Now these [be] the last words of David
Which refer not to the psalm in the preceding chapter, but to
what follows; not the last words he spoke, for he said many
things afterwards; for the advice he gave to Solomon, and the
instructions to him about building the temple, were delivered
after this time; but these were the last after he had finished
the book of Psalms; or the last that he spoke under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or that he delivered out by way
of prophecy; though the Jews F6 will not allow him to speak
by the spirit of prophecy; they own he spoke by the Holy Spirit,
which they distinguish from prophecy; but the Targum calls these
words a prophecy, and takes them to be a prophecy of the Messiah,
and of things to come, as undoubtedly they are, paraphrasing them
thus;
``these are the words of the prophecy of David, which he prophesied concerning the end of the world, concerning the days of consolation that should come;''this is observed to excite attention, the last words of dying men being usually regarded and remembered:
David the son of Jesse said;
he began with his descent, which was comparatively mean, in order
to illustrate the distinguishing goodness of God to him in his
exaltation:
and the man [who was] raised up on high;
from a low estate to an high one, from the sheepfold to the
throne, to be king over all the tribes of Israel, and a
conqueror, and head of the nations round about him:
the anointed of the God of Jacob;
who was anointed king by Samuel by the order of the God of Jacob;
and which was an instance of his being the God of Jacob or
Israel, and of his care of them, and regard unto them, that he
anointed such a man to be king over them, as well as it was an
honour to David:
and the sweet psalmist of Israel;
who composed most of the psalms and hymns of praise for the
people of Israel; invented and set the tunes to them to which
they were to be sung, and the instruments of music on which they
were sung; and appointed singers to preside, and lead them in
that part of divine worship, singing psalms and hymns; and very
sweet were the psalms he composed as to the matter of them, and
very sweet and delightful to the ear was the music in the manner
of singing them: it may be rendered, who was "sweet" or "pleasant
[in the] songs of Israel" F7, his warlike exploits and
victories being the subject of them, ( 1 Samuel
18:6 1 Samuel
18:7 ) ;
said;
as follows; for all that goes before are the words of the penman
of this book, drawing the character of David; in which he was a
type of Christ, a branch out of the root of Jesse, highly
exalted, and chosen from among the people, anointed to be
prophet, priest, and King; and who sweetly expounded the psalms
concerning himself, and ordered them to be sung in the churches,
and of which he is the subject, and may be said to be sweetly
held forth in them, see ( Luke 24:44 ) .