The heathen; the Canaanites. Plantedst them, to wit, our fathers, easily understood both from the matter, and from Psalms 44:1, where they are expressed; the pronoun being referred unto the remoter antecedent, as it is Genesis 10:12, Genesis 19:13 Psalms 18:5, and oft elsewhere. Cast them out: so them must be the people, or heathens. But because the comparing of this branch of the verse with the former, plantedst them, to which this answers, and with the following they, makes it more than probable that this them belongs to the fathers, this is to be otherwise rendered; either,
1. Thus, send them out, to wit, free or manumitted out of Egypt, of which this same verb is used, Exodus 5:1, Exodus 12:33. And then the foregoing people are the Egyptians, not the Canaanites; which yet seems not to agree with the foregoing and following passages both which speak of the Canaanites only; nor with the order of the words in this verse, it being improper to mention their coming out of Egypt, after their being planted in Canaan. Or rather,
2. Thus, make them send or shoot forth, to wit, branches, as it is more fully expressed, Psalms 80:11 Ezekiel 17:6, where this verb is used. And this most naturally and properly follows upon and after their planting mentioned in the former clause.