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Psalm Sixty-five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 65
To the chief Musician, A Psalm cf15I and Song of David.
Some copies of the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions read
"a
song of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, "sung" by the people of the captivity,
when they were about to come out;'
and
some copies have "Haggai": but though it is possible it might be sung
upon that occasion, it is certain it was not then composed, but was written by
David, as the genuine title shows: as for Jeremiah; he was not carried captive
to Babylon, and Ezekiel died before the return of the people from it; nor is
there anything in the psalm relating to that captivity. The title of it,
indeed, in the Arabic version, is concerning the captivity of the people; which
it seems to have taken from some Greek copy; and Kimchi and Arama interpret it
of the captivity of the people of the Jews; but then they mean their present
captivity, and their deliverance from it. According to the title of it in the
Syriac version, the occasion of it was the bringing up of the ark of God to
Sion; and Aben Ezra is of opinion that David composed the psalm at that time;
or that one of the singers composed it at the building of the temple, and which
he thinks is right, and perhaps is concluded from Psalm 65:1; and who
also says it was composed in a year of drought; but it rather seems to have
been written in a year of great plenty, as the latter part of it shows; and the
whole seems to respect the fruitful, flourishing, and happy state of the church
in Gospel times, for which it is a song of praise.
Psalm 65:1 Praise
is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed.
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- A Psalm
of David. A Song. To Thee, silence -- praise, O God, [is] in Zion, And to Thee
is a vow completed.
Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion,.... Who
dwells in Sion, as Jarchi interprets it; and so the Targum; whose Shechinah, or
glorious Majesty, is in Sion; see Psalm 76:2; or else
Sion, which designs no other than the church of God, and which is so called
under the Gospel dispensation, Hebrews 12:22; is
the place where "praise" waits for God, that being the city of our
solemnities, as well as the city of the great King; and not only a house of
prayer, but of praise, where the sacrifices, both of prayer and praise, are
offered to God through Christ with acceptance: and praise may be said to
"wait" for him here, because it is "due" to him here, as
some render it, on account of many blessings and privileges of grace here enjoyed,
through the word and ordinances; and because the people of God wait upon him
here with their tribute of praise, which is comely in them to bring, and is
"agreeable" and acceptable to him; and because it
"remains", abides, and continues here; or, in other words, the saints
are continually praising the Lord here, giving thanks to him always for all
things, Psalm 84:4; some
render the words "praise is silent for thee"F5לך דמיה תהלה
"tibi silet laus", Pagninus, Vatablus. ; because there is no end of
it, as Jarchi observes; or, because of the greatness of the works of the Lord,
praise cannot reach him, as Ben Melech expresses it. The greatest shouts, and
loudest acclamations of praise, are but silence in comparison of what ought, if
it could be expressed, on account of the nature, perfections, and works of God.
The Targum is,
"before
thee praise is reputed as silence.'
In
the king of Spain's Bible it is,
"the
praise of angels is reputed before thee as silence;'
perhaps
it may be best rendered, "to thee belong", or "are
due, silence and praise"F6"Tibi silentium est
et laus", Piscator, Gejerus. : there ought to be first a silent and quiet
waiting upon God for mercies wanted, and which he has promised to give; and,
when they are bestowed, praise should be rendered unto him. GussetiusF7Ebr.
Comment. p. 193. gives the sense of the words, and renders them,
"praise,
which is thine image, which bears a likeness to thee shall be paid in Sion;'
and unto thee shall the vow be performed: that is, of
praise and thankfulness for deliverance and salvation, made in a time of
trouble and distress; see Psalm 66:13.
Psalm 65:2 2 O You who hear prayer, To
You all flesh will come.
YLT
2Hearer of prayer, to Thee
all flesh cometh.
