Salmi 60:8 Commento

After many psalms which David penned in a day of distress this comes which was calculated for a day of triumph; it was penned after he was settled in the throne, upon occasion of an illustrious victory which God blessed his forces with over the Syrians and Edomites; it was when David was in the zenith of his prosperity, and the affairs of his kingdom seem to have been in a better posture then ever they were either before or after. See Sa2 8:3, Sa2 8:13; Ch1 18:3, Ch1 18:12. David, in prosperity, was as devout as David in adversity. In this psalm, I. He reflects upon the bad state of the public interests, for many years, in which God had been contending with them (Psa 60:1-3). II. He takes notice of the happy turn lately given to their affairs (Psa 60:4). III. He prays for the deliverance of God's Israel from their enemies (Psa 60:5). IV. He triumphs in hope of their victories over their enemies, and begs of God to carry them on and complete them (Psa 60:6-12). In singing this psalm we may have an eye both to the acts of the church and to the state of our own souls, both which have their struggles. To the chief musician upon Shushan-eduth, Michtam of David, to teach, when he strove with Aram-naharaim, and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt 12,000.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 60 To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim, and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of Salt twelve thousand. The words "shushaneduth" are thought, by Aben Ezra, to be the beginning of a song, to the tune of which this psalm was set; though others, as he observes, take them to be the name of a musical instrument, on which it was sung. Some take "shushan" to be an instrument of six chords, an hexachord; and "eduth", which signifies a "testimony", to be the title of the psalm, it being a testimony, or lasting memorial, of the victory obtained over the Syrians and Edomites; though rather they may be considered as expressing the subject matter of the psalm; and so the Targum interprets them, "concerning the ancient testimony of the sons of Jacob and Laban;'' referring to Gen 31:47; they may be rendered, as they are by some, "concerning the lily of the testimony" (a); and be applied to the Gospel, the testimony of our Lord Jesus, the pure, lily white, and unblemished testimony it bears to him, his person, office, and grace; and particularly to salvation as alone in him, and to which witness is borne in this psalm, Psa 60:11. This psalm is a "michtam", or golden psalm of David, and its use is "to teach". It is of the instructive kind, and teaches where help and salvation are to be expected; see Col 3:16; it was written when David "strove", or fought, with Aramnaharaim, the Syrians of Mesopotamia, which lay between the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, from whence is the name; hence the Septuagint render it Mesopotamia of Syria; and the Targum is, "he made war with Aram, which is by Euphrates;'' and at the same time David also fought with Aramzobah, or the Syrians of Zobah, as they are called in Sa2 10:6; with Josephus (b), Zobah is the same with Sophene; but wrongly, as is thought by learned men (c): for though this is a name which some part of Syria goes by in Mela (d); and Ptolemy (e) makes mention of a place of this name; yet that was beyond Euphrates, and in Armenia; whereas this must be nearer the land of Israel; for it is said (f) that Aramzobah is the country of Syria, which David subdued, and joined to the land of Israel; concerning which the Jews so often say, that in some things it was the same with it: according to Hillerus (g), it is the same country which the Arabians call Kinnosrina, the chief city of which is Haleb, or Aleppo; and R. Benjamin Tudelensis (h) making mention of Haleb, says, this is Aramzobah. Moreover, this psalm was written "when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand"; the "valley of salt" was near the Dead Sea, and upon the borders of Idumea; the battle fought here by Joab was either the same with the former, or different from it, at or about the same time; and accounts seemingly different from this are given in Sa2 8:13; in the first of these the number is said to be eighteen thousand Syrians, and the victory is ascribed to David; and in the latter the same number as there, but said to be Edomites, as here, and the slaughter ascribed to Abishai. The note of R. Abendana (i), for the reconciling of this, is worth transcribing: Our Rabbins of blessed memory say there were two battles; that Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, slew eighteen thousand, and after that Joab came and smote of them twelve thousand; and this is what is said; and "Joab returned", &c. the sense is, he returned after Abishai: and in the book of Samuel the battle is ascribed to David, because he was the root or chief (that is, under whom Joab and Abishai fought); but R. David Kimchi writes, that there were between them all eighteen thousand only; that Abishai began the battle, and smote of them six thousand, and after that Joab returned, and smote of them twelve thousand; but of a truth the wise R. Joel Ben Sueb gives the right sense of this affair, which is this; when David was fighting with the Syrians of Naharaim and Zobah, it was told him that Edom was come out to meet him, and help the Syrians; and then he veiled himself in prayer, and said this psalm; and Joab returned from the army, and went to meet the Edomites, that they might not pass over to help the Syrians, and join them, and he smote of them twelve thousand; and David was left fighting with the Syrians of Naharaim and Zobah, and subdued them under him, and he turned to help Joab; and Abishai, the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and he smote of them eighteen thousand, and they were in all thirty thousand, according to our Rabbins of blessed memory; and the text in Sa2 8:13; should be inverted and explained thus; "when he returned from smiting the Syrians, he got him in the valley of salt a name; for his fame went abroad, because he smote there eighteen thousand, and this was in Edom.'' The Targum very wrongly renders it, "and there fell of the armies of David and Joab twelve thousand.'' The title of this psalm, in the Syriac version, is, "which David gave out, saying, if I should come into the hands of Saul, I shall perish; and he fled, and those that were with him: but to us it declares the conversion of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews.'' The former part of which is quite foreign; but the latter seems to be right; for reference is had to both in this psalm, and to Christ, the banner displayed, or ensign lifted up, and to his dominion over Jews and Gentiles in the latter day, and to that salvation which is alone in him. (a) "Super rosa testimonii", Tigurine version; "super flore testimonii", Musculus. (b) Antiqu. l. 7. c. 5. s. 1. and l. 8. c. 7. s. 6. (c) Vid. Hudson. Not in ibid. (d) De Orbis Situ, l. 1. c. 6. (e) Geograph. l. 5. c. 13. (f) Gloss. in T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 25. 1. (g) Onomast. Sacr. p. 586. (h) Itimerar. p. 59. (i) In Miclol Yophi in loc.

