Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_500_e.lzh/3_556.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-25 | 4KB | 81 lines

\*Ver. 6. \\Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands\\,
&c.] All power in heaven and in
earth being given to him: when he was raised from the
dead, and when he ascended on high, and was set
down at the right hand of God, he was made or declared
Lord and Christ; Lord of the hosts of heaven,
of all the angels there, King of saints, King of kings,
and Lord of lords. All things in heaven and earth,
which God has made, are put into his hands, to subserve
his cause and glory, and for the good of his people;
for he is head over all things to the church. The
Ethiopic version reads, %all the works of thy hands%;
among whom are angels. This is a greater dominion
than was given to the first man, Adam, \\#Ge 1:25\\;
\*\\thou hast put all [things] under his feet\\; or put them in
subjection to him, as the phrase signifies, and as it is
interpreted, \\#Heb 2:8\\. Good angels are subject to
him, as appears by their ministration to him, their dependence
on him, and adoration of him, \\#1Pe 3:22\\;
devils are subject to him, whether they will or no;
and so are wicked men, whose power and wrath he is
able to restrain, and does; and the church is subject to
Christ, as her head; and so all good men, willingly and
heartily, and from a principle of love, obey his commands:
yea, all creatures in the earth, air, and sea, are
in subjection to him; an enumeration of which is given
in the following verses.

\*Ver. 7. \\All sheep and oxen\\, &c.] The tame creatures,
which are useful for food and clothing:
\*\\yea, and the beasts of the field\\; the wild beasts, which he
can make use of to destroy and devour his enemies,
and whom he can restrain from hurting his own people,
\\#Jer 15:8 Da 6:22 Ac 28:3-5\\.

\*Ver. 8. \\The fowl of the air\\, &c.] These he rained
about the tents of the Israelites for their relief, \\#Ps
78:27\\, and can command them to feed his people,
as the ravens did Elijah, \\#1Ki 17:4,6\\; or to destroy
his enemies, \\#Jer 15:3\\; see \\#Ps 50:10,11\\;
\*\\and the fish of the sea: instances of Christ's power
over them, and of their being at his command,
and for his service, may be seen in \\#Mt 17:27
Lu 5:5,6 Joh 21:3,6\\;
\*\\[and whatsoever] passeth
through the paths of the seas\\: some {k} understand this of
ships, made by the wisdom and art of men, in which
they pass through the paths of the sea, and fish in the
midst of it. The Targum paraphrases it, %and leviathan,
which passes through the paths of the sea%. Compare
with this \\#Isa 27:1\\. Some interpret all these
things in a figurative and allegorical way; and some
of the ancients by %sheep% understood believers among
the Gentiles; by %oxen%, the Jews; by %the beasts of the
field%, idolaters and profane persons; %by the fowls of
the air%, angels; and by %the fish of the sea%, devils: but
these are much better explained by Cocceius, who,
by %sheep%, understands common members of the
churches; by %oxen%, those that labour in the word and
doctrine; by %the beasts of the field%, aliens from the city
and kingdom of God; men fierce and cruel, \\#Isa 11:6-8
65:25\\; by %the fowl of the air%, such as are
tilted up with pride and vanity; and by %the fish of the
sea%, such as are immersed in worldly pleasures. But
it is best to interpret the whole literally; from whence
may be observed, that what was lost by the first Adam
is restored by the second; and that believers have a
free use of all the creatures through Christ: and not
only the things here mentioned are subject to him,
but every thing else; there is nothing left that is not
put under him, only he is excepted that put all things
under him, \\#Heb 2:8 1Co 15:27\\.

\*Ver. 9. \\O Lord our God, how excellent\\, &c.] The
psalm ends with the same words with which it begins;
which shows that the sense of this, with which the
psalmist was affected, continued with him, and doubtless
increased, after such a confirmation of it, by the
instances he was led to take notice of.

{k} Aben Ezra & Kimchi in loc.