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Psalm Forty-eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 48
A Song cf15I and Psalm for the sons of Korah. This psalm is
entitled a "song psalm"
a psalm to be sung vocally; or "a song
and psalm" to be sung both vocally and instrumentally; and is one of the
spiritual songs the apostle speaks of
Ephesians 5:19; It
was occasioned
as some think
by David's spoiling the Philistines
2 Samuel 5:17; or
as others
by the deliverance of the people from the Moabites and Ammonites in
the times of Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 20:27;
or
as others
by the deliverance of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from
Sennacherib in the times of Hezekiah
2 Kings 19:34;
though as Kimchi
a celebrated Jewish commentator
owns
it belongs to the
times of the Messiah
as the other preceding psalms; and treats of his
greatness
and of the praise and glory due to him
and gives large encomiums of
his church.
Psalm 48:1 Great
is the Lord
and greatly to be praised In the city of our God
In His holy mountain.
YLT
1A Song
a Psalm
by sons of
Korah. Great [is] Jehovah
and praised greatly
In the city of our God -- His
holy hill.
Great is the Lord
.... The same that in the
foregoing psalm is said to be gone
up to heaven with a shout
to sit on the
throne of his holiness
to reign over the Heathen
and to be King over all the
earth; who is great
and the Son of the Highest; the great God and our Saviour;
great in his person as God-man
God manifest in the flesh
his Father's fellow
and equal; and in the perfections of his nature
being of great power
and of
great wisdom
and of great faithfulness
and of strict holiness and justice
and of wonderful grace and goodness; great in his works of creation and
providence; in his miraculous operations when on earth
and in the work of
man's redemption and salvation; great is he in all his offices
a great Prophet
risen in Israel
a great High Priest over thee house of God
a Saviour
and a great
one
and the great Shepherd of the sheep;
and greatly to be praised in the city of our God; the city of
Jerusalem
the city of solemnities
where was the worship of God
and where the
tribes went up to worship
and God was present with his people; and where the
great Lord of all showed himself to be great; here Christ the great Saviour
appeared
even in the temple
when a child
where Simeon and Anna saw him
and
spoke great things of him; where he at twelve years of age disputed with the
doctors
and showed his great wisdom; here when grown up he wrought many of his
great miracles
and taught his doctrines; here he entered in great triumph
attended with the shouts
acclamations
and hosannas of the people; here he ate
his last passover with his disciples; and in a garden near it was he taken and
brought before the sanhedrim
assembled at the high priest's palace at
Jerusalem; and then tried and condemned at the bar of Pilate; when being led a
little way out of the city he was crucified on Mount Calvary; and on another
mount
the mount of Olives
about a mile from it
he ascended to heaven; and
here in this city he poured forth the Spirit in an extraordinary manner on his
disciples at the day of Pentecost
as an evidence of his ascension; and from
hence his Gospel went forth into all the world; and therefore was greatly to be
praised here
as he was by his disciples
church
and people
Acts 2:46.
Jerusalem is a figure of the Gospel church
which is often compared to a city
Isaiah 26:1; of
which saints are citizens and fellow citizens of each other; this is a city
built on Christ the foundation; is full of inhabitants
when together and
considered by themselves; is governed by wholesome laws
enacted by Christ its
King
who has appointed officers under him to explain and enforce them
and see
that they are put in execution; and has many privileges and immunities
belonging to it; and this is the city of God
of his building and of his
defending
and where he dwells; it is
as in Psalm 48:2;
"the city of the great King"
the King Messiah
and where he displays
his greatness; here he appears great and glorious
shows his power and his
glory; is seen in the galleries and through the lattices of ordinances
in his
beauty and splendour; here he grants his gracious presence
and bestows his
favours and blessings; and is therefore greatly to be praised here
as he is by
all his people on the above accounts
Even
in the mountain of his
holiness; as Mount Zion is called on account of the temple built upon it
and the worship of God in it; and a fit emblem it was of the church of Christ
which
as that is
is chosen and
loved of God
and is his habitation
is
impregnable and immovable
and consists of persons sanctified by God the
Father
in the Son
and through the Spirit.
Psalm 48:2 2 Beautiful in elevation
The
joy of the whole earth
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north
The
city of the great King.
YLT
2Beautiful [for] elevation
A joy of all the land
[is] Mount Zion
The sides of the north
the city of a
great king.
