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PSALM 33

1. Sing you just in jehovah; praise is becoming to the upright.
2. Praise you jehovah on the harp; sing to him with an instrument of ten strings.
3. Sing to him a new song; play excellently to him with a loud noise.
4. For the word of jehovah is right, and all his works are done in truth.
5. He loves justice and judgement; the earth is full of the mercy of jehovah.
6. By the Word of jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host thereof by the breath of his mouth.
7. He gathers together as a heap the waters of the sea; he gives the depths for treasures.
8. Let all the earth fear jehovah; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9. For he spoke and it was done; he commanded and it stood firm.
10. jehovah has frustrated the counsel of the nations; he has annulled the devices of the peoples.
11. The counsel of jehovah will stand for ever; the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.
12. Blessed is the nation whose god is jehovah, the people whom he has chosen for his inheritance.
13. jehovah looks from heaven; he beholds all the sons of man.
14. From the place of his habitation he views all the inhabitants of the earth.
15. He forms their hearts together, he observes all their works.
16. A king is not saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17. A horse is a vain thing for safety, and he shall not deliver by his great strength.
18. Behold, the eye of jehovah is on them that fear him, on them that hope in his mercy;
19. To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20. Our soul waits for jehovah; he is our help and our shield.
21. Truly our heart shall rejoice in him, for we have trusted in his holy name.
22. Let your mercy, O jehovah, be upon us, according as we hope in you.

Verses 1, 2, 3. Sing you just in jehovah; praise is becoming to the upright; praise jehovah on the harp, sing to him with an instrument of ten strings; sing to him a new song, play excellently to him with a loud noise. Inasmuch as joy of heart is from celestial love and from spiritual love, therefore it is said, "Sing you just in jehovah, praise jehovah on the harp, play to him on an instrument of ten strings; sing you just, is said of those who are in celestial love; praise on the harp and play on the psaltery," of those who are in spiritual love; that they are called just who are in celestial love, may be seen above, AE 204; and that the harp and an instrument often strings, are predicated of those who are in spiritual love, see also above, AE 323; and whereas a song is confession from joy originating in those lines, therefore it is said, "Confess to jehovah, sing to him a new song; the exaltation of joy arising from fullness is signified by playing excellently to him with a loud noise." AE 326. See also AE 323.

Verses 1 to 4. In the word mention is made of various instruments, and each has its particular signification, as will be shown, by the divine mercy of the lord, in its proper place: at present we shall only adduce some passages from David in relation thereto; as for instance, "I will offer in the tent of jehovah sacrifices of shouting, I will sing and play to jehovah," Psalm 27:6; where by tent is expressed what is celestial, and by shouting, singing, and playing, what is spiritual. Again, "Sing to jehovah, you just, for praise is becoming to the upright: confess to jehovah on the harp, play to him on the psaltery, an instrument of ten strings; sing to him a new song, play skilfully with a loud noise, because the word of jehovah is right, and all his work is in truth," Psalm 33:1 - 4; signifying the truths of faith whereof such things are predicated: things spiritual, or the truths and good things of faith were celebrated by the harp and psaltery, by singing and the like; whereas things holy, or the celestial things of faith, were celebrated by wind instruments, as trumpets and the like: hence so many instruments were used about the temple, and it was ordained so frequently, that this or that should be celebrated with particular instruments, and this is the reason why instruments were applied and understood to signify the things themselves which were celebrated by them. It is worthy to be remarked, that angels and spirits, according to their differences with respect to goodness and truth, distinguish tones, and this not only in the case of singing and of instruments, but also in the words of speech, and admit only such tones as are in concord, so that there is an agreement of tones, consequently of instruments, with the nature and essence of goodness and truth. AC 420.

Verse 6. By the word of jehovah were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. The armies of them, or of the heavens, denote truths, and whereas by host or armies are signified truths, therefore the sons of the kingdom and angels, by virtue of the truths in which they are principled, are called the armies of the heavens, as in Luke, "Suddenly there was present with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army praising god," Luke 2:13. So in David, "Bless you jehovah, all his armies; you ministers of his that do his will," Psalm 103:21; and again, "Praise jehovah, all you his angels; praise him, all you his armies," Psalm 148:2. AC 448.

The Word of jehovah is the Divine Truth proceeding from the lord; the breath [or spirit] of the mouth of jehovah is life thence derived; the heavens thence made, and all the armies of them, are the angels so far as they are receptions of the Divine Truth; the reason why the heavens denote angels is because angels constitute heaven; and since angels are receptions of Divine Truth, therefore by angels, in the abstract sense, are signified the Divine Truths which are from the lord, see AC 8192; and that the armies of heaven in the same sense denote Divine Truths, see AC 3448, 7230, 7988; hence it may be manifest what is signified by the Word in John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and god was the Word; all things were made by him, and without him was nothing made that was made; and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory," John 1:13; that the lord is here meant by the Word, is evident, for it is said, that the Word was made flesh. AC 9987.

