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Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! These words directly and immediately concern the deliverance of the people of Israel out of that sinful and deplorable estate in which they now were; which having described in the body of the Psalm, he concludes, after his manner, with a prayer to God to hear and help them out of Zion, where the ark then was, whence God used to hear and answer his people’s prayers. But ultimately and principally they design a further, even the spiritual, redemption and salvation of all God’s Israel by the Messias, as may appear by divers considerations:
1. That the ancient Jews did thus understand it, and among others Jonathan’s Targum or Paraphrase on the Bible expound it thus; I do not expect Gideon’s salvation, which was but corporeal, nor that of Samson—but the salvation of the Messias. With whom agrees the Targum of Jerusalem.
2. That the doctrine of Israel’s redemption or salvation by Christ was very well known, as to other ancient patriarchs, Joh_8:56 1Pe_1:10-12, so particularly to David, of whom it is expressly said that he knew and foresaw this mystery, Act_2:30,31, in whose Book of Psalms there are divers and very distinct and clear prophecies of it, as we have in part seen upon Psa 2 Psa 8, and shall see more fully and evidently hereafter.
3. That David and other holy prophets, in the midst of their sad thoughts, and fears, and troubles, did usually comfort themselves with the promise and expectation of the Messias, by whom, and by whom alone, they should receive that plenary salvation for which they groaned; of which it is thought we have one instance, Gen_49:18; but we have many unquestionable instances in the prophecy of Isaiah, as Isa_7:14 9:6, &c. And this course might be the more seasonable for David, because he speaks here of his troubles after he was settled in his kingdom, (as may be gathered from the mention of Zion, where the ark was not till that time,) and possibly of the sad and sinful state of his kingdom during Absalom’s rebellion; and therefore finding himself so strangely disappointed of that peace and happiness which he confidently expected when once he came to the kingdom, and wisely and justly presaging that his children and the following generations of Israelites for the same causes were likely to meet with the same or greater calamities than this, he wearieth himself with the expression of his belief and desire of the coming of the Messias to save his people.
4. To this also suits the mention of Zion, because the prophets knew and foretold that the Messias or Deliverer should first come to Zion, and should set up his throne there, and from thence send forth his laws and edicts to the Gentile world; as is positively affirmed, Psa_2:6 110:2 Isa_2:3 59:20, compared with Rom_11:26, and in many other places.
5. The following words agree only to this time, wherein he speaks of bringing back the captivity of his people with the universal joy of all Jacob and Israel; which cannot agree to David’s time, wherein there was no such captivity of the people, but only a civil war and mutual slaughter, which is quite another thing; nor to the time of Israel’s return from Babylon, when there was no such return of all Israel, but only of Judah and Benjamin, and some few of the other tribes, and the joy which the returning Israelites then had was but low, and mixed with many fears, and dangers, and reproaches, as we see in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And therefore they must belong to the times of the Messias, by whom this promise was fulfilled to the true Israel of God, who were brought back from that most real and dreadful, though spiritual, captivity of sin and Satan, as is declared, Luk_4:18 Eph_4:8, and shall be literally accomplished to the natural seed of Jacob or Israel according to the expectation and belief of all the Jews in their several ages, and of most Christian writers.
The captivity of his people, i.e. his captive people; captivity being oft put for captives, as Deu_21:10 30:3 Psa_126:1,4. Or, his people from captivity, of which see the former note. Jacob, i.e. the seed or children of Jacob, as Aaron is named for his sons, 1Ch_12:27 27:17, and David for his sons, and the like.