last words of David: David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel saith,
Now these are the last words of David: David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel saith,
and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to lead the singing. And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites for the music, gave instruction in music, for he was skilful.
And he appointed certain of the Levites to do the service before the ark of Jehovah, and to celebrate, and to thank and praise Jehovah the God of Israel: Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, with instruments of lutes and with harps; and Asaph sounding with cymbals; read more. and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God. Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to give thanks to Jehovah through Asaph and his brethren. Give thanks unto Jehovah, call upon his name; Make known his acts among the peoples. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him; Meditate upon all his wondrous works.
And David and the captains of the host separated for the service those of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun who were to prophesy with harps and lutes and cymbals; and the number of the men employed according to their service was:
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and courageous, and do it; fear not nor be dismayed: for Jehovah Elohim, my God, will be with thee; he will not leave thee, neither forsake thee, until all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah is finished.
And king David said to all the congregation, Solomon my son, the one whom God has chosen, is young and tender, and the work is great; for this palace is not to be for man, but for Jehovah Elohim.
And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.
And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah, for there they blessed Jehovah; therefore the name of that place was called The valley of Berachah, to this day. And they returned, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for Jehovah had made them to rejoice over their enemies. read more. And they came to Jerusalem with lutes and harps and trumpets, to the house of Jehovah. And the terror of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands, when they had heard that Jehovah fought against the enemies of Israel.
And king Hezekiah and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise to Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and bowed their heads and worshipped.
And king Hezekiah and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise to Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and bowed their heads and worshipped.
After all this, when Josiah had arranged the house, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Karkemish at the Euphrates; and Josiah went out against him. And he sent messengers to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house with which I have war; and God has told me to make haste: keep aloof from God who is with me, that he destroy thee not. read more. But Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight against him; and he hearkened not to the words of Necho from the mouth of God; and he came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away, for I am sore wounded. And his servants took him out from the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah; and all the singing men and singing women spoke of Josiah in their lamentations to this day; and they made them an ordinance for Israel. And behold, they are written in the lamentations.
And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead, in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. read more. And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and imposed a fine upon the land of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
this Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah the God of Israel had given. And the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him.
And Nehemiah, that is, the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that explained to the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God: mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and tares instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.
And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he had prayed for his friends; and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.
But his delight is in Jehovah's law, and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Why are the nations in tumultuous agitation, and why do the peoples meditate a vain thing?
But as for me, in the greatness of thy loving-kindness will I enter thy house; I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness in thy fear.
For in death there is no remembrance of thee; in Sheol who shall give thanks unto thee?
Jehovah hath heard my supplication; Jehovah receiveth my prayer. All mine enemies shall be ashamed and tremble exceedingly; they will turn, they will be ashamed suddenly.
{Shiggaion of David, which he sang to Jehovah, concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite.} Jehovah my God, in thee have I trusted: save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me;
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah turneth again the captivity of his people, Jacob shall be glad, Israel shall rejoice.
For who is +God save Jehovah? and who is a rock if not our God?
Unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living ...!
What profit is there in my blood, in my going down to the pit? shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
He hath chosen our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up amid shouting, Jehovah amid the sound of the trumpet.
God is gone up amid shouting, Jehovah amid the sound of the trumpet.
God reigneth over the nations; God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The willing-hearted of the peoples have gathered together, with the people of the God of Abraham. For unto God belong the shields of the earth: he is greatly exalted.
The willing-hearted of the peoples have gathered together, with the people of the God of Abraham. For unto God belong the shields of the earth: he is greatly exalted.
With an east wind thou hast broken the ships of Tarshish.
{To the chief Musician. Of the sons of Korah. A Psalm.} Hear this, all ye peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world:
Blessed be Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things!
They said in their heart, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all God's places of assembly in the land.
{A Psalm of Asaph.} O God, the nations are come into thine inheritance: thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps.
Pour out thy fury upon the nations that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name:
Yea, thou hast turned back the edge of his sword, and hast not made him stand in the battle.
