The Book of Praises fitly ends with this full-toned call to universal praise with every accompaniment of jubilant rejoicing. It may have been composed as a closing doxology for the whole Psalter, corresponding to the doxologies at the end of the first four books; but it would seem rather to have bee... [ Continue Reading ]
_God_ El, the God of sovereign power (Psalms 90:2). _in his sanctuary_ This may mean the temple (cp. Psalms 63:2, &c.), and the verse will then be a call to men to praise Jehovah in His earthly abode, and to angels to praise Him in heaven above. Cp. Psalms 148. But it is better to understand it to m... [ Continue Reading ]
_for his mighty acts_ Cp. Psalms 106:2; Psalms 145:4; Psalms 145:11-12. _according to_the abundance of his greatness] Cp. 1 Chronicles 29:11, "Thine is the greatness and the might.... [ Continue Reading ]
_with the sound of the trumpet_ With blast of cornet. The -cornet," originally a ram's or cow's horn, perhaps in later times a metal instrument of the same shape, was mainly employed for secular purposes, while the instrument generally used in religious ceremonies was the _chatsôtserâh_or straight m... [ Continue Reading ]
_with the timbrel and dance_ See on Psalms 149:3. The P.B.V. _cymbals_seems to be a slip of Coverdale's, which was not corrected in the Great Bible, as he renders _tôph_correctly by _tabret_, i.e. a small drum, in Psalms 149:3. _with stringed instruments and_pipes] The word _minnîm_, -stringed instr... [ Continue Reading ]
_the loud cytubals … the high sounding cymbals_ The clear sounding cymbals … the clanging cymbals. Two kinds of cymbals are obviously meant: the first, lit. _cymbals of hearing_, may have been a smaller kind, producing a sharp, clear sound, possibly _castanets_: the second may have been a larger kin... [ Continue Reading ]
_every_thing that hath _breath_ Heb. _all breath_, Vulg. _omnis spiritus_, Jer. _omne quod spirat_. Cp. Deuteronomy 20:16; Joshua 10:40. _Neshâmâh_most commonly denotes the breath of man; but it may include all animals. Not priests and Levites only but all Israel, not Israel only but all mankind, no... [ Continue Reading ]