1 Why, O God, hast Thou cast us off for ever?
[Why] smokes Thine anger against the flock of Thy pasture?
2 Remember Thy congregation [which] Thou didst acquire of old,
Didst redeem [to be] the tribe of Thine inheritance,
Mount Zion, on which Thou hast dwelt.
3 Lift up Thy steps to the everlasting ruins,
The enemy has marred everything in the sanctuary.
4 Thine adversaries roared in the midst of the place where Thou
dost meet [us],
They set up their signs as signs.
5 They seem like one who heaves on high
Axes against a thicket of trees.
6 And now--its carved work altogether
With hatchet and hammers they break down.
7 They have set on fire Thy sanctuary,
[Rasing it] to the ground, they have profaned the dwelling-place
of Thy name.
8 They have said in their heart, Let us crush them altogether.
They have burned all meeting-places of God in the land.
9 Our signs we see not,
There is no prophet any more,
And there is no one who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach?
Shall the enemy despise Thy name for ever?
11 Why dost Thou draw back Thy hand, even Thy right hand?
From the midst of Thy bosom [pluck it and] consume [them].
12 Yet God is my king from of old,
Working salvations in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou, Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength,
Didst break the heads of monsters on the waters.
14 Thou, Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan,
That Thou mightest give him [to be] meat for a people--the desert
beasts.
15 Thou, Thou didst cleave [a way for] fountain and torrent;
Thou, Thou didst dry up perennial streams.
16 Thine is day, Thine also is night,
Thou, Thou didst establish light and sun.
17 Thou, Thou didst set all the bounds of the earth;
Summer and winter, Thou, Thou didst form them.
18 Remember this--the enemy reviles Jehovah,
And a foolish people despises Thy name.
19 Give not up to the company of greed Thy turtle dove,
The company of Thine afflicted forget not for ever.
20 Look upon the covenant,
For the dark places of the land are full of habitations of
violence.
21 Let not the oppressed turn back ashamed,
Let the afflicted and needy praise Thy name.
22 Rise, O God, plead Thine own cause,
Remember Thy reproach from the foolish all the day.
23 Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries,
The tumult of them which rise against Thee goes up continually.
Two periods only correspond to the circumstances described in this
psalm and its companion (lxxix.)--namely, the Chaldean invasion and
sack of Jerusalem, and the persecution under Antiochus Epiphanes. The
general situation outlined in the psalm fits either of these; but, of
its details, some are more applicable to the former and others to the
later period. The later date is strongly supported by such complaints
as those of the cessation of prophecy (ver. 9), the flaunting of
the invaders' signs in the sanctuary (ver. 4), and the destruction
by fire of all the "meeting-places of God in the land" (ver. 8). On
the other hand, the earlier date better fits other features of the
psalm--since Antiochus did not destroy or burn, but simply profaned
the Temple, though he did, indeed, set fire to the gates and porch,
but to these only. It would appear that, on either hypothesis,
something must be allowed for poetical colouring. Calvin, whom
Cheyne follows in this, accounts for the introduction of the burning
of the Temple into a psalm referring to the desolation wrought by
Antiochus, by the supposition that the psalmist speaks in the name of
the "faithful, who, looking on the horrid devastation of the Temple,
and being warned by so sad a sight, carried back their thoughts to
that conflagration by which it had been destroyed by the Chaldeans,
and wove the two calamities together into one." It is less difficult
to pare down the statement as to the burning of the Temple so as to
suit the later date, than that as to the silence of prophecy and
the other characteristics mentioned, so as to fit the earlier. The
question is still further complicated by the similarities between the
two psalms and Jeremiah (compare ver. 4 with Lam. ii. 7, and ver. 9
with Lam. ii. 9). The prophet's well-known fondness for quotations
gives probability, other things being equal, to the supposition that
he is quoting the psalm, which would, in that case, be older than
Lamentations. But this inference scarcely holds good, if there are
other grounds on which the later date of the psalm is established. It
would be very natural in a singer of the Maccabean period to go back
to the prophet whose sad strains had risen at another black hour. On
the whole, the balance is in favour of the later date.
