Henry Ainsworth on Psalms 106

PSAL. CVI.

HAlelu-jah; Confesse ye to Iehovah, for he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever. Who can expresse the powers of Iehovah, can cause to heare all his praise? O blessed are they that keepe judgement, is he that doth justice in all time. Remember me, Iehovah, with the favourable acceptation of thy people; visit me with thy salvation. To see the good of thy chosen, to rejoyce with the joy of thy nation, to glory with thy inheritance. We have sinned with our fathers, we have done crookedly, we have done wickedly.

Our fathers in Egypt did not prudently minde thy marvellous workes; they remembred not the multitude of thy mercies, but turned rebellious at the sea, at the red sea. Yet he saved them for his Name sake, to make knowne his power. And he rebuked the red sea, and it was dried up; and he led them in the deeps as in the wildernesse. And he saved them from the hand of the hater, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemie. And the waters covered their distressers, one of them was not left. And they beleeved in his words, they sang his praise.

They made haste, they forgat his workes, they waited not for his counsell. But lusted with lust in the wildernesse, and tempted God in the desart. And he gave to them their request, and sent leannesse into their soule.

And they envied at Moses in the campe, at Aharon the holy one of Iehovah. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered over the congregation of Abiram. And a fire burned in their congregation, a flame burnt up the wicked.

They made a calfe in Horeb, and bowed themselves to a molten Idoll. And turned their glory into the forme of an Oxe that eateth grasse. They forgat God their Saviour, that did great things in Egypt. Marvellous workes in the land of Cham, fearefull things by the red sea. And he said, to abolish them; had not Moses, his chosen, stood in the breach before him, to turne his wrathfull heat from destroying them.

And they contemptuously refused the land of desire, they beleeved not his Word. But murmured in their tents; they heard not the voice of Iehovah. And he lifted up his hand to them, to fell them in the wildernesse.

And to fell their seed among the heathens, and to fanne them in the lands.

And they were joyned to Baal-pehor, and did eat the sacrifices of the dead. And moved indignation by their actions, and the plague brake in upon them. And Phineas stood and executed judgement, and the plague was restrained. And it was counted to him for justice to generation and generation for ever.

And they caused servent wrath at the waters of Meribah, and evill was to Moses for their sake. For they bitterly provoked his spirit, and he pronounced it with his lips.

They abolished not the peoples which Iehovah had said unto them. But mixed themselves among the heathens, and learned their works.

And served their Idols, & they were to them for a snare. And they sacrified their sonnes and their daughters to Devils. And shed innocent bloud, the bloud of their sonnes and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed to the Idols of Canaan; and the land was impiously distained with blouds. And they defiled themselves by their workes, and whored by their practises. And the anger of Iehovah was kindled against his people, and hee abhorred his inheritance. And hee gave them into the hand of the heathens, and their haters ruled over them. And their enemies oppressed them, and they were humbled under their hand. Many times did hee deliver them, and they bitterly provoked by their counsell; and were brought downe by their iniquitie. Yet he saw when distresse was on them, when he heard their cry. And he remembred toward them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. And gave them to tender mercies, before all that led them captives.

Save thou us, Iehovah our God, and gather us from the heathens, for to confesse unto the Name of thine holinesse, to glory in thy praise. Blessed bee Iehovah, God of Israel, from eternitie and unto eternitie; and let all the people say, Amen, Halelu-jah.

