Psalms of Solomon

Historical printed page 641

THE PSALMS OF SOLOMON δ. 15-37 5 (14) Therefore God mingled for them a spirit of wandering ; And gave them to drink a cup of undiluted wine, that they might become drunken. 6 (15) He brought him that is from the end of the earth, that smiteth mightily ; 1 He decreed (?) war against Jerusalem, and against her land. 8 (16) The princes of the land went to meet him with joy: they said unto him: Blessed be thy way! Come ye, enter ye in with peace. 9 (17) They made the rough ways even, before his entering in ; They opened the gates to Jerusalem, they crowned its walls. ο (18) As a father (entereth) the house of his sons, (so) he entered (Jerusalem) in peace ; He established his feet (there) in great safety. (19) He captured her fortresses and the wall of Jerusalem ; 22 For God Himself led him in safety, while they wandered. 3 (20) He destroyed their princes and every one wise in counsel ; He poured out the blood of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, like the water of uncleanness. (21) He led away their sons and daughters, whom they had begotten in defilement. (22) They did according to their uncleanness, even as their fathers (had done) : 26 They defiled Jerusalem and the things that had been hallowed to the name of God. (23) (But) God hath shown Himself righteous in His judgements upon the nations of the earth ; 28 And the pious (servants) of God are like innocent lambs in their midst. 9 (24) Worthy to be praised is the Lord that judgeth the whole earth in His righteousness. ο (25) Behold, now, O God, Thou hast shown us Thy judgement in Thy righteousness ; 31 Our eyes have seen Thy judgements, O God. _ (26) We have justified Thy name that is honoured for ever ; 32 For Thou art the God of righteousness, judging Israel with chastening. 33 (27) Turn, O God, Thy mercy upon us, and have pity upon us; 54. (28) Gather together the dispersed of Israel, with mercy and goodness ; _ 35 For Thy faithfulness is with us. ᾿ (29) And (though) we have stiffened our neck, yet Thou art our chastener ; 36 (30) Overlook us not, O our God, lest the nations swallow us up, as though there were none to deliver. 7 (31) But Thou art our God from the beginning, ἢ And upon Thee is our hope (set), O Lord ; 15. God, by way of punishment, deprived the people of all sense and capability. Cp. Isa. xix. 14. : 16. Cp. Isa. xli. 25, xlvi. 11; Jer. vi. 23 ; Isa. xiv. 19. 4 17. decreed. 35, perhaps, ‘he prepared’ (3°); (ἃ S =}. See Ryle and James. i and against. So 9 ; & omits ‘against’. 18 ff. Cp. Jos. Avt. xiv. 3 (Pompey on his way from Damascus met by ambassadors of Aristobulus, bearing a rich nt). Others have compared Azz. xii. 5. 3 (Antiochus Epiphanes captures Jerusalem without fighting, his party within the city opening the gates to him). 18. blessed, lit. ‘desired’; Jer. xx. 14, 32 and &. : 19. The rough tracks of Judah are made easy before Jewish territory is entered by the great foreigner; so, too, ‘the to (ἐπί) Jerusalem ’, i. e. the passes, &c., commanding the approaches to the capital, rather than the city gates of erusalem, are flung open to give him an unimpeded approach. This may be a poetical account of the circumstances described by Jos. Az. xiv. 3. 4: Pompey came to Coreae, which is the first place in Judaea (ἀρχὴ τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας), on the journey from the north to Jerusalem ; subsequently Aristobulus complied with Pompey’s demand that the fortresses (on the way to Jerusalem) should be delivered up to him. his entering in. SoRJLS; H ‘their entering in’. 21. her, i.e. Jerusalem’s. This may have been a mere anticipative suffix in ® (cp. 3S), in which case substitute ‘ the’ in English. Or the line may have suffered some corruption. 22, while they wandered incapable of planning or achieving anything for their safety ; cp. v.15. The allusion in v. 21 seems to be to Pompey’s forcible occupation of the Temple (cp. ii. 1) ; the ‘ wandering’ may include a reference to the divided counsels of the Jews. The party opposed to Aristobulus admitted Pompey to the city and the king’s omy but the party of Aristobulus entrenched themselves in the Temple, from which they had to be expelled by rce (Jos. Ant. xiv. 4. 2). 23. After the capture of the Temple Pompey executed the ringleaders (τοὺς αἰτίους τοῦ πολέμου). Jos. Avt. xiv. 4. 4. 23. Twelve thousand Jews fell during the assault on and capture of the city (c.), many, however, not at the hands of the Romans, but of their fellow countrymen (Jos. &. J. i. 7. 5). water of uncleanness. Cp. Num. xix. 24. Josephus (Azz, xiv. 4. 5) alludes in particular to the sons and daughters of Aristobulus being taken captive to Rome. 30. Behold, now. So probably 32 ; see 2 Sam. vii. 2, and &. Our: RJ LCS; H ‘their’. 1108.2 641 on