Beautiful for situation
.... This
and what
follows
are said of the city of God
the city of Jerusalem
which was
delightfully situated on an eminence
in a wholesome air; the brook Kidron
gliding by it
the water of Siloah running through it or at least through some
parts of it; fields and gardens adjoining to it
and mountains all around it:
and so the church of Christ is built upon him
the Rock; the river of divine
love runs by it
the streams whereof make it glad; the green pastures of the
word and ordinances are in it; and salvation is as walls and bulwarks about it;
and so healthful is it
that the inhabitants have no reason to say they are
sick
since the people that dwell therein have their iniquities forgiven
Isaiah 33:24;
the joy of the whole earth: that is
the city of
Jerusalem
Lamentations 2:15;
especially it was so when Christ
whose birth near it was matter of great joy
to all people; when he who is the desire of all nations was in it; and when the
Gospel went out from it unto the whole earth
and caused joy wherever it came
in power
and with the Holy Ghost: and the church of Christ
particularly in
the latter day
will be an eternal excellency
and a joy of many generations
Isaiah 60:15; and
even now the whole world has reason to rejoice and be glad
because of the
church of Christ in it
who are the light of the world and the salt of the
earth
and on whose account the world continues
and the men of it enjoy the
blessings they do;
is Mount Zion; or "by
Mount Zion": Jerusalem was near it
and beautifully situated by it;
on the sides of the north; Jerusalem was
north of Zion
as Zion was south of Jerusalem; likewise the temple was on the
north part of Mount Zion
Isaiah 14:13; the
altar and altar gate were on the north side at the temple
and there were the
tables on which the sacrifices were slain
Ezekiel 8:5; and on
the north side of the altar was the creature to be offered killed
Leviticus 1:11; and
perhaps some reference is here had to the church of Christ in the latter day
which for many years past has been chiefly in our northern part of the world:
hence the Protestant doctrine is by the Papists called the Northern Heresy; and
it will be "tidings out of the north" that shall trouble the man of
sin
or some agent of his
to come forth with fury
and plant the tabernacles
of his palace between the seas
in the glorious holy mountain
Daniel 11:44;
the city of the great King; of Christ the King of
kings; See Gill on Psalm 47:2; and See
Gill on Psalm 48:1.
Psalm 48:3 3 God is in her
palaces; He is known as her refuge.
YLT
3God in her high places is
known for a tower.
God is known in her palaces for a refuge. As there were
palaces in Jerusalem; see Psalm 48:13; so
there are in the church of Christ; every place in it is a palace fit for a
king; and everyone that has truly a name and a place there are kings and
priests unto God: and here God is a "refuge" both for saints and
sinners to fly unto; See Gill on Psalm 46:1; and is
"known" to be so; the ministers of the Gospel being here appointed to
direct and encourage souls to flee to Christ for refuge
who is the hope set
before them in the everlasting Gospel
preached by them to lay hold upon; and
all that do flee to him know
by experience
that he is a refuge for them; and
as all the people of God do in every time of distress
and when all refuge
fails them elsewhere.
Psalm 48:4 4 For behold
the kings
assembled
They passed by together.
YLT
4For
lo
the kings met
they passed by together
For
lo
the kings were assembled
.... As the princes of
the Philistines to seek for David
when in the strong hold of Zion
2 Samuel 5:17; as the
Ethiopians in the time of Asa
2 Chronicles 14:9;
and the Moabites and Ammonites in the times of Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 20:1;
and the kings of Syria and Israel in the times of Ahaz
Isaiah 7:1; and
Sennacherib with his princes
who
in his esteem
were kings
in the times of
Hezekiah
2 Kings 18:17;
which are instances of the kings
of the nations' gathering together against
Zion
the city of Jerusalem
and people of the Jews
who were typical of the
church of Christ; and that without success
and to their own confusion and
destruction; though this seems to refer to the latter day of the Gospel
dispensation
when all the kings of the earth
Pagan
Papal
and Mahometan
will be gathered together at the instigation of Satan
to the battle of the
great day of the Lord God Almighty
in a place called Armageddon
where they
will be defeated by Christ the King of kings
Revelation 16:13.
Jarchi and Kimchi interpret the passage of Gog and Magog gathering together to
fight against Jerusalem
with which compare Revelation 20:8;
they passed by together; either to the battle
as
Jarchi explains it; or they passed by Jerusalem
the city of our God
the
church
without entering into it
or doing it any harm.
Psalm 48:5 5 They saw it
and so
they marveled; They were troubled
they hastened away.
