The Enarrations, or Expositions, on the Psalms

^2. The people of God, then, in this Psalm says, “O God, who shall be like You?”. Which I suppose to be more fitly taken of Christ, because, being made in the likeness of men, He was thought by those by whom He was despised to be comparable to other men: for He was even “reckoned among the unrighteous,” but for this purpose, that He might be judged. But when He shall come to judge, then shall be done what is here said, “O God, who is like You?” For if the Psalms did not use to speak to the Lord Christ, that too would not be spoken which not one of the faithful can doubt was spoken unto Christ. “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom.” To him therefore also now it is said, “O God, who shall be like You?” For unto many You vouchsafed to be likened in Your humiliation, even so far as to the robbers that were crucified with You: but when in glory You shall come, “who shall be like You?”...

3. “For lo Your enemies have sounded, and they that hate You have lifted up the head”. He seems to me to signify the last days, when these things that are now repressed by fear are to break forth into free utterance, but quite irrational, so that it should rather be called a “sound,” than speech or discourse. They will not, therefore, then begin to hate, but “they that hate You” will then “lift up the head.” And not “heads,” but “head;” since they are to come even to that point, that they shall have that head, which “is lifted up above all that is called God, and that is worshipped;” so that in him especially is to be fulfilled, “He that exalts himself shall be abased;” and when He to whom it is said, “Keep not silence, nor grow mild, O God,” shall “slay him with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.” “Upon Your people they have malignantly taken counsel”. Or, as other copies have it, “They have cunningly devised counsel, and have devised against Your saints.” In scorn this is said. For how should they be able to hurt the nation or people of God, or His saints, who know how to say, “If God be for us, who shall be against us?”

4. “They have said, Come, and let us destroy them from a nation”. He has put the singular number for the plural: as it is said, “Whose is this cattle,” even though the question be of a flock, and the meaning “these cattle.” Lastly, other copies have “from nations,” where the translators have rather followed the sense than the word. “Come, and let us destroy them from a nation.” This is that sound whereby they “sounded” rather than spoke, since they did vainly make a noise with vain sayings. “And let it not be mentioned of the name of Israel any more.” This others have expressed more plainly, “and let there not be remembrance of the name of Israel any more.” Since, “let it be mentioned of the name” (memoretur nominis), is an unusual phrase in the Latin language; for it is rather customary to say, “let the name be mentioned” (memoretur nomen); but the sense is the same. For he who said, “let it be mentioned of the name,” translated the Greek phrase. But Israel must here be understood in fact of the seed of Abraham, to which the Apostle says, “Therefore you are the seed of Abraham, according to the promise heirs.” Not Israel according to the flesh, of which he says, “Behold Israel after the flesh.”

5. “Since they have imagined with one consent; together against You have they disposed a testament”: as though they could be the stronger. In fact, “a testament” is a name given in the Scriptures not only to that which is of no avail till the death of the testators, but every covenant and decree they used to call a testament. For Laban and Jacob made a testament, which was certainly to have force between the living; and such cases without number are read in the words of God. Then he begins to make mention of the enemies of Christ, under certain proper names of nations; the interpretation of which names sufficiently indicates what he would have to be understood. For by such names are most suitably figured the enemies of the truth. “Idumæans,” for instance, are interpreted either “men of blood,” or “of earth.” “Ismaelites,” are “obedient to themselves,” and therefore not to God, but to themselves. “Moab,” “from the father;” which in a bad sense has no better explanation, than by considering it so connected with the actual history, that Lot, a father, by the illicit intercourse procured by his daughter, begot him; since it was from that very circumstance he was so named. Good, however, was his father, but as “the Law is good if one use it lawfully,” not impurely and unlawfully. “Hagarens,” proselytes, that is strangers, by which name also are signified, among the enemies of God's people, not those who become citizens, but those who persevere in a foreign and alien mind, and when an opportunity of doing harm occurs, show themselves. “Gebal,” “a vain valley,” that is, humble in pretence. “Amon,” “an unquiet people,” or “a people of sadness.” “Amalech,” “a people licking;” whence elsewhere it is said, “and his enemies shall lick the earth.” The “alien race,” though by their very name in Latin, they sufficiently show themselves to be aliens, and for this cause of course enemies, yet in the Hebrew are called “Philistines,” which is explained, “falling from drink,” as of persons made drunken by worldly luxury. “Tyre” in Hebrew is called Sor; which whether it be interpreted straitness or tribulation, must be taken in the case of these enemies of God's people in that sense, of which the Apostle speaks, “Tribulation and straitness on every soul of man that does evil.” All these are thus enumerated in the Psalms: “The tabernacles of the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, Gebal, and Amon, and Amalech, and the Philistines with those who inhabit Tyre.”