《Keil & Delitzsch Commentary – Psalms (Vol. 2)》(Karl F. Keil, etc.) 51 Psalm 51

99 Psalm 99
Introduction

Song of Praise in Honour of the Thrice Holy One

This is the third of the Psalms (Psalm 93:1-5, Psalm 97:1-12, Psalm 99:1-9) which begin with thewatchword מלך ה. It falls into three parts, of which the first (Psalm 99:1-3) closes with קדושׁ הוּא, the second (Psalm 99:4, Psalm 99:5) with קדושׁ הוּא, and the third, more full-toned, with אלחנוּ קדושׁ ה - an earthly echo of the trisagion of the seraphim. The first twoSanctuses are two hexastichs; and two hexastichs form the third, accordingto the very same law by which the third and the sixth days of creationeach consists of two creative works. This artistic form bears witnessagainst Olshausen in favour of the integrity of the text; but the clare-obscure of the language and expression makes no small demands upon thereader.
Bengel has seen deepest into the internal character of this Psalm. He says, “The 99th Psalm has three parts, in which the Lord is celebrated as He who is to come, as He who is, and as He who was, and each part is closed with the ascription of praise: He is holy.” The Psalm is laid out accordingly by Oettinger, Burk, and C. H. Rieger.

Verses 1-3

The three futures express facts of the time to come, which are the inevitable result of Jahve's kingly dominion bearing sway from heaven, and here below from Zion, over the world; they therefore declare what must and will happen. The participle insidens cherubis (Psalm 80:2, cf. Psalm 18:11) is a definition of the manner (Olshausen): He reigns, sitting enthroned above the cherubim. נוּט, like Arab. (nwd), is a further formation of the root (na), nu, to bend, nod. What is meant is not a trembling that is the absolute opposite of joy, but a trembling that leads on to salvation. The Breviarium in Psalterium, which bears the name of Jerome, observes: Terra quamdiu immota fuerit, sanari non potest; quando vero mota fuerit et intremuerit, tunc recipiet sanitatem. In Psalm 99:3 declaration passes over into invocation. One can feel how the hope that the “great and fearful Name” (Deuteronomy 10:17) will be universally acknowledged, and therefore that the religion of Israel will become the religion of the world, moves and elates the poet. The fact that the expression notwithstanding is not קדושׁ אתּה, but קדושׁ הוּא, is explained from the close connection with the seraphic trisagion in Isaiah 6:3. הוּא refers to Jahve; He and His Name are notions that easily glide over into one another.

Verse 4-5

The second Sanctus celebrates Jahve with respect to His continuousrighteous rule in Israel. The majority of expositors construe it: “And (theyshall praise) the might of the king, who loves right;” but this joining of theclause on to יודוּ over the refrain that stands in the way is hazardous. Neither can ועז מלך משׁפּט אהב, however, be an independent clause, since אהב cannot be said of עז, but only of its possessor. And the dividing of the verse at אהב, adopted by the lxx, will therefore not hold good. משפט אהב is an attributive clause to מלך in the same position as in Psalm 11:7; and עז, with what appertains to it, is the object to כּוננתּ placed first, which has the king's throne as its object elsewhere (Psalm 9:8, 2 Samuel 7:13; 1 Chronicles 17:12), just as it here has the might of the king, which, however, here at the same time in מישׁרים takes another and permutative object (cf. the permutative subject in Psalm 72:17), as Hitzig observes; or rather, since מישׁרים is most generally used as an adverbial notion, this מישׁרים (Psalm 58:2; Psalm 75:3; Psalm 9:9, and frequently), usually as a definition of the mode of the judging and reigning, is subordinated: and the might of a king who loves the right, i.e., of one who governs not according to dynastic caprice but moral precepts, hast Thou established in spirit and aim (directed to righteousness and equity). What is meant is the theocratic kingship, and Psalm 11:4 says what Jahve has constantly accomplished by means of this kingship: He has thus maintained right and righteousness (cf. e.g., 2 Samuel 8:15; 1 Chronicles 18:14; 1 Kings 10:9; Isaiah 16:5) among His people. Out of this manifestation of God's righteousness, which is more conspicuous, and can be better estimated, within the nation of the history of redemption than elsewhere, grows the call to highly exalt Jahve the God of Israel, and to bow one's self very low at His footstool. להדם רגליו, as in Psalm 132:7, is not a statement of the object (for Isaiah 45:14 is of another kind), but (like אל in other instances) of the place in which, or of the direction (cf. Psalm 7:14) in which the προσκύνησις is to take place. The temple is called Jahve's footstool (1 Chronicles 28:2, cf. Lamentations 2:1; Isaiah 60:13) with reference to the ark, the (capporeth) of which corresponds to the transparent sapphire (Exodus 24:10) and to the crystal-like firmament of the (mercaba) (Ezekiel 1:22, cf. 1 Chronicles 28:18).