YLT
5They have seen -- so they
have marvelled
They have been troubled
they were hastened away.
They saw it
.... Either the city or the power of God
as
Aben Ezra; or
as Jarchi
God himself going forth to fight against the nations.
This refers to the power Christ will take to himself
and show forth
by
reigning in his church
and protecting it
which will not only be visible to
the saints
but to the nations of the world; and to the brightness of Christ's
coming in his spiritual reign
with the lustre of which antichrist will be
destroyed
Revelation 11:17;
and to the glorious state of the church
signified by the rising of the
witnesses
and their standing on their feet
and ascending to heaven
which
will be seen by their enemies
Revelation 11:11;
and to the destruction of Rome
the smoke of whose burning
the kings of the
earth
that have committed fornication with her
will see and lament
Revelation 18:8;
and so their marvelled: at the glory
of the church
the security of it
the power of Christ in it and over it
and
at the destruction of mystical Babylon; see Isaiah 52:14;
they were troubled: as Herod and all Jerusalem were
upon
hearing of the birth of Christ
Matthew 2:3; so
these kings will be
upon seeing the coming and power of Christ in the latter
day
the invincibleness of his church
and their own immediate and utter ruin:
this will be the time or the howling of the shepherds
both civil and
ecclesiastical
when all hands will be faint
and every man's heart will melt
Zechariah 11:2;
and hasted away: fled for fear
of the great King at the head of his armies
in the defence of his church and
people: and as the kings of the earth also at the destruction of Rome will flee
and stand afar off
for fear of her torment
Revelation 18:10.
Psalm 48:6 6 Fear took hold of them
there
And pain
as of a woman in birth pangs
YLT
6Trembling hath seized them
there
Pain
as of a travailing woman.
Fear took hold upon them there
.... That is
either when
they came up to the city
and passed by it
and saw what they did; or
as
Kimchi observes
in the place where they thought to have made a great
slaughter; that is
in Armageddon
Revelation 16:16;
so upon the slaughter of the seven thousand names of men
or men of name and
renown
such as the kings here assembled
the remnant will be frightened
Revelation 11:13;
and pain
as of a woman in
travail; this figure is made use of elsewhere
when the destruction of
Babylon and the coming of Christ are spoken of; see Isaiah 13:8.
Psalm 48:7 7 As when
You break the ships of Tarshish With an east wind.
YLT
7By an east wind Thou
shiverest ships of Tarshish.
Thou breakest the ships of Tarshish with east wind. This is either
another simile
expressing the greatness of the dread and fear that shall now
seize the kings of the earth; which will be
as Kimchi observes
as if they
were smitten with a strong east wind
which breaks the ships of Tarshish; and
to the same purpose is the note of Aben Ezra; who says
the psalmist compares
the pain that shall take hold upon them to an east wind in the sea
which
breaks the ships; for by Tarshish is meant
not Tartessus in Spain
nor Tarsus
in Cilicia
or the port to which the Prophet Jonah went and took shipping; but
the sea in general: or else this phrase denotes the manner in which the
antichristian kings
and antichristian states
wilt be destroyed; just as ships
upon the ocean are dashed to pieces with a strong east wind: or it may design
the loss of all their riches and substance brought to them in ships; hence the
lamentations of merchants
and sailors
and ship masters
Revelation 18:15.
Psalm 48:8 8 As we have heard
So we
have seen In the city of the Lord of hosts
In the city of
our God: God will establish it forever. Selah
YLT
8As we have heard
so we
have seen
In the city of Jehovah of hosts
In the city of our God
God doth
establish her -- to the age. Selah.
As we have heard
so have we seen
.... These are the words
of the people of God making their observations on the above things; and so Aben
Ezra and Kimchi understand them of the people of Israel; and the former
referring them to the war of Gog and Magog
paraphrases them thus:
"the
Israelites shall say in that day
as we have heard the prophets
who prophesied
of the fall of Gog and Magog
so have we seen in the city of the Lord of
hosts.'
