He will drink of the brook on the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
Parallel Translations
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He will drink of the brook on the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
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He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
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He will drink of the brook in the way; therefore will he lift up the head.
Cross-references (13)
Passages linked to Psalms 110:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 27:6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me. I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tent. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
- Judges 7:5-6 So he brought down the people to the water; and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, like a dog laps, you shall set him by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.” The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.
- Hebrews 2:9-10 But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone. For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many children to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
- Matthew 26:42 Again, a second time he went away, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cup can’t pass away from me unless I drink it, your desire be done.”
- John 18:11 Jesus therefore said to Peter, “Put the sword into its sheath. The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not surely drink it?”
- Philippians 2:7-11 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
- 1 Peter 1:11 searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.
- Psalms 3:3 But you, Yahweh, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
- Isaiah 53:11-12 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light and be satisfied. My righteous servant will justify many by the knowledge of himself; and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death and was counted with the transgressors; yet he bore the sins of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
- Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore Yahweh of Armies says concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink poisoned water; for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land.”
- Jeremiah 52:31 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and released him from prison.
- Matthew 20:22 But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to him, “We are able.”
- Luke 24:26 Didn’t the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter into his glory?”
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 7 He shall drink Not a few interpreters, in…
7 He shall drink Not a few interpreters, in my opinion, expound this verse in a very harsh manner: that the carnage would be so great, as to cause the blood of the slain to flow in torrents, out of which Christ, the Conqueror, might drink till he was satiated. Akin to this is the exposition of those who would have it to be a figurative representation of misery and grief, and thus descriptive of the many afflictions to which Christ was liable during this transitory life. The similitude seems rather to be drawn from the conduct of brave and powerful generals, who, when in hot pursuit of the enemy, do not suffer themselves to be diverted from their purpose by attending to luxuries; but, without kneeling down, are content to quench their thirst by drinking of the stream which they are passing. It was in this way that Gideon found out the brave and warlike soldiers; regarding such as kneeled down to drink as destitute of courage, he sent them back to their homes, Judges 7:5. It therefore appears to me that David figuratively attributes military prowess to Christ, declaring that he would not take time to refresh himself, but would hastily drink of the river which might come in his way. This is designed to strike his enemies with terror, intimating to them the rapid approach of impending destruction. Should any one be disposed to ask, Where then is that spirit of meekness and gentleness with which the Scripture elsewhere informs us he shall be endued? Isaiah 42:2, 3; 61:1, 2; I answer, that, as a shepherd is gentle towards his flock, but fierce and formidable towards wolves and thieves; in like manner, Christ is kind and gentle towards those who commit themselves to his care, while they who wilfully and obstinately reject his yoke, shall feel with what awful and terrible power he is armed. In Psalm 2:9, we saw that he had in his hand an iron scepter, by which he will beat down all the obduracy of his enemies; and, accordingly, he is here said to assume the aspect of cruelty, with the view of taking vengeance upon them. Wherefore it becomes us carefully to refrain from provoking his wrath against us by a stiff-necked and rebellious spirit, when he is tenderly and sweetly inviting us to come to him.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Under this similitude of a captain that is so…
Under this similitude of a captain that is so greedy to destroy his enemies, that he will not scarce drink by the way, he showeth how God will destroy his enemies.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in…
Psa 110:7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Ver. 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way] i.e. Of the wrath of the Almighty, pointing to Christ’s state of humiliation, as in the next words to his exaltation; or, he shall content himself with a low condition here, such as was that of Elijah when he drank of the brook, 1Ki 17:1-7 Or, in the eager pursuit of his enemies, he shall drink hastily of the water next at hand, i.e. as Gideon and his soldiers did, Vivet pauperem vitam, λιτον βιον (Chrysost.). Aerumnas omnes durissimae militae perferet (Beza).
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Therefore shall he lift up the head] Maugre the heads of his enemies, he shall rise again, reign, and triumph, and so shall all his members, after that through many tribulations they have entered into the kingdom of heaven. Christ’s and their sufferings are but a drinking of the brook, not a spring of water for perpetuity; they are but a dark entry into our Father’s house, a dirty lane to a stately palace; shut but your eyes, as that martyr at the stake said, and there will be a change immediately. Look how the disciples, after they had taken Christ into the ship, were presently at shore, after a tempest; so the saints have no sooner taken death into their bosoms, but they are landed presently at the quay of Canaan, at the kingdom of heaven.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain He shall drink of the brook in the way:…
He shall drink of the brook in the way: this may be understood either,
1. Properly, to express the fervency and diligence of the Messias in the prosecution of his business; who having routed and destroyed the main body of his enemies’ forces, pursues those that fled with such eagerness, that he will not lose any time in refreshing himself, as might seem necessary after such hot and hard service, but will content himself with drinking a little water out of the brook which he finds in his way, that being a little refreshed therewith he may proceed with more rigour and efficacy in his work. And so this place alludes to the history of Gideon’s three hundred men, who only lapped a little of the water; of whom see Jdg 7. Or,
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2. Metaphorically, to express the humiliation and passion of the Messias, and thereby to prevent a great mistake which might arise in men’s minds concerning him, from the great successes and victories here ascribed to him, which might induce them to think that the Messias should be exempted from all sufferings, and be crowned with constant and perpetual triumphs. To confute this conceit, he intimates here that the Messias, before he should obtain that power and glory mentioned in the foregoing verses, should have a large portion of afflictions in the way to it, or whilst he was in the way or course of his life, before he came to his end or rest, and to that honour of sitting at his Father’s right hand. Waters in Scripture do very frequently signify afflictions or sufferings, as Psa 42:7, &c. To drink of them, signifies to feel or bear them, as Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; 49:12; Mat 20:22; and in this case it may note Christ’s willing submission to them.
A brook or river of water is oft used in Scripture to express a great abundance, either of comforts, as Psa 36:8, or of tribulations, Psa 18:4; 124:4; and therefore may be more fitly used in this place than a cup, by which the afflictions of other men are commonly expressed, to intimate that the sufferings of the Messiah were unspeakably more and heavier than the sufferings of other men, and that he should drink up not a small cup, but the whole river or sea of his Father’s wrath due to our sins.