The days of his youth hast thou shortened; thou hast covered him with shame. Selah.
I said, My God, take me not away in the midst of my days! ... Thy years are from generation to generation.
Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, from eternity and to eternity! And let all the people say, Amen! Hallelujah!
{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Free me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; preserve me from the violent man:
The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for Jehovah will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear-guard. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and be lifted up, and be very high.
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently; he shall be exalted and be lifted up, and be very high. As many were astonished at thee his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the children of men
As many were astonished at thee his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the children of men so shall he astonish many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for what had not been told them shall they see, and what they had not heard shall they consider.
so shall he astonish many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for what had not been told them shall they see, and what they had not heard shall they consider.
Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of Jehovah been revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender sapling, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor lordliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. read more. He is despised and left alone of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and like one from whom men hide their faces; despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; and we, we did regard him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, but he opened not his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and was as a sheep dumb before her shearers, and he opened not his mouth. He was taken from oppression and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And men appointed his grave with the wicked, but he was with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, neither was there guile in his mouth. Yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath subjected him to suffering. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see a seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the fruit of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant instruct many in righteousness; and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I assign him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong: because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and was reckoned with the transgressors; and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Pour out thy fury upon the nations that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name; for they have eaten up Jacob, yea, they have eaten him up and consumed him, and have laid waste his dwelling-place.
and he burned the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; and every great man's house he burned with fire.
And the brazen pillars that were in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the brazen sea that was in the house of Jehovah, the Chaldeans broke up, and carried all the brass thereof to Babylon.
And I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning for an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day.
A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And he will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
And the Pharisees being gathered together, Jesus demanded of them, saying, What think ye concerning the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, David's. read more. He says to them, How then does David in Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand until I put thine enemies under thy feet? If therefore David call him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did any one dare from that day to question him any more.
and David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand
And he said to them, O senseless and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
And having begun from Moses and from all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all that is written concerning me in the law of Moses and prophets and psalms must be fulfilled. Then he opened their understanding to understand the scriptures, read more. and said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer, and to rise from among the dead the third day;
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no dweller in it; and, Let another take his overseership.
for David says as to him, I foresaw the Lord continually before me, because he is at my right hand that I may not be moved. Therefore has my heart rejoiced and my tongue exulted; yea more, my flesh also shall dwell in hope, read more. for thou wilt not leave my soul in hades, nor wilt thou give thy gracious one to see corruption.
And having heard it they were pricked in heart, and said to Peter and the other apostles, What shall we do, brethren?
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and chanting with your heart to the Lord;
Concerning which salvation prophets, who have prophesied of the grace towards you, sought out and searched out; searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them pointed out, testifying before of the sufferings which belonged to Christ, and the glories after these. read more. To whom it was revealed, that not to themselves but to you they ministered those things, which have now been announced to you by those who have declared to you the glad tidings by the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven, which angels desire to look into.
Hastings
PSALMS
1. Title and place in Canon.
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Ye shall not make beside me gods of silver, and ye shall not make to you gods of gold.
And the priest shall take a handful of the oblation as a memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar; and afterwards he shall make the woman drink the water.
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exulteth in Jehovah, my horn is lifted up in Jehovah; my mouth is opened wide over mine enemies; for I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God. read more. Do not multiply your words of pride, let not vain-glory come out of your mouth; For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bow of the mighty is broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength. They that were full have hired themselves out for bread; and the hungry are so no more: Even the barren beareth seven, and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. Jehovah maketh poor, and maketh rich, he bringeth low, also he lifteth up: He raiseth up the poor out of the dust; from the dung-hill he lifteth up the needy, To set him among nobles; and he maketh them inherit a throne of glory; For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, and he hath set the world upon them. He keepeth the feet of his saints, but the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. They that strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces; in the heavens will he thunder upon them. Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth; and he will give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
and the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, to sound aloud with cymbals of brass; and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with lutes on Alamoth; read more. and Mattithiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obed-Edom and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to lead the singing.
