2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee:

3

I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High.
When mine enemies are turned back,

They shall fall and perish at thy presence.

4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; Thou satest in the throne judging right.

5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen;

Thou hast destroyed the wicked;.

Thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.

60 thou enemy,

7

Destructions are come to a perpetual end.
And thou hast destroyed cities;

Their memorial is perished with them.

But the LORD shall endure for ever:

He hath prepared his throne for judgment.

8 And he shall judge the world in righteousness,

He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble.

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee:

11

For thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Sing praises to the LORD, which dwelleth in Zion: Declare among the people his doings.

12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them:

He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

it, on the death of the fool (see 1 Sam. xxv. 25): others, slightly changing the Hebrew vowels, suppose the former part of the clause to denote female voices, or soprano; and the latter to mean, 'for Ben,' or '[the children of] Ben,' a Levitical singer mentioned in 1 Chron. xv. 18. But it is most likely that 'Muth-labben' is the title of another poem, to the tune of which this psalm was composed; just as, in 2 Sam. i. 18, a poem is referred to which was known by the name of 'the Bow.' Thus it would mean, 'According to the song

Muth-labben (Death of the Son).'

Ver. 6. 0 thou enemy, etc. Or, 'As to the enemy,' etc. 'Thou' in the second clause probably means Jehovah (as in ver.5), to whom David always ascribes his victories.

Ver. 12. Blood. Heb., 'bloods.' The plural form of this word always refers to effusion of blood, and generally implies violence. The plural pronoun 'them,' in the next clause, may refer to blood shed; but more probably to the afflicted' in the next clause. All unjust bloodshedding provokes God's judgments;

13 Have mercy upon me, O LORD;

Consider my trouble which I suffer of them that

hate me,

Thou that liftest me up from the gates of death: 14 That I show forth all thy praise

15

may

In the gates of the daughter of Zion:

I will rejoice in thy salvation.

The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: In the net which they hid is their own foot taken. 16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth; The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

17

The wicked shall be turned into hell,
And all the nations that forget God.

18 For the needy shall not alway be forgotten:

19

The expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail :

Let the heathen be judged in thy sight.

20 Put them in fear, O LORD:

That the nations may know themselves to be but men.
Selah.

PSALM X.

[In the Septuagint, and some other ancient versions, Psalm x. is joined to the preceding; but there seems to be no sufficient reason for such an arrangement. Psalm ix. is one mainly of thanksgiving; Psalm x. is one of complaint and distress, on account either of the incursions of enemies, or of a disorganized state of society at home. Both its style and its position, however, make it probable that it proceeded from the same author. It contains a complaint of the pride and malice of the wicked (vers. 1-11); and a confident prayer for Divine interposition (12-18).]

1 WHY standest thou afar off, O LORD?

Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? 2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor. Let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

which, though deferred, are not and thoughtfully. But the use of abandoned.

Ver. 16. Higgaion. The word 'Higgaion' may mean meditation, being a direction (stronger than 'Selah' alone) to pause reverently

the word in Psa. xcii. 3, with reference to the sound of the harp, makes it more likely that it was designed to call for instrumental music whilst the singers paused.

3 For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire,

And blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth. 4 The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God:

God is not in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous;

Thy judgments are far above out of his sight:
As for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.

6 He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved :
For I shall never be in adversity.

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud : Under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

8 He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: In the secret places doth he murder the innocent: His eyes are privily set against the poor.

9 He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: He lieth in wait to catch the poor:

He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.

10 He croucheth, and humbleth himself,

That the poor may fall by his strong ones.

11 He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: He hideth his face; he will never see it.

12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: Forget not the humble.

13 Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God?

Psalm x., ver. 3. And blesseth the covetous, etc. Perhaps, And, making [unjust] gain, blesses [while he] despises Jehovah.'

Ver. 4. The wicked through the pride, etc. Or, 'The wicked in his pride [God] will not seek; No God [are] all his thoughts.' See ver. 13. All sin is practical atheism.

