Commentary on Psalms - Volume 3 - Bible Study Guides

Comm on Psalms (V3)John Calvinof two parts, first, of purity of heart, and, secondly, of righteousness in the outward conduct, Davidattributes both to himself. Let us learn, from his example, to join them together: let us, in the firstplace, begin with purity of heart, and then let us give evidence of this before men by uprightnessand integrity in our conduct.Psalm 73:15-1715. If I should say, I will speak thus, Behold! the generation of thy children: I have transgressed.18516. Although I applied my mind to know this, it was a trouble [or, a painful thing] in my sight;17. Until I entered into the sanctuaries of God, and understood 186 their latter end.15. If I should say, I will speak thus. David, perceiving the sinfulness of the thoughts with whichhe was tempted, puts a bridle upon himself, and reproves his inconstancy in allowing his mind toentertain doubts on such a subject. We can be at no loss in discovering his meaning; but there issome difficulty or obscurity in the words. The last Hebrew verb in the verse, , bagad, signifiesto transgress, and also to deceive. Some, therefore, translate, I have deceived the generation of thychildren, as if David had said, Were I to speak thus, I should defraud thy children of their hope.Others read, I have transgressed against the generation of thy children; that is, Were I to speakthus, I would be guilty of inflicting an injury upon them. But as the words of the prophet stand inthis order, Behold! the generation of thy children: I have transgressed; and as a very good meaningmay be elicited from them, I would expound them simply in this way: Were I to approve of suchwicked thoughts and doubts, I would transgress; for, behold! the righteous are still remaining onthe earth, and thou reservest in every age some people for thyself. Thus it will be unnecessary tomake any supplement to complete the sense, and the verb , bagadti, I have transgressed, willread by itself, and not construed with any other part of the verse. We have elsewhere had occasionto observe, that the Hebrew noun , dor, which we have rendered generation, is properly to bereferred to time. The idea which David intends to convey is now perfectly obvious. Whilst worldlymen give loose reins to their unhallowed speculations, until at length they become hardened, and,divesting themselves of all fear of God, cast away along with it the hope of salvation, he restrainshimself that he may not rush into the like destruction. To speak or to declare 187 here signifies toutter what had been meditated upon. His meaning, therefore, is, that had he pronounced judgmenton this subject as of a thing certain, he would have been chargeable with a very heinous transgression.He found himself before involved in doubt, but now he acknowledges that he had grievouslyoffended; and the reason of this he places between the words in which he expresses these two states185 “Ou, J’ay transgresse contre la generation de tes enfans.” — Fr. marg. “Or, I have transgressed against the generation ofthy children”186 “Aye considere.” — Fr. “Considered.”187 The word in the Hebrew text is , saphar Horsley translates it “to argue” —“If I resolve to argue thus,I should be a traitor to the generation of thy children.”“The verb ,” says he, “which literally signifies to count or reckon, may easily signify ‘to reason within one’s self, tosyllogise,’ as is indeed the case with the corresponding words of many languages; as λογιζεσθαι, ratiocinari, putare, reckon,count.”84