sweetness spoken by any man as by him: never was there such a loving and
tender heart as the heart of Jesus Christ: “_Grace was poured into his
lips._” Certainly never were there such words of love, sweetness, and
tenderness spoken here upon this earth as those last words of his which
were uttered a little before his sufferings, and are recorded in the
13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th chapters of John. Read over all the
books of love and friendship that were ever written by any of the sons
of men, they do all come far short of those melting strains of love that
are there expressed. So sweet and amiable was the conversation of Jesus
Christ, that it is reported of the apostle Peter in the Ecclesiastical
History, that after Christ’s ascension he wept so abundantly, that he
was always seen wiping his face from the tears; and being asked why he
wept so, he answered, He could not choose but weep as often as he
thought of that most sweet conversation of Jesus Christ.—_John Row._
_Verse 3.—“Gird thy sword upon thy thigh.”_ The sword, according to
ancient custom was hung in a belt put round the shoulders, and reaching
down to the thigh. It was suspended on the back part of the thigh,
almost to the ground, but was not girded upon it; the horseman’s sword
was fixed on the saddle by a girth. When David, in spirit invites the
Redeemer of the church to gird his sword upon his thigh, and the spouse
says of the valiant of Israel, “every man hath his sword upon his thigh
because of fear in the night” (Cant. iii. 8), they do not mean that the
weapon was literally bound upon their thigh, but hung in the girdle on
the back part of it; for this was the mode in which, by the universal
testimony of ancient writers, the infantry wore their swords. It is
still the practice in the East to wear swords in this manner, for
Chardin informs us, that “the Eastern people wear their swords hanging
down at length; and the Turks wear their swords on horseback, and on
their thigh.” But in his poetical invitation to the Redeemer, to gird
his sword upon his thigh, David manifestly points to some special
occasion of solemn and official character; and a clear light is thrown
upon his meaning by a custom to this day observed in the East. “When a
Persian or an Ottoman prince _ascends the throne_,” says Mr. Morier, “he
girds on his sabre. Mohammed Jaffer, for example, was proclaimed by the
Khan, governor _pro tempore_, till the arrival of his brother, and was
invested in this dignity by the _girding of a sword upon his thigh_, an
honour which he accepted with a reluctance perhaps not wholly
feigned.”—“This ceremony,” says Dr. Davey, giving an account of an
Eastern coronation, “remained to be performed before the prince could be
considered completely king—it was that of choosing a new name, and
putting on the regal sword. The prince went in great state to the
temple, where he presented offerings, and then, the sword having been
girded on his thigh, the priest presented a pot of sandal-powder, in
which the prince, who _may now be called_ king, dipped his fingers.”
From these anecdotes, it is evident girding a sword on the thigh is part
of the ceremony of royal inauguration; and that when the Psalmist
addresses the Messiah, he refers to his receiving the honours and powers
of the Lord of all.—_G. Paxton’s Illustrations of Scripture._
_Verse 3.—“Thy sword.”_ The word of God is compared to such a weapon,
for the apostle informs us that it is quick, or living, and powerful,
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of the soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and laying
open the thoughts and intents of the heart. It must be observed,
however, that this description of the word of God is applicable to it
only when Christ girds it on, and employs it as his sword. Of what use
is a sword, even though it be the sword of Goliath, while it lies still
in its scabbard, or is grasped by the powerless hand of an infant? In
those circumstances it can neither conquer nor defend, however well
suited it might be to do both in the hand of a warrior. It is the same
with the sword of the Spirit. While it lies still in its scabbard, or is
wielded only by the infantile hand of Christ’s ministers, it is a
powerless and useless weapon; a weapon at which the weakest sinner can
laugh, and against which he can defend himself with the utmost ease. But
not so when he who is the Most Mighty girds it on. Then it becomes a
weapon of tremendous power, a weapon resistless as the bolt of heaven.