The Word of jehovah by which the heavens were made, and the breath [or spirit] of his mouth by which their armies, signify the Divine Truth proceeding from the lord; the armies of the heavens are all things of love and faith; the waters of the sea which he gathers into a heap, signify the knowledges of truth, and truths in general, which are together in the natural man; the depths which he gives for treasures signify sensual scientifics, which are the most general and ultimate things of the natural man, and in which together are interior or superior truths, whence they are called treasures AE 275.

Without the Divine Truth of the Word, which in its essence is the Divine good of the Divine love and the Divine truth of the Divine wisdom of the lord, man cannot have life; by the Word there is conjunction of the lord with man, and of man with the lord, and by that conjunction there is life; there must be something from the lord which can be received by man, by which there may be conjunction, and thence eternal life. AR 200.

Verse 8. Let all the earth fear jehovah; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. By world in general is signified the church as to all things belonging thereto, as well goods as truths, but specifically it signifies the church as to good, as is the case more especially when the earth is mentioned at the same time: that by the earth, in the word, is signified the church, was shown above, AE 304, 697; but when the world is mentioned at the same time, then by the earth is signified the church as to truth; for there are two things which constitute the church, namely truth and good, and these two are signified by the earth and world: thus in Isaiah, "With my soul have I desired you in the night; with my spirit also in the midst of me have I expected you in the morning; for when you teach the earth your judgements, the inhabitants of the world learn justice," Is 26:9; and in David: "Let all the earth fear jehovah, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him:" here by the earth are signified those who are in the truths of the church, and by the inhabitants of the world those who are in the goods of the church. AE 741.

Verse 10. jehovah frustrates the counsel of the nations, etc. People denote those who are against the truths of the spiritual church, thus who are in falses, and nations those who are against the goods of the celestial church, thus who are in evils, these things are signified also by the people and nations who were driven out, of the land of Canaan. AE 331.

Verse 11. Generations denote what is eternal, because by theirs, in the internal sense, are meant the generations of faith and charity, thus which are of heaven and the church, which are eternal; by the sons of Israel, of whom generations are predicated, is also signified the church. That by generations is signified what is eternal, is evident from the following passages in the word, "My justice shall be to eternity, and my salvation to generations of generations; awake according to the days of antiquity, generations of eternities," Isaiah 51:8, 9; again, "The counsel of jehovah shall stand to eternity, the thoughts of his heart to generations and generations," Psalm 33:11. It is said to eternity, and generation to generations, and eternity is predicated of the divine celestial principle or good, and generations of the divine spiritual principle or truth; for in the Word, especially the prophetic, there are generally two expressions concerning one and the same thing, as in the passage's above quoted, to eternity and to generation and generation, and this on account of the celestial marriage in all and singular things of the Word; the celestial marriage is the marriage of good and of truth, or the conjunction of the lord and of heaven. AC 9263.

Verse 18. Behold the eye of jehovah is on them that fear him, etc. Inasmuch as the fear of jehovah signifies the reception of Divine truth, and mercy the reception of Divine good, therefore it is said that the eye and the good pleasure of jehovah are upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy. AE 696.

Verse 18. Behold the eye of jehovah is on them that fear him. Eyes, when predicated of the lord, signify the Divine Providence, and the reason is because when predicated of man, they signify the understanding, and the Divine understanding, as being infinite, is the Divine Providence. AE 88.

Verses 18, 19. Behold the eye of jehovah is on them that fear him, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. By those that fear jehovah are meant those who love to do his commandments; by delivering their soul from death is signified from evils and falses, and thereby from damnation: by keeping them alive in famine is signified to give spiritual life according to desire; desire for the knowledges of truth and good is the affection of spiritual truth, which is given only to those who are in the good of life, that is, who do the commandments of the lord, who, as was said, are meant by those that fear the lord. That by famine is signified the privation, defect, and ignorance of the knowledges of truth and good, is manifest from the signification of famine, as being the privation of the knowledges of truth and good, also a defect and ignorance of those knowledges. AE 386.

The Translator's Notes and Observations

Verse 17. A horse is a vain thing for safety. What is here called a vain thing is expressed in the original Hebrew by a term, which properly signifies a lie, intimating that the natural understanding of man, which is figured by a horse, is in direct opposition to the Divine Truth, and thus not to be depended on for salvation.