CXX. This is the first of the fifteen “songs of degrees,” as the title appears in our version (“of steps” in the LXX. and Vulg.; literally, _of goings up_). The probable meaning of this strange inscription is discussed in the General Introduction. That the Psalms so entitled formed a collection made... [ Continue Reading ]
DELIVER... — This is the cry for help of which mention has just been made. The thought is one we have met frequently. Of all the elements of bitterness which made up the lot of Israel under foreign dominion, taunts and calumnies seem to have made the deepest wound, and left the most lasting scar. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT SHALL...? — Literally, _What will he give to thee,_ and _what will he add to thee, deceitful tongue_? where it is better, as in the Authorised Version, to take the subject as indefinite, and so render by the passive. Thus we get in substance the following question: “What more can be added to th... [ Continue Reading ]
SHARP. — Better, _sharpened, whetted,_ as if for a purpose. JUNIPER. — Properly, _broom._ Hebrew, _rothem,_ a plant identical with the Arabian _retem_ and Algerian _retama._ (See 1 Kings 19:4.) Doctor Tristram mentions the employment of this bush for fuel. “It is ruthlessly uprooted by the Arabs, w... [ Continue Reading ]
MESECH. — This name is generally identified with _Moschi,_ mentioned by Herodotus (iii. 94), a tribe on the borders of Colchis and Armenia. It appears again in the prophet Ezekiel 27:13; Ezekiel 38:3; Ezekiel 39:1. The only reason for suspecting the accuracy of this identification is the remoteness... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM FOR PEACE. — For the pregnant, “I peace,” see Note, Psalms 109:3. Both pronouns, _I_ and _they,_ are emphatic. No doubt these verses are intended to indicate the nature of the malicious speeches mentioned in Psalms 120:2. We imagine Israel in peculiarly difficult political relations under the P... [ Continue Reading ]