Commentary on Psalms Volume 2 John Calvin
JOHN CALVIN
1. Sing joyfully to God our strength sing with a loud voice: to the God of Jacob. 2. Raise a song, 883 and bring forth the tabret, the pleasant harp, with the psaltery. 884 3. Sound the trumpet at the new moon; at the time appointed on the day of our sacrifice. 885 4. For this is a statute to Israel, a law to the God of Jacob. 5. He set it for a testimony in Joseph, when he went forth over [or above] the land of Egypt: I heard a language which I understood not. 6. I removed
There are various opinions as to the time and occasion of the composition of this psalm. Bishop Horsley observes, "It is certainly older than the time of David; for the use of Joseph's name, in the 5th verse, as the name of the whole nation, shows that it was composed before Judah became the principal tribe, while the place of worship was in the tribe of Ephraim; that is, among Joseph's descendants." "This, however," says Fry, "is not conclusive, as a psalm, whenever composed, referring to the events of those times, might use the same distinctions." According to Walford, it "was most likely written to be sung at some celebration of the feast of the Passover, during the reign of Jehoshaphat or of Hezekiah." But the generally received opinion is, that it was composed, in the first instance, for the feast of trumpets. This feast was celebrated on the first day of the month Tisri, which was the beginning of the Jewish year, answering to our September. It has been supposed by some, that this feast was appointed in commemoration of the creation of the world, which is conjectured to have been completed at that season of the year. The Hebrew months were lunar, and the first day of each month had its religious services, accompanied with sound of trumpets, Numbers 10:10; but the feast of trumpets was kept with additional sacrifices, Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 29:1. The trumpets were blown from sunrise until sunset. It appears from the book of the Jewish Liturgy, that this psalm is still sung at that feast. "It may have been used," observes Dr Adam Clarke, "in celebrating the feast of trumpets on the first of Tisri; the feast of tabernacles, on the fifteenth of the same month; the creation of the world; the feast of the new moons; and the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt; to all which circumstances it appears to refer."
"Take a psalm. Ainsworth, Take up a psalm. Bishop Horsley says, 'The word (psalm) must in this place denote some musical instrument.' But, with all due deference to his Lordship, suppose a clergyman in the present day were to say to his clerk, 'Strike up a psalm!' (quite a similar phrase,) would the clerk understand him to mean a musical instrument? Certainly not." — Williams.
For an account of these musical instruments, see Appendix.
Hammond translates this verse thus, "Blow the trumpet on the first day of the month, on the new moon, on the day of our feast." "The word",כהדשsays he, "must here be rendered, in the beginning of the month, that so,ככסהthat follows, may be rendered, as it truly signifies, in the new moon. It is true, that from,הׁדשnew,הׁדשindifferently signifies the novilunium, and the first day of the month; but here, the new moon being peculiarly expressed by,כסהto avoid tautology,הדשmust be rendered the new month; i.e., the first day of the month. The Syriac sets this down here most expressly, 'In the beginning or first of the month, and in the new moon;' which, meeting always together, were festival among the Jews, and so the trumpet was to be sounded thereon." [Note: The Hebrew words and stems being discussed in this footnote require punctuation which cannot be shown using the OLBHEB font. The reader should refer to the original commentary for the actual puctuation. — sg.]