Therefore, which word may note either the effect or the consequent of his sufferings,
shall he lift up the head, i.e. shall be delivered from all his sorrows and sufferings, and exalted to great glory, and joy, and felicity, as this phrase usually signifies, as Psa 3:3; 27:6; Jer 52:31, and oft elsewhere; as, on the contrary, to hang down the head, is a signification of great grief and shame, as Lam 2:10.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain He shall drink of the brook in the way,....…
He shall drink of the brook in the way,.... This some understand of the sufferings of Christ, compared to a brook, a flow of waters, because of the abundance of them, as in Psa 69:1, his partaking of which is sometimes expressed by drinking, Mat 20:22 and this was in the way of working out the salvation of his people, and in his own way to glory, Luk 24:26. If this is the sense, there may be some allusion to the black brook Kidron; over which David, the type of Christ, passed when in distress; and over which Christ himself went into the garden, where his sorrows began, Sa2 15:23, but seeing this clause stands surrounded with others, which only speak of his victories, triumph, and exaltation, it seems to require a sense agreeable to them; wherefore those interpreters seem nearer to the truth of the text, who explain it of Christ's victory over all enemies, sin, Satan, the world, and death; and illustrate it by the passage in Num 23:24, "he shall drink of the blood of the slain"; with which compare Isa 63:1. Others think the allusion is to the eagerness of a general pursuing a routed army, and pushing on his conquest; who, though almost choked with thirst, yet will not stop to refresh himself; but meeting with a brook or rivulet of water by the way, takes a draught of it, and hastens his pursuit of the enemy: and so this is expressive of, the eagerness of Christ to finish the great work of man's salvation, and the conquest of all his and their enemies; see Luk 2:49. But I think the clause is rather expressive of the solace, joy, and comfort, which Christ, as man, has in the presence of God, and at his right hand, having finished the work of our salvation; then he drank to his refreshment of the river of divine pleasure, when God showed him the path of life, and raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, and introduced him into his presence; where are fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore, Psa 16:11.
Therefore shall he lift up the head; as he did at his resurrection; he bowed it when he died, he lifted it up when he rose again, and so when he ascended on high to his God and Father; when he took his place at his right hand; where his head is lifted up above his enemies, and where he is exalted above angels, principalities, and powers, and where he must reign till all enemies are put under his feet. Or, "so shall he lift up his head", as Noldius (d) renders it; not that his sufferings, which he understands by "drinking out of the brook", were the cause of his exaltation, but the consequent of it: these two, Christ's humiliation and exaltation, though they are sometimes joined together, yet not as cause and effect, but as the antecedent and consequent; Christ having finished what, according to the divine order was to be finished, glory followed by the same order: and so the words thus taken respect not the cause, but the constitution of things, according to that writer.
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(d) Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 727. No. 1941.
Next: Psalms Chapter 111
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Drink - He shall have a large portion of…
Drink - He shall have a large portion of afflictions, while he is in the way or course of his life, before he comes to that honour of sitting at his father's right-hand. Waters in scripture frequently signify sufferings. To drink of them, signifies to feel or bear them. Therefore - He shall be exalted to great glory and felicity.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 7. He shall drink of the brook in…
Verse 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way] He shall have sore travail, and but little ease and refreshment: but he shall still go on from conquering to conquer.
Therefore shall he lift up the head.] Or his head. He shall succeed in all his enterprises, and at last be peaceably settled in his ample dominions.
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But these verses, as well as the former, may be applied to our Lord. The fifth verse may be an address to Jehovah: Adonai at thy right hand, O Jehovah, shall smite kings - bring down all powers hostile to his empire, in the day of his wrath - when, after having borne long, he arises and shakes terribly the rulers of the earth.
Ps 110:6. He shall judge, give laws, among the heathen - send his Gospel to the whole Gentile world. He shall fill the field of battle with the dead bodies of the slain, who had resisted his empire, and would not have him to reign over them.
He shall wound the heads over many countries. - This must be spoken against some person possessing a very extensive sway. Perhaps Antichrist is meant; he who has so many countries under his spiritual domination. Christ shall destroy every person, and every thing, which opposes the universal spread of his own empire. He will be a King, as well as a Priest for ever.
Ps 110:7. He shall drink of the brook - he shall suffer sorely, and even die in the struggle: but in that death his enemies shall all perish; and he shall lift up the head - he shall rise again from the dead, possessing all power in heaven and earth, ascend to the throne of glory, and reign till time shall be no more. He must suffer and die, in order to have the triumphs already mentioned.
While all have acknowledged that this Psalm is of the utmost importance, and that it speaks of Christ's priesthood and victories, it is amazing how various the interpretations are which are given of different passages. I have endeavoured to give the general sense in the preceding notes, and to explain all the particular expressions that have been thought most difficult: and by giving the various readings from the MSS., have left it to the learned reader to make farther improvements.
It has, however, long appeared to me that there is a key by which all the difficulties in the Psalm may be unlocked. As this has not been suggested by any other, as far as I know, I shall without apology lay it before the reader: -
The hundred and tenth Psalm is a WAR SONG, and every phrase and term in it is MILITARY.
1. In the first place may be considered here the proclamation of the Divine purpose relative to the sacerdotal, prophetic, and regal offices of the LORD JESUS CHRIST: "Jehovah said unto my Lord, SIT THOU ON MY RIGHT HAND."
2. A grievous battle, and consequent victory over the enemy, foretold: I WILL MAKE THINE ENEMIES THE FOOTSTOOL TO THY FEET, Ps 110:1.
3. The ensign displayed: "THE LORD SHALL SEND FORTH THE ROD OF THY STRENGTH; the pole on which the banner shall be displayed, at the head of his strength - his numerous and powerful forces.
4. The inscription, device, or motto on this ensign: "RULE THOU IN THE MIDST OF THINE ENEMIES," Ps 110:2.
5. The muster of the troops. A host of bold, spirited volunteers; not mercenaries, neither kidnapped nor impressed; but עם נדבות am nedaboth, a volunteer people; high-born, loyal subjects; veteran soldiers; every man bringing gifts to his General and King.
6. The regimentals or uniform in which they shall appear: "THE BEAUTIES OF HOLINESS; הדרי קדש hadrey kodesh, the splendid garments of holiness. The apparel showing the richness of the King, and the worth and order of the soldiers; every man being determined to do his duty, and feeling assured of conquest. The Lacedaemonian soldiers were clothed in scarlet; and never went to battle without crowns and garlands upon their heads, being always sure of victory. Potter's Ant., vol. ii., p. 55.
7. The number of the troops: THEY SHALL BE AS THE DROPS OF DEW AT BREAK OF DAY: - innumerable; and this shall be in consequence ילדתך yalduthecha, of thy nativity - the manifestation of Jesus. THOU shalt be born unto men; THEY shall be born of thy Spirit, Ps 110:3.
8. The title of the commander: "THOU ART A PRIEST," כהן cohen, a Priest and a Prince. So was Agamemnon in Homer, and AEneas in Virgil. Both were princes; both were priests and both were heroes.
9. The perpetuity of this office: "FOR EVER;" לעולם leolam, for futurity - for all time - till the earth and the heavens are no more.
10. The resolution of setting up such a Priest and King, and levying such an army: ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. The Commander, muster, and establishment of the corps shall be according to the plan of that ancient king and priest; or, translating the words literally, על דברתי מלכי צדק al dabarti malki tsedek, all shall be executed as I have spoken to my righteous king; I have sworn, and will not change my purpose. All my purposes shall be fulfilled. This speaking may refer to the purpose, Ps 110:1, confirmed by an oath, Ps 110:4.