O thou that hearest prayer,.... So as to answer it
sooner or later, in one way or another, and always in the fittest time, and in
the best way; so as to fulfil the requests and supply the wants of men, so far
as may be for their good, and God's glory; which is a proof of the
omnipresence, omniscience, and all sufficiency of God; who can hear the prayers
of his people in all places at the same time, and knows all their persons and
wants, and what is most proper for them, and can and does supply all their
needs, and causes all grace to abound towards them; and it also shows his
wondrous grace and condescension, to listen to the cries and regard the prayers
of the poor and destitute;
unto thee shall all flesh come; being encouraged by the
above character of him. All sorts of persons may come to him; men of all
nations, of every rank and degree, condition and circumstance; there is no bar
unto nor bounds about the throne of grace; the way to it lies open through the
Mediator; and all sensible sinners shall and do come thither, though they are
but "flesh", frail and mortal, corrupt and sinful creatures, and know
themselves to be so; and they that come aright come through Christ, the new and
living way, in his name, and in the faith of him, and of being heard for his
sake, and under the gracious influences of the spirit of grace and
supplication: it may be considered as a prophecy of the calling of the
Gentiles, and of their calling upon God through Christ, and of their coming to
God in his house, which was to be, and is, an house of prayer to all people, Isaiah 56:7.
Psalm 65:3 3 Iniquities prevail against
me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.
YLT
3Matters of iniquities were
mightier than I, Our transgressions -- Thou dost cover them.
Iniquities prevail against me,.... Or, "are
mightier than I"F8מני "prae
me", Muis, Michaelis. ; this may be understood either of the iniquities of
others, his enemies; their "words of iniquities"F9דברי עונת "verba
iniquitatum", Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. or
iniquitous words, as in the Hebrew text; their calumnies, reproaches, false
charges, and accusations, which prevailed against David in Saul's court; or
rather his own iniquities, inward lusts, indwelling sins, as well as open
transgressions, which he considers as his enemies, as numerous and powerful,
too mighty for him, which warred against him, and sometimes got the better of
him, and threatened him with utter ruin and destruction; but amidst all this he
spies atonement and pardon through the blood and sacrifice of Christ, as
follows;
as for our
transgressions, thou shall purge them away; not only his own, but
others, which Christ has done by the sacrifice of himself; and when his blood
is applied to the conscience of a sensible sinner, it purges it from all his
sins, Hebrews 1:3; it may
be rendered, "thou shall expiate them", or "make atonement for
them"F11תכפרם
"propitiaberis", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "expiabis",
Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis. ; which Christ, our propitiation, has done: this
was the work appointed him, which he undertook, came into the world to do, and
has performed, Daniel 9:24, Hebrews 2:17; or
"thou shalt cover them"; with the blood and righteousness of Christ;
or forgive them for the sake of them, Psalm 32:1.
Psalm 65:4 4 Blessed is the man
You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.
YLT
4O the happiness of [him
whom] Thou choosest, And drawest near, he inhabiteth Thy courts, We are
satisfied with the goodness of Thy house, Thy holy temple.
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,.... In
eternity; both to grace and glory; for such have true faith in Christ given
them, called the faith of God's elect, and shall never perish: they are
effectually called by the grace of God, and are justified by the righteousness
of Christ, and shall be glorified; or in time, for there is a choice in time,
as the fruit, effect, and evidence of the eternal choice, and is no other than
effectual calling; see John 15:19, 1 Corinthians 1:26;
and happy are those who are both chosen and called; both election and the
effectual calling are to grace and glory, and spring from the good will and
pleasure of God; and the Targum in the king of Spain's Bible is,
"blessed
is the man in whom thou art well pleased;'
and causest to approach unto thee; the same
Targum supplies,
"unto
the fear of thee;'
or
unto thy fear and worship. The persons whom God has chosen for himself are, in
their state of nature, at a distance from him by reason of sin; and through the
blood and sacrifice of Christ, by which atonement is made, they are brought
nigh to him; and in the faith of Christ the Mediator, their hearts are engaged
to approach unto God, and come with boldness to his throne, and ask grace and
mercy of him; and through the grace of Christ they have nearness to him, and
communion with him, Ephesians 2:18;
that he may dwell
in thy courts; or "he shall dwell"F12ישכן
"habitabit", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Musculus. ; the
man that is chosen of God, and brought nigh by Christ; he shall not only come
into the house of God, and tread in his courts, but he shall dwell there, ever
abide, and never go out;
we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house; even all that
are like this man, chosen by the grace of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ,
brought into the house of God, and have a place and a name there, better than
that of sons and daughters of men: by "the house" of God we are to
understand the church of God; and by "the goodness" of it the
provisions of grace in it, the word and ordinances, and the blessings of grace
held forth in them, and especially Christ the bread of life, whose flesh is meat
indeed, and whose blood is drink indeed; of which true believers may eat, and
do to full satisfaction; and blessed are they that have such food, and
appetites for it, and are filled with it. The Targum paraphrases it,
"the
righteous shall say, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of shy house.'