“Is not my word like a fire, and a hammer, saith the Lord, which
breaketh the rock in pieces?” It is indeed, for what can be more
efficacious and irresistible than a weapon sharper than a two-edged
sword, wielded by the arm of omnipotence? What must his sword be whose
glance is lightning? Armed with this weapon, the Captain of our
salvation cuts his way to the sinner with infinite ease, though
surrounded by rocks and mountains, scatters his strongholds and refuges
of lies, and with a mighty blow cleaves asunder his heart of adamant,
and lays him prostrate and trembling at his feet. Since such are the
effects of this weapon in the hand of Christ, it is with the utmost
propriety that the Psalmist begins by requesting him _to gird it on_,
and not suffer it to be inactive in its scabbard, or powerless in the
feeble grasp of his ministers.—_Edward Payson._
_Verse 3.—“O most mighty.”_ Christ is almighty, and so able to make good
all that he speaketh, and to make his word of precept, promise, and
threatening effectual unto the errand for which it is sent.—_David
Dickson._
_Verses 3, 4._—We may reflect with pleasure on the glorious cause in
which Christ is engaged, and the holy war which he carries on, and in
which he shall prosper. It is the cause of truth, of meekness, and
righteousness. His gospel, his sword, which is the word of God, tends to
rectify our errors by truth; to control our passions by that meekness
which it promotes, and to regulate our lives by the laws of
righteousness which it inculcates. Let us rejoice that this sacred cause
has hitherto prospered, and shall prosper.—_Job Orton, 1717-1783._
_Verse 4.—“And in thy majesty ride prosperously,”_ etc. The wheels of
Christ’s chariot, whereupon he rideth when he goeth to conquer and
subdue new converts to his kingdom, are _majesty_, _truth_, _meekness_,
_righteousness_, manifested in the preaching of his gospel; _majesty_,
when the stately magnificence of his person and offices is declared;
_truth_, when the certainty of all that he teacheth in Scripture is
known; _meekness_, when his grace and mercy is offered to rebels; and
_righteousness_, when justification by faith in his name is clearly set
forth. Christ goeth no voyage in vain, he cometh not short of his intent
and purpose, but doth the work for which he cometh, preaching the
gospel; _in his majesty, truth, meekness, and righteousness, he rideth
prosperously_.—_David Dickson._
_Verse 4.—“Ride prosperously, because of truth, and meekness, and
righteousness.”_ The literal translation would be, “Ride on the word of
truth, and the meekness of righteousness,” and so the Syriac has it. If
this rendering be adopted, the meaning will then be, that the great
object of Christ’s gospel was to vindicate the cause of truth and
righteousness in the world. Christ is said to ride on the word of truth,
because the knowledge of the truth depends on the word—it is by the word
that truth is made known. He is said to ride on the meekness or humility
of righteousness, because meekness or humility is its distinguishing
characteristic. The former relates to what man is to believe, the latter
to how he is to live.—_George Harpur._
_Verse 4.—“Thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.”_ This
expression seems only used to imply, either that by his power he should
be enabled to do terrible things, because teaching enables men to do
what they are taught, or that by his almighty power he should
experimentally see what great and terrible things should be done by
him.—_Arthur Jackson._
_Verse 5.—“Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies.”_
In a still bolder metaphor the arrows which are discharged from the bow
of Christ are the preachers of the gospel, especially the apostles and
evangelists. “_His sagittis_” says S. Jerome, “_totus orbis vulneratus
et captus est_.” Paul, the apostle, was an arrow of the Lord, discharged
from his bow from Jerusalem to Illyricum, and from Illyricum to Spain,
flying from east to west, and subduing Christ’s enemies beneath his
feet.—_Christopher Wordsworth._
_Verse 5._—While beseeching the Redeemer to ride forth prosperously, and
predicting his success, he seems suddenly to have seen his prayers
answered and his predictions fulfilled. He saw his all-conquering Prince
gird on his resistless sword, array himself in glory and majesty, ascend
the chariot of his gospel, display the banner of his cross, and ride
forth, as on the wings of the wind, while the tremendous voice of a
herald proclaimed before him: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord,” exalt
the valleys, and level the hills; make the crooked ways straight, and
the rough places plain; for, behold, the Lord God comes; he comes with a
strong hand, his reward is with him, and his work before him. From the
bright and fiery cloud which enveloped his chariot, and concealed it
from mortal eyes, he saw sharp arrows of conviction shot forth on every
side, deeply wounding the obdurate hearts of sinners, and prostrating
them in crowds around his path, while his right hand extended raised
them again, and healed the wounds which his arrows had made; and his
omnipotent voice spoke peace to their despairing souls, and bade them
follow in his train, and witness and share in his triumph. From the same
bright cloud he saw the vengeful lightnings flashing thick and dreadful,
to blast and consume everything that opposed his progress; he saw sin,
and death, and hell, with all its legions, baffled, defeated, and flying
in trembling consternation before him; he saw them overtaken, bound, and
chained to his triumphant chariot wheels; while enraptured voices were
heard from heaven exclaiming, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and
the kingdom of God, and the power of his Christ.” Such was the scene
which seems to have burst upon the ravished sight of the entranced
prophet. Transported with the view, he exclaims, “_Thine arrows are
sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under
thee_.”—_Edward Payson._
_Verse 5.—“The king’s enemies,”_ is not simply an expression for “Thy
enemies,” as some think, but rather implies that Christ’s kingship is
the ground of their enmity; just as in the second Psalm their cry was,
“Let us break their _bands_ asunder.”—_George Harpur._
_Verse 6.—“Thy throne, O God.”_ The original word, is probably vocative,
both in the Greek and in the Hebrew; and is so taken by modern
Unitarians, who seek their refuge by explaining away θεός.—_Henry
Alford, D.D._, on Heb. i. 8.