The
words may be understood
either of facts which have been reported and heard to
have been done in time past
to which others will correspond
and will be seen
to do to in the latter day; as
for instance
as it has been heard that God
inflicted plagues upon Egypt; so it will be seen that he will pour out the
vials of his wrath upon the great city
which is spiritually called Egypt and
Sodom: as it has been heard that God brought his people Israel out of Egypt
with a mighty hand; so it will be seen that he will deliver his people from the
captivity and tyranny of the man of sin
and will call them out from Babylon a
little before the destruction of it: as it has been heard that Pharaoh and his
host were drowned in the Red sea; so it will be seen that Babylon shall be
thrown down like a mill stone cast into the sea
and be found no more: as it
has been heard that
literal Babylon is destroyed; so it will be seen that
mystical Babylon will be destroyed also: and as it has been heard that the
kings of the nations
at several times
have gathered themselves together
against Jerusalem
without effect; so it will be seen treat the kings of the
earth will assemble together against the church of Christ; but
as soon as they
shall come up to her
and look upon her
they shall be astonished and flee with
the utmost consternation
fear
and dread
and be utterly ruined: or else the
sense is
as it has been heard
from the promises and prophecies delivered out
from time to time
that God will grant his presence to his church and people
and will be the protection of them
and will destroy all his and their enemies;
so it has been seen that these have been fulfilled
more or less
in all ages;
in the latter day their accomplishment will be full and manifest
even
in the city of the Lord of hosts; of the hosts of heaven
and earth
of all armies above and below; and therefore the church must be safe
under his protection;
in the city of our God: the covenant God of his
people; wherefore
as the former title declares his power
this shows his love
and affection
and both together secure the happiness of the saints: wherefore
it follows
God will establish it for ever. Not only particular
believers
of which the church consists
are established on the foundation
Christ; but the church itself is built on him
the Rock against which the gates
of hell cannot prevail; yet as they are not always in a settled and constant
condition
so neither is that
being sometimes tossed with the tempests of
afflictions and persecutions
and sometimes in one place
and sometimes in
another; but in the latter day it will be established on the top of the
mountains; and which is a desirable thing by all the saints
and what they
should
as many do
earnestly pray for; and which God will do in his own time;
and then it shall be established for ever
and be a tabernacle that shall not
be taken down; not one of its stakes shall be removed
nor any of its cords
broken
Isaiah 2:2
Isaiah 33:20.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 48:9 9 We have thought
O God
on
Your lovingkindness
In the midst of Your temple.
YLT
9We have thought
O God
of
Thy kindness
In the midst of Thy temple
We have thought of thy lovingkindness
O God
.... Jarchi
interprets it
"we have waited for thy lovingkindness"; to see thy
salvation; and some
as Ben Melech observes
explain it of hope and
expectation; as if the sense was
"we have hoped for thy
lovingkindness"; so the Syriac version renders it
and the word used has
the signification of tarrying
1 Samuel 14:9. God
has his set time to favour his Zion
and till that time comes it is right in
them to be hoping
expecting
and waiting for it. The Chaldee paraphrase is
"we have esteemed thy goodness"; it being very excellent
exceeding
valuable
and better than life itself; but other Jewish writers
as Menachem
Aben Ezra
Kimchi
and Ben Melech
render it as we do
"we have
thought"
&c. The lovingkindness of God towards his people in Christ
is a very delightful and profitable subject to dwell in meditation upon
to
consider the objects
instances
cause
and nature of it; and serves greatly to
encourage faith and hope
to draw out love to God
and engage to a ready and
cheerful obedience to his will; and this is sometimes done in public
as well
as in private conversation
and in the closet; as follows;
in the midst of thy temple; the church of Christ
which is of his building
where he dwells
and grants his presence
and is
often called the temple of God in the New Testament
in allusion to Solomon's
temple; see 1 Corinthians 3:16;
here the word of God is preached
his ordinances administered
and his presence
granted; which are instances of his lovingkindness
and lead his people to
think of it; and particularly when the faithful ministers of the Gospel make
mention of it
and the ordinance of the supper is administering
which is intended
to bring to remembrance the love of God and Christ: moreover
in the latter
day
to which this psalm belongs
the temple of God will be opened
Revelation 11:19;
that is
the true worship of God will be restored
and pure and undefiled
religion freely exercised; the Gospel will be clearly and fully preached; and
the ordinances administered as they were first delivered
which will lead the
saints to think of the lovingkindness of God unto them; and particularly when
they shall see the angels with the seven vials the executioners of God's wrath
on the antichristian states
go forth from the temple to pour them out upon
them
Revelation 15:6.
Psalm 48:10 10 According to Your name
O
God
So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full
of righteousness.
YLT
10As [is] Thy name
O God
so
[is] Thy praise
Over the ends of the earth
Righteousness hath filled Thy
right hand.
