Verse 1. Alleluia. The word is repeated in some copies. Saint Jerome—But Hebrew has only one at the end of the preceding psalm: of which this appears to be a sequel. As in the former, God’s favours were specified, so here the ingratitude of his people is acknowledge. Calmet.—It may refer to the Jews during, (Euseb. Vatab.) or after the captivity, ( Calmet.) and to all in the state of sin. Saint Jerome Bert.—The 47th and 48th verses agree with the three last, which were sung at the translation of the ark. 1 Chronicles 16:34. Bible.—Hence that canticle now makes a part of our Psalms 104. 95 and 105 with various alterations made by the prophet. Bert.—Give glory. Lit. “confess” ( Bible.) your sins, to obtain mercy, (Saint John Chrysostom) or rather praise God, (Theod.) who is the source of all good. Worthington.—This was the usual prayer of the Israelites, in ceremonies of thanksgiving. 2 Chronicles 5:13. Calmet.
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Verse 2. Powers. See Sirach 43:29. No one can sufficiently praise God’s power or mercy. Bert.
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Verse 3. Times. He only who perseveres to the end shall be crowned. Matthew 24:13. Ezekiel 33. Bible.—Such as these can alone worthily sound forth God’s praises, (Bert.) being so happy as to preserve their innocence, or at least to repent. Worthington.
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Verse 4. Us. Hebrew “me.” But Aquila, Syr. and so forth agree with the Septuagint Some of the Jews were already returned, and pray for the liberation of their brethren. Calmet.—The Fathers explain it of Christian converts. Saint John Chrysostom—People. According to thy gracious promises, that we may enjoy the blessings of thy elect. Worthington.
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Verse 6. Sinned. Here commences the confession of sins. The just man first accuses himself. Proverbs 18:17. Calmet.—The same prayer is repeated, Judith 7:19 and Daniel 9:5 as it might be applicable to the captives. Bert.—We have injured ourselves, our neighbours, and our God. Worthington.
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Verse 7. Going up. Or proceeding. The banks of the sea were more elevated than the country from which the Israelites came, ( Calmet.) and the land of Chanaan was still higher. See Psalms 106:23. Genesis 12:9. Bible.—Sea even. Is not in the Septuagint Calmet.
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Verse 8. Known. Isaiah 63:12. He might justly ( Worthington.) have abandoned them to the Egyptians. Exodus 14:11.
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Verse 9. Rebuked. Commanding with power.—Nahum 1:4. Calmet.—Wilderness. Or plain country. Bible.
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Verse 10. Redeemed. What price was given? This is a figure of baptism, in which the fruits of Christ’s blood are applied to our souls. All sins are there destroyed, as the Egyptians were in the Sea. Saint Augustine Ser. xlii. de Temp. Worthington.
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Verse 11. Left. Manetho and Lorin assert, that Pharao reigned afterwards. But this is contrary to the Scripture. All who came to attack Israel perished. Calmet.—They supposed that the waters were enchanted. S. Iræn. iv. 48.
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Verse 12. Words. And Moses his servant. Exodus 14:31 and 15:1.
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Verse 13. Counsel. Three days after the passage of the sea, God laid injunctions upon the at Mara, which they would not observe. Exodus 15:22. Calmet.—They coveted unnecessary things. Worthington.
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Verse 14. Desire. Or they greedily sought for flesh meat, ( Bible.) at Sin, or Pharan. Exodus 16:13. Numbers 11:31. Chronological order is not observed. Calmet.
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Verse 15. Fulness. Or disgust: πλεσμονη. Septuagint probably read zore, (as Numbers 11:20) instead of razon. Hebrew “leanness,” ( Calmet.) which is a natural consequence of immoderate repletion. Bible.
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Verse 16. Holy one. By his function ( Worthington.) of priest. Core wished to take his place, as the rest did to supplant Moses in the civil government. Numbers 16. Calmet.
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Verse 17. Adiron. With Core, though his children were preserved. Calmet.—God presently resented the injury done to his ministers. Euseb.
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Verse 18. Wicked. Two hundred and fifty accomplices, (Numbers 15:35. Calmet.) and fourteen thousand seven hundred murmurers. Menochius.
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Verse 19. Graven. Hebrew “molten.” The image must first be graven. Bert. Exodus 32:3.
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Verse 20. Grass. This enhances their folly. God is often styled the glory of his people. Calmet.—Osee (10:5) contemptuously calls the golden calf, the glory of Samaria. Bible.—This idolatry was truly blameable, (Romans 1:23) and not the veneration paid by Catholics to the images of Christ, and so forth Worthington.—Those who pretend that the Hebrews meant to adore the true God, and not the idol Apis, are here clearly refuted; they forgot God, and so forth Acts 7:40. Bert.
