Henry Ainsworth on Psalms 104

PSAL. CIV.

MY soule, blesse thou Iehovah; Iehovah, my God, thou art vehemently great: thou araiest thy selfe with Majesty and comely honour. Deeking him-selfe with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens as a curtaine. Planchering his lofts in the waters, making the clouds his Chariot, walking vpon the wings of the wind.

Making his Angels spirits, his Ministers a flaming fire. He hath founded the earth upon her bases, it shall not bee moved for ever and aye. Thou coveredst it with the deepe as with a raiment, the waters stood above the mountaines. At thy rebuke they fled, at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away. The mountaines they went up, the vallies they went downe to the place which thou foundest for them. Thou didst set a bound, they shall not passe, they shall not returne to cover the earth. That sendeth wel-springs in the vallies, they walke betweene the mountaines.

They give drinke to all the wilde beasts of the field, the wilde asses breake their thirst. By them the fowle of the Heaven dwelleth, from betweene the branches they give the voice. That watreth the mountaines from his lofts, the earth is filled with the fruit of thy workes. That maketh grasse to grow for cattle, and the herbe for the use of man, bringing forth bread out of the earth. And wine that rejoyceth the heart of sorry man, making the face chearefull with osle; and bread that upholdeth the heart of sorry man. Tilled are the trees of Iehovah, the Cedars of Lebanon which he planted. That there the birds may make their nest; the Storke, the Fir trees are her house. The high mountaines for the wilde goats, the rocks a shelter for the conies.

He made the Moone for appointed times, the Sunne knoweth his going downe. Thou puttest darknesse and it is night, in it doe creep forth all wilde beasts of the wood. The lurking Lions roaring for the prey, and seeking their meat of God. The Sunne riseth, they gather them away, and couch downe in their dens. Out goeth man unto his worke, and to his labour till evening. How many are thy workes, Iehovah! all of them hast thou done in wisdome, the earth is full of thy riches. This Sea: great and wide of spaces, there are creeping things even innumerable, small wilde beasts with great. There goe the ships. Levjathan whom thou hast formed to play therein. They all looke attentively unto thee, to give them their food in his time. Thou givest it to them, they gather it, thou openest thine hand, they are fil[illegible: 1 letter]ed with good.

Thou hidest thy face, they are suddenly troubled; thou gatherest their spirit, they breath out the ghost, and returne unto their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of Iehovah be for ever, rejoyce let Iehovah in his deeds. He looketh upon the earth and it trembleth, he toucheth the mountaines and they smoke. I will sing to Iehovah in my life; I will sing Psalmes to my God while I am. Sweet shall my meditation be of him; I will rejoyce in Iehovah. Consumed be sinners out of the earth, and wicked men be they no more; my soule, blesse thou Iehovah, Halelujah.