According to thy name
O God
so is thy praise unto the
ends of the earth
.... That is
as he himself is in the perfections of his nature
which are displayed in the works of his bands
throughout the whole creation;
so is or ought his praise to be: or rather
as in the latter day his name will
be great in all the earth
Malachi 1:11; so
will his praise be; and as his name will be One
Zechariah 14:9; he
will be one Lord
there will be one faith and one baptism; his worship
word
and ordinances
will be uniformly observed and attended to; so will be his
praise: all the saints will unite together in giving glory to him: he
and he
alone
shall be exalted. Moreover
his Gospel is his name
Acts 9:15; and that
in the latter day will be preached to every nation
kindred
tongue
and
people
Revelation 14:6;
and multitudes
both of Jews and Gentiles
will be convert ed
and from the
uttermost parts of the earth will be heard songs of praise and glory unto him
Isaiah 24:15;
thy right hand is full of righteousness: of all
spiritual blessings for his people; and particularly of the righteousness of
Christ
which God accepts of
imputes unto
and liberally bestows upon them:
and it is also full of punitive justice
which he inflicts on his and their
enemies; his right hand teaches him terrible things
and these terrible things
he does in righteousness; all his works are in righteousness
which the right
hand
being the instrument of action
is a token of. Moreover
Christ is the
right hand of God; he is the man of his right hand
and as dear to him as his
right hand; he is the right hand of his righteousness
by which he upholds his
people; and this right hand of his is full of righteousness; he does nothing
else but righteousness; he is the author and donor of it to his people
and
will execute righteousness upon his enemies; in righteousness he will make war
with them
Revelation 19:11;
and which is greatly the sense of this passage
as appears by Psalm 48:11.
Psalm 48:11 11 Let Mount Zion rejoice
Let
the daughters of Judah be glad
Because of Your judgments.
YLT
11Rejoice doth Mount Zion
The daughters of Judah are joyful
For the sake of Thy judgments.
Let Mount Zion rejoice
.... The church in
general; see Psalm 48:1;
let the daughters of Judah be glad; particular churches; and
so the Targum renders it
"the congregations of the house of Judah";
or particular believers; such as are called the daughters of Jerusalem
and the
daughters of Zion
Song of Solomon 3:10;
these are exhorted to joy and gladness
at the loving kindness of God
at the
spread of his name and glory to the ends of the earth
and at his righteousness
his right hand is full of; and as it follows
because of thy judgments; executed on the
antichristian kings
Psalm 48:4; and on
all the antichristian states
and on the whore of Babylon
and those who have
committed fornication with her; see Revelation 19:1.
Psalm 48:12 12 Walk about Zion
And go
all around her. Count her towers;
YLT
12Compass Zion
and go round
her
count her towers
Walk about Zion
and go round about her
.... These
words are either an address to the enemies of the church
sarcastically
delivered; calling upon them to come
and surround
and besiege Zion
and see
what the issue and consequence of it will he
even the same as that of the
kings
Psalm 48:4; or to
the builders of Zion
as Jarchi observes
to come and take a survey of it
and
see what repairs were necessary; or rather to the saints
to the daughters of
Judah before mentioned
to take a view of the strength and defence of the
church
for their own comfort and encouragement
and to report the same to
others for theirs also; for by walking around it may be observed the
foundation
the rock and eminence on which it is built
Christ Jesus; the wall
of it
the Lord himself
a wall of fire; the entrance into it
Christ the gate
of righteousness; the fortress and strong hold of it the same; and the guards
about it
the watch men on its walls
the ministers of the Gospel
and an
innumerable company of angels
that in a circle surround both ministers and
people; see Revelation 7:11;
tell the towers thereof; see 2 Chronicles 26:9;
the Lord himself is the tower of his people
high and strong
which secures and
defends them from all their enemies
Psalm 18:2; the
ministers of the Gospel
who are immovable
and are set for the defence of it
Jeremiah 6:27; the
Scriptures of truth
which are like a tower built for an armoury
out of which
the saints are furnished and provided with proper armour
whereby they are able
to engage with false teachers
and to overcome the evil one
Song of Solomon 4:4;
and the ordinances of the Gospel
the church's two breasts
said to be as
towers
Song of Solomon 8:10;
some render the words
"tell in the towers"F9מגדליה εν τοις
πυργοις αυτης
Sept. "in turribus ejus"
V. L. ; publish on the house
tops
declare in the high places of the city
in the most public manner
the
great things of the Gospel
which relate to the glory of Christ and his church.
