Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XVI.

Vers. 1. SO they brought the ark of God, and set it in the middest of the tent, &c.] See 2. Sam. 6.17.

Vers. 5. Asaph the chief, &c.] Heman is named in the first place as chief of the three principall singers, chap. 6.33. but Asaph it seems was the chief of those that were deputed to this service in the house of David, where the ark was now placed; the rest being imployed at present in the Tabernacle at Gibeon, vers. 39, 40. And Za∣dok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon, to offer burnt offerings unto the Lord, upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the Lord which he commanded Israel:

Vers. 7. Then on that day David delivered first this Psalme to thank the Lord &c.] That is, this was the first Psalme he delivered them to sing, the severall parts whereof were afterward much enlarged by David, and reduced into severall Psalmes, as we may see Psal. 105. and Psal. 96.

Vers. 8. Give thanks unto the Lord, &c.] From hence to the end of the two and twentieth verse is the beginning of the hundred and fifth Psalme, and the summe of it is, to praise God for the publick benefits afforded to his Church and people, the chil∣dren of Israel; in regard whereof in times of any great joy Gods people used to sing this Psalme, as may be probably gathered from that which we reade, Isa. 12.4. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord, call upon his name, &c.

Vers. 11. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.] That is, seek to know and to assure unto your selves the Lord and his strength, (by which you can onely hope to be strengthened, defended, and delivered in times of trouble) and his favourable presence; and that by resorting to the ark, which is the outward signe of his presence amongst you, to counsell and instruct you (and therefore from thence he used to give his oracles, Exod. 25.22.) and to be your strong fortresse and defence; in regard whereof the ark is elsewhere called, the strength of God, Psal. 78.61. And he delivered his strength into captivity; and the ark of his strength, Psal. 132.8. Arise O Lord into thy rest, thou and the ark of thy strength; yea, and this must be done with perseverance, and therefore is the word continually ad∣ded, seek his face continually.

Vers. 12. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgements of his mouth.] That is, his law and statutes given on mount Sinai, or rather, the judgements which he executed upon the adversaries of his people, cal∣led the judgements of his mouth, because they came by his decree and appointment, and because of many of them he spake beforehand to Moses, and Moses as Gods herald threatened Pharaoh and his people, Exod. 7.1.

Vers. 13. O ye seed of Israel his servant, &c.] Psalm. 105.6. it is O ye seed of Abraham, and then, O ye children of Jacob his chosen ones, that is, his adopted and peculiar people, and that merely of Gods free grace and election.

Vers. 15. Be ye mindfull alwayes of his covenant.] Psal. 105.8. it is, He hath remembred his covenant for ever.

The word which he commanded to a thousand generations.] That is, the conditions of the covenant, which on Israels part was the law of faith and obedience, & on Gods part the promises, which for the greater certainty may be also said to be command∣ed, Psal. 133.3. There the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Vers. 19. When ye were but few even a few, &c.] Psal. 105.12. it is, when they were but few: & this is expressed, first, to imply the freedome of Gods grace in choosing them to be his people, Deut. 7.7. secondly, to magnifie the more the Lords protecting them.

Vers. 20. And when they went from nation to nation, &c.] To wit, when they went up and down in the land of Canaan, where were seven mighty nations, Deut. 7.1. and sometimes removed thence to other kingdomes, as to Egypt, Gen. 12.10. and Gerar, Gen. 20.1. for under this clause all the travels of the Patriarchies are comprehended.

Vers. 21. Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes.] As Pharaoh, Gen. 12.17. and Abimelech, Gen. 20.3.

Vers. 22. Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.] That is, wrong not those whom I have consecrated to my self by the anointing of my holy spirit (my Christians) according to that 1. John 2.20. But ye have an unction from the holy one, &c. and vers. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, &c. to whom therefore I do familiarly reveal my will, that they may teach & instruct others, Gen. 20.7. Restore therefore to the man his wife, for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live, &c. and thus the Prophet implies that the Lord did thus defend them, not onely because they were poore helplesse miserable men, unjustly oppressed; but also because by speciall cove∣nant God had taken them into his protection.

Vers. 23. Sing unto the Lord all the earth, &c.] From hence to the 34. verse is the ninety sixth Psalme, and the chief drift of it is to stirre up all nations to praise the Lord, and consequently it includes a prophesie of Christ, and of the gathering of all nations into the Church by the preaching of the Gospel: and therefore Psal. 96.1. to expresse the strange and unlooked for change that should be then in the Church, these words, a new song, are added, and sing unto the Lord a new song.

Vers. 27. Glory & honour are in his presence, strength & gladnesse are in his place.] That is, God is a king of infinite majesty, glory, and honour, most strong and migh∣ty, and the fountain of all strength and gladnesse to his people; such his people find him in his sanctuary where he reveals himself unto them, and such therefore with glad hearts they acknowledge him to be, Psal. 96.6. Honour and majestie are be∣fore him, strength and beauty are in his Sanctuary.

Vers. 29. Bring an offering and come before him, worship the Lord in the beauty of holinesse.] Thus the Prophet speaks of the worship of God in the dayes of the Gospel, under these figurative expressions of the Legall worship; for his meaning is onely this, that in those dayes the Gentiles, should have as free accesse to the wor∣ship of God as the Jews, as being then one people with them, fellow citizens of the Saints, and of the houshold of God: and so equally admitted with them to offer unto God in the assemblies of his people (the beauty of holinesse) those Evangelicall sa∣crifices which should be acceptable to God, as were these legall offerings under the Law.

Vers. 30. Fear before him all the earth.] To wit, especially when you present your selves before him in the assembly of his Saints.

The world also shall be stable that it be not moved.] That is, this is the benefit that shall follow upon mens subjecting of themselves to the government of God in Christ, that whereas by rebellion against God, the whole world tends to confusion and ruine, by submitting themselves to Gods Sceptre all shall be established, and the state of the Church shall be unmoveable and eternall.

Vers. 31. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoyce?] So blessed and happie shall those times be, and shall yield such abundant matter of exceeding great joy, that if the very senselesse creatures could shout and rejoyce it were well: for this is an hyperbolicall expression of the blisse and joy of these times.

And let men say among the nations, the Lord reigneth.] That is, the happinesse of those times shall be that men shall stoop to Gods Sceptre: which therfore it is fit men should confesse to Gods glory; yea, and by publishing it to seek the drawing in of others, and so to enlarge the kingdome of God.

Vers. 35. And say yee, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, &c.] This may have respect, first, to the firm knitting together of the people that had been divided, some favouring Sauls posterity, and some Davids: secondly, to the reducing of the captived Israelites to their own land, if at any time carried away (and so it is prophetically spoken) or thirdly, to the gathering of Gods elect out of all nations to be his people in the dayes of the Gospel; and then the reason of this request is added in the following words, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise, that is, in thy praise-worthy-works, or in our praising of thee: for indeed the faithfull servants of God do count it their happinesse that they may praise God, and do therefore glory in it.

Vers. 41. And with them Heman, and Jeduthun, &c.] See the note before vers. 5.

To give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endureth for ever.] This last clause (because his mercy endureth for ever) is therefore added, because in many of their Psalmes of praise, this was still the foot of the song, as is evident, 2. Chron. 5.13. and 7.3. Ezra 3.11. Jer. 33.11. and in many other places.

Vers. 42. And with musicall instruments of God.] That is, with holy musicall instruments, such as were set apart for the service of God.

Vers. 43. And David returned to blesse his house.] See 2.6.20: