诗篇 第39章

← 返回诗篇章节列表

加尔文 / John Calvin

In the beginning of the psalm, David intimates that his heart had been seized with extreme bitterness of grief, which forced him to give utterance to complaints with too much vehemence and ardor. He confesses that whilst he was disposed to be silent, and to exercise patience, he was nevertheless compelled, by the vehemence of his sorrow, to break out into an excess which he by no means intended. Then he relates the complaints which he had made mingled with prayers, which indicate great trouble of mind; so that from this it appears that he had wrestled with no ordinary effort in resisting temptation, lest he should fall into despair.

在诗篇之初，大卫表明他的心被极度的痛苦所攫获，以至于被迫以过于猛烈激动的方式发出哀诉。他承认，尽管他本打算保持沉默、操练忍耐，却被悲痛的强烈所逼，突破了他原本绝非有意为之的限度。接着他叙述了他所发出的哀诉与祷告交织在一起的话语，显示出内心极度的烦乱；由此可以看出，他在抵御试探、免于陷入绝望方面，经历了一番非同寻常的争战。

To the chief musician, Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

交与歌唱长官耶杜顿。大卫的诗。

It is well known that Jeduthun was one of the chief singers of whom sacred history makes mention. (1 Chronicles 9:16; 16:38, 41, 42) It is, therefore, probable that this psalm was delivered to the chief singer, who was of his household. Some, indeed, understand it as denoting the particular kind of tune, and suppose that it was the beginning of some other song; but this I consider too forced an interpretation. Nor can I agree with others who suppose that David here complains of some disease; for unless some urgent reason require it, it is improper to limit general statements to particular cases. On the contrary, from the extreme character of the sufferings which he here describes, it may be presumed that a variety of afflictions is here included, or, at least, that some one is referred to which was more severe than all the others, and one which had continued for a long time. Besides, it ought to be considered that in this psalm David is not proclaiming his own merit, as if in his affliction he had presented his prayers to God in the language, and according to the spirit dictated by true piety: he rather confesses the sin of his infirmity in bursting forth into immoderate sorrow, and in being led by the vehemence of this affection to indulge in sinful complaints.

众所周知，耶杜顿是圣史所记载的首席歌唱者之一（代上9:16；16:38、41、42）。因此，这首诗很可能是交与那位隶属于他家室的首席歌唱者的。诚然，有人认为这是指某种曲调的名称，以为是某首其他诗歌的开头；但我认为此解过于牵强。我也不同意另一些人的看法，他们认为大卫在此是哀诉某种疾病；因为除非有迫切的理由，否则不宜将一般性的陈述局限于特定的情形。相反，从他在此所描述的苦难之极度来看，可以推断这里包含着多种患难，或者至少是指某一比所有其他患难都更严重、且持续已久的患难。此外，还须注意，大卫在这首诗中并非是在宣扬自己的功德，好像他在患难中是以真实的敬虔语言与精神向上帝献上祷告一般；他宁可是在承认自己软弱的罪，即他突破了节制，沉溺于悲痛的激情，乃至放纵于罪性的哀诉之中。

39:1-3

1. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a muzzle, while the wicked standeth before me. 2. I was dumb in silence; I held my peace from good; and my sorrow was stirred. 3. My heart became hot within me; in my musing a fire burned: I spake with my tongue.

**1．我曾说：我要谨慎我的言行，免得我的口犯罪，恶人在我面前的时候，我要用嚼环勒住我的口。2．我哑口无言，沉默不语，连好话也不说；我的愁苦就发动了。3．我的心在我里面发热，我默想的时候，火就烧起来，我便用舌头说话。**

1. I said, I will take heed to my ways. David explains and illustrates the greatness of his grief by this circumstance, that, contrary to his inclination and resolution, he broke forth into the severest complaints. The meaning substantially is, that although he had subdued his heart to patience, and resolved to keep silence, yet the violence of his grief was such that it forced him to break his resolution, and extorted from him, if we might so speak, expressions which indicate that he had given way to an undue degree of sorrow. The expression, I said, it is well known, does not always mean what is expressed in words, but is often used to denote the purpose of the heart, and, therefore, the words in heart are sometimes added. David, therefore, means not that he boasted of his fortitude and constancy, and made a display of them before men, but that before God he was, by continued meditation, well fortified and prepared to endure patiently the temptations by which he was now assailed. We ought to mark particularly the carefulness by which he was distinguished. It was not without cause that he was so much intent on exercising watchfulness over himself. He did so because he was conscious of his own weakness, and also well knew the manifold devices of Satan. He, therefore, looked on the right hand and on the left, and kept watch on all sides, lest temptation stealing upon him unawares from any quarter might reach even to his heart. Access to it, then, had been impossible, since it was shut up on every side, if the extreme severity of his grief had not overpowered him, and broken his resolution. When he says, I will keep my mouth with a muzzle, 61 that I sin not with my tongue, it is not to be understood as if he could with difficulty restrain and conceal his grief, (for it is mere pretense for a man to show by the countenance and speech the appearance of meekness when the heart still swells with pride;) but as there is nothing more slippery or loose than the tongue, David declares that he had endeavored so carefully to bridle his affections, that not so much as one word should escape from his lips which might betray the least impatience. And that man must indeed be endued with singular fortitude who unfeignedly and deliberately restrains his tongue, which is so liable to fall into error. As to what follows, while the wicked standeth before me, it is generally understood, as if David had concealed his grief, lest he should give occasion of blasphemy to the wicked, who, as soon as they see the children of God fail under the weight of their afflictions, insolently break forth into derision against them, which amounts to a contempt of God himself. But it appears to me that by the term standeth, David meant to express something more, — that even while he saw the wicked bearing rule, exercising authority, and exalted to honor, he resolved not to speak a single word, but to bear patiently the poverty and indignity which otherwise grieve and torment not a little even good men. Accordingly, he says not merely that when he was in the presence of the wicked he restrained himself, lest he should be subjected to their scorn, but that even while the worst of men prospered, 62 and, proud of their high rank, despised others, he was fully determined in his own mind not to be troubled at it. By this he very plainly shows that he was so beset with wicked men, ever ready for mischief, that he could not freely heave a sigh which was not made the subject of ridicule and scorn. Since, then, it was so hard a task for David to restrain his tongue, lest he should sin by giving way to complaints, let us learn from his example, whenever troubles molest us, to strive earnestly to moderate our affections, that no impious expression of dissatisfaction against God may slip from us. 2. I was dumb in silence. He now declares that this resolution of which he has spoken had not been a mere passing and momentary thought, but that he had shown by his conduct that it was indeed a resolution deeply fixed in his heart. He says, then, that he held his peace for a time, just as if he had been deaf, which was a singular manifestation of his patience. When he thus determined to be silent, it was not such a resolution as persons of a changeable disposition, who scarcely ever know their own mind, and who can with difficulty be brought to carry their desires into effect, often make: he had long and steadfastly inured himself to the exercise of patience; and this he had done, not only by keeping silence but by making himself utterly dumb, as if he had been deprived of the power of speech. The expression from good is expounded by some in the sense that he not only refrained from uttering sinful and unadvised words, but also that he abstained from speaking on any subject whatever. Others think that he held his peace from good, either because, being overwhelmed with miseries and afflictions, he found no relief to whatever side he turned, or else, because, by reason of the greatness of his sorrow, he was unable to sing the praises of God. But in my opinion the natural sense is, that although he was able adequately to defend himself, and it could not be shown that he wanted just and proper grounds of complaint, yet he refrained from speaking of his own mere will. 63 He might have encountered the ungodly with a good defense of his own innocence, but he rather preferred to forego the prosecution of his righteous cause than indulge in any intemperate sorrow. He adds in the last clause of the verse, that although he thus restrained himself for a time, yet at length the violence of his grief broke through all the barriers which he had set to his tongue. If David, who was so valiant a champion, failed in the midst of his course, how much greater reason have we to be afraid lest we fall in like manner? He says that his sorrow was stirred, because, as we shall soon see, the ardor of his affections was inflamed so as to become tumultuous. Some render the phrase in this sense, that his sorrow was corrupted, as if his meaning were, that it became worse; just as we know that a wound becomes worse when it happens to putrify or fester: but this sense is forced. 3. My heart became hot within me He now illustrates the greatness of his grief by the introduction of a simile, telling us that his sorrow, being internally suppressed, became so much the more inflamed, until the ardent passion of his soul continued to increase in strength. From this we may learn the very profitable lesson, that the more strenuously any one sets himself to obey God, and employs all his endeavors to attain the exercise of patience, the more vigorously is he assailed by temptation: for Satan, whilst he is not so troublesome to the indifferent and careless, and seldom looks near them, displays all his forces in hostile array against that individual. If, therefore, at any time we feel ardent emotions struggling and raising a commotion in our breasts, we should call to remembrance this conflict of David, that our courage may not fail us, or at least that our infirmity may not drive us headlong to despair. The dry and hot exhalations which the sun causes to arise in summer, if nothing occurred in the atmosphere to obstruct their progress, would ascend into the air without commotion; but when intervening clouds prevent their free ascent, a conflict arises, from which the thunders are produced. It is similar with respect to the godly who desire to lift up their hearts to God. If they would resign themselves to the vain imaginations which arise in their minds, they might enjoy a sort of unrestrained liberty to indulge in every fancy; but because they endeavor to resist their influence, and seek to devote themselves to God, obstructions which arise from the opposition of the flesh begin to trouble them. Whenever, therefore, the flesh shall put forth its efforts, and shall kindle up a fire in our hearts, let us know that we are exercised with the same kind of temptation which occasioned so much pain and trouble to David. In the end of the verse he acknowledges that the severity of the affliction with which he was visited had at length overcome him, and that he allowed foolish and unadvised words to pass from his lips. In his own person he sets before us a mirror of human infirmity, that, being warned by the danger to which we are exposed, we may learn betimes to seek protection under the shadow of God’s wings. When he says that he spake with his tongue, it is not a superfluous mode of expression, but a true and fuller confession of his sin, in that he had not only given way to sinful murmuring, but had even uttered loud complaints.

1．我曾说，我要谨慎我的言行。大卫通过这一情形，来解释并说明他悲痛之大：他违背自己的意愿与决心，突破了节制，发出了最激烈的哀诉。要义在于：他虽然已将心降服于忍耐，并决意保持沉默，然而悲痛的力量竟强烈到迫使他打破决心，并从他口中（如果可以这样说的话）逼出了表明他确实过度悲伤的话语。”我曾说”这一表达方式众所周知，并不总是指口头所说之话，常常是用来表明心中的意图，因此有时还会加上”在心里”一类的词。因此，大卫的意思并非是说他在人面前炫耀自己的刚毅恒忍；而是说他在上帝面前，借着持续的默想，已有充分的装备，预备好忍耐地承受现在对他的试探。我们应当特别注意他所表现出的那种警觉。他如此专注地操练对自己的监察，并非没有缘故。他这样做，是因为他深知自己的软弱，也深知撒但的种种诡计。因此他左顾右盼、四面把守，免得试探从任何方向偷袭他、进入他心中。若不是悲痛的极度严酷压垮了他，打破了他的决心，那么他的心已被四面封堵，试探本是无从进入的。当他说”我要用嚼环勒住我的口”，以致口中不犯罪时，这不应被理解为他难以克制和掩盖自己的悲痛（因为一个人面容与言语显出温柔的样子，而心中仍充满骄傲，不过是虚伪而已）；而是说，舌头是最滑溜不稳的，大卫宣告他是何等谨慎地勒住自己的情感，以至于连一个可能暴露丝毫不耐的话都不让出口。一个真诚而深思熟虑地约束舌头的人——而舌头是如此容易犯错——确实必须具有卓越的刚毅。关于接下来的”恶人在我面前的时候”，一般理解为：大卫压抑自己的悲痛，免得给恶人亵渎的机会，因为恶人一旦看见上帝的子民在患难重压下跌倒，便放肆地嘲弄他们，实质上是藐视上帝自己。然而在我看来，大卫用”站立”这个词，是要表达更深的含义——即使他看见恶人掌权、行使权威、被高举尊荣，他也决意一言不发，而是忍耐地承受那些本来连好人都深感苦恼的贫困与屈辱。因此，他并非只是说，当他在恶人面前时约束自己免遭他们嘲笑；而是说，即使最坏的人兴旺发达，以自己的高位为荣，藐视他人，他也完全下定决心，内心不为所扰。他由此清楚表明，他被随时预备行恶的恶人所包围，甚至不能自由地叹一口气而不被嘲弄讥讽。既然大卫勒住舌头、不让自己出于哀诉而犯罪是如此艰难，让我们从他的榜样学习：每当患难来袭，都要竭力节制自己的情感，免得任何对上帝不虔诚的不满之言从我们口中溜出。2．我哑口无言，沉默不语。他如今宣告，他所说的这个决心并非一个一闪即逝的念头，而是他已以自己的行为表明，这确实是深植于心的决心。他说，他沉默了一段时间，如同他已成了聋子，这是他忍耐的非凡表现。当他如此决意保持沉默，这并不像那些意志不定的人常常所作的决心——那些人几乎不知道自己真正想要什么，极难将欲望付诸实现；他是长久坚定地自我操练于忍耐之中，他这样做，不仅是保持沉默，而且是使自己完全哑口，如同被剥夺了说话的能力一般。”连好话也不说”这一表达，有人解释为：他不仅克制自己不说罪性和鲁莽的话，也克制自己对任何事情一概不发声。另有人认为，他”连好话也不说”，或是因为被苦难患难所淹没，无论转向何处都找不到释解，或是因为悲痛之大，使他无法歌颂上帝的赞美。但在我看来，自然的含义是：虽然他能够充分地为自己辩护，且无法指出他缺乏正当合理的申诉理由，他还是完全凭自己的意志克制不言。他本可以凭着对自己无辜的良好辩护来面对不敬虔的人，但他宁可放弃追究自己公义的案件，也不愿沉溺于任何过激的悲痛之中。他在这节末句中补充说，虽然他如此约束自己达一段时期，然而悲痛的力量终于冲破了他为自己的舌头所设的一切防线。若连大卫这样英勇的斗士都在半途中失败，我们岂不更有理由害怕自己以同样的方式跌倒吗？他说他的愁苦发动了，因为正如我们将要看到的，他情感的炽热被激发，以至于变得汹涌难制。有人将这一短语解释为他的愁苦被败坏，好像他的意思是愁苦变得更糟；正如我们知道伤口化脓腐烂时会变得更严重；但这一解释过于牵强。3．我的心在我里面发热。他如今以一个比喻来说明他悲痛之大，告诉我们他的悲痛在内心被压抑，就越发炽燃，直到他灵魂中炽热的激情持续增强。从此我们可以学到极有益处的一课：任何人越是竭力顺服上帝，倾尽一切努力操练忍耐，他所遭受的试探就越猛烈；因为撒但对漠然不在乎的人并不太为难，也很少靠近他们，却是针对那个特定的人摆开一切力量、以敌对阵势迎战。因此，若我们心中有时感到炽热的情感在挣扎，在我们胸中激起骚动，就当追忆大卫的这场争战，免得我们的勇气消沉，或我们的软弱将我们径直驱向绝望。夏日太阳使地面升起的干热水气，若大气中没有任何阻碍，本会平稳地升入空中；然而当中间的云层阻止其自由上升，就产生了冲突，从而发出雷鸣。这与渴望将心举向上帝的敬虔者的处境相仿：若他们任凭心中涌起的虚空幻想，他们或许可以享有一种不受拘束的自由，任随每一个念头；然而正因为他们努力抵制这些幻想，并寻求将自己献给上帝，肉体的抵抗所引起的阻力就开始扰乱他们。因此，每当肉体发动攻势，在我们心中点燃烈火，就让我们知道，我们所经历的试探，正是曾使大卫如此痛苦挣扎的那种试探。在这节末尾，他承认，他所受访的苦难之严酷终于压倒了他，使他从嘴里说出了愚昧不当的话。他以自身作为人类软弱的镜子，使我们因此被警戒所面临的危险，从而及早学会在上帝翅膀的荫下寻求庇护。他说他”用舌头说话”，并不是多余的表达，而是对自己罪的真实、更完整的认罪：他不仅屈服于罪性的咕哝，甚至大声哀诉出来。

