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2 The Lord is great in Zion,

And he is high above all the nations.

3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name!

For it is holy.

4 Let them declare the glory of the king who loveth justice!

Thou dost establish equity; thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.

5 Exalt ye the Lord our God,

6

And worship at his footstool!
For he is holy.

Moses and Aaron among his priests,

And Samuel among them that call upon his name, They called upon the Lord, and he answered them. 7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar;

They kept his testimonies,

And the ordinance that he gave them.

8 Thou answeredst them, O Lord our God!

Thou wast to them a forgiving God,

Though thou tookest vengeance of their transgres sions.

9 Exalt the Lord our God,

1

And worship at his holy hill!
For the Lord our God is holy.

PSALM C.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before his presence with singing.

3 Know

ye that the Lord he is God;

It is he that hath made us, and we are his;

We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,

And into his courts with praise;

Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting; And his truth endureth to all generations.

PSALM XLIX.

WISDOM OF SOLOMON.

THIS psalm may be considered a specimen of the philosophy and poetry of Solomon's age, if not his production. "Its purpose is to meet the doubts which arise in the mind on the contemplation of the manner in which good and evil are distributed in the world; the wicked often enjoying prosperity, and the righteous suffering adversity. Spiritual good, internal peace, a sense of the friendship of God, and confidence in his protection, are set forth as more than a balance for all the advantages of prosperous wickedness." N.

Parts of this psalm will remind the reader of other writings attributed to Solomon, namely, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. See Proverbs xi. 4; Eccles. ii. 16; iii.

19.

1

PSALM XLIX.

HEAR this, all ye people!

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world!

2 Both low and high, rich and poor together.

3 My mouth shall speak wisdom,

And the meditation of my heart shall be understand

ing.

4 I will incline mine ear to a parable;

5

I will utter my song upon the harp.

Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity of my oppressors compasseth me about?

6 They that trust in their wealth,

And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches, 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother from death,

Nor give to God a ransom for him,

8 That he should live for ever,

And not see corruption.

9 Too costly is the redemption of his life;

And he giveth it up

for ever.

10 For we see that wise men die,

Ver. 1. "Hear this," &c. The poet begins with the solemn dignity of a prophet, summoning the whole world to listen to a lesson of religious wisdom, which concerns every class of men. N. Ver. 4. "Incline mine ear." The classical poets often represent themselves as hearing what they are uttering, as if it was dictated to them. So Milton: "That strain I heard was of a higher mood."- Lycidas, ver. 87.

As the fool, and the brutish person;

They perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever,

And their dwelling-places to all generations;
They call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man in honor abideth not;
He is like the beasts that perish.

13 This their way is their folly;

Yet their posterity approve their sayings. 14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them;

The upright shall soon trample upon them;
Their beauty shall consume in the grave,

And they shall no more have a dwelling-place.

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the

16

grave;

Yea, he will receive me under his protection.

Be not thou afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased.

17 For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.

18 Though while he lived he thought himself happy, Though men praised thee while thou wast in prosperity,

19 Yet shalt thou go to the dwelling-place of thy fathers,

Ver. 14. "Like sheep," i. e. huddled together into the lower world, as sheep into a fold.-"Death shall feed upon them," i. e. consume them. - "Trample upon them "; i. e. on the graves of those whom they feared when alive. N.

Who never more shall see the light.

20 Man that is in honor, but without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.

PSALM LXXVIII.

THE TRANSFER OF GOD'S FAVOR FROM EPHRAIM TO

JUDAH.

THE Hebrew nation attained the height of prosperity under David and Solomon. Yet even during their reigns, there are indications of a jealousy existing between the people of the northern tribes, who are called the " men of Israel" (2 Sam. xix. 41 and foll.), and those of the southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin. Immediately on the accession of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, the schism broke out, and a separation ensued, which divided the dominions of David and Solomon into two unequal portions, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. The former, Israel, possessed the larger portion both of men and territory; but Judah retained the capital city and the temple, and the royal race of David, to which the promises were made, so often repeated. See 2 Sam. vii.; also Ps. cxxxii. 11 and 12, page 100.

The kingdom of Israel lasted two hundred and fifty years, through a succession of stormy and blood-stained reigns; and was in the end overthrown by the Assyrians, who carried the inhabitants into captivity, from which they never returned. The kingdom of Judah

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