Rebuke the company of spearmen— So our translators, though they have placed in the margin the beast of the reeds. The beast of the reeds is the crocodile or river-horse, which both lay among the reeds that grew on the banks of the Nile: and as it is a very proper description of the Egyptian tyrant, the meaning will be, that God would repress his power, and preserve his own people from being overrun and destroyed by it. See Boch. Hieroz. lib. 3: p. 985 and Lowth's Prelections, p. 73. 8vo. The Psalmist adds, [Rebuke] the multitude of the bulls, i.e. according to Bishop Patrick's explanation, their great numbers of captains, as furious as bulls; the original word אביר abbiir, signifying strong, robust, and being applicable to men, bulls, horses, and all strong and furious animals:—-With the calves of the people; i.e. according to the learned Bishop, soldiers, as insolent as young heifers;—Till every one submit himself with pieces of silver, as we render the next clause; or "become tributary to his power." I would observe, says Dr. Chandler, for the further explication of this part of the verse, that the persons meant are figuratively described by the objects of their idolatrous worship. The Egyptian king is the beast of the reeds, or the crocodile, which was sacred in some parts of Egypt. The congregation of bulls, are his princes and nobles, who worshipped the bull, together with the calves, which were held sacred by the people, or the people who worshipped them; and the description of this people, who worshipped those calves is, "They severally trampled on the ground;" namely, by walking in procession, or dancing to the sound of their silver sistrums, which made a tinkling noise in honour of these vituline deities. I shall express the sense in the words of the learned and ingenious Mr. Merrick:
The beast, that from his reedy bed, On Nile's proud bank uplifts the head, Rebuke indignant, nor the throng Forget, from whose misguided tongue, The heifer, and the grazing steer, The offer'd vow unconscious hear; While to the silver's tinkling sound Their feet in solemn dance rebound. See Apul. Metam. lib. 2: p. 371.
But, continues Dr. Chandler, may not the word trampling be referred to God? Rebuke the beasts of the reeds, trampling on the pieces of silver; so calling with contempt their images or idols, which were plated over with beaten pieces of silver; referring to what God is said to have done to the idols of Egypt, Exodus 12:12.; Numbers 33:4. So that the meaning of the words is, "Rebuke and break the power of the Egyptian crocodile, his princes, and nobles, who pay homage to their bulls; and all his people, who stupidly worship their calves, and dance in honour of them to the tinkling sounds of instruments and bells: trample under foot their silver-plated idols, and utterly disperse the people who delight in war."