John Trapp on Psalms 60:1

PSAL. LX.

UPon Shuſhan Eduth] An Inſtrument ſo called, or to the tune of ſome ſong ſo caſ[illegible: 2 letters]. The words ſignifie the Lil[illegible: 1 letter]y of the Teſtimony, or, of king [illegible: 1 word]; whereof many make manyfold conſtructions, but they are all conjecturall.

Michtam of David, to teach] The Hebrews have a proverb Li[illegible: 1 letter]lm[illegible: 1 letter]d l[illegible: 1 letter]tammed. Men muſt therefore learn that they may teach.Pſalmo doctrinal. Hiſp. David here imparteth what he had learned of Gods goodneſſe; and would teach others, eſpecially when they go to war, as (Judg. 3.2. & 2 Sam. 1.18) to call upon God, and to lean upon his promiſes; as himſelf had done with ſingular ſucceſſe.

When he ſtrove with Aram Naharaim] Cum rixaretur, [illegible: 1 word]. Meſopotomia, called here Aram Naharaim, lay between thoſe two famous rivers. Euphrates and Tigris; and ſo ſeemeth to have been a part of that earthly paradiſe, Gen. 2. whereof ſince Adams Fall, and Noahs Flood, cecidit [illegible: 1 span] ſpina, ſaith One, the roſe is gone, the thorn only remaineth. A Country fruithall beyond beleef, as Her[illegible: 1 letter]datus hath it; but inhabited by ſuch as here joyned with the Ammonites and other enemies of the Church; and were therefore ſought by David, and at length vanquiſhed. See 1 Chron. 19.

And with Aram Zobah] Or, Caeleſyria, whereof Damaſcus was the Metropolis.

When Joab returned] ſc. From the ſlaughter of the Syrians.

And ſmot of Edom] That is, of the Edomites, who had ſet upon Iſrael in the South, when Joab with the army was fighting againſt the Syrians in the Eaſt. Joab therefore at his return took them to do; and ſlew twelve thouſand, after that Abiſhai had firſt ſlain ſix thouſand of them, all which eighteen thouſand are ſaid to have been ſlain by David, as being Rex & Radix victoriae, ſaith Kimchi, the King and Root of the victory, 2 Sam. 8.13.

In the Valley of ſalt] Where Abraham had once fought with the four victorious Kings, Gen. 14. and afterwards Amaziah with the Edomites, likewiſe ſlaying ten thouſand, 2 King. 14.7. In the midſt of theſe conflicts and buſtles, David is thought to have written this Pſalm, together with Pſal. 44. & 108.

Verſ. 1.Aber.-Ezra. O God thou haſt caſt us off] Some gather from this ſad complaint, that David was ſometimes worſted in theſe wars; though it be not particularly ſo recorded in the Scriptures. Dubia eſt Martis alea, [non-Latin text not transcribed], 2 Sam. 11.25. the beſt cauſe hath not alwaies the beſt ſucceſſe, Jud. 20.21, 25. Others think that the Pſalmiſt here complaineth of the ſad condition of the Iſraelites after that Saul was ſlain in Mount Gilboah, and the Philiſtines tyrannized at their pleaſure, 1 Sam. 21.7. Whereupon alſo followed thoſe civill diſſentions and ſeditions, whilſt ſome of the Tribes ſet up Iſhboſheth, and others went after David. Theſe miſeries he here mentioneth the rather, that Gods goodneſſe in the preſent ſettlement of the Kingdome might the better appear. Hence moſt Interpreters read the words in the preterpluperfect, Thou hadſt caſt us off, thou hadſt ſcattered us, &c. but now 'tis well with us for the preſent; and better yet it will be.