11. Victory gained: ADONAI AT THY RIGHT HAND HATH TRANSFIXED (מחץ machats) KINGS IN THE DAY OF HIS WRATH, i.e., of battle and victory. Jesus, the Almighty King and Conqueror, fights and gains his battles, while sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Ps 110:5.
12. Judgment instituted and executed: "HE SHALL JUDGE AMONG THE HEATHEN," בגים baggoyim, among the nations. He shall bring forth, judge, and condemn his enemies; and he shall fill pits with the bodies of executed criminals, Ps 110:6.
13. False religion, supporting itself by the secular arm, under the name of true religion, shall be destroyed. מחץ ראש על ארץ רבה machats rosh al erets rabbah; "He smites the head that is over an extensive land" or country. The priesthood that is not according to the order of Melchizedek shall be destroyed; and all government that is not according to him who is the eternal King and Priest, shall be brought down and annihilated. Who is this great HEAD? this usurping power? this antichristian authority? Let the Italian archbishop answer, Ps 110:6.
14. Refreshment and rest, the fruits of the victories which have been gained: "HE SHALL DRINK OF THE BROOK IN THE WAY; THEREFORE, SHALL HE LIFT UP THE HEAD." He and his victorious army, having defeated and pursued his enemies, and being spent with fatigue and thirst, are refreshed by drinking from a rivulet providentially met with in the way. But the rout being now complete and final,
15. The emperor is proclaimed and triumphs: God lifts up the HEAD, - ראש rosh, the CHIEF, the CAPTAIN; as the word often means. Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, has a complete triumph; eternal peace and tranquillity are established. The Messiah is all in all - the last enemy, Death, is destroyed. Jesus, having overcome, has sat down with the Father upon his throne; and his soldiers, having also overcome through the blood of the Lamb, seated with him on the same throne, are for ever with the Lord. They see him as he is; and eternally contemplate and enjoy his glory: -
"Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in." Hallelujah! The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth! Amen, Amen.
ANALYSIS OF THE ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH PSALM
This Psalm is short in appearance, but deep and copious in mysteries. The subject, without doubt, is Christ; since both St. Peter (Ac 2:34) and St. Paul (Heb 1:13) expound it of Christ; and in Mt 22:44, Christ applies it to himself.
In this Psalm Christ is described as a Priest and a King.
I. Christ's kingdom, in the three first verses.
II. His priesthood, from the fourth to the seventh.
I. In reference to his kingdom the prophet acquaints us, 1. With his person; 2. With his power, and the acquisition of it; 3. The continuance of it; 4. The execution of it - First, Over his enemies; Secondly, Over his own people, which is the sum of the three first verses.
1. The person who was to reign was David's Lord; his son according to the flesh, but his Lord as equal to God; Php 2:6-7. As made flesh, and born of a virgin, the son of David; but as Immanuel, the Lord of David, which the Jews not understanding could not reply to Christ's question, Mt 22:45.
2. As to his power, the Author of it was God: "The Lord said to my Lord," c. Decreed it from everlasting. And again, "The Seed of the woman," c.
3. And of his kingdom. He took possession, when the Lord said unto him, "Sit thou on my right hand." Christ, as the Son of God, was ever at God's right hand, equal to him in might and majesty but, as man, was exalted to honour, not before his glorious ascension, Ac 2:34 Eph 1:20; Php 2:9.
4. For the continuance of it. It is to be UNTIL, which notes, not a portion of time, but a perpetuity. "Sit TILL I make, c. Sit at God's right hand, that is, in power and glory, till he shall say to all the wicked, "Depart from me," Mt 25:41, but not so as to be then dethroned. But when once all his enemies shall be made his footstool, then he shall visibly rule, "sitting at his Father's right hand for evermore" go on to reign, neither desist to propagate and enlarge thy kingdom, till all men bow the knee to thy name, till all opponents be overthrown.
The beginning of this kingdom was in Zion: "The Lord shall send." c.
1. The rod of his power was his sceptre that is, "His word, the Gospel, the wisdom of God," 1Th 2:13; "The sword of the Spirit," Eph 6:17; "The mighty power of God," c., Ro 1:16.
2. And this was to be sent out of Zion, Isa 2:3. "It behoved Christ to suffer," c., Lu 24:46. The sound of the apostle's words went into all lands but Zion must first hear, Ac 13:46.
And now the prophet comes to the execution of his power: "Rule thou in the midst," c. Converting all such as believe his Gospel, and confounding those who will not have him to reign over them. Now these enemies are the most in number for the Church however greatly increased, is still surrounded by Turks, Jews, c. Rule thou be thou Ruler go on, and set up thy standard universally; for believers are easily dealt with; they love thy government.
1. "For thy people shall be willing." Not forced by compulsion; "they shall flow together as water," Isa 2:3.
2. But not before thy grace has brought down their hearts: "In the day of thy power," that is, in the days of thy solemn assemblies, when the Gospel light shall be sent forth, and the apostles and messengers go abroad to preach thy truth.
3. The third quality of this good people is, "that they be holy." For some read the words thus: "They shall offer freewill-offerings with a holy worship." Our last translators point it, "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Here they pause, and read on thus: "In the beauty of holiness from the womb of the morning." The Vulgate, In splendoribus sanctorum, "In the splendour of the saints," and stops there; but let the reading be as it will, all expositors are agreed that holiness must be the ornament of Christ's Church: -
4. Which sanctity these good people have not from themselves, but by the influence of the Holy Spirit, for "they shall worship in the beauty," c. This is a very difficult place, and the rendering of it is so various, so perplexed by the several modes of pointing it, that the difficulty is increased. But see the notes. The fathers expound this passage of Christ himself, and the later divines, of his people, which is most probable. By their youth they understand their regeneration by the dews, the graces bestowed on them; which come immediately from God. The prophet phrases it, "From the womb of the morning." As if the Holy Ghost had said, "The preaching of thy word shall bring forth a great and good people, plentiful as the drops of the morning dew. As the secret and refreshing dews come from heaven to refresh the earth, so thy power, regenerating the hearts of men by the secret operation of thy Holy Spirit, shall produce an immortal seed, children begotten to God. 'Thou hast the dew,' the grace of God, to beautify thy youth, and to make them holy by the direct influence of thy Spirit, to produce entire regeneration."
II. The prophet, having foretold Christ's kingdom, now predicts his priesthood, under which his prophetical office may be implied. That Messiah was to be a priest at his coming, God sware: -
1. "The Lord sware." His word of assurance was given with his oath. In the priesthood of Christ lies the main weight of our redemption; therefore God swears that he shall be a priest to offer himself, and to intercede for us, without which he had in vain been our Prophet and our King.
2. "And will not repent." This is also added for our greater assurance. God is sometimes represented as repenting, as in the case of Nineveh; but now that he was to save the world by this Priest, his Son, he takes an oath to do it, and he will not repent. His sentence for judgment is ever conditional; but his decree for mercy is absolute. "He will not repent," c.