And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to praise Jehovah the God of Israel with an exceeding loud voice.
The children of Bebai, six hundred and twenty-three.
For upon the first of the first month the project of going up from Babylon was determined on, and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.
{A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.} Jehovah, how many are they that trouble me, many they that rise up against me!
Jehovah is known by the judgment he hath executed: the wicked is ensnared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
Jehovah is known by the judgment he hath executed: the wicked is ensnared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse sheweth the work of his hands. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. read more. There is no speech and there are no words, yet their voice is heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their language to the extremity of the world. In them hath he set a tent for the sun, And he is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber; he rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race. His going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple; The precepts of Jehovah are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of Jehovah is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of Jehovah is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of Jehovah are truth, they are righteous altogether: They are more precious than gold, yea, than much fine gold; and sweeter than honey and the dropping of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant enlightened; in keeping them there is great reward. Who understandeth his errors? Purify me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be perfect, and I shall be innocent from great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.
{Of David. A Psalm.} The earth is Jehovah's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For it was he that founded it upon seas, and established it upon floods. read more. Who shall ascend into the mount of Jehovah? and who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath blameless hands and a pure heart; who lifteth not up his soul unto vanity, nor sweareth deceitfully: He shall receive blessing from Jehovah, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek unto him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, ye gates; yea, lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is he, this King of glory? Jehovah of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
{A Psalm of David.} Jehovah is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evil-doers, mine adversaries and mine enemies, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. read more. If a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; if war rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire of him in his temple. For in the day of evil he will hide me in his pavilion; in the secret of his tent will he keep me concealed: he will set me high upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tent sacrifices of shouts of joy: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms unto Jehovah. Hear, Jehovah; with my voice do I call; be gracious unto me, and answer me. My heart said for thee, Seek ye my face. Thy face, O Jehovah, will I seek. Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; cast me not off, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. For had my father and my mother forsaken me, then had Jehovah taken me up. Teach me thy way, Jehovah, and lead me in an even path, because of mine enemies. Deliver me not over to the will of mine adversaries; for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out violence. Unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah in the land of the living ...! Wait for Jehovah; be strong and let thy heart take courage: yea, wait for Jehovah.
{To the chief Musician. A Psalm of the servant of Jehovah; of David.} The transgression of the wicked uttereth within my heart, There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, even when his iniquity is found to be hateful. read more. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, to do good. He deviseth wickedness up on his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good: he abhorreth not evil. Jehovah, thy loving-kindness is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the high mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: thou, Jehovah, preservest man and beast. How precious is thy loving-kindness, O God! So the sons of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. Continue thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart; Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and are not able to rise.
Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me; Jehovah, make haste to my help. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be turned backward and confounded that take pleasure in mine adversity; read more. Let them be desolate, because of their shame, that say unto me, Aha! Aha! Let all those that seek thee be glad and rejoice in thee; let such as love thy salvation say continually, Jehovah be magnified! But I am afflicted and needy: the Lord thinketh upon me. Thou art my help and my deliverer: my God, make no delay.
Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, from eternity to eternity! Amen, and Amen.
Why art thou cast down, my soul, and art disquieted in me? hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, for the health of his countenance.
Why art thou cast down, my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Why art thou cast down, my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing, yea, I will sing psalms. Awake, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I will wake the dawn.
Awake, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I will wake the dawn. I will give thee thanks among the peoples, O Lord; of thee will I sing psalms among the nations:
I will give thee thanks among the peoples, O Lord; of thee will I sing psalms among the nations: For thy loving-kindness is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds.
For thy loving-kindness is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let thy glory be above all the earth!
Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let thy glory be above all the earth!
That thy beloved ones may be delivered. Save with thy right hand, and answer me.
That thy beloved ones may be delivered. Save with thy right hand, and answer me. God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.
God hath spoken in his holiness: I will exult, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth. Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver;
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine, and Ephraim is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver; Moab is my wash-pot; upon Edom will I cast my sandal; Philistia, shout aloud because of me.