Annotations. THe powers] that is, the powerfull workes, such as after follow, verse 8, &c. Thus also were Christs miracles named, Mat. 11. 20, 21. So after, praise for praise-worthy acts. cause to heare[illegible: 2 letters] that is, sound forth, or display, so as it may bee heard: so Psal. 26. 7. Vers. 4. visit mee] that is, come and bestow thy salvation (helpe or deliverance) upon mee: See Psalme 8. 5. and compare herewith. Luke 1. 68, 69. Vers. 5. To see] That I may see or enjoy; See the Notes on Psal. 27. 4. to glory] or boast joyfully; see Psal. 34. 3. thy inheritance] that is, the people whom thou inheritest see Psal. 28. 9. Vers. 6. sinned with our fathers] This confession agreeth with the law, Leviticus 26. 40. and with the practises of other godly, Ieremy. 3. 25. Dan. 9. 5. Vers. 7. turned rebellious] the Greeke salth, provoked to bitteruesses; see Psal. 5. 11. By the red sea the Israelites distrusted God, and murmured against Moses, Exod. 14. 11, 12. yet there he saved them, vers. 15. 16, &c. thered Sea] so the new Testament calleth it in Greeke, Heb. 11. 29. but the Hebrew is the sea Suph, that is, the sea of sedge or sea weeds which grew therein. Vers. 9. [illegible: 1 word] reb[illegible: 2 letters]ked] that is, powerfully repressed the waves, &c. See the like, Nahum 1. 4. Isa. 50. 2. Mat. 8. 26. Psal. 18. 16. in the deeps] Israel went in the bottome of the red sea on dry ground, the deepe waters being as walls on each hand of them, Exod. 14. 21, 22, 29 See also Isa. 63. 11, 12, 13. Vers. 10. the hater] Pharaoh and his host that pursued them, Exod. 14. 23, 24, 30. Vers. 12. they sang] as is expressed, Exod. 15. Vers. 14. with lust] that is, greedily, even weeping for desire of flesh to eat, and loathing Manna, Numb. 11. 4. 6. Vers. 15. leannesse] a sudden plague, whereby the soules or lives of the fatrest of them were taken away: see Psal. 78. 30, 31. also Isa. 10. 16. Vers. 16. the holy one] sanctified of the Lord to the worke of the Priesthood, Exodus 29. 44. Levit. 8. 12, &c. which Korah with other Levites envied, opposing their own holinesse, Num. 16. 1, 3, 5. Vers. 17. Dathan] and Abiram, princes with their families and all their goods went downe alive into hell, Numb. 16. 32, 33. Vers. 18. the wicked] 2[illegible: 1 letter]0. men that would burne incense to the Lord, were burnt with fire from the Lord, Numbers 16. 35. Korach was the chiefe of them. Vers. 19. in Hereb] a mount in the wildernesse, called the mountaine of God, Exod. 3. 1. 1 King. 19. 8. for there God gave his Law, and made a covenant with them, Deut. 4. 10. and 5. 2. but while Moses was with God on the Mount, they made themselves a god of gold, Deuteronomy 9. 8, 9,—12. Exodus 32. 1, 4, 31. It was called also Sinai, Psalme 68. 9. of bushes that there grew, and Horeb of the drinesse, for it was a waterlesse desart, Deut. 8. 15. Vers. 20. their glorie] that is, their God: so Ier. 2. 11. Thus did they like the heathens, Rom. 1. 23. for me [illegible: 1 letter]patterne, structure, or type, as the Apostle calleth it in Greeke, Heb. 8. 5. from Exodus 25. 40. Vers. 23. to abolish] or, that hee would destroy them, and put out their name from under Heaven, as is expressed, Deut. 9. 13, 14. in the breach] in the gap which their sinne had opened, for God as an enemy to enter and destroy them. A similitude taken from warre, when by a breach in the wall, the enemy entreth the citie: so Ezek. 13. 5. and 22. 30. But Moses earnest prayer stopped this breach, Exodus 32. 11,—14. destroying] Heb. corrupting, that is, consuming them: See Psal. 57. 1. Vers. 24. land of desire] the pleasant land of Canaan, which was to be desired for the pleasures and profits of it above all other Countries, Ezek. 20. 6. Deut. 11. 11 22. This land they through unbeleefe refused to take possession of, Num. 14. 1, 2, 3, &c. Heb. 3. 