Many [there be] which say of my soul
Or "to my soul" {u}, the following cutting words, which touched
to the quick, reached his very heart, and like a sword pierced
through it:
[there is] no help for him in God;
or "no salvation" F23: neither in this world, nor in that
which is to come, as Kimchi explains it. David's enemies looked
upon his case to be desperate; that it was impossible he should
ever extricate himself from it; yea, that God himself either
could not or would not save him. And in like manner did the
enemies of Christ say, when they had put him upon the cross; see
( Matthew
27:43 ) ; and how frequent is it for the men of the world to
represent the saints as in a damnable state! and to call them a
damned set and generation of men, as if there was no salvation
for them? and how often does Satan suggest unto them, that there
is no hope for them, and they may as well indulge themselves in
all sinful lusts and pleasures? and how often do their own
unbelieving hearts say to them, that there is no salvation in
Christ for them, though there is for others; and that they have
no interest in the favour of God, and shall be eternally lost and
perish? And this account is concluded with the word
selah,
which some take to be a musical note; and so the Septuagint
render it (diaqalma) ,
which Suidas F24 interprets the change of the song,
of the note or tune of it; and the rather it may be thought to be
so, since it is only used in this book of Psalms, and in the
prayer of Habakkuk, which was set to a tune, and directed to the
chief singer. Kimchi derives it from a root which signifies "to
lift up", and supposes that it denotes and directs to an
elevation, or straining of the voice, at the place where this
word stands. Others understand it as a pause, a full stop for a
while; and as a note of attention, either to something that is
remarkably bad and distressing, as here; or remarkably good, and
matter of rejoicing, as in ( Psalms 3:4 Psalms 3:8 ) . Others
consider it as an affirmation of the truth of anything, good or
bad; and render it "verily", "truly", as, answering to "Amen"; so
be it, so it is, or shall be; it is the truth of the thing: to
this sense agrees Aben Ezra. But others render it "for ever", as
the Chaldee paraphrase; and it is a tradition of the Jews
F25, that wherever it is said,
"netzach", "selah", and "ed", there is no ceasing, it is for ever
and ever; and so then, according to this rule, the sense of
David's enemies is, that there was no help for him in God for
ever. A very learned man
F26 has wrote a dissertation upon this word; in which he endeavours to prove, that it is a name of God, differently used, either in the vocative, genitive, and dative cases; as, O Selah, O God, or of God, or to God as the sense requires.
F21 (yvpnl) (th quch
mou) , Sept. "animae meae", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus,
Musculus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so the Targum.
F23 (htewvy Nya) "non est salus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus;
"non ulla salus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Ainsworth.
F24 In voce (diaq) .
F25 T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 54. 1. Vid. Ben
Melech in loc.
F26 Paschii Dissertatio de Selah, p. 670.
in Thesaur. Theolog. Philolog. par. 1.