The matter of the oath follows: "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek."
1. Thou is emphatical: Thou - David's Lord, art a Priest, and none such a Priest as thou.
2. Art for this priest was the I am; therefore, justly said, Thou art.
3. A Priest; whose office the apostle describes, Heb 5:1.
4. For ever - Not as Aaron and his successors, who were priests, c., Heb 7:23-24.
5. After the order - The right, the law, the custom, the rites. See the notes.
6. Of Melchizedek. - Which is opposed to the order of Aaron. He was not then to be a priest after the order of Aaron but by a former and higher order.
The difference lies in this: -
1. In the constitution of him to the priesthood. He was made with an oath and so were not any of Aaron's order, Heb 7:20-21.
2. In the succession. In Aaron's priesthood, the high priest, being mortal, died, and another succeeded; but this priest, as Melchizedek, "had neither beginning of days nor end of life," Heb 7:3.
3. Melchizedek was priest and king: so was Christ. Aaron was only a priest.
4. "Aaron and his sons offered up oxen," c., Le 16:6. "But Christ, being holy," c., offered no sacrifice for himself, but for our sins, Isa 53:9.
5. "Aaron was a local priest but Christ an universal priest," Joh 4:22.
6. "Aaron was anointed with material oil Christ, with the Holy Ghost," Lu 4:18; Lu 4:21.
7. "Aaron's priesthood was temporary; Christ's for ever."
A priest is to be, -
1. A person taken from among men, but select, fit for the office; thus was Christ a perfect man.
2. A priest must be ordained by God: "For no man," c. "So Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest." "Thou art my Son," c.
3. The high priest was ordained of men in things pertaining to God, to be their advocate, mediator, interpreter, and reconciler, in all those things in which men make their addresses to God, or God is to signify his will to them and so was Christ, for he is the Advocate, the Mediator for his people he reconciles them to God, he interprets his will to us by preaching his Gospel to the poor.
4. The high priest was ordained that he might offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. Their sacrifices were the blood of bulls, c. but Christ was most infinitely precious, even his own blood, Eph 5:2; Heb 9:26; Heb 10:10-12.
5. The high priest must have compassion on the ignorant, and those who are out of the way; such was Christ: "For we have not," c., Heb 4:15.
6. Lastly, the high priest was compassed with infirmities and so was Christ: "In all things it became him," c. "He took our infirmities," c.
It remains now to show, -
1. How he is "a priest for ever?"
2. How a priest "after the order of Melchizedek?"
He is "a priest for ever," in respect to his person, office, and effect.
1. In respect of his person and office. For he succeeded no priest, his vocation being immediate. Neither is any to succeed him in this priesthood "for he lives for ever," and therefore needs not, as the priests under the old law, any successor to continue his priesthood.
2. A priest he is for ever in respect of the effect: because by that sacrifice which he once offered on the cross he purchased the inestimable effects of redemption and eternal salvation, in which sense the priesthood is eternal.
"That Christ is a priest for ever" is evident but it remains to be shown how he is a priest after the order - the rite, the manner, the word, and power given and prescribed to Melchizedek.
1. This Melchizedek was king of Salem, and priest of the most high God, Ge 14:18; so was Christ a King of Jerusalem above, God's own city, and a priest, "offering himself a sacrifice for sin."
2. Melchizedek is by interpretation king of righteousness; so is Christ the Lord our righteousness, Jer 23:6; 1Co 1:30.
3. Melchizedek is king of Salem, i.e., peace; so Christ is the Prince of peace, Isa 9:6.
4. "Melchizedek was without father or mother;" so was this our priest, as revealed by God to us, "without beginning of days or end of life," as touching his Godhead.
5. "Melchizedek blessed Abraham;" so Christ us "in turning every one of us away from his iniquities."
6. "Melchizedek brought forth bread and wine to refresh Abraham's army;" so Christ instituted the sacrament, set forth in bread and wine, to refresh the hungry and thirsty souls of his genuine followers.
After the prophet had said "that the Messiah shall be a priest," c., he intimates in this verse that, notwithstanding all opposition that shall be made against him, yet his priesthood should be eternal for,
1. "The Lord is on thy right hand." Giving thee power in defence of his Church.
2. "And this thy Lord shall strike through kings," c. The greatest of thy enemies.
3. "In the day of his wrath." For such a day there is, and it will come, when the proudest tyrant shall not escape.
In the following verse Christ is described as a valiant conqueror.
1. "He shall rule and judge." Not only the Jews, but all people.
2. "He shall fill the places," c. Make such a slaughter among his enemies, as enraged soldiers do in the storming of a city, when they fill the trenches with the dead bodies.
"He shall wound the heads," &c. Even kings and monarchs, those in the greatest power and authority.
The prophet, through the whole of the Psalm, had spoken of Christ's exaltation: that he was set at God's right hand by oath was made a priest and that, in defence of his kingdom and priesthood, he would subdue, conquer, and break to pieces his enemies. In this last verse he tells us by what means he came to this honour: his cross was the way to the crown; his passion and humiliation, to his exaltation: "He," saith David, "shall drink of the brook by the way; therefore, shall he lift up his head;" as if he had said, with the apostle: "He humbled himself, and became obedient to death," c.
1. "He shall drink." To drink, is to be afflicted, Jer 49:12.
2. "He shall drink of the brook," נחל nachal, of the torrent and that is more than of the cup, for a cup contains but a certain portion of sorrows, but a torrent, a whole flood of miseries. In a cup, that which is drunk may be clear and clean; but in a torrent, a man can expect nothing but muddy and troubled water. Thus the prophet intimates here that the drink offered him should be much and troubled. And in his passion he descended into the depth of the torrent, and drank deep of it.
3. "In the way." On his journey that preceded his resurrection and ascension.