_Verse 7.—“Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness.”_ Many a
one loves righteousness, but would not be its champion; such a love is
not Christ’s love. Many a one hates iniquity, not for its own sake, but
for the sake of its consequences; such a hate is not Christ’s hate. To
be like Christ we must love righteousness as he loved, and hate
wickedness as he hated. To love and hate as he loves and hates is to be
perfect as he is perfect. The perfection of this love and hate is moral
perfection.—_George Harpur._
_Verse 7.—“Therefore.”_ Observe how usual it is to impute Christ’s
exaltation to his merits. God blessed him for ever, as in the second
verse of this Psalm (if such be the sense of that verse), _because_ he
was fairer than the children of men, and grace was poured into his lips.
And so the apostle. God highly exalted him and gave him a name above
every name, _because_ he had humbled himself, and become obedient unto
death. And here God anointed him with the oil of gladness above his
fellows, _because_ he loved righteousness and hated iniquity.—_George
Harpur._
_Verse 7.—“Therefore.”_ He says not, “Wherefore he anointed thee in
order to thy being God, or King, or Son, or Word;” for so he was before,
and is for ever, as has been shown; but rather, “Since thou art God and
King, therefore thou wast anointed, since none but thou couldst unite
man to the Holy Ghost, thou the image of the Father, in which we were
made in the beginning: for thine is even the Spirit.”—_Athanasius._
_Verse 7.—“Therefore God, thy God.”_ God was the God of Christ in
covenant, that he might be our God in covenant; for in his transactions,
whole Christ, Head and members, are to be considered (Gal. iii. 16; 1
Cor. xii. 12), the covenant being first transacted with the Head (who is
given for a covenant to us, Isa. xlii. 6), and then with the members,
with him in reference to us and for us. As God did not fail our surety,
but supported him in his great conflict, when out of the depths he
called unto him; so neither will he fail us in time of need. Heb. iv.
