Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John CalvinPSALM 81This psalm consists of two parts. Whoever was its author, he exhorts the people to rememberthe unparalleled grace of God towards them, in delivering them by his outstretched arm, and choosingthem to be a kingdom of priests, and a peculiar Church to himself; that thus they may be exciteddevoutly to honor their deliverer, both by celebrating his praises, and by leading a holy life. Godis next introduced as upbraiding them for their ingratitude in continuing obstinately to refuse tosubmit to the yoke of the law, notwithstanding the tender and gracious manner in which he alluredthem to himself.To the chief musician upon Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph. 401Psalm 81:1-31. Sing joyfully to God our strength sing with a loud voice: to the God of Jacob. 2. Raise asong, 402 and bring forth the tabret, the pleasant harp, with the psaltery. 403 3. Sound the trumpet atthe new moon; at the time appointed on the day of our sacrifice. 404 4. For this is a statute to Israel,a law to the God of Jacob. 5. He set it for a testimony in Joseph, when he went forth over [or above]the land of Egypt: I heard a language which I understood not. 6. I removed his shoulder from theburden; his hands were freed from the pots. 405 7. Thou didst cry in trouble, and I delivered thee:I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.401 There are various opinions as to the time and occasion of the composition of this psalm. Bishop Horsley observes, “It iscertainly older than the time of David; for the use of Joseph’s name, in the 5th verse, as the name of the whole nation, showsthat it was composed before Judah became the principal tribe, while the place of worship was in the tribe of Ephraim; that is,among Joseph’s descendants.” “This, however,” says Fry, “is not conclusive, as a psalm, whenever composed, referring to theevents of those times, might use the same distinctions.” According to Walford, it “was most likely written to be sung at somecelebration of the feast of the Passover, during the reign of Jehoshaphat or of Hezekiah.” But the generally received opinion is,that it was composed, in the first instance, for the feast of trumpets. This feast was celebrated on the first day of the month Tisri,which was the beginning of the Jewish year, answering to our September. It has been supposed by some, that this feast wasappointed in commemoration of the creation of the world, which is conjectured to have been completed at that season of theyear. The Hebrew months were lunar, and the first day of each month had its religious services, accompanied with sound oftrumpets, Numbers 10:10; but the feast of trumpets was kept with additional sacrifices, Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1. Thetrumpets were blown from sunrise until sunset. It appears from the book of the Jewish Liturgy, that this psalm is still sung atthat feast. “It may have been used,” observes Dr Adam Clarke, “in celebrating the feast of trumpets on the first of Tisri; the feastof tabernacles, on the fifteenth of the same month; the creation of the world; the feast of the new moons; and the deliverance ofthe Israelites from Egypt; to all which circumstances it appears to refer.”402 “Take a psalm. Ainsworth, Take up a psalm. Bishop Horsley says, ‘The word (psalm) must in this place denote some musicalinstrument.’ But, with all due deference to his Lordship, suppose a clergyman in the present day were to say to his clerk, ‘Strikeup a psalm!’ (quite a similar phrase,) would the clerk understand him to mean a musical instrument? Certainly not.” — Williams.403 For an account of these musical instruments, see Appendix.404 Hammond translates this verse thus, “Blow the trumpet on the first day of the month, on the new moon, on the day of ourfeast." "The word ," says he, "must here be rendered, in the beginning of the month, that so , that follows, may be rendered,as it truly signifies, in the new moon. It is true, that from , new, indifferently signifies the novilunium, and the first day ofthe month; but here, the new moon being peculiarly expressed by , to avoid tautology, must be rendered the new month; i.e.,the first day of the month. The Syriac sets this down here most expressly, 'In the beginning or first of the month, and in the newmoon;' which, meeting always together, were festival among the Jews, and so the trumpet was to be sounded thereon.” [Note:The Hebrew words and stems being discussed in this footnote require punctuation which cannot be shown using the OLBHEBfont. The reader should refer to the original commentary for the actual puctuation. — sg.]405 The word translated pot was, according to Kennicott, a large vessel in which the earth was mixed and worked up for makingthe bricks. The LXX. the Vulgate, Symmachus, Jerome, Street, Parkhurst, Ainsworth, Fry, Walford, and others, render theoriginal word, by the basket. Parkhurst observes, that baskets might probably be employed both in carrying the earth of whichthe bricks were made, and also the bricks themselves.186