39:4-6

4. O Jehovah! cause me to know my end, and the number of my days, that I may understand how long I may live. 64 5. Behold, thou hast made my days as a hand-breadth, and mine age as if it were nothing before thee: truly every man, while he standeth, is wholly vanity. Selah. 6. Surely man walketh in a shadow; surely he disquieteth himself in vain: they heap together [riches, 65 ] and know not who shall gather them.

4. O Jehovah! cause me to know my end这段话表明，大卫被一种不当而罪性的过激情感所驱动，以至于责怪上帝。这从后面的经文中更清楚地显出。诚然，他在接下来引入了敬虔得体的祷告，但在此他以一个必死的凡人——其生命脆弱短暂——的身份，抱怨上帝对他不够温和。约伯的言论中充满了类似这样的哀诉。因此，大卫说话时带着愤怒与怨恨，如同说：”上帝啊，既然你以如此严厉对待我，至少让我知道你为我所定的寿数吧。但若我的生命不过是一瞬间，你为何如此严苛？你为何将如此重的苦难积压在我头上，好像我还有许多世代可活一样？若我必须在苦难中度过这短暂的生存期间，被接连不断的灾祸压迫，我何苦生于世上呢？”因此，这节经文应当与下一节合并来读。”你使我的年日好像手掌那样宽”——一掌之宽是四指的度量，此处用来表示极小的尺度；如同说，人的生命飞逝而去，其结局与开端几乎触碰在一起。由此诗人得出结论：在上帝面前，世人不过是虚空。就字面意义而言，他并非是请求让他知道生命短暂——好像他不知道似的。这话中有一种反语的意味，如同他在说：让我数数在地上还剩多少年，这能足以补偿我所忍受的苦难吗？有人将”chedel”译作”世界的”，另有人译作”暂时的”，即仅持续一段时间之物。然而后一译法在此并不贴切：因为大卫在此尚未明确宣告他生命之短暂，而是以含糊的方式继续谈论此事。若采用”世界的”一词，意思便是：求你告诉我，你是否要让我的生命延续到世界末了。但在我看来，我所遵循的译法更为贴切；此外，”达勒特”（daleth）和”拉美德”（lamed）两个字母可能有位置对调的情况，使”chedel”（cheled的异体）。不过，将这个词理解为”一生的年日”也完全合适。当他说自己的一生在上帝面前如同虚无，是为了更有力地激发上帝的怜悯与同情，同时呼求上帝作他脆弱的见证，暗示上帝深知人生的转瞬即逝。”完全是虚空”这一表达，意味着全体人类中没有任何实质的东西。他说这是关乎站立之人的——亦即在生命的壮年、力量充沛之时，渴望被人看重，以为自己是有相当影响力与权势之人的时候。是悲痛的苦楚逼使大卫说出这些哀诉；但须注意，人主要是在苦难严重压迫之时，才被迫感受到自己在上帝面前的虚无。顺境使他们如此陶醉，以至于忘记自己的处境，沉入麻木，梦想在地上长存不朽。了解自己的软弱对我们大有益处，但我们须当心，不要因此陷入那种可能使我们向上帝抱怨怨愁的悲痛之中。大卫在宣告人即使在看来已升至最高荣耀时，也不过是水上被风吹起的泡沫——这话真实而有智慧；然而他的错误在于，他以此为由来抱怨上帝。因此让我们如此感受当前处境的悲苦，使得无论如何垂头丧气、受苦患难，我们仍能作谦卑的恳求者，仰望上帝，恳求祂的怜悯。我们发现，大卫稍后在纠正自己之后就是这样做的；因为他并未继续沉溺于鲁莽不虑的哀叹，而是在信心的操练中举起灵魂，达到了天上的安慰。6．人不过行走在影像中。他仍在探讨同一主题。他用”影像”一词，意指人身上没有任何实质，只是如我们所说的，是一种虚妄的表象，不知有多少的炫耀与张扬。有人将这个词译作”黑暗”，并将诗人的话理解为：人的生命在被认知之前就消逝了。但在这些话中，大卫只是就每个人个别所说的，保罗则将这话延伸到整个世界，说”这世界的样子将要过去”（林前7:31）。他由此否认人身上有任何持久的东西，因为人在一段时间内显露的力量外表很快便消逝了。他接着说人”徒然喧嚷”，揭示了他们虚空的极致；如同他在说，人似乎生来就是为了使自己越来越被人鄙视：因为尽管他们不过是影像，却如同愚昧，甚至是疯狂，无谓地将自己卷入烦扰的忧虑，徒然劳苦。当他宣告他们忧虑积攒财富却不知谁来收集时，他更明白地表达了他们如何显出自己的愚昧。他们如此劳苦，是因为他们以为自己永远不会满足；而他们贪得无厌的欲望驱使他们急切地抓取世上所有的财富，好像他们要活上百倍的人生一样。此外，大卫在这段话中并不是像所罗门那样（传5:10）嘲笑人的贪婪；因为他不只是谈到他们的后嗣，而是普遍地宣告，人劳碌忧虑，却不知谁将收获他们积攒财富的劳苦果实。他们或许希望为自己预备；但为那些没有确定目标和限度的不停歇、无益处的忧虑来折磨自己，是何等的癫狂愚昧？大卫在此谴责那种炽热无羁的欲望——在其影响下，世人被牵着走，以一种奇异的方式言说，将天地混淆；因为他们不承认自己是必死的，更谈不上考虑自己的生命受限于一掌之宽的窄小界限。大卫在心灵烦乱的状态下说话；但他的话语中包含了这一极有益处的教训：没有什么比追忆我们生命的短暂期间不过如同一掌之宽，更能使我们超越一切无谓忧虑的良方了。