Verses 6-9

The vision of the third Sanctus looks into the history of the olden timeprior to the kings. In support of the statement that Jahve is a living God,and a God who proves Himself in mercy and in judgment, the poetappeals to three heroes of the olden time, and the events recorded of them. The expression certainly sounds as though it had reference to somethingbelonging to the present time; and Hitzig therefore believes that it must beexplained of the three as heavenly intercessors, after the manner of Oniasand Jeremiah in the vision 2 Macc. 15:12-14. But apart from thispresupposing an active manifestation of life on the part of those who havefallen happily asleep, which is at variance with the ideas of the latest aswell as of the earliest Psalms concerning the other world, thisinterpretation founders upon Psalm 99:7 , according to which a celestial discourseof God with the three “in the pillar of cloud” ought also to be supposed. The substantival clauses Psalm 99:6 bear sufficient evident in themselves ofbeing a retrospect, by which the futures that follow are stamped as beingthe expression of the contemporaneous past. The distribution of thepredicates to the three is well conceived. Moses was also a mighty man inprayer, for with his hands uplifted for prayer he obtained the victory forhis people over Amalek (Exodus 17:11.), and on another occasion placedhimself in the breach, and rescued them from the wrath of God and fromdestruction (Psalm 106:23; Exodus 32:30-32; cf. also Numbers 12:13); and Samuel, it istrue, is only a Levite by descent, but by office in a time of urgent need apriest ((cohen)), for he sacrifices independently in places where, by reasonof the absence of the holy tabernacle with the ark of the covenant, it wasnot lawful, according to the letter of the law, to offer sacrifices, he buildsan altar in Ramah, his residence as judge, and has, in connection with thedivine services on the high place ((Bama)) there, a more than high-priestlyposition, inasmuch as the people do not begin the sacrificial repasts beforehe has blessed the sacrifice (1 Samuel 9:13). But the character of a mighty man in prayer is outweighed in the case ofMoses by the character of the priest; for he is, so to speak, the proto-priest of Israel, inasmuch as he twice performed priestly acts which laid as it were a foundation for all times to come, viz., the sprinkling of the blood at the ratification of the covenant under Sinai (Ex. 24), and the whole ritual which was a model for the consecrated priesthood, at the consecration of the priests (Lev. 8). It was he, too, who performed the service in the sanctuary prior to the consecration of the priests: he set the shew-bread in order, prepared the candlestick, and burnt incense upon the golden altar (Exodus 40:22-27). In the case of Samuel, on the other hand, the character of the mediator in the religious services is outweighed by that of the man mighty in prayer: by prayer he obtained Israel the victory of Ebenezer over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:8.), and confirmed his words of warning with the miraculous sign, that at his calling upon God it would thunder and rain in the midst of a cloudless season (1 Samuel 12:16, cf. Sir. 46:16f.).
The poet designedly says: Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel among His praying ones. This third twelve-line strophe holds good, not only of the three in particular, but of the twelve-tribe nation of priests and praying ones to which they belong. For Psalm 99:7 cannot be meant of the three, since, with the exception of a single instance (Numbers 12:5), it is always Moses only, not Aaron, much less Samuel, with whom God negotiates in such a manner. אליהם refers to the whole people, which is proved by their interest in the divine revelation given by the hand of Moses out of the cloudy pillar (Exodus 33:7.). Nor can Psalm 99:6 therefore be understood of the three exclusively, since there is nothing to indicate the transition from them to the people: crying (קראים, syncopated like חטאים, 1 Samuel 24:11) to Jahve, i.e., as often as they (these priests and praying ones, to whom a Moses, Aaron, and Samuel belong) cried unto Jahve, He answered them-He revealed Himself to this people who had such leaders ((choragi)), in the cloudy pillar, to those who kept His testimonies and the law which He gave them. A glance at Psalm 99:8 shows that in Israel itself the good and the bad, good and evil, are distinguished. God answered those who could pray to Him with a claim to be answered. Psalm 99:7 , is, virtually at least, a relative clause, declaring the prerequisite of a prayer that may be granted. In Psalm 99:8 is added the thought that the history of Israel, in the time of its redemption out of Egypt, is not less a mirror of the righteousness of God than of the pardoning grace of God. If Psalm 99:7-8 are referred entirely to the three, then עלילות and נקם, referred to their sins of infirmity, appear to be too strong expressions. But to take the suffix of עלילותם objectively (ea quae in eos sunt moliti Core et socii ejus), with Symmachus ( καὶ ἔκδικος ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐπηρείναις αὐτῶν ) and Kimchi, as the ulciscens in omnes adinventiones eorum of the Vulgate is interpreted,

