398. Even EWALD, p.374, who places the date of its composition after the Captivity, considers that portions of it are of the Davidic age:

Ps.lx shows at once that poetry in these sorrowful times (of the Captivity) calls to its help also the force and expression of the ancient poetical science: for, on close examination, there can be no doubt that the words from v.5(7), as far as the first half of v.10(12), are borrowed from an older, and, no doubt, Davidic song. While all the other words quite fall in with the language and state of affairs of this later time, those on the contrary are quite distinct in kind and colouring, subjectmatter and meaning; the dissimilarity strikes the eye at the first glance. The old passage proceeds in the following strain: at the time of great pressure in the latter part of David's life, when the Philistines fiercely threatened, comp.2S.v.17–25, xxiii.9,&c., and the king in the Sanctuary had besought counsel and strength from Jehovah, he records here thankfully the cheering response which he received while struggling with his doubts and distress. How easily a later writer might apply this to the needy and oppressed circumstances of his own time, is obvious; if then, it is true, Philistines were not exactly the enemies to be dreaded, yet were they heathens, and 'Philistines' are treated as equivalent to 'heathens.' While, however, the later poet repeated the oracle, as the very centre and life of the whole, untouched and completely unaltered, and even produces something of the context, (v.9(11), and the first three words of v.10(12),) he adds quite a new introduction, and the chief part of the conclusion, in his own words,-incontestably because the beginning and the remainder of the conclusion of the old song did not sufficiently suit this later time.

399. OLSHAUSEN assigns this Psalm to the time of the Maccabees, but remarks, p.263 :

That the oracle quoted by the Poet in v.6-8 is only borrowed, must in any case be assumed. That it contained, however, a revelation then generally known, perhaps, resting on the authority of the High Priest, and referring to the relations of the time, is much more probable than that it is derived from a Davidic song, as EWALD supposes.

HUPFELD writes as follows, iii.p.122:

This Psalm seems to point to the times of the still-existing kingdom, but to a later time [than that indicated by the Title], since the promise in the oracle expresses the idea so common in the Prophets, of the restoration of the unity of the kingdom, which is preceded by an account of the division of the kingdom and its sorrowful consequences.

Upon careful consideration, however, of its contents, and for

the reasons above stated, I cannot doubt that the Psalm in its entirety is, as HENGSTENBERG maintains, a product of the Davidic age, and, probably, from the hand of David himself.

400. Ps.lxi (E.3,J.0); Ps.lxii (E.7,J.0).

Ps. lxi.4 refers to the 'Tabernacle,' figuratively, 'I will abide in Thy Tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.' In v.6,7,8, we read 'Thou wilt prolong the king's life, and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God for ever; O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto Thy Name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.' These words are generally supposed to be a prayer made by David for himself as king. But may they not be a loyal prayer for the life of Saul, his father-in-law?

401. Ps.lxiii (E.3,J.0), according to the title, was written, 'when David was in the wilderness of Judah,' in the early part of his life. In v.2 we find a reference to the Sanctuary,—perhaps that at Nob, which, however, was now destroyed, 18. xxii. 19, to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the Sanctuary.' The P.B.V. has, however, 'Thus have I looked for thee in holiness, that I might behold Thy power and glory,' where this difficulty is avoided. In v.11 we read, 'But the king shall rejoice in God.' This is usually explained to mean that David speaks of himself as king hereafter, having such entire confidence in the fulfilment of the Divine Promise. But this interpretation can hardly be correct. It seems much more natural, and more in accordance with what we know of the character and conduct of David, that here too he should have drawn a line between 'the king,' his father-in-law, 'God's anointed,' — whom he always treated with so much respect and reverence, of whom it would have been a sin for him to have thought or spoken evil, much less to have wished him dead,—and his other enemies, with reference to whom he says, v.9, 10, 'Those, that seek after my soul to destroy it, shall go into the grave (lit. lower parts of the earth). They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God.' If this explanation be not approved, the title must be considered incorrect.

402. Ps.lxiv (E.3,J.1); Ps.lxv (E.3,J.0); Ps.lxvi (E.8,J.0); Ps.lxvii (E.6,J.0). If Ps.lxv belongs to David's time, then the expressions in v.1, 'Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion,' and v.4, 'Thy Courts,' 'the goodness of Thy House, even of Thy Holy Temple, must be understood to refer to the Tabernacle on Mount Zion. So in 18.i.9 the Tabernacle at Shiloh is called the Temple of Jehovah.

Ps.lxvi is not ascribed to any one, but may have been written by David, or by any of the Prophets of that age. In v.6 there is a reference to the story of the Exodus,' He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the flood on foot; then did we rejoice in Him.' We suppose that, before the reign of David, Samuel had compiled his account of the Exodus, which, doubtless he had communicated to the Prophets of his School, as well as to David, and other leading men of the time. Thus a general notion of the story, as there told, would gradually be

propagated among the people at large, without the necessity of supposing that copies of the Elohistic document were multiplied, and in the hands of many. It is quite possible, indeed, that only one manuscript existed.

