his righteousness exalts them, his strength adorns and glorifies them; how glorious and beautiful does a believer look, that is strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, in the grace that is in Christ, and in the exercise of faith on him, giving glory to God; on whom the power of Christ rests, and it overshadows, and in whose weakness his strength is made perfect ! and in thy favour our horn shall be ex- alted; either Christ, the Horn of their salvation, who in an acceptable time, in the time of God's fayour, or good will, was heard and helped by him as man, car- ried through his sufferings and death, was raised from the dead, and exalted at his right hand; see yet. and Isa. xlix. 8. or the saints themselves, their power and strength, kingdom and glory; by the special faour of God in Christ, their mountain is made so strong, and they so highly exalted, as that they think they shall never be moved; and in the latter day the motm- tain of the Lord's house shall be exalted above the hills, Psal. xxx. 6, 7. Isa. ii. 2. Ver. 18. For the Lord is our defence, &c.] From all their enemies, being all around them, as a wall of fire to protect them, and as the mountains were round about Jerusalem, and being kept by his power as in a fortress, strong hold, or garrison, unto salvation; or our shieldf; see Psal. lxxxiv. 9, 11. as are his fa- your, righteousness, and salvation, Psal. v. 12. and xviii. 35. or to the Lord belongs our defence or shield our protection and salvation is from him: and the holy One of Israel is our King; he who was to be, and is of Israel according to the flesh, and is holy in his nature, life, and office; he is King of saints, that rules over them, protects and defends them, and therefore they must be happy: or to or with the holy O,te of Israel is our king {}; Christ is King of Zion by designation, ap- pointment, and constitution, or' God the holy One of Israel, the holy God that has chosen Israel for his pe- culiar people; though it rather seems that Christ is the holy One by what follows. Vet. 19. Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, &c.] Samuel the prophet, that holy man of God, to whom the Lord spoke in vision, or by a spirit of pro- phecy, concerning David, the choice and exaltation of him to the kingdom, and his unction for it, 1 Sam. xvi. 1. The Vulgate Latin version reads it to thy holy ones: and so the Targum, with which agree the Sep- tuagint and Arabic versions, which render it thy sons; and the Syriac version his righteous ones, and so takes in Nathan also, to whom the Lord spake in a vision, by night, concerning the settlement and perpetuity of the kingdom in David's family, 2 Sam. vii. 4, &c. Aben Ezra interprets it of the singers, Heman, Ethan, and others; and Jarchi of Gad and Nathan: but the whole is rather to be understood of David's son, the Mes- Siah; and it may be rendered concerning thy holy One as he is cal|ed, Psal. xvi. 10. concerning whom in vi- sion, that is, in prophecy, see Isa. i. 1. The Lord said, by the mouth of his holy prophets, from the beginning of the world, the following things: and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; this mighty One is the Messiah, the mighty God, the mighty Man, the-mighty Mediator and Redeemer; who was mighty to save to the uttermost, and was every way fit for and equal to the work of a Redeemer; for which reason the Lord laid help upon him, not for himself; for this is not to be understood of help pro- mised or given him as man and Mediator: this is after spoken of, ver. 21. but for others; and so the Tar- gum adds, for m, ypeople: laying it on him is no other. than ordering or enjoin|rig him, to which he agreed, to help his people out of that miserable condition they were fallen into, through Adam's transgression, and their own sins, out of which they could not help them- selves: the work assigned to Christ, and devolved on him in council and covenant, was to help them out of this estate by price and power; and to help them on in their way to heaven, through all difficulties, trials, and temptations; and to help them to heaven itself, and introduce them there: and being thus laid upon him, according to his father's will and purpose, and with his own consent, it was found in him, and exer- cised by him, Hos. xiii. 9. I have exalted one chosen out of the people; the same as before, the Messiah, God's elect, his chosen One, Isa, xlii. 1. Luke xxii. chosen to be the head of the church, to be the Mediator be- tween God and man, and to be the Say|our and Redeemer of lost sinners; to be the foundation and corner-stone in the spiritual building, and to be the Judge of quick and dead: and he was chosen out of the people; out of the vast number of the individuals of human nature God determined to create, there was a certain number which he selected for himself, for his own glory, and to be eternally happy with him; and out of these he singled one individuum of human nature, to be united to the eternal Word, the second Person in the Trinity; and which may be truly. said to be the chiefest among, or, as the Septuagint version has it, chosen out of ten thousand, Cant. v. 10. this the Lord exalted to the grace of .union to the Son of God, whereby it became higher than angels and men, and to have a more excel- lent name than either of them, it bearing the name of him to whom it is united, Heb. i. 4, 5. Luke i. 35. and he has exalted him to the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, for which he is anointed above his fellows.; and he has also, having done his work, highly exalted him at his right hand; angels, principalities, and powers, being subject to him. Ver. 2O. I have found David my servant, &c.] Not David literally; but his son and ant|type, the Messiah, who is sometimes called by his name; see the note on yet. 3. and his finding him does not suppose any igno- rance of him, nor anxious solicitude in seeking him, nor any fortuitous event; but is attributed to God by an anthropopathy, or speaking after the manner of men; for it is an act of the highest wisdom, and richest grace, to find out, that is, to pitch upon and appoint, in council and covenant, his own son to be his servant, to be the Redeemer and Saviour of sinners, and to be a ransom for th. em, Job xxxiii. 24. The Apostle PauI seems to refer to this passage in Acts xiii. 22. withmy {f} \^wnngm\^ clypeus noster, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Tigurine version; scutum nostrum, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. {g} \^hwhyl\^ Domino, Pagninus, Montanus. {h} \^larvy vdqlw\^ & sancto Israelis, Pagninus, Montanus. {i} \^Kdyoxl\^ de pio tuo, Cocceius; de sancto tuo, Gejerus.