Psalm 48:13 13 Mark well her bulwarks; Consider
her palaces; That you may tell it to the generation following.
YLT
13Set your heart to her
bulwark
Consider her high places
So that ye recount to a later generation
Mark ye well her bulwarks
.... Such as the free
favour of God in Christ; which is not only as a shield
but as a bulwark to the
church; his everlasting love
electing grace
the covenant of grace
with its
blessings and promises
all which are more immovable than rocks and mountains;
and especially the power of God
which surrounds his church
as the mountains
did Jerusalem; and by which they are kept and preserved as in a garrison
Psalm 125:2. Also
salvation by Christ; his righteousness
sacrifice
and satisfaction
which God
has appointed for walls and bulwarks
and which make the city
the church
a
strong and impregnable one
Isaiah 26:1.
Likewise the Spirit of God
and his operations and influences
which are a
standard against the enemy's flood of opposition and persecution; and who being
in his church and people
is greater than he that is in the world
Isaiah 59:19
1 John 4:4. Some
render the words
set "your hearts on her strength"
as the Vulgate
Latin version; that is
on Christ
who is the strength of the poor and needy in
their distress; the strength of their hearts
of their lives
and of their
salvation
and the security of the church. Others readier them
"set your
hearts on her armies"; as the Targum is; her volunteers
her soldiers
who
endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ
fight the Lord's battles
and are
more than conquerors through him; and a lovely sight it is to behold them
with
Christ at the head of them; see Revelation 19:14;
consider her palaces; for Jehovah
Father
Son
and Spirit
have their dwelling places in Zion; and here
besides
apostles
prophets
evangelists
and ordinary ministers of the word
who are
rulers and officers set in the first place
every saint is a prince and a king;
and has a place and a name here
better than that of sons and daughters of the
greatest potentate on earth; every dwelling place in Mount Zion is a palace.
that ye may tell it to the generation following: that is
the
beauty and glory
strength and safety of the church; and even all that is
spoken of her in this psalm
as well as what follows: this is the end proposed
by taking a circuit round Zion
and making the above observations on it.
Psalm 48:14 14 For this is God
Our
God forever and ever; He will be our guide Even to death.[a]
YLT
14That this God [is] our God
-- To the age and for ever
He -- he doth lead us over death!
For this God is our God for ever and ever
.... Who is
spoken of throughout the whole psalm as greatly to be praised
as well as is
known in Zion
as the stability
security
and protection of her. This is said
as pointing unto him as if visible
as Christ is God manifest in the flesh
now
in Gospel times
to which this psalm belongs; as distinguishing him from all others
from the gods of the Gentiles
rejected by the people of God; as claiming an
interest in him as their covenant God; as exulting in the view of such relation
to him; as suggesting how happy they were on this account; and especially since
this relation will always continue
being founded in an everlasting covenant
and arising from the unchangeable love of God;
he will be our guide
even unto death; the Lord
orders the steps of the righteous
holds them by the right hand
and guides
them with his counsel and in judgment: Christ
the great Shepherd of the flock
feeds them
as the antitype of David
according to the integrity of his heart
and guides them by the skilfulness of his hands; he guides their feet in the
ways of peace
life
and salvation
by himself; he leads them into green
pastures
beside the still waters
and unto fountains of living waters: the
Spirit of the Lord leads them to the fulness of Christ; guides them into all
truth
as it is in him; directs them into his and his Father's love
and leads
them on to the land of uprightness. And this guide is an everlasting one;
"even unto death"
or "in death"
or "above
death"F11על מות
"super mortem"
Montanus; "supra mortem"
Cocceius
Gussetius
Michaelis; so Syr. vers. "in ipsa morte"
Pfeiffer
Dub.
Ver. loc. 66. ; so as not to be hurt of the second death. He guides not only to
the brink of Jordan's river
but through the deep waters of it
and never
leaves till he has landed them safe on the shores of eternity: and some
as
Aben Ezra
render the word as if it was עולמית
"for ever"; and others
as Abendana observes
render it
"secretly"; the Lord sometimes leading his people in ways dark and
hidden to them: and others give the sense of it
"as in the days of
youth"; that is
God is the guide of his people in old age as in youth; he
is always their guide
and ever will be: to which sense incline R. Moses in
Aben Ezra
others in Kimchi and Abendana
and as also Jarchi and the Chaldee
paraphrase; but Kimchi and Ben Melech render it as we do
"unto
death"
or "unto our death".
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)