5 For they attend not to the doing of Jehovah, And unto the work of His hands. He throweth them down, And doth not build them up.
And harp, and psaltery, tabret, and pipe, And wine, have been their banquets, And the work of Jehovah they behold not, Yea, the work of His hands they have not seen.
Lift up on high your eyes, And see -- who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And `he is' strong in power) not one is lacking.
and what the exceeding greatness of His power to us who are believing, according to the working of the power of His might, which He wrought in the Christ, having raised him out of the dead, and did set `him' at His right hand in the heavenly `places', far above all principality, and authority, and might, and lordship, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in the coming one;
And, according as they did not approve of having God in knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mind, to do the things not seemly;
for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world, by the things made being understood, are plainly seen, both His eternal power and Godhead -- to their being inexcusable;
Who `is' wise, and doth understand these? Prudent, and knoweth them? For upright are the ways of Jehovah, And the righteous go on in them, And the transgressors stumble therein!
In that thou hast done signs and wonders in the land of Egypt unto this day, and in Israel, and among men, and Thou dost make for Thee a name as `at' this day. `And Thou bringest forth Thy people Israel from the land of Egypt, with signs and with wonders, and by a strong hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great fear,
The maker of the earth by His power, The establisher of the world by His wisdom, Who, by His understanding, stretched forth the heavens, At the voice He giveth forth, A multitude of waters `is' in the heavens, And He causeth vapours to come up from the end of the earth, Lightnings for rain He hath made, And bringeth out wind from His treasures.
For thus said Jehovah, Creator of heaven, He is God, Former of earth, and its Maker, He established it -- not empty He prepared it, For inhabiting He formed it: `I `am' Jehovah, and there is none else.
Drop, ye heavens, from above, And clouds do cause righteousness to flow, Earth openeth, and they are fruitful, Salvation and righteousness spring up together, I, Jehovah, have prepared it.
For no enchantment `is' against Jacob, Nor divination against Israel, At the time it is said of Jacob and Israel, What hath God wrought!
`With' my soul I desired Thee in the night, Also, `with' my spirit within me I seek Thee earnestly, For when Thy judgments `are' on the earth, The inhabitants of the world have learned righteousness. The wicked findeth favour, He hath not learned righteousness, In a land of straightforwardness he dealeth perversely, And seeth not the excellency of Jehovah. O Jehovah, high `is' Thy hand -- they see not, They see the zeal of the people, and are ashamed, Also, the fire -- Thine adversaries, consumeth them.
And a ditch ye made between the two walls, For the waters of the old pool, And ye have not looked unto its Maker, And its Framer of old ye have not seen.
Great `are' the works of Jehovah, Sought out by all desiring them. Honourable and majestic is His work, And His righteousness is standing for ever. A memorial He hath made of His wonders, Gracious and merciful `is' Jehovah.
For Thou hast caused me to rejoice, O Jehovah, in Thy work, Concerning the works of Thy hands I sing. How great have been Thy works, O Jehovah, Very deep have been Thy thoughts. A brutish man doth not know, And a fool understandeth not this; --
To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. The heavens `are' recounting the honour of God, And the work of His hands The expanse `is' declaring. Day to day uttereth speech, And night to night sheweth knowledge.
For I see Thy heavens, a work of Thy fingers, Moon and stars that Thou didst establish.
As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders. Because that against right They have turned aside from after Him, And none of His ways have considered wisely,
and it hath been, if thou dost hear all that I command thee, and hast walked in My ways, and done that which is right in Mine eyes, to keep My statutes and My commands, as did David My servant, that I have been with thee, and have built for thee a stedfast house, as I built for David, and have given to thee Israel,
For Thou, Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Thou hast uncovered the ear of Thy servant, saying, A house I build for thee, therefore hath Thy servant found his heart to pray unto Thee this prayer;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 28
Commentary on Psalms 28 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Cry for Help and Thanksgiving, in a Time of Rebellion
To Psalms 26:1-12 and Psalms 27:1-14 a third Psalm is here added, belonging to the time of the persecution by Absolom. In this Psalm, also, the drawing towards the sanctuary of God cannot be lost sight of; and in addition thereto we have the intercession of the anointed one, when personally imperilled, on behalf of the people who are equally in need of help, - an intercession which can only be rightly estimated in connection with the circumstances of that time. Like Psalms 27:1-14 this, its neighbour, also divides into two parts; these parts, however, though their lines are of a different order, nevertheless bear a similar poetic impress. Both are composed of verses consisting of two and three lines. There are many points of contact between this Psalm and Psalms 27:1-14; e.g., in the epithet applied to God, מעוז ; but compare also Psalms 28:3 with Psalms 26:9; Psalms 28:2 with Psalms 31:23; Psalms 28:9 with Psalms 29:11. The echoes of this Psalm in Isaiah are very many, and also in Jeremiah.