But claritas humilitatis praemium, "glory is the reward of humility." Because he thus humbled himself and willingly underwent his death and passion, for the glory of his Father, and the salvation of man; therefore shall God "lift up his head." He shall ascend into heaven; sit on his right hand, and be constituted the Judge of quick and dead. He shall rise from the dead and have all power committed to him in heaven and earth.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 110:7. He shall drink of the brook in…
Psa 110:7. He shall drink of the brook in the way — That is, says Houbigant, the brook Cedron, I suppose; David pointing out the passion of our Lord, by a continuance of the metaphor wherewith he began. Jesus was exalted because of his sufferings; therefore did he lift up his head, Heb 12:2. This is the more general interpretation of the verse. It expresses, says Poole, “the humiliation and passion of the Messiah, to prevent a great mistake which might arise in men’s minds concerning him, from the great successes and victories here ascribed to him, which might induce them to think that he should be exempted from all sufferings, and be crowned with constant and perpetual triumphs. To confute this notion, he signifies here that the Messiah should have a large portion of afflictions while he was in the way or course of his life, before he should come to his end or rest, and to the honour of sitting at his Father’s right hand.” Thus St. Paul, who may be considered as giving a comment on these words, observes, that being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, &c., Php 2:8-9. Waters in Scripture very frequently signify sufferings; and to drink of them signifies to feel or bear these sufferings. There are some, however, who give the verse a different meaning, and suppose that by drinking of the brook in the way, is meant the succour and supply of almighty grace: or, the influences of the Holy Spirit, frequently represented under the emblem of water, as Isa 12:3; Isa 55:1; Joh 7:38-39. Thus Mr. Hervey: “If it be asked, how the Redeemer shall be enabled to execute the various and important offices foretold in the former part of this Psalm, the prophet replies, He shall drink of the brook in the way. He shall not be left barely to his human nature, which must unavoidably sink, but through the whole administration of his mediatorial kingdom, and his incarnate state, shall be supported with omnipotent succours. He shall drink of the brook of almighty power: he shall be continually supported by the influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore shall he lift up his head. By these means shall he be rendered equal to his prodigious task, superior to all opposition, successful in whatever he undertakes, and greatly triumphant over all his enemies.” — Hervey’s Med., vol. 1. p. 129.
Upon the whole, we have in this Psalm as clear a prophecy of the Messiah, and of the offices which he should sustain, as perhaps we can find, in so few words, in any part of the Old Testament, and a prophecy absolutely incapable of any other application. Now this prophecy was completely fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, when he rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sat down on the right hand of his Father; from thenceforth expecting till his enemies should be made his footstool; that is, “till Satan, the prince of this world, should be confined to the bottomless pit; till all the persecuting powers of it should be destroyed, and till death and the grave should be no more, Psa 110:1. The kingdom, to which he was advanced, is a spiritual kingdom: the sceptre, with which he was presented in the heavenly Zion, is all power in heaven and earth; to be employed for the protection of his subjects, and the destruction of his enemies, Psa 110:2. The laws of his kingdom are the laws of the gospel; which were to be published from Jerusalem: they who freely offered themselves to publish his laws, and gather subjects into his kingdom, were the apostles, and first preachers of his word; who, in a few years, being invested with power from on high, spread his gospel over the world, and gathered into his kingdom multitudes of subjects out of every nation under heaven, Psa 110:3. At the same time that Jesus was seated on his throne as King, he was made High-Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, to intercede for his people, and be their advocate with the Father, Psa 110:4. The sceptre was given him as well for the destruction of his enemies, as the protection of his subjects. When, therefore, the potentates of the earth opposed his gospel, and persecuted its publishers, he destroyed them with the breath of his mouth; first, by pouring out his wrath on Judea, in the excision of its inhabitants, and the subversion of its state; and afterward, by executing his vengeance on the persecuting powers of the heathen world, as they rose up to oppose the advancement of his kingdom, Psa 110:5-6; Rev 19:11-21. When Jesus set out on his warfare against the enemies of our salvation, he drank deep of the cup of sorrow and suffering; but, in reward for his humiliation, he is highly exalted to the throne of equal glory, at the right hand of God, that all should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father:” see Green, on the Prayer of Habakkuk.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain He shall drink of the brook in the way…
He shall drink of the brook in the way - The design here seems to be to represent the Messiah as a victorious king and conqueror pursuing his enemies. In the previous verse the psalmist had represented him under the image of one engaged in battle, and slaying his enemies with a great slaughter. He here represents him as pursuing those who should escape from the battle, and as pursuing them without fainting or exhaustion. He is like one who finds abundant springs and streams of water in his journeyings; who refreshes himself at those fountains and streams; who, therefore, is not faint and weary. He pursues his foes vigorously and with success.
Therefore shall he lift up the head - Therefore shall he triumph, or be successful. The head falls when we are faint and exhausted, when we are disappointed and are ashamed, when we are conscious of guilt. It is lifted up in conscious rectitude, in success and triumph, in the exuberance of hope. The idea here is, that the Messiah would be triumphant. He would achieve the victory over all his foes; he would pursue, without exhaustion, his flying enemies, and he would return from the conquest joyous, exulting, triumphant. All this is under the image of a victorious hero; all this will be accomplished in the conquest of the world by the Gospel; in the subduing of the foes of God; in the final scene when the Redeemer shall deliver up the kingdom to God. 1Co 15:24-28.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 7. He shall drink of the brook in the…
7. He shall drink of the brook in the way—The reader must transfer himself to ancient times. A great battle has been fought, the dead bodies cover the field, and the victor is pursuing the enemy. Exhausted and faint he refreshes himself by a hasty but cooling drink from a brook, and with new vigour resumes the pursuit. A figure founded in forms of war, but illustrating the resolute and unfailing spirit of our all-conquering King in the prolonged conflict with antichrist and antichristian systems of government. At length “He shall bring forth judgment unto victory.” Amen. Happy are the nations who submit to his rule. And happy had it been for the Jewish people had they penetrated the spiritual sense of this and similar prophecies, and accepted “the kingdom of heaven” when preached to them by Christ their King. See Rev_19:11-21.
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The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 7. The subject of this verse is not Jehovah,…
7. The subject of this verse is not Jehovah, though the O.T. does not shrink from the boldest anthropomorphisms (e.g. Psa_78:65; Isa_63:1 ff.), but the king. The transition is abrupt, but as in the prophets we pass insensibly from the words of Jehovah to the words of the prophet, so here we pass from the action of Jehovah to the action of the king, who is His representative.
The poet presents him to our imagination in hot pursuit of the enemy. Though wearied with the toil of battle, he does not desist. He halts but for a moment to drink from the mountain torrent which he crosses. Refreshed and invigorated, he presses forward to complete his victory, till he is exalted in triumph over every foe.
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lift high the head] i.e. be triumphantly victorious. Cp. Psa_3:3; Psa_27:6.
The martial language of the Psalm receives a natural explanation if its primary reference was to David, at a time when the nation of Israel had to fight for its existence against enemies on every side, rather than to the Messiah whom he expected. That such language should be imitated in the Psalms of Solomon (17:23ff.), in an age which looked for a conquering king as its Messianic ideal, is not to be wondered at. The passage is worth quoting for the sake of its contrast as well as its resemblance to this Psalm and Psalms 2.
“Behold, O Lord, and raise up for them their king, the son of David, in the time which thou knowest, O God,
That he may reign over Israel thy servant;
And gird him with strength to break in pieces unrighteous rulers;
To cleanse Jerusalem from the heathen that trample it down and destroy it,
In wisdom and in righteousness;
To thrust out sinners from the inheritance,
To break in pieces the arrogance of the sinners,
To shatter all their substance as a potter’s vessels with a rod of iron.
To destroy the lawless nations with the word of his mouth,
That the nations may flee from him at his rebuke,
And to punish sinners in the imagination of their heart.”
