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Psalm Seventy-five
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
To
the Overseer. -- `Destroy not.' -- A Psalm of Asaph. –
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 75
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, A Psalm cf15 I or Song of Asaph.
Of the word "altaschith", See Gill on Psalm 57:1, it
signifies "do not destroy", or "do not corrupt"; the Targum
renders it,
"do
not destroy thy people;'
so
Jarchi,
"do
not destroy Israel;'
perhaps
it may be considered as a petition, that God would not suffer the man of sin to
go on to destroy the earth, and corrupt the inhabitants of it with his false
doctrine, idolatry, and superstition, Revelation 11:18,
for the psalm respects the times of the Gospel dispensation, and includes both
the first coming of Christ in the flesh, and his second coming to judgment; the
argument of it with the Syriac version is,
"the
divinity of Christ, and a remembrance of the judgment;'
it
is said to be a psalm or song of Asaph, but is thought to be written by David,
and delivered to Asaph; for it may be rendered "for Asaph"F11;
and so the Targum,
"by
the hands of Asaph;'
though
some think it was written after the Babylonish captivity; perhaps by some
person whose name was Asaph, or was of the family of him that lived in David's
time. Theodoret supposes it was written in the person of the captives in
Babylon.
Psalm 75:1 We
give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that
Your name is near.
YLT
1A Song. We have given thanks
to Thee, O God, We have given thanks, and near [is] Thy name, They have
recounted Thy wonders.
Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks,.... Either David and his
men, when he was delivered from Saul, and raised to the kingdom, or the Jews
upon their return from the Babylonish captivity; or rather the churches of
Christ under the Gospel dispensation, for the coming of Christ and the
blessings of grace through him, and in the view of the sure and certain
destruction of antichrist and all the wicked of the earth; yea, Christ himself
may be considered as at the head of his people, joining with them in
thanksgiving, to whom this action is sometimes ascribed, Matthew 11:25 and
the rather since he is continued all along speaking to the end of the psalm:
unto thee do we give thanks; which is repeated to
show the constancy, fervency, and sincerity with which this was performed: it
may be rendered, "unto thee do we confess"F12הודינו "confessi sumus", Montanus;
"confitemur", Cocceius, Michaelis. ; sins committed against God,
unworthiness to receive favours from him, and his grace and goodness in
bestowing them:
for that thy name is near; or rather, "for thy
name is near"F13וקרוב "nam
propiuquum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; and so the words are a
reason of the above thanksgiving; for they belong not so much to what follows
after as to what goes before, since the accent "athnach" is upon שמך, "thy name"; and are to be understood of God
himself, for his name is himself; who is near to his people, both in relation,
being their Father, and as to presence, communion, and fellowship, which are
matter of praise and thanksgiving; or his works and word, by which he is known
and made manifest; his works which are throughout the earth, and so near at
hand, and his word which is nigh, being in the mouths and in the hearts of his
people; or rather his Son, in whom his name is, his nature and divine
perfections: he was at a distance in promise and prophecy, and only seen afar
off; after the Babylonish captivity, at which time some think this psalm was
written, he was near; the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, speak of him
as just coming; and when he was made flesh, and dwelt among men, he was near
indeed, so as to be found of them, seen, heard, and handled by them; on which
account there was and is reason to give thanks to God:
thy wondrous works declare; meaning either the
miracles of Christ, which were proofs and evidences of his being come, and of
his being the true Messiah; see Matthew 11:3 or the
wonderful works done by him, which to do were the principal end of his coming;
as the work of righteousness, the business of reconciliation, and in general
the affair of redemption and salvation; all which were amazing instances of his
power, grace, and goodness, and which are declared in the everlasting Gospel by
the ministers of it; for the words, I think, may be better rendered, "they
declare thy wondrous works"F14ספרו נפלאותיך "narrant mirabilia tua", Montanus;
"enarrant", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. , or impersonally,
"thy wondrous works are declared".
Psalm 75:2 2 “When I choose the proper
time, I will judge uprightly.
YLT
2When I receive an
appointment, I -- I do judge uprightly.
When I shall receive the congregation,.... Some
render it, from the Arabic signification of the word, "the promise"F15מועד "promissa", Schultens animadv. p. 174.