This first half of the Psalm (Psalms 28:1) is supplicatory. The preposition מן in connection with the verbs חרשׁ , to be deaf, dumb, and חשׁה , to keep silence, is a pregnant form of expression denoting an aversion or turning away which does not deign to give the suppliant an answer. Jahve is his צוּר , his ground of confidence; but if He continues thus to keep silence, then he who confides in Him will become like those who are going down (Psalms 22:30), or are gone down (Isaiah 14:19) to the pit. The participle of the past answers better to the situation of one already on the brink of the abyss. In the double sentence with פּן , the chief accent falls upon the second clause, for which the first only paratactically opens up the way (cf. Isaiah 5:4; Isaiah 12:1); in Latin it would be ne, te mihi non respondente, similis fiam . Olshausen, and Baur with him, believes that because ונמשׁלתּי has not the accent on the ultima as being perf. consec ., it must be interpreted according to the accentuation thus, “in order that Thou mayst no longer keep silence, whilst I am already become like...” But this ought to be ואני נמשׁל , or at least נמשׁלתּי ואני . And if ונמשלתי were to be taken as a real perfect, it would then rather have to be rendered “and I should then be like.” But, notwithstanding ונמשׁלתּי is Milel , it is still perf . consecuticum (“and I am become like”); for if, in a sentence of more than one member following upon פן , the fut ., as is usually the case (vid., on Psalms 38:17), goes over into the perf ., then the latter, in most instances, has the tone of the perf. consec . (Deuteronomy 4:19, Judges 18:25, Proverbs 5:9-12, Malachi 4:6), but not always. The penultima -accentuation is necessarily retained in connection with the two great pausal accents, Silluk and Athnach , Deuteronomy 8:12; Proverbs 30:9; in this passage in connection with Rebia mugrash , just as we may say, in general, the perf. consec . sometimes retains its penultima -accentuation in connection with distinctives instead of being accented on the ultima ; e.g., in connection with Rebia mugrash , Proverbs 30:9; with Rebia , Proverbs 19:14 (cf. Proverbs 30:9 with Ezekiel 14:17); with Zakeph . 1 Samuel 29:8; and even with Tiphcha Obad. Obadiah 1:10, Joel 3:21. The national grammarians are ignorant of any law on this subject.
(Note: Aben-Ezra ( Moznajim 36 b ) explains the perfect accented on the penult . in Proverbs 30:9 from the conformity of sound, and Kimchi ( Michlol 6 b ) simply records the phenomenon.)
The point towards which the psalmist stretches forth his hands in prayer is Jahve's holy דּביר . Such is the word (after the form בּריח , כּליא , עטין ) used only in the Books of Kings and Chronicles, with the exception of this passage, to denote the Holy of Holies, not as being χρηματιστήριον (Aquila and Symmachus), or λαλητήριον , oraculum (Jerome), as it were, Jahve's audience chamber (Hengstenberg) - a meaning that is not in accordance with the formation of the word, - but as the hinder part of the tent, from דּבר , Arabic dabara , to be behind, whence dubr (Talmudic דּוּבר ), that which is behind (opp. kubl . kibal , that which is in the front), cf. Jesurun p. 87f. In Psalms 28:3, Psalms 28:4 the prayer is expanded. משׁך (instead of which we find אסף in Psalms 26:9), to draw any one down forcibly to destruction, or to drag him to the place of judgment, Ezekiel 32:20, cf. Psalms 10:8; Job 24:22. The delineation of the ungodly David borrows from his actual foes, Should he succumb to them, then his fate would be like that which awaits them, to whom he is conscious that he is radically unlike. He therefore prays that God's recompensing justice may anticipate him, i.e., that He may requite them according to their desert, before he succumbs, to whom they have feigned שׁלום , a good understanding, or being on good terms, whereas they cherished in their heart the רעה that is now unmasked (cf. Jeremiah 9:7). נתן , used of an official adjudication, as in Hosea 9:14; Jeremiah 32:19. The epanaphora of תּן־להם is like Psalms 27:14.