16; xiii. 5, 6.—_William Troughton._
_Verse 7.—“Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of
gladness above thy fellows;”_ _i.e._, enriched and filled thee in a
singular and peculiar manner with the fulness of the Spirit, whereby
thou art consecrated to thy office; and by reason whereof thou
out-shinest and excellest all the saints who are thy “_fellows_,” or
co-partners in these graces. So that in these words you have two parts,
namely first, _the saints’ dignity_; and, secondly, _Christ’s
pre-eminency_. First. _The saints’ dignity_, which consists in this,
that they are Christ’s “_fellows_.” The Hebrew word מֵחֲבֵרֶךָ, is very
full and copious, and is translated consorts, companions, co-partners,
partakers; or, as ours reads it, “_fellows_;” _i.e._, such as are
partakers with him in the anointing of the Spirit, who do in their
measure receive the same Spirit, every Christian being anointed, _modo
sibi proportionato_, with the same grace and dignified with the same
titles. 1 John ii. 27; Rev. i. 6. Christ and the saints are in common
one with another. Doth the Spirit of holiness dwell in him? So he doth
in them too. Is Christ King and Priest? Why, so are they, too, by the
grace of union with him. He hath made us kings and priests to God and
his Father. This is the saints’ dignity, to be Christ’s fellows,
consorts, or co-partners; so that look whatever grace or excellency is
in Christ, it is not impropriated to himself, but they do share with
him; for indeed he was filled with the fulness of the Spirit for their
sakes and use. As the sun is filled with light not to shine to itself,
but to others, so is Christ with grace; and therefore some translate the
text not _præ consortibus_, above thy fellows, but _propter consortes_,
for thy fellows;[20] making Christ the first receptacle of all grace,
who first and immediately is filled from the fountain of the Godhead,
but it is for his people who receive and derive from him according to
their proportion. This is a great truth; and the dignity of the saints
lies chiefly in the partnership with Christ, though our translation,
“_above thy fellows_,” suits best both with the importance of the word
and scope of the place. Secondly. But then, whatever _dignity_ is
ascribed herein to the saints, there is, and still must be, a
_pre-eminency_ acknowledged and ascribed to Christ: if they are anointed
with the spirit of grace, much more abundantly is Christ: “_God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
fellows._”—_John Flavel._
_Verse 7.—“Oil of gladness.”_ For sweet-smelling oils were also used to
beautify the face upon occasions of feasting and mirth. Ps. xxiii. 5;
civ. 15; Isa. lxi. 3. And likewise this oil of consecration and infusion
of the gifts of the Holy Ghost hath been the cause and foundation of
Christ’s human nature’s obtaining of the everlasting joys and glory.
Phil. ii. 9; Heb. xii. 2.—_John Diodati._
_Verse 7._—Behold, O ye Arians, and acknowledge even hence the truth.
The Psalmist speaks of us all as _fellows_ or _partakers_ of the Lord,
but were he one of things which come out of nothing, and of things
generate, he himself had been one of those who partake. But since he
hymned him as the eternal God, saying, “_Thy throne, O God, is for ever
and ever_,” and has declared that all other things partake of him, what
conclusion must we draw, but that he is distinct from generated things,
and he only the Father’s veritable Word, Radiance, and Wisdom, which all
things generate partake, being sanctified by him in Spirit? And,
therefore, he is here “_anointed_,” not that he may become God, for he
was so even before; nor that he may become king, for he had the kingdom
eternally, existing as God’s image, as the sacred oracle shows; but in
our behalf is this written, as before. For the Israelitish kings, upon
their being anointed, then became kings, not being so before, as David,
as Ezekias, as Josias, and the rest; but the Saviour, on the contrary,
being God, and ever ruling in the Father’s kingdom, and being himself
the dispenser of the Holy Ghost, nevertheless is here said to be
anointed, that, as before, being said as man to be anointed with the
Spirit, he might provide for us more, not only exaltation and
resurrection, but the indwelling and intimacy of the Spirit.... And when
he received the Spirit, we it was who, by him were made recipients of
it. And, moreover, for this reason, not as Aaron, or David, or the rest,
was he anointed with oil, but in another way, above all his fellows,
“_with the oil of gladness_,” which he himself interprets to be the
Spirit, saying by the prophet, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord hath anointed me;” as also the apostle has said, “How
God anointed him with the Holy Ghost.”—_Athanasius._
_Verse 8.—“All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out
of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”_ Although there
is considerable obscurity overhanging these words, still the general
idea of _a supereminent fulness of anointing_ is quite apparent,
combined, however, with the other idea that the anointing oil or
ointment is of _the most exquisite quality_. Myrrh, and aloes, and
cassia were celebrated for their peculiar fragrance, on which account
they were used in compounding the choicest unguents. Myrrh and cassia
are mentioned in Ex. xxx. 23, 24, as two of the spices of which the holy
anointing oil was made up. All its ingredients were considered sacred.
The Israelites were forbidden to pour it upon man’s flesh, or to attempt
any imitation of it in their own perfumes. Ivory was in early times, as
it still is, rare and costly, and it was highly esteemed as a material
for household decoration, on which the finest workmanship and the most
princely expenditure were displayed. In palaces of ivory, therefore, it
was to be expected that, in correspondence with the magnificence of
their structure that the costliness of their furniture, the ointment
employed for anointing would be of the richest perfume, and in the
greatest profusion. According to our version of the Psalm, the divine
Saviour is thus represented as being anointed with oil of the very best
kind, even oil taken from the ivory palaces; and also as receiving it in
no ordinary measure. His anointing was not confined to a few ceremonial
drops poured upon the head, but so abundant is it said to have been,
that _all_ his garments _smelled_ of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia.
