CHAPTER XII. THE PSALMS OF THE SECOND BOOK. 355. Bur it may be said 'It is very possible-nay, highly probable--that very many of these Titles are erroneous, and that very many of these Psalms, though ascribed to David, were not really written by David at all.' We grant this fully, and we wish it to be distinctly observed that our argument does not in the least depend on the accuracy of the Titles. For our own purposes, indeed, we should gladly at once set aside the Titles altogether, and try to make out the age of any particular Psalm from its internal evidence. But as HENGSTENBERG, one of the chief defenders of the traditionary view, is so very decided in maintaining their correctness, it seems best, with Dr. DAVIDSON, ii.255, to assume the alleged Davidic authorship' as being possibly true, 'till internal evidence proves the contrary.' In order, therefore, to make sure of our ground, it is necessary to examine carefully, one by one, the Psalms of the Second Book, and see if they contain sufficient internal evidence to enable us to fix them, either upon David himself as their author, or else upon the age of David. 356. In Part II (362-428) we have gone through at full length a minute examination of the Psalms of Book II, the result of which is as follows: (i) There are three of these Psalms, viz. Ps.l, Ps.lx, Ps.lxviii, which, as it appears to us, may be assigned from their internal evidence, with very great probability-and, in the case of Ps.lx and Ps.lxviii, with a near approach to certainty --to the age of David; (ii) There is no strong internal evidence, such as to compel us to a similar conclusion, in the case of any other of the Psalms of this Book; (iii) But, on the other hand, there is no decisive evidence to the contrary; and it is possible that all of them may have been written in David's time, and even by David himself,- -some of them, as the Titles imply, in the earlier portion of his life, some in the middle, and some in the latter years of it,-—and, at all events, by some one of that age. 357. With respect, however, to the above three Psalms, li, lx, lxviii, — and especially the last two of them,-on which the whole stress of our argument will be laid,-it seems highly probable that they were actually written by or for David, and, adopting the Bible chronology, in the fifty-first, forty-fifth, and fortieth, years of his life, respectively. Now, in the first two of these Psalms, Jehovah is not used at all; in the third, Jehovah or Jah occurs four times, but Elohim and Adonai thirty-eight times. The inference from this fact would seem to be irresistible, viz. that Jehovah was not in common use with one, at least, of the most devout and able writers of that age, unless it can be met by contrary evidence of a very decisive character, showing as certainly that some Psalms were composed, by or for David in the early part of his life, which contain the name Jehovah as predominantly as Ps:lxviii contains Elohim. 358. We must now proceed to examine carefully the internal contents of each of these three Psalms. Few English readers, indeed—and, certainly, none of the traditionary school-would be inclined to doubt the fact of these three Psalms being really David's. such merely conventional belief will not suffice for our present purposes. We must endeavour to make out, if possible, how the truth really stands in this matter. 6 But 359. Ps.li (E.6,J.0) is generally believed to be the genuine utterance of David's 'broken spirit,' when he came to repentance after his grievous sin. It appears to me that this Psalm is assigned in the Title to its true occasion. The writer does not once use in it the name Jehovah.' May it have been that, in the anguish of his soul, he had recourse to the old familiar name, Elohim, as a more real name, a name dear to him from old associations, one which he had used all along in his childhood and youth, and in the better days of his ripened manhood, rather than to the more modern name, Jehovah? 360. Dr. DAVIDSON, however, observes as follows, ii.253: -as the 'disjointed, abrupt, language,' the multitude of sins, and that here we find the first entreaty for forgiveness of sin, which was already disclosed to David, the obviously later idea of the original sinfulness of man,' -are partly without any foundation, resting only on narrow views of interpretation, and partly not decisive. Only the prayer v.18, for the building, of the walls of Jerusalem,' which assumes their destruction, is manifestly irreconcilable with the notion of its having been composed by David. Yet is this conclusion very loosely appended, and hence it is explained by several interpreters as a later addition. If it is genuine, then the Psalm must belong to the time after the Babylonish Captivity. The fifty-first psalm is post-Davidic, as the two last verses