It
follows,
even of thy holy
temple: which means the same as the house of God; namely, the church;
see Ephesians 2:21.
Some, as Aben Ezra observes, interpret it, "thou Holy One in thy
temple"; as if it was an address to God, and a description of him as in
his temple.
Psalm 65:5 5 By
awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You
who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off
seas;
YLT
5By fearful things in
righteousness Thou answerest us, O God of our salvation, The confidence of all
far off ends of earth and sea.
By terrible things in
righteousness wilt thou answer us,.... Not by afflictive
dispensations of Providence, which, though disagreeable to flesh and blood, and
are sometimes terrible to good men, when they apprehend the wrath of God in
them, and look upon them as punishments for sin; yet these are consistent with
the love of God to them, are for their spiritual good, and, when viewed in this
light, they rejoice and glory in them; but as afflictions are not prayed for,
nor to be prayed for, there being no direction for it, nor example of it, they cannot
be considered as answers of prayer; but the Lord answers his people in this
way, by inflicting judgments on their enemies: by such terrible things did he
answer the Israelites at the Red sea, in the wilderness, and in the land of
Canaan, Deuteronomy 10:17;
and in this way will he answer his people in the destruction of antichrist and
his followers, Revelation 6:9.
Moreover, by "terrible things" may be meant things stupendous,
marvellous, and even miraculous; and by such things does God sometimes answer
his people, in destroying their enemies and saving them; and which are so
called, because they inject horror and terror into their enemies, and fill them
with fear and reverence of God: and which are done "in
righteousness"; in faithfulness to his promises made to his people; in the
exercise of his vindictive justice upon their enemies; in goodness, grace, and
mercy to them, as "righteousness" sometimes signifies, as in Psalm 51:14; and
not for their righteousness, who do not present their supplications to him for
the sake of that; but for the righteousness of his Son, for the sake of which
they are heard and answered;
O God of our salvation: not only temporal, but
spiritual and eternal; which he has resolved upon, and chose his people to, and
has settled the way and manner of, in which it should be brought about; has
secured it in covenant for them, promised it in his word, sent his Son to
obtain it, and his Spirit to give knowledge and make application of it; and
from this character of his, and the concern he has in salvation, it may be
concluded he will answer the prayers of his people for their good;
who art the confidence
of all the ends of the earth; of all that dwell upon the continent, to
the uttermost parts of the habitable world;
and of them that are afar off upon the sea: not only in
ships upon the sea, but upon islands in the sea; and so the Targum,
"and
of the islands of the sea, which are afar off from the dry land;'
and
Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it in the same manner; such snare the isles in
which we live: this seems to refer to Gospel times, in which the Lord is not
only the "confidence" or "hope of Israel", but of the
Gentiles also; who are encouraged to hope in the Lord, and put their confidence
in him, seeing with him there is forgiving mercy, and plenteous redemption;
hath appointed Christ to be his salvation to the ends of the earth; has sent
his Gospel into all the world declaring this; and Christ in it encourages all
the ends of the earth to look unto him for salvation; and multitudes upon the
continent, and in different isles, have been enabled to hope in him.