(Note: Vid., Raemdonck in his David propheta cet. 1800: in omnes injurias ipsis illatas, uti patuit in Core cetf0.)

is to do violence to it. The reference to the people explains it all without any constraint, and even the flight of prayer that comes in here (cf. Micah 7:18). The calling to mind of the generation of the desert, which fell short of the promise, is an earnest admonition for the generation of the present time. The God of Israel is holy in love and in wrath, as He Himself unfolds His Name in Exodus 34:6-7. Hence the poet calls upon his fellow-countrymen to exalt this God, whom they may with pride call their own, i.e., to acknowledge and confess His majesty, and to fall down and worship at (ל cf. אל, Psalm 5:8) the mountain of His holiness, the place of His choice and of His presence.
100 Psalm 100
Introduction

Call of All the World to the Service of the True God

This Psalm closes the series of deutero-Isaianic Psalms, which began withPs 91. There is common to all of them that mild sublimity, sunnycheerfulness, unsorrowful spiritual character, and New Testamentexpandedness, which we wonder at in the second part of the Book ofIsaiah; and besides all this, they are also linked together by the figureanadiplosis, and manifold consonances and accords.
The arrangement, too, at least from Psalm 93:1-5 onwards, is Isaianic: it is parallelwith the relation of Isaiah 24:1 to Psalm 13:1 Just as the former cycle ofprophecies closes that concerning the nations, after the manner of amusical finale, so the Psalms celebrating the dominion of God, from Psalm 93:1-5 onwards, which vividly portray the unfolded glory of the kingship ofJahve, have Jubilate and Cantate Psalms in succession.
From the fact that this last Jubilate is entirely the echo of the first, viz., of the first half of Psalm 95:1-11, we see how ingenious the arrangement is. There we find all the thoughts which recur here. There it is said in Psalm 95:7, He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the flock of His hand. And in Psalm 95:2, Let us come before His face with thanksgiving (בּתודה), let us make a joyful noise unto Him in songs!
This תודה is found here in the title of the Psalm, מזמור לתּודה. Taken in the sense of a “Psalm for thanksgiving,” it would say but little. We may take לתודה in a liturgical sense (with the Targum, Mendelssohn, Ewald, and Hitzig), like ליום השׁבת, Psalm 92:1, in this series, and like להזכיר in Psalm 38:1; Psalm 70:1. What is intended is not merely the (tôda) of the heart, but the (shelamı̂m) -(tôda), תּודה זבח, Psalm 107:22; Psalm 116:17, which is also called absolutely תודה in Psalm 56:13, 2 Chronicles 29:31. That kind of (shelamı̂m) is thus called which is presented על־תודה, i.e., as thankful praise for divine benefits received, more particularly marvellous protection and deliverance (vid., Ps 107).