prove,- Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burntoffering and whole burnt-offering; then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.' It is true that they are but loosely appended to the preceding context,and are therefore considered, by many, a later addition. That hypothesis is probably groundless. The psalm was written at a time when the City and Temple of Jerusalem were thrown down. Both Zion and the walls of the capital are expressly mentioned. Hence the attempts, that have been made to force the meaning into union with David's crime in relation to Bathsheba, are unworthy of notice. The psalm shows a right sense of 363. But we have no reason to supsin as committed mainly against God, and a thorough feeling of the worthlessness of ex- pose à priori that such a man as David ternal sacrifices, apart from purity of heart may not have had a deep spiritual apor rectitude of motive. Whether views so prehension of the evil of sin, sufficient near the Christian ones were entertained by any Jew as early as David's time is doubtful. to account for his language in this A later than David seems to be required by Psalm; and, if so, surely, the connecthe apprehension of sin, as well as the state of tion between v.17 and v.18,19, is most Jerusalem, implied in the poem. The begin-natural and intimate. The only 'sacrining of the Babylonish Capitivity is the probable date. 361. HENGSTENBERG says, ii.p.182:That the Psalm was composed by David on the occasion [of his sin with Bathsheba], appears from the superscription, and also from the wonderful agreement of the contents with 2S.xi,xii. That we have to do here with a sinner of high rank, is probable even from v.13, 'Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee,'-according to which the compassion to be shown to the Psalmist shall operate beneficially through an extensive circle, but quite certain from the conclusion, v.18,19. That the Psalmist there passes on to pray for the salvation of the whole people, pre-supposes that this salvation was personally connected with himself, that the people stood and fell with him. In v.14 the Psalmist prays for deliverance from blood-guiltiness. Such guilt David had incurred through the death of Uriah occasioned by him, and Nathan had threatened him in the name of God with the divine vengeance for it. This is the more remarkable from the circumstances of the case being so singular. Of a true worshipper of God-[much less of a pious king]-the whole history of the Old Testament contains nothing similar. fice,' which he can presume to bring, in the consciousness of his great crime, and in the deep sense of God's forgiving mercy, is 'a broken spirit': "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.' Yet, if God will bless His chosen City, not for its guilty king's sake, but of His own free grace, and in His own 'good pleasure' will 'do good to Zion,' then would abundant and acceptable offerings be made by the righteous zeal of its inhabitants, such as his sorrowful and shame-stricken spirit could not think of bringing. 364. The fact, that the writer was a man of rank,' v.13, who had been guilty of murder,' v.14, seems to point very strongly to David: and the whole language of the Psalm suits thoroughly the story of his sin and of his repentance. In v.18 there seems to be no reference to the walls of Jerusalem' being broken down and in ruins, but only to their being feeble, needing to be built up' and strengthened. The language appears to be used metaphorically, (as in Ps.cxlvii.2, 'Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem,' compared with v.13, 'For Against the reference [to David's sin with He hath strengthened the bars of thy Bathsheba] may be urged the manner in which, v.3, &c., the fundamental idea is ex-gates,') with reference to the fact that pressed of more spiritual sins, punishable by David had taken the stronghold of God and not by man, and the inner unclean-Zion, and made Jerusalem his royal ness of human nature. The phenomena 362. EWALD, p. 247, assigns this Psalm to some time after the destruction of the Temple; OLSHAUSEN, p.226, to the times of the Maccabees. HUPFELD writes as follows, iii.p.3: usually produced by those who deny this city, only twelve years before, and that reference (e.g. DE WETTE, HITZIG, EWALD), there were still powerful enemies by whom his kingdom was threatened, as, e.g. the Ammonites, 2S.xii. 26-31. 365. Ps.lx (E.5,J.0), however, is, beyond all reasonable doubt, as it appears to us, referred by its title to the true occasion on which it was composed, and of which we read the account in 2S.viii.3, 13, in the forty-fifth year of David's life. The fact that in v.7 the writer speaks of his authority as extending over 'Gilead and Manasseh,' i.e. the trans-Jordanic tribes, as well as that of his calling Ephraim 'the strength of his head,' and Judah his own royal tribe, 'his lawgiver,' seems to point, in our judgment, almost with certainty, to David as its author. 