The psalm begins with a complaining cry to God (vv. 1-3), which passes
into a piteous detail of the nation's misery (vv. 4-9), whence it
rises into petition (vv. 10, 11), stays trembling faith by gazing upon
His past deeds of help and the wonders of His creative power (vv.
12-17), and closes with beseeching God to vindicate the honour of His
own name by the deliverance of His people (vv. 18-23).
The main emphasis of the prayer in vv. 1-3 lies on the pleas which
it presents, drawn from Israel's relation to God. The characteristic
Asaphic name "Thy flock" stands in ver. 1, and appeals to the
Shepherd, both on the ground of His tenderness and of His honour as
involved in the security of the sheep. A similar appeal lies in the
two words "acquire" and "redeem," in both of which the deliverance
from Egypt is referred to,--the former expression suggesting the
price at which the acquisition was made, as well as the obligations
of ownership; and the latter, the office of the Goel, the
Kinsman-Redeemer, on whom devolved the duty of obtaining satisfaction
for blood. The double designations of Israel as "Thy congregation" and
as "the tribe of Thine inheritance" probably point to the religious
and civil aspects of the national life. The strongest plea is put
last--namely, God's dwelling on Zion. For all these reasons, the
psalmist asks and expects Him to come with swift footsteps to the
desolations, which have endured so long that the impatience of despair
blends with the cry for help, and calls them "everlasting," even while
it prays that they may be built up again. The fact that the enemy
of God and of His flock has marred everything _in the sanctuary_ is
enough, the psalmist thinks, to move God to action.
The same thought, that the nation's calamities are really dishonouring
to God, and therefore worthy of His intervention, colours the whole
of the description of these in vv. 4-9. The invaders are "_Thine_
adversaries." It is "in the place where _Thou_ didst meet us" that
their bestial noises, like those of lions over their prey, echo. It
is "_Thy_ sanctuary" which they have set on fire, "the dwelling-place
of _Thy_ name" which they have profaned. It is "_Thy_ meeting-places"
which they have burned throughout the land. Only at the end of the
sad catalogue is the misery of the people touched on, and that, not
so much as inflicted by human foes, as by the withdrawal of God's
Spirit. This is, in fact, the dominant thought of the whole psalm.
It says very little about the sufferings resulting from the success
of the enemy, but constantly recurs to the insult to God, and the
reproach adhering to His name therefrom. The essence of it all is in
the concluding prayer, "Plead _Thine own_ cause" (ver. 22).
The vivid description of devastation in these verses presents some
difficulties in detail, which call for brief treatment. The "signs" in
ver. 4 _b_ may be taken as military, such as banners or the like; but
it is more in accordance with the usage of the word to suppose them
to be religious emblems, or possibly idols, such as Antiochus thrust
upon the Jews. In vv. 5 and 6 a change of tense represents the action
described in them, as if in progress at the moment before the singer's
eyes. "They seem" is literally "He is known" (or _makes himself
known_), which may refer to the invaders, the change from plural to
singular being frequent in Hebrew; or it may be taken impersonally,
= "It seems." In either case it introduces a comparison between the
hacking and hewing by the spoilers in the Temple, and the work of a
woodman swinging on high his axe in the forest. "And now" seems to
indicate the next step in the scene; which the psalmist picturesquely
conceives as passing before his horror-stricken sight. The end of that
ill-omened activity is that at last it succeeds in shattering the
carved work, which, in the absence of statues, was the chief artistic
glory of the Temple. All is hewed down, as if it were no more than
so much growing timber. With ver. 7 the tenses change to the calmer
tone of historical narration. The plundered Temple is set on fire--a
point which, as has been noticed above, is completely applicable only
to the Chaldean invasion. Similarly, the next clause, "they have
profaned the dwelling-place of Thy name to the ground," does not apply
in literality to the action of Antiochus, who did indeed desecrate,
but did not destroy, the Temple. The expression is a pregnant one,
and calls for some such supplement as is given above, which, however,
dilutes its vigour while it elucidates its meaning. In ver. 8 the word
"let us crush them" has been erroneously taken as a noun, and rendered
"their brood," a verb like "we will root out" being supplied. So the
LXX. and some of the old versions, followed by Hitzig and Baethgen.
But, as Delitzsch well asks,--Why are only the children to be rooted
out? and why should the object of the action be expressed, and not
rather the action, of which the object would be self-evident? The
"meeting-places of God in the land" cannot be old sanctuaries, nor
the high places, which were Israel's sin; for no psalmist could have
adduced the destruction of these as a reason for God's intervention.