(Note: This repetition, at the end, of a significant word that has been used at the beginning of a verse, is a favourite custom of Isaiah's ( Comment . S. 387; transl. ii. 134).)
The phrase השׁיב גּמוּל ( שׁלּם ) , which occurs frequently in the prophets, signifies to recompense or repay to any one his accomplishing, his manifestation, that is to say, what he has done and merited; the thoughts and expression call to mind more particularly Isaiah 3:8-11; Isaiah 1:16. The right to pray for recompense (vengeance) is grounded, in Psalms 28:5, upon their blindness to God's just and merciful rule as it is to be seen in human history (cf. Isaiah 5:12; Isaiah 22:11). The contrast of בּנה and חרס , to pull down (with a personal object, as in Exodus 15:7), is like Jeremiah's style (Psalms 42:10, cf. 1:10; Psalms 18:9, and frequently, Sir. 49:7). In Psalms 28:5 , the prominent thought in David's mind is, that they shamefully fail to recognise how gloriously and graciously God has again and again acknowledged him as His anointed one. He has (2 Sam 7) received the promise, that God would build him a house, i.e., grant perpetual continuance to his kingship. The Absolomites are in the act of rebellion against this divine appointment. Hence they shall experience the very reverse of the divine promise given to David: Jahve will pull them down and not build them up, He will destroy, at its very commencement, this dynasty set up in opposition to God.
The first half of the Psalm prayed for deliverance and for judgment; this second half gives thanks for both. If the poet wrote the Psalm at one sitting then at this point the certainty of being answered dawns upon him. But it is even possible that he added this second part later on, as a memorial of the answer he experienced to his prayer (Hitzig, Ewald). It sounds, at all events, like the record of something that has actually taken place. Jahve is his defence and shield. The conjoined perfects in Psalms 28:7 denote that which is closely united in actual realisation; and in the fut . consec ., as is frequently the case, e.g., in Job 14:2, the historical signification retreats into the background before the more essential idea of that which has been produced. In משּׁירי , the song is conceived as the spring whence the הודות bubble forth; and instead of אודנּוּ we have the more impressive form אהודנּוּ , as in Ps 45:18; Psalms 116:6; 1 Samuel 17:47, the syncope being omitted. From suffering ( Leid ) springs song ( Lied ), and from song springs the praise ( Lob ) of Him, who has “turned” the suffering, just as it is attuned in Psalms 28:6 and Psalms 28:8.
(Note: There is a play of words and an alliteration in this sentence which we cannot fully reproduce in the English. - Tr.)
The αὐτοί , who are intended by למו in Psalms 28:8 , are those of Israel, as in Psalms 12:8; Isaiah 33:2 (Hitzig). The lxx ( κραταίωμα τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ) reads לעמּו , as in Psalms 29:11, which is approved by Böttcher, Olshausen and Hupfeld; but למו yields a similar sense. First of all David thinks of the people, then of himself; for his private character retreats behind his official, by virtue of which he is the head of Israel. For this very reason his deliverance is the deliverance of Israel, to whom, so far as they have become unfaithful to His anointed, Jahve has not requited this faithlessness, and to whom, so far as they have remained true to him, He has rewarded this fidelity. Jahve is a עז a si evhaJ to them, inasmuch as He preserves them by His might from the destruction into which they would have precipitated themselves, or into which others would have precipitated them; and He is the מעוז ישׁוּעות of His anointed inasmuch as He surrounds him as an inaccessible place of refuge which secures to him salvation in all its fulness instead of the destruction anticipated. Israel's salvation and blessing were at stake; but Israel is in fact God's people and God's inheritance - may He, then, work salvation for them in every future need and bless them. Apostatised from David, it was a flock in the hands of the hireling - may He ever take the place of shepherd to them and carry them in His arms through the destruction. The נשּׂאם coupled with וּרעם (thus it is to be pointed according to Ben-Asher) calls to mind Deuteronomy 1:31, “Jahve carried Israel as a man doth carry his son,” and Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 32:11, “as on eagles' wings.” The Piel , as in Isaiah 63:9, is used of carrying the weak, whom one lifts up and thus removes out of its helplessness and danger. Psalms 3:1-8 closes just in the same way with an intercession; and the close of Psalms 29:1-11 is similar, but promissory, and consequently it is placed next to Psalms 28:1-9.