Moab is my wash-pot; upon Edom will I cast my sandal; Philistia, shout aloud because of me. Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me unto Edom?
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me unto Edom? Wilt not thou, O God, who didst cast us off? and didst not go forth, O God, with our armies?
Wilt not thou, O God, who didst cast us off? and didst not go forth, O God, with our armies? Give us help from trouble; for vain is man's deliverance.
Give us help from trouble; for vain is man's deliverance. Through God we shall do valiantly; and he it is that will tread down our adversaries.
Through God we shall do valiantly; and he it is that will tread down our adversaries.
Blessed be Jehovah Elohim, the God of Israel, who alone doeth wondrous things! And blessed be his glorious name for ever! and let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen, and Amen.
Thou hast made his brightness to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground; The days of his youth hast thou shortened; thou hast covered him with shame. Selah. read more. How long, Jehovah, wilt thou hide thyself for ever? shall thy fury burn like fire? Remember, as regards me, what life is. Wherefore hast thou created all the children of men to be vanity? What man liveth, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah. Where, Lord, are thy former loving-kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy faithfulness? Remember, Lord, the reproach of thy servants that I bear in my bosom that of all the mighty peoples -- Wherewith thine enemies, O Jehovah, have reproached, wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine anointed. Blessed be Jehovah for evermore! Amen, and Amen.
Blessed be Jehovah for evermore! Amen, and Amen.
Upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the lute; upon the Higgaion with the harp.
Thou wilt rise up, thou wilt have mercy upon Zion: for it is the time to be gracious to her, for the set time is come.
When Jehovah shall build up Zion, he will appear in his glory.
Save us, Jehovah our God, and gather us from among the nations, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise. Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, from eternity and to eternity! And let all the people say, Amen! Hallelujah!
And gathered out of the countries, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the sea.
{A Song of degrees.} When Jehovah turned the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth the outcasts of Israel.
The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness:
The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and had recovered from his sickness: I said, In the meridian of my days I shall go to the gates of Sheol: I am deprived of the rest of my years. read more. I said, I shall not see Jah, Jah in the land of the living. With those who dwell where all has ceased to be, I shall behold man no more. Mine age is departed, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent. I have cut off like a weaver my life. He separateth me from the thrum: from day to night thou wilt make an end of me. I kept still until the morning; ... as a lion, so doth he break all my bones. From day to night thou wilt make an end of me. Like a swallow or a crane, so did I chatter; I mourned as a dove; mine eyes failed with looking upward: Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me. What shall I say? He hath both spoken unto me, and himself hath done it. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit; and thou hast recovered me, and made me to live. Behold, instead of peace I had bitterness upon bitterness; but thou hast in love delivered my soul from the pit of destruction; for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For not Sheol shall praise thee, nor death celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit do not hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. Jehovah was purposed to save me. And we will play upon my stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of Jehovah.
Thus saith Jehovah: As the new wine is found in the cluster, and it is said, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it; so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
A Prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
Jehovah, the Lord, is my strength, And he maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And he will make me to walk upon my high places. To the chief Musician. On my stringed instruments.
And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. read more. For he has looked upon the low estate of his bondmaid; for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done to me great things, and holy is his name; and his mercy is to generations and generations to them that fear him. He has wrought strength with his arm; he has scattered haughty ones in the thought of their heart. He has put down rulers from thrones, and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent away the rich empty. He has helped Israel his servant, in order to remember mercy, (as he spoke to our fathers,) to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people, and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant; read more. as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began; deliverance from our enemies and out of the hand of all who hate us; to fulfil mercy with our fathers and remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, to give us, that, saved out of the hand of our enemies, we should serve him without fear in piety and righteousness before him all our days. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; to give knowledge of deliverance to his people by the remission of their sins on account of the bowels of mercy of our God; wherein the dayspring from on high has visited us, to shine upon them who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
and David himself says in the book of Psalms, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand
And he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all that is written concerning me in the law of Moses and prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.