Verses 1-3

The call in Psalm 100:1 sounds like Psalm 98:4; Psalm 66:1. כּל־הארץ are alllands, or rather all men belonging to the earth's population. The first verse,without any parallelism and in so far monostichic, is like the signal for ablowing of the trumpets. Instead of “serve Jahve with gladness(בּשׂמחה),” it is expressed in Psalm 2:11, “serve Jahve with fear(בּיראה).” Fear and joy do not exclude one another. Fear becomesthe exalted Lord, and the holy gravity of His requirements; joy becomesthe gracious Lord, and His blessed service. The summons to manifest thisjoy in a religious, festive manner springs up out of an all-hopeful, world-embracing love, and this love is the spontaneous result of living faith in thepromise that all tribes of the earth shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham,and in the prophecies in which this promise is unfolded. דּעוּ (asin Psalm 4:4) Theodoret well interprets äé áõìáôùðñáãìáThey are to know from facts of outward andinward experience that Jahve is God: He hath made us, and not weourselves. Thus runs the Chethîbwhich the lxx follows, áõåçêáéïõç(as also the Syriac and Vulgate); but Symmachus (like Rashi), contrary to all possibilities of language, renders αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ἡμᾶς οὐκ ὄντας . Even the Midrash (Bereshith Rabba, ch. c. init.) finds in this confession the reverse of the arrogant words in the mouth of Pharaoh: “I myself have made myself” (Ezekiel 29:3). The Kerî, on the other hand, reads לו,

(Note: According to the reckoning of the Masora, there are fifteen passages in the Old Testament in which לא is written and לו is read, viz., Exodus 21:8; Leviticus 11:21; Leviticus 25:30; 1 Samuel 2:3; 2 Samuel 16:18; 2 Kings 8:10; Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 63:9; Psalm 100:3; Psalm 139:16; Job 13:15 cf. the note there, Psalm 41:4; Proverbs 19:7; Proverbs 26:2; Ezra 4:2. Because doubtful, Isaiah 49:5; 1 Chronicles 11:20 are not reckoned with these.)

which the Targum, Jerome, and Saadia follow and render: et ipsius nos sumus. Hengstenberg calls this Kerî quite unsuitable and bad; and Hupfeld, on the other hand, calls the Chethîb an “unspeakable insipidity.” But in reality both readings accord with the context, and it is clear that they are both in harmony with Scripture. Many a one has drawn balsamic consolation from the words ipse fecit nos et non ipsi nos; e.g., Melancthon when disconsolately sorrowful over the body of his son in Dresden on the 12th July 1559. But in ipse fecit nos et ipsius nos sumus there is also a rich mine of comfort and of admonition, for the Creator of also the Owner, His heart clings to His creature, and the creature owes itself entirely to Him, without whom it would not have had a being, and would not continue in being. Since, however, the parallel passage, Psalm 95:7, favours ולו rather than ולא; since, further, ולא ,reh is the easier reading, inasmuch as הוּא leads one to expect that an antithesis will follow (Hitzig); and since the “His people and the sheep of His pasture” that follows is a more natural continuation of a preceding ולו אנחנו than that it should be attached as a predicative object to עשׂנוּ over a parenthetical ולא אנחנו: the Kerî decidedly maintains the preference. In connection with both readings, עשׂה has a sense related to the history of redemption, as in 1 Samuel 12:6. Israel is Jahve's work (מעשׂה), Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 60:21, cf. Deuteronomy 32:6, Deuteronomy 32:15, not merely as a people, but as the people of God, who were kept in view even in the calling of Abram.

Verse 4-5

Therefore shall the men of all nations enter with thanksgiving into thegates of His Temple and into the courts of His Temple with praise (Psalm 96:8), in order to join themselves in worship to His church, which - acreation of Jahve for the good of the whole earth - is congregated about thisTemple and has it as the place of its worship. The pilgrimage of allpeoples to the holy mountain is an Old Testament dress of the hope forthe conversion of all peoples to the God of revelation, and the close unionof all with the people of this God. His Temple is open to them all. Theymay enter, and when they enter they have to look for great things. For theGod of revelation (52:11; 54:8) is “good” (Psalm 25:8; Psalm 34:9), and His loving-kindness and faithfulness endure for ever - the thought that recursfrequently in the later Hallelujah and Hodu Psalms and is become aliturgical formula (Jeremiah 33:11). The mercy of loving-kindness of God is thegenerosity, and His faithfulness the constancy, of His love.