They can only be the synagogues. The expression is a strong argument
for the later date of the psalm. Equally strong is the lament in ver.
9 over the removal of the "signs"--_i.e._, as in ver. 4, the emblems
of religion, or the sacrifices and festivals, suppressed by Antiochus,
which were the tokens of the covenant between God and Israel. The
silence of prophecy cannot be alleged of the Chaldean period without
some straining of facts and of the words here; nor is it true that
then there was universal ignorance of the duration of the calamity,
for Jeremiah had foretold it.
Vv. 10 and 11 are the kernel of the psalm, the rest of which is
folded round them symmetrically. Starting from this centre and working
outwards, we note that it is preceded by six verses dilating on the
profanations of the name of God, and followed by six setting forth
the glories of that name in the past. The connection of these two
portions of the psalm is obvious. They are, as it were, the inner
shell round the kernel. The outer shell is the prayer in three verses
which begins the psalm, and that in six verses which closes it. Ver.
10 takes up the despairing "How long" from the end of the preceding
portion, and turns it into a question to God. It is best to ask Him,
when ignorance pains us. But the interrogation does not so much beg
for enlightenment as to the duration of the calamity as for its
abbreviation. It breathes not precisely impatience, but longing that
a state of things so dishonouring to God should end. That aspect, and
not personal suffering, is prominent in the verse. It is "Thy name"
which is insulted by the adversaries actions, and laid open to their
contempt, as the name of a Deity powerless to protect His worshippers.
Their action "reproaches," and His inaction lets them "despise," His
name. The psalmist cannot endure that this condition should drag on
indefinitely, as if "for ever," and his prayer-question "How long?" is
next exchanged for another similar blending of petition and inquiry,
"_Why_ dost Thou draw back Thy hand?" Both are immediately translated
into that petition which they both really mean. "From the midst of Thy
bosom consume," is a pregnant phrase, like that in ver. 7 _b_, and has
to be completed as above, though, possibly, the verb stands absolutely
as equivalent to "make an end"--_i.e._, of such a state of things.
The psalmist's petition is next grounded on the revelation of God's
name in Israel's past, and in creative acts of power. These at once
encourage him to expect that God will pluck His hand out from the folds
of His robe, where it lies inactive, and appeal to God to be what He
has been of old, and to rescue the name which He has thus magnified
from insult. There is singular solemnity in the emphatic reiteration
of "Thou" in these verses. The Hebrew does not usually express the
pronominal nominative to a verb, unless special attention is to be
called to it; but in these verses it does so uniformly, with one
exception, and the sevenfold repetition of the word brings forcibly into
view the Divine personality and former deeds which pledge God to act
now. Remembrance of past wonders made present misery more bitter, but it
also fanned into a flame the spark of confidence that the future would
be like the past. One characteristic of the Asaph psalms is wistful
retrospect, which is sometimes the basis of rebuke, and sometimes of
hope, and sometimes of deepened sorrow, but is here in part appeal to
God and in part consolation. The familiar instances of His working
drawn from the Exodus history appear in the psalm. First comes the
dividing of the Red Sea, which is regarded chiefly as occasioning the
destruction of the Egyptians, who are symbolised by the "sea-monsters"
and by "leviathan" (the crocodile). Their fate is an omen of what the
psalmist hopes may befall the oppressors of his own day. There is
great poetic force in the representation that the strong hand, which
by a stroke parted the waters, crushed by the same blow the heads of
the foul creatures who "floated many a rood" on them. And what an end
for the pomp of Pharaoh and his host, to provide a meal for jackals
and the other beasts of the desert, who tear the corpses strewing
the barren shore! The meaning is completely misapprehended when "the
people inhabiting the wilderness" is taken to be wild desert tribes.
