David's confidence in God's grace.
A Psalm of David.
Title.— לדוד מזמור mizmor ledavid. In this psalm David expresses his confidence in God, who had delivered him from the persecutions of Saul, and settled him in a prosperous condition: whom, therefore, he here compares first to a good shepherd, who carefully feeds and diligently watches over his flock; and, secondly, to a hospitable friend, by whom he was sure of being liberally and splendidly entertained. See the note on Psalms 23:2. It has been observed, that, though the Psalms in general appear with inimitable beauty, even in the dress in which we have them; yet it should always be considered how much they must be supposed to fall short of their original excellence, to those who view them only in a translation, nay, in almost a literal translation, and that from a language which abounds in bold figures and ellipses; all of which must be supplied in the translation, or else to common readers it would be utterly unintelligible. Hence the Psalms lie under greater disadvantages than any writings either in the Greek or Latin languages. Yet if any of the finest and most admired pieces of heathen poetry were to be clothed like these in a plain literal dress, and then compared with them, the comparison would abundantly shew what Mr. Addison observes of the Jews, "that their nation produced men of great genius, without considering them as inspired writers; who have transmitted to us many hymns and divine odes, which excel those that are delivered down to us by the ancient Greeks and Romans in the poetry, as much as in the subject to which they are consecrated." But, allowing David's natural genius to have been highly excellent, and that likewise of the other authors of these divine poems, yet, as these compositions are so much preferable to all human composition, this may fairly be urged as a corroborating proof of the divine inspiration of the authors of them. See Bishop Lowth's 6th Prelection.