Psalm 65:6 6 Who established the
mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power;
YLT
6Establishing mountains by
His power, He hath been girded with might,
Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains,.... In the
first creation and formation of them, when they were settled on their basis so
firmly that they are rarely removed, and when they are it is something
extraordinary. Some understand this of the Lord's preparing the mountains with
the rain of his strength, for the bringing forth of herbs and grass for the
service of man and beast, and of his adorning them with trees; and the Targum
is,
"who
preparest food for the wild goats of the mountains;'
others
interpret them of kingdoms and communities, comparable to mountains, Jeremiah 51:25; but
these are not set fast, they are not firm and stable, but in a course of time
are removed, and give way to others; rather the church of God is meant; see Isaiah 2:2; where
the same phrase is used as here; and "mountains" may signify
particular churches, or indeed particular believers; for all that trust in the
Lord are like to mountains, Psalm 125:1; and
these are set fast in the everlasting love of God, by which their mountain is
made to stand strong; in eternal election, which is the foundation of God that
stands sure; in the covenant of grace, which is more immovable than hills and
mountains; and on Christ the Rock, against whom the gates of hell can never
prevail; and who are so established, settled, and kept by the power of God,
that they cannot be removed by the most boisterous storms and winds of the
world's persecutions, Satan's temptations, or their own sins and corruptions;
being girded with
power: not the mountains, but God himself; whose power, like himself,
is infinite, and appears in the works of his hands, of nature, providence, and
grace: the allusion is to a mighty man girded for battle; or for the
performance of great undertakings.
Psalm 65:7 7 You who still the noise of
the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.
YLT
7Restraining the noise of
seas, the noise of their billows, And the multitude of the peoples.
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves,.... By a word
speaking; as our Lord did when here on earth, and which was a proof and
evidence of his eternal power and Godhead. These figurative expressions are
interpreted by the next clause;
and the tumult of the people: of wicked men, who foam
and rage against the people of God, and are like a troubled sea that cannot
rest; but God can say to these proud waters, which threaten to go over their
souls, Peace, be still; he can stop their opposition, quell their
insurrections, restrain their wrath, and make them peaceable and quiet;
wherefore the saints have no reason to be afraid of them, Psalm 46:2.
Psalm 65:8 8 They also who dwell in the
farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning
and evening rejoice.
YLT
8And the inhabitants of the
uttermost parts From Thy signs are afraid, The outgoings of morning and evening
Thou causest to sing.
They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy
tokens,.... The tokens of his wrath and displeasure at wicked men, seen
in the punishments inflicted on them, which cause them to fear and tremble.
Some interpret them of the sun, moon, and stars, which are set for
"signs", as the wordF13מאותתיך
"a signis tuis", Pagninus, Montanus, &c. used signifies; and
which declare the glory of God to the uttermost parts of the earth, and strike
men with awe and reverence of him; and others of thunder and lightning, which
are sometimes very dreadful and terrible. Moreover, the wordF14"A
signis et prodigiis tuis", Michaelis. signifies signs and wonders,
marvellous things, miraculous operations; and may be understood of those that
were wrought in the first times of the Gospel, for the confirmation of it; some
of which were wrought in the uttermost parts of the earth; or, however, were
heard of there, and believed; which caused them to receive the Gospel with all
reverence, not as the word of man, but as the word of God;
thou makest the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to
rejoice; some interpret this of the morning and evening sacrifices;
others of the sun that goes forth in the morning, and rejoices as a strong man
to run his race, and of the moon and stars that appear in the evening, and both
give pleasure and delight to the inhabitants of the earth; others of men who go
forth in the morning cheerfully to their labour, and of the beasts that go out
in the evening to seek their prey, Psalm 19:5; but it
seems better to understand it of the rising of the stars before the sun in the
morning, and the appearance of them after the moon is up in the evening; or of
the rising and setting sun; of the east and west, which include the whole
world, and the inhabitants of it; who are made to rejoice at the coming of the
Gospel among them, which rings the good news and glad tidings of peace, pardon,
righteousness, and salvation, by Christ, whereby his name becomes great, and is
praised among the Gentiles; see Malachi 1:11.
Psalm 65:9 9 You visit the earth and
water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide
their grain, For so You have prepared it.
