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PSALM 89

An instructive Psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite,

1. I will sing of the mercies of jehovah for ever; with my mouth will I make known your truth to all generations,
2. For I have said, mercy shall be built up for ever; you shall establish your truth in the heavens.
3. I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn to David my servant:
4. Your seed will I establish for ever; and I will build up your throne to all generations. Solah.
5. And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O jehovah; your truth also in the congregation of the holy ones.
6. For who in the skies can be compared to the lord? Who among the sons of the gods can be like jehovah?
7. god is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints; and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.
8. O jehovah, god of hosts! who is strong like you, O jah; or to your truth round about you?
9. You rule the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof arise, you still them.
10. You have broken Rahab in pieces as one that is slain; you have scattered your enemies with the arm of your strength.
11. The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; as to the world and the fullness thereof you have founded them.
12. You have created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in your name.
13. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand; high is your right hand.
14. Justice and judgement are the support of your throne; mercy and truth shall go before your face.
15. Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O jehovah, in the light of your countenance.
16. In your name shall they rejoice all the day; and in your justice shall they be exalted.
17. For you are the glory of their strength; and through your favour our horn shall be exalted.
18. For jehovah is our shield, and the Holy One of Israel is our king.
19. Then you did speak in vision to your Holy One, and did say, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
21. With whom my hand shall be established; mine arm also shall strengthen him.
22. The enemy shall not oppress him, nor shall the son of iniquity afflict him.
23. I will beat down his adversaries before his face; and smite them that hate him.
24. But my truth and my mercy shall be with him; and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
25. I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers.
26. He shall call upon me, saying, You are my father, my god, and the rock of my salvation!
27. I also will make him my first born, high over the kings of the earth.
28. My mercy will I keep for him for ever more; and my covenant with him shall stand firm.
29. His seed also will I establish for ever; and his throne as the days of heaven.
30. If his sons forsake my law, and walk not in my judgements;
31. If they profane my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
32. I will visit their transgression with a rod, and their iniquity with blows.
33. Yet my mercy will I not take from him, nor act falsely against my truth.
34. My covenant will I not break; nor alter that which is gone forth out of my lips.
35. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie to David.
36. His seed shall be for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in the skies. Selah.
38. But them have cast off and abhorred; you have been angry with your anointed.
39. You have abhorred the covenant of your servant; you have profaned his crown by casting it down to the ground.
40. You have broken down all his fences, you have made his fortresses a ruin.
41. All that pass by the way plunder him; he is a reproach to his neighbours.
42. You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries; you have made all his enemies to rejoice.
43. You have also turned the edge of his sword; and have not enabled him to stand in the battle.
44. You have made his lustre to cease; and have cast his throne down to the ground.
45. The days of his youth have you shortened; you have covered him with shame. Selah.
46. How long, O jehovah, will you hide yourself? For ever? How long shall your wrath burn like fire?
47. Remember how short my time is! to what vanity you have created all the sons of man!
48. What man is he that lives and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hell? Selah.
49. Where are your former mercies, O lord? You did swore to David in your truth.
50. Remember, O lord, the reproach of your servants; which I bear in my bosom from so many peoples;
51. Wherewith your enemies have reproached, O jehovah, with which they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed.
52. Blessed be jehovah for ever more! Amen, and Amen.

Verses 1, 2. I will sing of the mercies of jehovah for ever; with my mouth will I make known your truth to all generations: for I have said, mercy shall be built up for ever; you shall establish your truth in the heavens. See the signification of mercy and truth, and the reason, why they are mentioned together in the Exposition of Psalm 85:10.

Verses 4, 5, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 36, 37, 38. That by David is not here meant David, but the lord as to his royalty, which is the Divine spiritual principle, and is called Divine Truth, is very evident from those things which are here said of David, namely: "that his seed and his throne shall be as the days of heaven, and as the sun and moon for ever, that he shall set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers, and that he shall call jehovah his Father, and that his first begotten shall be high over the kings of the earth," and several other things which cannot be said of David, his sons and throne; that by David is meant the lord in the Word, see above AE 205; but to proceed to particulars; I have made a covenant with mine elect, I have sworn to David my servant, signifies the union of his Divine principle with the human; to make a covenant signifies to be united; to swear signifies to confirm union; the expression elect is predicated of good, and servant of truth; for ever will I establish your seed, and will build your throne to all generations, signifies Divine truth, and heaven and the church from him; seed is Divine truth and those who receive it, and throne is heaven and the church; you did speak in vision to your holy one, signifies a prophetic arcanum concerning the lord; I have laid help upon one that is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people, signifies Divine truth by which Divine good produces all operation; it is called aid more than the powerful, and in another place the right hand of jehovah; Divine majesty and power derived from it is signified by exaltation of the elect from the people; I have found David my servant, with the oil of holiness I have anointed him, signifies the lord as to the Divine human principle, and union with the Divine principle itself, which union is called glorification in the Word of the New Testament, and this union is meant by being anointed with the oil of holiness, for the oil of holiness signifies the Divine good of the Divine love, and to be anointed signifies to be united to the Divine truth which was of the lord's human principle when he was in the world; with whom my hand shall be established, also mine arm shall strengthen him, signifies thence omnipotence, hand signifying the omnipotence of truth from good, and arm signifying the omnipotence of good by truth; I will beat down his adversaries before his face, and smite them that hate him, signifies combats with victory against falses and evils, thus against the hells; I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers, signifies the extension of his dominion and his kingdom over all things of heaven and the church, for seas and rivers are the ultimates of heaven, and ultimates signify all things; he shall call upon me, you are my Father, my god, and the rock of my salvation, signifies the Divine human principle which is the Son of god, who was conceived and afterwards begotten of him, and whereas hence the lord's human principle had Divine truth and Divine power, it is also called god and the rock of salvation; also I will make him my first begotten high over the kings of the earth, signifies that he is above all good and truth of heaven and the church, because the goods and truths of heaven and the church are from him; and my covenant shall be established with him, signifies eternal union; I will make his seed for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven, signifies here as above, the days of heaven being the states of the whole heaven, which are from his Divine principle; I have sworn once by my holiness I will not lie to David, signifies eternal confirmation, because from the Divine principle, concerning the lord, and concerning the union of his Human principle, with the Divine itself. AE 684.