A translation of the Targum is subjoined. It will be noted that the Psalm is treated as referring to David.
Jehovah said by His word that He would make me lord of all Israel. But He said to me again, Wait for Saul who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he die, for one kingdom approacheth not another [i.e. there cannot be two kings together], and afterwards I will make thine enemies thy footstool. [Another Targum. Jehovah said by His word, that He would give me dominion, because I devoted myself to learn the law of His (Psa_110:1 my) right hand. Wait until I make thine enemy thy footstool.] The rod of thy strength shall Jehovah send forth from Zion, and thou shalt rule in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people of the house of Israel who devote themselves willingly to the study of the law, in the day of battle shalt thou be holpen with them: in splendours of holiness shall the mercies of God hasten unto thee like the descent of the dew: thy generations shall dwell securely. Jehovah hath sworn and will not repent, that thou shalt be appointed prince of the world to come for merit, because thou hast been an innocent king. The Shechinah of Jehovah at thy right hand hath stricken through kings in the day of His wrath. He is appointed judge over the peoples: he hath filled the earth with the bodies of the wicked who have been slain: he hath stricken through the heads of exceeding many kings over the earth. From the mouth of the prophet in the way shall he receive doctrine; therefore shall he exalt the head.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (7) Drink . . . lift up.—The victorious leader,…
(7) Drink . . . lift up.—The victorious leader, “faint yet pursuing” (Jdg_8:4), pauses at the stream that crosses his path, and then refreshed, with head once more erect, continues his pursuit of the foe. Such is undoubtedly the meaning of this verse, and we need not suppose a sudden change of subject, as some critics do, as if the picture representing a thirsty warrior were unworthy of Jehovah. Poetry knows nothing of such timidity, and with the grand scene of Isa_63:1-6, of the hero stained with blood, we need not hesitate to admit this further detail so true to life, even if we had not in Psalms 60, 108 images of a still more homely type.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain He shall drink of the brook in the way.…
He shall drink of the brook in the way. Primarily, the action described is that of pausing in the pursuit of enemies to refresh one"s self with a draught of water from a brook by the wayside; but, if we interpret the passage of the Messiah, we must understand the refreshing draughts which he ever draws from the well-spring of truth and righteousness as he advances on his career of victory. Therefore (i.e. because of these draughts) he shall lift up the head. He shall never faint nor be weary, (Isa_40:28) but shall continue the pursuit of his enemies unremittingly, as Bishop Perowne says, "with renewed ardor, with head erect and kindling eye," never resting until at length all things shall have been put in subjection under his feet. (Heb_2:8)
"The brook by the way.
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This psalm tells of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, but all that it tells of has not yet been fulfilled. But the Church is still confidently assisting the glory of the Lord. Our text is difficult of completely satisfactory explanation. Three chief interpretations have been given.
I THAT IT TELLS OF OUR LORD"S BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US. The wrath of God running in the channel of the curse of the Law was "the brook by the way" of which our Savior drank, and concerning which he said, "The cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it?" Calvin, Hengstenberg, and Matthew Henry thus explain this verse. And then the glorious triumphs of the cross of Christ, past, present, and yet to come, are the lifting up of the head which is said to result.
II THAT IT DENOTES HIS INTENTNESS AND EAGERNESS IN THE PURSUIT OF HIS GREAT END, which was the destruction of the works of the devil. He would not turn aside for refreshment or rest, but like Gideon, (Jud_1:7) though faint, he kept pursuing. Like as the chosen soldiers of Gideon were known by their eager lapping of the water as distinguished from the mere leisurely lying down to drink of the rest, so our Lord was intent on his work, and nothing could stay his pursuit. (cf. Luk_12:50) He would drink of the brook by the way, and then on again.
III THAT IT SETS FORTH THE HUMILIATION OF CHRIST, ill that he placed himself on a level with us by stooping to need and to partake of those spiritual refreshments which in this life God provides for us. He humbled himself to need and share these with men. This is the interpretation which we prefer. What, then, for our Lord, were these brooks? They were such as these prayer; fellowship with kindred minds; affection and sympathy from those who loved him; the "joy set before him;" the Holy Scriptures.
IV THUS UNDERSTOOD, THE TEXT APPLIES TO CHRISTIANS NOW. For brooks by the way are provided for us by means of which we shall be, as was our Lord, strengthened and refreshed. And ours are as his, even as his were as ours. S.C.
Spiritual refreshment for spiritual work.
"He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head." The literal meaning of the figure is easy to trace. "The victorious leader, who has made so terrible a slaughter that the field of battle is covered with corpses, is now seen pursuing his enemies. Wearied with the battle and the pursuits, he stops for a moment on his way to refresh himself by drinking of the torrent rushing by, and then "lifts up his head," derives new vigor to continue the pursuit" (Perowne). But the war-figures only paint for us the spiritual work and the spiritual triumphs of Messiah; and this particular figure only suggests two things:
(1) that Messiah, in doing his spiritual work, needs refreshment; and
(2) that Messiah, in his anxiety about completing his spiritual work, scarcely stops to attend to his refreshment. To this a third thought may be added that God provided refreshment for him who was so earnestly doing his work. It may be noticed that Eastern people have a very skilful way of drinking from a flowing stream without stopping in their running. They throw the water up into the mouth. An Eastern traveler writes, "In an excursion across an Arabian desert, some of the Arabs, on coming to water, rushed to it, and stooping sufficiently to allow the right hand to reach the water, they threw it up into their mouths so dexterously, that I never observed any of the water to fall upon the breast. I often tried to do it, but never succeeded." Applying the verse in a general way to all who, with Christ, are engaged in spiritual work, we may say
I SPIRITUAL WORK IS EXHAUSTING TO THE BODILY FRAME AS WELL AS TO THE SPIRITUAL NATURE. It is enough to recall the fatigue of Jesus on some memorable occasions, such as at Jacob"s well, in the boat, or at Gethsemane.
II GOD PROVIDES REFRESHMENTS FOR EXHAUSTED SPIRITUAL WORKERS. Represented by the "brook in the way." Illustrate by God"s gracious treatment of exhausted Elijah. He refreshed him, bodily, with food; he refreshed him, spiritually, with visions. Water is the type of soul-refreshings.