Annotations. ANd comely honour] that is, shewest thy selfe by all thy works to be God over all, to whom glory and honour is due. Therefore God challengeth Iob (and so all men) to doe thus if they can, and they shall be celebrated of him, Iob 40 4, 5.—9. Of these words, see Psal. 8. 2,—6. Vers. 2. Decking] or clothing, or He clotheth, to wit, himselfe with light, dwelling in the light that none can attaine unto, 1 Tim. 6. 16. and at first commanding the light to shine out of darknesse, wherewith he decked the world, Gen. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 6. as a curtaine] that is, as a canopie, or tent, Song 1. 5. Ier. 49. 29. when he spred out the firmament by himselfe alone, Gen. 1. 6. Esa. 44. 24. and 51. 13. Iob 37. 18. Vers. 3. Planchering] He plancketh or planchereth his lofts, (or upper chambers) that is, the clouds aloft or upper regions of the aire, as after in vers. 13. in the waters] among them, or with waters, which are above in the firmament, Gen. 1. 7. where God bindeth the waters in the clouds, and the cloud is not broken under them, Iob 26. 8. making] or putting, that is, disposing them his Chariot to sit and ride on, as Esa. 19. 1. Rev. 14. 14. Compare Psal. 18. 11. Vers. 4. spirits] that is, spirituall substances, so differing from Christ who is no made or created spirit, but the maker of all things, Psal. 102. 26. and from men made of flesh and bloud, Luk. 24. 39. The originall word also signifieth winds, and Angels by interpretation are messengers; whereupon some translate, he maketh the winds his messengers: but the Holy Ghost in Heb. 1. 7. sheweth this to be spoken of Angels properly, who are named also ministring spirits, Heb. 1. 14. flaming fire] effectuall in their administration, the Angels therefore have appeared like horses and Chariots of fire, 2 King. 6. 17. and 2. 11. Vers. 5. bases] firme and fit groundsels: see Psal. 24. 2. and 78. 69. Iob 38. 4. 6. Vers. 6. the deepe] or depth of waters, which hid all the earth till God separated them, Gen. 1. 2. 9. Vers. 8. they went up] that is, the mounts shewed themselves on high, when the waters of the deepe were gathered into the channels of the sea, Gen. 1. 9. and 8. 5, &c. Or, They (that is, the waters) went up the mounts and downe the dales when they were parted from the dry land, as if that thing were effected by thunder, wind and tempest, called here Gods rebuke driving the waters, vers. 7. see Psal. 18 16. Vers. 9. abound] or limit, shutting up the sea with doores and barres, saying, hitherto shalt thou come, but no further, and here shall it stay thy proud waves, as Iob 38. 8. 10, 11. So Psal. 148. 6. Vers. 10. That sendeth] or He sendeth: so after. wel-springs] or fountaines, meaning rivers flowing from such, as the next words shew. they walke] that is, runne: so Psal. 105. 41. Vers. 11. breake] that is, slake or quench their thirst. So we say, to brake ones fast. Vers. 12. give the voice] the Chaldee addeth, the voice of singing, that is, sing loud and chearefully: see Psal. 68. 34. Vers. 13. his lofts] or his high chambers, the skies that give raine. the fruit] that is, the raine which God onely giveth, Ier. 14. 22. and 10. 13. and consequently, the corne and herbes that grow after raine. Compare Iob 38. 26, 27, 28. Deut. 11. 14, 15. Vers. 14. the use] or service. bringing] or to bring, but this is referred still to God so after, to make, that is, making faces, &c. see Psal. 103. 20. bread] that is, bread-corne: so Esa. 28. 28. and 30. 23. Iob 28. 5. Eccles. 11. 1. Vers. 15. cheerfull] or merry, so the Greeke turneth it, so also the Hebrew signifieth, as Est. 8. 15. or, to shine. with oile] wherewith they used to anoint them, Psal. 23. 5. or more than oile, that is, wine makes the face seeme more cheerefull than if it were ointed. upholdeth] that is, comforteth: so Gen. 18. 5. Vers. 16. trees of Iehovah] this is after expounded, which hee planted. So the Chaldee expoundeth, Trees which the Lord created. Vers. 17. the stroke] a bird somewhat like a crane, named in Hebrew Chasidah, of mercy or kindnesse, which is said to be in this fowle, that the young will nourish their dams when they are old. Vers. 18. wilde goats] or roes, named of climing rocks, for they haunt high hils and rocks, where they are safe from dogs that hunt them, 1 Sam. 24. 3. Iob 39. 4. conies] commended for wisdome, that being a people not mighty, they make their houses in the rocke, Prov. 30. 24, 26. Vers. 19. appointed times] seasons of the yeere, as the Chaldee paraphraseth, for times to be counted by it: or certaine times, for that the moone is not alwaies seene. knoweth] to wit, by Gods commandement the time and place for to sit and rise: see Iob 38. 12. Vers. 21. for the prey] or at it: see Esa. 31. 4. Iob 4. 11. and 39. 1, 2. Vers. 23. labour] or his tilth, service, husbandry, as Gen. 2. 5. Vers. 24. riches] or possessions. Vers. 25. wide of spaces] or of hands, that is, broad and spacious, reaching out his armes on every side, Iob 11. 9. A like phrase is of other spacious things, Gen. 34. 21. Nehem. 7. 4. Isa. 33. 21. Vers. 26. Livjathan] or the whale, or the seadragon: see Psal. 74. 14. Iob 40. 20, &c. to play] or playing in it, as Behemoth and the beasts are said to play on the mountaines, Iob 40. 15. which word is also used for conflict or fight, 2 Sam. 2. 14. Vers. 27. looke attentively] or, wait with hope, so Psal. 145. 15. in his time] that is, in due season: see Psal. 1. 3. Vers. 28. openest, &c.] that is, givest freely, as Deut. 15. 11. Vers. 29. gatherest] that is, takest away: see Psal. 30. 9. to their dust] their earth whereof they were made, Gen. 1. 24. and 3. 19. Psal. 146. 4. This is taken from Iob 34. 14, 15. Vers. 30. renewest] by causing new creatures to come in place of the old, Eccles. 1. 4. and restoring the estate of things decayed, Ezek. 37. Vers. 31. be] or shall be for ever. rejoyce] in beholding the holy order and obedience of his creatures, and not repent or be sorry for the worke of his hands and destroy them, Esa. 65. 19. Gen. 6. 5, 6. Vers. 32. they smoke] a signe of feare, Exod. 19. 18. so Psal. 144. 5. Vers. 33. in my life] so long as I live: so Psal. 63. 5. and 146. 2. Vers. 34. Sweet shall be] that is, delightfull to me, or, be it sweet, that is, acceptable to God. Vers. 35. Consumed be sinners] or, they shall bee consumed; by sinners, meaning men given to sinne: See Ps. 1. 1. Hallelu-jah] that is, Praise ye Iah; an Hebrew phrase kept in the Greeke, Rev. 19. 3, 6. and in other languages, set sometime in the beginning, sometime in the end of Psalmes; but first used in this place, where consuming of sinners is mentioned, as in the new Testament it is first used in Rev. 19. where the destruction of Antichrist, the man of sinne is foretold.