1. O Jehovah! cause me to know my end. It appears from this, that David was transported by an improper and sinful excess of passion, seeing he finds fault with God. This will appear still more clearly from the following verses. It is true, indeed, that in what follows he introduces pious and becoming prayers, but here he complains, that, being a mortal man, whose life is frail and transitory, he is not treated more mildly by God. Of this, and similar complaints, the discourses of Job are almost full. It is, therefore, not without anger and resentment that David speaks in this manner: “O God, since thou art acting with so much severity towards me, at least make me to know how long thou hast appointed me to live. But is it so, that my life is but a moment, why then dost thou act with so great rigour? and why dost thou accumulate upon my head such a load of miseries, as if I had yet many ages to live? What does it profit me to have been born, if I must pass the period of my existence, which is so brief, in misery, and oppressed with a continued succession of calamities?” Accordingly, this verse should be read in connection with the following one. Behold, thou hast made my days as a hand-breadth. A hand-breadth is the measure of four fingers, and is here taken for a very small measure; as if it had been said, the life of man flies swiftly away, and the end of it, as it were, touches the beginning. Hence the Psalmist concludes that all men are only vanity before God. As to the meaning of the words, he does not ask that the brevity of human life should be shown to him, as if he knew it not. There is in this language a kind of irony, as if he had said, Let us count the number of the years which still remain to me on earth, and will they be a sufficient recompense for the miseries which I endure? Some render the word , chedel, mundane; and others temporal, that is to say, that which endures only for a time. But the latter rendering is not appropriate in this place: for David does not as yet expressly declare the shortness of his life, but continues to speak on that subject ambiguously. If the word mundane is adopted, the sense will be, Show me whether thou wilt prolong my life to the end of the world. But in my judgment, the translation which I have followed is much more appropriate; and, besides, there may have been a transposition of the letters , daleth, and , lamed, making the word chedel for cheled. It may, however, very properly be taken for an age or period of life. 66 When he says that his age is, as it were, nothing before God, in order to excite God so much the more to pity and compassion, he appeals to him as a witness of his frailty, intimating, that it is not a thing unknown to him how transitory and passing the life of man is. The expression, wholly or altogether vanity, 67 implies that among the whole human race there is nothing but vanity. He declares this of men, even whilst they are standing; 68 that is to say, when, being in the prime and vigor of life, they wish to be held in estimation, and seem to themselves to be men possessed of considerable influence and power. It was the pangs of sorrow which forced David to give utterance to these complaints; but it is to be observed, that it is chiefly when men are sore oppressed by adversity that they are made to feel their nothingness in the sight of God. Prosperity so intoxicates them, that, forgetful of their condition, and sunk in insensibility, they dream of an immortal state on earth. It is very profitable for us to know our own frailty, but we must beware lest, on account of it, we fall into such a state of sorrow as may lead us to murmur and repine. David speaks truly and wisely in declaring, that man, even when he seems to have risen to the highest state of greatness, is only like the bubble which rises upon the water, blown up by the wind; but he is in fault when he takes occasion from this to complain of God. Let us, therefore, so feel the misery of our present condition, as that, however cast down and afflicted, we may, as humble suppliants, lift up our eyes to God, and implore his mercy. This we find David does a little after, having corrected himself; for he does not continue to indulge in rash and inconsiderate lamentations, but lifting up his soul in the exercise of faith, he attains heavenly consolation. 6. Surely man walketh in a shadow. 69 He still prosecutes the same subject. By the word shadow, he means, that there is nothing substantial in man, but that he is only, as we say, a vain show, and has I know not how much of display and ostentation. 70 Some translate the word darkness, and understand the Psalmist’s language in this sense, That the life of man vanishes away before it can be known. But in these words David simply declares of every man individually what Paul extends to the whole world, when he says, “The fashion of this world passeth away.” — 1 Corinthians 7:31 Thus he denies that there is any thing abiding in men, because the appearance of strength which displays itself in them for a time soon passes away. What he adds, that men disquiet themselves in vain, shows the very height of their vanity; as if he had said, It seems as if men were born for the very purpose of rendering themselves more and more contemptible: for although they are only as a shadow, yet as if they were fools, or rather insane, they involve themselves needlessly in harassing cares, and vexing themselves to no purpose. He expresses still more plainly how they manifest their folly, when he declares that while they anxiously and carefully heap up riches, they never think that they must soon, and it may be suddenly, leave their present abode. And why is it that they thus