Moab is my washpot,.... To wash hands and feet in: and so the Syriac version, "and Moab the washing of my feet"; a vessel for low and mean service, and so denotes the servile subjection of the Moabites to David; see Sa2 8:2; and as the words may be rendered, "the pot of my washing" (r). Great numbers of the Moabites might be at this time servants to the Israelites, and to David and his court particularly; and might be employed, as the Gibeonites were, to be drawers of water, to fill their pots, in which they washed their hands and feet, and their bathing vessels, in which they bathed themselves: Aben Ezra explains it, "I wilt wash their land as a pot;'' and so may not only signify the very great subjection of the Gentiles, even the chief among them, to Christ and his church, Isa 49:23; but as Moab was begotten and born in uncleanness, and his posterity an unclean generation, it may design the washing, cleansing, sanctifying, and justifying of the Gentiles in the name of Christ, and by his Spirit, Co1 6:11; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; as a token of possessing their land, Rut 4:7; so some; or of subduing them; putting the feet on which the shoe is upon the necks of them, Jos 10:24. So Kimchi interprets it, "the treading of my foot;'' to which the Targum agrees, paraphrasing it thus; "upon the joint of the neck of the mighty men of Edom I have cast my shoe.'' It may allude to a custom (s) in confirming a bargain, or taking possession, to pluck off the shoe in token of it, may be rendered "my glove"; as it is by the Targum on Rut 4:7; for, as the shoe encloses and binds the foot, so the glove the hand: and the allusion may be thought to be to a custom used by kings, when they sat down before any strong city to besiege it, to throw in a glove into the city; signifying they would never depart from the city until they had took it. Hence the custom, which still continues, of sending a glove to a person challenged to fight. And indeed the custom of casting a shoe was used by the emperor of the Abyssines, as a sign of dominion (t). Take the phrase in every light, it signifies victory and power; that he should be in Edom as at home, and there pluck off his shoe, and cast it upon him; either to carry it after him, as some think, which was the work of a servant, to which the Baptist alludes, Mat 3:11; or rather to clean it for him; for as Moab was his washpot, to wash his hands and feet, in Edom was his shoe cleaner, to wipe off and remove the dirt and dust that was upon them (u); all which denotes great subjection: and this was fulfilled in David, Sa2 8:14; and may refer to the spread of the Gospel in the Gentile world, and the power accompanying that to the subduing of many sinners in it, carried thither by those whose feet were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; Philistia, triumph thou because of me: some take this to be an ironic expression, like that in Ecc 11:9; so R. Moses in Aben Ezra, and also Kimchi. Triumph now as thou usedst to do, or if thou canst: but rather they are seriously spoken, seeing they had reason to rejoice and be glad, because they had changed hands and masters for the better, being subject to David, Sa2 8:1, with this compare Psa 108:9, and may very well be applied to the Gentiles, subdued and conquered by Christ, who triumph in him; and because delivered out of the hands of sin, Satan, and the world, through his victorious arms. (r) "olla lotionis meae", Pagninus, Montanus, Michaelis, Gejerus; so Tigurine version, Musculus, Vatablus. (s) Elias in Tishbi, fol. 267. (t) R. Immanuel apud Castell. Lex. Polygott. col. 2342. (u) Vid. Bynaeum de Calceis Heb. l. 2. c. 8. Gusset. Ebr. Comment p. 520.

“Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine.” Gilead is a grandson of Manasseh; this is said in order that he may show that the succession of the patriarchs, from whom is descended Christ according to the flesh, comes down from God. “And Ephraim is the support of my head. Judah is my king.” He will join together by agreement the parts that are severed. “Moab is the washbasin of my hope.” Or “a pot for washing,” another of the interpreters says; or “a pot of security”; that is to say, the excommunicated person, who has been forbidden with threats to enter the church of the Lord. For the Moabite and the Ammonite will not enter until the third and until the tenth generation and until everlasting time. Nevertheless, since baptism possesses remission for sins and produces security for the debtors, he, showing the deliverance through baptism and the affection for God, says, “Moab is a pot for washing” or “a pot of security.” Therefore, all “foreigners are made subject,” bowing down under the yoke of Christ; for this reason he will set his shoe in Edom. The shoe of the divinity is the God-bearing flesh, through which he approaches humans. In this hope, pronouncing blessed the time of the coming of the Lord, the prophet says, “Who will bring me into the fortified city.” Perhaps he means the church, a city, indeed, because it is a community governed conformably to laws; and fortified, because of the faith encompassing it. Whence one of the interpreters produced a very clear translation: “Into a city fortified all around.” Who, then, will permit me to see this great spectacle, God living among people? These are the words of the Lord: “Many prophets and just people have longed to see what you see, and they have not seen it.”

"Into Idumæa I will stretch out my shoe" [Psalm 60:8]. The Church speaks, "I will come through even unto Idumæa." Let tribulations rage, let the world boil with offenses, even unto those very persons that lead an earthly life (for Idumæa is interpreted earthly), even unto those same, "even unto Idumæa, I will stretch out my shoe." Of what thing the shoe except of the Gospel? "How beautiful the feet of them that tell of peace, that tell of good things," [Romans 10:15] and "the feet shod unto the preparation of the Gospel of peace." [Ephesians 6:15] ...In these times we see, brethren, how many earthly men do perpetrate frauds for the sake of gain, for frauds perjuries; on account of their fears they consult fortune-tellers, astrologers: all these men are Edomites, earthly; and nevertheless all these men adore Christ, under His own shoe they are; now even unto Idumæa is stretched out His shoe. "To Me Allophyli have been made subject." Who are "Allophyli"? Men of other race, not belonging to My race. They "have been made subject," because many men adore Christ, and are not to reign with Christ.

All strangers have stooped and been put under the yoke of Christ, wherefore also "over Edom" does he "cast out" his "shoe." Now the shoe of the Godhead is the flesh that bore God whereby he came among humankind.

For who does not know that sandals are made from dead animals? But the Lord coming incarnate appeared as if shod, because in his divinity he assumed the dead flesh of our corruption. Hence also through the Prophet he says: "Over Edom I will extend my sandal." For by Edom the Gentile world is signified, and by the sandal the assumed mortality is designated. Therefore the Lord asserts that he extends his sandal over Edom, because when he became known to the Gentiles through flesh, divinity came to us as if shod.

Shushan-eduth--Lily of testimony. The lily is an emblem of beauty (see on Psa 45:1, title). As a description of the Psalm, those terms combined may denote a beautiful poem, witnessing--that is, for God's faithfulness as evinced in the victories referred to in the history cited. Aram-naharaim--Syria of the two rivers, or Mesopotamia beyond the river (Euphrates) (Sa2 10:16). Aram-zobah--Syria of Zobah (Sa2 10:6), to whose king the king of the former was tributary. The war with Edom, by Joab and Abishai (Ch2 18:12, Ch2 18:25), occurred about the same time. Probably, while doubts and fears alternately prevailed respecting the issue of these wars, the writer composed this Psalm, in which he depicts, in the language of God's people, their sorrows under former disasters, offers prayer in present straits, and rejoices in confident hope of triumph by God's aid. (Psa 60:1-12) allude to disasters. cast . . . off--in scorn (Psa 43:2; Psa 44:9). scattered--broken our strength (compare Sa2 5:20). Oh, turn thyself--or, "restore to us" (prosperity). The figures of physical, denote great civil, commotions (Psa 46:2-3).

Moab--is a my washpot--the most ordinary vessel. over--or, "at" Edom--(as a slave) he casts his shoe. Philistia, triumph, &c.--or, rather, "shout." for me--acknowledges subjection (compare Psa 108:9, "over Philistia will I triumph").