Verses 3, 4, 5. I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn to David my servant. Your seed will I establish for ever, and build up your throne to all generations. And the heavens shall praise your wonders, O jehovah, your truths also in the congregation of the holy ones. By David is here meant the lord as to royalty, see above AE 205; who is called elect from good, and servant from truth; to make a covenant and to swear to him signifies the union of his Divine principle with his Human, to make a covenant is to be united, and to swear is to confirm it; I will strengthen your seed for ever, signifies the eternity of Divine truth from him; I will keep mercy for ever, signifies the eternity of Divine good from him; my covenant shall be established, signifies the union of the Divine and Human principles in him. AE 701.

That by David in the Word is meant the lord as to royalty, which is the Divine truth in the lord's spiritual kingdom, see above, AE 205; hence by his seed is signified that Divine truth which appertains to those who are in truth and in good, thus also who are in the truths of doctrine from the Word, for the truths of doctrine from the Word, and all things of the Word are from good; and since they are meant by the seed of David, thus also in the abstract sense by it is meant the truth of the Word, or the truth of doctrine from the Word; that by the seed of David is not meant his posterity, may be obvious to every one, where it is said "that his seed shall be multiplied as the host of heaven and as the sand of the sea, and that it should be established for ever, and that his throne should be built from generation to generation, and that it should be as the days of heaven and as the sun;" which cannot be said of the seed of David, that is, his posterity, and of his throne; for where now is his seed and his throne? but all those things are in agreement when by David is meant the lord, by his throne heaven and the church, and by his seed the truth of heaven and the church. AE 768.

By the seed of David is not meant the posterity from David as a father, for this was not so much multiplied, and not of so much importance, that it should be multiplied as the army of the heavens, and as the sand of the sea; but by David in this passage, and also in other places, is meant the lord as to Divine truth, thus by his seed they who are regenerated or born of the lord, and in the abstract sense those things which appertain to them from the lord, which are the truths of faith and the good of charity. AC 10249.

To make a covenant with the elect, and to swear to David, denotes irrevocable confirmation or eternal truth; to make a covenant has respect to the Divine good, to swear has respect to the Divine truth. AC 2842.

Verse 8. Unto you, O jah! see Psalm 68:4. Exposition.

Verse 11. The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; as to the world and the fullness thereof you have founded them. Where fullness also denotes truth and good, earth denotes the church in a specific sense; world denotes the church in a universal sense; jehovah founded the world upon the seas, denotes upon those things which are of science, AC 28; and founding it upon the river denotes upon those things which are of intelligence, AC 305; that it is not meant that jehovah founded the world upon the sea and established it upon the rivers, who cannot see? for the world is not founded and established thereon; wherefore every considerate person may see, that by seas and rivers something else is signified and that this something else is spiritual and is the internal principle of the Word. AC 6297.

Verse 12. You have created the north and the south. The north here denotes those who are more remote from the light of good and truth, and the south those who are near thereto. AC 3708.

By heaven and earth are meant the superior and inferior heavens, in like manner the internal and external church; by world and the fullness thereof are meant the heavens and the church in general as to good and as to truth; by world heaven and the church as to good, and by the fullness thereof heaven and the church as to truth; and whereas the latter or those who are in them are in the north and in the south, and since the south is at the right hand of the lord, therefore it is said the north and the right hand; and since Divine truth united with Divine good is such in those quarters from the foundation of the world, as was said above, therefore it is said, you have founded and created them. AE 600.

Verse 14. Justice and judgement are the support of your throne. Justice denotes the good which is of mercy, and judgement denotes the truth which is of faith, hence it is said also mercy and truth. AC 9857.

