THOU Saviour of such as take refuge with Thee, From those, who set themselves up against Thy right hand. 8 Guard me as the pupil of Thine eye, Hide me under the shadow of Thy wings; 9 From the wicked, who would destroy meFrom my deadly enemies, who encompass me. 10 They have inclosed themselves in their fat, They fix their eyes down upon the ground. 12 They are like a lion, eager to tear in pieces, Even like a young lion, couching in his hiding places. 13 Arise, JEHOVAH! confront them, lay them low; Deliver me from the wicked, who are Thy sword— 14 From the men, who are instruments in Thy hand, O JEHOVAH !— From worldly men, whose portion is in their life, And whose bellies Thou fillest with Thy treasured ones, 7 against Thy right hand-against one protected by Thy right hand. 8 of Thine eye-Heb. the daughter of an eye. Allusion is here made to the extreme care requisite for the preservation of so delicate an organ as the eye. Compare Prov. vii. 2. wings-The image is here taken from the protection given by a mother bird to its young. See Ps. xci. 4. "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as ahengathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" Matt. xxiii. 37. 9 my deadly enemies - Heb. my enemies against (my) life. 10 fat-The sacred writers employ this term to signify a body pampered to excess by luxury and self indulgence. See Ps. Lxxiii. 7. and Ps. cxix. 70. "He covereth his face with his fatness." Job xv. 27. Whose children are fed to the full with them, And who leave what remains of them to their little ones. 15 As for me, through righteousness I see Thy face; I am fed to the full, when I awake, with beholding Thee. PSALM XVIII. 1 I LOVE Thee, O JEHOVAH, my strength! 2 JEHOVAH is my strong hold, my fortress, and deliverer, 4 The snares of death hemmed me in, And the floods of ungodliness made me greatly afraid. 5 The snares of Hades encompassed me; The toils of death confronted me. 6 In my strait, I called upon Jehovah, And I cried aloud unto my God. He heard my voice from His palace; 7 Then the earth shook and trembled, And the foundations of the mountains tottered, Yea, they rocked, because He was wroth. 8 Smoke went up through His nostrils, And devouring fire issued out of His mouth. Burning coals came flaming from Him. 9 HE bowed the heavens, and came down, And thick darkness was under His feet. 10 He rode upon the Cherubim, and did fly, And He soared upon the wings of the wind. 11 HE shrouded Himself in darkness; The dark waters, clouds heaped upon clouds, Were His pavilion round about Him. 12 At the brightness before Him, His clouds passed away. There were hailstones and coals of fire! 13 JEHOVAH thundered in the heavens, 14 HE sent forth His arrows and scattered them, 15 The channels of the waters were seen, 6 his palace-i. e. heaven. Compare ver. 9. and Ps. xi. 4. 8 Smoke &c.-Heat is used figuratively to express anger; hence fire and smoke have also been employed for the same purpose, and these latter are here described as issuing from the mouth and nostrils, to indicate an intense degree of that feeling. - Burning coals-i. e. lightnings. 9 bowed-i. e. caused to stoop. thick darkness-caused by the descending clouds. 10 the Cherubim—God appears enthroned upon the same awful seat which He occupied in His earthly residence, the tabernacle, and afterwards the temple. - wings of the wind-The Psalmist represents the wind as supplying the place of wings to the Almighty. 11 the dark waters-i. e. the waters above the firmament. See Ps. civ. 3. 14 them-i. e. mine enemies. See ver. 17. PSALM XVIII. 27 At Thy rebuke, O JEHOVAH !— At the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils. 16 He put forth His hand from on high, He took hold on me; He drew me out of mighty waters. 17 He delivered me from my powerful enemies From those who hated me, when they were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But JEHOVAH became my support. 19 He brought me forth into a wide place; HE rescued me, because He regarded me with favour. 20 JEHOVAH hath repaid me, according to mine innocency; According to the cleanness of my hands, hath He rewarded me. 21 Because I have kept the ways of JEHOVAH, And have not wickedly departed from my God; 22 Because all His judgments have been before me, And I have not removed His statutes from me. 23 Yea, because I have been upright before Him, And have kept myself from iniquity; 24 Therefore JEHOVAH hath rewarded me, According to mine innocency, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. 25 To the good man, Thou showest Thyself merciful; But to the froward, Thou appearest perverse. 22 before me-Compare Ps. x. 5. and Note 2. 23 from iniquity-Heb. from my iniquity-i. e. from iniquity on my part. The words of the translation appear to give the full sense of the Hebrew. Compare Ps. xxvi. 1. 24in His sight-Heb.before His eyes. 26 perverse-Heb. tortuous. "Ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal." Ezek. xxviii. 25. 27 the afflicted-Heb. the afflicted people. - the eyes of the haughty-Heb. haughty eyes. The meaning obviously is that the haughty themselves 28 For it is Thou, who lightest my lamp, O JEHOVAH! 29 For by Thee do I burst through armed bands, 30 As for God, perfect is His way! The word of JEHOVAH is tried; HE is a shield unto all, who take refuge with Him. 31 For who is a God, save JEHOVAH ? Or who is a rock, beside our God?— 32 The God, who girdeth me with might, And maketh certain my path? 33 HE maketh my feet swift as the hinds', And enableth me to make a stand upon my high places. 34 HE traineth my hands for the battle, So that mine arms bend a bow of brass. 35 THOU also givest me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand sustaineth me; Even Thine afflicting hand tendeth to make me great. |