Ps.lxvii is also unappropriated. It was plainly meant for public purposes and may have been written by David. Here, however, if anywhere, in v.6, we should expect to find the word Jehovah occur, if it was familiar to the writer. 'Elohim, our Elohim, shall bless us,' would have certainly stood as 'Jehovah, our Elohim, shall bless us,' in the composition of a later writer (300).

403. Ps.lxviii (E.31,J.4) shall be considered at length in the next chapter. Ps.lxix (E.9,J.5) contains the passage, v.35, 'God will save Zion, and will build the cities of Judah,' which slightly, perhaps, confirms the title ascribing it to David. It may have been written in the time of his great distress by reason of Absalom's rebellion.

Ps.lxx (E.3,J.2) may be one of David's later Psalms. The language of it, especially in v.5, corresponds exactly to his distressed, and even needy, state, when he fled before Absalom to Mahanaim.

Ps.lxxi (E.9,J.3) is not ascribed to David, but seems to have been written by him in his time of affliction, as it corresponds precisely in tone with the preceding two Psalms, which are both ascribed to him. In this he speaks, v.9, of his 'old age' and 'failing strength,' and in v.18 of his being 'old and greyheaded.' Hence this Psalm, and the last two, may have been written by him within the last few years of his life. And yet in these he still uses Elohim more freely than Jehovah, though in Ps.lxix the latter Name occurs more frequently in proportion to the former than in any other of the Psalms we have been considering, and in Ps.lxx we have Elohim thrice, Jehovah twice.

Ps.lxxii (E.3,J.1), or, rather, (E.1,J.0), if we omit the doxology (228), is not ascribed to David, but may have been written by him, or by one of the prophets of his age.

294

CHAPTER XV.

THE SIXTY-EIGHTH PSALM.

404. Ps.lxviii (E.31,J.4,A.7), is undoubtedly, as we believe, a Psalm of David's, as the title declares, and we must call attention specially to it, as one of great importance with reference to the question now before us.

405. That this Psalm is a Psalm of David's age appears, in our judgment, as follows.

(i) In v.16, 'This is the hill which God desireth to dwell in, yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever,' we have a plain reference to the hill of Zion; but this, as we have seen (321), does not necessarily point to the Tabernacle, and so to the age of David. (ii) In v.29, Because of Thy Temple at Jerusalem,' we have a reference either to the Tabernacle, 1S.i.9, or to the Temple; and so in v.24 mention is made of the Sanctuary,' and in v.35 we read, O God, Thou art terrible out of Thy holy places.'

(iii) In v.34,35, we read, 'Ascribe ye strength unto God; His excellency is over Israel,' and 'the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people.' This language seems to belong clearly to the time of the undivided kingdom, so that the Psalm was composed in the days of David or Solomon. (iv) But the martial tone which pervades the Psalm, v.1,12,14,30,35, corresponds to the age of David, not to that of Solomon.

(v) The expressions in v.27, 'There is little Benjamin their ruler, the princes of Judah with their company, (opp, their

band, LXX. nyéμoves auтŵv, P.B.V. 'their counsel') the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali,' belong also to the undivided kingdom, and correspond to the time when Benjamin, which, as the tribe of Saul, had been the ruling tribe in Israel, and had afterwards been ruling again in the person of Saul's son, Ishbosheth, had now submitted itself to David. It may be, therefore, in a politic manner, spoken of here, as being still a tribe of royal dignity.

406. This Psalm contains Elohim thirty-one times, and Adonai, Lord, seven times, as well as the ancient name Shaddai in v.14; while Jehovah appears only twice and Jah twice. Manifestly, therefore, the last Name was less familiar to the writer at the time when he wrote, than Elohim, at all events,— we might almost say, than Adonai also; but it would not be safe to infer this last from a single instance.

In v.4 we have 'Sing unto God, sing praises to His Name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His Name JAH, and rejoice before Him;' or, in FRENCH and SKINNER's translation,

'Sing ye unto God, hymn His Name!

Raise a highway for Him, who rideth through the desert!

JEHOVAH is His Name;

Exult at His Presence!'

It is plain that a special stress is here laid upon the fact that God's Name is Jehovah. Setting aside, as we must, from what we have seen already, the Mosaic story as unhistorical, this seems rather to imply that the Name had been newly introduced.. 407. In v.1 we have

"Let Elohim arise, let His enemies be scattered;

And let them that hate Him flee before Him.'

Here we have almost the identical words, which are found in N.x.35, 'And it came to pass, when the Ark set forward, that Moses said,

'Arise, Jehovah, and let Thine enemies be scattered;

And let them, that hate Thee, flee before Thee.'