那渴望解渴之人所奔向的，却在接近时发现不过是燃烧的沙丘——阳光的折射使其看起来像一汪水。另有人认为”虚空”意指蒸气，如人口中呼出的气，转瞬即逝；使徒在雅各书4:14中也有此提法。”我按词的本义来理解它”（蒸气），曼特主教说，”比’虚空’的引申义更具诗意和表现力。”亚伯给次子取名为”黑伯尔”（vanity，虚空），而大卫在此宣告 col-adam（所有的人）皆是黑伯尔（虚空）。人们只是因为以为自己永远无法得到足够，才如此耗尽心力；他们贪得无厌的欲望驱使他们急切抓取世上所有的财富，好像要活上百倍的人生一样。此外，大卫在这段话中并不是像所罗门那样在传道书5:10中嘲笑人的贪婪；因为他不只是谈到他们的后嗣，而是普遍地宣告，人劳碌忧虑，却不知谁将收获他们积攒财富的劳苦果实。他们或许希望为自己预备；但为那些没有确定目标和限度的不停歇、无益处的忧虑来折磨自己，是何等的癫狂愚昧？大卫在此谴责那种炽热无羁的欲望——在其影响下，世人被牵着走，以奇异的方式言说，将天地混淆；因为他们不承认自己是必死的，更谈不上考虑自己的生命受限于一掌之宽的窄小界限。大卫在心灵烦乱的状态下说话；但他的话语中包含了这一极有益处的教训：没有什么比追忆我们生命的短暂期间不过如同一掌之宽，更能使我们超越一切无谓忧虑的良方了。

hopes to quench his thirst; but which, upon his coming up to it, he finds to be only burning sands, to which the reflection of the light of the sun had given the appearance of a lake of water. According to others, vanity means a vapor, as the breath of one’s mouth, which speedily vanishes; to which the apostle refers in James 4:14. “I take the word in its proper sense,” [vapor,] says Bishop Mant, “as more poetical and energetic than the derivative one of ‘vanity.’” See Simonis and Parkhurst on . Abel gave to his second son the name of Hebel, vanity, and here David declares that - col-adam, all adam, every man is hebel, vanity.

7．主啊，如今我等待什么呢？我的指望在乎你。8．求你救我脱离我一切的过犯，不要使我被愚昧人羞辱。9．我哑口无声，不开我的口，因为这是你所行的。

fret away their mind and body, but only because they imagine that they can never have enough? for by their insatiable desire of gain, they eagerly grasp at all the riches of the world, as if they had to live a hundred times the life of man. Moreover, David does not in this passage hold up to scorn the covetousness of man in the same sense in which Solomon does, Ecclesiastes 5:10; for he not only speaks of their heirs, but declares generally, that men disquiet and vex themselves with care, although they know not who shall reap the fruit of their labor in amassing riches. 71 They may indeed wish to make provision for themselves; but what madness and folly is it for them to torment themselves with incessant and unprofitable cares which have no certain object or limit? David here condemns those ardent and unbridled desires, under the influence of which worldly men are carried away, and talk in a strange manner, confounding heaven and earth; for they admit not that they are mortal, much less do they consider that their life is bounded by the narrow limits of a hand-breadth. David spoke under the influence of a distempered and troubled state of mind; but there is included in his language this very profitable lesson, that there is no remedy better fitted for enabling us to rise above all unnecessary cares, than the recollection that the brief period of our life is only, as it were, a hand-breadth.

7．主啊，如今我等待什么呢？大卫承认他的心曾过度受炽热激动的情感所支配，由此经历了极大的烦乱，如今回到平静安稳的心态；由此，我先前所陈述的更加明显，即这首诗一部分是得体的祷告，一部分是不虑的哀诉。我说大卫在此开始正确地祷告。诚然，世人有时也以大卫在此承认自己所有的同样的感受；然而对自身虚空的认识，并未引导他们走到以上帝为倚靠、将盼望安放在祂里面的地步。相反，他们宁可蓄意使自己麻木，以便在自己的虚空中不受干扰地放纵。从这段话我们可以学到：没有人是为了倚靠上帝、将盼望安放在祂里面而仰望上帝的，直到他感受到自己的软弱，甚至被归于无有。副词”如今”中隐含着极大的力量，如同大卫在说：捆住人心、使其沉睡于安全感中的谄媚与虚空幻想，如今不再欺骗我，我现在充分地清醒于自己的处境。然而我们必须超越这一初步阶段；因为仅仅被软弱之感唤醒，战战兢兢地寻求知道自己的本分，是不够的，除非同时有上帝向我们显现自己——我们一切期望都当唯独倚靠祂。因此，世人若认识到自己的完全虚空却没有益处，是因为他们虽被说服，却从不因此改善；让我们学习继续前行、取得更进一步的进展，使我们如同死去了一般，而被上帝使我们活着——祂的特别职分是从虚无中创造一切；因为人在上帝的大能帮助下仰望天上的事时，就不再是虚空，开始真正地有所实质。8．求你救我脱离我一切的过犯。在这节中，诗人仍然继续他敬虔圣洁的祷告。他如今不再被悲痛的力量裹挟而向上帝怨诉，而是谦卑地在上帝面前承认自己有罪，转向祂的怜悯。在祈求脱离过犯时，他将公义的荣耀归于上帝，同时将他所承受的一切苦难的责任归咎于自己；他责怪自己的，不只是一件罪，而是承认自己应当承担多种过犯的责任。我们若想得到苦难的减轻，就必须遵循这一原则；因为除非苦难的根源被切断，苦难就决不会停止一个接一个地接踵而来。大卫无疑是希望苦难得到减轻，但因为他期望一旦与上帝和好，对他罪的管教也就随之停止，他在此只是祈求他的罪得到赦免。我们由此从大卫的榜样受到教训：不仅要寻求从苦待、烦扰我们的苦难中得拯救，更要追溯到其原因和根源，恳求上帝不将我们的罪归算于我们，而是除去我们的罪咎。接下来关于愚昧人羞辱的话，可以从主动或被动两方面来理解，即或是上帝不将他交付恶人的嘲弄，或是上帝不使他参与不敬虔之人所遭受的羞辱。然而，这两种解释都与诗人的用意相符，因此我把选择权留给读者。此外，”nabal”一词不仅指愚昧之人，也指可鄙之人，一个完全无价值、卑贱的人。至少可以确定，这个词是指圣经因其愚昧而定罪的悖逆之人；因为他们被剥夺了理性与理解力，就放肆地以各种方式藐视和辱骂上帝。9．我哑口无声。大卫在此责怪自己，因为他未能保持他已看到的那种沉默——悲痛的力量强使他打破了那沉默。因此，当他说他哑口无声，并不是在称赞他一贯坚持对自己的克制；这宁可是对自己错误的纠正，如同他在责备自己的不耐，在心里这样对自己说：你在做什么？你已命令自己保持沉默，如今却骄傲地向上帝抱怨咕哝；你从这放肆中能得到什么？我们在此有一个极有益处且富有教导意义的功课；因为没有什么比追忆我们所对付的不是必死的凡人、而是上帝，更能制止悲痛猛烈的发作了——上帝将始终维护自己的公义，对抗人在抱怨甚至激烈控告中所说的一切话语。大多数人之所以在不耐烦上走到如此极端，原因何在？无非是因为他们忘记，这样做乃是斗胆与上帝争辩。因此，当有些人将一切苦难归咎于命运，另一些人归咎于人，还有人从各种自己幻想出的原因来解释，而百人之中几乎没有一个认出其中有上帝的手，他们便放纵自己痛苦地哀诉，从不想到这样做是得罪上帝。大卫则相反，为了制伏一切不圣洁的欲望和罪性的过激，回到上帝那里，并决意保持沉默，因为他现在所受的患难出自上帝。大卫如此承受最严酷的试炼，却仍决意保持沉默，让我们从此学习：谦卑在上帝大能的手下，不怨不诉地顺服祂的审判，这是我们信心最重要的操练之一。须注意，人谦卑平静地顺服上帝，只有当他们不仅确信上帝以全能行自己所喜悦的，而且确信祂也是公义的审判者时才能做到；因为恶人虽然感受到上帝的手压在他们身上，却仍以残酷和暴虐控告祂，不停地向祂发出可怕的亵渎。与此同时，大卫以如此的敬畏与惊叹看待上帝隐秘的审判，只以祂的旨意为满足，以至于认为开口说出一句反对祂的话都是罪。

39:7-9

7. And now, O Lord! 72 what do I wait for? my hope is towards thee. 8. Deliver me from all my sin; do not make me the reproach of the foolish. 73 9. I was dumb; I will not open my mouth, because thou hast done it.