"festi dona", Gusset. p. 334. ; the Spirit promised, the gifts of the
Spirit, which Christ received for men, and gave to men, whereby he executes the
judgment or government of the church committed to him: others the time, so the
Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, Syriac, and Arabic versions, to which
agrees the Targum, the word signifying a set appointed time, Psalm 102:14, and
so may respect the time appointed for the judgment of the world, which when
come, Christ will execute in a most righteous manner, as follows; see Acts 17:31, but
whereas the people of Israel met at the door of the tabernacle, which from
thence was called "Ohel Moed", the tabernacle of the congregation;
hence the word is used for a congregation, and here designs the general
assembly and church of the firstborn written in heaven, even all the elect of
God; these were received by Christ of his Father in eternity, when he espoused
them to himself, and undertook the care of them; and they are received by him,
one by one, in effectual calling; and in like manner are they received by him
into glory at death; but when they are all gathered in, and are prepared for
him as a bride for her husband, then will he receive them all in a body, and
present them to himself a glorious church during the thousand years' reign;
upon which will proceed the judgment of the wicked; see Revelation 20:5,
I will judge uprightly; in equity, in strict
justice, in the most righteous manner, rendering to every man according to his
works; hence the future judgment is called a righteous one, and so is the
Judge; no injustice will be done to men, but the strictest integrity,
uprightness, and impartiality, will be observed in pronouncing the several
sentences on the righteous and on the wicked, and in adjudging them to their
several places and states.
Psalm 75:3 3 The earth and all its
inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
YLT
3Melted is the earth and all
its inhabitants, I -- I have pondered its pillars. Selah.
The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved,.... Or
"melted"F16נמגים
"liquefacti", Montanus; "liquefiet", Musculus. ; the
inhabitants, through fear and dread of the righteous Judge, appearing in the
clouds of heaven, and of the wrath that is coming on they are deserving of; and
the earth, through fire, when the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, the
elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and the works therein shall be
burnt up, 2 Peter 3:10.
I bear up the pillars of it.: so that it shall not
utterly perish; for though by the fire, at the general conflagration, the
heavens and the earth will be so melted and dissolved as to lose their present
form, and shall be purged and purified from all noxious qualities, the effects
of sin; yet the substance will remain, out of which will be formed new heavens
and a new earth, and this through the power of Christ sustaining it, and
preserving it from entire destruction or annihilation. R. Obadiah by
"pillars" understands in a figurative sense the righteous, for whose
sake the world is continued in its being; these at the general conflagration
will be bore up and preserved by Christ, whom they shall meet in the air, even
the church, who is the pillar and ground of truth; and not only the ministers
of the Gospel, who are pillars in Christ's house, but also every believer,
which is a pillar there, that shall never go out, 1 Timothy 3:15.
Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret the pillars of the mountains.
Selah. See Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 75:4 4 “I said to the boastful,
‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn.
YLT
4I have said to the
boastful, `Be not boastful,' And to the wicked, `Raise not up a horn.'
I said unto the fools,.... To the vain
gloriosos, proud boasters, mockers, and scoffers at the day of judgment, and
burning of the world:
deal not foolishly; by glorying in themselves, boasting of
their riches, and trusting in them; singing a requiem to themselves on account
of their abundance, and by putting away the evil day far from them:
and to the wicked, lift not up the horn; of power,
grandeur, and wealth, and use it to the injury of others; or be so elated with
it as to look with disdain on others; or imagine they shall always continue in
this exalted state, as antichrist the horned beast does, Revelation 18:7,
the allusion is to horned beasts, particularly harts, which lift up their heads
and horns in great prideF16Vid. "Suidam in voce" εκεπουτιας. : the phrase signifies to behave proudly and haughtily.
Psalm 75:5 5 Do not lift up your horn
on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’”
YLT
5Raise not up on high your
horn, (Ye speak with a stiff neck.)
