John Wesley

that your foot may be dipped in the blood of your foes— the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

“That, &c. - And as it was at the Red Sea, and at Bashan before, so yet again thine enemies shall be slain in such numbers, that thou mayst wade in their blood, and thy dogs lick it up in the field.”

They have seen Your procession, O God— the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.

“They - Men saw and observed it. Goings - The procession of the ark to Zion, the solemnity whereof is particularly described in the following verses. The sanctuary - The tabernacle prepared for it.”

There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

“There is - Present in this solemn pomp of carrying the ark to Zion. Little - Called little, because it was exceedingly diminished, and almost extinguished under the Judges, Judg. xx, 35; xxi, 3 &c.”

to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.

“Of old - From the beginning of the world; whereas the ark was only some hundred years old. A voice - His gospel, published by Christ and his apostles, assisted by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; which might well be called God's voice, and…”

Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose strength is in the skies.

“Excellency - His excellent power and goodness. Is over - Dwells among them. He is indeed the universal Lord, but in a special manner, he is the God of Israel.”

And this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves.

“This - This hearty sacrifice of praise, is more grateful to God, than the most glorious legal sacrifices. Hath horns - That is both tender and mature, as it is when the horns bud forth, and the hoofs grow hard.”

May they fear him as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains, through all generations.

“Thee - Thee, O God, this shall be another blessed fruit of this righteous government, that together with peace, true religion shall be established, and that throughout all generations, which was begun in Solomon's days, but not fully accomplished 'till Christ came.”

May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth.

“This was accomplished in Christ, and in him only. The river - Euphrates: which was the eastern border of the kingdom of Canaan, allotted by God, but enjoyed only by David, Solomon, and Christ.”

He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their blood is precious in his sight.

“Deceit and violence - The two ways whereby the lives of men are usually destroyed. Precious - He will not be prodigal of the lives of his subjects, but like a true father of his people, will tenderly preserve them, and severely avenge their blood…”

Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him; may they bless him all day long.

“Live - Long and prosperous, as Solomon: yea, eternally as Christ. Gold - This was done to Solomon, 1 Kings x, 15, and to Christ, Matt. ii, 11.”

May there be an abundance of grain in the land; may it sway atop the hills.

“A handful - This intimates the small beginnings of his kingdom; and therefore does not agree to Solomon, whose kingdom was in a manner as large at the beginning of his reign, as at the end, but it exactly agrees to Christ.”

until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end.

“Until - 'Till I consulted the word of God. He alludes to the practice of those times, which was, in difficult cases to resort to God's sanctuary, and the oracle therein. Their end - There I learned that their prosperity was short.”

Remember Your congregation, which You purchased long ago and redeemed as the tribe of Your inheritance— Mount Zion where You dwell.

“Thy congregation - Thy people. Thine inheritance - The tribe of Judah, which thou hast in a special manner chosen for thine inheritance, and for the birth of the Messiah.”

like men wielding axes in a thicket of trees

“Famous - The temple was so noble a structure, that it was a great honour to any man to be employed in the meanest part of the work, though it were but in cutting down the trees of Lebanon.”

and smashing all the carvings with hatchets and picks.

“Axes and hammers - These words are not Hebrew, but Chaldee or Syriack, to point out the time when this was done, even when the Chaldeans brought in their language, together with their arms, among the Israelites.”

They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely.” They burned down every place where God met us in the land.

“Destroy them - All at once. So they intended, although afterwards they changed their council, and carried some away captive. Burnt up - All the public places wherein the Jews used to meet together to worship God every sabbath-day.”

There are no signs for us to see. There is no longer any prophet. And none of us knows how long this will last.

“The temple and ark, and sacrifices, and solemn feasts, were signs between God and his people. Prophet - Who can foretell things to come.”

You crushed the heads of Leviathan; You fed him to the creatures of the desert.

“The people - To the ravenous birds and beasts of the desert. These creatures are significantly called the people of the wilderness, because they are the only people that inhabit it.”

You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

“The flood - Thou didst by cleaving the rock, make a fountain and a stream to flow from it, for the refreshment of thy people in those dry deserts.”

Consider Your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

“The covenant - Made with Abraham, whereby thou didst give the land of Canaan to him, and to his seed forever. Dark places - This dark and dismal land in which we live.”

For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices.

“For - God is here compared to the master of a feast, who then used to distribute portions of meat and drink to the several guests. Red - Such as the best wine of Judea was.”

You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains filled with game.

“Than - The greatest kings and empires of the earth, which in prophetic writings are often compared to mountains. And they are called mountains of prey, because they generally were established by tyranny, and maintained by preying upon their own subjects, or other kingdoms.”

From heaven You pronounced judgment, and the earth feared and was still

“Thou - Didst execute judgment upon thine enemies, by an angel from heaven: which is said to be heard, either because it was accompanied with thunders and earthquakes, or because the fame of it was quickly spread abroad.”

He breaks the spirits of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.

“Cut off - As men do their grapes in time of vintage; so the Hebrew verb implies.”

For He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

“Established - This is justly put in first place, as the chief of all his mercies. A testimony - His law, called a testimony, because it is a witness between God and men, declaring the duties which God expects from man, and the blessings which…”