morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

be followed by (cxlii. 7), or 3 (lxvi. 19), or by a simple accusative, as Jer. xxii. 18, or it may be used absolutely, as hikshabtî vâeshmâ, Jer. viii. 6. "The voice of my cry," i.e. my articulately spoken cry as opposed to "my meditation," v. I. 'my meditation," v. I. y, apparently from a form

שׁוּעַ .i. q שֶׁוַע

b. "For unto Thee will I pray," LXX. őтɩ πрùs σè πроσeúέoμai. This rendering is admissible, and is explained by Kimchi, "Unto Thee, and not to any other Saviour." But we incline to the rendering, "When I pray unto Thee."

3. "In the morning." The efficacy and especial obligation of morning prayer is continually dwelt upon by Orientals. Thus in the Talmud (Berachoth 10 b) we read "Every one that eateth and drinketh, and after that says the prayers, of him the Scripture saith, 'But Me thou hast cast behind thy back."" And again, "It is forbidden to a man to go about his business before praying." Cf. also 6 b. So too Koran xvii. 8o, "Perform the prayer at the declining of the sun, at the first darkness of the night, and the prayer of daybreak, for the prayer of daybreak is borne witness to," cf. also xx. 130, xxx. 16. And so Hâfiz, the great Persian lyric poet, addressing the Beloved in mystical language, says (ed. Schwannau, p. 40), “In the morning hours be on thy guard, (lest thou be compelled to hear) if this poor stranger make his complaint." Such instances might indeed be multiplied almost without limit.

"Will I direct." The word "prayer" is rightly supplied after this verb. LXX. paraphrases by Tapaστńσoμaí σoi. The Hebr. 7 is the word used for the laying of the pieces of the sacrifice in order (Lev. i. 8), for the laying in order of the wood (Lev. i. 7), and for the adjustment of the burnt-offering on the altar (Lev. vi. 12 [5]). Thus it is more than probable that morning prayer is here referred to as a morning sacrifice, somewhat as of evening prayer it is said, "let. the lifting up of my hands be [as] the evening sacrifice” (cxli. 2). "And will look up," or rather, "look forth," viz. in confident expectation of being answered. LXX. καὶ ἐπόψομαι (Cod. Alex. καὶ

ἐπόψῃ με).

4. b. "Dwell with Thee;" Hebr. 77, for y 11, yâgoor imm'ca, cf. "at, Gen. xxx., so 7, Job xxxi. 18, "He grew up with me as with a father." "Evil," Hebr. ra. Here, as in ci. 4 and frequently, it is doubtful whether "evil" or "an evil person" is meant.

5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

:

6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

7 But as for me, I will come into

thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies : make thy way straight before my face.

The former rendering is perhaps to be preferred as being a better parallel to resha, "wickedness," in the 1st hemist. LXX. gives πονηρευόμενος.

5. "The foolish" Hebr. D'ın, hôľ'lim, as in lxxiii. 3, lxxv. 4, denotes "foolish-boasters;" it may be taken grammatically either as the Partic. Kal, or Partic. Poel for m'hollîm.

6. "Destroy" though it is doubtful whether the Kal of 78 ever means actually "to perish," there can be no doubt that the Pi. may mean "to destroy." This signf. may come from a primary meaning “to make as lost," perdere.

7. a. "In the multitude of Thy mercy." There is a contrast here between the wicked who cannot stand in God's sight, and himself who is to come into God's House. And yet he acknowledges that it is only of God's gracious goodness that he is allowed to do so. "House," i.e. the tabernacle which David pitched for the ark when it was removed to Zion (2 Sam. vi. 17). The name, “House of Jehovah,” is applied to the tent-sanctuary in Josh. vi. 24, 2 Sam. xii. 20; Del. observes that even at the present day the Beduin calls his tent n', bêt shar, "hair house."

It may

b. "Toward Thy holy Temple:" entering into the front court of this Tabernacle, he will prostrate himself in the direction of the pb, lit. ‘holy Temple,' but here denoting the 777 (cf. xxviii. 2), or Holy of Holies. This expression is repeated in cxxxviii. 2. be noticed that is applied in O. T. to various parts of the Tabernacle or Temple. Its derivation (Rt. 1, capacem esse) merely denotes its purpose as the receptacle of Divinity, and does not in the least determine the material. We see that already the custom of worshipping towards the place of God's especial Presence obtained. The practice of turning to Jerusalem, alluded to in Daniel vi. 10, is still enjoined on the Jews (see Berachoth 30 a). Mohammed, when he fled to Medina, directed his followers to turn to Jerusalem, but in the 2nd year of the Hejra he gave them the Caba or holy temple at Mecca as their Kiblah or place to turn towards (Koran ii. 139).

8. "Make......straight." The C'thib form is hôshar, but K'rî hayshar, cf. Gen. viii. 17, where the K'rî is haytsê for C'thîb hôtsê; on

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue. 10 Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their

transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

II But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

the contrary in Is. xlv. 2, the K'rî is WN, a’vashshêr for a'yashshêr. "Thy way," LXX. wrongly rηv ódóv μov.

