The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 3: Psalms XC.-CL.Maclaren, Alexander
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 3: Psalms XC.-CL.
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. Psalms -- Commentaries
as if glad for the rain; the stork on her nest; the goats on the
mountains; the "conies" (for which we have no popular name) hurrying
to their holes in the cliffs. Man appears as depending, like the lower
creatures, on the fruit of the ground; but he has more varied supplies,
bread and wine and oil, and these not only satisfy material wants,
but "gladden" and "strengthen" the heart. According to some, the word
rendered "service" in ver. 14 means "tillage," a meaning which is
supported by ver. 23, where the same word is rendered "labour," and
which fits in well with the next clause of ver. 14, "to bring forth
bread from the earth," which would describe the purpose of the tillage.
His prerogative of labour is man's special differentia in creation.
It is a token of his superiority to the happy, careless creatures who
toil not nor spin. Earth does not yield him its best products without
his co-operation. There would thus be an allusion to him as the only
worker in creation, similar to that in ver. 23, and to the reference to
the "ships" in ver. 26. But probably the meaning of "service," which is
suggested by the parallelism, and does not introduce the new thought of
co-operation with Nature or God, is to be preferred. The construction
is somewhat difficult, but the rendering of vv. 14, 15, given above
seems best. The two clauses with infinitive verbs (_to bring forth_
and _to cause to shine_) are each followed by a clause in which the
construction is varied into that with a finite verb, the meaning
remaining the same; and all four clauses express the Divine purpose in
causing vegetation to spring. Then the psalmist looks up once more to
the hills. "The trees of Jehovah" are so called, not so much because
they are great, as because, unlike vines and olives, they have not been
planted or tended by man, nor belong to him. Far above the valleys,
where men and the cattle dependent on him live on earth's cultivated
bounties, the unowned woods stand and drink God's gift of rain, while
wild creatures lead free lives amid mountains and rocks.
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