Lift not up your horn on high,.... Or "against the
most High"F17למרום "contra
excelsum", Junius & Tremellius. ; as the little horn, or the beast
with ten horns, antichrist, does, whose look is more stout than his fellows,
and opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, his name, his tabernacle, and
them that dwell in heaven, Daniel 7:8,
speak not with a stiff neck; arrogantly, proudly, and
haughtily: or "hard things with a neck"F18בצואר עתק "collo durum",
Michaelis. ; hard speeches against Christ and his people with an outstretched
neck, in an imperious and insolent manner; for the righteous Judge will
convince such of their hard speeches, and condemn them for them; Judges 1:14.
Psalm 75:6 6 For exaltation comes
neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south.
YLT
6For not from the east, or
from the west, Nor from the wilderness -- [is] elevation.
For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor
from the south. It is not from men, from themselves, or others, or from any
quarter under the heavens, but from God; it is he that raises men to high
places, and sets them there, which are often slippery ones: by him kings reign;
they have their crowns and sceptres, thrones and kingdoms from him; there is no
power but what is of God; riches and honour come of him, and he can take them
away when he pleases; and therefore men should not be proud, haughty, and
arrogant: some take these words to be the words of the fools and wicked, when
they speak with a stiff neck, either as triumphing over the Messiah, his
ministers, cause, and interest, reading the words thus, "neither from the
east, nor from the west, nor from the south, shall there be a lifting up"F19הרים "exaltatio", Tigurine version, Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator. , or an exaltation; that is, of Christ and his people,
they are low, and shall never rise more; but in this they are mistaken; though
now the Son of God is trampled under foot in his person and offices, there is a
day coming when the Lord, and he alone, shall be exalted; though his ministers
and witnesses prophesy in sackcloth, and shall be slain and lie unburied, yet
they will arise again and ascend to heaven, to the great terror and astonishment
of those their enemies; though Jacob is small, and it is said, by whom shall he
arise? yet he shall become, great and numerous; the mountain of the Lord's
house, the church, shall be established upon the top of the mountains, and
exalted above the hills; and this enlargement of Christ's kingdom and interest
shall be east, west, north, and south; or else as flattering themselves that no
evil shall come to them from any quarter: "neither from the east, nor from
the west, nor, from the desert of the mountains"F20"Neque
a desertis montibus", V. L. "neque a deserto montium", Cocceius;
"neque a deserto Australi montium", Michaelis. , cometh evil; meaning
to themselves, looking upon themselves as secure, and putting the evil day far
from them: but there will be an awful and righteous judgment; there is a Judge
ordained, a day appointed, in which the world will be judged in righteousness,
and destruction and ruin will come upon the ungodly, and at a time when they
are crying Peace, peace; nor shall they escape; and so the Syriac version
renders the words, "for there is no escape from the west, nor from the
desert of the mountains"; taking the word הרים,
not to signify "promotion, elevation", or "a lifting up",
as Kimchi and others, whom we follow: but Moatanus and R. Aba observe that the
word always signifies "mountains" but in this place: the Targum is,
"for
there is none besides me from the east to the west, nor from the north of the
wildernesses, and from the south, the place of the mountains;'
no
Messiah to be expected from any quarter; see Matthew 24:23, no
God besides him, nor any other Saviour, Isaiah 44:6 nor any
other Judge, as follows.
Psalm 75:7 7 But God is the
Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another.
YLT
7But God [is] judge, This He
maketh low -- and this He lifteth up.
But God is the Judge,.... Or "because God
is the Judge"F21כי
"quoniam", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus; "siquidem",
Tigurine version; "quia", Gejerus; so some in Michaelis. ; and so
this is another reason why fools should not deal foolishly, nor wicked men lift
up the horn, and speak with a stiff neck, because there is a Judge to whom they
are accountable for their words and actions; and this Judge is God omniscient,
knows all persons and things, searches the heart and tries the reins, will
bring every secret thing into judgment, bring to light the hidden things of
darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart; omnipotent, able to do
all things, raise the dead, call to judgment, bring all before him, pass the
sentences, and execute them; omnipresent, there is no fleeing from him, nor
escaping his righteous judgment; holy, just, and true, who will render to every
man according to his works:
he putteth down one, and setteth up another; he humbles or
brings one low, such as are proud, haughty, and arrogant; and he exalts
another, such as are lowly and humble: this he does in providence, he removes
kings, and sets up kings; puts down the mighty from their seats, and exalts
them of low degree, Daniel 2:21, he has
many ways to mortify the proud, by inflicting diseases on their bodies, by
stripping them of their honour and wealth, and by bringing them into disgrace
among men: and this he does in grace; such as are stout hearted and far from
righteousness, and will not submit to the righteousness of Christ, he brings
them to it; and those whom he makes humble by his grace, he raises to a high
estate, to be kings and priests, and to sit among princes, and to inherit a
throne of glory. This might be exemplified in Jews and Gentiles; he has
stripped the one of their privileges, and put them down from their civil and
church state, and raised up the other to be his church and people; and also in
antichrist and the true church of Christ; he will ere long put down the one,
that sits as a queen, and exalt the other, when she shall be as a bride adorned
for her husband, having the glory of God upon her.