Now the feast of the dedication was celebrating at Jerusalem, and it was winter.
For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no dweller in it; and, Let another take his overseership.
Morish
This word occurs in the O.T. only in connection with the Psalms of David and those in the Book of Psalms. David is called "the sweet psalmist of Israel." 2Sa 23:1. There can be no doubt that in connection with the 'singers,' and the praising God with instruments, the Psalms were used. We read "sing psalms unto him," "Make a joyful noise unto him with psalms," etc. In N.T. days, for a time at least, the Psalms of David may have been sung by believers, but there were also hymns and spiritual songs, and it is to be remarked that in the singing at the institution of the Lord's supper a hymn (?????) is spoken of, not a psalm (??????). See PASSOVER. The latter Greek word (besides the occurrences which refer to the Book of Psalms) is found in 1Co 14:26; Eph 5:19; Col 3:16.
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Now these are the last words of David: David the son of Jesse saith, And the man who was raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel saith,
What is it then, brethren? whenever ye come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done to edification.
speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and chanting with your heart to the Lord;
Let the word of the Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
Watsons
PSALMS. The book of Psalms is a collection of hymns, or sacred songs, in praise of God, and consists of poems of various kinds. They are the productions of different persons, but are generally called the Psalms of David, because a great part of them was composed by him, and David himself is distinguished by the name of the Psalmist. We cannot now ascertain all the Psalms written by David, but their number probably exceeds seventy; and much less are we able to discover the authors of the other Psalms, or the occasions upon which they were composed. A few of them were written after the return from the Babylonian captivity. The titles prefixed to them are of very questionable authority; and in many cases they are not intended to denote the writer but refer only to the person who was appointed to set them to music. David first introduced the practice of singing sacred hymns in the public service of God; and it was restored by Ezra. The authority of the Psalms is established not only by their rank among the sacred writings, and by the unvaried testimony of ages, but likewise by many intrinsic proofs of inspiration. Not only do they breathe through every part a divine spirit of eloquence, but they contain numberless illustrious prophecies that were remarkably accomplished, and are frequently appealed to by the evangelical writers. The sacred character of the whole book is established by the testimony of our Saviour and his Apostles, who, in various parts of the New Testament, appropriate the predictions of the Psalms as obviously apposite to the circumstances of their lives, and as intentionally composed to describe them. The veneration for the Psalms has in all ages of the church been considerable. The fathers assure us, that in the earlier times the whole book of Psalms was generally learned by heart; and that the ministers of every gradation were expected to be able to repeat them from memory. These invaluable Scriptures are daily repeated without weariness, though their beauties are often overlooked in familiar and habitual perusal. As hymns immediately addressed to the Deity, they reduce righteousness to practice; and while we acquire the sentiments, we perform the offices of piety; while we supplicate for blessings, we celebrate the memorial of former mercies; and while in the exercise of devotion, faith is enlivened by the display of prophecy. Josephus asserts, and most of the ancient writers maintain, that the Psalms were composed in metre. They have undoubtedly a peculiar conformation of sentences, and a measured distribution of parts. Many of them are elegiac, and most of David's are of the lyric kind. There is no sufficient reason however to believe, as some writers have imagined, that they were written in rhyme, or in any of the Grecian measures. Some of them are acrostic; and though the regulations of the Hebrew measure are now lost, there can be no doubt, from their harmonious modulation, that they were written with some kind of metrical order; and they must have been composed in accommodation to the measure to which they were set. (See Poetry of the Hebrews.) The Hebrew copies and the Septuagint version of this book contain the same number of Psalms; only the Septuagint translators have, for some reason which does not appear, thrown the ninth and tenth into one, as also the one hundred and fourteenth and one hundred and fifteenth, and have divided the one hundred and sixteenth and one hundred and forty-seventh each into two.