Verse 15. Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound; they shall walk, O jehovah, in the light of your countenance. What is here meant by the countenance (or faces) of jehovah, every one may comprehend, namely: the Divine being or principle, and whatever is of the Divine being or principle, thus mercy, peace, and all good, but in the universal sense, the Divine truth, since in the Divine truth is all good; and with man and with angel there is Divine good in Divine truth, and without the latter there is not the former; for truth is the recipient of good, thus also of mercy and of peace: hence now it follows, that where Divine good is not in Divine truth, there the faces of jehovah are not. AC 10579.

Verse 17. For you are the glory of their strength, and through your favour our horn shall be exalted. In this passage our horn and his horn manifestly denotes the power of truth; the subject here treated of is concerning the lord's spiritual kingdom; the Holy One of Israel our king, denotes that Divine truth is the lord's; to place the hand over the sea and the right hand over the rivers, denotes that strength is in the sciences, and knowledges of truth. AC 2832.

Verse 20. I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him. By David is here meant the lord, as also in other places; the oil of holiness with which jehovah anointed him, is the Divine good of the Divine love; that it is the lord who is here meant by David, is evident from what goes before, and from what follows in that Psalm, for it is said, "You speak in visions concerning your Holy One; I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers; he shall call me my father; I will also give him my first-born, high over the kings of the earth; I will set his seed to eternity, and his throne as the days of heaven." AC 9954.

Verse 25. I will set his hand also over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers. This is said of David, by whom is there meant the lord; the power of the lord even to the ultimates of heaven and the church; thus, over the whole heaven, and over every thing of the church, is signified by setting the hand over the sea, and the right hand over the river; power is signified by the hand and the right hand, and the ultimates of the heaven and the church by sea and by rivers; these ultimates were bounded by two seas and by two rivers, which were the boundaries of the land of Canaan; the two seas were the sea of Egypt and the sea of the Philistines, where are Tyre and Sidon; and the two rivers were Euphrates and Jordan. AE 518.

Verses 36 and 37. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in the clouds. Selah. These things are said of the lord; and by seed that shall be for ever, is signified the divine truth which is from him; by throne, which shall be as the sun and as the moon, is signified heaven and the church, as to the good of love and as to the truth of faith, by throne, heaven, and the church; by being as the sun as to the good of love, and by being as the moon as to the truth of faith; a faithful witness in the clouds, signifies that he is divine truth, for witness, when predicated of the lord, signifies that which proceeds from him; and since this is of him, it witnesses concerning him. AE 594.

Verse 27. I also will make him my first born, high over the kings of the earth. All are called first born, who are principled in love to the lord and in charity towards their neighbour, and these were also represented by the first born in the Jewish church, that is, were understood in a respective sense, because the lord is the first-born, and they are his likenesses and images. That the lord, as to the divine Human principle, is the first-born, is manifest from David in these words, "He shall call me, you are my father, my god, and the rock of my salvation, and I will make him my first-born, high over the kings of the earth. AC 3325.

Verse 28. And my covenant shall stand firm with him. Speaking of the lord; my covenant shall stand firm with him denotes the union of the Divine principle itself, and the Divine Human; thus also it denotes the Word, for the lord as to the Divine Human was made flesh, the reason why the Divine truth or the Word is a covenant or conjunction is because it is the divine principle from the lord, thus the lord himself; wherefore when the Word is received by man, the lord himself is received; hence it is evident, that by the Word is effected the conjunction of the lord with man; and whereas the Word is the conjunction of the lord with man, it is also the conjunction of heaven with man, for heaven is called heaven from the Divine truth proceeding from the lord, consequently from the Divine being or principle, whence they who are in heaven are said to be in the lord. AC 9396.

Verse 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie to David. David here denotes the lord; covenant in this passage denotes the Divine good, the declaration of the lips denotes the Divine truth, and this by reason of the marriage between good and truth, which is in every part of the Word. AC 2242.

Verse 39. You have abhorred the covenant of your servant, you have profaned his crown by casting it down to the ground. Anointed denotes the lord; anger denotes a state of temptation, in which he was when in combats with the hells; lamentation on the occasion is described by anger and damnation, as the last lamentation of the lord on the cross that he was forsaken; for the cross was the last of temptation, or of combat with the hells, and after that last he put on Divine good, and thereby united his Divine Human principle to his divine principle itself which was in himself. AC 9930.

Verse 50. Which I bear in my bosom from so many peoples. That the bosom denotes that very self which is of man, thus man's selfhood, and hence appropriation by conjunction of love, is manifest from the following passages: "My prayer shall return into mine own bosom," Psalm 35:13, denoting that it would return to himself; again, "Remember, lord, the reproach of your servants, that I bear in my bosom from so many peoples," denoting belonging to himself, as his own property. AC 6960.

Verse 52. Blessed be jehovah for ever more. Amen and Amen. It was usual with the ancients to say, blessed is jehovah, by which they understood that from him is all blessing, that is, all good, and it was also a form of thanksgiving that the lord blessed, and that he has blessed. AC 1096.

Verse 52. Amen and Amen; for the signification of Amen, see Psalm 41:13, Exposition.