Ver. 5. Grievous. The Hebrew word probably means 'enduring,' or 'firm;' and describes the sinner's fallacious security. For a season he is exempt from judgments, and his life is apparently prosperous. See Psa. lxxiii. 4-7.

Ver. 7. Under his tongue, etc.

This expression is supposed to allude to the poison of serpents, which is concealed beneath their teeth. See Rom. iii. 13, 14.

Ver. 9. The wicked man is compared first to a lion, and then to a hunter, to show that he employs craft as well as force.

Ver. 10. His strong ones. Meaning probably his strong claws or teeth; recurring to the metaphor of a lion (ver. 9).

Ver. 12. The humble. Or, 'the afflicted.' But the difference is not important, as the context here and in many other places shows that humble sufferers are spoken of.

He hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. 14 Thou hast seen it;

For thou beholdest mischief and spite,

To requite it with thy hand:

The poor committeth himself unto thee;
Thou art the helper of the fatherless.

15 Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man : Seek out his wickedness till thou find none.

16

The LORD is King for ever and ever:

The heathen are perished out of his land.

17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: Thou wilt prepare their heart,

Thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

18 To judge the fatherless and the oppressed,
That the man of the earth may no more oppress.
PSALM XI.

To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

[Psalm xi. was evidently composed by David at some period of danger; but whether during his persecution by Saul, or the rebellion of Absalom, is quite uncertain. In opposition to the timid counsels of desponding friends, who did but give expression to the doubting thoughts of his own heart (vers. 1-3), he declares his firm confidence in the watchful care of Providence, and in the ultimate retribution of Divine rectitude (vers. 4-7). The general character of the psalm makes it applicable to all God's people in every season of danger and difficulty.]

1 IN the LORD put I my trust: How say ye to my soul,

Flee as a bird to your mountain?

2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow,

They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations be destroyed,

What can the righteous do?

Ver. 18. That the man of the earth may no more oppress. Rather, 'so that he (i. e., the sinner already described ver. 15) shall no longer terrify the feeble from the land;' dislodging them from their homes and possessions.

Psalm xi., ver. 1. Your moun

tain. A refuge inaccessible to the archer (ver. 2).

Ver. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, etc. This means, probably, the foundations of social order; the principles of justice, and laws based upon them. When these are not respected, innocence ceases

His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

5 The LORD trieth the righteous:

But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares,

Fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest:
This shall be the portion of their cup.

7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness;
His countenance doth behold the upright.
PSALM XII.

To the chief Musician upon Sheminith. A Psalm of David. [Psalm xii. contains nothing to determine the particular occasion on which it was composed. It refers in general terms to the increase of the wicked in numbers and power (vers. 1-4), and it encourages the servants of God to confide in Him, whenever the interests of truth and godliness appear to be depressed (5—8).]

1 HELP, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth;

For the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: With flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips,

And the tongue that speaketh proud things: 4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; Our lips are our own: who is lord over us?

to afford protection, and society is hastening to dissolution.

Ver. 4. This is David's animated reply to his desponding friends, and it well suggests the source of consolation which is provided for suffering integrity in every age.

Ver. 6. Snares. Some render this word 'burning coals;' but it is better to retain the usual translation. The verse contains a variety of figures expressive of the numerous ways in which God punishes the wicked. 'Snares' are a frequent metaphor in the psalms for inextricable difficulties. See Psa. vii. 15;

ix. 15; x. 9. 'Fire and brimstone' are familiar types of sudden and complete destruction; and refer doubtless to the great historical example of Sodom and Gomorrah. See Job xviii. 15; Ezek. xxxviii. 22.

Ver. 7. His countenance doth behold the upright. He regards him with approbation and favour. See note on Psa. i. 6.

Psalm xii., ver. 4. Our lips are our own. The meaning perhaps is, We will utter what we please. If So, these words forcibly describe the license of speech in which the wicked indulge.

C