It is very justly observed by Dr. Allix, that, "although the sense of near fifty Psalms be fixed and settled by divine authors, yet Christ and his Apostles did not undertake to quote all the Psalms they could, but only to give a key to their hearers, by which they might apply to the same subjects the Psalms of the same composure and expression." With regard to the Jews, Bishop Chandler very pertinently remarks, that "they must have understood David, their prince, to have been a figure of Messiah. They would not otherwise have made his Psalms part of their daily worship; nor would David have delivered them to the church to be so employed, were it not to instruct and support them in the knowledge and belief of this fundamental article. Were the Messiah not concerned in the Psalms, it would have been absurd to celebrate twice a day, in their public devotions, the events of one man's life, who was deceased so long ago, as to have no relation now to the Jews and the circumstances of their affairs; or to transcribe whole passages from them into their prayers for the coming of the Messiah." Upon the same principle it is easily seen that the objections, which may seem to lie against the use of Jewish services in Christian congregations, may cease at once. Thus it may be said, Are we concerned with the affairs of David and of Israel? Have we any thing to do with the ark and the temple? They are no more. Are we to go up to Jerusalem, and to worship on Sion? They are desolated, and trodden under foot by the Turks. Are we to sacrifice young bullocks according to the law? The law is abolished, never to be observed again. Do we pray for victory over Moab, Edom, and Philistia; or for deliverance from Babylon? There are no such nations, no such places in the world. What then do we mean, when, taking such expressions into our mouths, we utter them in our own persons, as parts of our devotions, before God? Assuredly we must mean a spiritual Jerusalem and Sion; a spiritual ark and temple; a spiritual law; spiritual sacrifices; and spiritual victories over spiritual enemies; all described under the old names, which are still retained, though "old things are passed away, and all things are become new," 2Co 5:17. By substituting Messiah for David, the Gospel for the law, the church Christian for that of Israel, and the enemies of the one for those of the other, the Psalms are made our own. Nay, they are with more fulness and propriety applied now to the substance, than they were of old to the "shadow of good things then to come," Heb 10:1. For let it not pass unobserved, that when, upon the first publication of the Gospel, the Apostles had occasion to utter their transports of joy, on their being counted worthy to suffer for the name of their Lord and Master, which was then opposed by Jew and Gentile, they brake forth into an application of the second Psalm to the transactions then before their eyes, Ac 4:25. The Psalms, thus applied, have advantages which no fresh compositions, however finely executed, can possibly have; since, beside their incomparable fitness to express our sentiments, they are at the same time memorials of, and appeals to, former mercies and deliverances; they are acknowledgments of prophecies accomplished; they point out the connection between the old and new dispensations, thereby teaching us to admire and adore the wisdom of God displayed in both, and furnishing while we read or sing them, an inexhaustible variety of the noblest matter that can engage the contemplations of man.
Very few of the Psalms, comparatively, appear to be simply prophetical, and to belong only to Messiah, without the intervention of any other person. Most of them, it is apprehended, have a double sense, which stands upon this ground and foundation, that the ancient patriarchs, prophets, priests, and kings, were typical characters, in their several offices, and in the more remarkable passages of their lives, their extraordinary depressions and miraculous exaltations foreshowing him who was to arise as the head of the holy family, the great prophet, the true priest, the everlasting king. The Israelitish polity, and the law of Moses, were purposely framed after the example and shadow of things spiritual and heavenly; and the events which happened to the ancient people of God were designed to shadow out parallel occurrences, which should afterward take place in the accomplishment of man's redemption, and the rise and progress of the Christian church, (See Prophecy.) For this reason, the Psalms composed for the use of Israel, and by them accordingly used at the time, do admit of an application to us, who are now "the Israel of God," Ga 6:16, and to our Redeemer
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who hast said by the mouth of thy servant David, Why have the nations raged haughtily and the peoples meditated vain things?
So if any one be in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new:
And as many as shall walk by this rule, peace upon them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
For the law, having a shadow of the coming good things, not the image itself of the things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually yearly, perfect those who approach.