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9. "Faithfulness;" Hebr. ɔɔ, n'cônâh, Niph. partic., the fem. being used for want of a neut. in Hebr., cf. cxviii. 23. It denotes 'honesty," ," "trustworthiness;" cf. D", "true men," Gen. xlii. 11, from the same root 1, "to establish." "In their mouth," lit. "in his mouth," the adversaries being regarded collectively.

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"Very wickedness." H., havvôth. This subst., used in sing. and plur. (generally the latter), is peculiar to Pss., Prov., and Job. It may be used to express "malevolent desire," or injurious action which proceeds from malevolence. Its connexion with the Rts. In, MIN, Ma, is obvious. It is suggested that here in connexion with p i denotes the yawning, hungry gulf of destruction, and it is noteworthy that the Arab. hawiyat denotes barathrum, as well as cupido. But in Arab. we have the Rt. ", decidit, as well as ", amavit, and it may be doubted whether there is any real connexion between the two substantival signfs. We prefer on the whole to adhere to the signf. destruction," and we believe the climax to be—their inner parts are a very place of destruction, their throat is a yawning sepulchral passage to it, their tongue is a smooth and easy entrance. The general signf. being, that these adversaries devise the most destructive schemes, and veil their purpose from their victims by smoothly-framed speech. "Their tongue they make smooth or 'slippery"" is the literal rendg. of the final clause, which thus reverts to the opening words, "There is no faithfulness in their mouth."

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Kimchi notices the play on the words p Dp in this verse. The LXX. misrends. П, μaraia.

as אשם .Rt

=

99 66

10. "Destroy Thou them :" this will be the rendg. if we take the DD. But better, "Treat them as guilty," punish them;".cf. the use of yn in Deut. xxv. I. Kimchi, after the analogy of sp, Judg. xx. 16, rends. "Let them miss their mark." LXX. κρίνον αὐτούς.

II. "Because Thou defendest them." H. 1 1. LXX. wrongly καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν αὐτοῖς.

12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou com

pass him as with a shield.

12. b. LXX. gives the wrong tense (éσrepávwoas), and rends. the pronom. suffix by nμâs.

TITLE.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM VI.

THE MISERY OF THE PERSECUTED SAINT.

"To the Precentor on n'gînôth, upon the sh'mînîth; a Psalm to

David."

THE suppliant is surrounded by malignant foes. Their machinations have caused him continual sorrow, and sorrow has caused emaciation and premature decay. That the Psalmist ascribes his sufferings to God's anger (verse 1) is probably the ground on which this Psalm is numbered among the seven "penitential Psalms" (vi., xxxii., xxxviii., li., cii., cxxx., cxliii.). But this view of the Psalm is incorrect, for nowhere does the Psalmist make confession of sin, on the contrary he apparently claims God's intervention on the ground that he is severed from iniquity and from the workers of iniquity. God's "anger" is mentioned merely because, according to the usage of Hebrew writers, the continuance of an affliction which might be removed by Divine interposition is assignable to the displeasure of Jehovah. There is no reason for doubting the authenticity of the Inscription which assigns this Psalm to David, though here, as elsewhere, it is uncertain whether it is the persecution by Saul or the revolt of Absalom, or either, which is the cause of the royal Psalmist's lamentations. All the Penitential Psalms are included (Ps. li. being repeated in the Commination Office) in our Ash-Wednesday Services.

2. "Weak." H. umlal: this anomalous form may be regarded, either as a Partic. i. q. p, with Kamets changed to Pathach because the word is closely joined to "N following, or as an adj., Neh. iii. 34.

b. Lit. "For my bones are perturbed," or "shaken." This style of language is common in the writings of those who are visited with

3 My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

4 Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.

5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

7 Mine eye is consumed because of

grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

8 Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

Io Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

great sickness or sorrow, cf. xxii. 14, cii. 3, Ezek. xxxvii. 11. In such cases, where an English writer would mention merely the bodily frame generally, the Hebrews specify the loins, reins, inner parts, bones, etc.

3. Lit. “And my soul is perturbed exceedingly; Thou, Jehovah, how long [dost Thou keep aloof]?" A similar aposiopesis after y ' occurs in xc. 13. Cf. also Is. vi. II.

5. Cf. Ecclus. xvii. 27, "Who shall praise the Most High in the grave, instead of them which live and give thanks?" The state after death was generally regarded by the Hebrews as one of utter inactivity, and of severance from "God. This thought is expanded in lxxxviii., see our note on lxxxviii. 5.

6. "Water," ADDN (from HDD, i. q. DDY) = “dissolve, “cause to melt."

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7. Mine eye" better, we think, "my features," or lit. "my aspect.", somewhat like our words "sight," "vision," may represent that which is seen as well as that which sees, the aspect as well as the eye cf. Numb. xi. 7, Zech. v. 6, and lxxxviii. 9.

8-10.

In whatever way we account for the use of the Past tense here, it is plain that the Psalmist's prayer has suddenly kindled confident hope of future security. We prefer to rend. the Past tense just as in A. V. "hath heard," explaining this confident declaration of the Psalmist merely of the inward alleviation which his confession has procured. But it is also perfectly possible to rend. this past as a Praet. confidentiae, "will surely hear."

IO. "Let them return :" read. "let them be turned back."