Henry Ainsworth on Psalms 90

PSAL. XC.

A prayer of Moses the man of God.

LOrd, thou hast beene to us an habitation in generation and generation.

Before the mountaines were borne, and thou hadst brought forth the earth and the world; even from eternitie unto eternitie thou art God. Thou turnest sory man unto contrition; and sayest, returne ye sons of Adam. For a thousand yeares, in thine eyes, are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away with a floud, they are as a sleepe in the morning, as the grasse that is changed. In the morning it flourisheth and is changed; at the evening it is cut downe and withe[illegible: 1 letter]eth.

For we are consumed in thine anger, and in thy wrathfull heat wee are suddenly troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our hidden sins to the light of thy face.

For all our dayes doe turne away in thine exceeding wrath; wee have consumed our yeares as a thought. The daies of our years, in them are threescore and ten yeares; and if they be in strengths, fourescore yeares; and their pride is molestation and painfull iniquitie; for it is cut downe speedily, and we flie away. Who knoweth the strength of thine anger, and according to thy feare, thine exceeding wrath? To number our dayes, so make thou us to know, that wee may apply the heart to wildome. Returne, Iehovah, how long! and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. Satisfie us in the morning with thy mercy, that wee may shout and rejoyce in all our daies. Make thou us rejoyce, according to the daies thou hast afflicted us, the yeares wherein we have seene evill. Let thy worke appeare unto thy servants, and thy comely honour into their sonnes. And let the pleasantnesse of Iehovah our God be upon us, and the worke of our hands establish thou upon us; yea the worke of our hands, establish thou it.

