7 Let the assembly of the nations compass thee about, And over all ascend thy throne.

8 The Lord judgeth the nations.

Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, And according to mine integrity that is in me.

9 O, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,

But establish the just ;

For the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

10 My defence is of God,

Who saveth the upright in heart.

11 God is a righteous judge,

And God is angry with the wicked every day. 12 If he do not desist, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready. 13 He hath prepared for him the instruments of death; He shooteth his arrows against the persecutors.

14

Behold, he travailed with iniquity,

And conceived mischief, and brought forth disappointment.

15 He made a pit and digged it,

And is fallen into the ditch which he made.

16 His mischief returneth upon his own head,

Ver. 12. The change of person in this and the 14th verse is to be noticed. "If he (the wicked) do not desist, he (God) will whet his sword," &c. In the 14th verse, "he" is again "the wicked." "He hath bent his bow," &c. The bow, when not in use, was unstrung and straight. To bend the bow is therefore to string it and make it ready for use.

And his violent dealing cometh down upon his own

pate.

17 I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.

PSALM XXIII.

IN THE VALLEY OF JORDAN, HAVING FLED FROM
ABSALOM.

THIS beautiful psalm scarcely needs illustration, yet every sentence in it is worthy to be dwelt upon. It relates to the time when, having retreated before Absalom, David pitched his camp beyond Jordan, and was in danger of seeing his little army perish for want of provisions in that uncultivated region. Affairs, however, turned out quite differently; for the veteran soldiers flocked in to him from every quarter; and his camp was so liberally supplied with provisions, by the good and opulent citizens, that he was able to collect an army, and risk the event of a battle. 2 Sam. xvii. He therefore compares himself to a sheep, and the Almighty to a shepherd, a very obvious figure, and which every day occurred to his sight during his stay in those desert parts. The sheep, timid, defenceless, exposed to all the beasts of prey, are indebted for life, safety, and every thing to the care of the shepherd. In the mountainous region, cataracts from the melted

snow flow down the ravines. These are dangerous for sheep to approach, and the water is unwholesome. He therefore adds, that he is led to waters gently flowing, and guided in the right way. The scene before his eyes consisted of rude hills, and valleys deep and dark. There is no safety for the sheep, in these valleys, but in the care of the shepherd.

In the fifth verse he descends from figurative to plain language, and celebrates the bounty of God in providing him a banquet in the presence of his enemies. Michaelis in Lowth.

1

PSALM XXIII.

THE Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;

He leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He reviveth my spirit;

He leadeth me in the right paths,

For his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow

of death,

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me ;

Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me, In the presence of mine enemies ;

Ver. 4. "The valley of the shadow of death." This is a Hebraism for "the darkest valley." The meaning is, that, when led through straits and difficulties, like the flock through some gloomy valley, the poet would fear no evil, trusting in the support of Jehovah, as the flock does to its shepherd.

Thou anointest my head with oil;

My cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

PSALMS XLII. AND XLIII.

IN THE VALLEY OF JORDAN, HAVING FLED FROM ABSALOM.

THESE two psalms undoubtedly form but one composition. In numerous Hebrew manuscripts there is no separation between them. For beauty of imagery, depth and naturalness of religious feeling, and the very striking manner in which the voice of religion in the poet's inmost soul is heard in the refrains, stilling the tempest of anxiety and grief, this psalm probably has no superior in any language. N.

PSALM XLII.

1 As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God!

Ver. 5. "Thou anointest my head with oil," &c. This is a reference to the Eastern custom of anointing the heads of distinguished guests, at feasts, with fragrant oil. Our Saviour seems to have rebuked the Pharisee, who had invited him to dine with him, for omitting this mark of hospitality. Luke vii. 46.

Ver. 1. "As the hart," &c. In the East, where streams are not

2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,

While they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?"

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in grief;

5

How I once walked with the multitude to the house

of God,

With the voice of joy and praise, with the multitude that kept holy day!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul,

And why art thou disquieted in me?

Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

6

O my God, my

soul is cast down within me,

While I remember thee from the land of Jordan and

of the Hermonites,

From the hill Mizar.

common, the deer are often chased by savage beasts from their favorite haunts to the parched ground. Then their thirst becomes excessive, but they dare not return to the water, lest they should again meet the enemy.

Ver. 2. "Appear before God," i. e. in his house of worship.

Ver. 6. "The land of Jordan," &c. The author of the Report of the United States Exploring Expedition to the Dead Sea thus speaks of the first view of Hermon: "Mount Hermon now came into view, its brow seamed with lines of snow, which were fast disappearing beneath the sun of a Syrian summer." In this wild