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Verse 23. Breach. Like a valiant captain, ( Calmet.) or pastor. Bible.—God complains of those who neglected this duty. Ezekiel 13:5 and 22:30. The psalmist alluded to the conduct of Moses, after the people had adored the calf, (Exodus 32:10) or when they had joined with Core. Numbers 16:44. Calmet.—The intercession of the saints is useful, (Saint Augustine) still more after their victories. Saint Jerome ad Vig. ii. 2 Maccabees 15:14. Bert.—God spared the people for the sake of Moses. Worthington.
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Verse 24. Word. Which Moses, Josue, and so forth announced. Numbers 13 and 12:2–9. Calmet.
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Verse 26. Over them. Swearing Calmet. to destroy them, ( Bible. Ezekiel 20:23) and scatter them, as they now experienced. Leviticus 26:31 and Deuteronomy 28:36. 64.
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Verse 28. Dead idols, without life, ( Challoner.) particularly Adonis ( Calmet.) whose death is bewailed by the poets, and so forth Bible.—Idols kill their votaries. Worthington.
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Verse 29. Multiplied. All who had murmured perished, or this may relate to the 24,000. Numbers 25:9. Calmet.—Ezekiel 20:23. Saint Paul (1 Corinthians 10:8) speaks of those 23,000 slain by the Levites. The Hebrew which has only 3,000 must be inaccurate. Temporal chastisements were intended to prefigure those which are eternal, as the Jews knew that such rewards and punishments were to be considered (Matthew 19:16. Bert.) as the spiritual sense of the law. Grot. Jur. ii. 20, 39.
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Verse 31. Evermore. Phinees thus by his pious zeal, merited ( Worthington.) God’s favour, and the high priesthood (Numbers 25:13. Calmet.) for his posterity, for 900 years, though the latter promise seems to have been conditional. Bert.
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Verse 33. He distinguished with his lips. Moses, by occasion of the people’s rebellion and incredulity, was guilty of distinguishing with his lips; when, instead of speaking to the rock, as God had commanded, he said to the people, with a certain hesitation in his faith, Hear ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we from this rock bring out water for you? Numbers 20:10. Challoner.—For thus doubting of God’s will, he was temporarily punished,. Deuteronomy 1:37. Worthington.—The death of his sister, and the ingratitude and rebellion of the people disturbed him. Theod. See Isaiah 63:10. Houbigant follows the Arab. “he delayed or hesitated.” Yebatte means, “he spoke rashly.” Some refer this, (Bert.) to God. “He reproached … that they,” and so forth ( Menochius.) which is not necessary, (Bert.) or he sentenced Moses to die. Kimchi.
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Verse 34. Them. Commanding no idolatrous government to be left in the land, nor any Chanaanite to be permitted to live, who should make opposition. The law of extermination must probably be thus restricted. The Jews neglected these ordinances, and hence became so often infected with idolatry, (Bert.) even to the end of the republic, when many still adored the sun. Joseph. Bel. ii. 8. Exodus 23:32. Joshua 13:13.
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Verse 38. Chanaan. These unnatural sacrifices were perhaps practised under the judges, or at least under the kings. Worthington.—Some pretend that the children were only made to pass over or between fires. But this is refuted by facts. Leviticus 18:21 and 4 Kennicott. 16:3. Jeremiah 7:30—Polluted. Infecta: εφονοκτανηθη is used by Septuagint in this sense, though it signifies also, “was slain;” interfecta, as most Latin Bibles and Fathers read, before the correction of Clem. VIII. The former expression is more natural and conformable to the Hebrew Calmet.
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Verse 39. And was. Hebrew “and they were defiled.” Saint Jerome—Inventions. Idols of their imaginations, ( Bible.) and lusts. Calmet.
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Verse 45. Repented. Ceased to punish, (Euseb.) when the people repented. Saint Jerome—God then regarded them in mercy, having given them grace to repent. Worthington.
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Verse 46. Mercies. He inspired their enemies with pity for them. Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes shewed them favour. Psalms 83:12. Calmet.
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Verse 47. Save. These verses, which may be well recited in times of schism, ( Worthington.) occur, 1 Chronicles 16 being probably inserted by Esdras, or some other prophet. But here they are in their proper place, as many of the Israelites are still in captivity. Calmet.—yet as this is only a system, we may rather suppose, that David wrote this conclusion. He had to encounter various nations, who might have made captives; and he may beg that all may be united in the same faith, and avoid the society of the wicked. Bert.
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Verse 48. So be it. The second Amen occurs not in Hebrew But Alleluia is placed instead, which the Vulg. makes the title of the next psalm. Bible.—This conclusion of the fourth book seems to be added by the collector. Psalms 40. Calmet.—Yet this is uncertain. Bible.
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LORD or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.