III THE EARNEST SPIRITUAL WORKER WILL NOT LET EVEN NECESSARY spiritual refreshings unduly detain him from his work. He will take only a passing drink. He will be "faint, yet pursuing. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 7. He shall drink of the brook in…
Ver. 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way. So swiftly shall he march to conquest that he shall not stay for refreshment, but drink as he hastens on. Like Gideon's men that lapped, he shall throw his heart into the fray and cut it short in righteousness, because a short work will the Lord make in the earth. "Therefore shall he lift up the head." His own head shall be lifted high in victory, and his people, in him, shall be upraised also. When he passed this way before, he was burdened and had stern work laid upon him; but in his second advent he will win an easy victory; aforetime he was the man of sorrows, but when he comes a second time his head will be lifted in triumph. Let his saints rejoice with him. "Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." In the latter days we look for terrible conflicts and for a final victory. Long has Jesus borne with our rebellious race, but at length he wilt rise to end the warfare of longsuffering, by the blows of justice. God has fought with men's sins for their good, but he will not always by his Spirit strive with men; he will cease from that struggle of long suffering love, and begin another which shall soon end in the final destruction of his adversaries. O King priest, we who are, in a minor degree, king priests too, are full of gladness because thou reignest even now, and wilt come ere long to vindicate thy cause and establish thine empire for ever. Even so, come quickly. Amen.
Ver. 7. He shall drink of the brook, etc. He describeth the passion of Christ and his glory. "In the way", saith he, that is, in his life while he is in this misery, "he shall drink out of the brook, "that is, he shall suffer and be overcome. For to drink out of the cup is to suffer: but to drink out of the brook, is to be altogether full of trouble, to be vexed and tormented and utterly to be overwhelmed with a strong stream of troubles. Thus was it in David's mind to declare the passion of Christ. Afterward he saith, "therefore shall he lift up the head". After the passion followeth the glory, with the resurrection and ascension. Paul, (Php 2:8) speaketh of both, and saith: "Christ humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hath exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name", etc. Myles Coverdale, 1487-1568.
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Ver. 7. I conceive that the "brook" here spoken of was not intended to give us the idea of a clear brook of refreshing water, which was to afford the Redeemer strength to endure the amazing conflict; as the drinking of the water enabled Gideon's chosen band of men to go forth to battle against the Midianites. No; in our Lord's case it was a polluted and turbid stream. Like the water of Marsh, which the Israelites could not drink, it was bitter; for sin had made it so. It bore along with it, as it flowed, the curse of the broken law, and the vengeance of offended justice, and the wrath of the eternal God. It was pain, sorrow, suffering, death. This was the "brook" of which he drank. The "cup" which his Father gave him to drink was filled with the bitter water of this "brook"; and he may be said to have first put his lips to it, when he declared to his disciples, in his way to Gethsemane, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death".
But it is stated in the text that this "brook" was "in the way." It is described here as running by the path in which the Redeemer was going in order to the accomplishment of his great work of man's salvation; that work which he had engaged in the everlasting covenant to perform; and by the performance of which, man could alone be accepted of God. The sin of man was the source from whence this water issued; and it flowed along in the Saviour's "way, "through the wilderness of this world to his kingdom of glory in the next; as the brook Kidron, red with the blood of the typical sacrifices, flowed in his way to Calvary. Fountain Elwin, 1842.
Ver. 7. In the expositions of most of the ancients and moderns, we are told that he drank of the brook,
(1) of mortality by his incarnation;
(2) of strictness and hardness in all his passage, by his
voluntary wants and poverty;
(3) of the strong potion of the law, by his exact obedience
and subjection;
(4) of the Jews' malice, by their continual indignities;
(5) of the floods of Belial, by apparent and unknown
temptations;
(6) of the heaviest wrath of his Father, by his unspeakable
agony and bloody sweat in the garden.
And last of all, of death itself on the cross, by his sad and extreme passion. John Prideaux.
Ver. 7. He shall drink of the brook in the way. These words were understood by Junius and Tremellius long ago as meaning, "He shall steadily press on to victory, as generals of energy act, who in pursuing routed foes, stay not to indulge themselves in meat or drink." Hengstenberg and others substantially approve of this view. While a few hold that allusion may be made to Samson at Ramath Lehi (as if the words spoke of Christ having a secret spring of refreshment when needful). Most seem inclined to take Gideon as the type that best expresses the idea. Pressing on to victory, Messiah, like Gideon, "faint yet pursuing" as he passed over Jordan, shall not desist till all is won. "He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he hath set judgment in the earth." Perhaps the full idea is this: His career was irresistibly successful like that of Gideon; for he allowed nothing to detain him, nor did he shrink in the enterprise from any fatigue, nor did he stop to indulge the flesh. If we take it thus, there is both the Humiliation and the Exaltation of the Son of Man contained in the words; and Php 4:8, 9 supplies a commentary. Andrew A. Bonar.
Ver. 7. Schnurrer, says Rosenmuller, "seems to have perceived the meaning of the verse, which he gives in the following words: Though fatigued with the slaughter of his enemies, yet he will not desist; but, having refreshed himself with water from the nearest stream, will exert his renovated strength in the pursuit of the routed foe." Messianic Psalms.
Ver. 7. Christ shall "lift up the head" by way of triumphing and rejoicing, when he shall have taken full vengeance of his adversaries, and freed, not himself only, but the whole body of his church from the assaults and dangers of all enemies. We see now that oftentimes, though not in himself, yet in his members, he is fain to hang down the head, and to wear the badges of reproach and shame, whilst the ungodly vaunt themselves (Job 31:2-6) and in their hearts despise the righteous, accounting more vilely of them than of the dust of their feet. Robert Abbot.
Ver. 7. Christ's alacrity, self denial, and simplicity, the
causes of his success. Example to be imitated.
Ver. 7. Christ's humiliation and exaltation.
The Exaltation of the Kingdom and Priesthood of Christ. In certaine Sermons vpon the 110 Psalme: Preached in the Cathedrall Church and city of Worcester, in the time of Christmasse: anno Domini: 1590. By Rob. Abbot, doctor of Diuinitie, sometime felow of Baliol Coiledge in Oxford. Londini, Impensis G. Bishop. 1601. 4to.
An Explication of the Hundreth and Tenth Psalme...Being the Substance of several Sermons preached at Lincolns Inne; by Edward Reynolds afterwards Bishop of Norwich. 4to. 2nd edition. London, 1035. Also in "Reynolds' Works."] In the works of John Boys, 160, folio, pp. 809-821, there is an Exposition of this Psalm. An incorruptible Key Composed of the CX. Psalme, wherewith You may open the rest of the holy Scriptures... By Samuel Gorton, Gent. and at the time of the penning hereof, in the place of. Judicature (upon Aquethneck, alias Road Island) of Providence Plantations in the Nanhyganset Bay, New England. Printed in the Yeere 1647. 4to. A new interpretation of the Sixty-eighth Psalm. To which is added, an Exposition of the Hundred and tenth Psalm, proposed in a Sermon, preached before the University of Oxford, at St. Mary's, on Sunday, October 27,
1811. By the Rev. Richard Dixon, A.M., F.R.S...Oxford, 1811. 4to.
In "The Golden Diary of Heart Converse with Jesus in the Book of Psalms, by the Rev. Dr. Edersheim...London: 1873, "there is a short meditation on this Psalm.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain He shall drink of the brook in the way:…
Psa_110:7
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
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Refreshment through suffering
The words place before us two pictures. The one is that of want, and the other is that of its supply. He that drinks of the brook is he who needs its refreshment. He lifts up his head, when he has drunk of the running stream: it was drooping before; he had been faintly pursuing his object, but now he goes on his way with head erect, and with elastic tread.
