7 Deep calleth unto deep in the noise of thy water

falls;

All thy waves and thy billows have gone over me. 8 Once the Lord commanded his loving-kindness in the daytime,

And in the night his praise was with me,
Thanksgiving unto the God of my life.

9 Now I say unto God, my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me?

Why go I mourning, because of the oppression of the enemy?

10 As a sword in my bones are my enemies' reproaches,

While they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

11

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

And why art thou disquieted within me ?

and desolate region David pitched his camp, and the scene suggested many of the ideas in this poem. The melting snow forms torrents and waterfalls, to which allusion is made in ver. 7 : "Deep calleth unto deep," &c. These words remind us of Byron's description of a thunder-storm in the Alps:

"Every mountain now hath found a tongue,

And Jura answers from her misty shroud,

Back to the joyous Alps, that call to her aloud."

The last part of the verse is figurative; as if he had said, "Like these swelling and roaring waters is the flood of my afflictions."

Ver. 7. "Deep calleth unto deep," i. e. the deep hollows of the mountain resound, &c.

Ver. 8 and 9. These two verses present a striking contrast of situation, which is lost in the common version.

Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him,
Who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

PSALM XLIII.

1 JUDGE me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

O, deliver me from deceitful and unjust men!

2 For thou art the God of my strength; why dost thou cast me off?

Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

3 O, send out thy light and thy truth! let them lead

me,

Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

4 Then will I go unto the altar of God,

Unto God my exceeding joy ;

Yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God!

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him, Who is the health of my countenance, and

my God.

PSALM LXXI.

IN THE VALLEY OF JORDAN, HAVING FLED FROM

ABSALOM.

THIS psalm evidently relates to the same occasion as the two last.

The charge of his enemies, ver. 11, "God hath forsaken him," reminds us of the taunting question put by the same, in the preceding psalm (xlii.), ver. 3, "Where is now thy God?"

IN thee, O Lord, do I put my trust;

Let me never be put to confusion.

2 Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to

escape;

Incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

3 Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may continually resort;

Thou hast given commandment to save me,

For thou art my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,

Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. 5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God!

Thou hast been my trust from my youth.

6 By thee have I been holden up ever since I was

born;

Thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb; My praise shall be continually of thee.

But thou art my strong refuge.

8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise, And with thy honor all the day.

9 Cast me not off in the time of old age;

Forsake me not when my strength faileth.

10 For mine enemies speak against me;

And they that lay wait for my life take counsel together,

11 Saying, "God hath forsaken him,

Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him." 12 O God, be not far from me!

O my God, make haste for my help!

13 Let them be confounded and consumed who are my enemies;

Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor, that seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually,

And will yet praise thee more and more.

15 My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness, And thy salvation all the day;

For I know no end thereof.

16 I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God;

Ver. 9. "Cast me not off in the time of old age"; and ver. 18, "Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not." These verses seem to confirm the application of this psalm to the particular epoch of David's life to which we have assigned it.

Ver. 16. "I will go forth," &c. This is the Prayer-book version. Professor Alexander renders it, "I will come, with the mighty deeds of the Lord, Jehovah," i. e. I will come into thy house, &c. Professor Noyes's version is, "I will celebrate thy mighty deeds, O Lord, Jehovah!"

I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth,

And hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. 18 Now also, when I am old and gray-headed,

O God, forsake me not,

Until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, And thy power to every one that is to come. 19 For thy righteousness, O God, is very high; Thou hast done great things.

O God, who is like unto thee?

20 Thou who hast showed me great and sore troubles Wilt revive me again,

And wilt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 Thou wilt increase my greatness,

And comfort me on every side.

22 Then will I praise thee with the psaltery,

Even thy truth, O my God!

Unto thee will I sing with the harp,

O thou Holy One of Israel!

23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee, And my soul, which thou hast redeemed from death. 24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long;

For they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

Ver. 20.

"Wilt bring me up again from the depths of the earth." This appears to be an allusion to men who have fallen into one of those deep pits that were intended as a snare for wild beasts, &c. H.