**10．求你把你的责罚从我身上撤去；因你手的打击，我消灭了。11．你因人的罪孽惩罚他，使他可爱的东西消没，如衣服被虫所吃；世人真是虚空。细拉。**

1. And now, O Lord! what do I wait for? David, having acknowledged that his heart had been too much under the influence of ardent and impetuous emotion, from which he had experienced great disquietude, now returns to a calm and settled state of mind; and from this what I have before stated is rendered still more obvious, namely, that this psalm consists partly of appropriate prayers and partly of inconsiderate complaints. I have said that David here begins to pray aright. It is true, that even worldly men sometimes feel in the very same way in which David here acknowledges that he felt; but the knowledge of their own vanity does not lead them so far as to seek substantial support in God. On the contrary, they rather wilfully render themselves insensible, that they may indulge undisturbed in their own vanity. We may learn from this passage, that no man looks to God for the purpose of depending upon him, and resting his hope in him, until he is made to feel his own frailty, yea, and even brought to nought. There is tacitly great force in the adverb now, as if David had said, The flattery and vain imaginations by which the minds of men are held fast in the sleep of security no longer deceive me, but I am now fully sensible of my condition. But we must go beyond this elementary stage; for it is not enough, that, being aroused by a sense of our infirmity, we should seek with fear and trembling to know our duty, unless at the same time God manifest himself to us, on whom alone all our expectation should depend. Accordingly, as it serves no end for worldly men to be convinced of their utter vanity, because, although convinced of this, they never improve by it, let us learn to press forward and make still further progress, in order that, being as it were dead, we may be quickened by God, whose peculiar office it is to create all things out of nothing; for man then ceases to be vanity, and begins to be truly something, when, aided by the power of God, he aspires to heavenly things. 8. Deliver me from all my sins. In this verse the Psalmist still continues his godly and holy prayer. He is now no longer carried away by the violence of his grief to murmur against God, but, humbly acknowledging himself guilty before God, he has recourse to his mercy. In asking to be delivered from his transgressions, he ascribes the praise of righteousness to God, while he charges upon himself the blame of all the misery which he endures; and he blames himself, not only on account of one sin, but acknowledges that he is justly chargeable with manifold transgressions. By this rule we must be guided, if we would wish to obtain an alleviation of our miseries; for, until the very source of them has been dried up, they will never cease to follow one another in rapid succession. David unquestionably wished an alleviation of his miseries, but, as he expected that, as soon as he should be reconciled to God, the chastisement of his sins would also cease, he only here asks that his sins may be forgiven him. We are thus taught by the example of David, not merely to seek deliverance from the miseries which afflict and trouble us, but to trace them to their cause and source, entreating God that he would not lay our sins to our charge, but blot out our guilt. What follows concerning the reproach or scorn of the foolish may be understood in an active as well as a passive signification, denoting, either that God would not abandon him to the mockery of the wicked, or that he would not involve him in the same disgrace to which the ungodly are given over. As, however, either of these senses will agree very well with the design of the Psalmist, I leave it to the reader to adopt the one which he prefers. Besides, the word , nabal, signifies not only a foolish person, but also a contemptible man, one who is utterly worthless and base. It is at least certain, that by this word the reprobate, whom the Scriptures condemn for their folly, are intended; because, being deprived of their reason and understanding, they break forth into every excess in contemning and reproaching God. 9. I was dumb Here David blames himself, because he had not preserved that silence which, as we have already seen, the violence of his grief forced him to break. When he says then that he was dumb, he does not mean this as a commendation of the uniform and persevering restraint which he had exercised over himself. It is rather a correction of his error, as if reproving his own impatience, he had spoken within himself in this way: What doest thou? thou hadst enjoined upon thyself silence, and now thou murmurest proudly against God; what wilt thou gain by this presumption? We have here a very profitable and instructive lesson; for nothing is better fitted to restrain the violent paroxysms of grief, than the recollection that we have to do, not with a mortal man, but with God, who will always maintain his own righteousness in opposition to all that men may say against it in their murmuring complaints, and even in their outrageous accusations. What is the reason why the great majority of men run to such excess in their impatience, but because they forget that, in doing so, they dare to plead a controversy with God? Thus, while some impute all their miseries to fortune, and others to men, and others account for them from a variety of causes which their own fancy suggests, while scarcely one in a hundred recognises in them the hand of God, they allow themselves to indulge in bitter complaint, without ever thinking that in so doing they offend God. David, on the contrary, in order to subdue every unholy desire and sinful excess, returns to God, and resolves to keep silence, because the affliction which he is now suffering proceeded from God. As David, who was thus afflicted with the severest trials, resolved nevertheless to keep silence, let us learn from this, that it is one of the chief exercises of our faith to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and to submit to his judgments without murmuring or complaint. It is to be observed, that men humbly and calmly submit themselves to God only when they are persuaded, not only that he does by his almighty power whatever he pleases, but that he is also a righteous Judge; for although the wicked feel that the hand of God is upon them, yet as they charge him with cruelty and tyranny, they cease not to pour forth horrible blasphemies against him. In the meantime, David regards the secret judgments of God with such reverence and wonder, that, satisfied with his will alone, he considers it sinful to open his mouth to utter a single word against him.