366. Dr. DAVIDSON, however, ii.252, considers that this Psalm also 'is much later than David's time,' grounding his conclusion upon these two points : (i) v.1-3 shew a very unprosperous state of affairs. The people had experienced great disasters, and were discomfited. The marks of the Divine displeasure were palpable. But the country was not in so disordered a state, at the time of the Syrian war, as is here repre sented. Ans. It is very possible that David's forces were not always victorious, in the deadly struggles in which he was engaged while establishing his empire, though such defeats may not have been recorded in the rapid summary of his exploits in 28. viii. The whole account in 2S.x shows that this time of the Syrian war was a most critical time for him, as, indeed, Joab's words intimate, v.12,- Be of good courage, and let us play the men, for our people, and for the cities of our God; and Jehovah do that which seemeth Him good!' some measure obtained. The warlike, confident tone, the triumphant contempt of the enemy expressed in v.8, point to a time of highest prosperity in the state. And, in particular, the reign of David is indicated by the bouring nations, mentioned in this verse, circumstances that the three hostile neighwere all singularly defeated by David, and that in v.6,7, the countries on both sides of Jordan, and also Ephraim and Judah, appear as united in one kingdom, of which kingdom Judah was the head-a state of matters which ceased to exist immediately after Solomon, to whose time, however, it is impossible to refer like character by which it is distinguished. the Psalm, on account of the prevailing warFinally, it is evident, from v.9-13, that the Psalm was composed in view of an expedition against Edom. 368. Even EWALD, p.374, who places the date of its composition after the Captivity, considers that portions of it are of the Davidic age: sorrowful times (of the Captivity) calls to its Ps.lx shows at once that poetry in these help also the force and expression of the ancient poetical science: for, on close examination, there can be no doubt that the words from v.5(7), as far as the first half of v.10(12), are borrowed from an older, and, no doubt, Davidic song. While all the other words quite this later time, those on the contrary are fall in with the language and state of affairs of quite distinct in kind and colouring, subjectmatter and meaning; the dissimilarity strikes the eye at the first glance. The old passage proceeds in the following strain: at the time of great pressure in the latter part of David's life, when the Philistines fiercely threatened, comp. 2S.v.17-25, xxiii.9, &c., and the king in the Sanctuary had besought counsel and strength from Jehovah, he records here thankfully the cheering response which he received while struggling with his doubts and distress. How easily a later writer might apply this to the needy and oppressed circumstances of his own time, is obvious; if at that time, it is true, Philistines were not exactly the enemies to be dreaded, yet they were heathens, and Philistines' are treated as equivalent to 'heathens.' Ans. The language of these verses may only While, however, the later poet repeated the express David's confidence that his kingdom oracle, as the very centre and life of the should be permanently confirmed over the whole, untouched and completely unaltered, tribes of Israel, in accordance with the words and even produces something of the context, of Nathan, 28.vii.4,17, where the prophet says (v.9(11), and the first three words of v.10(12),) to him, in the name of Jehovah, Thine house he adds quite a new introduction, and the and thy kingdom shall be established for ever chief part of the conclusion, in his own words, before thee; thy throne shall be established-incontestably because the beginning and for ever.' And, as above observed, the words the remainder of the conclusion of the old of v.7 seem only applicable to the time of song did not sufficiently suit this later time. David. 369. OLSHAUSEN assigns this Psalm 367. HENGSTENBERG observes on this to the time of the Maccabees, but rePsalm, ii.p.276:— (ii) Besides, David already possessed the whole land of Canaan. He could not, therefore, appeal in v.6-8, to the promise of Jehovah, that his people should conquer and possess it. 'The sketch of the historical circumstances, by which this Psalm was called forth shews that it moves within the same domain as Ps.xliv. Ps.xliv is the earlier of the two; the sons of Korah sang [that Psalm] in the midst of distress, probably whilst David was absent at the Euphrates; David Jollowed them [in this] after succour had been in marks, p.263: That the oracle quoted by the Poet in v.6-8 is only borrowed, must in any case be assumed. That it contained, however, a revelation then generally known, perhaps, resting on the authority of the High Priest, and referring to the relations of the time, is much more probable than that it is derived from a Davidic song, as EWALD supposes. HUPFELD says, iii. p.122:word which has been pledged to him, This Psalm seems to point to the times of and in the midst of all his present disthe still-existing kingdom, but to a later tress and alarm, from the disasters extime [than that indicated by the Title], since the promise in the oracle expresses the idea perienced in the Edomite war, v.1-3, so common in the Prophets, of the restoration yet trusts in the faithfulness of God, of the unity of the kingdom, which is preceded who has given a banner to them that by an account of the division of the kingdom fear Him, to rally to before the bow,' (HUPF., EW., OLS.) v.4, i.e. who has given them a sure ground of confidence in the certainty that His word will not fail them in the end. and its sorrowful consequences. Upon careful consideration, however, of its contents, and for the reasons above stated, I cannot doubt that the Psalm in its entirety is, as HENGSTENBERG maintains, a product of the Davidic age, and, probably, from the hand of David himself. 370. In fact, the idea that the words in v.6-8 are supposed to be spoken not by David, but by Jehovah Himself, in the character of a mighty conqueror or ruler, asserting his supremacy over all the countries named, seems inadmissible, for the following reasons: (i) Although some of the expressions in v.6-8 might be explained thus, yet such phrases as 'Moab is my washpot, over Edom will I cast my shoe,' seem hardly such as would be ascribed to Jehovah. (ii) Why should the 'I,' 'my,' 'me,' in v.6, 7,8, not refer to the same speaker as the 'me,' in v.9, Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom ?'-or in v.5, That Thy beloved may be delivered, save with Thy right hand, and hear me,' which last expressions (be it observed) plainly imply that a king, or person in authority is speaking? (iii) Is not the expression in v.6, 'Elohim hath spoken in His Holiness,' inconsistent with the notion of His speaking the words following merely as a warrior or sovereign? Does not the phrase 'Elohim hath spoken' correspond exactly with the common prophetical formula, Jehovah hath spoken,' Is.xxii. 25, Jer.xiii.15, Ez.v.15,17, while the addition of the words in His Holiness' is equivalent to saying, 'and He will not depart from it,' -so that the whole sentence corresponds to N.xiv.35, 'I, Jehovah, have spoken, I will surely do it, or to N.xxiii. 19, Hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He not spoken, and shall He not make it good?' or to Is.xlvi. 11, 'I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass': comp. especially the change of persons in Is.xlviii.15, I, even I, have spoken and he shall make his way prosperous,' with 'Elohim hath spoken I will rejoice.' (iv) Is not, in short, the argument in this Psalm precisely like that employed in Ps. lxxxix. 19-37, comp. v.38-45, and see especially, v.49, 'Lord, where are Thy former lovingkindnesses, which Thou swarest unto David in Thy Truth (in Thy Holiness)?' 371. For the above reasons, it appears to me that the expressions in v.6-8 of this Psalm are the utterances of the Psalmist himself, who relies firmly on the Divine CHAPTER XIII. THE SIXTY-EIGHTH PSALM. 372. Ps.lxviii (E.31,J.4), is also, as it appears to us, undoubtedly a Psalm of David's age, as the Title declares, and we must call attention specially to it, as one of paramount importance with reference to the question now before us. 373. That this Psalm is a Psalm of David's age appears as follows: (i) In v.16, This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in, yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever,' we have a plain reference to the hill of Zion; but this, as we have seen (325), does not necessarily point to the Tabernacle, and so to the age of David. (ii) Again, in v.29, Because of Thy Temple at Jerusalem,' we have a reference either to the Tabernacle, 18.i.9, or to the Temple; and so in v.24 mention is made of the Sanctuary,' and in v.35 we read, 'O God, Thou art terrible out of Thy holy places.' (iii) In v.34,35, we read, Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel,' and 'the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people.' This language seems to belong clearly to the time of the undivided kingdom, so that the Psalm was composed in the days of David or Solomon. (iv) But the martial tone which pervades the Psalm, v.1,12,14,30,35, corresponds to the age of David, not to that of Solomon. Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah (v) The expressions in v.27, 'There is little with their company, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali,' belong also to the undivided kingdom, and correspond to the time when Benjamin, which, as the tribe of had afterwards been ruling again in the perSaul, had been the ruling tribe in Israel, and son of Saul's son, Ishbosheth, had now submitted itself to David. It may be, therefore, in a politic manner, spoken of here, as being still a tribe of royal dignity. 374. This Psalm contains Elohim thirty-one times, and Adonai, Lord, seven times, as well as the ancient name Shaddai in v.14; while Jehovah appears only twice and Jah twice. Manifestly, therefore, the last Name was less familiar to the writer at the time when he wrote, than Elohim, at all events, we might almost say, than Adonai also; but it would not be safe to infer this last from a single instance. 375. In v.4 we have 'Sing unto God, sing praises to His Name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His Name JAH, and rejoice before Him;'or, (FRENCH and SKINNER), 'Sing ye unto God, hymn His Name! It is plain that a special stress is here laid upon the fact that God's Name is Jehovah. Setting aside, as we must, from what we have seen already, the Mosaic story as unhistorical, this seems also rather to imply that the Name had been newly introduced. 376. In v.1 we read 'Let Elohim arise, let His enemies be And let them, that hate Him, flee before And here we have almost the identical words, which are found in N.x.35. 'And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward, that Moses said, "Arise, Jehovah, and let Thine enemies be scattered; And let them, that hate Thee, flee before But let it be noted that the Name Jehovah, in this passage of Numbers, appears as Elohim in the Psalm. or Now, from the general, identity of the two passages, either in the E.V., of when compared in the original, it is certain that one of them has been copied from the other. 377. Upon which we note as follows: (i) Surely, if the Psalmist drew his language from so sacred a book as the Pentateuch, according to the traditionary view, must have been, he would not have changed the Name from Jehovah to Elohim. Israel. the Psalm, at a time when the Name Jehovah was in common use, (which, apparently, was not the case when the Psalm was written,) it is easy to understand how David's words in this Psalm might have been first used, as most commentators suppose, when the Ark was brought up to Mount Zion, and might afterwards have been adapted by the writer of the passage in Numbers, with the change of the Divine Name, as fit words to be used with every movement of the Ark in the wilderness. 378. Upon the whole, we conclude that this Elohistic Psalm was written first, and that in a later day the writer in the Pentateuch adapted the first words of it,--which, he may have even himself helped to chant, when the procession with the Ark wound its way up -to the story, which the hill of Zion, he was writing, of the movements of the host of Israel in the wilderness. 379. The following expressions of this Psalm are also noticeable:'O God, when Thou wentest forth before Thy people, When Thou didst march through the wilder Sinai itself trembled, At the Presence of God, the God of Israel.' v.7,8. 'The chariots of God are thousands on thousands (E.V. twenty thousand, even thousands of angels); The Lord (Adonai) is among them, as at Sinai, in the Sanctuary.' v.17. The Lord (Adonai) hath said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring again from the depths of the sea.' v.22. The references in the above verses to the passage of the Red Sea, the transactions at Sinai, and, perhaps, the conquest of Bashan, show that the Psalmist was acquainted with certain portions of the story of Exodus, which might have been already written by SAMUEL, since he died fifteen years before the bringing up of the Ark, and might have composed his narrative many years previously. (ii) Besides, the Name Jehovah, if it had really originated in the way described in the 380. The above references, however, Pentateuch, would have been the very Name required for this Psalm, considering its cha-occurring in a Psalm intended for a racter, as the Name of the Covenant God of public occasion, imply also that those, who would be likely to join in chanting it, must likewise have been familiar, to some extent, with the story of the Exodus. These would not, of course, be the people generally, but only those who would take part in the procession, (iii) Moreover, v.1 of the Psalm is closely connected with the words that follow, and has all the appearance of being an original utterance, poured forth by the same impulse which gave birth to them. (iv) But, if the passage from Numbers, as we believe, was written at a later date than |