I. The similarity between the features of nature and of grace.
II. The meaning of the text as spoken by David. In some of his sharp encounters with Saul, in some of those hot persecutions which he suffered in such number, there might have been some occasion in which the taste of water was the renovation of his strength; or perhaps he had special reference to the river Jordan, or the brook of Siloa, and coupled them with the holy city, and thought of them as typical streams, and looked at their waters, when tasted, as declaring that the city was nigh at hand, and that he that should drink it would be approaching its shining gates.
III. The application of the words to Christ. When we first read them, we deem them to speak of the refreshment of exhausted nature; and perhaps, in their primary application they do so. But surely the life of the Son of Man was not one of refreshment or relaxation, at least to Himself. We must remember, then, that water has another meaning, and it is that of distress and the overwhelming of the soul. And was this His refreshment? How could it be so?
1. Because it was the greatest of actions, the crucifixion of self in man.
2. Because it was the performance of the Fathers will, and, through this, the way of the redemption of the world. To these waters Jesus stooped down; of these He drank, and after drinking them, He lifted up His head, where now He sits above the clouds in the exaltation of the highest heaven.
IV. The application of the words to ourselves.
1. We must be partners in the fortune of our Head: what He endured, that,--it is a law of our union with Him--we must look to endure also; if His bark went through stormy seas, so surely must ours.
2. We are suffering now, and our reign is not until hereafter. But while we suffer we recruit; we derive immortal vigour from mortal woe; we live through our very death. (C. E. Kennaway, M.A.)
The brook by the way
We march with a Captain who makes common cause with the humblest. The contrast in this verse between a splendid destiny and the simplest life was never so true of any as of Him (Gal_4:4; Heb_4:15).
1. See how true this is of the lowest part of human life, the life of the body. For thirty years Jesus lived the frugal and simple life of a carpenters son in a quiet village among the hills of Galilee. His first recorded temptation was to break His fellowship with us by claiming miraculous supplies, at least of bread; but this help, which He gave to others, He would not Himself employ.
2. Observe, however, that He does drink. You will not find one innocent pleasure, which came in the way to Jesus, and which He sourly or wilfully refused. He would leave a feast at once, if called by Jairus to a sick-bed; but He would not refuse the feast of His friends in Bethany, though He knew that He was reproached for eating and drinking. How does His example affect us? We may have to refuse pleasures because we are weak, because temptations must be avoided. Or, like St. Paul, we may deny ourselves for our weak brothers sake, which is an honour, and a Christ-like thing; but the rule, apart from special cases, is that the best and truest life is such as welcomes and is refreshed by all simple pleasures.
3. It is still more wonderful to think of the spiritual life of Jesus nourished by the same means of grace which are available for us all. As if we saw Him rise from the throne of heaven to stoop by our waysides and drink from the rills of earth, so should our heart burn within us, when we observe our Masters constant use of the very means of grace which men neglect. Our prayers are formal, and easily interrupted; but He once rose up a long while before day, and again continued all night in prayer. We easily absolve ourselves from public worship; but He was careful to frequent the synagogues, and attended the festivals in Jerusalem. We neglect the Supper of our Lord, concerning which He said, Do this in remembrance of Me; but with desire He desired to eat the Passover with His disciples. We rely on our own judgment and conscience, and but few of us feel it a duty to instruct our conscience and keep it sensitive by a constant study of Gods Word, which is as a lamp to the feet. But He was never at a loss for spiritual guidance from the Old Testament, saying, in every emergency, It is written. It is surely a bitter reproach to us every one, that a stranger who watched our Master and His followers might easily suppose that He it was who needed help most, that we could better afford to dispense with it. The brooks which refreshed Him on His march are not dried up; neither are they, like Solomons fountain, sealed. (C. A. Chadwick, D.D.)
Christ invigorated in the prosecution of His redemptive work
I. Christ in the prosecution of His redemptive work is refreshed and invigorated because He drinks from the inexhaustible fountain of His own love. He still prosecutes His work of mercy, because He drinks of the brook in the way--the brook of His eternal inexhaustible love!
II. Christ may he said to drink of the brook in the way, because of the perfectly righteous work in which He is engaged. All His victories are righteous in their end, and in their means. The consciousness of the rectitude of His entire work is a brook from which He drinks in the way.
III. The joy in prospect of the final salvation of all the subjects of His kingdom is another brook from which He drinks in the way.
IV. Christ may be said to drink of the brook in the way, from the certainty He has of a final victory over all His foes. He must reign. All enemies shall be vanquished. Christ is expecting this. (John Lewis, B.A.)
Refreshment supplied by the way
The promises are fruits laid up to ripen in time to come, and as most fruits become ripest and sweetest in the winter, so have we found that Gods promises have a peculiar mellowness in our times of distress and affliction, such a sweetness as we did not perceive in the summer days of our prosperity. The train which starts from London to go to the North continues to traverse the distance day by day--how is it supplied with water? Why, there are trenches between the rails in several different places, and from these the engine drinks as it rushes along its iron pathway; it is supplied as it runs. That is just what our Heavenly Father has done for you. You are just like an engine on the road to heaven, and between here and heaven there are many stores of grace awaiting you; you will take up fresh water without slacking your speed, and so will be able to keep on to your journeys end. To use another illustration, when the Eastern nations used to trade across the desert in the olden times, in Solomons days for instance, there were stations built, wells sunk, and provisions stored at convenient halting-places, so that the caravans might pause and take in fresh provisions. The caravans reached their journeys end because the long way was broken up by a series of resting-places. Now, the promises are resting-places for us between here and heaven. There is a long line of them at well-ordered intervals, and as we journey through this desert world we shall be constantly coming, first to one, and then another, and then another, and another, and so we shall find fresh provision stored up, that we may not fail. The manna will fall daily till we come to Canaan. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
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Psa_111:1-10
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 He will drink of the brook along the road
He will drink of the brook along the road
The king only stops briefly for a drink and then he continues the pursuit of his enemies. AT: "As he pursues his enemies, he will only stop to drink quickly from a brook" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
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of the brook
This means the he will drink water from the brook. A brook is a small stream. AT: "he will drink water from the brook" (See: Synecdoche)
and then
"and so" or "therefore"
he will lift his head
Possible meanings are 1) the king lifts up his own head or 2) Yahweh lifts up the head of the king.
he will lift his head up high after victory
People raised their heads when they are victorious, confident, and joyful. AT: "he will confidently lift his head after victory" or "he will be victorious" (See: Idiom)
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 110:7 God’s messianic ruler obtains victory as a vigorous…
110:7 God’s messianic ruler obtains victory as a vigorous person, as if he had received nourishment from brooks along the way (110:3).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.