Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinriches. 13. Surely I have purified my heart in vain, and washed my hands daily. 174 14. And I havebeen scourged daily, and my chastisement has been every morning.10. On this account his people will return hither. Commentators wrest this sentence into avariety of meanings. In the first place, as the relative his is used, without an antecedent indicatingwhose people are spoken of, some understand it simply of the ungodly, as if it had been said, Thatthe ungodly always fall back upon this reflection: and they view the word people as denoting agreat troop or band; for as soon as a wicked man raises his standard, he always succeeds in drawinga multitude of associates after him. They, therefore, think the meaning to be, that every prosperousungodly man has people flocking about him, as it were, in troops; and that, when within his palaceor magnificent mansion, they are content with getting water to drink; so much does this perverseimagination bewitch them. But there is another sense much more correct, and which is also approvedby the majority of commentators; namely, that the people of God 175 return hither. Some take theword , halom, which we have rendered hither, as denoting afflicted; 176 but this is a forcedinterpretation.The meaning is not, however, as yet, sufficiently evident, and therefore we must inquire intoit more closely. 177 Some read the whole verse connectedly, thus: The people of God return hither,that they may drain full cups of the water of sorrow. But, in my opinion, this verse depends uponthe preceding statements, and the sense is, That many who had been regarded as belonging to thepeople of God were carried away by this temptation, and were even shipwrecked and swallowedup by it. The prophet does not seem to speak here of the chosen people of God, but only to pointto hypocrites and counterfeit Israelites who occupy a place in the Church. He declares that suchpersons are overwhelmed in destruction, because, being foolishly led away to envy the wicked,and to desire to follow them, 178 they bid adieu to God and to all religion. Still, however, this might,without any impropriety, be referred to the chosen seed, many of whom are so violently harassedby this temptation, that they turn aside into crooked by-paths: not that they devote themselves towickedness, but because they do not firmly persevere in the right path. The sense then will be, thatnot only the herd of the profane, but even true believers, who have determined to serve God, are174 “Et lave mes mains en nettete.” — Fr. “And washed my hands in innocency.” The Psalmist may allude to the rite of ablutionwhich was in use among the Jews. See Deuteronomy 21:6, and Psalm 26:6. Or he may be understood as signifying by themetaphor of washing the hands in general, the pains which he took to be blameless in the whole of his outward conduct. “Oppositeto the phrase, to wash in innocence,” says Merrick, “is the scelere imbuere of Cicero, (Philipp. v.) ‘Cum autem semel gladiumscelere imbuisset,’” etc. See Job 9:30.175 The Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Æthiopic versions read, “my people.”176 “Abu Walid,” says Hammond, “hath a peculiar way of rendering , as if it were , the infinitive, with breaking of spirit.”A similar interpretation is adopted by Horsley. “For ,” says he, “many MSS. read , which I take as the participle Pual of theverb , ‘Contusus miseria,’ scilicet.” He reads,“Therefore his [God’s] people sit woebegone.”To make out this translation, he adopts another of the various readings of MSS. “For ,” says he, “many MSS. have :I would transpose the vau, and read . The third person future, Hophal, signifies is made to sit, is settled, attended with griefand consternation at the unpunished audacity of the profane.”177 “Et pourtant il nous y faut aviser de plus pres.” — Fr.178 “Stulta aemulatione decepti.” — Lat. “Se abusans par leur folie a porter envie aux meschans, et les vouloir ensuyvre.” —Fr81