The expression refers to animals, and its use as designating them has
parallels (as Prov. xxx. 25, 26).
In ver. 15 another pregnant expression occurs, which is best filled
out as above, the reference being to cleaving the rock for the flow of
water, with which is contrasted in _b_ the drying up of the Jordan.
Thus the whole of the Exodus period is covered. It is noteworthy that
the psalmist adduces only wonders wrought on waters, being possibly
guided in his selection by the familiar poetic use of floods and seas
as emblems of hostile power and unbridled insolence. From the wonders
of history he passes to those of creation, and chiefly of that might
by which times alternate and each constituent of the Kosmos has its
appointed limits. Day and night, summer and winter, recur by God's
continual operation. Is there to be no dawning for Israel's night of
weeping, and no summer making glad the winter of its discontent? "Thou
didst set all the bounds of the earth,"--wilt Thou not bid back this
surging ocean which has transgressed its limits and filled the breadth
of Thy land? All the lights in the sky, and chiefly the greatest of
them, Thou didst establish,--surely Thou wilt end this eclipse in
which Thy people grope.
Thus the psalmist lifts himself to the height of confident though
humble prayer, with which the psalm closes, recurring to the opening
tones. Its centre is, as we have seen, a double remonstrance--"How
long?" and "Why?" The encircling circumference is earnest
supplication, of which the keynote is "Remember" (vv. 2 and 18).
The gist of this closing prayer is the same appeal to God to defend
His own honour, which we have found in the former verses. It is put in
various forms here. Twice (vv. 18 and 22) God is besought to remember
the reproach and contumely heaped on his name, and apparently warranted
by His inaction. The claim of Israel for deliverance is based in ver. 19
upon its being "_Thy_ turtle dove," which therefore cannot be abandoned
without sullying Thy fame. The psalmist spreads the "covenant" before
God, as reminding Him of His obligations under it. He asks that such
deeds may be done as will give occasion to the afflicted and needy
to "praise Thy name," which is being besmirched by their calamities.
Finally, in wonderfully bold words, he calls on God to take up what
is, after all, "His own" quarrel, and, if the cry of the afflicted
does not move Him, to listen to the loud voices of those who blaspheme
Him all the day. Reverent earnestness of supplication sometimes sounds
like irreverence; but, "when the heart's deeps boil in earnest," God
understands the meaning of what sounds strange, and recognises the
profound trust in His faithfulness and love which underlies bold words.
The precise rendering of ver. 19 is very doubtful. The word rendered
above by "company" may mean _life_ or _a living creature_, or,
collectively, a _company_ of such. It has been taken in all these
meanings here, and sometimes in one of them in the first clause,
and in another in the second, as most recently by Baethgen, who
renders "Abandon not to _the beast_" in _a_, and "_The life of_
thine afflicted" in _b_. But it must have the same meaning in both
clauses, and the form of the word shows that it must be construed
in both with a following "of." If so, the rendering adopted above
is best, though it involves taking the word rendered "greed" (lit.,
soul) in a somewhat doubtful sense. This rendering is adopted in the
R.V. (margin), and is, on the whole, the least difficult, and yields
a probable sense. Delitzsch recognises the necessity for giving the
ambiguous word the same meaning in both clauses, and takes that
meaning to be "creature," which suits well enough in _a_, but gives
a very harsh meaning to _b_. "Forget not Thy poor animals for ever"
is surely an impossible rendering. Other attempts have been made to
turn the difficulty by textual alteration. Hupfeld would transpose two
words in _a_, and so gets "Give not up to rage the life of Thy dove."
Cheyne corrects the difficult word into "to the sword," and Graetz
follows Dyserinck in preferring "to death," or Krochmal, who reads "to
destruction." If the existing text is retained, probably the rendering
adopted above is best.