YLT
9Thou hast inspected the
earth, and waterest it, Thou makest it very rich, the rivulet of God [is] full
of water, Thou preparest their corn, When thus Thou dost prepare it,
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,.... So the
Lord looked upon the earth, quickly after its formation, before rain came upon
it, and he watered the whole face of the ground, Genesis 2:5; so he
cared for the land of Judea in particular, and watered it with the rain of
heaven, Deuteronomy 11:11;
see 2 Samuel 21:1; to
which some think reference is had here; and so he visits and waters the whole
earth in general, at certain times and seasons, Acts 14:16; this
may be applied to the church and people of God in Gospel times, who are his
husbandry, and the good ground on which the seed falls and is received, and
brings forth fruit; and are comparable to the earth that drinks in the rain
that comes oft upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for those that dress it,
and receives a blessing from God, Hebrews 6:7; thus
the Lord visited his people, by the mission of his Son to redeem them, whose
coming was as the rain, the former and latter, to the earth, Luke 1:68; so he
visited the Gentile world, by the preaching of the Gospel by his apostles,
whose doctrines dropped as the rain, and distilled as the dew and small rain on
the tender herb, and as showers on the grass; and so made a wilderness a pool
of water, and the dry land springs of water, Acts 15:14; and in
like manner he visits particular persons in conversion, and waters them with
the graces of his Spirit, by which he regenerates, quickens, and sanctifies
them, and makes them fruitful, Isaiah 44:3;
thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is
full of water; not Shiloah nor Jordan; but the clouds which are full of rain,
which falling upon the earth, impregnate it with rich particles, which make it
very fertile and fruitful; so the Targum,
"with
a multitude of fruits thou enrichest it out of the river of God, which is in
heaven, which is full of rain:'
this
may mystically denote the river of God's everlasting love, which is full of the
blessings of grace, and which flowing upon his people, makes them fruitful, and
enriches them with the riches of grace and glory; see Psalm 46:4;
thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it; or because
thou hast so prepared itF15כי כן תבינה "quia sic parasti
eam", Pagninus; so Cocceius. ; that is, the earth being disposed and
prepared by the Lord, watered and enriched with the rain of heaven, produces
corn in great plenty for the inhabitants of the earth; which may spiritually design
either the fruitfulness of the saints, whose hearts are disposed and prepared
by the grace of God to receive the seed of the word, which brings forth fruit
in them; or the bread corn, that wheat of the Gospel, and Christ the sum and
substance of it, which is of God's preparing for his people, and by which they
are nourished and made comfortable; see Zechariah 9:17.
Psalm 65:10 10 You water its ridges abundantly,
You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.
YLT
10Its ridges have been
filled, Deepened hath been its furrow, With showers Thou dost soften it, Its
springing up Thou blessest.
Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly,.... Kimchi
calls them the eminences of the earth, the little hills, the higher parts of
ploughed land; those which lie between furrow and furrow seem to be meant,
which being watered with rain become lower, and are made fruitful: these may
denote such as are lifted up with their own imaginary purity and righteousness;
and who, when the grace of God takes hold upon them, are humbled, and confess
themselves the chief of sinners and the least of saints, renounce their own
righteousness, and submit to Christ's;
thou settlest the furrows thereof; or "thou causest the
rain to descend into the furrows thereof"F16נחת גדודיה "descendere facis
pluviam in sulcos ejus", Vatablus. ; which fills them, and makes them
fruitful; and may design humble souls, whom the Lord fills with his good
things, and makes them fruitful in every good work;
thou makest it soft with showers; which through drought is
become like iron and brass, and, without large and heavy showers, as the wordF17ברביבים "guttis grandioribus", Piscator. used
signifies, and these repeated, it is so hard, that no impressions can be made
upon it, nor anything spring out of it; and such is the hard heart of man,
which God only can make soft by the means of his word, through the energy of
his Spirit, and the efficacy of his grace; which coming in great abundance,
like large showers of rain, removes the hardness of the heart, makes it
susceptible of divine impressions, and of receiving the seed of the word,
whereby it becomes fruitful;
thou blessest the springing thereof; the tender blade, when
it first peeps out of the earth; this the Lord nourishes and cherishes; he
preserves it from the nipping frosts, by covering it with snow; he waters it
with the dews of heaven, and warms it with the beams of the sun; he causes it
to grow, and brings it to perfection: so the Lord takes great notice of the
springing and buddings forth of grace, of the first acts and exercises of it in
young converts, and takes care of them; and as he will not hurt them himself,
nor break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax; so he takes care that
others should not; see Song of Solomon 6:11;
he gives them more grace, and strengthens what they have; causes it to grow,
and brings it on to perfection. The word here used is the same by which Christ,
the branch, is expressed, Zechariah 3:8; and
as the Lord has blessed him with the blessings of goodness, so he blesses all
the branches which are in him, John 15:4, Ephesians 1:3.