10．求你把你的责罚从我身上撤去。大卫在此确证他已经献上的祷告，即他既从上帝那里得到赦免，同时也求上帝温和地对待他。然而这个祷告并不扰乱他刚才所提及的那种沉默；因为我们的愿望和祷告若是按照上帝话语的准则来构建，就不会轻率喧嚣地激起神圣的不悦，而是从信心与忍耐在我们心中产生的平静安宁中发出。诚然，任何人若热切地向上帝祷告，就不免在其中夹杂自己的感情，倾吐哀诉，表现出极度的热切。然而我们看到，大卫先前在大声哀号中哀诉苦难，如今却平静地思量和衡量自己所当得的，并为赦免而祷告。他的意思是，求上帝减轻祂所加的惩罚。理由随即而来：因你手的打击，我消灭了。大卫如此说，并非是以此为借口来减轻自己的过失，而是求上帝怜恤他的软弱。正如他就自己个人来说，他因感受到上帝的手向他伸出而消灭；在第11节中，他立即以普遍的措辞陈述同样的真理，告诉我们，若上帝按律法严厉的要求对付我们，后果就是一切人都要灭亡，完全被祂的忿怒所淹没。他清楚地表明：首先，他谈到的并非任何一个普通人，甚至不是泛指一般人，因为他所用的希伯来词是指以勇气、胆量或卓越著称之人；其次，他说，若上帝定意管教这样的人，他们所认为珍贵的一切都将消灭化解。要点是：在人中没有一个拥有如此权势与荣耀的人，若上帝的怒气向他猛烈燃烧，不会立刻被归于无有。然而有必要更仔细地审视这些话语。大卫并非只是描述上帝烈怒的可畏性质；他同时也宣告并揭示上帝在所加于人的一切惩罚中的公义。上帝的审判有时使连异教徒的心中也充满恐惧战栗，然而他们的盲目使他们充满愤怒，以致仍然继续与上帝争战。大卫用”责罚”一词，是指严厉的惩罚，即严格公义的标记和神圣忿怒的征象。我们知道，上帝常以管教的杖临到真正的信徒，但祂的方式是：在惩罚他们的同时，也让他们品尝祂的怜悯与慈爱的滋味，不仅调节对他们的管教，也在其中调入安慰，使管教变得更加可以承受。因此，大卫在此所说的，不是慈父般的管教，而是上帝在无情的审判者职分中，对悖逆者依其所当得执行审判时所加的惩罚。他告诉我们，当上帝使人感受到这种严酷时，没有一个人不立刻消灭憔悴。乍看之下，将上帝比作虫子似乎荒诞；因为人们可能会问，一只小虫蛾与上帝无限的威严有何关系？我回答：大卫极为贴切地使用了这个比喻，使我们知道，虽然上帝并不公然从天上雷震悖逆者，然而祂隐秘的咒诅却不停地消耗他们，正如虫蛾虽无声无息，却以其隐秘的啃噬消蚀一块布或一块木头。同时，他暗示人的”卓越”——他说当上帝被冒犯时，这卓越就如同被腐蚀而消灭，正如虫蛾以消蚀来摧毁最珍贵的衣物。圣经常以各种比喻来恰当表达，并习惯于有时从这一角度、有时从另一角度加以运用。希西家（赛38:13）将上帝比作狮子，是从他自己心中的感受出发，因为他被恐惧战兢所压倒淹没。然而在这里，大卫教导我们，虽然世人或许感受不到上帝可怕的报应，然而它却以隐秘的啃噬消耗悖逆者。”世人真是虚空”这句话再次被适当地重复；因为除非我们被上帝的大能所克服，如同俯伏于尘土，我们就决不会自我省察，使对自己虚空的认识剥去我们一切的自负。人们如此愚昧地自我满足，甚至为自己鼓掌，原因何在？无非是因为只要上帝容忍他们，他们就蓄意对自己的软弱视而不见。因此，治愈人骄傲的唯一良方，是当他们因感受到上帝忿怒的威吓而受惊，开始不仅对自己不满，也将自己降卑在尘土之中。

39:10-11

10. Take away thy stroke from me: I have failed [or fainted] by the blow of thy hand. 11. Thou chastisest man with rebukes for his iniquity; and as a moth, thou makest his excellency to consume away: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

**12．耶和华啊，求你听我的祷告，留心听我的呼求！我流泪，你不要静默不应（因为我在你那里是一个寄居的，是一个客旅，如同我列祖一般）。13．求你宽容我，使我在我去而不见之先，可以力量复原。**

10 Take away thy stroke from me. David here confirms the prayer which he had already presented, namely, that having obtained pardon from God, he might, at the same time, be gently dealt with by him. This prayer, however, does not disturb the silence of which he had just made mention; for our desires and prayers, if they are framed according to the rule of God’s word, are not inconsiderate and noisy so as to provoke the divine displeasure against us, but proceed from the calm stillness which faith and patience produce in our hearts. It is indeed true, that when any one prays earnestly to God, he cannot fail to mix up with it his own feelings, pour forth his complaints, and manifest an extreme ardor. But we see that David, who formerly bewailed his miseries in loud lamentations, now sets himself calmly to consider and weigh what he merited, and prays for pardon. His meaning is, that God would mitigate the punishment which he had inflicted upon him. The reason immediately follows; for I have fainted by the blow of thy hand. In thus speaking, David does not allege this as an excuse to extenuate his fault, but desires that he may be borne with in his infirmity. As he says with respect to himself individually, that he is consumed, because he feels that the hand of God is against him, so he immediately states in the 11th verse the same truth in general terms, telling us, that if God should begin to deal with us according to the strict demands of the law, the consequence would be, that all would perish, and be utterly overwhelmed under his wrath. He plainly shows, first, that he is speaking not of any one man, or even of men generally, for he makes use of a Hebrew word, which denotes a man renowned for his valor, courage, or excellence; 74 and then, secondly, he says, that if God should set himself to chastise such persons, every thing which they esteem precious in themselves would consume away or be dissolved. The sum is, that among men there is no one endued with such power and glory whom the wrath of God, if it burn fiercely against him, will not forthwith bring to nothing. But it will be necessary to examine the words more minutely. David does not simply describe the dreadful character of God’s wrath; but at the same time he declares and sets forth his righteousness in all the punishments which he inflicts upon men. The judgments of God sometimes strike fear and dread into the hearts even of heathen men, but their blindness fills them with such rage, that they still continue to fight against God. By the term rebukes, David means severe punishments, such as are the tokens of strict justice and signs of divine wrath. We know that God often exercises the rod of his chastisement upon true believers, but he does it in such a manner as that in punishing them he at the same time gives them a taste of his mercy and his love, and not only tempers the chastisements with which he visits them, but also mingles them with comfort, which serves to render them much more tolerable. David, then, is not speaking in this place of fatherly chastisement, but of the punishment which God inflicts upon the reprobate, when, like an inexorable judge in the exercise of his office, he executes against them the judgment which they have merited. He tells us that when God makes this rigour to be felt, there is no man who does not forthwith consume or pine away. At first view the comparison of God to a moth may seem absurd; for what relation is there, it may be said, between a small moth-worm and the infinite majesty of God? I answer, That David has with much propriety made use of this simile, that we may know that although God does not openly thunder from heaven against the reprobate, yet his secret curse ceases not to consume them away, just as the moth, though unperceived, wastes by its secret gnawing a piece of cloth or wood. 75 At the same time, he alludes to the excellency 76 of man, which he says is destroyed as it were by corruption, when God is offended, even as the moth destroys the most precious cloths by wasting them. The Scriptures often very appropriately employ various similitudes in this Way, and are wont to apply them sometimes in one view and sometimes in another. When Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:13) compares God to a lion, he does so in reference to the feelings of his own mind, because he was so prostrated and overwhelmed with fear and terror. But in this place David teaches us, that although the world may not perceive the dreadful vengeance of God, yet it consumes the reprobate by secretly gnawing them. This sentence, that every man is vanity, is again very properly repeated; for until we are overcome by the power of God, and as it were humbled in the dust, we never search into our own hearts, that the knowledge of our own vanity may divest us of all presumption. Whence

