Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

March around Zion, encircle her, count her towers, consider her ramparts, tour her citadels, that you may tell the next generation.

“The call to survey Zion, or the Church, as a fortified city, is designed to suggest "how well our God secures His fold." This security is perpetual, and its pledge is His guidance through this life.”

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

“I will testify--that is, for failure to worship aught. thy God--and so, by covenant as well as creation, entitled to a pure worship.”

I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices, and your burnt offerings are ever before Me.

“Reproving them for such foolish and blasphemous notions, He teaches them to offer, or literally, "sacrifice," thanksgiving, and pay, or perform, their vows--that is, to bring, with the external symbolical service, the homage of the heart, and faith, penitence, and love.”

To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips?

“They are unworthy to use even the words of God's law. Their hypocrisy and vice are exposed by illustrations from sins against the seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments. God, no longer (even in appearance) disregarding such, exposes their sins and threatens a terrible punishment.”

For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

“Praise is better than sacrifice (Ps 50:14), and implying faith, penitence, and love, glorifies God. In true penitents the joys of pardon mingle with sorrow for sin.”

There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you.

“Instead of assurances of God's presence with the pious, and a complaint of the wicked, Ps 14:5, 6 portrays the ruin of the latter, whose "bones" even "are scattered" (compare Ps 141:7), and who are put to shame as contemptuously rejected of God.”

O Lord, confuse and confound their speech, for I see violence and strife in the city.

“Destroy--literally, "swallow" (Ps 21:9). divide their tongues--or, "confound their speech," and hence their counsels (Ge 11:7). the city--perhaps Jerusalem, the scene of anarchy. 10, 11. which is described in detail (compare Ps 7:14-16).”

God will hear and humiliate them— the One enthroned for the ages— Selah because they do not change and they have no fear of God.

“Because . . . no changes--Prosperity hardens them (Ps 73:5). The treachery is aggravated by hypocrisy. The changes of number, Ps 55:15, 23, and here, enliven the picture, and imply that the chief traitor and his accomplices are in view together.”

You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle— are they not in Your book?

“God is mindful of his exile and remembers his tears. The custom of bottling the tears of mourners as a memorial, which has existed in some Eastern nations, may explain the figure.”

My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

“The mingled figures of wild beasts (Ps 10:9; 17:12) and weapons of war (Ps 11:2) heighten the picture of danger. whose . . . tongue--or slanders.”

Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.

“Hence--he addresses his glory, or tongue (Ps 16:9; 30:12), and his psaltery, or lute, and harp. I myself . . . early--literally, "I will awaken dawn," poetically expressing his zeal and diligence.”

Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?

“O congregation--literally, "Oh, dumb"; the word used is never translated "congregation." "Are ye dumb? ye should speak righteousness," may be the translation.”

No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

“This they did not design; but weigh . . . violence--or give decisions of violence. Weigh is a figure to express the acts of judges. in the earth--publicly.”

May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.

“The term for preparing a bow applied to arrows (Ps 64:3). let them . . . pieces--literally, "as if they cut themselves off"--that is, become blunted and of no avail. Other figures of this utter ruin; the last denoting rapidity.”

I will keep watch for You, O my strength, because You, O God, are my fortress.

“By judicious expositors, and on good grounds, this is better rendered, "O my strength, on Thee will I wait" (Ps 59:17). defence--(Compare Ps 18:3).”

Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim is My helmet, Judah is My scepter.

“Gilead . . . and Manasseh--as large districts, east and west of Jordan, represent the whole land. divide . . . and mete out--means to have entire control over. Ephraim--denotes the military (De 33:17); and-- Judah--(the lawgiver, Ge 49:10), the civil power.”

How long will you threaten a man? Will all of you throw him down like a leaning wall or a tottering fence?

“Their destruction will come; as a tottering wall they already are feeble and failing. bowing wall shall ye be--better supply "are."”

Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.

“Not only are oppression and robbery, which are wicked means of wealth, no grounds of boasting; but even wealth, increasing lawfully, ought not to engross the heart.”

So I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift my hands.

“Thus--literally, "Truly." will I bless--praise Thee (Ps 34:1). lift up my hands--in worship (compare Ps 28:2). in thy name--in praise of Thy perfections.”

Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.

“Praise waiteth for thee--literally, "To Thee silence praise," or (compare Ps 62:1), To Thee silence is praise--that is, Praise is waiting as a servant; it is due to Thee. So the last clause expresses the duty of paying vows.”

When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions.

“God's mercy alone delivers us from the burden of iniquities, by purging or expiating by an atonement the transgressions with which we are charged, and which are denoted by-- Iniquities--or, literally, "Words of iniquities."”

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me.

“With these he unites his public thanks, inviting those who fear God (Ps 60:4; 61:5, His true worshippers) to hear. He vindicates his sincerity, inasmuch as God would not hear hypocrites, but had heard him.”

“Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.

“Kings of armies--that is, with their armies. she that . . . at home--Mostly women so remained, and the ease of victory appears in that such, without danger, quietly enjoyed the spoils.”

Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

“Some translate this, "When ye shall lie between the borders, ye shall," &c., comparing the peaceful rest in the borders or limits of the promised land to the proverbial beauty of a gentle dove.”

The chariots of God are tens of thousands— thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.

“The word "angels" was perhaps introduced in our version, from De 33:2, and Ga 3:19. They are, of course, implied as conductors of the chariots. as . . . Sinai, in the holy place--that is, He has appeared in Zion as once in Sinai.”