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.Solomon is said to have uttered threethousand proverbs, 1Ki 4:32, B.C.1000.The first nine chapters ofProverbs are written in an admirable poetic style, and are morecontinuous than the succeeding Pr 10:1-22:29, which consist ofseparate maxims.Pr 25:1-29:27 are proverbs of Solomon collected underthe direction of King Hezekiah.Pr 30:1-33 is ascribed to Agur, andaffords examples of the enigmatic proverbs so popular in the East.Pr31:1-31, by "king Lemuel," is mainly a beautiful picture of femaleexcellence.By whose care this book was compiled in its present form,is unknown; there is no book of the Old Testament, however, whosecanonical authority is better attested.The New Testament containsfrequent quotations and allusions to it, Ro 12:20 1Th 5:15 Heb 12:5-6Jas 4:6 1Pe 4:8 2Pe 2:22.Its "winged words" are a rich storehouse offile:///H|/Biblebob/Books/Online/ATSBibleDictionary/p.htm (62 of 70)8/10/2005 3:50:57 AMATS Pheavenly wisdom, and few questions can arise in actual life, on whichthey do not shed light.PROVIDENCEAc 24:2, a superintending and forecasting care.The providence of Godupholds and governs every created thing.Its operation is coextensivewith the universe, and as unceasing as the flow of time.All hisattributes are engaged in it.He provideth for the raven his food, andsatisfieth the desire of every living thing.The Bible shows us allnature looking up to him and depending upon him, Job 38:41; Ps104:1-35; 145:15,16; 147:8-9; and uniformly declares that everyoccurrence, as well as every being, is perfectly controlled by him.There is no such thong as chance in the universe; "the lot is castinto the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord," Pr16:23.Not a sparrow, nor a hair of the head, falls to the groundwithout his knowledge, Isa 14:26-27; Mt 10:29-30; Ac 17:24- 29.Nothing that was not too minute for God to create, is too minute forhim to preserve and control.The history of each man, the rise andfall of nations, and the progress of the church of Christ, reveal atevery step the hand of Him who "worketh all things after the counselof his own will."PSALMS, BOOK OFThe Hebrew name for this book is TEHILLIM, praises, though many of thepsalms are rather elegiac.Most of the psalms have the superscriptionmizmor, a poem song.This word is rendered in the Septuagint bypsalmos, that is, a song sung to music, a lyric poem.The Greekpsalterion means a stringed instrument; hence by a metaphor the bookof Psalms is called Psalter.For the poetical characteristics of thePsalms, see POETRY.Classification.- Some writers have classified the psalms according totheir poetic character, into odes, elegies, etc.A preferable methodis to divide them according to their contents.In this way they havebeen divided into six classes.1.Hymns in praise of Jehovah; tehillim in the proper sense.These aredirected to Jehovah as the God of all nature and the Creator of theuniverse, Ps 8:1-9 104:1-35; as the protector and patron of Israel, Ps20:1-9 29:1-11 33:1-22, or of individuals, with thanksgiving forfile:///H|/Biblebob/Books/Online/ATSBibleDictionary/p.htm (63 of 70)8/10/2005 3:50:57 AMATS Pdeliverance from evils, Ps 18:1-50 30:1-12 46:1-47:9; or they refer tothe more special attributes of Jehovah, Ps 90:1-17 139:1-24.Thesepsalms express thoughts of the highest sublimity in respect to God,providence, redemption, etc.2.Temple hymns; sung at the consecration of the temple, the entranceof the ark, etc., or intended for the temple service, Ps 24:1-10132:1-18.So also "pilgrim songs," sung by those who came up toworship in the temple, etc.; as for example, the "songs of degrees,"Ps 120:1-7, etc.See DEGREES, PSALMS OF.3.Religious and moral songs of a general character; containing thepoetical expression of emotions and feelings, and thereforesubjective: as for example, confidence in God, Ps 23:1-6 62:1-12125:1-5; devotedness to God, Ps 16:1-11; longing for the worship ofthe temple, Ps 42:1-43:5; prayers for the forgiveness of sin, etc.Tothis class belong the seven penitential psalms, as they are termed, Ps6:1-10 25:1-22 32:1-11 35:1-28 38:1-22 51:1-19 130:1-8.Also didacticsong; the poetical expression of some truth, maxim, etc., Ps 1:1-615:1-5 32:1-11 34:1-22 50:1-23 128:1-6, etc.This is a numerous class.4.Elegiac psalms, that is, lamentations, psalms of complaint,generally united with prayer for help.5.Messianic psalms, as Ps 3:1-8 22:1-31 45:1-17 69:1-36 72:1-20110:1-7, etc.6.Historical psalms, in which the ancient history manner, Ps 78:1-72105:1-45 106:1-48 114:1-8.But it is impossible to form any perfect arrangement, because somepsalms belong in part to two or more different classes.Besides theproper Messianic psalms, predictions of the Messiah are widelyscattered through this book, and the attention of the devout reader iscontinually attracted by passages foretelling His character and Hisworks.Not a few of these are alluded to in the New Testament; and itis unquestionable that the language and structure of many others notquoted were intended to bear witness to the Son of God.David himselfwas an eminent type of the Savior, and many events of his lifeshadowed forth his son and Lord.The mention of these in the inspiredwritings is not undesigned; the recorded trials and victories of Davidfind in their reference to the Messiah their highest claim to a placein the sacred writings.Lord Bacon has remarked that many propheticpassages in the Old Testament are "of the nature of their Author, tofile:///H|/Biblebob/Books/Online/ATSBibleDictionary/p.htm (64 of 70)8/10/2005 3:50:57 AMATS Pwhom a thousand years are as one day; and therefore they are notfulfilled punctually at once, but have springing and germinantaccomplishment through many ages, though the height or fullness ofthem may refer to some one age."Inscriptions- With the exception of twenty-five psalms, hence calledorphan psalms, all the rest have inscriptions of various kinds.Theyrefer to the author, the occasion, different kinds of song, the melodyor rhythm, the instrumental accompaniment, the choir who shallperform, etc.These are mostly very obscure, because the music andmusical instruments of the Hebrews are almost unknown to us [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]