Psalm 75:8 8 For in the hand of the Lord there is
a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its
dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down.
YLT
8For a cup [is] in the hand
of Jehovah, And the wine hath foamed, It is full of mixture, and He poureth out
of it, Only its dregs wring out, and drink, Do all the wicked of the earth,
For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup,.... Another
reason why men should not act haughtily and arrogantly; for by the cup are
meant afflictions, calamities, and judgments, which are measured out in
proportion to men's sins, and are of God's appointing, and in his hands, and at
his disposal
and the wine is red; an emblem of the wrath
of God this cup is full of, as it is explained, Revelation 14:10,
where there is a reference to this passage; for it is a cup of fury, of
trembling, and of indignation: Isaiah 51:17,
it is full of mixture; has many ingredients in
it, dreadful and shocking ones, though it is sometimes said to be without
mixture, Revelation 14:10,
without any allay, alluding to the mixing of wine with water in the eastern
countries; see Proverbs 9:2,
and he poureth out of the same; his judgments upon men
in this world, in all ages; on some more, others less, as their sins call for,
or his infinite wisdom judges meet and proper:
but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them
out and drink them; the whole cup that God has measured out and filled up shall be
poured out at last, and all be drank up; the very dregs of it by the wicked of
the world, when they shall be punished with everlasting destruction in the lake
which burns with fire and brimstone: this will be the portion of their cup, Psalm 11:6.
Psalm 75:9 9 But I will declare
forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
YLT
9And I -- I declare [it] to
the age, I sing praise to the God of Jacob.
But I will declare for ever,.... These are not the
words of the psalmist, but of Christ, who is all along speaking in the psalm;
what he would declare is not expressed, and is to be supplied in sense thus;
either that he would declare the wonderful works of God, Psalm 75:1, so the
Targum, his thoughts, mercies, and kindnesses to his people, as in Psalm 55:5, or his
judgments on his enemies, whom he shall pass sentence on, which will be for
ever; or the name of the Lord, his purposes and decrees, his counsel and
covenant, his mind and will, his Gospel and the truth of it: see Psalm 22:22,
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob; the covenant
God of his people, Christ's God, and their God; of his singing praise to him,
see Psalm 22:22.
Psalm 75:10 10 “All the horns of the
wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be
exalted.”
YLT
10And all horns of the wicked
I cut off, Exalted are the horns of the righteous!
All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off,.... Therefore
let them not lift up the horn on high: "horns" denote the power and
authority of wicked men, their kingdoms and states; both Rome Pagan and Rome
Papal are said to have ten horns, which are interpreted of ten kings or
kingdoms; and which will be cut off when the vials of God's wrath are poured
out on the antichristian states; which vials will be filled from the cup which
is in the hand of the Lord, Revelation 12:1,
the JewsF2Vid. Yalkut in loc. interpret this of the ten horns of the
nations of the world, that shall be cut off in future time; and Jarchi
particularly of the horns of Esau, by whom he means Rome, or the Roman empire:
but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted; either of the
righteous one Christ, for the word is in the singular number; he who is the
Lord our righteousness, whose power and authority, kingdom and government,
shall be enlarged and increased, signified by the budding of the horn of David,
and the exaltation of the horn of his Messiah, 1 Samuel 2:10 or of
everyone of the righteous, which will be when the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people
of the saints of the most High, and they shall reign with Christ on earth a
thousand years, Daniel 7:27. Kimchi
says this will be in the war of Gog and Magog, which is expected by the Jews.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)