12．耶和华啊，求你听我的祷告。大卫在祷告中逐渐增强他的恳切。他先说到”祷告”，其次说到”呼求”，第三说到”眼泪”。这一层层递进并非仅仅是修辞的技巧，只是为了装饰文体或以不同语言表达同一件事。这表明大卫真诚地、从内心深处哀诉自己的处境；他在此以自身的榜样给我们立下祷告的规则。当他称自己为寄居者和客旅时，他再度表明自己处境的悲苦；他特别加上”在你那里”，不仅是因为人在世上居住时远离上帝，也是在与他先前所说的话（”我的年日在你面前如同无有”）相同的意义上说的；亦即，上帝无需任何人告知，就十分清楚地知道，人在这世上只有短暂的旅程要走，其终点很快到达，或者说他们只是短暂地留居其中，如同住在付租旅店里的人一般。诗人言论的要旨是：上帝从天上看见，若非祂的怜悯支撑我们，我们的处境将是何等可怜。13．求你宽容我，使我力量复原。字面意思是”离开我”，因此有人解释为：在我们之间立一道墙，使你的手无法触碰我。另有人补充”眼目”一词；但就含义而言，采用哪种解释关系不大，因为意思相同：即大卫恳求上帝给他一点缓解苦难的宽舒，使他可以恢复力量，或至少享有一段短暂的休息，在他离开这世界之前。这首诗的结束节与他按肉体所经历的烦扰和罪性情感有关；因为他似乎是在抱怨上帝的方式中，请求至少让他有时间死去，这是深受苦难折磨的人惯常说的话。我承认，他说话的方式是得体的，在承认除非上帝停止彰显忿怒，他恢复健康就没有希望；然而他的错误在于，他所求的宽舒，不过是为了有时间死去。我们或许可以以这样的意思来视这个祷告为允许的：主啊，既然我将无法再承受你的打击，若你继续严厉地苦待我，我必然悲惨地灭亡，至少暂时给我一点宽解，使我能在平静安宁中将我的灵魂交托在你手中。然而从他所用的语言，我们可以容易地推断，他的心被悲痛的苦涩所影响，以至于无法献上一个纯洁、调和了信心甘甜的祷告；因为他说”在我去而不见之先”——这一说法表明他几乎陷入绝望的感受。并非大卫将死亡视为人的彻底消灭，或是放弃了自己得救的盼望、甘心走向毁灭；然而他用这样的语言，是因为他先前被悲痛压制得如此深重，以至于无法以他本应有的那种欢欣举起自己的心。这种表达方式在约伯的哀诉中不止一次出现。因此，虽然大卫竭力克制肉体的欲望，然而这些欲望仍给他带来如此多的烦扰和苦恼，以至于逼使他在悲痛上越过了应有的界限，这是显而易见的。

“With rebukes thou chastisest man for iniquity,

Then thou destroyest his goodliness as a moth

destroyeth a garment.”

This is precisely Calvin’s interpretation. The moth is called in Hebrew , ash, from its corroding and destroying the texture of cloth, etc. See Parkhurst’s Lexicon on the word . The metaphor here employed is of frequent occurrence in Scripture. For example, in Hosea 5:12, God says, “I will be to Ephraim as a moth,” that is, I will consume them; and in Isaiah 50:9, it is said, “The moth shall eat them as a garment.”

is it that men are so foolishly satisfied with themselves, yea, and even applaud themselves, unless it be that, so long as God bears with them, they are wilfully blind to their own infirmities? The only remedy, then, by which men are cured of pride is when, alarmed with a sense of God’s wrath, they begin not only to be dissatisfied with themselves, but also to humble themselves even to the dust.

39:12-13

12. Hear my prayer, O Jehovah! and hearken to my cry; and hold not thy peace 77 at my tears: for I am a stranger before thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were. 13. Let me alone, that I may recover strength, before I depart, and be no more.

12 Hear my prayer, O Jehovah! David gradually increases his vehemence in prayer. He speaks first of prayer; in the second place, of crying; and in the third place, of tears This gradation is not a mere figure of rhetoric, which serves only to adorn the style, or to express the same thing in different language. This shows that David bewailed his condition sincerely, and from the bottom of his heart; and in this he has given us, by his own example, a rule for prayer. When he calls himself a stranger and a sojourner, he again shows how miserable his condition was; and he adds expressly, before God, not only because men are absent from God so long as they dwell in this world, but in the same sense in which he formerly said, My days are before thee as nothing; that is to say, God, without standing in need of any one to inform him, knows well enough that men have only a short journey to perform in this world, the end of which is soon reached, or that they remain only a short time in it, as those who are lodged in a house for pay. 78 The purport of the Psalmist’s discourse is, that God sees from heaven how miserable our condition would be, if he did not sustain us by his mercy. 13 Let me alone, that I may recover strength. Literally, it is, cease from me, and therefore some explain it, Let there be a wall raised betwixt us, that thy hand may not reach me. Others read, as a supplement, the word eyes; but as to the sense, it matters little which of the expositions be adopted, for the meaning is the same, That David entreats God to grant him a little relaxation from his trouble, that he might recover strength, or, at least, enjoy a short respite, before he depart from this world. This concluding verse of the psalm relates to the disquietude and sinful emotions which he had experienced according to the flesh; for he seems in the way of complaining of God, to ask that at least time might be granted him to die, as men are wont to speak who are grievously harassed by their affliction. I admit, that he speaks in a becoming manner, in acknowledging that there is no hope of his being restored to health, until God cease to manifest his displeasure; but he errs in this, that he asks a respite, just that he may have time to die. We might, indeed, regard the prayer as allowable, by understanding it in this sense: Lord, as it will not be possible for me to endure thy stroke any longer, but I must, indeed, miserably perish, if thou continuest to afflict me severely, at least grant me relief for a little season, that in calmness and peace I may commit my soul into thy hands. But we may easily infer, from the language which he employs, that his mind was so affected with the bitterness of his grief that he could not present a prayer pure and well seasoned with the sweetness of faith; for he says, before I depart, and be no more: a form of speech which indicates the feeling almost of despair. Not that David could regard death as the entire annihilation of man, or that, renouncing all hope of his salvation, he resigned himself to destruction; but he employs this language, because he had previously been so much depressed by reason of grief, that he could not lift up his heart with so much cheerfulness as it behoved him. This is a mode of expression which is to be found more than once in the complaints of Job. It is obvious, therefore, that, although David endeavored carefully to restrain the desires of the flesh, yet these occasioned him so much disquietude and trouble, that they forced him to exceed the proper limits in his grief.

---

发布于 2026年4月28日 00:00