19. So meat of desire is daintie meat, Iob 33. 20. Vers. 26. his hand] that is, sware (as the Chaldee explaineth) for so lifting up the hand often signifieth, as Gen. 14. 22. Rev. 10. 5, 6. Deut. 32. 40. Nehem. 9. 15. How God sware against this people, see Numbers 14. 21, 23. Psalme 95. 11. Vers. 27. to fanne] that is, scatter: see Psal. 44. 12. Ezek. 20. 23. Vers. 28. were joined] or coupled, yoked unequally with infidels, which the Apostle forbiddeth, 2 Cor. 6. 14. Baal-pehor] the God of Moab and Madian, to whom by Balaams counsell Israel joyned, Numb. 25. 3. and 31. 16. Revel. 2. 14. Baal signifieth a Lord, master, husband or patron: Pehor was the name of a mountaine where this god was worshipped, and had a temple called Beth-pehor, Numb. 23. 28. Deut. 3. 29. Baal was a common name whereby the heathens called their gods, 2 King. 1. 2. Iudg. 8. 33. and so Israel also called the true God, Hos. 2. 16. but for the shamefull abuse of Gods worship, the Scriptures turne Baal, a Lord, into bosheth, a shame; as Ierub-besheth, 2 Sam. 11. 21. for Ierub-baal (or Gedeon) Iudg. 8. 35. and 9. 1. Ish-bosheth, 2 Sam. 2. 10. or Esh-baal, 1 Chron. 8. 33. Mephi-bosheth, 2 Sam. 9. 10. or Merib-baal, 1 Chron. 8. 34. So the Greeke in 1 King. 18. 25. for Baal hath Aischunes, that is, Shame. Hereupon the Prophet saith, they went to Baal-pehor, and separated themselves unto that Shame (Bosheth) Hos. 9. 10. and so Ieremy calleth the Idols Shame or Confusion, Ier. 3. 24. and 11. 13. the dead] idols that have no life or breath, and so are opposed to the living God, Ier. 10. 5, 10. 1 Thes. 1. 9. Vers. 29. brake in] with violence killing 24. thousand men, Numb. 25. 9. Vers. 30. Phineas] nephew of Aaron the Priest, he being zealous for the Lord, thrust thorow with a speare Zimri and Cozbi, that wrought abomination, Numb. 25. 7, 8, &c. Vers. 31. for justice] for a just action, though done without ordinary authority, and God rewarded him for it, Numb. 25. 11, 12, 13. Vers. 32. Meribah] that is, Contention, where they strove with the Lord, Numb. 20. 13. See Psal. 95. 8. evill was] Gods displeasure towards Moses, who uttering his anger, was for it deprived of comming into the land of Canaan, Num. 20. 12. Deut. 3. 25, 26. Vers. 34. the peoples] the heathens in Canaan, as is noted, Iud. 1. 21. 27, 29, 30, 31, 33. though God commanded them, Exod. 23. 32, 33. Vers. 36. idols] or images, named in Hebrew of the curious labour spent in framing and serving them, Ier. 10. 9. Isa. 44, 9, 12, 13, 15. or of sorrowes that they bring to such as worship them, Psal. 16. 4. sometime they are called gods, 2 Sam. 5. 21. compared with 1 Chro. 14. 12. a snare] a scandall (as the Greeke saith) whereby they fell into miseries; Iudg. 2. 12, 13, 14, 15. Exod. 23. 33. Vers. 37. devils] the Idols forementioned, whereby deuils are worshipped and not God, as 1 Cor. 10. 19, 20. Rev. 9. 20. 2 Chron. 11. 15. Deut. 32. 17. Lev. 17. 7. Devils here are called Shedim, Wasters, in opposition to Shaddas, God Almighty, Psal. 68. 15. Vers. 38. with blouds] that is, with bloud-shed, as the Chaldee expounds it, with finnes of murder. Vers. 39. whored] committed spirituall whordome, that is, idolatry: see Psal. 73. 27. Iudg. 2. 17. Ezek. 23. 7, 37. Vers. 42. their haters] the heathens round about, as was prophesied, Levit. 26. 17. and fulfilled, Iudg. 3. 8, 14. and 4. 2. and 6. 1. and 10. 7, 8, 9. and 13. 1. Vers. 43. Many times] by Ehud, Barak, Gedeon, Iephtah, Samson, &c. Iud. 3. and 4. and 7. and 11. and 15. Nehem. 9. 28, 30. by their counsell] that is, purposely and advisedly, as 1 Chronicles 12. 19. Vers. 46. gave them] that is, procured mercy (or favour) towards them. Vers. 47. from the heathens] among whom divers Israelites were scattered by reason of their often troubles at home. So 1 Chron. 16. 35, 36. to glory] that we may glory or commend our selves.