Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_000_t.lzh/4_041.TXT

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God of power, and to whom vengeance belongs; let
him be known by his judgments executed upon the
Heathen, openly and publicly in our sight, and in the
view of the whole world; see Psal. ix. 16. so it fol-
lows, by the revenging of the blood of thy servants. which
is shed; as in ver. 3. which blood God will revenge ac-
cording to the request of his people, and give them
blood to drink by way of retaliation; by which means
his vindictive justice will be known, and it will be seen
where the God of his pe6ple is, that he is with them,
and maintains their cause; see Rev, vi. 9. and xvi. 6, 7.
and xix. 2. The words may be rendered in con-
nexion with the preceding clause thus; let it be known
among the Heathen in our sight, even the revenging of
the blood of thy servants which is shed; though Kimchi
supplies the words as we do, by a revenging, &c.
Ver. 11. Let the sighing of thepriso,.zer come before
thee, &c.] Such as were so in a literal or spiritual
sense; and the sighs and groans of such are not hid
from the Lord; they come up into his ears as did the
sighing and groaning of the children of Israel when in
Egypt, Exod. ii. 23, 24. according to the greatness of thy
power, preserve thou those that are appointed to die;
not by the Lord, as all men are, but by men; who are
under a sentence of condemnation, who are ready to
die, being appointed to destruction, Prov. xxxi. 6, 8.
or are in danger of death, as Jarchi observes; the
phrase is used in Talmudic writings; whose lives are
exposed to danger, who-are killed all the day long,
and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, Psal.
xliv. 22. these it is desired the Lord would keep from
dying, or cause them to remain in life; or not suffer
their lives to be taken away from them, which he was
able to do through the greatness of his power; though
these words according to the accents belong to the
preceding clause. The Targum, and so Jarchi, and
other Jewish writers, render the words, loose thou
those, &c. mention being made before of prisoners, or
of persons bound.
Ver. 12. And render unto our neighbouts seven-fold
into their bosom, &c.] Not seven-fold for one, as the
Targum paraphrases it, or a seven-fold punishment
for one sin; but that he would recompence their sins,
or punish for them, and take vengeance on them,
largely, abundafitly, though not beyond measure, or
exceeding the rules of justice; see Gen. iv. 15. Luke
vi. 38. the reproach with which they have reproached
thee, 0 Lord; by denying his being, or calling in
question his perfections of power, truth, and good-
ness, to help his people; speaking ill of his providence,
despising his word and ordinances, and even reproach-
ing his people in reproaching him, Psal. lxxxix. 50, 51.
and this is what a righteous recompease is desired for;
see Lain. iii. 64.
Vet. 13. So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture,
&c.] Who Were the people of God, not by-creation
and providence only, as all men are, being his crea-
tures, and provided for by him; but by special choice,
and by covenant-grace: and the sheep of his pasture;
whom he feeds as a shepherd does his flock, provides
good pasture for them, and leads them into it: will
give thee thanks for ever, we will shew forth thy praise
to all generations: the above petitions being answered
and fulfilled; the work of praise is acceptable unto
God, what he is well-pleased with, being glorified
thereby; and is what becomes his people to do, and
which they are formed for, and that for evermore, as
long as they live in this world, and to all eternity in
another; and who will and do take care that the won-
ders of divine grace and providence be transmitted and
told to their posterity in succeeding ages, that so thanks
may be given him, and his praise shewa forth in one
generation after another.

To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, Eduth, A Psalm of Asaph.

OF the word shoshannim, see the title of Psal. xhr.
and of shushan-eduth, the title .of Psal. ix. which
seems to be the same with this here, and is thought by
some to be the name of a musical instrument now un-
known, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; though these
two words are not to be read together as one, for there
is a dividing accent on shoshannim, and which may be
rendered concerning the lilies {a}; and so may denote the
subject-matter of the psalm, or respect the people of..
God, comparable to lilies for their beauty, purity, and'
holiness in Christ, Cant. vi. 2, 3. and to lilies among
thorns, Cant. ii. 2. being in great afflictions and per-
secutiorrs, as appears from ver. 5,' 6, 12, 13. the word
eduth is to be read not along with shoshannim, but
with what follows, thus, Eduth unto Asaph a psalm;
some render the word eduth an ornament or glory, as
R. Marinus in Aben Ezra; and take the sense to be,
that the psalm was a glorious one, and desirable to

Asaph; but it rather signifies a testimony, and is by
the Targum interpreted of the testimony of the law;
but it is rather to be understood of the testimony of
the Gospel, which is the testimony of Christ, and bears
witness of him; and there is a testimony of him in this
psalm, ver. 17. and there seem to be in it many
breathings after his coming and appearance in the
flesh. Some take this psalm to be of the same argu-
ment with the foregoing, and think it refers to the de-
struction of the Jews, the two tribes, by the. Chal-
deans; so Theodoret; but there is no mention made
of the temple, nor of Jerusalem, as in the preceding
psalm; and besides, why should Manasseh and Ephraim
be mentioned ? wherefore others are of opinion that it
has regard to the captivity of the ten tribes by Salma-
neser; but then it may be asked, why is Benjamin
taken notice of, which had no concern in the affliction ?
this has led others to conclude that it respects some

{a} \^Mynvv la\^ super liliis, Tigurine version, Cocceius; pro liliis, Musculus.