Psalm 65:11 11 You crown the year with
Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.
YLT
11Thou hast crowned the year
of Thy goodness, And Thy paths drop fatness.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness,.... The whole
circling year, from one end of it to the other; particularly that season of it
when the harvest is gathered in; the seed being sown, the earth watered, the
springing of it blessed, and the corn brought to perfection, the year is
crowned with a plentiful harvest: this may denote the acceptable year of the
Lord, the year of the redeemed, the whole Gospel dispensation, Isaiah 61:2; in
certain seasons and periods of which there have been great gatherings of souls
to Christ; at the first of it multitudes were converted in Judea, and in the
Gentile world, which were the first fruits of the Spirit; and in all ages there
have been more or less instances of this kind; and in the latter day there will
be a large harvest, when the Jews will be converted, and the fulness of the
Gentiles brought in;
and thy paths drop fatness; the heavens, as Jarchi
interprets it; or the clouds, as Kimchi; which are the chariots and horses of
God, in which he rides, and are the dust of his feet, Psalm 104:3, Nahum 1:3; and
these drop down rain upon the earth, and make it fat and flourishing; and may
mystically design the administration of the Gospel, and the administration of
ordinances; which are the paths in which the Lord goes forth to his people, and
directs them to walk in, and in which he meets them with a fulness of blessings,
and satisfies them as with marrow and fatness.
Psalm 65:12 12 They drop on the
pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side.
YLT
12Drop do the pastures of a
wilderness, And joy of the heights Thou girdest on.
They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness,.... As well
as upon the ploughed land, and turn them into a fruitful field; which may
denote the Gentile world, whither the Gospel was sent by Christ, and preached
by his apostles; and whose doctrines dropped as the rain, and prospered to the
thing whereunto they were sent, and made this wilderness as the garden of God;
and the little hills rejoice on every side; or "joy
girds the hills"; or "they are girded with joy"F18וגיל גבעות תחגרנה
"collesque exultatione accinguntur", Tigurine version, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator; so Ainsworth; "accinxerunt se", Pagninus;
"accingent se", Montanus. ; or "gird themselves with joy",
as the Targum; being covered on all sides with grass, herbs, and trees: these
may denote the churches of Christ, and little hills of Sion, who rejoice when
the interest of Christ flourishes, Psalm 68:14.
Psalm 65:13 13 The pastures are clothed
with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they
also sing.
YLT
13Clothed have lambs the
flock, And valleys are covered with corn, They shout -- yea, they sing!
The pastures are clothed with flocks,.... Of sheep,
which are so thick, that there is scarce anything to be seen upon the pastures
but them; which look as if they were clothed with them: these may intend the
multitude of converts, signified by the flocks of Kedar, and rams of Nebaioth;
which gathering about the church, and joining to her, she clothes herself with
them as with an ornament, Isaiah 60:7 it may
be rendered the "rams clothe", or "cover, the flocks"F19כרים κριοι, Sept.
"arietes", V. L. ; or the flocks are clothed, or covered, with the
rams, as expressive of their copulation with them; and so the Targum,
"the
rams ascend upon the flocks;'
which
sense is favoured by the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic
versions;
the valleys also are covered over with corn; being made
very fruitful with the rain, and bringing forth in great abundance; so humble
souls are the most fruitful ones;
they shout for joy, they also sing; that is, the pastures,
hills, and valleys, being laden with all kind of fruit for the use of man and
beast, for necessity and pleasure, which occasion joy to the inhabitants of the
earth: this may be expressive of the joy that will be among men, when the
interest of Christ will be in a more flourishing condition in the latter day;
see Isaiah 49:13.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》