Bishop Horsley has proposed a change in the translation, by which means
the idea of abundance is connected, not with the fragrance arising from
the anointing, but with the anointing itself, which is a different and
far more important thing. “Thy garments are all myrrh, aloes, and
cassia, excelling the palaces of ivory, excelling those which delight
thee.” This translation, which is strictly literal as well as poetical,
is at the same time comparatively free from obscurity, and it visibly
sets forth, under the most expressive imagery, the surpassing measure of
that anointing which was conferred on our Lord above all his fellows.
His garments are supposed not merely to have been all richly perfumed,
or even thoroughly saturated with the oil of gladness, but to have
consisted of the very articles which entered into the composition of the
most precious and odoriferous unguent. “_Thy garments are all myrrh,
aloes, and cassia._” This is figurative language, but nothing could more
emphatically exhibit how truly “the Spirit rested on Jesus, and abode
with him” in all the plenitude of his heavenly gifts. That heavenly
anointing constituted, as it were, his very dress, “excelling” in the
quantity or measure of the anointing “the palaces of ivory;” because
their furnitures, however highly scented, were not made of aromatic
materials. The strength of the perfumes would evaporate, the fragrance
would soon diminish; but permanent as well as plentiful fragrance is
secured to him whose “garments are all myrrh, aloes, and cassia.” It is
added, in the way of parallelism, “excelling those which delight in
thee,” or those which make thee glad. To say that the persons here
alluded to are the occupiers of the ivory palaces, might perhaps be
objected to as fanciful; but palaces are the abodes of kings; and
anointed kings, either literally, or typically, or spiritually, are the
fellows of the Lord’s anointed One; and it does seem manifest that, as
his anointing causes joy and gladness to all the parties concerned in
it, so likewise there is an anointing of those who are honoured to be
his fellows which causes joy and gladness to him. The persons who are in
the one verse spoken of as giving delight to Christ, there is no reason
to regard as any other than the persons spoken of in the former verse as
his “_fellows_.” And if this is the case, then we have a comparison
drawn betwixt the one and the other in the matter of their anointing,
and to that of Christ a decided superiority is ascribed.—_David
Pitcairn, in “The Anointed Saviour,” 1846._
_Verse 8.—“All thy garments smell of myrrh,”_ etc. These things are true
in Jesus; by his garments is meant his righteousness; for it is written,
He clothed himself with righteousness and zeal. And here the translator
hath put in “_smell_,” which rather should have been _are_, for “_his
garments are_ of myrrh, and aloes and cassia,” that is, truly purging,
cleansing, and making sound; for his righteousness, which is the
righteousness of faith, maketh sound-hearted Christians; whereas, man’s
righteousness, which is the righteousness of works, maketh filthy
hypocrites. And by “_ivory palaces_,” is meant the true faith and fear
of God; for ivory is solid and white, and palaces are king’s houses; and
by Christ we are made kings, and our dwelling is in faith and fear of
God; and this is the gladness and joy of our Lord Jesus, that he brings
many sons and daughters unto God.—_Richard Coore, 1683._
_Verse 8.—“Out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”_
Commentators have been more perplexed in explaining these words than any
other part of the Psalm. Not to detain you with the various expositions
that have been proposed, I will give you what I conceive to be the
meaning of the passage. The word rendered “_whereby_,” is also the name
of a region in Arabia Felix, namely, Minnæa, which, according to the
geographer Strabo, “abounded in myrrh and frankincense.” Now, it is
singular that, according to the historian, Diodorus Siculus, “the
inhabitants of Arabia Felix had sumptuous houses, adorned with _ivory_
and precious stones.” Putting these two things together, therefore,
namely, that this region abounded in myrrh and frankincense, and that
its inhabitants adorned their houses with ivory, we may, I conceive,
find a clue to the Psalmist’s meaning. If we substitute “Minnæa” for
“whereby,” the passage will run thus—
“Myrrh, aloes, and cassia, are all thy garments,
From ivory palaces of Minnæa they have made thee glad.”