Annotations. THe man of God] that is, the Prophet, as Deut. 33. 1. For a Prophet, a Seer, and a man of God, were all one, 1 Sam. 9. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11. The Chaldee Paraphrast sheweth it here, saying, A Prayer that Moses the Prophet of the Lord prayed, when the people of the house of Israel had sinned in the wildernesse. This Psalme hath reference to that history in Numb. 14. an habitation] or mansion, in all our travels in this terrible wildernesse, Exod. 33. 14. Deut. 8. 15. and 33. 27. Vers. 2. were borne] this and the next word, brought forth, are similitudes taken from procreation of children, to signifie the creation of the world. Like speeches are in Job. 38. 28, 29. of the raine, dew, ice, and frost. Vers. 3. unto contrition] till he be contrite, or broken, that is, even to death; as the Chaldee explaineth it, Thou turnest man for his sinne unto death. returne] the body to the earth, Psal. 146. 4. and the spirit to God, Eccles. 12. 7. Vers. 4. a watch] a ward or custodie, which is about three houres space: for the Iewes divided the day into twelve houres, Ioh. 11. 9. and so the night, which they subdivided into foure watches, Matt. 14. 15. named the evening midnight, cock-crowing▪ and dawning, Mark. 13. 35. Luke▪ 12. 38, 39. Mat. 24. 43. See also Exod. 14. 24. 1 Sam. 11. 11. Vers. 5. a sleepe] the Chaldee paraphraseth, If they turne not, thou wilt bring death upon them, which is like a sleepe unto them, and in the world to come they shall be changed, as the grasse which is cut downe. Vers. 6. is changed] or changeth, to wit, the estate thereof, that is, sprouteth or groweth, as the Chaldee explaineth it. And so the Hebrew (which generally signifieth a change, passage, or shifting,) is sometime used for the better, to sprout, Ioh 14. 7▪ So to change the strength, Esay 40▪ 31. is to r[illegible: 1 letter]nue [illegible: 1 letter]r increase it. Vers. 8. our hidden sinnes] or, sins of our youth▪ as the Chaldee here taketh it. The Hebrew word will beare both; so also the sense, for we have both secret sins, Psal. 19. 13. and sins of our youth, Psal. 25. 7. which God often punisheth us for, Ioh 20. 11. to the light of thy face] that is, knowing, remembring, manifesting, and punishing them, Ier. 16. [illegible: 1 letter]7▪ [illegible: 1 letter]s[illegible: 1 letter]l. 109. 14. 15. For the Lord lightneth things that are [illegible: 1 letter]i[illegible: 1 letter] in darknesse, and maketh the counselt of the heart manifest, 1 Cor. 4. 5. he is of pure eyes, and cannot s[illegible: 2 letters]evill, H[illegible: 1 letter]b. 1. 13. therefore David prayeth, hide thy face from my sinnes▪ Psal. 5[illegible: 1 letter]. 1[illegible: 1 letter]. Vers. 9. doe turne away] or, turne the face, decline, as the day drawing to an [illegible: 1 letter]nd▪ [illegible: 1 word]. [illegible: 1 word]. 4. [illegible: 1 word] as a thought] or [illegible: 1 span] word, a sound that passeth out of the mouth, as I[illegible: 1 letter]b 37. [illegible: 1 word]. as a ta[illegible: 1 letter]e that i[illegible: 1 letter] told, for mans life is a breath or [illegible: 2 letters]pour▪ Psal. 39. 6. [illegible: 1 span]. 4. 14. and so the Chaldee translateth it, as the breath of the mouth in winter. Moses bewaileth the decaying of the people in the wildernesse, for they came out of Aegypt six hundred thousand men, Exod. 12. 37. and not one feeble among them, Psalm. 105. 37. and being mustered at mount Sina, from twentie yeares old and above, they were 603 550. men, besides the tribe of Levi, Numb. 1. 46, 47. but for their sinne, at Kadesh God sware their carkasses should fall in the wildernesse, Numb. 14. 28, 29. which came so to passe. For being [illegible: 1 letter]ustered about 38. yeares after, there was of all that armie not left a man alive, save Caleb and Josua, Numb. 26. 63, 64, 65. Vers. 10. if they] (the yeares) be in str[illegible: 1 letter]ngths, that is, most strong and valid; or, if by reason of great strength. their pride] or prowesse, that is, the excellencie, or lustihead of those yeares, the bravest of them is but misery. painfull iniquitie] paine and misery, the punishment of sin. Iniquitie is often put for the punishment of it, Psal. 32. 5. Vers. 11. according to thy feare] or, as thy feare, that is, who knoweth (or acknowledgeth) thy wrath, so as thy feare teacheth men to doe? meaning by feare, either Gods law, as Psal. 19. 10. or his fearefull judgements upon sinners, which should strike a feare into mens hearts, De[illegible: 2 letters]. 13. 11. Psal[illegible: 1 letter]. 119. 120. Ion. 1. 16. Or, as thy feare, that is, so as to feare thee for thy wrath, and by it to depart from evill▪ as Prov. 16. 6. 2 Co[illegible: 1 letter] ▪ 5. 10, 11. or, even according to thy feare, so is thy wrath. The Chaldee paraphraseth, who knoweth to turn away the strength of thy anger; but the just which feare thee, appeasing thy wrath. Vers. 12. may apply] or, may bring, may make come. to wisdome] or, may get a heart of wisdome, that is, a wise heare; and so may bring it to thee, when we shall come to judgement. Vers. 13. how long?] wilt thou afflict us? as the Chaldee paraphraseth; or, wilt thou deferre to helpe us? See Psal▪ 6. 4. repent thee] to wit, of the evill▪ intended or inflicted upon thy servants, as Deut. 32. 36. I[illegible: 1 letter]e[illegible: 1 letter] 2. 13. Ion. 3. 10. Ier. 18. 8. Vers. 14. in the morning] that is, early▪ after the darke night of afflictions; see Psalm. 5▪ 4. and 30. 6. Vers. 15. the yeares &c] that is, as wee have beene many dayes and yeares afflicted, so let us have many yeares of comfort. Vers. 16. thy comely honour] or magnificence, in releasing us from trouble, and refreshing us with mercie. Vers. 17. the pleasantnesse] or beautie, that is, the accomplishness of th[illegible: 1 letter] co[illegible: 1 letter]enant and promise to our fathers, let now be seene upon us. So the staffe beauty (or pleasantnesse) in the Lords hand, signified his covena[illegible: 2 letters] with them, Z[illegible: 1 letter]ch. 11. 7. 10. or generally it [illegible: 2 words] Gods [illegible: 4 letters]ble grate and favour: See [illegible: 1 word]. 27. 4. The Ch[illegible: 1 letter]ldee exp[illegible: 1 letter]unds it, the pleasantnesse of Paradise. stablish] or direct▪ [illegible: 1 word] and [illegible: 2 letters]re. For the Lord worketh all our actions f[illegible: 1 span] Esay 26. 12. and without him we can doe nothing, Iob. 15. 5.